vankleek hill vineyard

Visited the winery today and of course being mid November there weren't any grapes to see in the vineyard, however, the owner did take us out to the vineyard and taught us a bit about the grapes that grow in our cold weather. This hearty breed of grape could grow in -40 degree weather! He said that if he laid out the grape vines they would stretch 8 kms.! We then went inside where we got to taste the different wines. He has white, red and rose wines which go by the amusing names of Purple Cow, Pink Cow and Yellow Cow?? After trying all three wines, I settled on a bottle of the Pink Cow which is the rose. A great little wine for $15.00. By the way, he grows the grapes without any pesticides and I think he said he's certified organic. A nice little distraction if you're in the area.

I saw this winery listed as a 'place to visit' while on a tour of the eastern tip of Ontario, so while passing through Vankleek Hill we stopped to see what was what. The facility is quite new and tidy, and their products are completely organic. We tasted both the red and rose and found them to be very "young", but hope the red (which we purchased) will improve with age. I think this winery has potential, but needs some time to polish their product a bit more to reach the established standards of Ontario wines. I prefer the products from Domaine du Cervin, a winery located near Chesterville ON, but think that Vankleek Hill Vineyard will improve.

My two daughters, my Great grandson and myself decided to take a drive to visit the many attractions of this town. Our first stop was the Purple Cow Winery. We tried a sampling of their white, their rose, and their red. We of course bought one of each, as well as some cheese and crackers. The winery is off the main road, so my Great grandson was able to have fun without our worrying about traffic, and loved listening to the birds, etc. We then stopped at the Sunntyside Alpaca Ranch, thinking that he would be bored if we just did adult things, as he is 6 going on 7. To our suprise, we enjoyed it as much or more than he did. The owner came out to greet us, along with his two friendly poodles, that were so happy to see visitors. We walked around and he told us all about how he got started with this venture, and how he has people (as well as others in and around the area) come up from New Brunswick to shear the Alpacas (he and his wife have named each and every one of them) and then they have knitters who make Shawls, Pashminas, Afghans, mittens, scarves, hats, etc., for sale along with the wonderfully soft wool (almost like cashmere to the touch). These animals are all Award Winning Alpacas, both single and double registered, etc. Once again, although Damien was very interested, there was a lot of room for him to run with the dogs, an old fashioned swing hung from a big old tree, so it was very enjoyable. We then headed to Beau's Brewery, where we took a tour - and although we had done this to the Keith's Brewery (the original one in Nova Scotia) and the Kidi Vidi one in Newfoundland, this was the biggest one we have seen so far. We enjoyed a tour of the operations, and then enjoyed a sampling of their Lug Tread beer, and I tried the Festivale, which was their Seasonal - Summer brew. Of course we had to purchase a few of these.By this time we were getting hungry, so we went into the main town, which is beautiful. All the old fashioned Gingerbread houses, which are so pretty. We went to the Trillium Tea Room, which had a great variety of sandwiches for their luncheon specials, which were delicious, and served by very friendly people. After this, we took in the Museum, saw the stores with the great hand painted murals on the side, and then on to Higginson Tower. Unfortunately, there were many stairs to climb in this tower, so I let my daughters and Damien do this, while I waited in the car. It was almost closing time, but they were allowed to go to the top, and take a few pictures,. They also got many pictures of artifacts, etc., on the walls inside the tower.All and all, it was a great trip, and a fun way to spend the Saturday before Labour Day. We headed home tired, but happy that we went and intend to return soon, and have been told of various things of interest in the upcoming months..

I visited a lot of vineyards in Europe and it was fun to see the Canadian way of brewing wine. It are just small differences but it makes a total different taste then the traditional European wines. Really nice to visit and try some wonderful wines!

I usually don`t write about restaurant or places like this but I figured I would share this with all of you. I have tried many wineries in the Niagara region, and as beautiful as they are Vankleek hill wineries is unique, it`s the only one I know that`s located on the Ontario-Quebec border just off AutoRoute 417 basically next to Hawkesbury. Having been there several times I just love the ground around this winery, this property is huge I mean huge. The owner Marty is most interesting and is totally passionate about his work, as some say he knows his grapes and he can explain in detail everything anyone could want to know about making wine. There is a centennial farmhouse one of the oldest in this area and grape fields growing all around this property, truly beautiful. There`s also a few tables gathered around if you want to bring a bite and just buy a bottle of his wine. His white wine and rose are amongst my favorites, you can also try some fine cheeses that are also locally made. It seems that every time I`ve gone to this place there`s always something going on. I believe this place is open seven days a week like 9 to 5 and although you won`t find a selection like at the LCBO, the experience of being there is well worth the detour. Cheers to all!

After my mom saw the winery on Regonal Contact, we headed up to check it out. Growing up on a farm in Hawksburry, the close local winery struck our interest. We made the 2 hour drive and picked up a case of mixed Purple Cow, Yellow Cow and Pink Cow. Enjoying a glass of Yellow Cow right now. The owner was wholesome, and very knowledgable. His prompt email response in regards to a tour and tasting was greatly appreciated. Definatly will be back! Wish it was in LCBO stores, because the trip from Petawawa ON is a good treck; but we will stock up when we are there!

My friends and I stopped by at Vankleek Hill Vinyard a few times and let me tell you guys that this place has a lot of potential. We've been delighted by the charm of the instalations and also by the knowledge on the vinery we got from talking with the owner.If we consider the climat up here in the Hawkesbury area, the wine is extremely good and can be compared with some pretty good little vintages that you can find at the LCBO. Obviously, the owner knows his grape and how to transform it to assure us a wonderful result.To all the organic and local supporters, my friends and I suggest you do try this remembering experience and judge by yourselves how people from eastern ontario can share their passion and make their dreams come true. Charles-O

We really enjoyed our visit here after going to the Beau's Brewery just before. The owner greeted us and immediately started a great rapport. We learned how his wines are all organic and all about the special grapes they use from Minnesota. He brought us out back to show us the grapes on the vines and explained the whole fermentation process in the building. We bought several of the wines (white and Rose) and some of the great cheese they sell from the Lancaster area. He explained why Cows are used on their labels (his wife painted them...they are the neighbors cows). We will definitely be back for the Red when it is ready!!

I stopped by this place while visiting some friends in the area. I was delighted by the colorful Warhol-style artwork of cows by the owner's wife, the provincial style shop, and the delicious fruity wine. I can't wait until summer 2011 when they start having more events and selling their wine/cheese/baguette baskets to enjoy outside. The best part was the wine was surprisingly good--fruity with no bite, all natural, free to taste and not too expensive! I liked it so much I bought a whole case. When I asked the owner about the production and the land and all that he informed us he had spent years working for various companies including Mumm, that the soil in the area has good drainage and is perfect for growing grapes, and that he doesn't believe in getting too pretentious with pairing like other companies do, but rather pokes fun at the idea on his bottles which state "our wine goes well with friends." I highly recommend visiting this place if you're in the area during the summer!

My friends and I decided to stop by this winery while out that way on one of trips to Beau's Brewery and we were very pleasantly surprised at the place. Opened for less then a year, the Vankleek Hill Vineyard has a very nice little shop which opens onto the bottling and wine making area. The owner Marty entertained us with stories of his travels, some recipes and we got to learn all about the wine. We picked up a bottle of his Yellow Cow, a sweet white wine (the red and rose will be bottled later this spring/summer), and we enjoyed it that night.We will make sure that anytime we pass through the area we will stop by for more wine.