When I travel I am up for anything.  Oh yeah, art galleries, beer tours, prison tours (seriously interesting), hiking and theatre. Sign me up. So why do I never get around to playing tourist in my own province?

Well recently I did. A friend wanted to do a wine tour and we finally pulled it together. It was an all day tour 9:30 – 4:00. We were picked up at a hotel downtown and 24 of us headed out.  The funny thing was all but one of us were from the area. We had a group of young mothers having a “mama’s day out”.

The drive was just under an hour to where a lot of wineries are. I live in the biggest city in the province and we headed to the valley (farming community). Weather incredible. Hot and sunny. Couldn’t have gotten better weather for the day.

We did two wineries, stopped for lunch and another one after that. My pictures (camera and phone) don’t do it justice. At each winery we had 3-5 tasting. All good sizes. Well the first one was a really good size tasting! Above is the first winery.

Apparently some wineries use nets around their vines and other don’t. Personally preference. Remember this is Canada so not the “warmest” climate for grape growing.

Being Canada and not the warmest part of Canada (east coast) our white wines and ice wines are better known. If a regional winery can produce and pass certain criteria it can market a wine as Tidal Bay which is the 1st wine appellation of the area. The wineries have to use specific grape varieties, follow the same set of standards and be approved each year by a blind panel to earn the designation of Tidal Bay. Each winery’s Tidal Bay can taste differently as they can have their own spin the wine. The one we tasted below was the dryest this year.

All three wineries were lovely and different. In one we tasted under a huge tent, another in the above tasting room before having our last glass outside among the vines.

It was lovely in that we had a designated driver. When we arrived at each winery and for lunch they were ready for us so no waiting. I never felt rushed as we had just under an hour at each winery so enough time to drink, shop and walk around.

Great way to spend a Saturday in my own province and highly recommend to friends and anyone interested in wines as each winery talked about their wines and process.

This is my glass of wine (this is the size a tasting) for all of you. I know it was hard but I’m there for you peeps.

Explore your own backyard. Just do it.

You can always start now!