Driven to drink again!

These are the sentiments of somebody in Hernder Estate Wines Wine Boutique - I wouldn't dream of commenting!

As this area has so many wineries, we decided to locate just a few that were in pretty locations and that were attractive to see. Hernder Estate Wines is in St. Catherines and is a very popular location for weddings and banquets. It is accessed down a country lane that leads visitors through a unique covered bridge to a restored 1867 Victorian barn.

It was early in the morning so we were not really upset that no one appeared to offer us tastings of their wines. The only individual we encountered was the one below who pleadingly proffered various products like balsamic vinegar but whom we had no difficulty in refusing. He didn't comment when we turned on our heels and left!                    

                                                                                       

Back in the car we proceeded into the Niagara on the Lake winery region. Our first stop was at Chateau des Charmes.

It was founded in 1978 by Paul Bosc (age 77), originally a French Algerian, and is one of the premier vineyards in  Canadian Agri-Tourism. We arrived just as a tour was about to commence so we decided to avail of the opportunity. As it turned out we were the only two on the tour so we had the undivided attention of Anna, our tour guide. She gave us Paul Bosc's history and the history of Chateau des Charmes as well as the other estate wineries that Paul Bosc owns and brought us through the winemaking process from the tending of the vines to the samples that I would have. The Estate Bottled 2009 Riesling, V.Q.A. and the 2010 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay,  V.Q.A. were really nice. I preferred the whites to the reds - 2007 Cabernet-Merlot, V.Q.A. and 2007 'Old Vines' Cabernet-Merlot, V.Q.A.

This windmill thing is vital to the wine-making area as it protects the vines once the temperature drops beyond a certain level. It circulates warmer air to the vines and prevents the vines from getting ruined by the frost. Before Paul Bosc invested in these, he used to hire helicopters to fly overhead and do the same thing. This became prohibitively expensive so, even though these windmills cost more than half a million dollars, they were a once off cost.


We left the French style wine chateau and continued on our way to an Italian style one. Colaneri Estate Winery is a new family-owned and operated winery. It is built in the Romanesque style and is currently finishing off a fountain in front where they are opening a piazza in which they will serve food as well as their own wine. We were content enough with admiring without sipping1

It was actually food time so we headed to the only winery that we could find that served food - Ravine Vineyard. The winery is fronted by a historic early-19th century house reconstructed on the property.

The restaurant which was much nicer than the photo shows.

 Here we had a leisurely lunch and I had a glass of their delicious Gewurztraminer.

When we came out, I wondered what had happened to Rick's car!

On then for our farewell to Niagara on the Lake, the prettiest little town in the Niagara region. It was quite busy and I wondered how so many people could tolerate the heat. For me it was unbearable and they say tomorrow will be even hotter. Jim said that the Toronto news was issuing warnings to people about how to keep cool and hydrated. We were glad to have the air conditioning in the car and I could snooze in comfort back to Grimsby.