SIAL 2025 Pitch Competition

Published on May 1, 2025May 2, 2025 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Events and Festivals, Food Innovation, SIAL Canada, Sustainability

I mentioned in a previous post that the SIAL Pitch Competition is always interesting – and this year was no exception. The competition gives Canadian and international start-ups in the food and beverage industry the opportunity to pitch their vision to a panel of industry experts and a live audience. Pitches are expected to focus on innovation, sustainability, and food security. The competition recognizes new products, technologies, and services with strong growth potential in North America.

At SIAL 2025 there were 16 pitches: 12 in the product category (or, in industry jargon: CPGs – consumer packaged goods) and four in the food technology category. The competitors have three minutes for their pitches and then they field questions from the judges for two minutes. In their pitch they can include videos, PowerPoint-type slides, music, props, samples, etc.

The amount of energy, enthusiasm, and creativity was quite something. The people doing the pitches generally were the business’ founders and they clearly think of the business as their baby – something they’ve nurtured and grown. They all had a story to tell: the story of how they came up with the idea and why the product or technology matters. They also explain why they think it has wide appeal – if they get the right help and guidance to help them grow their business to the next level.

A sampling of some of the pitches

The first pitch was by one of the founders of Rawcology – an Ontario business started by three sisters. They make allergy friendly, nutrient dense granola and snacks. They make the only nut free granola in the market and they’re looking for a strategic partner to scale up. There was no razzle-dazzle to this pitch – but I loved it. The founder had all the facts and figures down cold and was clear about what they offer, what they’ve achieved so far (they’ve had two orders placed with Costco Canada, for example), and where they see their business going.

When it was Aliments Green Brothers’ turn, four 20-somethings did a skit called “Karaoke SIAL” with the lyrics to the song they created rolling on the screen (ala a karaoke machine). The lyrics included the key facts they wanted to convey about their products, such as their plant-based corn dog. I would give them high marks for creativity, but perhaps they could use a bit more polish. They didn’t win, but I think they came away with some very useful business advice in the form of a question from one of the judges. He asked if they had any intellectual property around their products and they said no – “just our recipes”. On hearing that, a different judge mentioned that they should take care to protect their recipes through things like non-disclosure agreements. That kind of free advice is huge for a young company.

Shannon Armishaw, one of the co-founders of Smoke & Tears, did the entire pitch in rhyme. She described other hot sauces on the market as cauldrons of tears whereas the depth and complexity of Smoke & Tears’ hot sauce is a catalyst for a culinary journey meant to empower people. I’m not sure I followed all that she said, but I admired her commitment to her presentation style, which she maintained even when answering questions from the judges.

The first thing you notice about Goldy’s, is their logo. It shows a girl and a little bear and the famous phrase: This One’s Just Right. They chose that because they believe every family deserves a breakfast that is “just right” – and Goldy’s cereals and oatmeal offer just that. The products are non-GMO, gluten-free, glyphosate-free, plant based, and naturally sweetened.

The company was founded by best friends Daniel Carson and Daniel Schreiber. Carson – the more outgoing, creative of the two – crafted a very clever pitch around a story about what a hard week he had looking after his three kids while his wife was away. It was a cute tale of woe (complete with cute pictures of his kids) and of course, there was a happy ending with his kids having Goldy’s for breakfast. Schreiber – the more the financially focused of the pair – was on hand to provide specific answers to the judge’s questions. He also explained that one of their products is going into space, as NASA placed an order that will be stocked on the space station.

The Prize Winners in the CPG Category

Bronze CPG Category

Two start-ups shared the bronze prize: BONBON Collections and Chien Gourmand.

BONBON Collections is a Quebec business that makes baked goods that are vegan and free of the 10 priority allergens that impact more than 8% of the population. Like other start-ups in the pitch competition, the story behind BONBON Collections is a parent’s desire to respond to a child’s nutrition. In this case, Thao Nguyen, founder and president, had a daughter with food allergies and Thao didn’t want her to daughter to miss out on all the sweet things in life. So, she and her team developed BONBON Collections. They have quite a variety of products – from ready-made cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, to cookies, muffins and other snacks, and even mixes and ingredients for the home baker.

Chien Gourmand is a Quebec company that makes meal boosters for our furry friends. The product, which is meant to be sprinkled on dog’s kibble, is made of natural ingredients that are easier for dogs to digest than processed foods. They use human grade ingredients that provide essential protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals to help keep dogs healthy. Nothing particularly flashy about this pitch, but the judges clearly liked Chien Gourmand’s approach and think it’s a good niche to sell in.

Silver Prize CPG Category

Goldy’s received the Silver Prize.

Gold Prize CPG Category

Nanashake took home the top prize in the CPG category for their plant-based frozen treats. The company was founded by a husband and wife here in Toronto who have a child that has asthma. Because traditional ice cream desserts exacerbated their child’s condition, they were looking for a healthy alternative dessert. They created their line of plant-based frozen desserts (popsicles and soft serve) that are naturally sweetened with bananas (hence the name). One of the interesting tidbits from their presentation is that they upcycle bananas – in other words, they use bananas that are too ripe to be sold as bananas.

Food Technology Winners

Second Place Food Tech Category

Terra Bioindustries is a Toronto company that is conquering food waste. They upcycle brewers’ spent grains (BSG) into plant-based protein and fermentable sugars. Their TERRA Malt is a concentrated syrup that can be used in sauces, confections, and brewing. TERRA Protina is a barley-derived protein concentrate that tastes like bread. It reduces carbs and boosts protein and fiber in baked goods, snacks, pastas, and other products. TERRA Fibra is a high-fibre flour that contains over 60% of dietary fibre and has a mild, malty flavour.

First Place Food Tech Category

New School Food Inc., a Toronto start-up, won first prize in the food tech category. They describe their products as the next generation meat alternative. Their technology aims to mimic the muscle fibres and connective tissue, fats, and other components of meat and fish. Their latest offering is a whole-cut salmon filet made from plants. It was created to look, cook, taste, and flake like salmon and it has the same Omega 3 content as salmon. A number of restaurants across North America have added their plant-based salmon to their menu.

SIAL Toronto – Day 2

Published on April 30, 2025May 1, 2025 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Events and Festivals, Food Innovation, SIAL Canada

The second day of SIAL featured another full agenda, including the SIAL Pitch Competition, which is always interesting. There were 16 pitches: 12 in the product category and 4 in the food technology category. I’ll do a separate post about the pitch competition – and the winners – soon.

Here I want to talk a bit about a couple vendors that piqued my interest for very different reasons.

The Pie Commission
The one booth I knew I was going to look for at SIAL was The Pie Commission’s. I live in the west end of Toronto and The Pie Commission’s first shop was near me. The company, which was started in 2012, is known for its meat pies and its cute logo. Their first store was on a little side street that you kind of had to know how to find.

Turns out, people found the shop once word got out about how good their pies are. Then the company moved their shop to a bigger location that also was a bit easier to find. Good for them, I thought – they must be doing well. Soon I noticed that I could buy Pie Commission products at other specialty food stores – another good sign. And in the past couple months I noticed they were moving into a bigger building not too far from their original location. It’s so big, they’ll be manufacturing there.

Last month I got an email about the SIAL show and it previewed a few exhibitors from the Grocery Sector. I smiled when I saw The Pie Commission’s logo. I dropped them a line to ask about their participation in SIAL and they suggested I stop in at their booth for a brief chat. SIAL is the first big trade show they’ve taken a booth at. Allison Genovese, who does sales and marketing for them, explained that they did a regional show sponsored by Sobeys and it went well, so they thought they’d test the waters at SIAL.

Though I always think of them for meat pies, at SIAL I learned they’ve expanded their product line to include sausage rolls and butter tarts. In fact, their pecan butter tart won Best in Show at Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Contest in 2024. The 6-pack of tarts are baked and frozen, which means you just thaw and serve. Yum…

They’re participating in SIAL now because they’re interested in expanding across Canada and into the U.S. In terms of going into the U.S. market, Genovese said they’re open to doing so as a white label product.

Food is a complicated business

Taste and nutrition are what I focus on when I grocery shop. Like many people, I don’t think much about bacteria and food safety – I take it for granted. Lucky for us, we don’t generally have to worry about things like listeria because there are people in the agro-food industry that are working on ways of ensuring food safety.

I was reminded of this when I came across the Innodal booth. What caught my eye was a video playing on a screen that showed a conveyor belt with what looked like sides of beef tenderloin being sprayed with something. The booth was featuring a product called Inneo. Curious, I stopped and chatted with Laurent Dallaire, CEO of Innodal, a Quebec company.

Dallaire, a biotech engineer and his partner François Bédard, a chemist, developed a natural, peptide-based antimicrobial processing aid that reduces the risk of contamination by listeria spp. Inneo can be directly applied on red meat, poultry, fruits, vegetables, fish, seafood and cheese and it can also be stirred into prepared foods. Dallaire explained that Inneo doesn’t have a taste or odour and it doesn’t leave any residue on the food. And, since it is a processing aid – not an ingredient or additive – it doesn’t need to be added to a product’s list of ingredients. It has been approved by both Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dallaire says they’re working on a natural antimicrobial processing aid to reduce the risk of E. coli and salmonella.

SIAL Toronto 2025 – Day 1

Published on April 29, 2025April 30, 2025 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Events and Festivals, Food Innovation, SIAL Canada

As I headed into the first day of SIAL, I wondered what I might write about. Now, sitting down to review my notes and photos of the day, I have so many things to share. I decided to organized today’s comments around a few themes.

First, a bit about SIAL Toronto. It’s a trade show for the Agri-Food sector. So, food manufacturers, suppliers, processors, packagers, sellers, promoters, financiers, insurers, trade groups, and trade reps are all included. They are there to show off their products and ideas, to learn about trends and innovations, to compete (more on that later), and to network. Tony Melis, CEO SIAL Canada describes the show as being about: What’s new, What’s next, and What’s possible.

Every Booth Tells a Story

You know the old saying: you eat with your eyes first. Well, the booth designers have taken that adage to heart and they’ve added a whopping dash of colour and creativity to create booths that are nearly impossible to walk past.

Here are a few I found particularly eye catching:

Saleh The Good Farm – this company is based in Egypt – they sell frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Honestly – doesn’t this just inspire you to plan a summer dinner al fresco for your family and friends?

Magpie Pizza Artisanale – I snapped this picture before they were fully set up. I don’t think they’d mind – it looks like they just pulled up to a piazza in Rome in their cute little Vespa. You have to think they’d just say, “Come back later for a slice and a lemon soda!”

Fruit&Veg from Europe – trade delegations and associations also sponsor booths. This one is practically a café – complete with a chef doing demonstrations throughout the day. (This was early as they were getting their ingredients – fruits and vegetables – together.)

Smoke & Tears – this booth was in the SIAL Start-up section, which is for businesses in their first six years. This Canadian company makes premium hot sauce. If you look closely in the upper right-hand corner, you can see smoke rising from above the stack of products. Clearly, they take their brand to heart!

Innovation and the Innovation Awards

Among the different competitions at SIAL Canada 2025 is the SIAL Innovation competition. It showcases forward-thinking products in the food and beverage industry. The competition introduces products that reflect emerging trends and that add value to consumers and businesses. An independent jury of international experts evaluates the products based on things like: recipe and composition, packaging, market positioning, and manufacturing processes.

Before the winners were announced we got a sneak peak of the 10 finalists. Among them was a cheese from Quebec that is made from milk from cows that eat only organic grass. The packaging tells the provenance of the nine farms where the cows graze. The idea being that more and more consumers want to know about the sources of their food – from a sustainability and nourishment point of view.

Another of the finalists was a product called Tea for Guys. This product is a response to the recent trend of having teas specifically designed for women, for example, teas marketed as being good for those in menopause. Tea for Guys has blends for vitality, energy, and fasting.

The Innovation Award Winners

The packaging award went to Floating Leaf for their Rice Box. This Manitoba company has been in the wild rice business since 1935. They created a clever package that lies flat but that when you open it up to add water it’s a funky hexagonal bowl. The shape of the package makes it easy to ship and merchandise. They wanted to create a healthier alternative to products like ramen cups and they found a great way of packaging it.

The bronze award went to Case Muraca Co. for their tomato flour. This is a fascinating story. This Italian company came up with a way to use the skin from the tomatoes they would otherwise discard in the manufacturing of their tomato sauce. They upcycle the tomato skins and grind them into a flour that can be used for bread.

The silver award went to La Brasserie San-O Sake for its Amazake Cocoa spread. This spread is made using a Japanese fermentation and so it has less sugar and fat than a traditional cocoa spread.

The gold award went to Buttery- Flavoured Amelina Oil. This product is made from virgin camelina oil that is rich in Omega 3 and vitamin E.

A Particularly Clever Idea

This post is getting long, but I have to share one really cute “packaging” idea. How about a charcuterie cup? There was a European trade group demonstration of how to put together an attractive, tasty charcuterie board. As they were describing it, they passed out samples of the products they were including on the board. The samples were put together in these cute cups. They were easy to carry around and nibble from. Brilliant AND delicious!!

Two Weeks Away

Published on April 15, 2025April 16, 2025 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Events and Festivals, SIAL Canada

The SIAL Canada show is returning to Toronto April 29-May 1, 2025 at the Enercare Centre. SIAL Canada is an event for food industry professionals, but tickets are available to the public.

The 2025 agenda has been announced and the country of honour is Canada. That may sound like a no-brainer (given the name of the show) – but they focus on different countries each year and picking Canada certainly seems a timely choice. Here’s how SIAL describes the choice:

“Canada will take centre stage at SIAL Canada as its official Country of Honour—this is a milestone that goes far beyond recognition: it is a strategic initiative that puts Canada’s food and beverage industry front and center, drives international visibility, and creates lasting impact for Canadian businesses.”

The show has over 1000 Canadian and international exhibitors. There’s a keen focus on innovation and a pitch competition to that spotlight startups. And of course, there’s the famous international cheese competition and all sorts of seminars.

Tickets ae discounted if purchased in advance. Information about tickets and the show can be found here.

Perfect summer weekend: i4C Lobster Roll lunch at Henry of Pelham

Published on July 20, 2024 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Henry of Pelham Family Estate, International Cool Climate Chardonnay, Out and About, St. Catharines Region

I don’t really need an excuse to head to Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery – it’s always been a favourite of mine. But, when I read they were hosting a signature International Cool Climate Chardonnay (i4C) event, I thought a visit there would be a great way to celebrate a friend’s birthday – and I was right!

Today’s event was a lobster roll lunch for two that included two rolls and a bottle of their 2023 Three Hills Estate Chardonnay. Lucky for me, my friend drove so I enjoyed a bit more than my share of the wine – and I have a generous glass left over for later tonight. We shared a picnic bench in the shade with two other women enjoying the lunch and the live music. The scrumptious lobster rolls were made by chef Erik Peacock, whose Short Hills Kitchen is open for the summer at the winery.

Henry of Pelham is off the beaten path (though it’s clearly no secret, as the place was busy), so you really feel you’re out in the country. And at this time of year, the vines and fruit trees of Niagara are green and brimming with the promise of fruit (and wine) to come. (I happened to be down to the Shaw Festival yesterday and we stopped at a fruit farm and picked up some first-of-the-season peaches. It seemed really early to me, and I was pretty skeptical that they’d have much flavour. But, I had one this morning and it was sweet and juicy and the pit came out with no effort, which I love. I can’t imagine how good the later varieties will be!)

After lunch, because it was too nice a day to simply head back to Toronto, we continued along the back roads to 13^th Street Winery for dessert. The place was absolutely hopping with folks enjoying wine, food, and live music. It was terrific seeing so many people out enjoying wine country. And, as you can see from the last photo, wineries aren’t necessarily just for grownups. These young fellows certainly seemed to enjoy the atmosphere and lawn at 13^th Street Winery.

Though I’ve been doing this blog for a long time – I sometimes forget how lovely it is to leave the city and head out into Ontario wine country for a relaxing afternoon.

Wine event eclipsed by mother nature

Published on April 9, 2024April 9, 2024 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Beamsville Region/Grimsby, Events and Festivals, Out and About

Totality meets wine country Ontario – that could be the alternative title to this post.

I live in Toronto and I wasn’t overly excited about the idea of the eclipse. At least, not until I got an email from Cave Spring Vineyard in early March about the Solarbration they were having at their Vineyard Tasting Room.

I’m on a lot of winery mailing lists and Cave Spring’s announcement was the first to hit my inbox – and it sounded like fun: a box lunch catered by RPM Bakehouse (one of my favourite cafés in Jordan Village), a glass of wine, a pair of eclipse glasses (for viewing, not of the drinking kind) and live music. As soon as I got the announcement, I asked a friend who agreed that it sounded fun, and I booked two tickets.

The Niagara region had pre-emptively declared a state of emergency – but that was mainly to help with crowd control right at the Falls. Cave Spring’s Vineyard Tasting Room is in Beamsville and it’s up on the ridge of the escarpment, so fewer crowds than going directly into Niagara Falls.

We figured it might take a couple hours to get there, but traffic wasn’t much worse than normal. And, when we were in Beamsville a bit earlier than expected, we stopped in at another nearby winery first. They were busy for a Monday morning and it was fun to hear others talking about where they were headed to view the eclipse. One couple I knew from wine events said they were headed to Sue Ann Staff (a bit further along) and another couple behind me were talking about Cave Spring’s event. It was fun to know others would be enjoying the region – eclipse or not. (It turns out many of the main Ontario wine regions were in the path of totality and there were winery events – formal and informal – at many.)

Cave Spring’s Vineyard Tasting Room is a beautiful glass building with a nice patio. Because March weather is unpredictable, they set up dining tables inside the building. They had limited the number of people and they did a lovely job – name cards and everything! It turns out indoor dining was a good idea, as it was quite overcast and cooler than I expected.

After lunch we headed out to the patio. As I said – it was quite overcast but there were a few blue patches far off – so most of us just hoped that the blue skies might head our way in time. It took a few minutes to figure out where the sun might be (behind the clouds). I was looking more toward the horizon toward the south west. Thankfully others were looking more up, and soon I too located the elusive sun. It was so cloudy that regular sunglasses were sufficient for the first bit – when the moon shadow made the sun look like a crescent.

Every now and then we’d try the eclipse glasses and as the clouds moved, you could see a snatch of the sun and moon. I had NO idea how dark the eclipse glasses were. Unless the sun was visible through the clouds, you would swear the glasses were opaque! But, we kept watching through them – and hoping… And, low and behold, as totality occurred, the cloud cover thinned enough that we could see exactly what we came to – the bright ring of the sun glowing behind the full moon. We were a small crowd, but you couldn’t help but clap – at the sight and at the good fortune that the clouds moved just at the right time.

Because of the clouds, the day was pretty dark to begin with. I think it made it even more surprising that we noticed how much darker it got during totality. And because I had read something about looking at the horizon looking behind you, I did turn my head (toward the north) and it looked like day break. I snapped a quick photo of that (quite unfocused) – just to remember what it looked like.

Anyway – though I’ve never had anything less than a good time at an Ontario winery – this was clearly a once-in-a-lifetime highlight. Mother nature deserves the credit, but a big thank you – and well done – goes to Cave Spring Vineyard for hosting a great event!

Climate Change – All Year Long

Published on March 16, 2024 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Climate Change, Sustainability

If we were playing a game of free association and I said “impact of climate change on B.C. fruit and grape growers”, I’ll bet wild fires and excessive heat would be the first thing most folks – at least those of us who don’t live in B.C. – would say.

Well, certainly wildfires have not been kind to B.C. wine growers the past few years. But unprecedented cold snaps (December 2022 and January 2024) have been devastating. So bad that last week B.C. Premier David Eby announced the province will provide $70 million in support to help farmers facing vine and orchard damage from extreme weather.

Okanagan fruit growers estimate that 90% or more of their crops (peaches, apricots, plums and nectarines, cherries, and grapes) were wiped out as a result of the January 2024 cold snap. Many fruit trees did not go completely dormant because of a warmer-than-usual start to the winter, which mean that buds were starting to come out in early January. And then the polar-vortex brought frigid temperatures that killed off buds.

The $70 million is meant to help B.C. farmers producing grapes, cherries, tree fruit and berries … replant their vineyards, farms and orchards to make them more resilient to climate change”, according to the B.C. government.

In the announcement, Pam Alexis, Minister of Agriculture and Food said, “This historic investment will help producers replant for a changing climate with more support than ever before, which will strengthen our economy and ensure people can enjoy B.C. fruit and wine into the future.”

As this news shows, climate change is not a seasonal thing.

For those who wonder what a live bud looks like versus a dead bud on a vine, here are a couple photos the late Pat Anderson took at a Niagara-on-the-Lake winery in 2013 — they show a cutting from an active bud and one that had died due to frost.

photo by Pat Anderson — Alive Bud (© Pat Anderson)

Climate Action

Published on February 24, 2024 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Niagara-on-the-Lake Region, Sustainability

Icellars Estate Winery, a certified organic, net zero energy winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is a member of The Porto Protocol, a wine industry initiative aimed at climate solutions. In Icellar’s most recent newsletter they included a link to a documentary called “Seeding the Future” – it’s all about what members of the Porto Protocol have done to make their wineries more sustainable. The Porto Protocol is a global wine network where people in the wine industry share information and knowledge about climate actions they can take to “bring Action to life.”

The documentary is well worth watching as is interesting and informative. The technology and processes these wineries are adopting and the investments they are making is quite breathtaking. Thank you Adnan (owner of Icellars) for sharing the documentary and congratulations on being one of the winemakers featured in the documentary.

Holiday Specials

Published on November 22, 2023 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Henry of Pelham Family Estate

I am on the mailing list of a lot of Ontario wineries. I sign up to receive emails from them because I like hearing what’s going on at the winery. I’m always impressed with the ideas wineries have in terms of events they’re running and Wine Country Ontario-type events they participate in.

This time of year, there’s an added bonus to being on their email list, as LOTS of them are running Black Friday and Holiday specials. For example, the other day Henry of Pelham had a couple of different offers – one for a mixed case and one featuring two bottles of six of their wines – at 24% off! It was a one-day sale, so not much time to debate.

At first, I thought – gosh, I don’t need another case of wine. But I’m hosting a few get togethers and there will be visits to friends where I’ll want to bring along a bottle of wine. Indeed, in thinking about it, I realized I’ll probably go through a case pretty quickly. And the idea of having a nice selection of Ontario wines on hand – and at a handsome discount – made the ultimate decision easy. (I ordered the case that features two bottles of six wines.)

If you’re not on your favourite wineries’ email lists – it’s usually pretty easy to sign up on their website. Alternatively, it’s probably worth checking their site this time of year to see if they have any on-line specials for the holidays – you may find some irresistible special like I did.

A few days in The County

Published on July 12, 2023July 13, 2023 by Ingrid Sapona Category: Dining, Out and About, Prince Edward County Region, Uncategorized

I’m just back from a few days touring around Prince Edward County with two food and wine-loving friends. My friend Sandy and I were visiting Susan and her dozen chickens, who live just outside Belleville.

Before arriving at Susan’s, Sandy and I did a bit of exploring of the western end of Prince Edward County (The County). Our first stop was Loch Mór Cider Co. on Danforth Road in Hillier. Sandy had been there before and she raved about their sour cherry cider. I warned her that I don’t tend to like flavoured ciders, but she assured me it was dry and delicious. We shared their Flight 1, which included their Hopped Cider; Savvy Pomme Sparkling, which is made using Russet apples; Sour Cherry; and Pommeau, which is a fortified cider.

We both loved the Hopped Cider and I must agree – the dark amber Sour Cherry is delicious. The County is known for its ciders and the Loch Mór Ciders do The County proud. Their tasting room is comfortable and their large patio overlooking the young orchard is very relaxing. They serve light bites that they source locally and that change often, but there’s likely to be something you’ll enjoy with a tasting flight or with a glass of your favourite cider.

From there we drove into Wellington for lunch at LaCondesa – a Mexican restaurant I went to last year for the first time and I loved it. They do tacos and tostadas. We ordered two tacos each and they were as good as I remembered. It’s a cute spot with lots of space indoors and a small, well shaded front patio. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a casual, tasty dining option in Wellington.

The next day Sandy, Susan, and I headed back to explore the southern and more eastern end of The County. Susan was kind enough to be the designated driver and our first stop was Lighthall Vineyards in Milford. We had all been there before, but not recently. They have expanded their tasting area and have also started making cheese. (They buy ewe’s milk from a local farmer and they craft the cheese at the winery.)

Sandy and I shared their White flight, which included their Riesling 2022, Pinot Gri 2021, Foundation Chardonnay 2021, which is aged in egg-shaped cement barrels, and their Estate Chardonnay 2019, which is lightly oaked. They do a lovely job of pairing each wine in their flights with their cheeses. My favourite wine was their Estate Chardonnay 2019. My favourite cheese was Frenchie, which they served with their Riesling. All their cheeses are very nice and we noticed them sold at other shops in The County, which speaks to their popularity.

Our next stop was Exultet Estates, which is also in Milford. Exultet is unusual in that it doesn’t advertise. It’s open to the public, but you won’t find it in the WineCountryOntario guide or even in the Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce map. In 2004 Gerard and Lia Spinosa purchased a 200-acre former cheese factory and planted Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Vidal. Gerard is the winemaker and Lia leads the tastings. Their wines have have won many awards and they are focused on high end restaurants, but you can buy their wine at the winery.

It’s definitely worth finding, especially if you like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They offer flights that feature “a splash” of six of your choice. Lia is very knowledgeable about the different expressions of the wine that the winemaker (her husband) was focusing on for each offering and it’s nice to compare different craftings of the same variety.

From Exultet we headed to County Road 8 where we came across Del-Gatto Estates. This is another winery you won’t find in the WineCountryOntario guide. The three of us had all been to Del-Gatto before but not since before the pandemic – so we stopped in. When I looked at the tasting menu, I noticed the 2020 Petite Pearl. I asked what that is and the woman helping us said, “it’s Petite Pearl”. I was still confused, so I asked, “but what variety of grape is in it?” She explained the grape is called Petit Pearl, which is wintery hearty. She explained that they’re the only winery in The County that features winter hearty varietals.

I looked at the tasting menu again and saw that a Frontenac Noir and Marquette and then I understood. I asked her if those varietals grow in places like the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and she said yes, though they source theirs from Minnesota. I know that the winemakers in The County bury the vines to guard against the cold, so it makes sense to use varieties that are particularly cold hearty. They also have some of the more traditional varietals (Pinto Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Vidal for example). The service is friendly and it’s a lovely spot to try something different.

Our next stop was Cressy Mustard on County Road 8, near Waupoos Estates Winery. I had never heard of it, but Susan is a fan and she was determined to find it. I was expecting a farm stand of some sort. I was pleasantly surprised to see that in addition to a shop that sells all sorts of Cressy Mustards and relishes, they have a bit of a café. It was truly our lucky day – they were featuring pickerel tacos and truffle fries. We shared an order of each and they were amazing. The basket of fries was HUGE and about the crispiest I’ve ever had – not to mention the truffle aioli and shaved parm that was on top. Go for the mustard – stay for a bite!

We ended the day stopping at Lake on the Mountain Provincial Park. As the name implies – there’s a lovely lake that is located on a crest that sits about 60 metres up with views of the surrounding waters of Picton Bay. We stopped briefly and walked around the small boardwalk along the edge of the lake – but our main destination was the beautiful patio across the street at the Miller House Café. The view from the patio is spectacular! Directly below is the ferry dock for the Glenora Ferry, which is so fun to watch.

The Miller House has a lovely menu of unique light fare including “flambées” (which are elongated flatbreads with different toppings), creative platters (similar to charcuterie boards), and tartines (toasted French bread with different toppings).

I only get to The County about once a year – and every time I go, I think I should go more often. It’s hilly and curvy and fun to drive around. Every curve brings a surprise – you might see a field with cows or sheep, or rows of vines, or an apple orchard, or a beach with a sailboat off in the distance! And every time I go there, I’m surprised at how many new great cafes and restaurants there are, not to mention great wineries, cideries, distilleries, and more.

Ontario Wineries Guide

Your Guide for Exploring Ontario's Wine Regions