Ethos

Terroir – The unique terroir of Prince Edward County will one day be world
renowned for growing Burgundian varietals such as Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay. That’s a bold statement! But, many vintners, we among them,
truly believe it.

The County is a cool climate growing region that benefits from consistent
lake breezes. Our vineyard is planted near the rocky shores of Lake Ontario in
soil known as Ameliasburg Clay Loam which has a depth of 12 – 24 inches. The
limestone bedrock and stony texture of the soil allows for excellent drainage
in the spring and acts like a wet sponge throughout the growing season. This
forces the vines to grow deeper during the hot summer months and produces
smaller yields with highly concentrated flavours. The proximity to the lake is a
blessing as it delays the start of bud break in the spring, normally past the
point of frost danger, and extends the ripening season in the fall.

Farming Approach – The secret to great wine is healthy ripe fruit, which
means it all begins with the farmwork. All canopy work is done by hand. No
herbicides are used, with weeds removed manually and via cultivation.
‘Sprays’ to combat insects, and disease are mostly organic. Conventional
sprays are rarely used. Leaf thinning is kept to a minimum, with a preference
for long slow ripening. Harvest is done by hand with small picking baskets.
Fruit is processed without delay. 

Winemaking Philosophy - Our focus is on good farming. We believe that if
you begin with healthy fruit and then trust it, the winemaking will almost look
after itself. We use minimal intervention with the appropriate élevage for the
current year’s conditions. So far, our fruit has allowed alcoholic
fermentation to be achieved using only the wild yeasts on the grapes and
naturally present bacteria has resulted in malo-lactic fermentation. We have
not had to use enzymes, nutrients, colour or tannin additions & hope to avoid
all of these in the future. The fruit will decide. There is limited pumping,
racking, and use of sulphur. The use of oak barrels is balanced to the wine
style. All wine is bottled without fining or filtration and is corked by hand.
We proudly work with Geoff Heinricks, who shares many of the same beliefs
in terms of both his approach to farming and winemaking in the County. We
are grateful for both his invaluable contributions in establishing Last House
and his continued support.

Last House is a family affair. Our son, Christian, his life partner Zoe and our
youngest son Daniel have all toiled in the vineyards and the winery since we
began. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention three ‘locals’ who have
faithfully worked with us in sunshine and in rain --Jordann, Jesse and Terry
have hand-hoed, tied-up vines, leaf stripped, weeded (endless!) and picked
grapes. We are also indebted to two workers far from home, our Mexican
compadres—Hilario and now Refugio whose hard work makes this passion
project possible!

Many extended family members and a small, dedicated group of dear friends
(too numerous to mention!) have often kindly joined us at harvest time.
Heartfelt thanks, and love to you all. Cheers! André and Debra