Last week, when Condors welcomed food and wine expert Antoni Porowski for a meet-and-greet, one might have walked away from that evening with a drive to create a picture-worthy charcuterie board paired with the perfect red or white wine.
Here are the local wineries that are 50 kilometres away that can have you learning about the winemaking process, sample some full-bodied wine and enjoy a glass either on the estates or at home.
In a brief 30 minute drive Kitchener, you can find yourself in a small winery just on the outskirts of Guelph. The Cox Creek Cellar has been around since Nov. 20, 1998 and has provided the area with outstanding tastes of dry whites and reds, semi-dry whites and reds, sparkling, medium and sweet wine.
“We use a natural farming technique to produce wines of merit and appeal,” said owner Jerry Trocta.
Along with the help of over 200 years of impeccable wine making experience, the quaint cellar has been awarded over 104 medals from North American competitions.
The vineyard is open only during the weekends during the winter months, with tours and tastings happening every Sunday at 2 p.m.
The first winery to inhabit Huron County is bringing their powerful punch of Chardonnay, Blush, and Cabernet wines (to list a few). The family-owned and operated vineyard has a “hands-off approach” to curating the wine, as owner Catherine Landsborough said: “It helps to grow flavourful and rich tasting wines.”
The winery is a small detour outside of Stratford, Ont., and is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. – 6 pm.
“We have been going to the Cork & Label for about seven years now,” said Robert Zander, a local from Preston, Ont., who frequents the Cambridge winery, where things are done a little differently in comparison to a traditional one.
“We find that it is a great place to make excellent wine. [Terry] is very knowledgeable about wines, local resources and is great to be around. We are particularly fond of the Special Limited-Edition wines and get them every year.” said Zander.
All the wines created at Cork & Label are done inside, with the help of raw materials such as pulp, juice and sugars, and then moved to the fermentation process.
The small town grape loving business is open during the week from Tuesday – Saturday, with hours ranging from 11 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Barry Browne and Liza Woolford are the happy couple behind the wine counter in Guelph, where they offer something for every cork enthusiast. Lead-free crystal glassware, corkscrews and decanters fill the humble shop, but it’s the experience for those who venture into the shop is what the two owners are after.
“We want to allow people to enjoy and learn about making and bottling their own vintages,” said Woolford.
The shop has been open since 2003 and has been working hard for titles like the Readers Choice Awards for Guelph.
You can make your own wine at The Towne Winer from Tuesday – Saturday, between the hours 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
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