ASSIGINACK—Grapes and Grains owner and wine vintner Curt Holmberg of Mindemoya has teamed up with Angry Antlers Vineyard owner Rick Krasowski to host a first annual vineyard tour to take place on Sunday, October 4 from 11 am to 3 pm. The tour also includes a barbecue and nature walk.
“Rick has worked very hard for a decade developing these beautiful grape vines,” Mr. Holmberg told The Expositor, “and we invite everyone to join us as we explore and sample the grapes on the vineyard. The vibe you experience standing in a vineyard with these beautiful clusters of berries growing and coming to life is something one should at least experience once in a lifetime. It is an indescribable feeling. We will proceed to pick all the grapes we need. We will de-stem, sort and crush them onsite and then transport the juice and grapes back to the store where I work my magic turning it into beautiful organic wines. Making wine from grapes is much more challenging than just making it out of a commercial wine kit. There is a lot more science involved but I am ready to take on the challenge and just have a lot of fun with this experience.”
A wine press has been installed at the store and Mr. Holmberg invites Islanders to pop in to Grapes and Grains to see how it works.
Mr. Holmberg went on to talk about the wines that would be available for purchase saying that there will be two red side wines which are Frontenac and Sabrevois.
“These grapes have been grown organically and carefully,” Mr. Holmberg explained, “and the flavour appearance of these grapes will be something to remember and cherish for years to come. The wines will be ready for Christmas and will be just fine, but they will soften and get better with age.
There are two promotions that are featured at Grapes and Grains now that include a chocolate intervention which includes three flavours of chocolate ports and two different flavoured wines called Naughty and Nice. All will be ready for Christmas. In the New Year, Mr. Holmberg will hold beer making workshops and perhaps some mead making for Easter.
Mr. Holmberg encourages anyone interested in the vineyard tour to book now by calling 705-377-6144 or by email grapesngrains@yahoo.ca. “Make sure you don’t miss out on this incredible trip to Manitoulin’s largest organic vineyard and wine making experience from grape and stem to bottling and aging your own wine from scratch.”
