French wine
Picardy is not an official wine region anymore. Yet it has a rich history related to grapegrowing and winemaking and has recently been demonstrating a revival of its . 40 villages of Picardy (south of the Aisne department) are now part of the area and several small recreational vineyards were established in the last two decades e.g. in Coucy le Château, Gerberoy, Gouvieux, Clairoix, etc.
Henry of Pelham Winery
In 1984 Paul Speck (Sr.), an educator who was originally from Niagara but lived in Toronto, and his wife Bobbi (Barbara) Speck, a book editor, enlisted their three teen and pre-teen sons Paul, Matthew and Daniel to remove the original vineyards and replant by shovel on the newly contoured, under-drained hills along the Short Hills Bench and start the process of becoming a wine producer. Henry of Pelham is one of two wineries located in the Short Hills Bench appellation, though there are numerous other wineries who source fruit from the many independent vineyards located in the same.
In the 1980s, there were only a few estate wineries dedicated to producing premium wines made from 100% Ontario-grown grapes. The winery was a founding member, in 1989, of the regions' appellation of origin system the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). The winery's focus is on Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc for the whites, and Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blends for the reds. They are also well known for their Baco Noir. Riesling and Cabernet Franc icewine along with their well-regarded Cuvee Catharine sparkling wines are also in their portfolio.