touring Prince Edward County

As part of a post-conference tour, our group was treated to a tour of lovely Prince Edward County, a scenic region located east along the shores of Lake Ontario from Toronto with the town of Picton, Ontario, Canada, serving as its hub.

Prince Edward County, best known for its wineries, artisan cheese shops and arts and crafts, is like a country cousin to the more well-known and more commercially developed Niagara Region. I loved Niagara on the Lake and the entire Niagara Region, but in my opinion, Prince Edward County is less commercialized, less expensive and provides a more authentic and more relaxed experience to the visitor.

Our group of 22 was well looked after under the auspice of tour leader, Christine Peets of Napanee, who made sure we were where we were supposed to be and that everyone was happy. Apart from the confusion on the part of the bus driver, it was a well-executed and most enjoyable exploration.

We began our tasting tour on June 5, 2010 at the Rosehall Run Vineyards and were treated to a tour of the winery and several tastings with co-owner, Lynne, who was knowledgeable and welcoming.

The vines were young as was the taste of the wine, but pleasant and refreshing nonetheless. It was interesting learning about how they have to bury the vines each fall because of the soil conditions of the region. Learn more about the vintages of Rosehall at: http://www.rosehallrun.com/.

Our next stop was Huff Estates, where we had a brief wine tasting and where we would spend the night in the cozy well-appointed guestrooms. But not before we headed over to the Milford Bistro and Gallery for a fabulous three-course gourmet dinner. For me, this was the highlight of the tour. The food was amazing, our chef-host, Chris Pengally, most gracious, and the camaraderie unsurpassed. Here’s a look at the menu featuring some of chef Pengally’s special creations.

Top to bottom, above: East Coast Halibut, Beef Bourguignon, Swedish Royal Dessert, Chocolate Delight.

The next morning (June 6th in the pouring rain) we visited the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company. What goes better with wine than fine cheese? Fifth Town makes many fine handcrafted cheeses at its Platinum LEED dairy. Two of my favourites are the Lavender Bagel Chèvre (a completely unique flavour of goat cream cheese that is slightly sweet) and the award-winning cave-aged Cape Vessey goat’s milk rind cheese that will leave you wanting more.  Lucky Ontario-based customers can buy Fifth Town cheeses at many locations around the province. The rest of us can order online at: http://www.fifthtown.ca/.

We ended our tasting experiences with lunch and several wine tastings at The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards & Estate Winery. President & CEO, Caroline Granger proudly shared her best with us, and it was gratifying to see the pride she took in her award-winning products and the heritage of her location.

That level of pride was present in every location we visited on the tour. When you have a small owner-operated business in which pride and quality are major factors, you can’t help but succeed. Caroline was very proud of her Cabernet Franc vintages and so she should be. They were rich and full-flavoured and very pleasing to my palate.

There was so much more to see in Prince Edward County, but we ran out of time. I will definitely return, and give myself at least three days to get more of a feel for this charming region. Hopefully without the rain next time. Find out more about the region at www.visitpec.ca.