Generations of farmers tend the vineyards that shape the wines we celebrate, driven by passion, perseverance, and pride of place
Farming is hard work, Mother Nature is capricious, market conditions can be challenging, and enticing younger generations to take over the farm is difficult.
So why do farmers choose such an unpredictable lifestyle? It’s a calling rooted in a love for the land and a commitment to something greater than themselves. Despite the long days and often overwhelming tasks, there’s profound satisfaction in seeing their efforts bear fruit, quite literally.
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Many Ontario grape growers have been farming grapes for generations, and like most farmers, they shun the limelight. Wine consumers may know the names of wineries, wine brands, perhaps winemakers and the occasional wine writer/reviewer.
So, the team at VineRoutes thought it was about time we celebrate the growers.
Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of the Grape Growers of Ontario.
Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of the Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO), says, “It goes without saying that all great wine is made in the vineyard.” That may be an old adage, but she adds “it’s also a labour of love for the growers.” She has spent 24 years working with growers and has witnessed how rooted they are in their communities and how much they give back.
Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO), an independent, self-governing farming organization was founded circa 1947 and represents 500 grape growers who cultivate 18,000 acres (7,284 hectares) of vineyards for processing grapes in the Designated Viticulture Areas in Ontario: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore, Prince Edward County, as well as emerging regions such as Norfolk, Ottawa and Simcoe.
The role of the GGO is to be the voice of hard-working farmers, promote the grape and wine industry in the province, and set a minimum price for all grapes sold to processors (wineries, winemaking facilities). The farm gate value of grape sales was $103.8 million, from a total harvest of 64,826 tonnes in 2024.
VineRoutes met with three families that have made grape growing a successful, multi-generational enterprise. We asked them about their farming approaches, challenges, successes and succession plans.
Tom and Loring Wiley – End of the Road Vineyard (Twenty Mile Bench)
Tom Wiley is a gregarious and charismatic individual who is also a 7th generation farmer on Ontario soil. His ancestors were United Empire Loyalists seeking a peaceful existence and land to till. Tom’s connection to history goes beyond just ancestry – he lives in a 200 year old farmhouse equipped with a framed ‘red coat’ from the War of 1812 and a photo of the Niagara Grape Grower’s Picnic from 1921.
Tom Wiley and his dog.
His knowledge and love of growing things (besides grapes) are apparent everywhere you look. From towering Osage orange trees planted long ago as hedges, to groves of fruit bearing Pawpaws, to the potted, incongruous prickly pear cacti (not usually found in Southern Ontario), Tom proudly flaunts his green thumb. He even has a drying shed for homegrown garlic that he gifts to friends and family.
Tom and his son Loring sustainably farm 50 acres of vineyard (20 hectares) in the Twenty Mile Bench appellation, called End of the Road Vineyard … and yes, it is at the end of a road. The site was planted in 2007 with 8 different grape varieties including a rare hybrid grape, castel (which can produce dark-coloured, alcohol-rich red wines, but is mostly used in blending). Tom and Loring sell their grapes to Arterra Wines Canada and Cloudsley Cellars (End of the Road Pinot Noir).
Tom says the vineyard sits on a plateau as opposed to a ‘bench’ as the land slopes down on all sides of his property offering excellent air circulation that decreases disease pressure. The sandy textured soils are a combination of clay loam till and reddish silty clay loam over Queenston shale bedrock, offering good drainage. There is no irrigation in the Wiley vineyard, but Tom is a firm believer in aged compost/manure which he adds to the vineyard to keep the soil hydrated. In fact, The Cuvée Vineyard of Excellence Award 2025 — honouring a grape grower who promotes excellence in his/her vineyard — went to Tom Wiley.
The variability of the weather, ever changing consumer preferences, as well as processors who keep you waiting even when the grapes are ready to be picked are some of the challenges facing growers according to Wiley.
The Wiley’s “End of the Road Vineyard”.
While many businesses have fast turn-around times and operate based on quarterly reports, grape growers have to take a much longer view. “I deal in quarters, too” says Wiley, “but my quarter is 25 years long.”
Positive press, having your name on a bottle of wine and being able to pass on the farm to one’s children and not sell out to a corporation is Tom’s definition of success.
Loring lives on the farm with wife Kaity and their young daughter, and still works as a volunteer fire-fighter, but one day he will take over managing the vineyard full-time.
So, it seems on all accounts, Tom Wiley is a successful and happy grape grower.
Saunders Family Farm & Vineyard (Beamsville Bench)
Ann-Marie Saunders and her brother, Leslie, second generation grape growers, still farm the vineyard that their parents (Warren and Ivy) planted back in the 1960s. That original farm had a variety of fruit trees and grapes.
Ann-Marie Saunders
Today the 10-acre vineyard (4 hectares), farmed organically and regeneratively, consists of chardonnay, riesling, pinot noir, cabernet franc and merlot sold to producers of small-batch, premium quality wines. Currently Bachelder Wines, Therianthropy Wines, and Stoss Lee in Prince Edward County have dibs on the grapes. And there is a wait list of eager buyers for next harvest.
Like their father, Warren, who worked at Stelco for 42 years at the same time as farming, Leslie holds down another job while also tending to the vineyard. Ann-Marie and her husband divide their time between living in Toronto and working on the farm. “People romanticize owning a vineyard, but it’s also really hard work,” Warren used to say and no doubt his children would agree. Leslie, Ann-Marie and her husband Peter do all the work in the vineyard. They hire a small crew when harvesting as the grapes are all hand-picked.
Note: The Saunders Family and their vineyard are featured in Crush: Message in a Bottle (a Canadian documentary film by Maya Gallus, Red Queen Productions, 2024).
The Saunders farm, situated on the Beamsville Bench, slopes gently toward Lake Ontario and has a range of soil types amid the limestone outcroppings – silt, clay, and some sand. Theirs is not a vigorous vineyard so vines take longer to establish.
Grapes from Saunders Vineyard.
As we walk the farm, Ann-Marie remarks on the unkempt appearance of the vineyard. The vines are not hedged and drape over the trellising. The cover crops are knee high between rows, but the vineyard is alive with dragonflies and grasshoppers taking flight as we pass. While Ann-Marie inspects some foliar damage wrought this summer by Japanese beetles she quips, “So compared to other vineyards, ours might seem a complete mess. But not to me.”
The Saunders also avoid leaf-pulling at the fruiting zone citing the need for photosynthesis as well as processor preference. Thomas Bachelder particular prefers these shaded grapes which have higher acidity, a certain texture and a more cool-climate character.
Ann-Marie then talks about the importance of soil health. She explains that organic is not enough – yes, no pesticides and synthetic fertilizers – but what about health of the soil?
“You cannot be just organic”, says Ann-Marie. “You’ll find out fast in your first or second or third year that if you are just substituting conventional sprays with organic approved ones, it will be a complete disaster because you have not addressed any soil health issues.”
When it comes to sprays, she uses a foliar spray of trace minerals. “I’m not spraying as a fungicide. I’m spraying as a nutrient”, she adds.
Ann-Marie has done a lot of research on regenerative agriculture, focusing on the symbiosis of soil and plants. They nourish each other. In healthy soils, billions of micro-organisms feed on carbohydrates conveyed through the roots of plants and then provide nutrients back to the plants.
To achieve healthy soil, the Saunders keep it covered. Between the rows of vines they plant
The Saunders family farms their grapes organically, and regeneratively.
Daikon radishes, oats, peas, natural grasses, dandelions and wildflowers. The pollen from these plants attracts beneficial insects that prey on destructive ones and add to the biodiversity in the vineyard. These cover crops also help to keep the soil cool and maintain moisture, which Ann-Marie says is important on those really hot August days. Cover crops control erosion and their root systems maintain soil structure.
One of the challenges that Ann-Marie cites as a grape grower is juggling time. The farm requires a lot of time and labour but it does not support the family entirely, necessitating income from other endeavours.
Another challenge is the structure of the industry itself.
She says, “We’re still very much a bulk industry. It’s tonnage versus quality of the grape. That may be fine for the large wineries, but there needs to be room for the rest of us. There are all these other wines (International Domestic Blends). We’ve been only 10 percent for 40 years! We should have a lot more of that percentage of market share than we do. And I think that with everything going on south of the border (tariffs), people are finally aware of our Ontario wines.”
Among the successes, Ann-Marie includes the fact that very prominent winemakers seek out
Saunders fruit and are putting her family name on their wine labels.
“People are getting to know more and more about Niagara wine and particular vineyards as well. They’re making that connection and I think that’s really good because it’s helpful for the industry,” muses Saunders.
As for succession plans, neither of the Saunders have children to take over the farm. If none of their relatives step up, Ann-Marie hopes that someone buys the vineyard who wants to carry on with regenerative farming and loves the land as much as she does.
Watson’s Family Vineyard (Niagara River)
Located less than a kilometre from the Niagara River, the Watson Family vineyards encompass 100 acres (40.5 hectares) stretching across a flat and fertile terroir.
Kevin Watson, second generation grape grower, took over from his father, John, in 1995 after completing the Niagara Parks Commission’s School of Horticulture.
The Watson’s have been grape growers since 1978.
His parents’ original farm had seen a gradual transition from hog farming to grain and to grape growing by 1978. It was the soil, a mix of clay and sand loam, very stoney in places, that made it ideal for grapes.
In the meantime, Kevin and his wife Cathy have now been joined by son Connor, a third generation Watson grape grower. Connor has assumed an active part in the farm operations after returning from working in the wine industry in New Zealand.
Together they have doubled the farm’s holdings and expanded operations to include processing grapes from contracted growers and supplying wineries throughout Canada and the United States, as well as a small retail business for home winemaking supplies.
“That’s a separate business and it’s pretty small”, says Kevin. “But it’s probably some of the most rewarding because people will take a pail of juice home and make 30 bottles. When they come back they are so happy with how it turned out and it makes you feel good.”
However, the biggest part of the Watson business is supplying high quality grapes to Arterra Wines Canada (which owns brands like Inniskillin, Jackson Triggs, Sandbanks and Le Clos Jordanne). The Watsons also provide grapes to Closson Chase in Prince Edward County.
Among the 13 grape varieties the Watsons cultivate are some of the earliest plantings of chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc and pinot gris vines in Ontario.
Connor and Kevin Watson.
The Watsons farm sustainably. Their approach is to leave the land in a better state than when they got it.
They have also reinvested extensively in their vineyards with wind machines for frost protection; drip or trickle irrigation installed in every row and vines can be monitored for how much moisture they take up and when it’s optimal to water and for how long. This has also stretched out their spray intervals as the vine canopy does not get wet with the trickle irrigation so spraying fungicide is minimized.
They have installed sub-soil drainage in every row whereas in most vineyards it’s every second row. Cover crops are also planted in every row such as rye. Kevin explains, “Rye is big and it sucks up a lot of moisture. So, if we have a big rain and we have to get into the vineyard to spray right after, we’re able to get in maybe a bit earlier due to the cover crop and the drainage in every row, and that lets us stay ahead of disease pressure.”
When it comes to challenges facing grape growers, Kevin like other farmers keeps a wary eye on Mother Nature but he also admits that farming is hard on relationships. During the growing season, he is so busy that many things get shelved. He says, “It’s hectic. Cathy and I are like ships passing in the night, then we kind of rebuild everything afterwards.”
Labour is also a concern. Watson explains that they have six Mexican seasonal agricultural workers, and he is very happy with them. One of them has been working for the Watsons from the beginning. The seasonal workers live in Kevin’s parents’ former house. The workers are not the concern; it’s the bad press and misinformation Kevin claims is taking a toll on farmers.
The Watson Vineyard.
“People don’t understand the programs (e.g., temporary foreign worker program) and believe that these guys are being asked to do things they don’t want to do and are living in squalor.” expounds Kevin.
“But if you ask our Mexican workers what they are doing with their money and how their families benefit from it, they’ll tell you that they’re sending their kids to private schools and building their houses. There’s always someone in the family that is sick and they are able to see better doctors and get medicine.” Kevin adds.
The toll for Watson comes from having to defend and explain, belong to various boards and farm organizations, attend meetings, and deal with the government … and all of that takes a lot of time.
Kevin Watson sits on multiple boards by choice and is the current vice-chair of the Grape Growers of Ontario. He admits that it is important work. Yet, it takes him away from what he really should be doing, what he loves doing.
“There’s nothing better than the whole day out on my farm!” confesses Kevin.
Migrant workers have been farming grapes in Ontario for generations, and are very much appreciated.
As for a marker of success, Kevin says, “When the next generation is interested. That’s probably your best measurement of success.”
What has been key for multiple generations of Watsons is that the farm remain a manageable family farm and not a large corporate or “factory” style operation.
Now, it’s Connor’s turn.
When asked what he liked about farming and grape growing. His reply was immediate.
“I really enjoy it. I started from a young age just riding on the back of a tractor. It’s very rewarding work. You know, in the springtime, you look at a vine and it just looks dead. Then you prune it back and the buds swell up and all of a sudden you have life.”
Connor adds, “The season progresses, and your jobs change every day. You’ve got your hands in twelve different things. You are in the shop working on equipment, which I like to do. I like to service all of our tractors and our equipment, and work on my truck. I enjoy harvest and seeing the grapes come in. It can be a little too stressful. Then you’ve got your office hat on sometimes, your mechanic hat on, and your vineyard hat on at other times.”
“There’s never really a dull moment. I don’t get bored. And you are challenged. You have to buy equipment every once in a while, so then you have your negotiating hat on trying to find better pricing. It’s multifaceted for sure. You also need to know the books, tax planning, so many things and that’s what makes it interesting.”
Kevin jumps in, “You don’t even really know what you’re doing tomorrow until tomorrow comes. We usually have three different plans on the go. If it’s a nice day in the morning and it’s dry, we’re doing this. If it’s raining you can’t. We have rainy day jobs but this summer we’ve had only two rainy days, so we have a backlog of those tasks.”
Succession plans are in place. Kevin and Connor are happy. They both agree that farming and grape growing are pretty rewarding. It’s a good way of life.
So next time you pick up a bottle of VQA Ontario wine, say a little thank you to the grape growers and check the label to see if it celebrates a vineyard or a farmer by name.
