Brings a taste of Europe to Prince Edward County
The Old Third Golden Russet “Cuvée Yquelon” sparkling cider sells for $3/tasting, $10/glass or $30/bottle.
Many of us are swapping the traditional vacation for the daycation for obvious reasons. A long, leisurely drive in the country to a serene setting might be just what we need. Better yet, if that setting looks like something from Architectural Digest and includes a riveting glass of wine and bowl of delicious pasta, it won’t feel like plan B.
I’m talking about the Old Third tucked in Prince Edward County. This Ontario winery two and a half hours east of Toronto is a restored 1860s barn owned by Bruno Francois and his partner Jens Korberg.
“We actually met online about 20 years ago when I still lived in Sweden,” says Korberg with a warmth in his voice at the memory. “We met on ICQ, which was a big thing before MSN Messenger.”
“ICQ had this random chat button that would pick anyone in the world who happened to be online — guys or girls. It was completely random. So one time I clicked random chat and Bruno popped up. We just started talking. Five months later I moved to Toronto. It’s actually quite insane, but it worked. We’ve been together ever since.”
Korberg and Francois lived in Toronto together for five years before deciding to ditch city life and buy a winery. Or more precisely, buy a piece of land where the old barn sits, plant vines and start one from the ground up. The winery is on Closson Road in Hillier, but locals used to call it “the Old Third.”
Now, 15 years later, that barn is beautiful and business is booming. It sprawls 4,200 square feet, rises three stories and lures you in with lots of lounging nooks, a tasting bar and a new pasta bar called Quattro Amici. Outside, lots of well-spaced, rustic-chic tables dot the property. It’s where you want to be. But not just for the setting. For the wine.
The Old Third produces small amounts of very good Normandy-style, vintage-dated cider, which is apple wine. This bone-dry bubbly has more in common with a sparkling Chardonnay than the sweet stuff you’d drink by the pint at a pub. It is delicate, sparkling and complex. And ageworthy. The 2016 Golden Russet “Cuvée Yquelon” sparkling cider sells at the winery for $3 per tasting, $10 per glass or $30 per bottle. This apple wine shines a deep straw colour, is shot through with delicate effervescence, and exudes gentle aromas of crisp apple as well as lemon zest, rich butterscotch and a top-note of white flowers. The attack is bright and steely, entering like a beam of light with great precision. Then it broadens slowly with wispy suggestions of white peach, cool steel and brine — all dry, crisp and cool. The length is long, calling to mind pronounced flavours of toasty croissant, toffee and nutmeg as well as a fluttery note of white flowers found on the nose. Such lovely complexity. The bubbles are tiny, the texture glossy-cool and the pleasure immense. Score: 94
This delicious cider drinks like a fine wine. And it will improve — becoming more restrained, elegant and complex — with time. So it’s worth buying a few bottles and tucking them away.
The fruit for Golden Russet Cuvée Yquelon comes from a single estate, an Ontario apple orchard just outside of Prince Edward County. It is handsorted and pressed. The juice is fermented, unfiltered and bottled. Then it undergoes a second fermentation in bottle before being disgorged and corked. The result is what winemaker Francois calls “real cider.”
“I make real cider because it was a family tradition,” says Francois. “I use Golden Russets: the monarch of all apples. I buy the whole crop and let it express its terroir. That apple is the perfect canvas.”
Francois is a software architect turned winemaker whose grandfather made cider in Normandy, France. Korberg is a talented interior designer who transformed the winery from an old barn into today’s welcoming space with genius touches like lining the whole structure with Tyvec building wrap. This lining isn’t noticeable but lets the light and the breeze through the woodenslatted exterior while keeping the moisture out, so sitting inside feels airy and open. Complementing this rustic setting are gorgeously furnished seating areas.
Right now, Prince Edward County is in Stage 3 of reopening and the Old Third is taking all the right steps to support the safety of employees and patrons. Masks are mandatory inside — except when tasting. Hand sanitizer is available at the door. And there’s a six-person limit for tastings and lunch.
While Stage 3 allows for indoor dining, the winery reserves indoors for wine and cider tasting — or lounging with a nice glass in one of the cushy enclaves. Pasta can be enjoyed outside where there is seating for up to 72, including tables with cloths and centrepieces under a pretty white tent.
As well as the Normandystyle cider, you can sample The Old Third’s 2018 Riesling, which is off-dry and unfiltered ($3 tasting, $12 glass $42 bottle). This white wine is pale straw in colour and brims with bright stone fruit and lime, with a touch of salinity, a kiss of sweetness and racy acidity that leaves the palate scraped clean. Score: 88
“It’s a simple menu, simple food, but we make our own pasta, make our own cheese for the pasta like mozzarella and ricotta,” says Korberg.
“And real truffles. We use real truffles,” Francois adds, saying he plans to use them in the pasta special from Friday to
Sunday.
When I revisited for this story, I had the tagliatelle with homemade pesto and it was delicious with a glass of the 2016 Golden Russet Cuvée Yquelon.
The Old Third built a name for itself with its red wines over the years. They now have a cult-like following. I remember swooning over a barrel sample of the Pinot Noir in 2010, the year the winery opened. And the legacy lives on. The 2015 library samples I tasted with Francois for this story were ethereal — but are, of course, sold out.
Right now, the entire 2019 vintage of the winery’s red wine is sold out, despite still being in barrel. It includes the 2019 Cabernet Franc and the 2019 Pinot Noir. And it was sold through its futures program. These wines are made entirely from fruit grown on the winery’s estate. The next release of red wine will be in 2021.
The Old Third wines are only available at the winery. There are no online buying options, but that seems to make these wines all the more special. It’s worth the drive.
For hours and location, check theoldthird.com