We'll leave the moaning to others this week as we bask in the latest offerings from Niagara Wine Country. Our traditional celebration of our years together (now marking #39) began yesterday, when we made our way along the QEW to Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Shaw Festival. We dove right in to the theatre experience - there is nothing like live theatre! - to take in The Mountaintop (K. Hall) in the afternoon and Arms and the Man (G.B. Shaw) in the evening - a very civilized beginning to 5 days of absolute pleasure. Later in the week we take a seat to experience The Charity that Began at Home (St.John Hankin) and When We Are Married (J.B. Priestly).
Today the Shaw is 'dark', and so the entire day is dedicated to wine. We are not just tasters but serious buyers who love the smaller wineries. It is not unusual for us to truck home 7+ cases of reds and whites, most of which are only available at the wineries. But this year we are going to cut back...
Yeah, well we say that every year. Here is our record of "cutting back" from past years:
- 2009: 75 bottles purchased
- 2010: 69
- 2011: 74
- 2012: 91
- 2013: 88
There are four vineyards on our list today, three are our 'old' faves - Angel's Gate, Thirty Bench, and Vineland Estates (I'm looking forward to a lovely lunch at Vineland); one is a new favourite - Kew Vineyards. I've got the list of wines currently in our cellar; I've got the tasting notes from all the wines to cross our palate; and, I've got a box of crackers for consumption between wineries. Now it's off to a good breakfast then out to the vineyards. I can smell the grapes and hear the cannon shots that keep the birds away. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!
So while my love and I are out among the vineyards today, enjoy some images of past adventures in the grape stomping grounds of Niagara:
©2014 April Hoeller
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