OUR STORY
We are the Scheuermann's and our story is a good one. One that is about us but is not only because of us. We give glory to God for where we are today and we give thanks to so many people who have helped us, influenced us and believed in us. To all of the above we are forever grateful.
As our family grew to be seven, we moved into our home on Rebecca Lane, August 28th of 2009. This date has a fun fact for later. Our home and how we came to own it has it's own beautiful story to be shared another day.
So here we were, seven of us, in a home with fourteen and a half acres. Originally there was 4 acres of manicured land and the rest fell to two hay fields divided by a dense tree line.
It all began with a dream, a vision and a love of the great outdoors. It continued with an abundance of support from family and friends, good planning, and a tad bit of hard work. These are the elements that built the foundation of Scheuermann Vineyard and Winery.
Bring it back....François and I had to pinch ourselves, our new homestead seemed so surreal. One evening, the two of us stood against the railing, sipping a glass of wine, enjoying yet another breathtaking sunset. Our conversation moved to the fields and what we could plant to create an income from the land. What could we do to bring him home from his current job? We could plant wheat grass. We could plant cherry trees. We stood looking down our south facing slope when a remembrance was brought to François about a gal he worked with who offered wine tasting tours in Prince Edward County. He said to me, "Did you know they grow grapes less than two hours from here?", I was not aware but I replied "Ya know, grapes sounds fun!". We never looked back.
Over that next summer we tested our terroir and monitored wind patterns. The results were in favour of growing grapes in our little corner of Westport.
In the fall of 2010 we had the honour of meeting world renowned winemaker and vintner Norman Hardie. We put ourselves in his presence and participated in his harvest. The moment we met, our relationship was automatic, he became our mentor and we became his apprentice. François worked diligently through the next 5 harvest seasons and I went with our entourage of kids when possible. Over these same next years our vineyard had demands of its own, François was still working, and we were still homeschooling.
Our fervent desire to make the vineyard a reality was unfolding beautifully. The buzz that was created opened one door after another and in the spring of 2011 we cultivated our first plot and planted 500 Pinot Noir plants and 500 Chardonnay plants. In the spring of 2012 we added 500 plants to each variety. The 2011 plants proved themselves well so in 2013 we went from 2,000 plants to almost 9,000 plants, introducing Vidal to our varietals. 6.3 acres under vine to this day.
Our mission is to work in harmony with our surroundings, using the highest standards and sustainable practices in the vineyard and in the cellar. We hand harvest and hand craft high quality wine for enthusiasts worldwide.
In the spring of 2015, we transformed our garage into a garagiste winery in hopes of opening our doors that summer. With a drumroll I tell you that our doors opened at 11:30am August 28th (there's that date again) of 2015 for wine tasting and wine sales.
Now our story continues to unfold with guests like you, coming to enjoy the serene, rustic romance, yet super hip atmosphere that we have created and continue to develop.
Our family is very active in the winery. Blessed to be working together everyday. We continue to sit on the front porch dreaming up bigger dreams. We are honoured that you get to take part.
Cheers my friends!