Kawartha Country Wines

This weekend we had our first (but hopefully not the last) Fall field trip-we went to Kawartha Country Winery and visited some other surrounding attractions. Capa stayed home to “take care of some business”, so me and my boyfriend set off with two friends -Ilona and Val. We got really lucky with the weather-it was sunny for the entire day, with temperature going up to 11C in mid-afternoon.
Our first stop was Kawartha Country Winery-a small, privately-owned business that boasts a selection of unique fruit-flavored wines (don’t be fooled by their sweetness-they go up to 15% vol.alc). We drove from Toronto, and by noon we were at the winery. The grounds are really small but beautiful, with multicolored trees and yellowish grass. The owner, John Rufa, is a very nice middle-aged gentleman who used to live in TO until recently. He also happened to teach in my High School! John appears very knowledgeable about his products and was eager to explain the differences between Late Harvest and Ice Wines (one was $10 and another was $30). John’s wife was behind the tasting counter and was kind enough to let us taste a selection of their products.. My God, almost all the wines were so nice that I immediately wanted to get some to take home. A few were a bit too sweet for my liking, but Rhubarb Apple and Cranberry Apple were simply amazing. I also got a bottle of Late Harvest Wine for $10. My boyfriend, who was the designated driver and couldn’t drink, went crazy with meat and salad souses, so we left the store with 5(!) different bottles.
We drove 5 minutes to a nearby Chinese restaurant and after a quick meal (that was very average) went walking around Buckhorn. It proved to be a very nice little town with some very picturesc views. We then set off to the Gallery On The Lake, the largest independent artist exhibition/retail space in Ontario. To be honest, I wasn’t greatly impressed by most of the works, but Val got a beautiful framed silk print to take home ($99 for a framed print).
I’ve enjoyed the trip so much, that I will recommend it to everyone. The winery is a must see (so different form Niagara region)and the Gallery is set on unbelievably beautiful grounds.

I am planning a second trip to the Winery closer to the gift-giving season.

F.