A Week In The County
Two old favourites and two new winery experiences
Sometimes we need a little reset, not quite a vacation, but some time away from home. Last week, I got the opportunity to stay at my sister’s house in Prince Edward County (aka, The County) about a 2-hour drive east of Toronto. My host for the (almost) week was the lovely Natasha. She eluded me for the first day, but eventually made her appearance once she knew that Chilly and I were friends, not foes.
Combing through my past posts and podcast episodes, I realized that I’d never really dedicated an entire post to wine tasting in The County. While this trip wasn’t meant to be wine-focused, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try a couple of new places, as well as some old favourites. It’s worth noting that while the County consists of several small towns (Picton being the largest, then Wellington, then Bloomfield) a lot of the wineries, restaurants, and other shops primarily cater to tourists, so opening days/hours reflect that. I was there from Sunday to Thursday and many places are closed except on weekends. Most places have “summer hours” from May through to October, so those are the best months to go. That said, summer weekends can be very busy, so plan accordingly.
Three Dog Winery
I arrived in the early afternoon on a Sunday, so lots of places were open. I decided to start on the far side of the County, off Hwy 62 south of Belleville, at Three Dog Winery, then work my way back east toward Wellington. I planned a lot of my visits based on which places were dog friendly, since I had Chilly with me, and luckily the weather cooperated for outdoor seating. They had live music and pizza on offer, so I ordered a cheese and basil pizza to go along with the wines I tasted.
Début Sparkling, 2024 Ontario VQA, 12.5% ABV, Brut, $28
This was the perfect way to start the tasting with a light, refreshing, and fruity sparkling wine. Made from Riesling and (I’m guessing, based on the freshness, because I couldn’t find any info) in the Charmat/tank method. Very pale lemon in colour, with aromas of lemon/lime, yellow apple, with fine bubbles and a bit of lemon pith on the back end.
Foxcroft Riesling, 2023 VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Ontario, 12% ABV, Dry
Foxcroft is a legendary vineyard in Niagara (Twenty Mile Bench) that supplies many wineries, each with their own take on how to express the grape. This one was pale lemon in colour, with notes of lemon curd, lime, and a touch of petrol that you often get with Riesling. It had a nice long finish.
Estate Cabernet Franc, 2023 VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario, 11% ABV, Dry
Pale-to-medium ruby in colour with aromas of raspberries, cherries, strawberries, and smoke. High acid with medium intensity, tannins, and body. This was my favourite of the wines I tasted.
Big Red, 2023 VQA Ontario, 13% ABV, Dry
A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot. Pale-to-medium ruby in colour with a hint of dill on the nose along with lots of dark fruit, somewhat tart.
If I’d had more time, was with a group, and wasn’t driving, this is a place I could easily spend an entire afternoon. It was a great spot with wonderful and helpful staff.
The Old Third
This was a very quick stop since it was on my way and I’d wanted to go to The Old Third for a while, but I didn’t take any photos and only tasted one wine since that’s all they were pouring that day. They have a beautiful old barn and have a pasta bar at certain times of the day. I’ll have to come back when I haven’t just eaten. I tasted their 2021 Pinot Noir, which was a lovely and typical expression of County Pinot. Medium ruby in colour, dry, with bright acidity and full of red fruit (mostly cherries.)
Quick aside: Closson Road, which runs east-west through the County from Hwy 33 (Loyalist Parkway) in Hillier all the way to County Rd. 2 in the east, has an abundance of wineries and cideries along it’s 8-kilometer span, so if you’re looking for the greatest concentration of places to visit, that’s the road you should be on. It’s well-paved and great for cycling, too.
For a full list of wineries, check out Wines of Ontario: Prince Edward County.
Karlo Estates
As mentioned, many places aren’t open on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but lucky for me, Karlo Estates is open seven days a week! It was quiet when I arrived, mid afternoon on Monday, but within 20 minutes, the place filled right up.
Located in an old barn with plush velvet furniture, the tasting room feels like a nice warm hug. They are a vegan winery and serve vegan snacks and brunch on Sundays. Rather than having pre-set tasting flights, they have 2-oz pours for $4 each. They will also deduct the cost of the tasting from the cost of any bottles you buy. Since I’d already tasted many of their wines, I opted to try things I’d never had before.
Bubble, 2024, VQA Ontario, 12.5% ABV, 10g/L RS, $39 (currently on sale for $35)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, typical of white Bordeaux blends. This wine is refreshing, just dry enough, with fine bubbles and aromas of citrus and peach. This was a Gold award winner at the All Canadian Wine Championships, and awarded 90 points at the National Wine Awards of Canada.
Strange Bedfellows White, $59: I can’t find this on their website, but it was on their tasting card. A really interesting blend of grapes I’m not familiar with, so I didn’t have anything to compare it to. The write-up below describes how it’s made, which supports how complex this wine is. You get the yeastiness of the lees aging, but also the freshness and acidity of the younger wines blended in. You really have to experience this one in person.
Estate Malbec, 2019 VQA Prince Edward County, 11.5% ABV, $59
Quite different than what you’ve probably tasted from Argentina or Cahors (France) this Malbec is smoky (it was described as “charred strawberry” which was exactly what I tasted,) toasty, medium bodied, and full of dark fruits.
Quintus, 2022, VQA Ontario,13% ABV, $79
A typical Bordeaux blend of Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine isn’t made every year. It’s complex, has good tannic structure, with both red and black fruits, a bit of smoke, vanilla, and tobacco.
What I actually bought
While I liked what I tasted, I decided to buy the two wines I knew I already liked (that were within my budget.)
Three Witches, 2024, VQA Ontario, 12.5%, $29
This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Gewurztraminer, with each one bringing the best of their character to the finished wine. It’s refreshing, flavourful, complex, and has just the right amount of acidity. It’s full of citrus, green apple, and tropical fruit flavours.
Triumvirate, 2023, VQA Ontario, 12% ABV, $35.
If you’re a fan of Right Bank Bordeaux, this blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon is for you. Medium ruby in colour, it has all those complex dark fruits (plum, cassis) and oakiness that we’d expect in this blend. While it would taste wonderful right now, this wine is definitely age-worthy, so I’ll let it sit for a few years before I open it.
The Grange of Prince Edward County
I’d visited the Grange Winery in the past, so my focus this time (like with Karlo Estates) was to try some wines I’d not tasted before.
Side note: They used to have a sparkling wine called County Crémant that was delicious, but they have a new winemaker who has a different vision. I discussed it in a past podcast episode with fellow Red Wine Lady, Hilary.
They had two wine flights to choose from, or you could design your own (as I did.)
I couldn’t make up my mind, so I ended up with five wines instead of four.
LaFontaine Brut Sparkling, 2021, VQA Ontario, 12.5%, $58
Estate Chardonnay, 2024, VQA Prince Edward County, 12% ABV, $30
Estate Cabernet Franc, 2024, VQA Prince Edward County, 13.5%, $32
Aurelia Cabernet Franc, 2023, VQA Prince Edward County, 13% ABV, $65
Aurelia Syrah, 2023, VQA Ontario, 13% ABV, $65 [I ended up buying this one I liked it so much, but it definitely needs some aging time.]
In case you missed the reel I posted on Instagram while I was there, here it is again with descriptions of the five wines above that I tasted:
I made two mistakes in this video: 1) I thought the LaFontaine Brut Sparkling wine was made in the Charmat (Tank) method, but it is in fact made in the Traditional method, and 2) I called the Syrah the Estate Syrah, but it’s actually the Aurelia Syrah.
Loch Mór Cider
I made a quick turn into Loch Mór en route to the next winery as I didn’t know they were open on a Tuesday. But as I drove by on Closson Road, I saw their OPEN flag, beckoning me in. They are often at my local Farmer’s Market (which I wrote about a few years ago) but I missed them the last few weeks, so I was grateful to be able to pick up a mixed 6-pack of my two favourites: Sour Cherry and Tropical Vibes (an IPA-style apple cider.) They have both indoor and outdoor seating and it’s a wonderful place to sit around, cleanse your palate, and try something different between all the wine tasting.
Trail Estate Winery
Trail Estate is a winery that was new to me, and it caught my eye as I was driving up to The Grange, so I made a mental note to check it out on the way back. Trail is a mostly natural winery, so low intervention is their approach. This comes through in their wines, as they are unique and complex. I tasted three wines, one sparkling and two different styles of Cabernet Franc.
Traditional Method Sparkling Pinot Noir, 2017, VQA $68
As seen on the right in the photo above, this wine gets it’s slightly pink colour from the skins of the Pinot Noir. The notes at the link above are extensive (for those of you who want all the details on how this wine was made.) It’s both toasty and nutty, but also fresh with fruit flavours of citrus zest and peach.
Cabernet Franc, 2021, VQA Ontario, 12.5% ABV, $38
From grapes grown in Niagara (Wismer-Foxcroft vineyard) this low intervention expression of Cabernet Franc is bursting with fresh wind strawberries. It has medium tannins and lively acidity.
Cabernet Franc, Wingfield Vineyard, 2021, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, 12% ABV, $42
These grapes are also from the Niagara Benchlands (Twenty Mile Bench) and the wine is more reminiscent of a typical Ontario Cab Franc (i.e., red berries) but with a bit more complexity and some herbal notes due to it being low intervention. I purchased a bottle of this, but again, it probably needs to sit a bit before I open it.
Summary
A four-day getaway was the perfect length of time to recharge in a different environment. I spent some time in Picton, checking out a few shops, but with the dog in tow, my choices were limited. Prince Edward County is so relaxed and easygoing, and with the clear sky one night I was able to see the moon rise over the lake, as well as Venus and Jupiter on the western horizon.
