Keint-He Winery: A Burgundian Winery
Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County (PEC) is located 220 km east of Toronto. It is just south of Belleville. The ground is atypical with many valleys and the foundation is limestone. The cracked limestone base and the stony soils allow bilge in the spring, take in all the water which allows the vines to go deep in the Indian summer and yields a flavor that is potent, rich, full-bodied and robust. The breeze from Lake Ontario gives maximum benefit to the vineyards of PEC.
As you exit the 401 and go south towards PEC, it is an amazing escape from the boring monotony of the 401. You are transformed into the countryside lined with unique vineyards in a succulent canvas of agrarian serenity.
Welcome to my series on vineyards in PEC. Before you head out to a vineyard please read this guide on how to enjoy your trip. In this series, I will cover the following vineyards: Harwood, Casa-Dea, Rosehall Run, Norman Hardie, By Chadsey’s Cairns and Kent He.
Keint-He Winery & Vineyards
Keint-he is the French take on the word Quinte (Bay of Quinte region).
The focus of Keint-he is to follow in the footsteps of the vineyards in Burgundy. The vineyards at Keint-he were chosen based on geography, the glare of the sun and the type of soil. These slight, ingenious characteristics create a unique grape.
The Big Lake Vineyard planted in 2007 is located at the winery and takes advantage of the airflow from Lake Ontario. At this vineyard Melone de Bourgogne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are grown.
The Little Creek Vineyard planted in 1997 consists exclusively of Pinot Noir.
The Foxtail Vineyards were planted in 1999 and consists of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier.
The Pinot Noir produced here has a cosmopolitan tone to it because of the perfect mix of the Burgundian approach with the County climate. The high-density planting and the work with hand results in a balanced wine.
The sun-soaked patio faces the lake and you get snacks. Just sit here for a while and try one of their great Pinot Noirs.
Top Recommendation
Keint-He 2015 ‘Portage’ Pinot Noir
The definition of Pinot Noir from PEC. A Medium body, robust wine good with a nice BBQ.
I am really fascinated by the label. Canoes in a Fog, Lake Superior is painted by Canadian artist, Frances Anne Hopkins (1838-1919).
Keint-he Winery & Vineyards is located at 49 Hubbs Creek Road in Wellington, Ontario.
This place looks amazing! I hope to make it up that way some day. Thank you for sharing!
This looks and sounds like a fantastic winery! I have always wanted to go to Prince Edward Island. I’m pretty sure I’d love it here.
I have always wanted to visit a winery/vineyard. I’m not a wine person but they always fascinated me & look beautiful.
Ontario has so many beautiful places to visit. I hope to visit more of them someday. This place is a couple of hours away from where I live. I’ll have to put it on the list.
I love Prince Edward County, but was not familiar with where this vineyard was until I looked it up on the map. I see it’s just north of Sandbanks Provincial Park. I will try and pick up that Pinot Noir next time I visit!
A winery sounds like a great option for a day out with either friends or a partner. I know my husband would enjoy visiting the Keint-he-winery as the wines all sound like ones that would suit his palette. He does enjoy a good wine and I do love to try new things so it would make for a fun experience. We’d go with your recommendation and try the Keint-He 2015 ‘Portage’ Pinot Noir first of course as that sounds lovely and as we do love to do BBQ’s it would be ideal for us to buy in bulk to enjoy with friends and family over BBQ season!!!
I’ve really been enjoying all the winery spots you’ve been sharing around Ontario. It’s definitely making me want to plan a trip and check out a few of them. They all look beautiful, and the variety of wines sounds amazing. I bet Prince Edward Island is just as lovely too.
I didn’t know they had an award from 2014! I was there at that year but probably before they received it. Pretty cool to be reading about it now!
Reading this review had me looking forward to visiting wineries and vineyards this season! Now I want to plan a trip to visit Ontario and check out Keint-He and others in the area. Looking forward to reading about other locations too!