Between the rows at Four Wheel Farm

Upon arrival at Four Wheel Farm I seek out owner Chuck Magwood.

Skydome builder turned wine maker, Magwood is driving a gator between the sloping vines. The vehicle is loaded with bins of grapes, secured by his passenger.

He tells me to hop on because he can’t stop to talk. There’s work to be done.

Back in the barn, the load is added to the inventory tallied on a large chalkboard along with other important data. Magwood then loads the grapes into a device designed to remove the stems, the first step in turning these particular Marechal Foch grapes into wine.

Magwood then pulls out a shovel but not just any shovel – it’s the one used in the official sod turning for the Skydome – and begins to stir the pulpy pile.

This is harvest day, or the vendange, at the vineyard located near Glen Huron.

“It’s a time of celebration in the wine industry,” said Magwood.

In the French tradition, he invites friends and neighbours to spend the day harvesting the grapes from the vines. It’s unpaid labour in exchange for a day in a beautiful setting while chatting with new friends. In the field, about 40 people are working away, ready to be called in for lunch.

The day of the vendange is decided by the grapes. On Wednesday, the grapes had a brix level of 22, said Magwood, which is perfect. Brix is a standardized scale to measure the sugar content in grapes before fermentation.

Magwood started planting the vineyard ten years ago and made his first batch five years ago. For three years, Four Wheel Farm has been a fully licensed winery

Four Wheel Farms makes seven different wines, which are mostly organic. The Marechal Foch and Baco Noir do the best in this climate because they are hardiest.

The wine is available online at fourwheelfarm.ca and at select area restaurants.