essex wine report

 

It’s too early to have a drink and I felt like writing a column so I decided to talk about my journey to find good wine.

 

Of course I like Riesling and Gewürztraminer the most. I started drinking the German varieties and as I was young I liked the sweetness and easy drinking. This was during the evil times when I was with the Prussian Princess. Of course I joined the German Wine Society and was forced to learn some German. This, I purposely butchered just to bug her. Well I guess I was partially responsible for that one going up in flames “Which is a good thing”. Surprisingly, I still really like good German wine. In its best it is pure beauty, but unfortunately we get so little of the good stuff here we think all of it is liefraumilch and that is not a good thing.

 

Well after university I moved to Toronto to make my fortune. Don’t ask if I succeeded cos I’m back here. While there I was broke like all my friends. We discovered the wonders of Eastern European wine. This was before the breakup of the Soviet Union so we got to enjoy the fruits of a variety of worker’s paradises. Well paradise didn’t taste too good but at least they were cheap. It became a game to find something good and we laughed at the bad ones and congratulated ourselves on the good ones. Man we drank some awful wine. I particularly enjoyed the wines from Yugoslavia as they were of decent quality, kinda Germanic in style and of course very cheap. I traveled all the way to Bulgaria and enjoyed many visits to Hungary. I was getting so good at it that the little Hungarian restaurant on Hayden Street was convinced that I was a Magyar. Well you can see most of my choices tended to white wine. Yes, I rarely drank red and still today tend to whites over reds.

 

This may be due to the fact that I really never ate a lot of red meat. I almost only ate fish and chicken in my early days (when I cooked). With this I drank alot of whites. The lack of reds was probably is due to all the really bad reds I drank in my youth. Seemed that cheap reds were very very bad back then. I still dabbled in Tuscans and Burgundies, but they were out of my price range and cost me about the same as a good one today. As my wages increased so did my visits to the Rare Wine Store (Vintages was just starting) and I fondly remember a fight I had with the manager of the Bridle Path store when I asked him if they had any Single Malt Bushmills. He was adamant that it didn’t exist and I countered with - then what did I pay sixty bucks for downtown that said Single Malt on it. He thought I was an idiot and I thought he was. I’ve mellowed a little over the years. But anyways, that’s about when I discovered Portuguese wines which, damn, I wish I found them years earlier, but good is good.

 

While up there I met this ‘wonderful lass’ from England. We fell in love and well her idea of good food was chicken wings and wine wasn’t her thing. She followed me to Windsor and I spent several years cooking to her whims. Red wine was out of the question as she threw them up, pasta was worms, but Cajun was king. Lots of beer and hot stuff. I was to the point where I took Mr. Patak’s Extra Hot Curry Paste and added hot peppers. I had several cayenne plants and got into Scotch Bonnets too. It’s really bad when your dinner guests are afraid/can’t physically enter the kitchen due to the chilies.

 

Let me say that when she left my life, I instantly bought pasta, Tuscans and enjoyed reds again. I became a disciple of Mario Batali, bought good olive oil and learned the beauty of veal. This was around the turn of the century and I began drinking a lot of sangiovese’s from Italy, Australian’s, and Californians.

 

I went to school with Steve Brook and he really guided me thru the journey to really start ‘getting’ wine. I was still a Riesling fanatic and he was able to expose me(though I had huge bills at the licbo) thru the various styles and I was able to really nail what I liked. Then of course I really started drinking some good Tuscans.

 

When Steve started Grape Tree I was really happy for him. It is so unfortunate that his venture failed. But in retrospect, it was me going to try to find his winery that began my exposure to the local product. I like many people felt that you can’t make good wine here. We’re industrial not artisinal, this is Essex County not Napa. All the awful stuff we’ve been taught about ourselves. I would go to Kingsville to buy my herb seedlings then of course I had to go to Pelee Island. I felt that their wines were ok as I had them in the licbo, BUT I discovered their good stuff. Pinot Noir down here and it was good. Pinot Gris and it was excellent. How could this be. So from buying basil and getting lost looking for Grape Tree I discovered good wine. (note to self– gotta get to Pelee soon)

 

And there my journey came to where it is today. I look at my larder and it is at least 50% local. Of course I still have my Tuscans and Alsatians, Chilean Carmanieurs, Argies and South Africans but I am really getting into the locals. And guess what, they are getting better every day. And more Pinot is coming!!!!!

well this is a reprint of a previous post. its about aeration which to me transforms a wine. i would never willingly drink a red without aerating it. if i can decant it for 4 hrs good or use an aeration funnel and drink right away.

it transformed the Mastrnardi Merlot and makes D’Angelo’s Baco-Foch drink far better than the price they give it away for. i think its so important that i am reprinting this one.

 

tootles, here we go again:::

 

well i tried to use ms word for the post but i gave up as it was making me capitalize things and i couldn’t get rid of that damn paperclip. i just wish wp could be used here.

so here we go.

anyone who knows me knows i love my toys. when it comes to enjoying wine, why not?? well i’ll give you my favourite, but first a little rant.

glasses: why do i need a separate glass for each wine??? i fully understand that it would be bad to drink dom out of a dixie cup, but i find it hard to believe that a glassware company can design a glass specifically for each wine. i love the marketing but come on. we lived for years with red, white and champaign glasses. i guess i’m missing something. i manage to break so many that my table would look like an orphanage. i like the stemless glasses but i really like the knockoff brands who are 2 bucks a glass.

now for my fav. it the airation funnels. seen one of these??? tso found them when we went to niagara last year. i scoffed at the idea until i tried the difference. i bought one on the spot.

the basic concept is to airate the wine just like you would if you decanted it for several hours but you do it instantaneously. for a wine pig like me this is great. i’m kinda impatient. 

there are several styles so i will try to discuss the ones i’ve used.

welfare mother: take a freezer bag and use it like a pastry bag. pick a corner and poke several holes around the corner, pour wine in it and watch the sprinkler. this works remarkably well but you need a pitcher to cath the spray. this is a great way to test the theory and/or shame the boyfriend into buying you one.

i have a wmf stainless steel one. it resenbles a funnel with the base blanked off and holes put around the perimiter above the blanked off end. mine has a short tube, but this is great for my decanter. mine is a modern type and as such it doesn’t have much of a neck so i wanted the wine to be spayed to the side of the decanter asap. it works great

if you have a captain’s type decanter a longer stemmed funnel can be used. i ended up buying tso a french one with a real small diameter tube and it works really well– better tham mine and half the price.

there are avariety of style, from pewter to glass to stainless and the price is all over. i would avaoid expensive ones as i’m cheap and i just don’t see the added utility. try to find one with multiple holes rather than a slot — holes create more surface area therefore more airation therefore more smoothing out.

there is another variety which i own and one which i would definitely have if i ran a restaurant or winery. its called final touch and its a glass device which goes into the bottle like a pourer and airates as you pour. its real handy but does about 80% of a funnel/carafe combo.

for red wine the results are amazing. it improves the enjoyment of the wine about 75%. you can drink cheaper wines and better wines are just so much better, i just won’t drink a red without airating it first. if you doubt me go buy a bottle of inexpensive red(or anything you have on hand) and make a welfare mother funnel. pour off a glass then decant the rest thru the freezer bag and taste the difference. you can thank me later, enjoy the wine and all your potential savings. do this on a tuscan and life is very good.

i’ve shared a secret of mine, enjoy. 

 

As the Ruthven Apple Fest is quickly approaching I felt it was time to try a wine made basically across the street from the festival grounds. This would be from Mastronardi Estate Winery.

 

I am really getting into the full sensory thing so let me set the table. I had a glass or 2 with dinner and then now after. Dinner was artisinal prociutto(local, from a wonderful butcher), goat cheese and French bread. Music was Lee Morgan, Candy, a veritable classic. After dinner music is Bill Evans, The Unknown Sessions on a Japanese pressing so I can’t say much about it other than its great because the writing is in Japanese. All vinyl cos I want the wine to taste good.

 

I went to the winery just after it opened and let this bottle settle for a while as I thought it had promise when I tasted it. It’s the 2002 Merlot. Now merlot isn’t my favorite grape but I try not to prejudge a wine, just enjoy it.

 

Prior to aerating, this wine tasted very Essex County, good but I felt not worth the price. After I put it thru my aeration funnel it was transformed. Now, you all know how I feel about aeration and these devices, but I can’t stress how much a difference they make. Like another wine I had last week(review to come), the texture totally changed. It went from ok to nice and round. Probably not the right term but that is how it felt on my tongue. It is amazing how the texture changed. It became fluffy and that’s good.

 

For the people who worry about legs, this one has it  and yes my glass was/is clean. A deep claret color and it has a wonderful aroma. It’s really clean and fresh so I assume they took care at harvesting. I find none of the telltale odor of twigs that I feel kill a wine.

 

Now for the taste. It is very good. It tastes of the fruit it was made of. I really don’t get into the usual terms as I like Riesling and the thought of looking for a petrol taste rather bothers me. Let me tell you what it isn’t. it isn’t harsh, no nasty aftertaste. I find the taste rather subdued. Now that is nice. I am really enjoying this wine. and isn’t that the point. I am having trouble describing the taste other than I really like it and its mellow, like the music. I wouldn’t like this wine if I was listening to Kid Rock but then again I find no redeeming value in Kid Rock and I feel that his fans drink Bud rather than wine anyway.

 

The wine went so well with the goat cheese, but it too was mellow. Partner this with a nice roast, but not too spiced, maybe turned on a spit. It would be wonderful. I would avoid game meat but roast fowl would be really nice with this.

 

I really like this wine. the only fault is that it doesn’t pass my own personal test. This matters to nobody else except me. My perfect grade to a wine is if I can (in my minds eye) see a twentyish Sophia Loren stomping the grapes after I have a glass. This doesn’t do that for me but it is very close.

 

Try this winery as they are making excellent wine and there is Pinot coming from here next year???????? I hope so cos that’s what they alluded to.

 

If you read this regularly, you know that I firmly believe that the wineries will spur growth in the area. It has begun and the epicenter is not where I expected.

 

It seems that Harrow will be the new heart of the wine region. In the Star they talked about the proposed development in Colchester. While tso and I went to Erie Shores, we took a look at the area. Well there are a lot of  sold signs about around the Colchester Tavern. I worry about developments that are forced and not organic but I wish this group the best of luck. The area needs something and if this is done right it may have a very positive impact on development. We were at Colchester Ridge and a couple was asking where to stay. Its typical and maybe this development will help. Funny, they must have been from out of town. Tourism???? Food???? Shopping???? All go together.

 

Well we through Harrow to take a look. The old restaurant and bar on the corner must have been sold as someone was working on the building. Another development, another bistro???? Well well well. It may be a smidge early, but it is happening. Will the Harrow Fair become the social event of the year????

 

Well of course we have nothing to offer tourists. Golf anyone????? Wineries????? Historical Sites???? Well we’ve got shopping, eateries in Amherstburg and Kingsville, and some touristy places like Colosanti’s. The area has some great festivals and yes the casino. Mark my words, this is just starting.

 

Well summer is officially over. I guess it is fall now and all those great festivals are done for another year. Grapes are getting picked and wine is being made.

 

But the last weekend was the biggest for events that I remember.

 

Erie Street had another one. Guess I almost went there as we had a league of gentlemen get-together on Friday night (down the street). One of our members is going to sea so it was a going away party. How does one manage to get on a sailing ship for 6 weeks or so sailing the south Atlantic. I’d really like to know. If he comes back with a hook for a hand, drinks rum and a parrot on his shoulder we know his life has changed for good. Its funny; the Royal Navy used to kidnap its sailors from the finest pubs in the finest ports in England to sail their tall ships and in just 100yrs, tall ship owners take applications. Amazing.

 

Well on the west side– Sandwich, there was nobody asking “errr der matey, wanna go to sea?”, but they had the annual Sandwich Festival. This think is so low key that it is great. No rides, no commerciality. It was just refreshing. On Friday night they had a band and fireworks. I was amazed how well it was attended. No, it wasn’t the biggest fireworks display, but it was about 20 minutes long and really fun. The best was that the food was cheap and pretty good, no drunks, just local people and the yute had fun. Saturday, we went back and again it was fun. Again no high costs just fun. The medieval types were there again. They do a real good job setting up a little village and trying to do a little teaching. The yute really got into the weapons, and well, so did I- the Japanese swords and amour were really interesting and so different. New this year was an Indian encampment. This is cool since it fit into the theme. Funny thing was that they were next to the medieval village rather than by the pioneer village next to the dh. They had room there so I don’t know why it wasn’t there. The pioneers had a few tents set up, period dress and a cannon. Well the yute got into that and while tso and I had a libation on the dh’s patio (we could keep an eye on the yute from there) while he was training to be a gunner for the Royal Artillary. Word to the talibanians. Quit now. If the yute ever joins the forces you got about 8 years left till he becomes the PPLI’s top draft choice and then you can deal with him cos you’ll be done. Between the maces, swords and artillery -have you watched ‘konan the barbarian??” well it’ll be over baby. One person who really struck me was a lady tso had worked with. She was with the Sandwich Baptist Church group. Who are they?? Well they were the final stop on the Underground Railway and are located on Peter Street. This is our history people and we should rejoice in it. What a wonderful lady and if you are nice you can get a tour of the church. All the kids should go there, it’s that important. Hey school types-I know some must read this-set up some tours and work with them, as this is so big and must be taught to our kids. Well hopefully they can resurrect the Emancipation Day festival or even merge it into this one till it can go on its own. Well I really liked this and congrats to the organizers-whoever they are.

 

Then on Sunday tso and I went to the country. It was farm demonstration day and since Erie Shores was one of the demo farms, we put some Willie Nelson in the cd player, fired up the jetta and to the country we went. No, no Willie Nelson, don’t worry app. Erie Shores does these events very well and they must be good for business. Got to get close to the grapes and see what they do. It was quite educational. For a city kid, I can’t get enough of this stuff. Tasted wine grapes and was really taken by the small size and the taste. The Riesling wasn’t very sweet but the Cabernet was really sweet and tiny. It was like a blueberry. Got to see their mechanical picker the press and all the other stuff. As normal folk don’t get to see the back end of a winery seeing the equipment is cool. What amazed me is how small it is. Stuff isn’t huge, it isn’t techy but man its clean stainless. It was fun.

 

Well I’m just about evented out, but it’s been a good summer. Now to start talkin about red wines, single malt and martinis

 

Another year another festival. This one was excellent and I hope was a smashing success for the organizers.

 

Let me start with the venue. Fort Malden is a beautiful site for this event. The immediate area is beautiful and the fort has such a pretty area along the river. Keeping the tents along the battlements allows the river to be a showcase. Somehow it reminds me of a northern California festival as it just has that feel. Like last year I truly enjoyed myself.

 

The food. Well it was even better than last year. More restaurants were there which made a lot more fun. I have to apologize to Richard as I really intended to get some of his sushi but I promise I’ll be back to your restaurant. I intend to do this even though I really hate going downtown anymore. It’s just the kids, the noise, the dirt and the stairwells that smell like a full portopotty, but I feel a real need. Well there are two reasons, La Cuisine and Hikari.

La Cuisine: I eat their food at all the festivals but I’ve never been there. It may have to do with the fact that my ex-wife thought chicken wings were haute cuisine - yeah that is it-well she’s been gone for ages but its my excuse. Well the tso is so much more civilized, I will have my chance. Well after the mussels I’ll be there.

Then there is Hikari. Richard does a real good job with his Japanese fare. I was afraid of it, but he went out of his way to show me how good it could be and that me, yes even me, could use chopsticks. Oh and the sake. Yum yum yum. Well I turned Richard on to Muscedere so I guess were square.

Well it was really nice to see new restaurants there BUT THE LOCAL FOODSTUFFS - still wasn’t there but oh well. Well the Leaminton restaurant(not sure of the name) had perch so I guess that was local and that was really good to.

 

The wine. there are a lot of new offerings out there.

 

             Viewpoint was there and this was my first chance to get some. I really don’t know if they are open to the public yet but we tried the Pinot Grigio. This was really nice and didn’t have the bite of most. I really like it and if it makes a good price point it should sell like hotcakes. If they can get it out the door for $12-14 then I really can’t see buying any other nor should restaurants look to others either. We had this wine with the perch and it worked very well. It was able to cut throught the friedness and complemented the inherent sweetness of the fish.

 

            Sanson: we ran into some friends later in the evening wh seemed to have a Sanson forest on the table. Dennis should be able to buy a new Jag from what I saw there. That’s great because Sanson makes great wine and deserve it. Guess I didn’t see any new offering from them but oh well it tastes quite good so there.

 

            Smith and Wilson: well they are at it again. Several new wines and I just couldn’t drink them all. Had the gamay blend and was flattened. It was very good. It was lite and fruity just like it should be. A winner, and now he has a rose, seems to be a trend and his was an excellent effort. There were a couple of other new ones and  you know I can’t remember them all. All I can say is take the ride to Blenheim and enjoy his wine. he is a great guy and just loves what he does. His winery is gorgeous too.

 

            Wagner: Harold is a character and he shared with Smith and Wilson, another character, but they really love their work. Harold is plying with some cherries and the man is winning. He is making different beautiful product. If you live on the east side, you are very close so give him a try too.

 

            Well that was it for new offerings (at least to me) but some of my favorites deserve mention. I really don’t know how Erie Shores managed all weekend. I couldn’t have taken it. It wasn’t bad but La Cuisine was next door and man did it smell great. It just drove me crazy when I was talking to Alma and he multi-winery assistant. I mean I would have just kept eating and with the fois gras at $12 I would have been poor quickly. I bet it got a lot of people to her booth too so I guess it was good thing too. By the way her blanc de blanc so good with La Cuisine’s mussels and fois gras too. Kudus to Muscedere too. This was their first and I was already forcing the Riesling on the red wine crowd I was with. Its great that they were friends of friends so they couldn’t tell me to get stuffed. Well I honestly think that their Riesling just tastes so much better than any baco out there so that’s my defense and I stick to it.

 

            One thing that was truly wonderful was the pride shown by all the vintners. It was obvious and it showed. And it wasn’t just the new people. It was people like Carlo Negri, who I kept seeing standing by his wine like a mother hen. Damn I was too intimidated to try some, what if I made a face, breathed in a bug and coughed or didn’t like it?? I mean he knows so much more than me and I would feel soooo stupid, so I just didn’t try any. But anyhow the pride was everywhere. From Rick Williams, greeting people who came to his booth to get glasses and aprons to the bubbly Vintages lady who just seemed happy to be there. I guess that is what made it so much fun. Cool music, good people and displayers who had pride in what they displayed and wanted people to like their wares. Pease keep it this way.

            Well it was a great event and I am waiting eagerly next years. Congrats to the organizers as you have done a wonderful job.

            And to the vintners: keep making that great wine!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I swear that this is a conspiracy. This weekend is the wine fest ( tso and I are going tomorrow) and guess what??? The Liverpool derby is on tomorrow. Oh, no it couldn’t be on at 10, oh no no, it’s on at 7:30. they are always on at 7:30. they seem to show all the Liverpool games but they all seem to be the early one. Oi!!!! I need by beauty sleep.

 

Well it could be worse. Arsenal’s number one fan, Osama bin Laden (it’s true by the way) must be really pissed at Chelsea. They stole Ashley Cole from them. Now Ashley has a really hot chick who sat with Posh Beckham during the world cup and is reputed to be the best left back in the world ( I really don’t think so). Well that puts a big hole in Arsenal’s defense and this mustn’t please Osama. Now, he seems to have time on his hands lately and if he can get a signal in his cave he must know about this and I bet he isn’t happy.

 

So this is my betting tip: put your money on Pool to win the league as Chelsea may have “some extraneous issues” to deal with.

 

This is sounding familiar. Multiple tries to get to a winery and getting lost. It has been suggested that I purchase a gps system or even a map, but I feel it is a conspiracy to keep city folk lost. Why? Because all the roads were changed. I used to know my way around. Cabana was hwy 2 now its 42. Provincial is ??????? County rd 34 is Talbot Rd or old hwy 3 which new hwy 3 , the bypass is still hwy 3 - see it is a conspiracy. Have I been on an alien spacecraft, had an anal probe like Cartman had???? No No No!!!! and I’ve never drank shine either.

 

Well after multiple failed attempts, I made it to Muscedere Vineyards. Actually it was funny getting there this time too. TSO and the yute dragged me to “The Fair”. After “The Fair” we decided to go to Muscedere but Tso had me in Colchester after pointing out the family graveyard, where every relative once lived,etc, etc. It was a history lesson that let us take 1 hr to go about 1 mile. Anyway I found it.

 

The vineyard is really pretty and will be a great entry in yrs to come. The drive winds down thru the vines to the buildings. The vines aren’t too big but they look really good (I don’t know what this means as I am a certified city boy, but they are pretty). The main building, which is the family home, contains the showroom. It’s really nice and the display area is just right. And they have a real nice vineyard cat, a necessity in my books.

 

The Muscedere brothers are about my age and I was happy to find that one was an engineer and the other was a businessman who came home. They started growing grapes about six years ago and this is their first vintage. If  this is their first, I want to see their sixth cos this is very good

 

In what seems to be a trend they have four wines available.

 

Riesling: I am having some right now. It is different from the locals and I really enjoy it. I originally thought that it was of the crisp school from my tasting, but my bottle is different from my tasting at the winery. I taste the roundness, slight sweetness, and fruitiness of the Alsatian varieties. This can’t be. I was led to believe that this was only doable in Niagara and Alsace. Someone has lied to me. Its not big and round but it has that character. Man I like this. By far best in the appellation.

 

Chardonnay: light fruity and another unoaked one I like. This seems to be a trend down here. I like that and hopefully that will be a trend and signature wine down here. After some Australians I’ve had I would think Australia is inhabited mainly by beavers.

 

Cabernet Franc: had this last night with dinner. I just really like it. Fruity, dry, just nice. Really nice to drink alone. This one is a keeper.

 

Cabernet Franc Reserve: I tried it at the winery and bought two. I want to try to lay this down for a while as it has real potential.  If you want to drink today buy the standard. If you want to have a real good one, lay it down for a while and this could be a beauty.

 

In the fields is Pinot Noir, and cab sauv so more goodies are on the way so we can wait. Maybe the brothers will get me my champagne??????? If they have pinot and chardonnay, well they can do it.

 

On top of great wine these two have got it. Their pride is obvious and it is clear that they have a plan and see the way the appellation can be something. It was great talking to them as we seem to see the possibilities the same. Vindicated most of my ideas and WHY DON’T LOCAL RESTAURANTS STOCK WINE LIKE THEY MAKE!!!!!  They wonder why too.

 

Now to they way they make their wine. Hand picked, slow crushed and not abused. A lot of what they do is due to necessity and their small size. But their bottling is gravity and by hand. Hey read about that big buck Napa or Tuscan and you’ll read hand picked slow easy crushing and gravity flow. If it’s good enough for a big buck wine its really good enough for me. Does it make a difference??? As that great philosopher Curly would say: “coitenly”.

 

Well, I’m back. Sorry I didn’t write anything last week but I was really disturbed by a few issues which would have made my blog political which is definitely not what I want to do.

 

Anyhow, what a weekend. tso and the yute dragged me out into the country again. Not only that, they got me to the Harrow Fair. Now this is the second time that they have managed this. What is funny though is that I really like to cook, love to forage for my foodstuffs but have no idea what the raw material really looks like.

 

Cows are bloody ugly. These I have no problem whacking and eating. Chickens are dirty birds so that goes for them too. However, little piglets are cute and don’t look stupid. They are inquisitive, playful and stinky. Well the stinky part finishes them for me so goodbye piglet, hello ham steak. Now I run into a problem with goats and sheep. Not only are they kinda cute but the don’t stink. Therefore, I have issues with them. On second thought I love leg o lamb and goat curry, so bye bye.

 

Well I feel better now.

 

After my deadly brush with nature (got some unidentifiable poop on my shoe) we went winery hunting. Finally, found Muscedere. Yup they were actually a) found and b) open. It was worth it. Read on McDuff the review is my next post.

 

TSO and I did some restaurant hunting on Sunday and Monday and could give two thumbs up for both.

 

Sunday, tso had a small shoot so we headed up to Old Tecumseh Rd. Well, I noticed the Sandbar there and suggested a libation. She protested that we must wait till after she completed her anointed task. So 15 dreadful minutes later, we returned for a wee dram. I will have to say that they have done a nice job with the décor. The menu was longer than I like but I realize that they have to serve a variety of patrons so that’s ok. We ordered some appetizers and they were quite good. I wanted mussels and tso the shrimp. Both were fresh and quite cost effective. My only complaint was the wine list as the usual Australians could easily have been replace by locals at absolutely no lessening of quality and would have been cheaper. Anyhow, tso wants to go back and I have no issues.

 

Now Monday’s find was really good. tso knew about this fish restaurant by Point Pelee. Well she takes me thru some back roads, which made me think I was in Appalachia. Really sad. We were riding up on old dykes and the fields were just black bottomland but real muddy. The homes that dotted the are were awful, really sad. However, after I navigated what seemed to be around 500 miles of these goat trails we ended up at Point Pelee then I get the traditional “THERE”. Well I was passed it, as usual so I turned around. The place is Paula’s and man it’s good. We had a pickerel and perch sampler and I was amazed to just how good lake fish can be. I asked and yes, the fish comes daily from the lake. Good work and the wine–PELEE ISLAND. Yes my 2^nd place that features local wine and local food. Two stars for you and guess what the food was superb. This wasn’t Michelin 4 star type food but boy was it good. Best of all– it wasn’t expensive. We definitely will go back. She has the right idea. GOOD WORK!!!!!. We sat beside this lovely couple who had gone to Stratford then there for some food and liked the area wineries: guess what-they were from Ohio. Yup they came all the way here for plays, food and wine. We can do it, and I bet their demographics are exactly the people we want to have visiting. I really doubt that they were on assistance.

 

Well I hope your weekend was as good as mine and hope to see you at the wine fest this weekend.