Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA The tiny wine region of Prince Edward County has gone from virtually unknown to winning the attention of connoisseurs near and far. The area's allure in the past had been its giant sand dunes, quaint towns and nature trails. Now chefs and winemakers are fl ocking here to set up shop and take advantage of the county's more fertile appeal. It has grown into an important wine region with close to 40 wineries ( www.thecountywines.com ). A visit to Lake Erie North Shore Wine Country could mean meandering along the shoreline to sample the wares of any one of the almost 20 wineries, a visit to a museum or art gallery, lunch or dinner at a winery and an overnight stay at a unique B&B ( www.epicwineries.com ). The Windsor- Essex Trolley Hop On Tours takes people to beer, wine and whisky purveyors (www. wetrolley.com ). QUÉBEC † STYLE BEATS THE ELEMENTS Québec's more than thirty-year-old wine industry has over 100 wineries producing in excess of one million bottles of wine annually. Delicate vinifera vines such as pinot noir, are buried before the winter comes, to protect them from the cold. The Québec Winegrowers Association (QWA), formed in 1987, brings together some 70 diverse wineries ( www.winesofquebec. com). Visitors can plan their own tours on the website choosing from fi ve distinct wine growing regions: Eastern Townships, Montérégie, Ouest-du-Québec, Centre-du- Québec and Est-du-Québec. Located 40 minutes east of Montréal, The Brome- Missisquoi Wine Route links 21 Québec wineries along a 140-km (86-mi.) signposted route in the beautiful Eastern Townships ( www.laroutedesvins.ca). On this route, you will fi nd the province's fi rst winery, Domaine des Côtes d'Ardoise, opened in 1981 in Dunham, which is remarkable not only for its wines but for its exhibition of sculptures gathered from more than 90 artists ( www.cotesdardoise.com). Down the road is L'Orpailleur Vineyard, one of the largest wineries in the province, which offers guided tours of their wine museum, exclusive getaway packages, a boutique chock full of original local products and a restaurant, Le Tire-Bouchon ( www. orpailleur.ca/en). With an annual production of over 60 ciders, Montérégie is the pioneer of cider production in Québec (www.maroutedes cidres.com/en/cider-mills). Also, there are over 50 craft breweries in Québec. In the Outaouais region, Le Marché des Brasseurs d'ici is a craft beer store with a selection of over 300 beers (www.lmbi.ca/en ). THE MARITIMES † FRUIT WINES & LOCAL FLAIR Nova Scotia is Canada's fourth largest wine producing province. Thus it boasts the most developed wine trail in the Maritimes with about a dozen wineries (www.winesof novascotia.ca). The cold climate means that hybrid grapes are used to make much of Nova Scotia wine though there are producers of gamay, pinot noir and other vinifera varieties. Nova Scotia Wine Tours offer a host of options, some which include lunch or dinner at a winery (www.nova scotiawinetours.com). Domaine de Grand Pré, the oldest farm winery in Atlantic Canada, has an award-winning restaurant, Le Caveau, which focuses on regional Nova Scotia product prepared with a global fl air (www.grandprewines. ns.ca). Benjamin Bridge makes world-class champagne-method sparkling wines (www. benjaminbridge.com). Nova Scotia's newly created Good Cheer Trail is Canada's fi rst all-encompassing winery, craft brewery and distillery trail taking in 14 wineries, 12 craft breweries, fi ve distilleries, fi ve brew pubs and two historical experiences— Port-Royal and the Fortress of Louisbourg ( www.goodcheertrail.com). New Brunswick has 14 wineries to visit (www.nbliquor.com/documents/ wineryroutebrochure.pdf ). At Motts Landing Vineyard & Winery in the beautiful St. John River Valley, wines are made from estate grown grapes such as the unusual Louise Swenson grape (www. mottslandingvineyard.com ). At Magnetic Hill Winery and B&B, in a restored 1867 historic site overlooking Moncton, visitors can picnic on the grounds while enjoying a sip of estate-grown fruit wines such as blueberry, cranberry, apple and pear wines as well as those from local New Brunswick grapes—all vinted on the premises ( www. magnetichillwinery.com ). In 2012, Distillerie Fils du Roy opened in Petit- Paquetville making absinthe and a gin that uses a local tree, the Thuja occidentalis evergreen, in its botanical recipe (www. distilleriefi lsduroy.com ). In P.E.I., the Rossignol Estate Winery offers a remarkable variety of table wines, fruit wines and liqueurs. Family-owned Matos Winery & Distillery offers tours and tastings just minutes from Charlottetown, and P.E.I.'s newest winery, Newman Estate Winery, focuses mainly on fruit wines ( www. tourismpei.com/wineries-distilleries ). THE NORTH: BEER TRIUMPHS Just opened in the fall of 2015 is NWT Brewing Company (www.nwtbrewingco. com). Suffi ce to say, with over 700 licenced wineries and a growing number of craft distilleries and breweries, the traveller will never go thirsty in Canada. niaGara-on-tHe-LaKe • on toUriSM DRINK