A New View
In this case, the name really does say it all. One of the main draws of Viewpointe Winery in Harrow, Ontario, is the patio. Located on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie’s north shore, the winery offers an unencumbered view of landscaped lawns and clear, blue water.
It’s a peaceful place — both for guests and for the winery’s owners.
Viewpointe is owned by John Fancsy, an electrical engineer who got tired of growing his business and decided he’d rather grow grapes, and his brother Stephen. When Fancsy turned 40, he began wrestling with the idea of what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. His chief goal: a job that would allow him to stay at home more — but still make money.
“I didn’t want to do something where I’d have to wait 10 years to see any kind of return,” he says. “My father had a farm, with apple orchards and vegetable patches, and I always thought of it as somewhere to go and relax and get away from the industrial life. Plus, I love wine.”
So, in 2001, the self-proclaimed “closet farmer” — he had a vegetable garden in his backyard — became a real farmer and bought 26 acres of lakefront property that already had about 10 acres of vines. The company showed a modest return within a few years, and today Fancsy owns 150 acres of land on three properties with a total of about 60 acres of grapes.
The main property, on County Road 50 East, is where you’ll find the patio and winery, a sprawling mansion inspired by the Mettawas, a luxury hotel, dance hall and casino built in nearby Kingsville in 1890 by Hiram Walker, the founder of Canadian Club. Though that facility burned to the ground a decade after it was constructed, it became part of local legend.
“The Mettawas was a destination for presidents and wealthy Clevelanders who wanted to vacation on the lake,” Fancsy says. Viewpointe, he thought, could draw on that rich history.
The main building contains a spacious retail area, which features walls of picture windows with great views of Lake Erie. The centerpiece of the room is the 40-foot, U-shaped white-oak-and-granite tasting bar that’s just the right height to lean a hip against while sampling the Balance Pointe Cabernet Merlot, with its deep chocolate and cherry notes, or the Auxerrois, a fruity white wine with a crisp finish.
Fancsy, a self-taught winemaker, says with a laugh that he learned his craft through necessity. “Anyone can make wine, but the real art of winemaking is in blending the grapes correctly,” he says. “It’s pretty hard work, but you just roll up your sleeves and get it done.”
Outside, the 12,000-square-foot patio comfortably seats 100 patrons; lunch is served until 2 p.m., but patrons are free to linger with their wine into the afternoon. On Thursdays and Fridays in the summer, the winery is open till 8 p.m. On warm summer days, the canvas top keeps diners cool while they eat, sip, chat and enjoy the landscaped lawns and placid shoreline.
The simple menu — salads, sandwiches, tapas, appetizers and a few entrées thrown in for good measure — features many dishes made with locally grown ingredients. Even the walleye and perch in the fish sandwiches arrive via neighborhood fisheries.
“We’re located in the greenhouse breadbasket area,” says Fancsy. “We buy a lot of the produce at roadside stands. So lots of times, our seasonal menu depends on what’s on the roadsides.”
For sure, running a bustling winery is hard work. But when things get too hectic, Fancsy remembers the office where he used to work. These days, he looks up to a view of the lake.
And that is exactly the point.