Posted : November 3, 2020
Our blog is chock full of great ideas for fun things to see and do in York Durham and Headwaters. We are always adding new content and updating old posts, but sometimes you might stumble upon something from our vault. If this article has inspired you to hit the road, be sure to double-check that the featured stops in this post are still welcoming visitors.
Holland Marsh Wineries
18270 Keele St., Newmarket
www.hmwineries.ca
Videography by Barry Best
You don’t need to travel to Niagara to taste award-winning Ontario wine. Holland Marsh Wineries in King Township is dedicated to producing world-class flavours right here in YDH. For more than a decade, this family-run winery has been producing premium, hand-crafted wines in a gorgeous facility that offers tours, tastings and events. Come out and spend a few hours in the vineyard with the Nersisyan family, and explore what passion tastes like with these small-batch, quality-driven wines.
Originally from Armenia—which some point to as the birthplace of wine—Roland Nersisyan and his family built Holland Marsh Wineries from scratch, planting the first vines on the 22-acre property in 2007. Today, Holland Marsh is one of the oldest vineyards and wineries outside of the traditional growing regions of Niagara and Prince Edward County, and is a trailblazer for emerging wineries in the Greater Toronto Area. Here, you will find the perfect synthesis of sharing the winemaking experience with fellow wine enthusiasts, and introducing the Ontario wine community to Eastern European flavour.
Speaking of trailblazing, in the last few years, Holland Marsh Wineries has begun to experiment with older traditions for some of its fruit. Whereas the modern practice is to process grapes immediately upon harvesting, Holland Marsh leaves some of its grapes to sit for a day or so first. The result, they have noticed, is that the grapes continue to ripen after they are picked, which heightens the quality of the wines—especially for the reds.
Clearly, a quality wine comes from quality soil. The Nersisyan family believes that what you put into the land is what you get out of it. As a result, spraying the vines is done as minimally as possible, without the use of harsh chemicals or insecticides. Additionally, Holland Marsh Wineries prefers to fertilize its soil with compost which has been redistributed from the winemaking process, rather than relying on synthetic compounds which are damaging to the environment. And finally, this boutique winery couldn’t be more perfectly situated—the microclimate of the vineyard allows for a high degree of wind, which naturally keeps mould, mildew and bugs off the vines. All in all, you can feel good about enjoying Holland Marsh’s award-winning wines when you know that you are supporting a local, family-run business that cares about the environment as much as it cares about its product.
Story by Katherine Ryalen
