Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA Sonora Dunes Golf Course, Nk'Mip Cellars winery and desert cultural tours right on site (www.spiritridge.ca ). On Vancouver Island, which has 36 licenced wineries, winemaking began around 1920 using loganberries but has evolved since then to the best of the vinifera grape varieties, such as pinot noir and pinot gris (www.wineislands.ca ). There are also three cider companies on the Island: Merridale Cidersworks, SeaCider and Salt Spring Wild Cider. BC's craft beer scene has really been booming in the last couple of years. The LA Times recently called East Vancouver "the Craft beer Capital of Canada." THE PRAIRIES † VINE BUT NOT DRINK CHALLENGED While the Prairies are not known for their wines—the climate just isn't suitable— there are some such as Cypress Hills Vineyard & Winery (www.cypresshills winery.com) in Saskatchewan and Rigby Orchards Estate Winery in Manitoba that brave the elements to make fruit wines. Royal Crown Northern Harvest Rye Whisky, distilled in Gimli, Manitoba, was just named the best whisky in the world by renowned British whisky reviewer, Jim Murray ( www.crownroyal.com ). In place of wine, Alberta has a booming craft beer scene. Calgary Beer Tours, launched in January, is the fi rst and only multi-brewery tour in Alberta, showcasing the local breweries and distilleries (www.calgary brewerytours.beer). ONTARIO † GRAPES GALORE & ICEWINE TREATS Membership in VQA Ontario, Ontario's wine authority that manages the wine appellation system and enforces strict quality standards, now numbers over 150 wineries. Last year 1,931 wines were approved to be labelled with Ontario VQA appellation terms. The Niagara region is a major Canadian wine district with more than 100 wineries and well over 5,000 ha (12,355 acres) of grapevines. The wine route starts less than an hour from downtown Toronto ( www. vqaontario.com/Wineries/Niagara Peninsula ). In Niagara-on-the-Lake a Winemakers' Selections Tasting Pass allows purchasers to enjoy a local wine at each of 25 wineries around town (www.wineries ofniagaraonthelake.com ). The annual Niagara Wine Festival takes place over three weekends at wineries and other locations throughout Niagara. The fall harvest celebration is packed with live entertainment, culinary and wine seminars, parades and, of course, Niagara wines at favourite local restaurants. The wineries get into the groove by offering wine and culinary pairings ( www.niagarawinefestival.com ). Icewine is an iconic Canadian wine often touted as Canada's greatest liquid luxury. Our country is one of the globe's leading producers. We have the climate down cold to make this wine pressed from frozen grapes. The Annual Niagara Icewine Festival is a uniquely Canadian winter experience. Held over three weekends in January, there are gala dinners, icewine tasting menus, icewine marshmallows to roast over open fi res and lots of icewine tastings. At the outdoor street festivals in the towns of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Jordan Village, visitors can warm up to cozy open fi res, take snapshots of sparkling ice sculptures, enjoy live entertainment, sample icewines from different wineries, and fi ll their stomachs with food from local restaurants—most with an icewine fl avour twist ( www.niagarawine festival.com/events ). iCe Bar at DeLta LoDGe, aB • toUriSM CanMore KananaSKiS GLenora inn & DiStiLLerY • nS toUriSM