We ‘re all set to enjoy a tour of three of Prince Edward County’s award winning wineries, and a much anticipated, relaxing and delightful stay over at the Timberhouse Country Inn located in Brighton. http://www.timberhouse.net Joining us on our tour, a new cast, Sandra Ausma, the winner of our Lenzr www.lenzr.com photo contest, her partner John as well as Dave Dingle of Shrinkway and Rob Campbell, director of the contest. Caption: Timberhouse Country Inn “ Great Room” A fabulous trio of wineries and personalities make up our itinerary including Caroline Granger, co-founder of The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards & Estate Winery http://www.grangeofprinceedward.com , Dan Sullivan, of Rosehall Run Vineyards Inc. www.rosehallrun.com , and Closson Chase www.clossonchase.com winemaker Deborah Paskus. These wineries are collectively producing some of the finest Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs coming out of the county, if not the province, according to United Kingdom Master of Wine and international wine journalist Jancis Robinson. The excursion begins at the Timberhouse Country Inn Resort, set amongst majestically standing mature trees, it is on the edge of a major wildlife corridor and a nationally significant wetland. As we slowly drive up to the entranceway, any recent thoughts of the lunacy of the 401 quickly fade and a sense of peace and well being ensues. We are greeted at the Timberhouse by owner Dave Dingle and his beautiful partner Michelle, glass in hand, beckoning us to come in, “we’ve gotten a head start, hope you don’t mind” they announce as we are welcomed into the Great Hall, brimming with charm and warmth as the fireplace cackles and the sound of chatter and laughter is instantly contagious. Lounging on the comfy sofas, Debbie and Bill Watson, winners too of a second Lenzr photo contest are clearly enjoying the moment, nibbling on homemade guacamole and salsa with tri-coloured tacos for dipping, while sipping on a Gewurztraminer and a Riesling courtesy of Rosehall Run Vineyards Inc. Caption: In the barrel cellar with Caroline Granger Introductions are made, conversations flow effortlessly and before too long the Great Hall is roaring with chatter and laughter. “Our chariot awaits”, of modern times, a gleaming white stretch limo, first stop The Grange Winery… Welcoming us to the tasting room, Caroline Granger, she does not disappoint… a gracious host, passionate, soft spoken and with a fine penchant for story telling we quickly realize. While sipping on winemaker Jeff Innes’ inaugural sparkling wine, (PEC’s first VQA bubbly) a 50% blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay each, simply delicious, we learn about the property and the origins of this Loyalist patented Trumpour farm, over 200 years old, which is honoured with the Trumpour’s Mill wine label today. The winery produces two lines, the original Trumpour’s Mill as well as the more recent premium wines Grange of Prince Edward. Caption: The Grange French Oak barrels After a brief and enlightening visit to the cellars,we are once again escorted to the tasting room and enjoy two 2007 Pinot Noirs; the first Trumpour’s Mill VQA http://www.grangeofprinceedward.com/TrumpoursMillPinotNoir2007.html with a wonderful fresh cherry nose, soft tannins and bright acidity and the second from the premium Grange line, Grange Diana Block Pinot Noir VQA. http://www.grangeofprinceedward.com/GrangeDianaBlockPinotNoir2007.html Caroline went on to explain how for this Pinot Noir the grapes are hand sorted and the wine is gravity fed to French oak barrels. She recounts the story, she dove into the bin to rescue a bunch of grapes that didn’t quite make the grade. Five of her best Mexican friends who routinely work here every year, had a good chuckle, as did she but warned the next time they would be the one diving in and getting all “juicy”! This Pinot Noir won over our hearts, with the black and red ripe, cherry fruit, a roundness on the palate, soft and sweet tannins with a lingering finish. We bid farewell, thank Caroline for her generosity and re-embark; next stop Closson Chase. Familiar to us on numerous counts, we’ve had Sonja Smits, co-owner of Closson Chase on our radio show (great lady and fine actress), this winery has garnered loads of praise, including being lauded by Jancis Robinson, as per above; she’s a big wheel in the world of wine. Closson Chase, a relatively new winery in a very new and exciting wine region has over 30 acres of limestone-rich soil under vines of the classic Burgundian varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Winemaker Deborah Paskus is one of Canada’s most celebrated winemakers and is committed to small yields and French inspired vinification. At the tasting room, Deborah is not around, we were over an hour past due our appointment, however we are greeted by Lynn Carmichael at the tasting bar. Ready to pour, to chat and very importantly ready to furnish us, the boisterous dozen, with a second freshly baked loaf of bread, still warm from the oven. Lynn pours us two Chardonnays, both ’07, one from the PEC property and the other from Beamsville in Niagara. We remark and vote on the wonderful and ample virtues of both, with the Niagara wine gaining most points. Both delish, with the Beamsville Chardonnay, being from vines thirty years of age as opposed to six (in PEC), The Beamsville Chardonnay is more layered, more luscious, buttery, with slightly less acidity than the PEC. Caption: It’s all about Chardonnay at Closson Chase that day. Rosehall Run Vineyards Inc. http://www.rosehallrun.com is next, and our final destination. It’s still pouring outside, the limo drops us off as close as possible. We make our way to the winery, our stilettos digging holes in the dirt, (vanity prevails once again) entering through a side door… no establishing shot here, where Dan Sullivan, winemaker and vineyard manager (had a real artistic winemaker flair about him… we liked him right away) greeted us with his big brown expressive eyes, with a gleam and a passion that lit up the whole room! Heck… we didn’t even need a flash for our camera with all of that! Caption: Looks like we will be here awhile filling The Wine Ladies signature glass Rosehall Run located in the heart of Hillier wine district, was established in 2001 by Lynn and Dan Sullivan. With over 30,000 vines planted comprised mainly of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Chardonnay Musque and Ehrenfelser, (a variety widely planted in B.C ) Rosehall produces a good variety of wines with an excellent reputation for consistent high quality. Dan was awarded the 2006 Prince Edward County Artevino award for winemaking excellence and has also been the recipient of numerous international awards. Caption: 2006 Prince Edward County Artevino Award Dan led us on a comprehensive tour throughout the winery, including barrel tastings of his Cab Franc, numerous Pinot Noir, his Sullyzwicker, a Syrah from Steve Singer’s neighboring vineyard Fieldstone and more. It was tough keeping up with Dan as he flitted to one set of barrels to another in his excitement to share. We finally landed upstairs to finish with Dan sending us off with a host of wines to enjoy at home and in the limo. One of our absolute favorites was the 2007 Pinot Noir Rosehall Vineyard VQA PEC . Someone commented that it was a “pretty” wine, silky, seductive, and smooth with ripe strawberries and cherries on the nose, ending with a lingering finish. Caption: Enjoying the fruits of the stainless steel tanks labour Meanwhile back at the Timberhouse Resort, the chef is preparing for our return, where upon we are spoiled with a fabulous Thai sauté shrimp appetizer to start and a perfectly grilled melt in your mouth filet mignon, bacon-wrapped and adorned with an herb butter for the main course. A further assortment of wines are displayed on a table where we can pick and choose. Red Tail Vineyards http://www.redtailvineyard.com , an off grid, 100% solar powered winery in PEC has sent us their 2007 Pinot Noir and their Pinot Gris, wonderful… thank you Pauline and Gilbert Provost, Huff Estates www.huffestates.com has their 2008 Riesling Off-Dry there for the taking and enjoyment as well as an array of wines from the trio of wineries we visited that day. And what a day, and night! We are all totally satiated, relaxed and feeling mighty fine, enjoying these fabulous wines of Prince Edward County one sip at a time!

To view the entire TV show episode, “Beautiful British Columbia and It’s Wines” and to subscribe to the podcast for previous episodes. Click here. www.thatchannel.com/thewineladies Heading over to the west coast of Canada this week, the host of this years’ Winter Olympics, B.C., we had the opportunity to explore the wonderful wines of B.C. many of which have collected THEIR own fair share of bronze, silver and gold! Also deserving of a place on the podium, one of life’s greatest culinary pleasures, the golden marriage of wine and cheese was also discovered and savored. Mark Moffatt sommelier and founder of Dine N’ Vines www.dinenvines.com led us through a wine exploration of the distinguished, award winning wines of Mission Hill Family Estate www.missionhillwinery.com while Gurth Pretty www.cheeseofcanada.ca , author, professional chef and cheese connoisseur brought a selection of delectable cheese to accompany the wine. It simply was a marriage of the golden kind deserving of a gold ring! Beautiful British Columbia and It’s Wines! The Wine Ladies TV! “The Okanagan Valley wine growing region in B.C. is a vast one”, explained Mark Moffatt,” from top to bottom with 1 degree of latitude and many micro climates from Canada’s only desert Osoyoos in the southernmost corner of B.C. to the lush and green Kelowna.” With 5 major DVA’s ( Designated Viticultural Areas), the Okanagan Valley, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Fraser Valley and the Similkameen Valley the province boasts about 175 wineries and a large selection of varietals including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer in the white and Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon being the most prolific for the red. Mission Hill Family Estate Wines has vineyards along the Okanagan Valley from Osoyoos in the south, going north to Naramata and Summerland all the way to Kelowna where grapes are grown in the spring and summer and skiing takes place at Big White Ski Resort in the winter. “With vineyards all along the valley, Mission Hill Family Estate takes the best from each parcel of land, if perhaps too cold in Kelowna, they can crop things back and take grapes for Oliver or Osoyoos to make some of the very finest wines from B.C.”, explained Mark Moffatt. With about 1700 cheeses being made in Canada, how Gurth managed to select just 5 to bring with him that day, we are not sure. His all “Canadian Cheese Team” that day was a spectacular choice from across Canada including two cheeses from B.C., including the Alpindon, a slight hazelnut flavour organic raw cow’s milk cheese and Nostrala a mild flavour cheese similar to an Italian Fontina. From central Canada, Guernsey Curds Riopelle de l’Isle a triple cream brie-like cheese from Quebec and from the east coast, New Brunswick, the Geai Bleu a raw milk blue cheese. Although each of these cheeses are very distinctive and reflect the place where they are made, Canada does not have an AOC type status system. In Europe where certain areas such as France and Spain for example have designated status for cheese production such as Roquefort, France where Roquefort cheese comes from and Manchego cheese which comes from La Mancha, Spain, etc. “Although no official designation in Canada at the moment,” stated Gurth,” there is some talk and perhaps in the not too distant future we might start to see a move to a similar system here in Canada.” For everything and anything to know about cheese pick up a copy of Gurth’s several books including The Definitive Guide to Canadian Artisanal & Fine Cheese and co-author of The Definitive Canadian Wine & Cheese Cookbook. If you want to create the perfect cheese platter follow Canada’s Cheese Guru’s tips. Enjoy! 1. Create platters with different themes (ie. regional, provincial, national, specific types of milk such as raw, pasteurized or organic). 2. Choose three to five cheese. 3. Select different varieties – soft ( ie. Comfort Cream or Camembert) – semi-soft (ie. Niagara Gold or OKA) – firm (ie. a heritage cheddar from a co-op, gouda or Cape Vessey) – hard (ie. Montasio or Parmigiano-Reggiano) – blue (ie. Bleu bénédictin or Geai bleu) 4. Plan for each guest to consume a minimum of 15g (1/2 oz) of each cheese. Have more so you have left-overs. 5. Have a different knife to cut each cheese on the cheese board. “Who cut the brie with the blue cheese knife?” 6. Place signs to identify the cheese. 7. Offer dried fruit, sliced baguette or plain crackers to help cleanse your guests’ palate For a complete podcast of the show go to www.thatchannel.com/thewineladies Wines we tasted on the show and the cheese pairings 1.Prospect Winery Larch Tree Hill Riesling 2007 Gurth’s cheese pairing recommendation: Riopelle de l’Isle from Quebec LCBO # 145136 Price: $13.95 2. Mission Hill S.L.C. Chardonnay S.L.C. Chardonnay2006 Gurth’s cheese pairing recommendation: Alpindon from B.C. VINTAGES 144170 Price: $24.95 3. Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Gurth’s cheese pairing recommendation: Alpindon from B.C. VINTAGES 553321 Price:$22.95 4.Mission Hill Family Estate Compendium 2006 Gurth’s cheese pairing recommendation: Geai Bleu from New Bruswick. To purchase:www.missionhillontario.com/index.cfm Price: $ 40.00