ESSEX COUNTY - This southern Ontario region is on the same latitude as Tuscany and northern California and it too is prime wine country, encompassing two of Ontario's four viticulture regions: Pelee Island and the Lake Erie North Shore. In recent years, a host of new wineries have sprung up through the area, many of them micro operations. Visitors to the area are welcome to tour any of the region's 13 wineries, although some of the smallest, where the winemaker is the jack-of-all-trades, may require some advance notice of the visit. Nevertheless visiting these places can be a very intimate experience, as these visitors to D'Angelo Estate Winery near Amherstburg can attest.
Plan your visit around The Shores of Erie International Wine Fest, held this year Sept. 4-7. Go on-line to visitwindsor.com
