Wine-making gypsy introduces family vintage
After studying communications and music at Concordia, Thomas Bachelder, BA 81, worked in corporate relations with captains of industry. Over time, his muse veered towards the Roman god of wine, Bacchus.
“It began as a hobby, 20 years ago, when I bottled wines in my basement and I began writing about them as a journalist,” recalls the Quebec native, via phone, en route to a winemaker’s dinner in picturesque Burlington, Ont.
After studying winemaking abroad, Bachelder poured himself into the business with his wife and partner, Mary Delaney. They recently introduced three 2009 Chardonnays made in Niagara, Ont., the U.S. state of Oregon as well as Bourgogne, France.
“We never meant to become wine gypsies,” says Bachelder, whose family now calls Niagara home. “We have been blessed to live and work in three of the most beautiful cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir viticultural regions in the world.”
The family’s boutique wines — made under the concept of one vintage, one family and three different regions — are commercialized under the Bachelder name.
Available in Quebec and Ontario, the Chardonnays are being introduced in wine stores across western Canada and the United Kingdom. They retail for just under $35. The Bachelder family’s inaugural Pinot Noirs arrive in stores in 2013.
“Winemaking is a lot like higher education,” Bachelder says. “You have to invest considerable time to provide body to the final product.”
He credits his Concordia education for providing the base for his winemaking career: “Every little bit of your life leads you to the next chapter. Because we run a small family business, my experience in corporate communications helped in marketing our product.”
Bachelder is proud of his vintages and how they are representative of their regions. “The wines we drink should remind us of where they’re from,” he says. “Few people know that Niagara, like Bourgogne, has a limestone base and that the vines of Oregon grow over sandstone. Yet those foundations are what provide our wines with their distinctive palates.”
Related links
• Thomas Bachelder profile in Cellier magazine
• Thomas Bachelder website
• Concordia Department of Communication Studies