Sometimes, one receives nice gifts that are best enjoyed when shared. Recently, Yelena and I were given a wine tour, tasting, and lunch at Stoney Ridge Winery for up to 6 people! It seemed only fitting to include those who gave us the gift as the third couple.
We chose Sunday, September 30th, and couldn’t have picked a better day. Despite the jackets we all brought with us, they remained in the car for the duration, as temperatures reached the low 20’s and the sun shone brilliantly.
Stoney Ridge is a small-ish winery in Vineland, easily found off King St., the main route through the Niagara wine belt. We arrived a bit early, so had plenty of time to wander around the beautifully landscaped property – gardens and manicured lawns, all dotted with an assortment of wine paraphernalia – a photographer’s canvas.
The tour, which started outside at the vineyards with a tasting of white, lasted about 45 minutes. We were surprised to learn that, although we were gazing out at a decent sized vineyard, Stoney Ridge does not grow its own grapes. They purchase them from various other grape growers from the region. From our lessons learned in France earlier this year, this would imply a lesser quality wine but Stoney Ridge has won awards for their wines, so either they have exceptional blending skills or our standards are quite different here. Regardless, not being anywhere near a wine aficionado (aka I don’t really know what I’m talking about), who am I to judge or make comparisons?
The fermenting vats are also outside, securely locked behind tall, very adequate fencing. Apparently, they are temperature controlled so neither the heat of the summer nor the freezing cold of winter has any adverse effect.
But the barrels are inside and this is where we received our tasting of red. Barrels, themselves, are a craft and Stoney Ridge buys theirs from either the US or France. We learned about the various qualities of barrels but, as I didn’t take notes, and was too busy studying the art of tasting my red wine, I cannot remember any of those details. Good thing I don’t have any ambitions to go into this business!
The tasting portion of the tour ended on a lovely deck where we were instructed on the making (and drinking) of Ice Wine. Did you know that, like Champagne for France, Ice Wine is a brand, owned by Canada? So, if you’re buying a late harvest wine from Germany, which they make, it CANNOT be labelled as Ice Wine! Yeah, Canada!
Thank goodness it was a warm, sunny day, as we were able to eat our lunch on the patio instead of under the “big top”. What a convenient way to serve lunch, and a lovely presentation, too. We were given turkey on focaccia, an assortment of cheeses, and fruit.
No one liked the white or red wine we tasted enough to buy any, but I did stock up on Ice Wine, and some of us went home with some nice cheeses. All in all, it was a great way for me and Steve to spend a Sunday afternoon with our daughter, Yelena, and her significant other, Stephan; and our charming neighbours, Caroline and Pascal.
