Tash and I decided on a weekend getaway this past weekend. The first getaway without kids in tow in 14 years.
So with Leah happily ensconced in Abby's dorm room over the weekend due to a school break, we headed off to Essex County, Ontario.
The best part - no more fakakta ArriveCan App needed! Even the Canadian Border people expressed that they were rather happy to see it gone. Apparently it sucked for them just as it sucked for the users.
I had not realized that there was some beautiful wine country just a bit over an hour from our house, but there is, and it is truly lovely in autumn.
It was not the high season at all, so getting an AirBnB was easy right across the road from the CREW winery, with a short walk from there to the North 42 Degrees Winery, and a short drive from other wineries as well. This made wine tasting rather convenient.
We arrived late on Friday night and awoke and then started to explore the area.
After breakfast we headed to Point Pelee National Park and hiked the nature trails there, seeing beaches on both the bay side and Lake Erie side of the point.
The bay side was calmer, even with large trees down from storms on the beach:
The Lake Erie side had some good wind and wave action going:
We walked further along into the marsh area of the Park, saw some ducks and some informative boards about he wildlife in the area.
Interestingly enough, the Beavers around here are bi-national:
An neat quirk of language, that.
Having suitably exercised, we decided to reward ourselves with a wine tasting at Oxley Winery.
Oxley, like CREW and North 42 Degrees are all small, family-owned and operated Estate wineries. Estate meaning the grapes used in their wine are grown on their properties. We did the Swanky Wine tasting, which featured their rarer and finer wines that they have produced. Some of them, for example, only have 50 cases produced of some of these particular vintages.
Their master taster, Yvonne, did a nice job telling the history of Oxley Winery and the wines they produce, and the story of these wines in particular. We had a nice couple across from us and we got to chatting during the wine tasting and had a very pleasant time.
As to the tasting itself, the Bianca to start with was really great, I had never had a Bianca before, and it was smooth, crisp, semi-dry, and refreshing.
Next up, the Barrel fermented Chardonnay was superlative. I normally really dislike Chardonnay, but I could drink theirs all day if given the chance - no sour or gasoline aftertaste with this stuff, it was deliciously smooth without being sweet nor bitter and with a delightful finish.
The Merlot and Merlot Cabernet were very good but their 2019 Syrah Reserve is delectable. A really lovely full bodied wine that is simply awesome. I got an extra pour of that from Yvonne and sipped it in appreciation accordingly.
We then had a light lunch at the winery and the food, accompanied with more wine, of course, in this case a Winter Wowza - their white heated mulled wine, as we were dining outside and the wind was a tad chilly. Very tasty food and wine both.
We then walked the grounds for a bit, looking inside at the shops, and then headed off, checking out some local fruit stands, including one where they have test apples.
What are test apples? Test apples are new varieties farmers are growing to develop the next great commercially successful apple. Quite interesitng and tasty with interesitng varietal focus - some sweeter, some crisper, some of both. They are certainly developing some interesitng apples, and some may soon end up in an orchard near you. Had to eat them there, as you can't cross the border with fruit.
Then we had a nap and after waking up changed into dinner clothes and walked across the road to CREW Winery and had a tasting and dinner there.
Tash loved their Gewürztraminer, and I found their Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon to be mighty fine indeed. Their Merlot felt a little watery and was too light for my taste, but their cab varieties are terrific.
Well wined and dined we walked back to our AirBNB and that was Saturday.
So on Sunday we got up, had a light breakfast at the AirBnB, packed up and checked out, wandered around the area for a bit and then headed over to North 42 Degrees Winery for brunch.
Lovely to see their vines as you pull up.
Lots of grapes remain on these particular vines, to hopefully become ice wine.
Inside, for brunch, we were seated on the top floor of their lovely main building.
The view from the room is amazing and had the weather been warmer, we would have eaten outside on their large deck with a lovely view.
Of the three wineries we visited, Wineries North 42 Degrees had the best food.
Not to say the others were bad, as they were really very good, but this was a cut above. The steak and poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce was cooked to perfection, and Tash's Smoked Salmon (smoked right on the premises) Eggs Benedict was similarly outstanding. I had a glass of their delectable Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany the Steak and Eggs. Tash had a French 75 made with their sparkling wine and an addition of some essence of lavender they grow on their estate. The brunch finished with a Belgian chocolate pots de creme. To say it was an awesome brunch would be an understatement.
We then toured the grounds of the winery and spent some time in their garden in the sun planning for the upcoming week. After that, we headed to Amherstburg, a nice town with quite a bit of history, especially involving the War of 1812, on the Canadian side of the Detroit River.
So there are indeed Cannons to be seen.
They're some rather nice British 24-pounders, pointing across the river towards the US side, aimed to shoot over Bois Blanc Island, just in case of a rematch.
It's also a monument to the men of Amherstburg who lost their lives in World War One and World War Two.
The monument is rather well done, with the names on plaques on the main monument, and then each of the stands describing the men who fell serving their country complete with their picture and a short synopsis of their service and loss. Two of the boards are below:
It's a very well-done memorial honoring the heroes of this town.
After viewing the memorial we explored the town, visited a local bookshop and bought some books, and visited a coffee shop to caffeinate before departing. We then headed off, and crossed back into the USA, picked up Leah, and went home after a great and restful weekend.
I had not visited Point Pelee before nor known about this neat wine region right next door to us. It is now on the must visit again list and considering we could easily make a day trip of it, visit it again we shall do, as there are many more wineries there to visit, and the ones we visited already are also worth another trip.
