SW Ontario Wine Trail

Scottie and I headed across the border this morning to Windsor for a special treat, a SW Ontario Wine Trail tasting organized by our friends, Mike and Sandra.  Our hand-crafted and personalized Wine Tour Itinerary (as you can can see below) included a stop at 7 of the 11 wineries in the Lake Erie North Shore/Pelee Island region of Essex County.  Our tour also included a stop for some Italian dining at Sale E Pepe's before heading back to Mike and Sandra's with our wine loot!  There were 5 couples in all in the tour, which made for an entertaining day as we checked off the wineries.

Our first stop was at Aleksander Estate Winery

At Aleksander Estate Winery, we found a very nice gentleman who poured and described their wines.  This was one of the more humble wineries on the tour, so an exceptional start to our day.

We tried the following wines (bold ones received a check and a fist pump, red ones we purchased!):

• Cabernet Franc
  
• Shiraz
  
• Pinot Noir
• Amarouge
• Cabernet Sauvignon

As you can see, with six more wineries to go on the list, we decided to pace ourselves after our experiences in Niagara on the Lake.

Our next stop was at Mastronardi Estate Winery.

At Mastronardi Estate Winery, we successfully found some tasty cheese and homemade sangria.  But we also ran into our first hiccup of the day when we realized that someone had left their wallet at the first winery.  Oops.  Oh well, that just meant we grabbed a glass of wine and sat outside while awaiting his return.  We also joyfully used their high-class port-a-potty.

We tried the following wines (bold ones received a check and a fist pump, red ones we purchased!):

• Cabernet Franc
  
• Syrah
  
• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Meritage (pairs well with dark chocolate!)

Our next stop was at Muscedere Vineyards.
 

At Muscedere Vineyards, we ran into a little bit of trouble.  There was a tour group already at this winery, so it took us awhile to get served, and then at the end of the day, their wines turned out to be okay, but not really our favorites.   In order to avoid the tour, we felt that this was the appropriate time for a pit stop lunch on the trunks of our cars.  But don't get me wrong, this was a classy picnic lunch.  I will hand it to our hosts who thought of everything down to the utensils, fresh bread, and tasty chip selection.

Post-lunch, we tried the following wines (bold ones received a check and a fist pump, red ones we purchased!):

• Vidal
  
• Sauvignon Blanc
  
• Riesling
• Cabernet Franc
• Baco Noir

Our next stop was at Colio Estate Wines

At Colio Estate Wines, we hit the tail end of the tour group tasting, which was perfect timing for us to maneuver our way in. 

We tried the following wines (bold ones received a check and a fist pump, red ones we purchased!):

• Cabernet Franc
  
• Meritage
  
• Vidal Ice Wine
• Geuwerztraminer
• Merlot

Our next stop was at Colchester Ridge Estate Winery (Crew).

At Crew, we found yet again, some fantastic sangria, which some of our friends took home in some fancy Tupperware included in the cost!  This was a small, yet quaint tasting room, which worked out quite well since we assumed they couldn't really accommodate the tour buses. Big win for us!

We tried the following wines (bold ones received a check and a fist pump, red ones we purchased!):

• Cabernet Franc
• Syrah
  
• Cabernet Sauvignon

Our next stop was at Viewpointe Estate Winery.

At Viewpointe Estate Winery, we had a bit of an issue with these guys due to their tasting charge for large groups.  Apparently, anything over 6 people or something like that was considered a "group" to them.  We couldn't really conceive how we were considered that much of group that they were going to actually charge us, but they wouldn't budge.  Some of the "group" just decided to wait it out by Lake Erie since this winery did have that going for them; however, Scottie and I stuck it out because we couldn't pass up more tasting! This place also stood out because one of their Cabernet Francs had a very herby taste to it. Yuck.

We tried the following wines (bold ones received a check and a fist pump, red ones we purchased!):

• Pinot Noir
  
• Cabernet Franc ('05)
• Cabernet Merlot ('05)
• Focal Pointe Cabernet Merlot
• Balance Pointe Cabernet Merlot
• Cabernet Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Cuvee

Our last stop was at Pelee Island Winery.

At Pelee Island Winery, we scored big by getting in just before closing time.  We made our goal of 7 wineries in a span of 6 hours give or take!  Plus the service at this last spot was wonderful.  They didn't treat us like a "group" and also took the time to explain a little about their wines.  Scottie and I probably picked up the most bottles at this place but it was a hit with the whole gang. Too bad we couldn't get out to the actual Pelee Island, but we'll leave that as our next goal.

We tried the following wines (bold ones received a check and a fist pump, red ones we purchased!):

• Gamay Noir Zweigelt (Flying Squirrel!)
  
• Lighthouse Cabernet Franc
  
• Ecotrail
• Shiraz Reserve
• Pinot Noir Alvar
• Merlot Reserve
• Monarch Red
• Meritage 
• Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Cheers!  Whew, what a day! More pictures in my photo album.