ottawa foodies

Hi foodies,

I'm interested in visiting some Prince Edward County wineries in a couple of weeks. I want to do tastings and tours if possible, but I can't seem to figure out on my own how to go about booking such things, or even if they need to be booked? Does one just drop in on the winery?

Help a fellow foodie out :)

Thinking of visiting:

Huff Estates
Sandbanks Winery
Waupoos Winery

any other suggestions?

definitely try Huff

am a fan of their wines

here is a link:

huffestates.ca

Huff is good but avoid Waupoos Estates, they plump up their grapes by over-watering them, resulting in very bland vintages. I bought a red from them (I think it was the St. Laurent) and it was almost as transparent as a rosee.

No, you don't have to reserve to visit any of the wineries. Most have regular hours and you can just drop by. The smaller ones will simply open their tasting room. I think Long Dog was the only one that required a call ahead when I was there last year, just to make sure somebody is around.

I highly recommend visiting Norman Hardie. Listed by Jancis Robinson as one of the top winemakers in Ontario, he's turning out beautiful Pinot Noirs and Melon de Bourgogne (the grape that Muscadet is made from). He has the simplest tasting area - just a bar in one corner of his winery - but he's generally available for a chat and will often take visitors for a taste from the barrel.

We're serving a lot of PEC wines at ZenKitchen and Norm's are by far the most popular and well received.

I also recommend Long Dog, Huff, the PEC Cider company, The Grange, and Sandbanks, among others.

Pam - As a PECounty regular let me offer the following:

As per the local Winery Association - The County Wines - they are currently listing 16 Wineries in the region (and many other places that are just growing grapes... Vineyards, which in turn sell to the local Wineries). The listed Wineries are:

* Bergeron Estate Winery (Adulphos Reach) - www.bergeronestatewinery.ca

* By Chadsey's Cairns Winery (Hillier) - www.bychadseyscairns.com

* Black Prince Winery (Hallowell) - www.blackprincewinery.com

* Casa-Dea Estates Winery (Hillier) - www.casadeaestates.com

* Closson Chase Vineyards (Hillier) - www.clossonchase.com

* County Cider Company (North Marysburgh) - www.countycider.com

* Half Moon Bay Winery (South Marysburgh) - www.halfmoonbayvineyardsandwinery.c

* Harwood Estate Vineyards (Hillier) www.harwoodestatevineyards.com

* Hillier Creek Estates (Hillier) - (613) 399-5114

* Huff Estates Winery (Hallowell) - www.huffestates.com

* Lacey Estates Vineyard & Winery (Hillier) - www.laceyestates.com

* Lift Haus Winery (Hillier) - (613) 399-3588

* Norman Hardie Winery (Hillier) - www.normanhardie.com

* Sandbanks Estates Winery (Hillier) - www.sandbankswinery.com

* Sugarbush Vineyards (Hallowell) - www.sugarbushvineyards.ca

* Waupoos Estates Winery (North Marysburgh) - www.waupooswinery.com

Strangely, Long Dog Winery (South Marysburgh) - www.longdog.ca doesn't appear on The County Wine's list.

You should be able to contact The County Wines www.thecountrywines and get a copy of their "2009 Wine Tour Map" mailed to you. Otherwise, if you are in Picton there is a Tourist Info Centre on main drag (run by the Chamber of Commerce) they will also have winery info.

Another great resource is the "Official Guide to the Wineries of Ontario" online at www.winesofontario.ca They have info on each winery as to Winery Hours, Tours, etc. (but they only list Wineries that are producing VQA wines - those that sell thru the LCBO). You might be able to pick up a hard copy of "The Guide" at the LCBO (more likely to happen in the winery region than here in town).

I have posted a lot of topics here on OF in the Forum about my trips to "The County" you can search to find them, in them you'll find comments about many of the wines we have sampled at County Wine Events (such as Spring's "Terroir" and Fall's "Taste!").

Food Film Director - I have been thinking about your comments in regards to Waupoos - I'm not sure this is "intentional"... I'm trying even to recall if they have an irrigation system (many wineries don't, as grapes have deep root systems, so they don't require frequent watering). Overwatering may simply be "Mother Nature" (trust me 2008 and 2009 here in Ontario probably won't provide for much in the way of good / stunning wine). On the other hand 2009 will see BC probably produce their best vintage ever.

Pam - Generally speaking, for tasting you just drop by during visiting hours. You should visit the website of each winery that you're interested in, and check out their hours. Then you can take a look at their locations on a map, and plan a rough itinerary. In a few cases, you may have to call or email ahead for an appointment (probably true for Long Dog on the list below).

I've visited a dozen of the County wineries, but not any that have opened in the last year or so. Here's my pick for the top half dozen:

Long Dog
Closson Chase
Rosehall Run
Norman Hardie
Huff
Sandbanks

Have fun!

I've never heard of "plumping up" grapes by overwatering them. The more likely explanation for poor quality wines is overcropping. A winery can go for quantity rather than quality by maximizing the yield of the vines, i.e., poor pruning practices (leaving too many buds on the vines) and insufficient thinning of the grape clusters after they form. This results in grapes that don't have the desired degree of ripeness at harvest time, so they produce wine that is lacking in colour, flavour, and body. Of course, a poor vintage makes matters even worse.

I do agree that the wines at Waupoos are usually nothing to write home about, but they have a nice little restaurant in the vineyard that makes a good spot for a lunch stop.

Thanks for pointing out those other variables; perhaps I was being a bit too presumptuous.

BDM - Good points on viticulture.

Pam - I second BDM's list as some of my favourites... but I wounldn't discount Waupoos entirely, they have a fantastic thing they are doing with ice wine (Ice Wine incorporated with Maple Syrup) called "Maple Ice"... worth a try.

On the backside of Quinte Isle I would say that Waupoos has a nice winery setting for lunch (although I am not sure if the patio is open daily in the summertime, or just weekends) and The County Cider Co a great spot for a more casual affair up on a hill with nice views and light eats www.countycider.com/lunch.html

Awesome, thanks all! Will be sure to report back :)

TIP - We usually travel with a 12 Volt AC / DC Cooler although cheaper alternatives (regular cooler / styrofoam cooler) would certainly be a possibility when it comes to getting home with the many palate pleasures that you've encountered on the "PE County Taste Trail".
It's a great way to discover great products and bring home "the winners".

Harwood for the St Laurent paired with pheasant sausage if nothing else...oh and the dessert wine.

Hillier Creek Estates has an AMAZING icewine!!! Their property is quite beautiful as well. Huff's first frost dessert wine is quite nice as well.

For the full experience - amazing wine, friendly staff, nice atmosphere - my picks are By Chadsey's Cairns, Hillier Creek, and Huff.

I was in the County over the Victoria Day long weekend and tried a few different places.

Keint-he Winery, which is new, had the best pinot noir I tried all day. It was an amazing wine. Pricing similar to Norman Hardie's ($40-45ish).

A good resource is the "Taste Trail" website: tastetrail.ca

Black River Cheese Company www.blackrivercheese.com
If memory serves me correctly Sundays are garlic cheese curd day and for me its a usual stop for iced cream.

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co.
www.fifthtown.ca
They also offer Wine & Cheese Tastings, see the site for more details: www.fifthtown.ca

County Cider
www.countycider.com
The view is nice, they have sampling opportunities and food is available for lunch.

You should really go to Casa Dea Estates. Went there last weekend for their Gran Opening and had a great time. They just released their 2009 Chardonnay and it was fantastic. The winemaker there is also doing a fantastic job with Pinot Gris and a Cabernet Franc Rose both from 2009.

I can't wait to see what other great wines are in store for the future at this winery.

I will be visiting again when I am there in a couple of weeks.

I'll probably be down again later in the year, but I just visited a friend who is part-owner of Lacey Estates where I picked up a half-dozen bottles (3 Baco Noir, 3 Pinot Noir). Not the greatest bottles of wine, I'm sad to say, but drinkable. I'll be putting them out of their misery soon. Actually, they might last until summer when I can make sangria with them.

The only other stop I made was at the Waupoos cidery which was a good choice. I love cider and their peach-infused cider is pretty good. We're saving the bottle of Ice Cider for Christmas dinner.

I'm also going to forward my suggestion that if you go that far, you have to stop in at the Black River Cheese shop. However, you can get most of their product at Nicastro's on Bank St. now. The 6-year-old cheddar is a perfect pairing with a nice, tart apple pie. As my old man used to say before he left this shitty world, "Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze."

I would have to disagree with Rizak regarding Lacey Estates 2008 baco and their 2008 Pinot Noir. They are well known for producing an excellent baco and the 2008 won a bronze medal and received critial acclaim from David Lawrason and Michael pinkus regarding there Baco. Also there 2008 Pinot Noir sold out with high compliments.

Lacey Estates is one of my favorite on the list of wineries to visit when in Prince Edward County.

Regards

Vinelady

I must be the only person who HATES apple pie with any kind of cheese!

Apple pie with whip cream and ice cream! Yum!!