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Closson Chase Winery Viticulturalist Deborah Paskus

Personal Perspective from Deborah Paskus

I sense many people find a place, that feels as if they have always been there. A place that resonates for them. It is where they belong.

When I exit off the 401 eastbound onto Wooler Road I experience a physical release, a moment of calm. It happened the first time I came to Prince Edward County, it continues to happen today.

I don't make wine, I grow vines. I don't even grow vines, for the sake of making wine, but wine is the keeper of the story of the vine, season to season, year to year. That is the reason wine is important to me.

A photograph captures a visual moment in time. Wine, which speaks to all the senses, contains every moment of a year, every moment since the vine was introduced to the soil.

Is it any wonder wine holds the imagination of the human race? Deborah Paskus

Deborah Paskus grew up in Hamilton, Ontario ­ just a stone's throw from Canada's largest grape growing region on the Niagara Peninsula. In Deborah's case, proximity to the vines meant affinity for the vines — a passion that led her to become one of Canada's most celebrated winemakers.

Deborah was quick to develop ideas of her own, refusing to be limited by accepted boundaries. After majoring in horticulture at the University of Guelph, she was determined to make her own contribution to winemaking tradition. Her greatest challenge came when she set out to prove to Steve Temkin, noted Toronto wine columnist and creator of the wine list for Toronto's world-class Scaramouche restaurant, that is was indeed possible to produce an intense, layered Chardonnay in Ontario.

The result was the Temkin Paskus Chardonnay: born in 1991 from a 10-year old site on the Beamsville Bench in Niagara in the cooperative winery Thirteenth Street. It was this wine that earned her the description “iconoclast” from Gord Stimmel, the Toronto Star's wine critic.

The success of Temkin Paskus is legendary. Ranked beside international wines of distinction, this Chardonnay is one of the select few Ontario wines included in the prestigious LCBO Vintages “Classics” catalogue.

Looking for a new challenge, Deborah joined Closson Chase Vineyards. After two years spent analyzing what seemed like every square inch of Prince Edward County, she settled upon Hillier Township, the ideal location for her dream vineyard: 20 acres, south sloping at six degrees, good drainage, gravelly soil on a limestone base, and in from the shore line by three or four miles.

Deborah is using centuries-old European traditions to create the exceptional Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that the County is building its reputation on

more on Closson Chase Vineyards

San Francisco International wine Competition

Jackson Triggs was named International winery of the year. Honoring the winery with one of the worlds most prestigious awards. Over 1000 wineries entered from eighteen countries. The San Francisco International Wine Competition is the largest and most comprehensive wine competition in the United States

Mike Weir Estates

A small production winery operating in partnership with Creekside Estates winery
Net proceeds from the sales of the Mike Weir Estate Winery will go to assist Canadian children's charities through the Mike Weir Foundation

The Cn Tower

The CN Tower is the tallest free-standing structure on land in the world, at 553.33 metres (1,815.39 feet). It is located in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is considered the signature icon of the city (Geographic coordinates: 43°38'33.24?N, 79°23'13.7?W). The CN Tower attracts over two million visitors annually. Construction on the CN Tower started on February 6, 1973 by Canadian National Railway who wanted to build a large TV and radio communication platform to service the Greater Toronto Area and also to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry. Key project team members were NCK Engineering as structural engineer; John Andrews Architects; Webb, Zerafa, Menkes, Housden Architects; Foundation Building Construction and Canron (Eastern Structural Division). The project proceeded 24 hours a day, five days a week for 40 months with 1,537 workers involved in the project, finally opening to the public on June 26, 1976. The structure's microwave receivers for distant signals are housed at 338 metres, and the top of the transmission antenna is at the apex of the tower. The construction costs of approximately $300 million 2005 Canadian Dollars (approximately $260 million 2005 U.S. Dollars) were repaid in fifteen years. A metal staircase with 1,776 steps reaches the Sky Pod level (447m/1465ft/147 stories) and is the tallest metal staircase on earth. These stairs are intended for emergency use and are not open to the public, except for twice a year for charity stairclimb events: around Earth Day in the spring by the World Wildlife Fund; and in the fall by the United Way's Toronto chapter. The average climber takes approximately 30 minutes to climb to the base of the radome (the white ring around the bottom of the main pod), but the fastest climb on record is 7 minutes 52 seconds

360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower, one of Toronto's finest, features unforgettable food combined with a magnificent revolving view of Toronto more than 350 metres (1,150 ft) below.  360 offers market-fresh cuisine, featuring regional ingredients to ensure an incomparable culinary experience.  360 also features an award-wining wine selection of over 550 international and Canadian wines from its "cellar in the sky".  360 is the recipient of several awards and wonderful place to celebrate any special occasion.

You can also choose from over 400 varieties of wine.

Grape King

David Johnson the owner, winemaker and farmer of grapes at Featherstone Estate Winery and Vineyard was crowned 2003 Grape King

Vincor International