Some thoughts on the County

On a recent trip to Prince Edward County I picked up a winery route map and found that there are now a little over 30 winerties open. The first thing that struck me was that, is there going to be enough demand for all this wine that is going to be produced? When I first read about the County in 1998 I wanted to visit to get a feel for the area. There were no wineries open at that time but after visiting thought that this would be a good area for maybe 10 to 15 wineries with a lot of vineyards growing grapes only to supply them.
In 2005 I thought this was coming to fruition. It seems like if you own a vineyard then you must also have a winery from which you can vinfy the terroir of your location. Looking around in the County I also get this impression (irrational as it is inspite of the facts to the opposite) that there doesn't appear to be enough vineyards planted to supply them. The winery route map indicates there could be around 37 wineries when the dust settles. In my opinion this will end the rapid growth phase of the County and a period of maturation will begin with time passing and grape crops from the area getting higher in quality from plants that have been in the ground for a while. Some wineries will entrench their position and become  staples of the area while others will  fall by the wayside for reason's varying from circumstances beyond their control like weather or as simple as because they didn't make a good enough product.
In any account, I can't have anything but respect for anyone who has the guts to open a winery because of the high risk involved.

We took the Glenora ferry and then the Loyalist Parkway to Kingston. The first half of the drive was rather scenic but once you come up to the power plant the scenic description ends. There is a maximum security prison enroute (Millhaven) which did not make it conducive to a leisurly drive for me. I am not saying don't drive this route, just be aware whats on it.

We had another good lunch at the County Cider Company open air patio and I made a flip cam video of the surroundings. The menu is limited to stone oven pizza and other similar items but they make it well and goes with the great cider they produce along with the best view in the County.  Click the title of this entry for more info