Windrush Estate Winery, in Palgrave, Ontario, has been around since 2017, and through its wine and focus on community and charitable efforts, its made a name for itself in Hockley Valley, in the province, and the country at large.
It used to be that in Ontario, the only wine regions that people wanted to talk about were Niagara and Prince Edward County. Thankfully, in recent years times have changed, and now Canadians are starting to recognize that there’s a great diversity of wine regions in Ontario if only we take a moment to look.
That certainly holds true for Hockley Valley, an emerging wine region that we first encountered when visiting Adamo Estate Winery near Orangeville, Ontario. Recently, we had the chance to visit another winery that we’d had on our list in this region – Windrush Estate Winery in Palgrave, Ontario.
Our visit there was filled with sips of fantastic wine, and accented by the kindness of the staff, and the warmth of the Founder, J.C Pennie, as well as Marilyn Field, owner of Chateau Windrush and the Corporate Secretary of Windrush Estate Winery.
It was a visit we’re happy we made once, and would only be too happy to make again, especially considering the views from Chateau Windrush vary greatly based on the season.
How Windrush Winery Came to Be
In 2017, J.C. and Marilyn decided it was high time that Hockley Valley had another winery. Having met them, it’s safe to say that we instantly connected with their intense passion for travel and shared experiences.
As it turns out, the winery is actually named after the beautiful Windrush River Valley in the Cotswolds, a region of rolling hills in central-southwest England.
In all, the property is just under 70 acres in size, and it features a state-of-the-art winery and an utterly gorgeous chateau with some of the finest views in the province. Their VQA wines are a product of the hard work from their Chief Winemaker, Jonathan Boyle, as well as input from legendary vintner, Jim Warren.
One thing that’s clear – for Marilyn and J.C. this isn’t just about wine. It’s about focusing on making great quality wine to invite people to form new memories, and to take a moment to appreciate what makes life, life.
“With time, (we) realized that life’s finest moments are borne of beauty, integrity, kindness and excellence. Windrush Estate Winery is built on their passion for sharing these experiences with you.”
Windrush’s Wines
Each wine crafted by Windrush has clearly been made with intentionality and purpose. They strike a nice interplay between classic and creative in that they adhere to the genre and the grape, but often have a unique angle.
In terms of Ontario wineries, it’s hard to think of many wineries that do bold reds as well as Windrush. We’ll break down what’s on offer below to give you a sense of what you may like to try if you visit, while highlighting our favourites.
Naturally, different vintages will have different properties, but this overview should guide you in the right direction.
- Windrush Pinot Noir: What’s beautiful about this wine is that it’s dry, and yet notes of red fruit still come through – but without the exaggerated sweetness that can sometimes from that. It’s bold, but not in a way that affects its smoothness.
- Windrush Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir: This one smells like heaven itself. It’s smooth, dry, and has a very nice almost vanilla backend to it that is remarkably pleasing.
- Windrush Pinot Grigio: A nice and bright wine that has a very soft sweetness, but not in a way that affects its dryness. Notes of melon and honey.
- Windrush Jonathan Boyle Classic Cabernet Franc: Full disclosure, Cab Franc is our favourite varietal, and this is everything that we wanted it to be. Each sip unlocks a smooth tannin structure that is complex, but approachable. It’s as full-bodied a wine as you could ever hope for with a finish that most wine makers could only dream of pulling off.
- Windrush Dry Riesling: It’s crisp, sharp and clean, and more versatile than a lot of rieslings. Not our personal favourite, but could see how it could be someone else’s.
- Windrush VQA Classic Jim Warren’s Chardonnay: Nice and dry with the right hint of boldness. The perfect interplay between soft and acidic, with a full and rich flavour. Notes of stone fruits. It’s got a baseline of minerality and oak that may throw some off, but give it another sip with an open mind.
- Windrush Rosé: A bright ruby colour, dry, with strawberry coming through. The rosé was processed from their free run Pinot Noir juice.
The Pinot Grigio won bronze at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2020. The Dry Reisling and Cabernet Franc won silver at the London Wine Competition in 2021, and the Pinot Noir Vintner’s Reserve won gold.
Visiting Windrush Estate Winery
Firstly, the store itself is open from noon – 4pm from Friday – Sunday. To purchase in advance for pickup, you can call 905-729-0060 or email marilyn@windrushestatewinery.com. If you can’t make it in person, they do offer free delivery on cases of wine in the surrounding area. You can head to their online shop to learn more.
If you want to visit the fermenting cellar and sample some different wines, then you can do a Private Tour & Tasting. It’s a 40 minute tour that lasts for 40 minutes and includes 3 tastings. It’s $30 per person, but it’s free to anybody who purchases a bottle of wine.
They also offer a Premium Tasting. It’s 2 hours in length, includes 3 tastings, a charcuterie board, and a concert with an emerging artist. It takes place on the terrace of the chateau, with the concert taking place in the chateau’s music hall.
You can call the number above or contact the email above to book this experience, or book your tasting online at the bottom of this page.
Whatever you do, don’t miss the chance to visit Chateau Windrush. You can make an appointment to enjoy the amazing views on the terrace, and they’ve also got ample wine up there, with their white wine chilled and waiting for those interested. There’s no restaurant, but they put together a lovely charcuterie for $15 per person if you want to pre-order that.
We should also mention that if you’re not keen to make the drive out, you can also sip on Windrush’s wines at the following restaurants across Ontario.
Windrush’s Focus on Giving Back
Having met Marilyn, it’s as clear as day that she wants to use Windrush as a vehicle to give back. Her life’s work prior to Windrush was based around empowering at-risk children, and that important work continues here as 10% of profits are earmarked to support marginalized youth.
There’s always something going on that’s charitable in nature at Windrush. Your best bet is to keep tabs on their events page to stay in the know and support their endeavours.
Currently, they’ve got a fundraising event for the Collingwood Music Festival on deck, as well a Summer Sundays at the Chateau Concert Series. It’s related to the Premium Tasting that we noted above. On select Sunday afternoons starting in June and ending in November, you can buy a ticket for wine tasting, charcuterie, some fine views, and live music with hand selected artists.
They also have a Speaker Series.
As they note on their site “Your support helps Windrush Foundation empower kids.”
We’re on their email list (which you can find on the homepage) so we can stay up to date on all they’re doing, and look forward to attending an event in the future!
Windrush Awaits
We look forward to seeing how Windrush will continue to progress and grow their base of fans, while simultaneously supporting causes that matter in Ontario and beyond. They focused on making great wine and a big impact, and we here at We Explore Canada commend them for that.
If you’ve heard of the Hockley Valley before, and were looking for an excuse to visit, we hope you’ve just found it.
We want to humbly thank York Durham Headwaters for hosting us as media. All opinions are completely our own.
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Christopher Mitchell is a Co-founder of We Explore Canada. He’s visited over 80 countries and has lived on 4 continents, but now has his eyes set squarely on exploring this incredible country and helping others do the same.