Heading to Prince Edward County? Our wine critic picks the five wineries you can’t miss

Start in the east at Three Dog Winery, which is now under new ownership and well worth a visit. This is where your life reset begins. Because a great glass of wine can be exactly that: a mini vacay. 

At Three Dog Winery, there’s a pizza oven on-site, a garden area that grows the tomatoes and basil for those fire-grilled pies in the summer, and a one-bedroom, one-bathroom Airbnb loft overlooking the vineyards with kitchen, private patio and barbecue. No kids or pets are allowed, and there is a two-night minimum stay. But you can stay for about $250 per night all in, which is a bit of a bargain for a sweet spot in the county.

Ask to taste the 2021 Three Dog Winery Estate Cabernet Franc VQA Prince Edward County ($40/bottle, $10/glass), which is one of two first vintages made entirely from estate-grown fruit. It’s an elegant swirl of everything revered about county reds — bright fruit threaded with umami-rich sophistication. Stylish and tremendously fun to drink. For county wine, terrific value, too. Score 94

Next, sample the 2021 Three Dog Winery Estate Pinot Noir VQA Prince Edward County ($36/bottle, $10/glass), an equally thrilling drop with a cranberry-beetroot fruit centre etched with pink peppercorn and roasted mushroom. Score: 95

Three Dog Winery is open Friday to Monday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. until the May 22. Then it will be open daily except Tuesdays for the rest of the sunny season. 1920 Fish Lake Rd., Picton. threedogwine.com

Go. Taste. Believe. Then drive west.

Rosehall Run Vineyards

Your next stop is Rosehall Run Vineyards. Dan and Lynn Sullivan founded this winery in 2000 and still make magic happen there. Check out their bright, new tasting room and shop filled with lots of local goodies. The mustards and maple treats are delicious. And of course, so are the wines. Once you select one to enjoy, you can saunter out to the new patio with your favourite drop and stay a while. Cast an eye toward the vineyard and notice the rosé-coloured pickup truck parked in the field. Very Instagrammable. 

When you hit the tasting area, be sure to sample the 2021 Rosehall Run Rosebud Brut Rosé, VQA Prince Edward County ($39/bottle, $15/glass), a dry, racy bubbly that packs serious thrills. Though not on the label, this is a brut nature, meaning it’s a traditional method sparkling wine with no sugar. And it’s 100 per cent Pinot Noir. From the aromas of homemade raspberry jam spread on crusty white bread to the bracing attack that echoes the fragrance, each sip seems to whisper secrets of summer. Sunny perfection at an honest price. Score: 95

Also excellent is the 2020 Rosehall Run St. Cindy Unfiltered Chardonnay, VQA Prince Edward County ($74/bottle, $19/glass) — a small-lot, special release that just sings. The fragrance is all baked apple, graphite shavings and cream. Then, the wine washes in with a generous cloak of flavour that slips in cool and bright but also weighty. Roasted Cortland, a crush of salt, plunging minerality and more emerge, shift and slowly recede. The finish goes on for about a minute. Score: 93

The 2021 Rosehall St. Cindy Unfiltered Pinot Noir VQA Prince Edward County ($79/bottle, $20/glass) is unabashedly a bottle for Pinot-philes. The nose is subtle, savoury and complex with suggestions of caramelized meat juices, violets in full bloom and black raspberry. Then, the wine floods in with an air of red Burgundy as underbrush layered with raspberry tart, white pepper and a touch of stoniness unfurl with purity and precision. Silky. Long. Delightful. Score: 91

Rosehall Run Vineyards is at 1243 Greer Rd. Wellington. It’s open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. rosehallrun.com

Sandbanks Estate Winery

It needs to be said that county wine, for some palates, is a bit lean: too crispy, not jammy enough. If that’s you — or you’re travelling with someone who feels that way — hit Sandbanks Estate Winery next, which is less than five minutes from Rosehall Run.

Sandbanks Estate Winery, like many wineries in the county this time of year, is really all about the indoor tasting bar. Sandbanks is not a large winery, but the people there are smiley and friendly. And once you’ve selected a glass of vino, you can take it outside and lounge about on a bright Muskoka chair pondering how lucky you are to have escaped the rat race for this jaunt in the country.

Sandbanks wines are made from riper, rounder Niagara fruit rather than grapes grown in the cooler county. So it’s labelled VQA Ontario, meaning the fruit could be sourced from anywhere in the province, rather than VQA Prince Edward County because VQA is a designation of origin. At Sandbanks, the reds are best. Here’s the proposed flight.

Start with the NV Sandbanks Reserve Marquette VQA Ontario ($19.95/bottle, $10/glass), an off-dry hit of simple, jam-jar goodness laced with light strokes of smoke, clove and creamy vanilla. Those who like this richer style will like this wine a lot. Marquette, by the way, is a North American hybrid grape variety. Score: 89

Then move on to the NV Sandbanks Noir Squared VQA Ontario ($19.95/bottle, $10/glass), which is a 50-50 blend of Baco Noir and Pinot Noir. This deep red delivers a lush lick of crushed forest fruit — blueberries and blackberries, cherries and plum. It’s on the sweeter side but remains well-balanced and would work especially well with a square of dark chocolate or grilled meat mopped with a sticky sauce. Score: 89

Leave the best for last with the 2021 Entre Nous Foch Reserve VQA Ontario ($36.95/bottle, $10/glass), which is a bit more serious and complex on the nose with an interplay of black earth and wild blueberry scored with a touch mocha. From there, a full, fleshy rush of glossy fruit drenches the palate, hemmed in with velvet structure. Each sweet-but-balanced mouthful tapers to a long chocolate-almond finish. Score: 90

While Sandbanks wines are widely available at the LCBO, these three reds are winery exclusives — so might make happy souvenirs.

Sandbanks Estate Winery is at 17598 Loyalist Pkwy (Hwy 33) Wellington. It’s open daily year-round. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. May to September and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. October to April. sandbankswinery.com

Closson Chase Vineyards

Next on your journey is Closson Chase Vineyards, 10 minutes from Sandbanks Winery. Closson Chase is known for its serious, slow-sipping Chardonnay or Pinot Noir at equally serious prices. So brace for that.

Sipping in the stone farmhouse and adjacent patio — beside the purple barn — is the visitor experience at Closson Chase. So really, it’s for those who are serious about geeking out on wine. For those familiar with “The Garden” patio of Closson Chase, that area reopens May 18 for Victoria Day long weekend and beyond. But the stone farmhouse is fabulous. Its vineyard vista really helps you emote about what’s in the glass.

So go ahead and taste the feeling with a glass of the 2019 Closson Chase Grande Cuvée Chardonnay VQA Prince Edward County ($95/bottle, $20/glass), which shines silvery-white with pale gold inflections. The fragrance floats with billowy scents of lemon, buttered toast and praline before streaming in with silky mixed citrus — zest, juice and pith — dappled with burnt sugar and wet stones. The wine slips in effortlessly, unspools slowly and lingers for ages. Score: 92

And/or taste the 2017 Closson Chase Grande Cuvée Pinot Noir VQA Prince Edward County ($120/bottle, $20/glass), which opens with fragrant folds of floral fruit. This Pinot is about weight, power and elegance as cascading complexity calls to mind just-ripe berries, forest floor, smoked meat and more. Here you will find layers and real finesse. Score: 94

These wines are pricey but worth it. They speak slowly and eloquently. And they have lots to say. The notes above are mere guideposts.

Closson Chase is at 629 Closson Chase Rd. Hillier and is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. clossonchase.com

The Grange of Prince Edward

By this point in your journey, you’re probably peckish. So drive two minutes up the road to The Grange of Prince Edward, a property that is under new leadership and underwent a major refresh. And it shows. This is where you go for a proper picnic.

Enter the 200-year-old barn, grab a basket at the door, then nip over to the fridge to help yourself to local cheeses, charcuterie and dips. Toss them in your basket along with some crackers and such from the table nearby. Pay for your goods at the bar and then, before you saunter outside for a picnic at a table overlooking the vineyards, select a glass of wine to go with. Here are the recommendations.

If you fancy fizz, there’s the 2017 The Grange of Prince Edward Lafontaine du Loup Rosé VQA Prince Edward County ($58/bottle, $20/glass). This traditional method sparkling wine is all about marmalade and peach jam on the nose, but the attack is surprisingly dry and restrained, reflecting the aromas with a soft bread note, too, emerging on the long finish. Pretty bottle too. Score: 91

Or opt for the smart 2023 The Grange of Prince Edward Victoria Block Rosé VQA Prince Edward County ($24/bottle, $14/glass). This is a dry, bright blend of Gamay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown on the property. Each sip is racy refreshment that spins in with pink grapefruit and white peach with a touch of red currant somewhere. Score: 90

The best still white is the 2023 Grange of Prince Edward Estate Vineyard Series “Isabella Block + Northfield Block” Pinot Gris VQA Prince Edward County ($25/bottle, $17/glass). Each swirl of the glass releases coy scents of poached peach before beaming in with great structure and classicism. If you’re familiar with Alsatian Pinot Gris, you know something about what this wine is like. Stone fruit studded with clove, a flutter of white flowers and a crank of sea salt and stone — they’re all there within a well-toned frame with bracing tension and a polished mouth feel. Score: 93

If you choose to buy a bottle to drink on site, expect to pay a $10 corkage fee.

The Grange of Prince Edward is at 990 Closson Rd. Hillier. It’s open Thursdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check the grangewinery.com for opening hours, which will change closer to summer. grangewinery.com

You could wait till summer to head to the county, but spring might be better with fewer crowds and more moderate temperatures. Importantly though, these wines will still be available. The good stuff always sells out first.