In the late 18th century, our great-great-great grandfather was deeded the land on which our Ontario winery sits in present day St. Catharines. Fast forward six generations and we’re still on the family farm in the Short Hills Bench sub-appellation of the Niagara Peninsula. 

We named Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery after great-great-great grandpa’s son, Henry. We think he had a pretty dry sense of humour, nicknaming himself “Henry of Pelham” after a British Prime Minister. He was an entrepreneur, building an inn and tavern on the property and operating a toll road. He also raised sheep and grew grapes—some of the first to be planted in Canada. Our retail store and tasting room are where the inn used to be and our restaurant is in the former Coach House.

In 1984, when our parents decided to replace Henry’s concord and Niagara grapevines with old world vinifera grapes, the Niagara wine scene hardly existed and there were a lot of naysayers—but we had done our homework.

Heat scans proved we had the right conditions, and we bettered our chances by contouring the hills and installing drainage. At the time, we were one of only a few Niagara wineries to make premium wines from our own grapes.