A Big Birthday in Prince Edward County
In honour of a big birthday for my dad, I spent this past weekend in Prince Edward County with my parents.
P.E.C. is a region about two hours east of Toronto, on a peninsula that sticks out into Lake Ontario. It’s traditionally been used for agricultural – in fact, one of my dad’s uncles had a farm there when my dad was little. Today, it’s home to Sandbanks Provincial Park (where we used to go camping when I was a kid), and thanks to the slightly warmer climate, about 30 wineries! Being pretty unapologetic oenophiles, my parents love visiting P.E.C. and venture out there at least once each summer.
On this special occasion weekend, we stayed at the newly opened Drake Devonshire Inn, a transplant of the funky art hotel the Drake Hotel on Queen West in Toronto. It was a lovely weekend away, filled with good food, picturesque towns, and – surprise! lots of wine.
Since we were only there for two days, my parents wanted to be sure to hit up their favourite spots. The Drake Devonshire is situated in the town of Wellington, across the street from the Tall Poppy Cafe where we ate breakfast our first morning. Next we high-tailed it to the town of Bloomfield, where I did some serious damage at the amazing shop Kokito (home wares, beauty products, art, stationary, accessories – my kryptonite). We popped into a bunch of other little shops on Main St, and I also picked up some gifts at Casa Lucia, which specializes in Mexican handicrafts. At that point we decided it was an appropriate hour for ice cream, so we obliged ourselves at Slickers – famous for their campfire and smashed apple pie flavours.
Then it was time for alcohol! Our first stop was actually for the hard stuff at 66 Gilead Distillery. They are located in a beautiful old Victorian farmhouse, and make really good and interesting gin, vodkas, whiskeys, rum, and shochu. I’ve also got to say, their label design is on-point. Next we hit up Hinterland for sparking wine, and discovered that they are putting in a brewery this year. Their bubbles are delightful; they have a few varieties, including a couple of fun rose sparkling wines, and their winemaker Jonas is a really friendly guy. Plus, they’re another local company with great design, which I can’t help but appreciate. Ready for some celebrated P.E.C. Pinot, we headed to Norman Hardie – one of the best known wineries in the region. They haven’t yet opened their patio and pizza oven for the season, but it was still busy in the tasting room. After sampling five different wines, we headed to our final winery of the day; it was a small mom-and-pop operation that Jonas from Hinterland had recommended: Domain Darius. It’s run and operated entirely by David and Joanie, a couple of “retirees” who love wine. They aren’t producing large quantities, but the quality is there – we bought two of everything.
That evening, as the night before upon our arrival, we dined at the Drake Devonshire. The place is happening; it was busy both nights, and for weekend brunch. It’s been getting tons of mentions on must-travel lists, and it’s worth the hype. As an art hotel, it’s filled with great contemporary art and lots of fun touches. The rooms are styled like my dream house: a combo of slick modern furniture, vintage pieces, and fun artwork. Turndown service includes crispy lemon poppyseed shortbreads, and the next days forecast. Amenities range from morning coffee and newspapers, to a ping-pong table for evening games. Some of our best plates in the restaurant included a deeply umami mushroom ragu on house-made pasta, popcorn shrimp, fried chicken, and tasty, tasty cinnamon french toast at brunch.
After brunch on Sunday, we poked around the Drake Dev before setting off. There’s a small creek that flows into the lake running next to the inn, and in the spring lake trout use it to spawn – so we enjoyed watching the 1’6”+ fish congregate and slowly move upstream. We also played around on the rocky beach, and lounged on the patio chairs facing the water. When it was time to head on, we made Keint-He Winery our first destination. This vineyard and winery has a nice perch, from which you can see the lake. Sure, it may have been before noon, but that didn’t stop us from sampling three or four different wines, and coming away with a few bottles. Our last stop before wistfully wishing the County goodbye was Rosehall Run, which if nothing else, has a name I quite like. Luckily, I liked their wines as well. We sample red, white, dessert wine, and sparkling, including their adorable Pixie Sparkling Rose, a classic “summer sipper” as they say.
Although it was just two night away, our weekend in Prince Edward County was hugely relaxing and restorative. My dream of owning a charming old farmhouse in the County is alive and well! I hope you get a chance to discover this charming bit of Ontario wine country for yourself.
