By: Christina Jarvie, 2014 Loyalist College Public Relations graduate
While Prince Edward County is becoming well known for its wineries, few people are as interested in the science of wine as 2013 Biotechnology Technologist graduate Michelle Stewart. Michelle is one of the County’s young winemakers, bringing a fresh perspective to an old craft at Hillier Creek Estates winery.
Michelle oversees everything from growing grapes and aging finished wine to bottling the wine and helping to host weddings. She enjoys being involved in event planning and setup.
In her spare time, Michelle is working on completing a Bachelor of Science, Oenology & Viticulture at Brock University. “I found my niche in the chemical and microbiological analysis of food products, and if I’m not working, I’m studying or catching up with my fiancé,” she says. “I’m trying to host some wine-tasting parties to share my knowledge with friends and family so they can see what I do and can appreciate it a little more.”
For Michelle there is no such thing as a typical day. Mornings are reserved for tasting wines, comparing aromas and flavours to ensure their maturation is on track. “You can often find me, glass in hand, tasting all of the tanks and barrels of wine in the mornings,” Michelle laughs. “I regularly taste my wines to look for any issues that may be developing.” She spends the rest of her day overseeing various winemaking processes, chemical additions to keep the wine healthy, filtering, fixing wine faults, getting the wine ready to bottle, and designing labels.
Michelle didn’t always have vineyards in mind when she was planning her career. In 2005, Michelle graduated from Corporate and Commercial Security and began working as a bylaw officer for the County. She soon realized that it was not the career she was meant for, and in 2012 decided to take the two-year Biotechnology Technician Diploma program at Loyalist. She then went on to complete the third year for an Advanced Technologist Diploma.
Michelle has always been interested in biosciences but didn’t know she wanted to work in the wine industry. “I drank wine and I enjoyed it, but I never really gave a lot of thought to the process of creating wine and how it can be unique. The Biotechnology program at Loyalist helped facilitate my transition into winemaking. The toxicology, fermentation, chemistry, extraction and microbiology classes were all relevant to the wine industry.”
Michelle completed her program placement with Rowan Environmental Consulting Inc. in Picton, where she worked on wastewater treatment, air treatment and purification. She also completed a placement in the molecular biology department at Queen’s University.
She landed her current position as Winemaker at Hillier Creek Estates after meeting owners Kemp and Amber Stewart at a café in Wellington, where she was a server during the summer.
One of the aspects Michelle enjoys most about working at the winery is meeting the people who visit. She likes hearing people’s stories and experiences with wine, being involved in tours and teaching and answering questions.
“People are ecstatic about it,” says Michelle “They ask, ‘How is it made?’ You say, ‘Come on, I’ll show you,’ — and they think that’s great.”
“As a winemaker I want to continue to learn, experience new winemaking techniques and teach others about what wine means to me. I am innovative, experimental and eager to push the envelope at Hillier Creek Estates.
“I’d like to have a portfolio that I could put my name to,” she adds. “A couple of vintages under my belt, some wine competitions and maybe win some medals, which would be really nice. And bring more people to the County to experience our wines.”
2009 Estate Pinot Noir Reserve anyone? It’s currently Michelle’s favourite red!