If you’re in Prince Edward County looking for a unique wine tasting experience, take a turn down Closson Road. Peeping out behind a thicket of trees is a wooden sign welcoming you to The Grange of Prince Edward Estate Winery.
Turning onto a gravel lane, you’ll soon find yourself pulling up to a large wooden barn. With a chicken coop. Overlooking a tree-lined vineyard. This is The Grange, one of my favourite wineries in the County!
The Grange is one of PEC’s largest vineyards. The winemaking team is mother-daughter duo Caroline Granger and her daughter Maggie. They built the winery from the ground up on the family farm. Growing 7 varieties of grapes on 60 acres of vines, they produce a diverse portfolio of low intervention wines, made from 100% estate-grown fruit.
Inside the rustic barn is a show-stopping tasting room with a floor to ceiling stone fireplace. Wines are displayed throughout the room and a large tasting bar stands in the middle of the room.
The smell of freshly popped popcorn wafts through the air — there’s a barrel of it by the tasting station, with different flavoured salts so you can DIY your own flavoured popcorn as you taste test wines. Water is also readily available. There is lots of comfortable seating around the room, next to large windows overlooking the grounds.
They offered a few different wine tasting options while I was visiting, included complimentary tastings for wine club members, a summer edition wine flight, or a pick-your-own flight. My bestie and I both opted for the last option, which included three tasting glasses for $8.
The first was their County Crémant ‘Citrine’ 2012. Crémant is a group of sparkling wines made with the same technique as Champagne, but from outside the Champagne region. This one is made with a blend of 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. It had 24h skin-contact giving it a gorgeous golden hue. It has notes of brioche, citrus, baked apple, and a hint of florals. It has a nice crisp finish and a really nice fizz. I enjoyed it.
The second wine was truly unique. The Chardonnay ‘Untraditionale’ 2013 is a pét–nat (Pétillant-Naturel) style bubbly that is made by bottling the wine before primary fermentation is finished, without the addition of secondary yeasts or sugars. It’s the oldest method of producing sparkling wine, but it’s also the riskiest. This wine is a little uncommon.
I’d recommend this leggy wine to adventurous wine drinkers. It has a funky fresh-baked bread flavour, with a bit of tartness from notes of kiwi and pink grapefruit pith. There’s a light hint of fennel too. It’s cloudy and more frothy than effervescent. I tried this wine out of curiosity and was so intrigued by it that I bought a bottle.
The last wine I tried was the Spiced White. The winemakers wanted to explore flavours that could complement the fruit and minerality from The Grange’s terroir. So, they cold infused cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, clove, and ginger with a white grape blend. It’s a fun chai-like wine that would be delicious with pumpkin pie, tortière, and cheesecake. It can be served chilled or warmed like mulled wine. The Grange also makes Sangria with this. For some reason, I only opted for a glass of this wine and I regret not buying a bottle. My Bestie got a glass of the Sangria.
Besides great wines, The Grange also offers picnics on the grounds! The picnic baskets include a variety of local products that can be enjoyed on the winery’s grounds. They also come with utensils, plates, a board, napkins, and a tablecloth.
Our basked included:
- Fifth Town Artisan Cheese’s Cape Vessey, an award-winning naturally cave aged, washed rind cheese made from 100% fresh local goat’s milk (this is actually one of my favourite cheeses ever!);
- Empire Cheese Factory’s hand-crafted Extra-old Cheddar;
- La Cultura Salumi air-dried salami and bresaola (kind of like a beef version of prosciutto, very delicious);
- Wood-oven baked bread, made in-house;
- Popcorn with garden herb salt;
- Homemade pickled veggies;
- Apples from the orchard;
- Wine jelly made with The Grange’s wine;
- Cressy Mustard’s “Grange Grainy”, hand-crafted, small batch mustard made using Grange Gamay Noir wine;
- and Maple Tarts from Maple Key Tart Co!
All the food was absolutely delicious. It was the perfect portion for a hot sunny day too. I personally thought the tablecloth and wooden board were nice touches that really elevated the experience!
We had the option of sitting inside or choosing one of the picnic tables outside. We chose a picnic table overlooking the vineyard. We absolutely loved how we could enjoy our meal with a view of the very vines that produced the grapes for our wine!
But, the most magical part of the experience, for me, was the chickens and roosters. Yes, really!
Remember the chicken coop I mentioned earlier? There are friendly chickens and roosters running free-range around the property! I think they are used to visitors feeding them because they followed us to and from the picnic area. I’m not sure if the popcorn was for us or for the birds, but we definitely had a blast sharing it with them! If we stopped paying them enough attention, the rooster would call us out and the chickens would hop onto the bench. It was hilarious!
All in all, you absolutely need to visit The Grange if you are in Prince Edward County. Sip amazing wines and munch on tasty local food — while making new feathery friends — on a gorgeous winery estate. It’s the spot for a perfect picnic!