After sleeping through alarms and a later than anticipated start, we arrived in Prince Edward County in time for lunch at Norman Hardie’s.  We snagged a seat in the shade, and pizza hot from the wood oven arrived soon after with some cold County Chardonnay. The winery was hopping for a Monday. Amidst the soundtrack of clinking glasses and wine chatter, we mapped out our next stops in the county.  With only a short day to get away to one of our favourite places in Ontario, we planned to squeeze in as many wineries and breweries as we could before hitting the beach.  But we never made it past Norm’s.Once we cleaned our plates, we moved upstairs to the tasting bar. We went through their entire wine list (thank goodness I’ve learned that spitting isn’t rude or gross; it’s entirely necessary if you don’t plan to pass out after one tasting session). First, the whites. There was the County Chardonnay with a nose of buttered popcorn, the esoteric Melon de Bourgogne that has apparently achieved cult status, and dry Rieslings, all perfect for a sunny day. Then we headed back downstairs to the cellar for tastes straight from the barrels: different vintages, blends from the PEC and Niagara vineyards, young wine that still tasted like grape juice, whites and reds. Then back up to the tasting bar to go through all the reds. It was quite an education. (For Tristan, who is studying wine, this kind of thing probably seems closer to normal. He takes notes, asks questions, and knows what’s going on. As for little old me, I can’t believe how much I’ve learned by proxy. But by this point, all I knew for sure was that I was having a reeeeally nice time.) We took a little “break” in between all the tasting to sit on the breezeway with a glass of chard (no spitting this time!), learn about their experiment in traditional Georgian wine, and admire the vineyard.

By the time we tasted it all, it had been almost four hours since we arrived. But rather than feel like we had overstayed our welcome, we were blown away by the hospitality of the whole crew. A big thank you to all of the staff for sharing their time and knowledge, especially Katie, Chris, Will, and of course, Norm, for such a lovely day. We can’t wait to come back.

It was nearing closing time for any other potential stops in the county when we finally got out of their hair, so we headed straight to the beach. Our Riesling paired dreamily with Lake Ontario, I’d highly recommend the combination.

I suppose it might sound hyperbolic to say it was a perfect day, but it was pretty darn nice. Thanks again, PEC!

Tortilla Breakfast Sandwiches

We managed to get on the road much earlier when we went to Prince Edward County last September, and since Tristan was driving, I volunteered to provide a car-breakfast.

I stayed up way too late the night before in the kitchen, making banana muffins and breakfast sandwiches, ensuring I’d have coffee ready to go in the morning…we had just started seeing each other, and though I wouldn’t have admitted it, I was eager to impress.

Breakfast was pretty well received (I mean, we still hang out every once in a while), so I made them again for this trip. Whether you’re looking to impress or just wanting to treat yourself to a tasty breakfast, here’s one of my favourite/easiest ways:

What you’ll need:
One Spanish tortilla
A croissant
Sharp cheese
Greens
Mayonnaise/Dijon mustard/a little combo

Three easy steps:
1. Make your tortilla and cut in to sandwich-sized strips.
2. Stuff everything neatly in to a fresh croissant.
3. Enjoy!