women in wine: maggie granger
When you think women in wine and Prince Edward County, chances are the “Granger girls” come to mind — the mother-daughter team, Caroline and Maggie Granger, owners and winemakers behind Grange of Prince Edward. We always love catching up with Maggie — she is such a bright light and the passion she has for what she does shines off of her. Always the most gracious host, she walked us over to the newest releases and opened up the 2019 Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc before offering to take us down to the cellar.
From there we chatted about what it was like growing up on a winery, her first trip to France with her mom and how she sees the wine industry changing in a post-pandemic world.
HTB: You grew up on a vineyard — is there a moment you remember when you knew you wanted to pursue working in the wine industry yourself?
MG: By the time I was in university and pursuing a different path, I remember looking at my classmates that were so focused and set on goals of law school or med school or whatever it may be, and I just didn't have that push. Then I started in my first cultural studies class in my second year. All the students were writing about pop culture (film, theatre, music, literature) and I was completely dumbfounded. I almost literally grew up in a barn. So, I wrote about what I knew; wine. By looking at wine through a different lens, I saw how beautiful and dynamic it could be. It also helped to make friends with some wonderful industry folks from Montreal who showed me how vibrant and dynamic wine could be.
HTB: What was your first experience working in the wine industry and how did you end up a winemaker
MG: I started helping in the vineyard when I was 13. That was my summer job through high school. Then my summer job through university was working the tasting bar. I had always helped with harvest during the Thanksgiving break at school, but it wasn't until I was done my degree that I could really invest all of September, October and November in a real harvest experience.
The first wine that I felt like was truly mine was a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir that I made back in 2010. I got to bottle it in magnums and sell it just as quaffable fun juice. From there I started influencing more and more wine styles. Now I feel like all the wines are very collaborative.
“By looking at wine through a different lens, I saw how beautiful and dynamic it could be.”
HTB: What brought you to Prince Edward County?
MG: My mom. She wanted to move back to the family farm where she grew up because she felt the land calling her back. So with three small kids in tow, she packed up everything we could fit in the car and drove us down to the County. I think we all thought it was just a summer vacation trip until we never went back. The vineyard, winery and living in the County was all her inspiration.
HTB: What do you think makes Prince Edward County so unique in the world of wine?
MG: We're living on the edge of the wine world. The struggle of being in such an extreme climate for wine grapes forces us to work harder and be more creative. You can't grow grapes for bulk table wine here. It's just too expensive. So you have to grow with the intention of making artisan, unique wines. From there, I think it's the fact that we have no tradition and no wine culture to hold ourselves to that allows us to seek inspiration from many different places. The result makes each of us one-of-a-kind because we are not comparing ourselves to other PEC makers, we are comparing ourselves to all the makers of the world.
HTB: What is the most rewarding part about being a winemaker?
MG: It has to be when you get to the moment when you have a finished bottle. That bottle represents years and even decades of work. You only have one chance a year to try something new so each bottle represents a huge risk we take each vintage.
HTB: What is the most challenging part about being a winemaker?
MG: For me, grapes are easy. They need sun and (some) rain and they grow, we tweak things throughout the season and then we harvest basically the same way every year. It's the people that are always unique and an exciting, ever-changing, and yes, challenging part of my job.
With 60 acres of vineyards and 7,000 cases of wine produced each year, my mom and I can't do it alone. We have an amazing team working with us, but many of the jobs are hard and folks like to try them for a few weeks or months, but often move on after having had a 'rewarding' experience. That leaves us with the challenge of always finding and inspiring a new crew, whether that in the vineyard, the wine cellar or the summer team in the tasting room. You want your team to believe in your dream and you have to do that with your passion and dedication.
“You want your team to believe in your dream and you have to do that with your passion and dedication.”
HTB: Can you describe your winemaking style in three words or less?
MG: Unstructured, reactive and unimpeded.
HTB: Do you have any mentors you look up to in the wine industry, or otherwise?
MG: My mom has always been my mentor, she believed in this place and herself and wanted to make this region and our industry into something that Canadians can be proud of. One of the important lessons that she taught me was to think for myself. It was one of the reasons I never travelled and staged at other vineyards. I didn't want to be unduly influenced by other people's winemaking styles. I just wanted to find my own voice.
HTB: Why do you think women are underrepresented in wine? What do you think needs to change to make space for women to enter this industry?
MG: I know that's the case at large, but it's never been my experience. The Grange has always been full of wonderfully smart and imaginative women. Also, Prince Edward County has been a great place to grow up seeing tons of amazing women in the wine industry! Kudos to all of them this month. The one thing I've noticed is that the equipment is a bit too large and too heavy for me to lift and use on my own. But we've just created a team where we work together instead of working alone and with many hands, the work is made light.
HTB: Do you have any tips or advice for women looking to get into the industry?
MG: Create a place where the culture is the right fit. Cultural differences can make any industry difficult for anyone, for women or men, young or old. Find your people. Create that environment together. We all feel like we need to go at it alone, but we don't. There are so many wonderful people that will be likeminded to you. Find them. Support them, and together you can do anything.
