After selling Château des Charmes winery, Niagara-on-the-Lake winemaker Paul-André Bosc is turning his attention to his family’s vineyard — and the people who keep it running.
Across York Road from the winery, Bosc has built two new structures on the Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard: a multipurpose barn and a residence with space for up to 16 migrant agricultural workers, including the six who tend his vines.
“The quality of the building itself, this is not like brick veneer,” Bosc said. “This was laid by masons, brick by brick by brick.”
Construction began last August and is still being finished. Bosc hired T.R. Hinan Contractors, a family business from Fonthill, to build the structures from the ground up.
“I got an affinity for family businesses,” said Bosc, whose father, Paul Bosc Sr., founded Château des Charmes and helped establish Niagara’s modern wine industry — a legacy explored in the new book “The Winemaker’s Gamble” by NOTL author Jill Troyer, which Bosc Jr. helped oversee.
When Bosc sold Château des Charmes, one of the conditions was a 10-year grape-purchase agreement with the winery.
Under the agreement, all grapes from the Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard must be sold to the winery, though Bosc keeps a small amount each year for his brother’s homemade wine.
This is the second year of the deal, leaving eight years remaining.
One acre of vineyard was removed to make room for the new buildings, which sit so far back from the road that running services such as hydro and septic posed a challenge — something that added cost but, in Bosc’s view, was worth doing properly.
Built with steel beams and designed to last “150, 200 years,” the residence spans two floors and a basement, with four bedrooms, a large open-concept kitchen and shared washrooms on each floor.
“It’s got that university dorm kind of feel,” he said.
The upper floor — identical to the main level but not yet occupied — will eventually be rented to another farmer needing housing for six to eight workers. Bosc said he plans to lease it as a full unit, not by the room, and has not yet decided on a farmer or price.
Each worker has a deep personal closet and views of the farm and escarpment. The shared kitchen includes two stoves, two fridges, a microwave and a dishwasher. Each floor has its own air-conditioning unit.
The basement includes a laundry and wash-up area so workers can clean up before going upstairs.
“During the day, if somebody needs to go to the washroom, quite frankly, you don’t have to go in the field,” Bosc said. “The house is right there.”
Daniel Regalado, who has worked on the farm for 13 years, said it’s nice to have a proper place to wash up before entering the residence. He described the new residence as “very new and very nice,” and said that every season Bosc provides “good conditions.”
“We are very happy with him,” Regalado added.
Bosc said comfort and routine are key to keeping his six-day-a-week team strong. He encourages them to relax and socialize on the property and said guests are welcome to stay overnight if anyone has been drinking.
Beside the residence, the workers maintain a garden planted with fruits and vegetables. Bosc said the produce belongs to them, a deal he made when they arrived in the spring.
With the square footage, Bosc said, the space could fit four men per room, but he keeps it at a maximum of two in each. Bosc has six men living in the residence, although there’s room for two more, because he doesn’t want to disrupt the team dynamic.
“’Cause guys are a team, right?” he said.
Many of his workers have been with the family for decades.
“José Alberto is second generation,” Bosc said. “His dad, Augustine, still works, so I have a father-son team here. And Augustine’s been 22, 23 years.”
“It’s very important to maintain that consistency,” he said.
The property, purchased by his parents in 1982, still has vines from the early 1980s. “That whole block right in front here, that’s original block Chardonnay,” Bosc said.
“There are very, very few vineyards in the Niagara region that can brag about that — and what it’s showing is that my dad’s philosophy about sustainable agriculture paid off.”
José Alberto Rodriguez, who has worked on the farm for 10 years, said, “Everything here is really good.”
“We are a good team, working together like friends,” he added.
Regalado agreed. “Like family, you know?”
The six workers will head home in about a month but plan to return next year. Bosc, who now lives on a neighbouring property on Queenston Road, said he and his son plan to move back into his late parents’ home once it’s renovated.
“Once me and Alex (Bosc’s son) are living in the main house, then this is like a true way of life,” he said. “Not only does the farm owner live on the property, but all the workers live on the property.”
