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Why Norfolk County could be the next great wine-growing region

June 30, 2017, Simcoe, Ont. – Lydia Tomek, head winemaker at Burning Kiln Winery, isn’t one to hold back on her opinions. Not about wine. Not about agriculture. And not about the job her team of women do at Burning Kiln winery near Long Point, on the north shore of Lake Erie.

Winemaking is traditionally a male dominated profession. But Burning Kiln is heavily tilted toward the female side of the equation, with six of the most senior employees being women.

“I think women are better workers and are more creative and more flexible,” Tomek tells me on the sunny patio of her winery near the shores of Lake Erie, just up the hill from Turkey Point Beach. “Forget equal pay, we should be paid more.”

Tomek notes that the women of Burning Kiln (I’m thinking they need a hashtag, maybe #WOBKROCK or something) are different ages and are at different stages of their lives. She has a young child at home to worry about. READ MORE