Ontario’s Wine Route
Detroit-area wine lovers don’t have to go all the way to Napa to experience good wine country. About an hour from the Ambassador Bridge is a great, little wine region in the Essex, Harrow, Kingsville area along the Lake Erie shore.
There are about 20 wineries in the area. The first ones were set up in the 1980s and many of them were created within the last 10-15 years. This area truly is a gem right in Detroit’s backyard.
We were only able to visit seven of them; all the more reason to go back.
Follow the “Wine Route” signs on the highway and you won’t miss a one.
A map that’s available at most of the wineries is helpful as well. Be aware that wineries have to pay to be included on the map, so the map isn’t inclusive.
Our first stop was Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery. It is a lovely facility with an attached banquet room.
Here is a view inside the tasting room. Tastings are $4 CDN per person and the fee is waived if a bottle of wine is purchased.
View of Lake Erie from the parking lot of Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery.
Our next stop was off the map and I can’t believe that I forgot to go back and take pictures: Erie Shore Vineyard. This one wasn’t as high-end as the former one we visited. There was a retail store off to the side of the home that belongs to the couple who owns the vineyard. The owner is the wine maker and he does a pretty good job. Once again, one was offered four tastes for $4 and the fee was waived if a bottle of wine was purchased. I thought this place had some very good wines and bought two bottles.
Viewpointe Estate Winery was one of my favorites.
The tasting room had an amazing view of Lake Erie. Here tastes are free, but there is a donation box to leave what one feels is adequate.
If you like fruit based wines, Black Bear Farms is your place. We learned that the winery is run by a brother and sister. At one point they were essentially throwing away a good portion of their berry crop due to lower priced berries coming in from the US. The brother was going through a divorce and got the idea to make wine from the berries they couldn’t sell. This guy has created a lot of medal winning wines. Once again, a nominal fee is charged to taste and it’s waived if a purchase is made.
Hungry for a good pizza with a bottle of wine? Then head on over to Paglione Estate Winery. Pizzas are cooked outside in wood ovens. On site is a gelato bar that’s open in the summer.
Pizzas are $18 each or $32 with a bottle of wine.
Our final stop was the Oxley Estate Winery.
We dined in Oxley before leaving for home. The pork and kimchi was so phenomenal it required a second round. The charcuterie tray was fantastic and they even had a locally brewed stout that satisfied Freddy.
Crossing the border was a breeze. We were prepared to pay duty on the bottles that exceeded our tax exempt limit, but the border guard simply said, “Other than wine, are you bringing anything back,” and he let us in no questions, no inspection, no duty assessed. Allegedly local wines would be assessed a minimal duty calculated on the gallon so it’s not worth the effort to collect them. We only had about 18 bottles between the five of us.
~Bella
