This virtual exhibit
chronicles the history of
grape farming and wineries on
Pelee Island from the mid-
1800s to the present day.
With the successful migration
of the Catawaba grapes from
the Southern United States to
the Lake Erie Islands, Pelee
Island was poised to become a

wine making settlement. The
unique climate, soil
conditions, cheaper real
estate and haven for Civil
War ex-patriots made Pelee
Island ripe for settlement.
With the planting of grapes
at Vin Villa in 1886, it
would become the first estate
winery, and would lead

viticulture and wine making
into becoming the major
agricultural element that
brought about the birth of a
Community. This project
highlights the Pioneering
families that made Pelee
Island home and the
establishment of their
vineyards on the Island.

   It is this establishment
that brought about the
transformation of the Island
into a place that blossomed
into a community and became a
successful wine growing
region. Despite the hardships
and challenges of Island
life, the pioneering families
endured and overcame