Jutting into Lake Ontario is a wine-producing region you’ve probably never heard of, unless you’re Canadian. You’re not to blame, though. Chances are Prince Edward County wine isn’t sold in too many American wine stores.
No doubt you do know and even purchase wine, especially ice wine, from Ontario’s larger and more well-known Niagara region. Perhaps you even go to the Niagara, Ontario wine region when you visit Niagara Falls or as a stopover on your road trip to Toronto.
Prince Edward County is most accessible to Americans by traveling the other way around the lake, across the stunning Thousand Islands Bridge to Canada and then west on the 401. About an hour past Kingston, a city of approximately 100,000 worth a visit on its own merits, you’ll come to the quaint, quick and free Glenora Ferry across the Bay of Quinte.
Your adventure in Prince Edward County is about to begin.
Here, you’ll find more than 35 wineries as well as distilleries, cideries, restaurants, beaches and some one-of-a-kind sights that may leave you a little quizzical but just as likely amused or amazed. I’ll get to those in a moment.
The grapes grown in Prince Edward County’s northerly latitude tend to be those typically found in the cool-weather wine-producing regions of France and Germany – whites such as Chardonnay and Riesling, and Burgundian reds such as Pinot Noir and Gamay. Cold-hardy hybrids – Vidal Blanc and Baco Noir – also are staples here. We visited one winery where the couple is bottling a crisp and surprisingly aromatic Viognier.
Grape growers here bury their vine roots over the winter to protect them from the punishing cold. In 2015, we were told, the region experienced a frost just after bud break in May. Vintners lost up to two-thirds of their crop. They and we, the consumers, will start to see the adverse effects of this late frost in 2016.
So, for the adventurous among you who want to visit this little-known wine region, here are places to see:
- Birdhouse City – More than 100 birdhouses, most of them reproductions of historic buildings
- By Chadsey’s Cairns – Hand-crafted Chardonnay and Riesling, and dry rosés
- County Cider Company – 12 varieties of heirloom and cider apples; spectacular views
- Lake on the Mountain – A natural wonder and mystery, the lake is more than 200 feet above the Bay of Quinte
- Sugarbush Winery – Small, family-owned winery; Viognier produced here
- The Painted Peppercorn – Creative, homemade meals, including vegetarian; desserts from scratch
Cheers and maple-leaf emoticons all-around!