Norman Hardie Winery: Wood Fired Pizza & Wine

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.

Norman Hardie Winery

The vines and oak barrels are from France. The limestone and ideal climate are from South Ontario. The taste and nose are from me – Norman Hardie

Norman graduated from the University of Dijon in Burgundy with a sommelier certificate and honed his skills for seven years at Four Seasons Hotels. He spent the next six years in California, New Zealand, Oregon, South Africa, and Burgundy learning from the best winemakers.

Norman settled in PEC in 2003 and planted Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay vines. The focus is on perfection. The approach is exacting. The ripe fruit is handpicked and sorted by hand.

The winery does not use band-aid solutions or commercial vague ferments that you can buy from a lab. Here they have an old school approach. This approach is about using natural yeast, very little sulfur, boost the fermentation for the red skin, plenty of lees contact for the whites, and converting the tart malic acid to a softer lactic acid.

The Malolactic fermentation boosts the flavor and body of the winemaking, making it more fuller and rounder. The tartness of the green apple is converted to a buttery flavor. The marriage of the grape and the oak is made perfect with this fermentation process taking place in the barrel.

The traditional method of winemaking has won Norman Hardie the approval and badge of honor from Matt Kramer, Stephen Tanzer, Jancis Robinson, and Tony Aspler.

As you enter the winery on your left you can see a whole bunch of tanks.

Tasting Room

I am excited about tasting some of the wines as this is the Mecca of PEC. The Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are legendary, acclaimed, and celebrated in Canadian wine circles.

The tasting room is unique. On the left-hand side, you can find T-shirts and hats.

There are books on wine.

The maple syrup and wine jelly are made by their own viticulturist.

There is also olive oil from the Kingston Olive Oil Company.

You look across and at the bottom, you can see the winemaking operations.

The office is just above the huge stainless-steel vats.

The tasting room is surrounded by paintings and is busy during the summer.

Pizza

The winery used the help of chefs from Toronto’s finest restaurants to come up with a pizza recipe. The verdict. It has delivered. From May to October, the wood-fired oven produces some of the best pizza I have ever tasted. Have a glass of red overlooking the vineyard.

Top Recommendation

2017 Norman Hardie Riesling

The best of Niagara Escarpment and PEC come together to form this balanced Riesling.

2016 Norman Hardie Pinot Noir Unfiltered

You go to India to visit the Taj Mahal. You come to Canada to watch Niagara Falls. You come to Norman Hardie to taste the Pinot Noir. He has mastered the complex layers and will go perfect with a nice medium T-Bone Steak.

Norman Hardie is located at 1152 Greer Road, Wellington, Ontario. The Tasting Bar is open 10 am to 6 pm April through October and 11 am to 5 pm daily November through March.