This past Saturday we spent a gorgeously sunny day in Niagara’s Twenty Valley wine region with old friends and new. Last year we did a girls trip for Get Fresh in The Valley but this year the boys came along as did Little Monkey and Baby Boy. With 22 wineries to choose from it was hard narrowing down our list for the day but I looked at the food and wine pairings and chose a mix of wineries on the East and West side of the area.
Our morning started off at 9:30 a.m. with Olympic limo picking us up. We ensured our limo was loaded with snacks, water and plenty of happy faces ready for a day of wine exploration and education. I was a bit weary of a grump Baby Boy so we brought his car seat along so he could take his naps (that never happened!). Limos are considered public transit vehicles and so legally car seats are not required and pretty much impossible to securely install. However it kept him trapped secure and Little Monkey was happy and secure with the regular seat belt at the back of the limo. Our first wine tour with the two tots was a pleasant experience and so yes, we plan to do it again! Sure we had a couple meltdowns but nothing major and they both enjoyed running through the green pastures at the wineries and not one person batted an eye when they saw us roll in with the kids. The only nap Baby Boy took was a quick twenty minute catnap as I had him in the Bjorn for a bit. For the most part both kids were happy to hang out with our friends and the hubs took care of them more than I did. Luckily for us Baby Boy didn’t have a poopy diaper and so like the bad parents we are, we let him stay the whole day in a soggy diaper until we got home at 9:30 p.m.
Given the nice weather most wineries were busy and so we only managed to hit 14 of the 15 we had originally planned for. Most were fab and a couple were misses but they’re all worth exploring because they each have something unique on offer. The challenge in squeezing in so many wineries into the span of 6 hours ( wineries opened at 11 a.m. and the passport program ended at 5 p.m.) is that we didn’t get the chance to taste and sample other wines on offer at the tasting bar. I hope to explore this area a bit more this spring, so we’ll definitely be back.
So where did we end up and what did I think of each of the offerings? Why, I’m glad you asked!
Rosewood Estates Winery featured their 2014 Trios Femme Rosé (inspired by the three female beekeepers) paired with a savoury Watermelon Salad and they also gave us some Honey Bread. They even gave Baby Boy an extra salad so he could munch away on the watermelon he loved. Their refreshing and not overly sweet Rosé was a lovely start to our day.
Angels Gate Winery is one of my favourites in the area because they have a lovely setting. They offered us a choice between the 2011 Mountainview Semillon and the 2013 Gamay Noir to pair with their Seafood Lasagna. Loved that there were chunks of lobster in our lasagna and that it was served warm. We enjoyed this on their patio and took a wee bit longer here than we probably should have. A couple bottles of the red and white joined us back in the limo!
Mike Weir Winery offered us a crisp 2011 Dry Riesling with a Double Smoked Bacon, Asparagus & Spring Pea Salad which had a Basil Lemon Crème Fraiche. We enjoyed this with a view of their vineyards. This was the one recipe card I picked up because it featured my favourite, Israeli Couscous! I’d like to head back here and learn more about their wines, that’s for sure.
Vineland Estates Winery is renowned for their restaurant so it’s no surprise that their 2012 Chardonnay Musque paired extrenmely well with the Smoked Whitefish Taco which had Pico de Gallo, Pickled Cucumbers & Crème Fraiche. The tasting took place in the restaurant and they offered us a bonus sampling and cheese tasting back at their boutique. Yes….more wines joined us in the limo!
Tawse Winery was a bit busy so we got a tour of their cellars before we sampled the 2013 Unoaked Chardonnay and chowed down on the Homemade Corn Dogs with Celeriac & Apple Remoulade. The corn dog was delicious but it took them quite a while to make these so give yourself plenty of time here. If you aren’t a fan of the buttery Chards their unoaked version with fresh citrus notes will be sure to please your palate.
GreenLane Estate Winery‘s pairing of a 2013 Rosé with BBQ Chicken Pizza was disappointing because the pizza slice I got was fully burnt and it didn’t have any chicken. I sampled a piece from the hubs and while his wasn’t burnt it was a pretty boring pairing. They do have a lovely patio to soak in the rays though!
Kacaba Vineyards and Winery offered us a choice between the 2014 Rebecca Rosé and a 2011 Pinot Noir. The Pan seared Crostini topped with Fresh Arugula & Almond Pesto, pickled red onions & Pingue’s Capicollo was absolutely delicious. It’s one I would happily serve at one of our wine clubs! The Pinot had notes of pomegrante and a bit of tobacco as well, which made this an addition to our cellar.
Stoney Ridge Estate Winery has a cheese shop attached to them! Brilliant! The 2010 Merlot was served with a very healthy and refreshing Roasted Heirloom Beets in House Ver Jus with Shaved Lindsay Goats Milk Cheddar. These guys are two for two after the pairing from last year. I regret not stocking up on a few bottles here.
Calamus Estate Winery was sadly another disappointing one for me. The 2012 Cosmic White was okay but the Spanish Paella with Chicken & Chorizo Sausage whilst spicy had more of a South Asian than Spanish flavour.
Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery has always been a favourite of mine ever since I met the mother-daughter duo at last year’s Get Fresh. Over the last year I’ve chatted with the lovely Sue-Ann and I was thrilled when both of them were there during our tasting of the 2013 Baco Noir served with a Bacon Salad (come on!! Who doesn’t enjoy a bacon salad!). The kids loved running around here and of course the winery dog got a lot of love from our group.
Rockway Vineyards wins hands down because they served us their 2013 Vidal Icewine with a Peach Cream Tart. The tart was more like a custard tart but as always it’s a perfect pairing.
Hernder Estate Wines had run out of food by the time we got there at 4 p.m. so we sampled the 2010 Hernder Estates Riesling Reserve and a few of their novelty flavoured wines.
13th Street Winery was clearing up when we got there at 4:40 p.m. but luckily they agreed to serve us. Both the White and Red Palette wines were good as was the Cuban Black Bean Soup with Cilantro & Sour Cream Drizzle.
We got to Harbour Estates at 5:15 as we had called them and they had told us to come by before 5:10. We got a bit lost so of course they did not serve us, which was fair.
Cave Spring Cellars was fantastic as they had saved the pairings for us despite arriving there at 5:20. Their refreshing 2013 Sauvignon Blanc was well paired with a Goat Cheese Stuffed Cachucha Pepper. Another one that I’ll be taking to wine club!
We were hoping to end our day at a winery where we could just lie on the grass and soak in some rays but sadly our last stop was in the middle of the town and their patio was busy with a wedding party. The friendly guys at Cave Springs guided us across the road to the VERY newly opened (the night before!) UnWined Bean & Bistro where we enjoyed the sunny evening over a couple bottles of wines. It was the perfect way to end our day and the owner is a journalist from St. John’s Newfoundland who is now a proud restauranter! We wish her the best and hope to swing by for a meal there the next time we’re in town.
Get Fresh in the Valley happens every Saturday and Sunday in April and you can still buy tickets for this weekend’s final run for 2015! It’s a great way to enjoy the spring weather that keeps welcoming us on weekends and the disappearing through the week! Ontario has a couple different wine regions and Twenty Valley is worth visiting for their well landscaped wineries with friendly winemakers and very reasonably priced wines for your cellar.
