Bryce, Mike, Susan and Kristen Korpan in their vineyard just north of Chatham. The Korpans’ Early Acres Estate Winery was the big winner during the recent All Canadian Wine Championships.
Early Acres Estate Winery in Chatham was the biggest winner with three gold medals and two bronze medals at this year’s All Canadian Wine Championships held Prince Edward County.
Early Acres won gold for its 2013 Swirl It in the White Hybrid Blends category, for its 2009 Dark Quarters in the Red Hybrid Blends category and for the 2013 Sweet Nothing in the Grape Fortifieds & Other Dessert category.
The winery also took home a bronze medal for 2013 Worth The Wait in the Riesling Off Dry category, and 2010 Red Affair in the Red Hybrid Blends category.
Owner Mike Korpan said today he views the win as one for all of Chatham-Kent. “We’re very proud for ourselves but we think it brings a lot of recognition to Chatham-Kent and lets people know we can compete with the other top wine-growing areas in Canada.”
Early Acres wasn’t alone as Essex County and Chatham-Kent winners brought home a total of 21 medals from the event, the oldest competition in Canada.
The final medal tally for local wineries was seven gold, eights silver, and 6 bronze for a total of 21 from 10 different wineries.
The competition had 1,356 entries from 237 wineries, meaderies and cideries across Canada and was critiqued by a panel of 19 judges over three full days.
Although comparatively small, at 7.5 acres, the winery has now totaled 16 medals in the past three years.
“It’s fun,” Mike said. “We enjoy what we do and that may be part of the reason we’ve had so much success.”
Kim Cooper, Chatham Chatham-Kent Economic Development’s Agriculture Specialist, said the wins help put the community on the wine making map.
“I’ve always said our land is second to none,” he said. “It’s good to see a local family business do so well on the national stage.”
