Robert Bell's
Wines of Canada
Since 1992
Wending Home Estate Winery
Opened in 2021 the winery it is very impresses how quicky Wending Home has established its reputation for top quaility wines, not only in Canada but on the world Stage. The man most responsiable is co-owner and winemaker Ron Giesbrecht. He has parnter with Huaying (Ying) Feng.
A new home is what partner Huaying Feng, along with her husband Jianneng Li, were searching for when they immigrated to Niagara from Guangzhou, a city in Guangdong province in China.
Feng and her husband left China for Canada to realize their dream of being farmers who can own their own land, which is not allowed in China. Li wanted his daughter Amy to have a happy childhood because he believes that children in China are made to study too hard, but that their creativity is limited. They feel that they now have a pleasant life here.
After first landing in B.C. in search of agricultural land in 2005, Feng decided the prices in that province were too steep, so the couple eventually moved east and found the perfect property on 9th Street in St. Catharines (between 13th Street and Creekside wineries) in 2018. The estate’s surrounding property was planted with grape vines dating back to the late 1990s by Joseph Zimmerman. Feng has since added to the plantings.
Ron Giesbrecht interested in wine came party from his partner and partly from his father. His partner made a trip to Europe back in the sixties and came back enuthiastic about wine. His father a banker in St Catherines would often meet Karl Kaiser and Donald Ziraldo from Inniskillin, Paul Bosc from Château des Charmes, the Reif family and others to discuss business and wine. His father was a great supporter of the fletching wine industry in Canada.
Ron studied microbiology at university and work with grape and wine research at Vineland Station. He also worked with Bosc at Château des Charmes, as well as with John Marynissen when he opened Marynissen Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
His background included working at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. His winemakinng CAreer started in 1985 at Brights He moved over to Henry of Pelham in St. Catharines where he worked as winemaker for 23 years.
Wending means to go in a specified direction, typically slowly, or by an indirect route. Or as partner Ron Giesbrecht says: “A slow circuitous course, not in a hurry, enjoying it.” In Cantonese Wending means “to aspire to be the best”.
Huaying Feng was a student of Ron's when he was professor at Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute.
She turned to the only person she knew who could help her realize the dream of making wine from the 26 acres of grapes on her farm. Grapes planted included Ehrenfelser, Auxerrois, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay on the white side, and Cabernet Franc, Dornfelder, Gamay and Lemberger for the reds.
The 2020 Chardonnay was recognized with a gold medal at the 2024 Chardonnay du Monde awards.
At the All Canadians 2024 Wendins Home wines acheiving Double Gold Medal status were the dynamic duo of the 2021 Chardonnay and the 2020 Up Above Pinot Noir. “We’ve long considered this Pinot Noir one of our best wines and it’s so great to see it get the recognition it deserves,” says Winemaker Ron Giesbrecht.
Theur 2020 Riesling won a Lieutenant Governor's award for Excellence in Ontario Wines.
Wending Home has won 6 medals 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards
3756 Ninth St, St. Catharines, ON L2R 6P9, Canada
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