Rural Reckoning: Marble Mountain strives to rise again
Marble Mountain has shrunk from thousands to dozens, but there's still life in the village
At the turn of the century, Marble Mountain in Cape Breton was home to almost 2,000 people. Today it is a small of village of a few dozen.
Still, the place is known to wine lovers all over the country. The Eileanan Breagha Organic Vineyard over looks The Bras D'or Lake.
The temperature on this side of the mountain is typically seven or eight degrees higher than other parts of the district, which makes it ideal for this type of operation.
The prevailing northerly winds carry a salt spray that lightly coats the ripening grapes and keeps the pests off the leaves, thus eliminating the need for pesticides.
People in the community hope this vineyard will yield new opportunities.
Ken MacLellan runs the vineyard. He's from Cape Breton and works the land so he can live on it. He also commutes to a job in Alberta to work as an engineer about half the year.
