A long History in Niagara
A word From Fraser Mowat
My family has been involved with agriculture in the Niagara Peninsula
for over 100 years. I am a fourth generation grower. My great
grandfather came from Scotland in 1913, along with my grandfather,
James Mowat, who was 13 years old at the time. They settled initially
in Grimsby, working for a local farmer and then eventually purchased
two peach farms on Lincoln Avenue in Beamsville. That is where my
father, William Mowat, grew up. He purchased a 17 acre peach farm
on Mountainview Road in Beamsville in 1952. I attended the
University of Guelph and graduated in 1980 with a B.Sc. in agriculture
specializing in horticulture. At that point in life I had married Darlene
and our first child Ken had arrived. We purchased our current 38 acre
property in partnership with my parents, who had sold their farm, and
we farmed peaches together for 20 years.
In 1997 we planted our first Merlot grapes near the back of the
property. In 1999, my parents retired, and we decided to plant the
whole property out in grapes. We pulled out 30 acres of peaches and
planted it out to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our first vintage of wine was in 1999.
The Mowat Family
100 Years of Agriculture
Fraser and Darlene along with their children Ken, Angela and
Cassie all have a hand in the day to day running of Harbour
Estates. While Fraser and Darlene oversee the day to day
operations, their children all do their part. Ken joined the winery in
2000 as the marketing manager, but his keen interest in wine
production led him to become our winemaker in 2002. He gained
his winemaking knowledge from Niagara College. His first wine
released, a Riesling, won double gold in the USA. Ken has gone on
to win countless national and international awards for his wines.
Cassie joined the winery, followed not long after by our other
daughter, Angela. Cassie manages the vineyards and the cellar
for Ken. Angela is the store manager and bookkeeper.
2019 HARBOUR ESTATES
WINERY
4362 JORDAN RD,
LINCOLN ONTARIO