Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the extra hour of shut-eye from us ‘falling back’ last night. I realize this is a controversial opinion, but I actually don’t mind daylight savings time that much – I’ve been trying, slowly but surely, to transform myself into an early bird… and that little bit of extra sunlight in the mornings makes it that much easier!
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you probably know how much I love Ontario wines – and more specifically, the Ontario wineries that produce them! Sure, you can always pick up a bottle at your local LCBO, but there’s nothing like visiting a winery in person, talking to the winemakers themselves, tasting and learning about the different varietals, and getting a behind-the-scenes look at where those grapes actually come from. Wine tastings are one of my favourite activities… especially those that take place outdoors. Not only is ‘al fresco’ one of my favourite ways to drink and dine (everything just tastes better in the fresh air!) but there’s no prettier backdrop for a wine tasting than lush, rolling vineyards. Now that we’re in November, you may assume you’ll have to wait several months to enjoy your next al fresco wine tasting, but I’m happy to report that’s not the case… at least not at Cox Creek Cellars!
At this award-winning winery in Guelph, you can enjoy an outdoor wine tasting in any season. Curl up by a wood-burning firepit, bundle yourself in a plush throw blanket, and settle in for a cute and cozy tasting experience. Tania and I recently visited Cox Creek Cellars to try out their fireside wine tasting for ourselves, and we had the best time! It’s the perfect fall date idea, and I can’t wait to share it with you all. P.S. Read to the end for a special giveaway surprise!
Cox Creek Cellars is located smack dab in the middle of Guelph and Elora – it’s about a 15-minute drive from either of the downtown cores – on 55 acres of pristine countryside. The winery was founded in 1998 by the Trochta family, who still own and operate the business today. The Trochtas starting by producing fruit wines, made from 100% Ontario-grown fruit, using traditional European winemaking methods. Within five years, their wines had won over 100 awards – and over 25 years later, they’re still going strong! While fruit wines are still the cornerstone of their business, Cox Creek has since expanded their offerings to include traditional red and white wines, hard apple cider, and even a non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Tania and I had been wanting to visit Cox Creek for a while, so we were excited to check it out!
When we arrived, we headed straight into the wine shop, where we were greeted by Diane Finoro, the winery’s director of sales and operations. The shop features bottles of Cox Creek Cellars’ award-winning wines, a stunning selection of hand-crafted charcuterie boards by Pura Vida Wood Co., and a medieval knight (bet you didn’t expect that!) The knight is an artifact belonging to the owners, dating back to 1485-1535 A.D.
The menu offers 8 different flights to choose from, each with a specific theme – from Fan Favourites to VQA Wines to Celebration (i.e. sparkling wines and ciders… though personally I think all wines are worthy of celebrating!) You can also customize the flights if you’d like. We chose From The Farm, a selection of dry and semi-dry fruit wines: the Back Home and Country Sunrise (black currant), and the Evening Romance and Apple Dream (apple). We also did a Rosé All Day flight, but substituted two of the roses for a Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The other two were the Country Symphony #6 (apples and raspberries) and Apple Sunset (apples and black currant.)
After we selected our wines, Diane led us out to our firepit, where we settled in for the tasting. Cox Creek firepit reservations are private (minimum of two guests required) so you’ll get it all to yourselves! The firepits are surrounded by Muskoka chairs, stocked with plush throw blankets for chilly days, and offer beautiful views of the property.
If you’re feeling peckish and want a snack to accompany your wine tasting, Cox Creek has got you covered! We ordered a charcuterie board, which was beautifully presented and overflowing with cured meats, various cheeses, grapes, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, jam, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds. It was served with a basket of assorted crackers. The charcuterie board costs $39.99 and has enough food to serve as a light lunch for two (or a snack for four to six.) For an additional $10, you can upgrade to their larger board, which feeds four as a light meal, or up to ten as a snack. (Note that charcuterie must be pre-ordered online at least 48 hours prior to your visit.)
In my opinion, there’s no better way to spend a fall afternoon than sitting around a cozy fire, sipping wine, nibbling on gourmet cheeses, and admiring the foliage. We enjoyed all the wines we tried, but my absolute favourites were the Riesling, Apple Dream and Country Symphony #6 – and #6 was the #1 for both Tania and I! The blend of sweet raspberries and crisp, tart apples made for a fruity, light and refreshing wine with the perfect hint of sweetness.
Cox Creek Cellars isn’t one of those wineries that rush you through your tasting experience – they encourage visitors to relax, stay awhile, and enjoy their beautiful property. There are cornhole boards on the lawn for anyone who may want to play a game…
…or, why not go for a stroll along the Cox Creek Trail? This 2.3 km walking trail takes visitors through the vineyard, forest, meadow and ponds on the 55-acre property. It’s open all year round, dog-friendly (provided they are leashed) and you can even take your wine with you! Just ask for one of their travel tumblers. The trail is free and open to the public during winery business hours. We enjoyed a beautiful walk in the autumn sunshine… I love this time of year when every hour feels like golden hour.
We then returned to our firepit and settled in for the second part of our experience: a chocolate and wine pairing session! This experience pairs four samples of Cox Creek Cellars wine with four chocolate truffles from I Love Chocolate, a chocolatier in nearby Fergus. The pairings consisted of Cox Creek’s Feel Free sparkling wine with a white raspberry truffle, their White Cuvée with a lemon truffle, Red Cuvée with an amaretto truffle, and Red Velvet with a dark raspberry truffle.
Feel Free is an alcohol-free sparkling wine, and Tania and I were both very impressed with it – you’d never know it was non-alcoholic! Every non-alcoholic sparkling ‘wine’ I’ve ever tried tastes like bubbly fruit juice, but this was crisp, dry and absolutely delicious. I always like to have non-alcoholic options on hand when entertaining, so that anyone who doesn’t drink can join in the celebration too. This is a great celebratory alternative to have on hand!
As for my favourite wine and chocolate pairings: it has to be a tie between the White Cuvée/lemon truffle and Red Velvet/dark raspberry truffle. Although orange-flavoured chocolate has been popular forever, you don’t see lemon chocolate too often… but I just tried my first a few months ago and fell in love. The citrusy freshness of the lemon complements the rich sweetness of the chocolate so well. It’s definitely a unique flavour combination, but one worth trying!
I love a good dessert wine, and Cox Creek Cellars’ Red Velvet may just be my new favourite. Made exclusively from estate-grown black currants, it’s smooth, full-bodied, fruity and sweet – but not overly so. It’s a multiple award-winner, and after one sip, I could see why!
If you’d like to enjoy your own tasting experience at Cox Creek Cellars, you can book directly on their website. Standard tasting flights – which include four 2-ounce wine samples – are $18 per person, and can be enjoyed indoors or outdoors. Firepit tastings are $33 per person with a minimum party size of two, and include a private firepit rental. Click here to pre-order charcuterie boards/cheese and cracker plates, and/or to book the chocolate and wine pairing session, which I strongly recommend – it was definitely a highlight of our experience! Cox Creek Cellars is open year-round, and you can book firepits into January – a great Christmas gift for the wine-lovers in your life! You can also purchase any of their wines directly from their website.
I’m so excited to announce that I’ve partnered with Cox Creek Cellars to give one lucky contest winner a free fireside wine tasting for four! Click here to enter the giveaway – I’ll be drawing the winner on November 12. Good luck!
What are some of your favourite fall date ideas? If you have any great suggestions, please send me an email or drop them in the comments – I’d love to hear your recommendations! Until next time, I hope you all have a great week ahead.
Our experience at Cox Creek Cellars was generously hosted by the winery. As always, all opinions and thoughts are entirely my own.
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