A Wine Tour in Prince Edward County - Part 1

Since I have lived in Ontario (moved here when I was 12), in the Summer a must go to trip would be to Prince Edward County, more specifically Picton, to lie on the beach or camp in Sandbanks Provincial Park. When I was young this was a favorite spot of mine, the beach has nearly white sand, there are gorgeous sand dunes to explore and it really is the only nice beach of this size in the immediate area. It is located in beautiful Prince Edward County where B&B's, 30+ wineries and amazing restaurants are a way of life. Things just seem more laid back when you are in "the county" and the landscape is totally serene with idyllic homes and cottages peppering the vast farmer's fields.

This weekend I was lucky enough to travel to the county with four girlfriends that I have known since Elementary School. We all met up in Bloomfield and stayed at this super cute and affordable Inn called Angeline's. It is a combination of a motel with affordable yet really contemporary rooms, a cottage with more upscale suites and an Inn with more rooms furnished with antiques acquired from the area. We stayed in the motel and it was really fun! We had side-by-side rooms so we could just sit outside of the rooms at a patio table and chill out with a drink, watching the comings and goings of the visitors to PEC.

 Angeline's Motel. I didn't get a picture of the inside of our Room but there are pictures available on the website.

Right across the way, the entrance to the Hubb

We arrived on Friday evening and went for a meal at Angeline's restaurant called the Hubb. I can tell you have eaten in countless restaurants this was one of the BEST dinning experiences I have had.

 This is the Hubb Burger. It had fois grais and bacon jam along with locally made cheese. There is some grainy mustard and homemade ketchup on the side with some potatoes. TO. DIE. FOR!

Double Trouble? Count me in! Note: this was my friend's beer. I wouldn't dare order a beer in Wine Country!

In the morning we went into the town of Picton and did some shopping. I didn't buy anything but scouted out some possible online purchases. Hopefully more on that to come! Our wine tour didn't start until 1PM so we grabbed some lunch at Buddha Dog. This is an eat here before you die experience for sure. Locally raised beef to create hot dogs that look more like pepperettes (that's what happens without all the fillers and nitrates), combined with sauces made from ingredients all grown in the County. The map behind the counter you see here is drawn in chalk and shows where they get their ingredients from. I love that!

 Getting our dogs ready!

Sample flight that was put together by the Ladies of Buddha Dog. All had sauces that ranged from Sweet to Savory to Spicy. They were so unique and delicious.

On to the Wine Tour! We loaded up in a van and began the tour lead by our super sweet and knowledgeable driver, Murial. I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture of her now #fail. Our first stop was Huff Estates which I have visited before and stayed at their Inn a few years ago.

 My friends, Kelly and Denise outside of Huff. What do you think of Denise's sunglasses? Retro much?

 The vineyard at Huff's. They bury all of the vines in the ground for the Winter otherwise they would all be destroyed. That would be a big job considering the size of the vineyard.

Next we visited Sugarbush Vineyards, one of the smaller wineries but they produced some very unique blends. Robert Peck, one of the owners/operators was a very generous pourer. A quality that instantly endeared me to him. He also works 40 hours as an Engineer and said that he puts in MORE than 40 hours/week with the winery! But he's living the dream and is good at at what he does.

 Robert Peck. 

These are soon to be Sugarbush vines that were imported from Europe. They have wax covering them to protect from diseases that they can carry that aren't present in North America. They are soaking in water for 10 days to prepare them for planting.

On to what was my favorite winery of the tour, probably because they provided a pairing of food with every tasting, of which we had nine. This is Karlo Estates, located in an old barn that has been converted into a tasting area and restaurant . This was such a beautiful space to relax and enjoy all of the pairing of whites and reds. We weren't rushed through and took our time enjoying a wide variety of Whites, Roses, Reds and Ports. Every morsel of meats, cheese, olives and even potato chips paired beautifully with the wine and really brought out the best flavors. They are known for their excellent Ports and I picked one of the red ports up which I never thought I would buy but it was insanely good. I can't wait to enjoy it on a warm Summer evening.

Our tasting guide cutting up one the pairings for a Red, spicy sausage.

Inside the tasting area.

Here is a cute collage that Denise texted me last night of our trip. There weren't many picture of me that I liked so I didn't post any. But is collage is such a cute recap of our Weekend Getaway.

My apologies for the lengthy post, and this is only post 1 of 2 or maybe 3! I hope you enjoy peeking at our wine tour and if you need a relaxing weekend of wine, food and overall indulgence, I HIGHLY recommend Prince Edward County! Stay tuned for more!