Local vineyard operator wants to see region become wine destination

It has been slightly more than a year since Marty Kral opened the winery at his Vankleek Hill Vineyard, and business is going well.

But if all goes as well as it could in the next few years, Kral hopes he won't be the only vineyard in Vankleek Hill - or in the Prescott-Russell area, for that matter.

"I want there to be more of us, as much as possible," he told The Review. "We're within a one-hour drive of five million people; if we could have a dozen vineyards here, they would be injecting millions into the economy. We could create jobs, hotels, wine bars... the whole thing."

Kral, who operates his vineyards on five acres along County Road 12, said he looks to Prince Edward County as an example and an inspiration. While it has long been recognized as a tourist destination, the island region - located south of Belleville, Ontario - is becoming known as "the Burgundy of the North," boasting more than 35 wineries to date.

Prince Edward County attracts a lot of tourists from the Toronto area, as well as the northern United States, and its status as a wine destination has quickly boosted its economic growth.

"There's plenty of land in the area that's useless for traditional agriculture," Kral noted. "But it's great for apple trees, wine, and so on. Why do we have to travel to Napa, the Okanogan, to taste delicious wine? We can have it right here in Vankleek Hill."

The operator said he has already been approached by other interested growers in nearby places like Laggan, North Glengarry, Ste-Anne-de-Prescott and Hawkesbury's Pattee Road. "They're coming out of the woodwork. People are coming and saying, 'I want a vineyard, but I need help and I don't know what to do.' I'm amazed these guys have all approached me about their mini-vineyards, so they can make wine for themselves."

If there were any doubts about the potential for the region as a wine destination, Kral would tell you to look at his visitor numbers this year. In early June, he was at 5,000. By the end of August, he had reached 11,000 people, and was busy planning for September weddings and the influx of guests coming to the International Plowing Match - just down the road from his property.

"I said it would take three years to start and right now, I'm a few months into year two," he noted. "Half the guys that are approaching me are in their late twenties, and the other half are boomers looking for supplemental income. And it will do that. They're way ahead of me.

Kral attributes a lot of his success - as well as his belief in this idea - to the new varietals of grapes now available. High-yielding and able to withstand temperatures of minus-40 degrees, he said the grapes are ideal to be grown in eastern Ontario.

"Each plant, when mature at six or seven years, will produce six kilos of grapes," he continued. "On five acres, that's 20,000 bottles of wine."

Vankleek Hill Vineyard joins other established wineries in eastern Ontario and western Quebec, such as Domaine Perrault in Navan and Aux Cassis d'Argenteuil in Saint-André-d'Argenteuil. Support organizations are popping up across the region, such as the 12-year-old Ottawa Valley Viticulture Association.

"That is the future of agriculture in our area," said Kral. "You shouldn't look at it in yield per acre, but rather, yield per square foot. The future for our area is market agriculture and it's moving in that direction."