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This is the last entry of a series from my Niagara on the Lake wine country tour.
If you haven't read them yet, hop on over to entries for Day 1, Day 2 and Day 2 part 2.
By Day 3, I had enough wine tasting.
I hadn't slept well the past 2 nights, was a bit cranky and was longing to return home. I was wondering how the kids were doing and if they were taking good care of the cats.
Our early morning hotel checkout led us into a sunny, fresh Sunday. We were bracing for the long drive to our next destination, The Waring House.
We enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch, part of which I assume was prepared by the cookery school students. Thank goodness there was no wine tasting scheduled.
After lunch, my elderly friend and I agreed to get some fresh air and shake down our meal with a stroll through the back gardens.
We noticed a relaxing porch setting to one side.
She pointed out a lovely bunch of Lavender, brushed her hands over the flowers, gave the leaves a pinch and a sniff. I was happy to finally experience Lavender in full bloom after a disappointing attempt earlier this summer.
My friend was contented to sit on one of the garden benches as I wandered off to explore and take photographs. I promised to return in a few minutes and accompany her back indoors.
I came upon a gazing ball. As hard as I tried, I could not hide while taking this photo.
I came upon evidence of a party the night before.
I happened upon one of their vineyards.
I located other group members near and in the gift shop where I browsed the wares then finally bought some tasty jams.
I returned to retrieve my friend, to escort her up the steps then to a strategic seat near the front of the building.
As we waited for boarding time at the front grounds, I took more photographs of trees and berries. The clouds were moving in. My head was throbbing again.
It was time to board the bus and move on to the next destination.
The next stop on our tour was Waupoos estates winery in Prince Edward County.
I was starting to lag behind the group. The clouds were becoming thicker. My mid-section was still feeling thick from lunch and the dinner from the night before and...
My iPad took several photographs of the handsome winery tour guide's feet. Sigh...
On a serendipitous note, I was intrigued by the estate's name which is the native word for Rabbit.
Apparently the natives called this area of Prince Edward County Waupoos due to the shape of this particular area of the island. Thank you, Google and some guy named Archbishop Terry.
After our tour of the grounds and the cellars, we entered the gift shop. I was tired and becoming overwhelmed by so many tourists in the shop. Go figure! I declined any offers for wine tasting yet purchased a variety of bottles as gifts since I still wanted to satisfy my family and friends' requests for Red and White wines. I liked the names of Red Rabbit and White Rabbit. I also liked the fact that the store offers free delivery if you purchase six or more bottles. There was no way I was going to lug these to the bus and home somehow.
We soon departed for a scenic tour, to visit a special place above the Bay of Quinte.
We arrived at an Ontario park called
Lake on the Mountain where our driver carefully navigated the small parking lot.
This was quite interesting. We visited this little park where to the right and far below is the Bay of Quinte (notice the ferry), and to the left is a lake whose legend lives on with the natives and whose geological makeup is still a mystery.
At the Bay of Quinte lookout, I came upon another information centre plaque describing the Mills of Glenora.
I suppose if I had more time and no timidity, I could have peered over the ledge to look for remaining buildings and learn more about this place called Glenora. The best I could do was snap this photo, make a note to Google it then skitter back to the bus.
Home sweet home
I was very happy to return home by taxi that Sunday evening, to see the kids and cats were in good form. The "kids" were happy to see and taste the chocolatey treats I had brought them.
You are likely glad to have reached the end of this journey too!
So, did I meet my objectives for this tour?
- Test out my travel legs (in preparation for longer, more distant adventures);
- Meet new people;
- Perform wine research;
- Bring gifts back for family and friends who offered suggestions or made requests;
- Post something interesting in this blog that people would read and comment on.
Responses:
- I tested out my travel legs and confirmed that in future travels that I would want to have plenty of opportunities to stretch and walk around;
- I met many new people from whom I learned about other interesting locations for bus trips, cruises and overseas travel;
- Ah, yes... Perform wine research. Out of the three days and dozens of different wines we tested, I would say that I had plenty of time for research. I will have to revisit some entries in the novel, applying factual information about orchards, vineyards and wine making in and around the region in the early 1970s.
- Oh, yes! I brought gifts back for family and friends who offered suggestions or made requests. I also had some delivered plus made notes for purchases at Ottawa area wine stores.
- Post something interesting in this blog that people would read and comment on.
On that last note, did you find this series and individual entries funny, interesting or inspiring? See the
reaction check boxes below.
If you enjoy my style of writing, you may like to read The Year of the Rabbit, a novel about fate, family and forgiveness, and hop on over to its related blog entries.
Thanks for dropping by.
Cheers and Bon Appétit!
T
You are cordially invited to read the first of a few posts describing my experiences on an Ontario wine country tour this past weekend.
My objectives for this tour:
- Test out my travel legs (in preparation for longer, more distant adventures);
- Meet new people;
- Perform wine research;
- Bring gifts back for family and friends who offered suggestions or made requests;
- Post something interesting in this blog that people would read and comment on.
I planned to take photographs with my iPad Mini and Tweet under my pen name of Florence T Lyon. I sure got a lot of photos but had difficulty with Twitter updates via the hotel wifi.
I met about 18 other people on the bus. I can only remember about half of the names.
Although I was offered a seat at the front with the highway activity within feet from view, I gracefully declined and moved back to the mid-section, staking out two free seats.
I think I was the third youngest person in the group. There were a lot of retired couples travelling together. There were also a gaggle of elderly women who had either taken this tour before or had been on many other tours to interesting places. I befriended a near-ninety year-old dear who relied a lot on her walker. I soon became her travelling companion and fetcher of things by foot.
The lengthy ride down along the north shore of Lake Ontario was broken up with pit stops, coffee breaks, stretch breaks and more pit stops. We were also treated to an on-board viewing of Julie & Julia. I found it appropriate for the dining part of our tour and very, very entertaining. Bon appétit!
On Friday evening, after settling in to our rooms and freshening up, we attended a pairing dinner with wines brought in from Peller Estates.
When we arrived at the hotel's banquet room in our dressy attire, we were greeted with glasses of French Cross Pino Grigio Sparkler. That's one way of describing a bubbly white wine without infringing on the Champagne trademark. Tasty!
Next we had delicious dishes served with the Family Series Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Merlot. For a red wine, I found the latter went very well with the main dish.
The tasty dessert of Cherries Jubilee in a Phylio Cup with fresh black pepper and vanilla bean ice cream was paired with a Late Harvest Vidal. I really enjoyed it.
This was only the second wine and food pairing dinner I attended in the past year. It was very enjoyable and I have made notes on my menu copy for wines to purchase when I returned home.
There was only one complaint: We could have used some light exercise to move our bodies, to help digestion before and after dessert. Someone suggested line dancing. Of course that would require physical coordination. We concluded that after a few glasses of wine, it may have been a difficult feat!
Thanks for reading this far. Watch for the Day 2 post of the wine country tour.
Did you find this blog entry funny, interesting or inspiring? I like to know what you're thinking! See the
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T
What a lovely treat to sip an award-winning Pinot-Gris on a Friday night after a long week of vacationing.
It's even lovelier when a gentleman delivers it right to your door!
Last weekend at one of the regional garlic festivals, I happened upon a tasty Pinot Gris 2011. The nice gentleman at the counter informed me that it was an award winner. I enjoyed the sample he provided. I also discovered the concept of home wine delivery. I nearly peed my pants.
You mean I don't have to lug a bottle home from the store?! In that case, I'll take two of these and one of those. Where do I sign up?
Joking aside, I thought it was wonderfully convenient to have the wine delivered to one's door. It's an interesting twist to traveling hundreds of miles for visits to various wineries and estates. The other option though provides ample opportunity to see new places, meet new people and join in on a wine and food pairing dinner.
Making my list and checking it twice:
I dug up the requests readers made after I posted my "Wining for a little help..." entry in June. If you missed out on this opportunity, be sure to send me an email or add a comment below. Get your request in by August 31st.
Thanks for dropping by. Wishing you a weekend filled with good food, good cheer and great company.
T
I will be performing important research this summer.
As part of a much-needed vacation I will travel to Ontario's wine country in southwestern Ontario.
As part of a guided tour, we will visit wineries plus attend wine and food pairing dinners. We will likely be encouraged to purchase wines from the various vintners' arrays.
It will be difficult homework. ;o) I'm going to need some help.
Here's the deal: Last weekend, I scored a beginner's wine rack at a community garage sale. It's empty. I look forward to filling it up. To be successful in this quest, I will need recommendations from family, friends and followers.
The rack will hold ten bottles. I would like to fill it with delicious wine to enjoy over the winter. I would also like to share the love with friends - old and new.
The first ten people to offer help will be rewarded with a bottle of the wine they recommend (or a close substitute). I must know you in person. Sorry, no anonymous requests.
Here's how to help, by submitting a comment at the bottom of this blog post:
- Clearly state the name, colour and year of the wine you recommend (Hey, all I know is White, Red and Rosé);
- List the vineyard / winery name and approximate geographic location;
- Provide a web site link for the vineyard / winery if you have it.
Please note: From what I have sampled during the first half of my life, I can say that I prefer White and Rosé. Most red wines irritate my throat or make my face flush. Ice wines? Too darned sweet.
Wine is featured often in my novel, The Year of the Rabbit. I regret that I didn't get in enough research time before publishing it :o) Maybe I can enhance the second print edition with proper terminology.
Visit the novel's blog.
Follow @FlotTLyon as she Tweets progress using the #WineResearch hashtag.
- - - >^..^< - - -
If that didn't get your attention then here's a picture of a cat.
This little feline accosted me on my Artist Date walk last night. The Cat Lady in me almost took it home.
Thanks for dropping by. Remember to claim your gift on the way out.
T
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