October, 2020
With international travel still questionable for most of us, I suggest traveling and exploring your own local gems discovering things you never imagined existed in your own backyards. A perfect staycation in Ontario is Prince Edward County (PEC), just 2 hours east from Toronto. For where to stay, what to do and where to dine, check out my entire guide to PEC here. This blog is dedicated on where to taste and why! Now every blog you will read will have a difference of opinion on which wineries to try and with over 40+ wineries you will likely need more than one trip to truly enjoy the vineyards. I know we will be back again to sip and sample new ones. We did come home with a few bottles of our favourites, but honestly, I do find some of the bottles of wine pricey for the quality. Just being honest as I have certainly refined my palate for finer wines over the years.
Off the beaten path you will stumble upon a little vineyard that is quaint and unassuming – welcome to Lighthall Vineyards. A more rustic wine experience with a stand-alone barn/garage on a small family farm, but the quality of their wine matches those more popular wineries in the County. They are one of the first wineries in Canada to also make cheese supporting many local farms. Their fresh sheep cheese is crafted to pair perfectly with the wine of the season. You can enjoy a tasting of world class wine and cheese in your own backyard for $5 a person. During our visit, they were sold out of red wine, which means they had a supportive summer from the locals and tourists visiting the County. Our first tasting was the 2016 Lighthall Culmination, a sparkling wine combined with their creamy well-loved Brie. The cream of the cheese paired perfectly with the velvety shortbread, salted lemon and macadamia nut profiles in the wine. Next was the 2019 Pinot Gris matching with the Gouda – this mouthful of honey pear and cantaloupe is light with a gentle hint of nutmeg harmonizing with the caramel buttery texture of the Gouda. The next tasting was the 2017 Lighthall Chardonnay with an aged cheddar, which is surprisingly a good pairing bringing out the mellowness in the cheese against the fruitiness of the wine. Our final pairing was an Orange wine which is the latest trend – it’s a white wine made like red wine – using the skin of the grapes. Although the pressed manchego would typically be paired with a red wine, the quince-like flavours of the Orange wine paired brilliantly with this sheep cheese. Truly, wine and cheese are ageless companions and you will have the most unique experience at this family vineyard. Enjoy.
Continuing on the South Shore loop, stop in at Long Dog Winery. If large, busy and fancier wineries are your thing then I would suggest another blog as mine mainly highlights smaller, family-owned and farmed wineries with some bigger ones sprinkled in. As this one is out of the way and not in the main buzz of Hillier in PEC, it will pair nicely when combined with Lighthall. Enjoy a nice stroll along a tree line path bringing you to a barn winery where dog paraphernalia awaits you along with some tasty Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. We sampled a few starting with the Sparkling Gamay using local county fruits. We preferred the Pinot Noir compared to the Chardonnay and I feel like the more time the Pinots have to age the better they will become. We departed with a couple of bottles including the Sparkling Gamay for Thanksgiving Dinner and the Free Run Otto as it truly was the ‘top dog’ of wines here. Not a large tasting room, but they do offer an outside deck overlooking the vineyards where you can enjoy a glass of your favourite vino.
You can continue exploring the South Shore making your way to the Waupoos Region. Along the way, explore the Black River Cheese Factory, where you can sample some fine quality cheese to pair later with your favourite wines from your tastings and tours. They offer a pairing tool to help you discover which wine and foods make the perfect complement to your preferred cheese.
Make your way to Waupoos Estate Winery, which is the first winery in the County and the only waterfront vineyard offering a stunning 100 acres of vines and panoramic lake views. They also have a great farm to table restaurant and if the timing works, it can be the perfect destination for lunch with a tasting prior to or after or not at all. The beauty is truly at the back of the restaurant and not where the tastings take place. Make your way back there to find incredible lake and vineyard views. Overall, we enjoyed the view, scenery and lunch here more than the selection of wines.
Along Closson Road you will find a plethora of wineries. My absolute favourite was The Old Third. This place stole the show for me of all the wineries in the area. I recommend visiting this place on the weekend when they offer a home-made, cooked onsite, lunch to pair with their wines. It is the perfect spot and since you cannot make a reservation I recommend getting there for noon as once they run out of food, lunch is over. There is three-tiered seating in this barn with the best views on the third floor overlooking the kitchen. Every weekend they will support local markets picking up the freshest ingredients to make incredible lunch selections for you to choose from with what is in season. I absolutely love when small businesses support other businesses and create masterpieces from them. Again, the fall timing of this trip led to the most marvellous options for us and my heart is forever with farm to table dining. Pairing deliciously with their Riesling was the Burrata Salad to start and the Lemon Ricotta Ravioli for D and the Butternut Squash Ravioli for me. We sampled each other’s truly delighting in the zesty flavor of the lemon, but also the savory fall flavours of the Butternut Squash encompassed with sage and brown sugar. I was content to stay here all day. In traditional, Italian fashion we opted for another course and then shared the Butternut Squash soup, Tagliatelle Bolognese and the Tiramisu. All items including the hand rolled and crafted pasta are created onsite while you watch from above where the magic of culinary delights come together. Oh yes, the Riesling was a lovely wine, but the food….oh the food!
Especially on a weekend, the wineries along Closson road will be busy. Be sure to watch out for those cycling between wineries on bikes! For our second stop, we picked Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards which was extremely busy, but they offer a large property with outdoor seating and wine barrels for standing. I think I was enchanted by the tree line lane calling my name to explore. Driving into this winery felt like entering an enchanted forest. We actually visited this winery on the 10th anniversary of my sister’s death on October 3, 2020 and to my surprise their logo is a dove, which is my sign from her that everything is and will always be taken care of. I didn’t know that in advance and it brought me some peace that day like she was sipping some vino right along with us. This winery pivoted with the COVID situation and was offering a picnic box of wines with detailed wine descriptions and a wine glass you could take home as a souvenir. After purchasing our tasting kit, we made our way outside to find a spot using a wine barrel as a table overlooking the vineyard. For $20, you get to sample four wines including a Chardonnay, a Riesling, a Pinot Noir and a Spiced White. The common theme I found for most wines in this area is the distinctive mineral rock taste. I think given the limestone-laden soils in these regions provide that distinct terroir to these local wines. I was most excited about the Spiced White, which is infused with cinnamon and tasting notes of clove and ginger – it was like Christmas in a glass. If you aren’t a wine fan, they offer a mobile cocktail truck serving up a variety of hand-shaken and mixed cocktails to enjoy along with a sausage truck for food. As they say, a great force of nature begins with a whisper, so listen well and the winery encourages others to listen to the calls that stir in their hearts working toward something greater. There was something magical about this place where I suddenly felt that summer collapsed into fall.
Our final winery this day was Karlo Estate Winery, it was last on our list as they have live entertainment outside from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s a vegan winery and the offer a selection of shareable items including a shareable ‘cheese plate’, aka cashew cheese, faux gras and a mug of facon to name a few. We didn’t try any food and we skipped a tasting and each ordered a glass of wine to appreciate instead. I had a glass of the Patio Reserve Rose and D, a glass of the Estate Malbec. Malbecs aren’t typical for this region, so it was a nice surprise for him. Sit back and relax and sip away enjoying some live music from Chris Bonham-Carter, which you can check out on my Instagram Reels here. A unique little winery with a great tasting room with impeccable service.
To our disappointment, on Monday most wineries are closed. Completely my mistake for not checking in advance. I had desperately wanted to check out Terra Cello Winery, but it is closed Monday. It has been added to my list for next time for sure. A little Italian winery in heart of PEC offering some of the best wine and pizza that Ontario has to offer! They also offer a La Toscana Farmhouse rental which I may explore for another stay.
Some of the more popular wineries were open that day so we added two to our itinerary before driving back to London. First up was Huff Estates, which is a fairly large establishment. We spent the first part touring the free outdoor sculpture garden where we meandered our way through a 4-acre garden along the edge of the vineyard discovering dynamic art sculptures. As they are known for wood-oven pizza as well, we settled in at a table on the patio overlooking the vineyard waiting for our pizzas to arrive. I enjoyed a glass of delightful bubbles with the Cuvee Janine with a darker cherry hue with aromas of strawberry, pomegranate and cranberry offering a vibrant flavor pairing refreshingly with the Margherita pizza. D enjoyed the Old Vine Cabernet Franc, a deep dark ruby color with black fruits of plum, cherry and black current on the palate with a lingering jam finish rounding off the Carnivore pizza. Although, a great pizza, our favourite pizza from the entire weekend was at 555 Brewing where you can find my review here. But this is a close second.
We decided to finish off exploring Closson Chase Vineyards, famously known for its purple barn. We had wanted to check it out on the weekend, however, it was packed which is always good for business, but not ideal for us. It was idyllic for an early Monday afternoon with just a couple other people. There is a beautiful outdoor garden with bistro tables and chairs and patio furniture where you can sit among the flowers viewing the vineyard sipping your flight of wine or glass of choice. The gardens were still immaculate in October so I can only imagine what they are like in the prime summer months. I opted for a flight tasting with two whites; the Pinot Gris and the 2018 Vineyard Chardonnay and one red; the 2018 Churchside Pinot Noir. D prefers a full glass over a flight tasting, so he indulged in the 2018 Churchside Pinot Noir. Although he is not a huge fan of Pinot Noirs, he decided to purchase a bottle of the Churchside, which we plan on enjoying with a home-made charcuterie board some of the cheese from Black River one evening soon. This venue is a combination of rustic, yet country chic.
Of course, PEC is also known for its craft brewery and an upcoming Cider scene. You can find lots of brewery and cider options, if wine is not your favourite. The joy of travel is getting lost along the way and finding unique places that capture your heart and soul creating memories to last a lifetime. Enjoy exploring the County.