The Rise of Southwestern Ontario Wines with Martin Janz, Winemaker at Pelee Island Winery

Natalie MacLean
Sep11th

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Introduction

Why is winemaking always a challenge, no matter how long you’ve been doing it? How are wind machines used to mitigate the negative impact of cold weather? How does Pelee Island’s biodiversity influence the brand and winery? Why is it important for winemakers to respect the natural environment?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Martin Janz, the chief winemaker at Pelee Island Winery in Southwestern Ontario.

You can find the wines we discussed here.

 

Giveaway

Three of you will each win a fabulous bottle of LOLA Light Rosé from Pelee Island Winery.

 

How to Win

To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast.

It takes less than 30 seconds: On your phone, scroll to the bottom here, where the reviews are, and click on “Tap to Rate.”

After that, scroll down a tiny bit more and click on “Write a Review.” That’s it!

I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me.

Good luck!

 

Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video

Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video.

I’ll be jumping into the comments as we watch it together so that I can answer your questions in real-time.

I want to hear from you! What’s your opinion of what we’re discussing? What takeaways or tips do you love most from this chat? What questions do you have that we didn’t answer?

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Highlights

  • How did Martin realize he wanted to become a winemaker?
  • What was it like growing up in the family winery and getting involved from a young age?
  • Why did Martin decide to join Pelee Island Winery in Canada, and what has kept him there for 30 years?
    How does Martin challenge himself as a winemaker after 30 years at Pelee Island Winery?
  • What happens if you don’t take the top off of a steel tank when filtering wine?
  • Why is Pelee Island often overlooked as a wine region when people think about Ontario wines?
  • How does the relatively warmer climate on Pelee Island impact the type and quality of wines produced?
  • Does Pelee Island Winery utilize special strategies to mitigate the cold impact in the winter?
  • How do the the flora and fauna feature on Pelee Island wines?
  • Why it is important for winemakers to respect the natural environment?
  • How did Martin pack so much flavour into Pelee Island Winery LOLA Light Rosé despite it having low alcohol content?
  • Which grapes are blended into LOLA Light Rosé and which foods would pair well with it?
  • What are Martin’s top two tips for visitors to Pelee Island and other local wineries?
  • If Martin could share a bottle of wine with anyone, why would he choose Anthony Bourdain and which wine would he choose?

 

Key Takeaways

  • Why is winemaking always a challenge, no matter how long you’ve been doing it?
    • Martin observes that if you make wine, every year is a challenge. He doesn’t want to make Coca-Cola in the sense of following the same recipe every year to get the exact same product. Every year is a little bit different. He doesn’t know how much frost, rain, or hail he’ll get. And that keeps it interesting.
  • How are wind machines used to mitigate the negative impact of cold weather?
    • As Martin explains, they take the cold air off the floor of the vineyard and then bring in warm air because hot air rises. The wind machines can actually raise the temperature by two to three degrees. Sometimes, that’s exactly what you need to save the vines.
  • How does Pelee Island’s biodiversity influence the brand and winery?
    • Pelee Island is home to over 100,000 species of plants, insects, and animals, many of which are not found elsewhere in Canada. This rich biodiversity is reflected in the winery’s labels, which feature local flora and fauna.
  • Why is it important for winemakers to respect the natural environment?
    • As a winemaker, Martin believes that it should be an automatic response to respect nature. That’s why they don’t use synthetic insecticides and pesticides. As he says, it’s all about paying back a little bit to what Mother Nature gives you.

 

Start The Conversation: Click Below to Share These Wine Tips

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There was not a question that I would do anything else besides become a winemaker. - Martin Janz Martin Janz Click to tweet

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If you make wine, every year is a challenge. - Martin Janz Martin Janz Click to tweet

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We are the banana belt of Canada. - Martin Janz Martin Janz Click to tweet

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As a winemaker, it should be a natural thing to respect nature and what Mother Nature gives you. - Martin Janz Martin Janz Click to tweet

 

About Martin Janz

Martin Janz, born in Germany, is the esteemed winemaker at Pelee Island Winery & Vineyards Inc., where he combines tradition with innovation to craft exceptional wines. With a deep passion for viticulture and a commitment to excellence, Martin has elevated the winery’s reputation in the Canadian and international wine scenes. He holds a degree in oenology and viticulture and brings over two decades of experience to his role, having been with Pelee Island Winery since 1996. Martin’s approach to winemaking is rooted in a profound respect for the terroir of Pelee Island, allowing the unique characteristics of the region’s grapes to shine through in every bottle.

 

Resources

 

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Thirsty for more?

  • Sign up for my free online wine video class where I’ll walk you through The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner (and how to fix them forever!)
  • You’ll find my books here, including Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines and Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass.
  • The new audio edition of Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass is now available on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and other country-specific Amazon sites; iTunes.ca, iTunes.com and other country-specific iTunes sites; Audible.ca and Audible.com.

 

Transcript

Natalie MacLean 00:00:00 Why is winemaking always a challenge no matter how long you’ve been doing it? How are wind machines used to mitigate the negative impact of cold weather? How does Pelee Island’s biodiversity affect the brand and the winery? And why is it important for winemakers to respect the natural environment?

In today’s episode, you’ll hear the stories and tips that answer those questions in our chat with Martin Janz, the chief winemaker at Pelee Island Winery in southwestern Ontario. We’ll chat about not only his wines, but also the wines of the region and how they differ from Niagara and Prince Edward County. By the end of the conversation, you’ll also discover how Martin realized he wanted to become a winemaker, what it was like growing up on a family winery in Germany and getting involved from a young age. Why Martin joined Pelee Island Winery rather than return to Germany or work elsewhere. How Martin continues to challenge himself as a winemaker after 30 years at Pelee Island Winery. What happens if you don’t take the top off a steel tank when filtering wine. It’s a very funny story. Why Southwestern Ontario as a region is often overlooked when people think about Ontario wines. How the relatively warmer climate of Pelee Island impacts the type and quality of wines produced there. Martin’s top two tips for visiting Pelee Island. And why Martin would love to share a bottle of wine with Anthony Bourdain.

Okay, let’s dive in.

Do you have a thirst to learn about wine? Do you love stories about wonderfully obsessive people, hauntingly beautiful places, and amusingly awkward social situations? Well, that’s the blend here on the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast. I’m your host, Natalie MacLean, and each week I share with you unfiltered conversations with celebrities in the wine world, as well as confessions from my own tipsy journey as I write my third book on this subject. I’m so glad you’re here. Now pass me that bottle, please, and let’s get started.

Welcome to episode 302. Let’s start with winter’s news. Yay! All right. Denise O’Conner from Hamilton has won a copy of Edward Slingerland fantastic book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization.  I still have one copy to give away, so don’t assume that just because you don’t email me within three minutes of the podcast episode being released that you have no chance of winning the book or others in the future. Plus, even when books go quickly, I keep a running list of those who contacted me and then I reach out to them as new books become available to see if they’re interested. So, as the kids say, smash that buzzer and email me if you want this book or to be considered for others going forward.

I’m feeling a little Oprah today. As in, you’re going to get a book and you’re going to get a book, and you’re going to get a book. So three of you will also win a bottle of our guest’s absolutely delicious Lola Light Rosé. All you have to do is email me and let me know that you’d like to win. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me.

In personal news, I wanted to share with you that Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce,  Defamation and Drinking Too Much has won the 2024 Award in Literature from the International Organization of Wine and Vine, or OIV. The OIV is the oldest wine award at the international level, having been awarded in 77 editions. The 2024 ceremony takes place this month in Lisbon, Portugal, and while I would have loved to have attended, September is an insanely busy month wine wise, and I had several commitments that I could not change. However, the little Wine Witch will be there in spirit as she continues to make her way into the world thanks to you.

Just FYI, the audiobook of Wine Witch On Fire is now on sale for 60% off. So that’s just eight bucks at Audiobooks.com until September 23rd. That’s at Audiobooks.com. You can also get it from Audible.com, Kobo, Spotify, Google Play, Libro.FM, and wherever else you get audiobooks. If you’ve been listening to it or are reading the paperback or e-book, please email me. I would love to hear from you at [email protected]. I’ll put a link in the show notes to all retailers worldwide at nataliemaclean.com/302. Okay, on with the show.

Natalie MacLean 00:04:47 Martin Janz, born in Germany, is the head winemaker at Pelee Island Winery and Vineyards, where he has elevated the winery’s reputation in the Canadian and international wine worlds, winning numerous, tons of awards for his wines. He holds a degree in oenology and viticulture and brings almost three decades of experience to his role, having been with Pelee Island Winery since 1996. And he joins us from the winery now at Pelee Island. Welcome, Martin, we’re so glad to have you join us. How are you?

Martin Janz 00:05:19 Thank you very much to having me and to your followers.

Natalie MacLean 00:05:24 All right. And those who are watching the video can see you. Those who will be listening to the podcast can’t see you. But for either one, they don’t realize you are a very tall man. Are you six foot five? Something like that.

Martin Janz 00:05:37 I always discuss that with my daughter too, and I still don’t know how to convert the metres into I think I say Six five, Six six.

Natalie MacLean 00:05:47 I once met you in person years ago.

Martin Janz 00:05:50 It’s two metres. I’m two metres tall, yes. You do your conversion and then go to Google and figure it out.

Natalie MacLean 00:05:58 Get the right answer [laugher].

Martin Janz 00:05:59 It’s Six five. Six six.

Natalie MacLean 00:06:01 Yeah, that must be hard bending down to pick all those grapes. Not that you do it yourself, of course. So, Martin, tell us what was the moment you realized you wanted to become a winemaker?

Martin Janz 00:06:12 Okay, so we start basically with a relatively easy question because my family slash generations before we had a winery in Germany, in the Rheingau area. And I grew up in the wine business through that. There was not a question that I do anything else besides to become a winemaker, because the passion with that I got taught into it and I loved it too. That’s not only taught it. I loved it. And yes, I will be a winemaker.

Natalie MacLean 00:06:51 So probably from an early age you were helping out on the winery? Were you picking grapes or were you working alongside your parents?

Martin Janz 00:06:57 Yes. And you had to do it if you’re certain age. Let’s say six, eight years old, you have to go out and have to help. It doesn’t matter if it’s now in the vineyards or in the cellar.

Natalie MacLean 00:07:12 So is in your blood? Yeah.

Martin Janz 00:07:13 More or less. Yes. And not only that I get forced into it. Its that’s it is automatically. Yes. It was in my thoughts. Wine making, that will be what I will do.

Natalie MacLean 00:07:25 We are a product of our environment, so I can imagine there was never any question, as you said, that you would do something else. Now, you arrived in Canada in 1996. Why did you decide to join Pelee Island and not another winery?

Martin Janz 00:07:39 So I should go a little bit backwards. So growing up in the winery, let’s lead us a little bit the a path to become to a winemaker. So it’s not so easy. It’s not suddenly you’re working for a winery a little bit, and then suddenly your winemaker. Over there back in the past, and I think it’s still like that in Germany, you finish your high school and your regular school. After school, you’re doing three years apprenticeship. Apprenticeship means basically after the three years you are a trained cellar worker, a really trained cellar worker. That’s happened after three years school done three years apprenticeship. You are trained cellar worker, not a winemaker. Yet at that time, yes it was the old days, Germany still had the army stuff. After that I had to join the army because it was mandatory. So one and a half year, 18 months back from the Army directly and I had to add another three years of apprenticeship to become to a winemaker. You learned in the first three years or the basics and now the next three years get all the details to become a winemaker.

Natalie MacLean 00:09:08 That’s a long training period. In addition to school.

Martin Janz 00:09:12 The funny is that you say that because here everybody thinks everything is so easy. It’s in six years period to become a real trained winemaker.

Natalie MacLean 00:09:24 Almost as long as a medical doctor. So when you got to Canada, you decided to join Pelee Island. Tell us about that.

Martin Janz 00:09:31 Haha, okay. After I became a winemaker, this was always in my head to do a year or maybe two years in an outside country, and in my head was maybe California. It was maybe South Africa. Maybe it was Australia. So I always had that in my head. Then one day my former boss came to me and said I got suddenly a call and they’re looking for winemaker for a year in Canada and you basically got provided with for a year accommodation. The visa will be okay and the flight will be paid. So I don’t know if I should say as a lazy guy or whatever but at that time, okay I thought, yes maybe I take it. Sure, I said maybe I take it because at that time, still looking in South Africa or Australia or California. Canada, I said, Canada with wine you do. That was 30 years ago. It’s still considered in Germany as an exotic winemaking area.

Natalie MacLean 00:10:56 I’m sure you don’t get many Canadian wines over in Germany, especially since you already make your own Ice Wine. So I can imagine there’s not much there right now.

Martin Janz 00:11:05 Probably, yes, but 30 years ago that was a little bit different. The funny part is Google and Internet was 30 years ago not existing like it is right now. So basically, I had to go in a library and take some books and look up Canadian wines and winemaking. Yess, So I decided, yes, let’s do it and I’m done.

Natalie MacLean 00:11:34 And so what has kept you there for 30 years? That is a long tenure to stay with one winery and it’s commendable. But why have you stayed with Pelee Island for 30 years?

Martin Janz 00:11:45 There are probably a couple things what comes together. If I committed to something, I love to commit it. And if the fit is right, I love it. The fit was right in the first year and obviously it went a little bit longer like that, so the fit was good.

Natalie MacLean 00:12:06 What about the fit made it good. What felt good to you? Why did it work?

Martin Janz 00:12:11 It is the area, falling in love that. And after the area, what I fall in love with is then 1 or 2 years later they came a woman on the site and the company. What provides everything the work issues and everything and the challenges and the ideas what we’re doing in the future and whatever all the what we look in the future was actually really perfect. And it is perfect. There was never a doubt that I really got to leave Pelee Island. And there was always some challenges. And you got some offers from left or right or whatever.

Natalie MacLean 00:12:55 You stayed true. So what do you do to challenge yourself to keep things fresh, like after three decades? Like maybe give me an example recently. What new challenges are you giving yourself to keep yourself fresh?

Martin Janz 00:13:09 That’s a good question, and it’s actually a relatively easy question to answer that, because if you make wine, every year is a challenge.

Natalie MacLean 00:13:24 It’s true with the changes.

Martin Janz 00:13:26 Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola, whatever a company you say, they have a recipe. They make it. They put stuff together every year. The same product out. Wine, now we going back to Mother Nature. Every year is a little bit different. That’s really the biggest challenge.

Natalie MacLean 00:13:47 Absolutely. It’s not like going to a corporate job.

Martin Janz 00:13:49 I don’t know how many frost we get. And during the year, if we get so much rain or we get not too much rain, we get hail or whatever, it’s always interesting. It’s really challenging.

Natalie MacLean 00:14:06 As you say, Mother Nature, she has a mind of her own.

Martin Janz 00:14:10 I went two years ago. Was it two years ago? I don’t want to lie, but I was California and I went to Mondavi or whatever and I talked to winemakers, and they had the biggest problem with wildfires and went into the vineyards. So everybody have a challenge.

Natalie MacLean 00:14:30 Whether it’s droughts in Australia or wildfires or frosts in Canada.

Martin Janz 00:14:36 Yes, that keeps me up the toes.

Natalie MacLean 00:14:40 Yes, absolutely. Now, you shared a story with me probably 15 years ago. I want to hear about it. Tell me about the time early in your career. You’ve learned a lot since you were filtering wine from a steel tank, but you forgot to take the top off. Why do you have to take the top off? And what happened? Because you didn’t.

Martin Janz 00:14:58 I don’t know who told you that?

Natalie MacLean 00:15:02 You did. You did. I came to the winery.

Martin Janz 00:15:04 If I told you that, I said don’t repeat. Don’t repeat it.

Natalie MacLean 00:15:09 Oh, I forgot that part [laughter].

Martin Janz 00:15:12 No, obviously. Okay, so get into it. And yes, like I said 1996. I came here to Canada and did my first harvest. I think the first harvest was relatively well done. And then we went ahead and so we clarified wines and everything and clarified, you say filtering  I still think it’s only pumping from A to B. You say filtering that’s a little bit different, but not a big thing. So yes, if you have a tank what you have to pump from A to B and then it’s makes totally sense that you pump the tank out and you open the top of the tank that the air is flowing into it to meditate. I forgot to open the tank and the pump is pumping out and the top was closed and the pump is still pumping and no air is coming in. So it sucks a vacuum. And let’s say that Coke or Pepsi can the the tank collapse?

Natalie MacLean 00:16:29 Oh my gosh. But this is a huge steel tank.

Martin Janz 00:16:33 Yes. And that’s how you know how powerful are these pumps when we pumping from A to B. I hope there was not so powerful, but they was powerful I saw it. Basically, we started at 9:00 and we had a 10:00 coffee break and we have 15 minutes break. Came back and I heard the crumbling of the tank. So I saw that the pump is pumping from A to B.  And I saw that crumbling and that looked like a crushed Coke can. Pepsi can. I don’t okay I don’t want any advertising for Coca Cola. Pepsi. That’s okay. It doesn’t matter. And I saw that because I was only a little bit over half a year here. So I panicked and I saw it for my boss seeing it. I pump it back and I thought that tank is popping back to its original shape. It was not as bad as this looked. But yes, I went to my boss and I said, when is the next ticket back to Germany? I thought that I get fired on the spot. But he came down and said, Martin, calm down. Mistakes are happening. If you really work, always mistakes are happening.

Natalie MacLean 00:18:02 That was very understanding.

Martin Janz 00:18:04 Yes. So I have that still in my head.

Natalie MacLean 00:18:08 I’m sure, especially first vintage. Oh my gosh.

Martin Janz 00:18:09 There’s no other big mistakes what happened to them in the last. But you learn from that and that’s the things how you learn.

Natalie MacLean 00:18:19 Absolutely, you’re allowed to pass especially on your first vintage. Oh my goodness. Okay, let’s situate Pelee Island on a map in southwestern Ontario. So I believe it’s about-  you can correct me jump in if I’m wrong on any of these facts – but it’s about a four hour drive southwest from Niagara, about 30 minutes south of Windsor. The island is Ontario’s most southerly habitat point. In fact, parts of 22 states in the US are actually north of Pelee Island. It’s on the same latitude as Northern California and Tuscany in Italy, so it’s clearly on a latitude where winemaking is very prevalent. So Pelee Island is about 25km or 16 miles offshore, but you can get there via a 20 minute flight or a 90 minute ferry. I found this interesting during my research. A conveniently narrow passageway between the island and the mainland helped some 60,000 black slaves to escape from the United States to freedom after the American Civil War. It’s also a watery burial ground for not only a few unfortunate fishermen over the past two centuries, but as well as 174 shipwrecks, mostly fiery casualties of the War of 1812.

Natalie MacLean 00:19:33 So as I understand it, you actually make the wine in your facility on the mainland in Kingsville. Now, wineries often want to get their grapes as quickly from the vineyard once harvested into the winery so that they stay fresh, don’t get crushed under their own weight, etc. But you have to take the ferry. So what accommodations do you make for this? When you pick the grapes and transport them, do you have the ferry booked? Do you try to make it as quick as possible? Do you have any special holding tanks or trucks to keep them fresh?

Martin Janz 00:20:05 Going back a little bit to the whole conversation with that. The vineyards are on the island and the facilities is on the mainland. It’s a big challenge. Yes. Everything what’s going over to the island if it’s produce for the people who are working there, spraying material, fertilizer, whatever. Yes, let’s have to be everything organized as well as the grapes have to come back from the island to the mainland. Yes, they have to be organized. And it’s not as easy. So you organize into your reservations, and maybe you can add some reservations. You can cancel some reservations, but it’s. Everything will be done. And for this year, we’ll be doing a little bit before Labour Day and we doing after Labour Day. We have a certain reservations till end of October.

Natalie MacLean 00:21:15 Yeah, you pick earlier for sure because you’re much warmer. But do you also pick early in the morning so that it’s cooler. Do you try to pick earlier in the day or even in the early morning so that the heat isn’t as intense when you’re picking?

Martin Janz 00:21:30 Yes. We, basically when the first boat is leaving the island. Don’t hear me down. I think it’s eight, eight, 9:00. We starting at midnight even after midnight and harvesting the grapes to getting to the boat for 8:00. Yes, there is not the time frame like other wineries. They can take it and they have it in two hours later on the boat, on the press. We having it six hours, six hours later.

Natalie MacLean 00:22:04 Wow. Okay, so we’ll get back to the warmth and the heat units, but let’s talk about the winery and the history. Pelee Island, of course, is the cradle. It’s where Canadian winemaking started. And Canada’s first estate winery on the island was named Vin Villa. And it opened in 1866 – I don’t think a lot of people think about that – predating Niagara wineries by decades. Early settlers came from Ohio and Kentucky and made wine from Lambrusco grapes in 1870. The winery won its first medal in competition at a Paris wine tasting. I found that phenomenal because this was at a time when there were only two steamboat crossings a week to the island. There was no telegraph or postal service, let alone ATMs or Starbucks. And there were no flying winemakers or consultants to help with wine making on the island. Now, commercial winemaking, as I understand it, collapsed under the weight of the Temperance Act of 1916, the War and the Depression, and it didn’t resume until Pelee Island Winery opened in 1983. So is there anything about the history of Pelee Island winemaking that surprises or inspires?

Martin Janz 00:23:14 You know, like you said, inspiring. It’s that happen already in the late 80s and then beginning 90s that inspiring. And before I came, I had no idea about that. When I came here later, two years later, yes, I looked up a little bit more the history about that and I was amazed about that, too. Don’t nail me down, but if that the 1930s or the 1920s and 1930s, the prohibition wouldn’t have worked. Obviously it worked and we still could grow grapes or whatever. There would be still grapes on the other. By the way, the rumor is still in the nineteen when was it, the 30s? Al Capone had as place on Pelee Island to get.

Natalie MacLean 00:24:07 He had a house on Pelee Island?

Martin Janz 00:24:09 No, not a house. He had the connections to get alcohol.

Natalie MacLean 00:24:15 To go the illegal bootlegging.

Martin Janz 00:24:17 It is only a rumour. And the island was happy to go to the States.

Natalie MacLean 00:24:24 I’m sure it was. It’s been a hub for many people and even animals. Okay, so today Pelee Island is one of 15 wineries that are part of the Lake Erie North Shore wine region, which is one of four major wine regions in Ontario. The others, of course, being Niagara on the Lake with about 30 wineries. Niagara Escarpment 60. Prince Edward County about 45. The Lake Erie North Shore region embraces the counties of Kent and Essex and has about 1200 acres under vine and specializes in the classic grapes like Chardonnay, Riesling as well as hybrids. Vidal Blanc,  Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Baco Noir.  Pelee Island is also the largest of 13 islands that comprise the North Erie Archipelago, a series of islands, and are now part of the new VQA sub appellation called South Islands. So when many wine lovers, Martin, think about Ontario wine, they think about Niagara first and then perhaps Prince Edward County.Why do you think they often overlook Pelee Island and southwestern Ontario, beyond the fact that Niagara is larger and closer to Toronto? Especially when you have such a long history of making wine and the quality of your wines has been proven over and over again in international competitions.

Martin Janz 00:25:45 I know you said that I should overlook that Toronto is close to Niagara, but I think that’s a major factor in the whole story. Yes, I think here in our area experience from the last years where we’re getting people from London and from London area and we’re getting in people from Michigan. I think the location basically is the big factor. People in area like Toronto,  they’re worried about a four hour drive to come down to us.

Natalie MacLean 00:26:27 It is significantly longer. Yeah. And then you have to take the ferry.

Martin Janz 00:26:30 There are people who are doing that. But yes.

Natalie MacLean 00:26:35 Absolutely. And we’re going to tell them why they should visit. So as we said, this is the country’s warmest wine region. Half of Ontario’s greenhouses are located in your region. It’s famous for Leamington tomatoes. And you benefit from 200 frost free days and the highest accumulation of heat units. And that is when the temperature during the growing season is above ten degrees Celsius so that the grapevines are actually growing. And this is a lot more than Niagara gets. How does this impact the type and quality of wines you produce?

Martin Janz 00:27:09 It’s not a lot more through looking up a little bit with the heat units. Frost free days. I did some research. Years ago. Not years ago. 2 or 3 years ago to. Yes, we have more frost free days than Niagara. We have more heat units than Niagara. But it’s not as much as you think. But yes, we are still, I try to say, and I always tell that on the tour we are the banana belt of Canada.

Natalie MacLean 00:27:44 Why do you say banana belt?

Martin Janz 00:27:45 That’s a good question. Hey. Whoa. Now you got me. Banana belt because it sounds really tropical.  And with the most heat unit and frost free days.

Natalie MacLean 00:27:56 Yeah, absolutely. That makes sense.

Martin Janz 00:27:59 Yeah. Good question.

Natalie MacLean 00:28:02 It makes sense. And we’re going to talk about all the different trees and species that grow there, just to mention them to listeners and viewers because it’s an amazing sanctuary to visit. But that’s probably where Banana Belt, I’m just guessing that it comes from, because it’s just this warm environment that can foster all of that different life forms. So most wineries hugged the north shore of Lake Erie on the mainland, seeking moderating temperatures in the summer so that the vines and the grapes don’t cook. However, Lake Erie freezes over in the winter because it’s shallow, so it doesn’t provide that moderating effect in the winter like Lake Ontario does for Niagara. And yet, classic grapes like Merlot and Chardonnay don’t do well under 20°C. So how do you mitigate the cold impact in the winter?

Martin Janz 00:28:50 What do you mean that the vines don’t cook?

Natalie MacLean 00:28:53 So the lake effect for Lake Erie is similar to Lake Ontario in Niagara, in that it brings in the cool breezes over the vineyards so that in the real hottest days of the summer the vines they’re not getting too much heat. So they’re not cooking, so to speak. That might not be the right word. It moderates the temperature.

Martin Janz 00:29:13 That’s the way that the cook. Okay.

Natalie MacLean 00:29:16 But in the winter you don’t get that moderating effect because the lake freezes over. Do you use like wind machines? What kind of ways do you counteract the cold weather?

Martin Janz 00:29:26 The lake is basically to get frozen. It’s relatively late to.

Natalie MacLean 00:29:32 Okay late in the season.

Martin Janz 00:29:35 We have the warm weather and like you said before it’s a shallow lake.Iin the wintertime before it start freezing and the last years we probably barely see Lake Erie freezing from Pelee island to the mainland through.

Natalie MacLean 00:29:56 So you’re still getting some moderating impact from the lake?

Martin Janz 00:29:58 So it’s the moderating a little bit what you say. So we get a little bit more effect of the lake. And it helps us a lot to because it gives up in the winter time. It’s is not frozen, whatever, there is no ice on it. So it gives up a little bit, a little bit more. It’s so funny. It sounds if it’s hard to decrease or decrease or maybe one and a half degrees.

Natalie MacLean 00:30:23 But still helps, that makes a difference. Even that small temperature change.

Martin Janz 00:30:28 People don’t realize it, but yes.

Natalie MacLean 00:30:31 And do you use wind machines as well? Okay, so what’s happening there? You’re taking the cold air off the floor of the vineyard and then bringing in warm air because hot air rises. We know that.

Martin Janz 00:30:43 To explain that a little bit easier and then probably a lot of people will shake their head or whatever. But what I think it’s you start a wind machine is flowing. It’s I think it’s physics. It’s some air movement. There’s friction is creating some heat. And so funny it sounds the wind machines when they’re doing that they can doing 2 to 3°C.

Natalie MacLean 00:31:10 They raise the temperature by 2 to 3 degrees. Wow,

Martin Janz 00:31:16 Sometimes that’s exactly the point. What is needed. If it gets really cold to three degrees from means nothing. But from experience right now, there is sometimes exactly that time when we need that 2 or 3 degrees. So a wind machine if you want, let me think. 22 two feet high. The wings are probably up to ten feet.

Natalie MacLean 00:31:48 In the span. Wow.

Martin Janz 00:31:49 And the span, yes. And obviously, the right time when you have to do it. When the weather report said, yes, we should do it. So we start that and they can increase the temperature on the ground by 2 to 3 degrees or maybe.

Natalie MacLean 00:32:09 That’s fantastic. So your labels feature many flora and fauna found on the island, but these are not to be confused with the critter labels dreamed up by marketing focus groups. Your creatures actually live on the island, and you came up with these labels far before a critter craze started. In fact, there are more than 100,000 species of plants, insects, birds and animals that inhabit Pelee Island, making it a nature lovers’ paradise. There are many plants found there that are not found elsewhere in Canada, such as tulip trees, sassafras, Kentucky coffee trees, several species of reptiles and amphibians, as well as birds such as Orchard Oriole, the Carolina Wren, Peregrine Falcons and my favourite – just because of the name of it – the Yellow Bill Cuckoo. They are all living on the northern edge of their inhabitable range on your island. You’re also part of the Carolinian zone. It’s an ecological region in southern Ontario that represents the northernmost point of deciduous forests, the type of trees that shed their leaves annually. And it stretched down into the United States into the Carolinas. Thus, the name Carolinian. Point Pelee National Park also has a massive collection of freshwater marshes left by the Great Lakes, with miles of sand dunes, woodlands and meadows. Just sounds beautiful for our listeners and viewers. I want them to know it’s not just the winery as to why you should visit, it’s this nature lovers’ paradise.

Martin Janz 00:33:41 No question about that.

Natalie MacLean 00:33:42 I also hear that tens of thousands of monarch butterflies hold a convention for a couple of days on your island each year in September, before they flutter their way down to Mexico for the winter. The island is a critical stopover point for them to rest and feed before they carry on their journey. That must be gorgeous. You have a wine with a Monarch butterfly on it, do you not? Maybe you want to show us that one?

Martin Janz 00:34:05 Yes, I think we have.

Natalie MacLean 00:34:07 Beautiful. Look at that. The Monarch butterfly is actually an endangered species. It’s on your video line, and it has these jeweled tones of orange and black. It’s just simply gorgeous. Now you have some other bottles there, but I think we will get to our tasting given time is flying. You have a Red Wing Blackbird, a Pear Cactus, and there are others that are on your labels. Is your respect for the island’s ecosystem and highlighting it on your labels. Why you don’t use insecticides, but rather natural fertilizers and follow the World Wildlife Federation farming guidelines.

Martin Janz 00:34:47 As a winemaker, you should not think about that. That should be an automatically thing to respect the nature of whatever. And we do that, yes. And there’s probably other wineries say maybe handle a difference. But so far as I know, all other wineries, what I know, whatever they’re following, they’re true. And then it’s it should be in a natural thing that that you said the winery should respect what Mother Nature gives you. Pay a little bit back. Pay a little bit back is maybe a respect. So we respect that. And then what you said before that. Yes. And that’s a part of respect.

Natalie MacLean 00:35:33 You also do that in that you reforest unproductive land and use natural groundwater to compete with the vines so that they produce more concentrated fruit. Let’s go to the Lola Light Rosé, which I’ve been just dying to open here. Do you have yours there too, Martin?

Martin Janz 00:35:49 Yes, ma’am. I will have it. So let’s open it. We talk about the same bottle. Let’s see if we. Okay.

Natalie MacLean 00:35:58 Oh, absolutely. Yeah. So this only has 9% alcohol. Beautiful refreshing Rosé which is so summery, but also I think I drink this year round. Tell us about how you made this wine. Like how did you pack so much flavor into it and yet so low on the alcohol?

Martin Janz 00:36:16 The flavours, flavours coming year by year that there will be a naturally. But I think that will be the trend in the future anyways that we are going a little bit to the lighter side. I think we have two years now Lola Light. And the first year we started a little bit to start with that and it was okay. People loved it. And that’s I think this vintage, what you have right now, is the second year and and it’s getting more and you will see in the future it’s getting more and more trendy.

Natalie MacLean 00:36:49 Yeah. People are looking for lighter alternatives, although they still want it to taste great, you know.

Martin Janz 00:36:56 Yeah, the Lola Light is around 95%. Vidal, a white grape variety, and 5% red.

Natalie MacLean 00:37:04 You make a number of different rosés. You have 3 or 4 different rosés.

Martin Janz 00:37:08 Pelee Pink, yes. We the Pelee Pure. We have the, I should say not regular, but the other Lola Rosé but an organic one. What is basically. a regular Lola.

Natalie MacLean 00:37:21 A regular Lola, right? With regular alcohol level. Like 12 or 13% or something.

Martin Janz 00:37:27 Yes.

Natalie MacLean 00:37:28 And then you have these little guys, these little 200 mil, I think they are. They’re so cute.

Martin Janz 00:37:35 There’s a regular Lola and that’s a regular Lola.

Natalie MacLean 00:37:37 It’s like a me and a mini me. You’ve got these little mini bottles, which I would think are ideal for a wine tasting, or someone who just wants to do a little sampling.

Martin Janz 00:37:48 At first, but it’s so funny it sounds. I thought we do it only for golfers.

Natalie MacLean 00:37:53 Oh, for golfers [laughter].

Martin Janz 00:37:54 I’m golfing a little bit too, and they opened a bottle or whatever or a beer can and they go from hole to hole and they can’t close it, so. I didn’t say that official. Okay.

Natalie MacLean 00:38:06 [laughter] Sure. we won’t check your golf bag or your caddy, but what would you pair with this Lola Light Rosé? What would make a great pairing for you, Martin?

Martin Janz 00:38:15 This wine. Relatively easy. Go on your patio and have whatever you have. Shish kebab or you have chicken or whatever on your barbecue. It’s 25 –  30 degrees outside there. Have it before the sun goes down. When the sun goes down, then you switch over to some things. But in the middle of the day, that will be perfect.

Natalie MacLean 00:38:44 Oh, I love that you pair wine by the hour. So yes, this would be good pre sunset and then maybe a more full bodied red or something at night as you’re sitting around the campfire telling stories and cozying up in a blanket. So are there any other wines you wanted to mention before I continue with more of the wrap up part of the conversation.

Martin Janz 00:39:06 I have that over the last years to. I love to say really honest wine pairing. I know you are big with wine pairing to whatever. Do your wine pairings there is a roughly idea what you do, but if you want go a little bit out of the ordinary, cool. Even if you have a maybe bad example. But that’s what I do too. If I have a stake in the middle of the heat, it’s July and we have 30 degrees outside. I drink and have a Chardonnay with that. I don’t have to be always red like what the books are saying.

Natalie MacLean 00:39:48 Sure. They say pair the wine to the diner, not the dinner. Drink what you like.

Martin Janz 00:39:53 We are totally in agreement was that. And yes, there are rules you should follow. Roughly gives you a guideline, but if you go a little bit left and give you a little bit right  or the other way or whatever, yes, but do it. Whatever you think.

Natalie MacLean 00:40:09 Absolutely. So what are your best two tips? If someone wants to visit Pelee Island? Of course you want them to visit the winery. What are your top two tips for visiting the island? Like whether it’s if they’re visiting the winery or just the island itself? Do you have any suggestions for those who want to make this a trip?

Martin Janz 00:40:29 So the two or three, you took the first thing out of my mouth.

Martin Janz 00:40:34 Visit Pelee Island or visit one of the local wineries. And you said it before, we have 15 local wineries around there and there are a lot of good other wineries around there in this area.

Natalie MacLean 00:40:48 That’s very collegial of you, yeah.

Martin Janz 00:40:50 And especially if it’s a summertime, a lot of wineries have a restaurant on the site or whatever. Go there, visit them, join them and not bad to it.

Natalie MacLean 00:41:06 That’s great. And then at Pelee Island, do you have outdoor barbecues for use for visitors if they want to just grill their own food for, have a little campout, snack out or whatever.

Martin Janz 00:41:18 At the winery we have a couple events and they are not every weekend, but they are probably every second weekend, yes. And we provide. There will be always somebody who is it’s a pizza or if it’s burgers or whatever they will be, and with the band and we will have some special occasions and, and we’ll do that.

Natalie MacLean 00:41:42 Yeah. Awesome. And I’ll just throw in there that while you visit Pelee Island, you can also there’s a restored lighthouse. You can go scuba diving, hiking, biking. You can see the historical, geological and archaeological artifacts of early winemaking at the Pelee Island Heritage Center. And of course, there’s Pointe Pili National Park.

Martin Janz 00:42:01 That’s one of the two points I would mention. That Point Pelee is always beautiful to see that besides Pelee Island Winery or another winery.

Natalie MacLean 00:42:13 Yes for sure. Martin, if you could share a bottle of wine with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would that be?

Martin Janz 00:42:21 I mean. That’s a good question. Anthony Bourdain.

Natalie MacLean 00:42:24 The chef.  He did Kitchen Confidential and then on TV, No reservations.

Martin Janz 00:42:32 Layover reservations. Yes.

Martin Janz 00:42:35 Why do you pick him?

Martin Janz 00:42:37 Because I think the character what he had. I think he was a little bit dark and a little bit interesting, and I don’t know, a couple people will tell me that I am that, too

Natalie MacLean 00:42:51 You’re dark and interesting [laughter].

Martin Janz 00:42:52 No, no, I don’t see that.

Natalie MacLean 00:42:54 [laughter] I know people have told you that. He had a wit and a fascination with food and wine, for sure. We’re talking about him in the past tense because he did die.

Martin Janz 00:43:05 But it’s not only about the food. Whatever. I want a little bit more of the lifestyle. What he’s thinking about it. That’s. I think there’s a little bit more behind that. Which bottle of wine? I’d let him choose. He tell me whatever you want and I would open that. So that will be no question. But yes I would love to do that with him.

Natalie MacLean 00:43:34 Yes. I’m sure he would have loved to visit Pelee Island. He was a world traveler.

Martin Janz 00:43:39 And trust me, he would not knowing my name at all. You probably don’t know Pelee Island at all, but if he would have the chance, I would love to meet him.

Natalie MacLean 00:43:50 That’s awesome. I love that pic. I love his writing style. Yeah. Is there anything we haven’t covered, Martin, that you’d like to mention?

Martin Janz 00:43:59 I think we covered everything, and I don’t want to get into talking about how people who have the greatest wines or whatever, but other wineries have really good wines too.

Natalie MacLean 00:44:15 Very diplomatic way to sneak that in.

Martin Janz 00:44:19 But that’s a customer choice anyway, so I think they can choose. I think we’re doing a really good job here at Pelee Island.

Natalie MacLean 00:44:27 Absolutely, the awards and scores prove it.

Martin Janz 00:44:31 Other wineries are good, too.

Natalie MacLean 00:44:34 The rising tide lifts all the boats when you work together as a region. Martin, this has been wonderful. Where can people find you and your wines online website?

Martin Janz 00:44:43 Website it is Pelee Island. Google Pelee Island and you will find us.

Natalie MacLean 00:44:50 Yeah, absolutely. We’ll put the links in the show notes. The winery is on social media, so we’ll put all of that for those who are searching for that.  Because people can also order directly from you. They don’t have to just go to the liquor store and you ship…

Martin Janz 00:45:05 We have e-commerce. Yes.

Natalie MacLean 00:45:07 You ship directly to their doorstep.

Martin Janz 00:45:09 Sorry to have that not on file or whatever, but yes, we will do. Yes.

Natalie MacLean 00:45:15 Absolutely.

Martin Janz 00:45:17 You will get the information that you can hook it up the links. I’m a wine maker not a salesperson.That’s the thing you know.

Natalie MacLean 00:45:26 No worries. This has been fabulous, Martin. I’ve really enjoyed chatting with you. And I hope next time we can do it in person again.

Martin Janz 00:45:33 You say that only because you have to say that.  It was pleasure.

Natalie MacLean 00:45:38 [laughter[ Absolutely. Let’s raise a glass of Lola Light. Cheers to you and to this harvest. I hope it goes well and I look forward to chatting with you again. Bye bye.

Natalie MacLean 00:45:50 Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed our chat with Martin. Here are my takeaways. Number one, why is wine making always a challenge no matter how long you’ve been doing it? Well, Martin observes that if you make wine, every year is a challenge. He doesn’t want to make Coca-Cola in the sense of following the same recipe every year, and getting the exact same product every year is a bit different. You don’t know how much rain, frost, or hail you’ll get and other conditions, all of which require different responses.And that for him, and I believe many winemakers, keeps it interesting.

Number two, how are wind machines use to mitigate the negative impact of cold weather? As Martin explains, they take the cold air off the floor of the vineyard and then bring in the warm air because hot air rises. So they’re cycling it down and around the wind. Machines can actually raise the temperature by 2 or 3 degrees in the vineyard, which is amazing. And sometimes that’s all you need to save the vines.

Number three, how does Pelee Island’s biodiversity influence the brand and winery? Pelee Island is home to over 100,000 species of plants, insects and animals, many of which are not found elsewhere in Canada, and that rich biodiversity is reflected on the winery’s labels, which feature the local flora and fauna.

And number four, why is it important for winemakers to respect the natural environment? As a winemaker, Martin believes that it should be almost an automatic response to respect nature. That’s why they don’t use synthetic insecticides and pesticides. As he says, it’s all about paying back a little bit to what Mother Nature gives you.

Natalie MacLean 00:47:33 In the show notes, you’ll find the full transcript of my conversation with Edward, links to his website and books the video versions of these conversations on Facebook and YouTube live and where you can order my book online now no matter where you live. If you missed episode 238, go back and take a listen. I chat about old vines, land stewardship, and the future of Ontario Wine with Carolyn Hurst, owner of Wescott Vineyards. I’ll share a short clip with you now to whet your appetite.

Carolyn Hurst 00:48:03 Old vines are very precious and really important to the quality of the wine. And the roots are down deeper. They’re less vigorous. We don’t produce as many clusters as younger vines. Every year the vine produces all the new plant. Material is made up from the air, the water, the soil. A generation in a vine is one year renewing itself every year.

Natalie MacLean 00:48:26 I find old vines are like people. They may be more wizened, less vigorous, but they’re more interesting because their roots are deeper.

Carolyn Hurst 00:48:34 So true.

Natalie MacLean 00:48:40 You won’t want to miss next week when we chat with Adam Lechmere, the publishing director of Academie du Vin Library, who has been writing about wine for 25 years, contributing to Decanter, World of Fine Wine, The Guardian and other publications. He’ll join us from his home in London and we’ll be discussing the wines of Rioja.

If you like this episode or learned even one thing from it, please email or tell one friend about the podcast this week, especially someone you know who’s interested in learning more about the wines of Southwestern Ontario. It’s easy to find my podcast. Just tell them to search for Natalie MacLean Wine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, their favorite podcast app, or they can listen to the show on my website at nataliemaclean.com/podcast. Email me if you have a sip, tip, question, or if you’ve read my book or are listening to it at [email protected]. In the show notes, you’ll also find a link to take a free online wine and food pairing class with me called The Five Wine and Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner and How to Fix Them Forever at nataliemaclean.com/class. And that is all in the show notes at nataliemaclean.com/302. Thank you for taking the time to join me here. I hope something great is in your glass this week, perhaps a wine from Pelee Island that celebrates the flora and fauna there.

You don’t want to miss one juicy episode of this podcast, especially the secret full bodied bonus episodes that I don’t announce on social media. So subscribe for free now at nataliemaclean.com/subscribe. Meet me here next week. Cheers!

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