What Does Alex Do on His Days Off?????

Well I was going to post something different here tonight, but what the hell, I had one of those spontaneous days.  And it was a nice day at that. 
Let's see, I got out of bed around 9, had breakfast, sat around for a bit and then decided it was time for a trip to the Niagara region.  So off we go, of course stopping at Planet Bean on the way out to get a cappuccino and an iced Americano.  It is a bit of a tradition when heading down that way and we didn't take the time to have any caffeinated beverages this morning.
So we pull off in the usual area in Grimsby and drive along the back roads and come across one of our usual vendors.  Moments later, cherries.  There is nothing like eating cherries in the car and spitting the seeds out the windows (hey they are organic and decompose).
So as usually happens, we stop at wineries, and this time we found 1 new one on the map, Back 10 Cellars. The ambiance in the winery is spectacular:  instead of a tasting bar, there are tasting tables and the owner serves the tastings himself.  It is a very rustic setting to say the least, in an old farmhouse.  We tried 3 wines:  Riesling, Rose and a Cab Franc.  All of them were spectacular, the Cab Franc aged in american oak quite surprisingly, but with new, 1, 2  and 3 year old barrels, producing a spectacular red wine.  The Riesling was full of mineral, but still true to the grape, an excellent balance for those who like this wine with a mild petrol taste.  The owner suggested we try our next destination, Kew Winery.
Kew Winery is located almost within Beamsville, and is up on a hill overlooking the road.  This winery is also set up in that there are tables for tasting rather than a bar. The house itself is old, has a very rustic setup, and awesome outdoor patio (today was a bit hot to do so).  So six wines later, the winner were the red made from mostly Cab Sauv and some Cab Franc, the Fume Blanc was a hit with me, but also an unusual wine, Marsanne Viognier.  It is a blend of 3 grapes, two of which are difficult to grow here in Ontario, while it is difficult enough to find anyone who does viognier.  I would suggest stopping here if you are interested in some really good wines.  The chardonnay is worth mentioning as well, a fine, crisp, but oak-aged beast full of vanilla and butter notes, but balanced such that it isn't over done on the oaking.
Now, onto the last tasting stop, my favorite distillery and one I might've have mentioned, Dillons Small Batch Distillery.  This place first came to my attention with its gin made from grapes no less, with 22 botanicals.  It kicks fucking ass.  They have had a cherry gin and rose gin I have wanted to taste, and well I got to taste them today.  The Cherry Gin is made from a more limited gin botanical wise, and is sweet enough to drink it neat, and it doesn't taste like cherry cough syrup either.  The rose gin is much similar, but of course tastes of roses.  This whole tasting led to a small conversation on the voodoo gin, as the server had not had it yet, and I warned him it was bright yellow gin, and when mixed with tonic, it turns to piss yellow and will give you some wicked ass dreams.  He has been warned.
The final part of the day was spent getting more cherries and then having a meal at Suisha Gardens in Niagara Falls, pretty much a twenty year tradition.
Then it was home.  Now I know for my overseas readers, it will be tough to get in to try any of these, for local readers, I always say get your ass down to Niagara and discover what it is all about, wineries and all.  A quick message to me and I can plan an entire tour for you, or if I have time, hell I will guide the tour.  With the impending fruit season, it is even more perfect as you can stop and get local fresh fruit and support all the local farmers (the owner at Back 10 Cellars offered to have me in to farm the land for a week, not knowing I did work 10 years on a farm. I just might do it).  The wines I tasted are only available at the wineries, and let's be clear here, with Niagara wines, the best are kept at the wineries.  Many of Dillons products are available at the LCBO and just plain rock. 
Next installment here, not sure yet, but I have a few written and ready to go!!

I was drinking this neat while writing this entry.