Rolling Grape Winery

The Kawarthas are fast becoming a wine destination. Jonathan Drew and Katie Dickson have created a beautiful winery where you can taste excellent wine. The atmosphere is relaxing on the patio where the scenery is breathtaking. Located just outside of Bailieboro it is close to surrounding towns.

Jon is a second generation farmer and he and his partner Katie run the winery together. “We started planting 8 years ago, and opened the winery on June 1st 2018”, says Jon.

After working in wineries in Prince Edward County (PEC), Jon wondered why there wasn’t anything like it here. ‘“I thought why not start one. I wouldn’t say it was a plan, it was more of an idea. We first started test plots of vines and they did well, so we added some more, and the next year we added some more. All of a sudden we were getting really close to getting a lot of grapes and volume, so it started to become a more feasible plan.”

Jon continued, “I’ve always liked wine and the business, but I’ve always loved the agricultural side. I was in the food industry in Toronto, and I wanted to get back to the farm and grow something, but I didn’t feel the connection with cash crop. After working in PEC I started thinking can I translate that here. We have different soil, lots of minerality, but the biggest thing for us here is drainage. The grapes don’t like to sit in water, so everything is tile drained.”

They grow Frontenc and Marquette (their signature) grapes. Jon explains, “It’s a really nice red that is relative to a Pino Noir and you get a medium body wine (their signature red). We are still looking for that signature white that really produces well for us, and it might be the Vidal. For us, it was picking the right varieties that are going to suit this grow climate. We have already started planting Vidal, Petite Pearl and Cab Franc grapes.”

“We have just added food, and hired a graduate Chef from Sir Sanford College. We have a pizza oven and also offer charcuterie boards. And we have added more wines as well. Last year we did really well. When we first opened, we had an unfinished building, wine and a gravel parking lot!”, laughs Jon.

www.rollinggrape.com Instagram & Twitter @rollinggrape FaceBook Rolling Grape Vineyard 260 County Rd 2, Bailieboro, Keene, Ontario (705) 741-9758