Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard
The full potential of the soils can only be realized with a team of tireless, dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who embrace my vision. Each member of my team brings with them a rich knowledge base and a thirst to learn more and create something special. We all take pride in a desire for greatness.
Norm earned his sommelier certification at the University of Dijon in the late 1980s. After putting this certification to use for Four Seasons Hotel he spent 6 years (12 harvests) apprenticing with some of the best producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in both hemispheres. In 2003 he made the leap and put down roots in Prince Edward County. During the growing season and harvest Norm works tirelessly to ensure that no small detail is missed. On the weekends outside of harvest his gregarious personality moves throughout the winery fluidly directing his staff and making all who enter the winery feel welcome.
OUR TEAM
The full potential of the soils can only be realized with a team of tireless, dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who embrace my vision. Each member of my team brings with them a rich knowledge base and a thirst to learn more and create something special. We all take pride in a desire for greatness.
OUR TERROIR
The sites we’ve chosen have enormous potential. It’s up to us to look after and care for our land and vines to see that these sights realize their potential. We spend an inordinate amount of money and time on our vineyards to ensure perfect fruit. Our vineyard crew are fastidious, understand and embrace the concept that great wine can only be made in the vineyard. Once the fruit is ripe, we hand pick and hand sort every cluster. This is to ensure only perfect fruit make it into the fermentations.
OUR APPROACH
In the cellar, we take a hands-off approach to gently guide our wines through fermentation and ageing. We are not tempted to use an arsenal of quick-fixes for easy non-distinctive ferments available through numerous laboratories. Instead, our approach is to use very few modern techniques in the cellar. This "old world" approach entails using absolute minimal amounts of sulphur, natural yeast from the vineyard, extended fermentation on the skins for the reds, lots of lees contact for the whites, and natural malolactic fermentation in the spring. It takes tremendous experience and guts to take this natural approach; we do it because of our dedication and desire to create wines that taste of a sense of place or Vins de Terroir.
ACCOLADES
Right from our inaugural vintage in 2004, our goal has been to produce wine of the highest quality, that taste of a place, and every year to raise the bar on quality. We’ve quickly developed a strong clientele of local and international clients who appreciate our Old World handcrafted style. Almost immediately upon opening, the winery received phenomenal accolades from top wine critics. Matt Kramer (Wine Spectator), chose the 2008 County Chardonnay as one of his wines of the year.
Outstanding reviews have come from international wine critics, such as Stephen Spurrier (Decanter), Jamie Goode (wineanorak.com), Tim Atkin MS, and Jancis Robinson (jancisrobinson.com and the Oxford Companion to Wine), including some top local critics such as Tony Aspler, John Szabo MS, Michael Godel, David Lawrason, and many others.
- Rated 4 stars (out of 4) in Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book in 2019 and 2020
- Jancis Robinson – Ontario’s Burgundian Ambition
- Wine Align – Norman Hardie County Chardonnay Unfiltered 2016
2019 National Wine Awards of Canada Gold Medal
2019 Texsom International Wine Awards Judges’ Selection Medal - John Szabo – Norman Hardie County Pinot Noir Unfiltered 2017
- John Szabo – Norman Hardie County Chardonnay Unfiltered 2017
2020 Texsom International Wine Awards Gold Medal - Jamie Goode – Exploring the wines of Ontario, Canada
- Matt Kramer (Wine Spectator) – My Wines of the Year 2013:
‘The Chardonnays emerging from Hardie’s small vineyard in Prince Edward County (he also buys grapes from the Niagara Peninsula area two hours away) are laser-etched with acidity, minerality and the sort of originality that we all once thought only Burgundy could deliver.”
- Ian d’Agata (Stephen Tanzier’s International Wine Cellar) – Ontario Wine Country: The New Frontier for Riesling and Pinot Noir
Norman Hardie is a true chardonnay and pinot noir expert… his chardonnays and pinots are some of the most Burgundian you will find outside Burgundy
- The Wall Street Journal
- Jamie Goode – The wines of Norman Hardie, Prince Edward County, Catching up With Norman Hardie
- The World of Fine Wine 2013 -Top rated North American Chardonnay
- The World of Fine Wine 2014 -Top ten North American Pinot Noir
- Jancis Robinson – From Bottom to Top – Canada’s Wines
- Jancis Robinson – Some lovely reviews and excerpts from Canada Shows Off in London
- Stuart Pigott’s Rockstars of Wine America
| Address | 1152 Greer Rd. Wellington Ontario K0K 3L0 Canada |
|---|---|
| Wine Maker | Norman Hardie |
| Country | Canada |
| Region | Ontario |
| Appellation | Prince Edward County |
From this Winery
Full lees fermentation of our finest Ontario whites: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer. Fermented and aged in stainless steel. The co-fermentation of the lees allows us to produce a remarkably well integrated blend (vs. the blending of already finished wines). Named Calcaire in homage to the calcareous limestone which provide the stony minerality in this wine.
Lively notes of passionfruit and fresh white flower give way to a richness in the palate without straying far from the focused minerality which is the backbone of this wine. A perfect refresher for spring and summer, Calcaire will really sing with its perfect match‐shellfish.
This wine was fermented on the skins for 10 days to extract tannins, colour (a beautiful eye of the partridge pink hue), and the highly perfumed rose-petal notes synonymous with Gewürztraminer. Serve chilled. This is a great sipping wine particularly for red wine drinkers who usually avoid whites but are looking for a refreshing chilled wine.
Enticing nose of potpourri, rosewater, pink grapefruit pith and crunchy starfruit with a glimmer of resin-drenched juniper berry adding wild complexity! Fresh tart lychee fruit and florals on the palate finishing dry and clean. Beautiful texture and tannin - a delight for the senses.
Possibly one of the best vintages we’ve seen to date for Cabernet Franc. Wonderfully rich with soft tannins. An elegantly perfumed nose of classic cool-climate characteristics: deep red fruit, jalapeno, stony gravel, and a touch of meatiness. On the palate an exceptional balance of firm tannin and bright acid, rich berry notes and a long, lingering finish.
Cuesta vineyard is a special site on the Niagara Escarpment planted in 1999. At 21 years, richness and complexity merit this single-vineyard bottling.
This 2022 Chardonnay is very much in line with the amazing 2015 and 2017 vintages. Beautiful bright citrus notes with great minerality on the pallet and a well-balanced, long finish. This is for those who are looking for Burgundian style Chardonnay as opposed to big, over-oaked California New-World Chardonnays. For those who are looking for Burgundy but can’t stomach the price, this is a magnificent Chardonnay that they will surely enjoy.
A blend of three of the most mineral-driven Chardonnay sites on the Beamsville Bench in Niagara. 2022 was almost the perfect summer for Chardonnay – long and cool, followed by a cool, dry fall. Lovely 12.6% alcohol. Aged for 18 months (two winters) in large format French oak barrels. Bottled without filtration and very low sulphurs.
2020 was an incredibly rich vintage which is considered the best-ever overall vintage in Niagara's history.
This is a nicely styled, fresh and complete pinot with a lovely nose of blueberry/raspberry fruit, florals, a hint of peppery spice. It is light to medium bodied, fresh, firm and very well balanced, with fine sandy tannin. A touch of edgy mossiness and bitterness on the finish. Excellent length.
Possibly one of the greatest vintages we’ve had since 2004. For those who love Burgundy you will not be disappointed. Wonderful bright fruit on the nose with a steely core mid-pallet and a wonderful long finish. Truly encapsulates our favourite quote in describing Pinot Noir: “great Pinot should be like a steel hand in a velvet glove.”
Ultimately what’s in the bottle is a true expression of the beautiful calcareous limestone& clay soils tempered by a wonderfully cool-climate that we have due to our proximity to Lake Ontario.
From Norman Hardie...
Only our sixth Cuvée L Pinot Noir in 20 years…our style has evolved over time as our County vines aged. The early editions of Cuvée L were bigger, bolder and riper, mainly because they were made with a higher proportion of Niagara fruit while the County vines were still young. As our vines have matured we have moved to a higher proportion (70%) of County Pinot than Niagara Pinot (30%).
The wines now are tighter, more austere and truer to the variety. I’d best describe this wine as “An iron fist in a velvet glove.” If I was to pick a village in Burgundy which emulates this wine, I would say a wonderful restrained Vosne-Romanée would fit the bill.
We’re sorry, but this product is sold out at Heavenly Vines. As of February 7, 2026, it is still in stock at “THE WINE by Tokyu Dept Store” in Shibuya, Tokyo, so if you wish, please contact them directly. THE WINE Tel: 03-3477-3582
==
From Norman Hardie...
Only our fifth Cuvée L Chardonnay in 20 years…This wine is for lovers of great white Burgundy. Exceptional minerality, elegance and beautiful lemon-lime citrus notes. Spent 18 months in large format, fine-grain, lightly toasted French oak barrels. Spent an additional 6 months in specially designed horizontal tanks on the fine lees. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with very low sulphur, so the true magnificence of the limestone terroir we have here in Prince Edward County is showcased.