| Grape Growers Add Cluster of Wineries, Feb 2005
by Catherine A. Cocchio Varying in size from small, boutique-style wineries to large, destination-style attractions, their addition to the list heralds the type of growth needed to create a cluster of wineries capable of attracting the attention of wine connoisseurs to the area. "You need a dozen or so wineries to generate a following. We had a few setbacks when we lost Kingsville Estate and Grapetree, but I think that's normal in a growing industry," said Walter Schmoranz, general manager of Pelee Island Winery. With 2002 to 2005 vintages produced from their 100-acre vineyard bottled and ready for market, Tony and Eadie Mastronardi plan to open Phase One of Mastronardi Estate Winery sometime this month. "Stepping into our retail facility is like stepping back in time to an old European-style wine cellar. We divided the old barn in half. One half is our production area, the other has retail, offices, washrooms and an 80-person small banquet facility," said Eadie Mastronardi. Renovations for the farmhouse will accommodate weddings and larger functions in phase two of the business plan. By late April, Muscedere's old-world heritage meets the new world wine region in their country-style house retail outlet on County Road 18. With room for about 25 to 30 in their gathering place, brothers Rob and Fabio Muscedere hope to build from a modest 1,000- to 2,000-case production to an eventual 10,000-case bottling. Most ambitious of the new ventures, Viewpointe Estate Winery has a soft opening scheduled in June for its destination attraction on County Road 50 near Colchester. Loosely modeled after Kingsville's old Hiram Walker Casino, the $3-million project's stone walls and rotunda reminiscent of the 1890's have the capacity of 100 to 150 inside and 300 in the courtyard, and up to 2,000 for outdoor festivals. An instructional culinary centre is equipped for catering events. "We had to decide what would draw customers. We figure Windsor-Essex County has room for at least one destination winery. I'm not going to be the second to do it," said John Fancsy, co-owner of Viewpointe. "We're one of the oldest yet least developed wine areas. People are realizing its potential. There's huge interest with 12 to 13 wineries in the area", said Izabela Bemben, assistant winemaker at Aleksander Estate Winery. Opened a year ago, Aleksander hopes to double output to 2,000 cases this year from its small retail store. Reproduced with permission, Windsor Business, February 2006 |