Grayline Bus Tours, Cheese

Good morning,

Today I recap a Gray Line tour I took with a few social media personalities, exploring wines and ciders both in town and out. It was a very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday, being chauffeured about just eating and drinking.

Equally enjoyable is receiving feedback from our readers. Recently, one subscriber wrote in with: 

“I made your (hot & sour) soup today. Better than Woks of Life! Thank you.” 

It’s always an honour when someone enjoys recreating a recipe and the results are as they should be. Thank you Deborah for taking the time to share your experience.

Now, let’s get to it.

Ralf Joneikies, food and drink editor. [email protected]

TOUR

First rate beverages by bus

Recently I was happy to accept an invitation, along with a number of “influencers”, from Grayline Bus Tours. 

We were to embark on a seven hour wine and cider tour around Ottawa and for the uninitiated, we have some award-winning talents in these industries.

Our tasting adventure began at the world-class Buyers & Cellars wine bar at 327 Somerset W. Whether you’re an expert or a budding oenophile, this is the place to be introduced to fabulous and unique wines. The fact that so much is available by the glass, makes your education affordable. In fact their motto is: Affordable luxury in the nation's capital.

As part of the tour we would begin with samples of four wines, selected by bar manager and sommelier Curtis Stephenson. Watching him for just a short while, he’s that rare animal in hospitality: a man whose love of his chosen career has left him with sufficient experience that he no longer feels the impulse to impress. He simply wants to share the best of what his cellar has on offer.

He presented four very good wines beginning with Indigo,  a charmat method sparkling wine from Rosehall Run in Prince Edward County. It was fresh, fairly dry and with sufficient stone fruit & florals that it provided an aromatic lift to the palate. The provided cheese and charcuterie (some made in-house) were a step above store-bought and made for delicious accompaniments.

Buyers and Cellars are also importers so other wines sampled were exclusive to them and included a nicely made and distinct Sauvignon Blanc from the country of Jordan, Cabernet Franc from Chile and Miss Valentine, a pretty rosé from the south of France.

Part of the Buyers & Cellars ethos is to guide those new to wine, very gently to an education they may not even know they’re getting. You will enjoy select wines unavailable elsewhere at by-the-glass prices you can afford. With a little help from the bar along the way you’ll walk away lighter on your feet but a little more sated with knowledge.

Better still, you can purchase any of the wines to enjoy at home.

Kin Vineyards

Who’da thunk it? A little known winery outside of Ottawa winning bronze medals at the 2024 Decanter Wine Awards. Decanter is the celebrated British wine magazine and a personal favourite of yours truly.

Yet the news was not in error: Carp based Kin Vineyards at 2225 Craig’s Side Road won awards for both their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 

Their philosophy is to produce low-intervention (meaning as natural as possible) wines in concert with both what the land and climate will give in any one season.

We poured ourselves off the bus and were greeted with a glass of sparkling vidal, a cool climate hybrid grape commonly used in Niagara for blending or making ice wine.

It was a refreshing and cleanly made wine that was widely enjoyed. I always need to be the outlier of course as I prefer my sparkling wines to be a little more dry. At almost 12 g/l of sugar, while not an egregious amount, it was just too sweet for this palate. 

Then it was off for a 15 minute tour of the vineyards. We were educated about the effect of our weather on grape growing in a marginal climate and about the different parcels of land and how they influence certain grapes.

I perceived a certain restlessness on the part of our group and folks were itching to sit down with a glass. 

We were seated in a covered area at long high-tops that encouraged getting to know one  another. Flights of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were waiting for us and our vineyard guide went on to explain the production the wines had undergone.

We were next offered a choice of different half pizzas with an accompanying salad and some added more wine to their lunch at menu prices.

After 90 minutes, our satisfactorily lubricated group climbed back into the bus and we were on our way to the final destination: Farm Gate Cider.

Farm Gate Cidery

Just after moving back to Ottawa in 2017, I had my first experience of Farm Gate cider at a local farmer’s market. It was a rough experience and until last year, I shied away from the stuff.

Then at a Savvy Co. event in 2024 I was enjoying one of the nicer ciders I’d had in years. I became a Farm Gate fan. 

We rolled up at Farm Gate (4547 Mohrs Rd.) in Arnprior and disembarked in a lush, green paradise of forest and orchards. 

Meaghan Dalby Davies greeted us and came close to giving us a tour of the orchards but the mosquitos were out in such force that it would have been difficult to focus.

We stood at the perimeter as Meaghan talked about the dozens of apple varieties, their differences and the cider making process.

The mosquitos had found us so we moved to the cider house making ourselves comfortable at the outdoor seating. 

Soon cider samples were poured and we were invited to belly up to the open-air stone oven for fluffy, fresh slices of pizza. I was still a little stuffed from our visit to Kin Vineyards, but the flavours on this pie were so nice that I helped myself to a couple of slices.

More cider was rolled out and everyone agreed that the labels on the cans were beautiful works and these came courtesy of Farm Gate artist/matriarch Brenda Davies. What a happy bunch of talent coming together!

Bus Driver Brett Carey joined us in conversation and contented himself with some of their non-alcoholic cider. 

In fact, Brett and tour guide Sarah Sicotte made for a seamless team, keeping spirits up not just by doing exemplary work for Gray Line, but by engaging with every one in our group. Sarah went so far as to ask customers for their music suggestions and added them to a playlist which she rolled out when we were on the road. A nice touch that allowed us to experience everyone’s musical tastes.

Nowadays it’s not fashionable to carry cash but I recommend keeping a few dollars on hand in case you’d like to extend a gratuity to your talented guides. It’s not mandatory but it’s a thoughtful gesture.

Whether you’d like to discover some of Ottawa’s best for yourself or if you have friends visiting from abroad, this is a friendly and delicious way to brag about the place you call home.

FOOD FINDS

Cutting the cheese takes talent

I was once asked “If you had to give up one thing, would it be meat or cheese?” My reply was immediate: “Meat”. 

Frankly, giving up cheese just feels like an unnecessary cruelty. The range of flavours and aromas is so vast, that it feels, as with wine, that there’s no end to the pleasures to be reaped.

Unfortunately, the prices have gone up dramatically over the last years but I’m always prepared to make an exception for a splurge if the selection is first rate and the cheeses are properly cared for.

Enter IL Negozio Nicastro at 792 Bank St. in the Glebe. Cheesemonger Mickey Amato and I lived in the same building when I moved back to Ottawa and I’m glad to see that his love of food has not waned. 

Mickey has built what I expect is the finest selection of unique cheeses available in Ottawa. While some of those will have their price, if you’re a cheese lover you cannot let the opportunity to try these rarities slip by.

On this particular visit I ordered (clockwise from top left to right): 1- Cremoso Prosecco Gorgonzola (Italy- $17.95 100 g) 2- Gunn’s Hill 5 Brothers washed rind gouda (Ontario- $7.60 100 g) 3- Sainte Nitouche 2 yr old washed rind goat cheese (Quebec- $5.70 100 g) 4-  Wrangeback 2 yr old raw milk (Sweden- $11.50 100 g)

All were superb with bold, long finishes and would be ideal with wines, ciders or beer. In fact if you’ve not explored beer and cheese pairings, I guarantee most of you will be surprised by how much better beer can pair with cheese when compared to wine. 

Let Mickey advise you and tell him I said Hi when you stop by.

QUICK BITES

• There appears to be a renewed interest in the ByWard Market according to this story. [CTV]

• Celebrate Canada Day in style! Order Canada Day EH-sentials Packs: assortment of 4 Canadian wines or 12 craft ciders + Maple BBQ sauce. From $79 🍷🎉🍁 [Sponsored]

• The fire ravaged ByWard eatery Vittoria Trattoria is finally scheduled to undergo reconstruction this summer according to this report. [OBJ]

• There’s always a sobering side to the pleasures of food and this video is a reminder that we’re eating too much sugar. [YouTube]

• American businessman, Michael Girdley, has a very insightful video explaining why so many craft breweries are closing. [YouTube]

MEMBERS-ONLY

Dante’s is what Italian food, and service, should be

What a relief it must have been for New Edinburgh residents to learn that the much loved Fraser Café would be replaced by an Italian eatery. (Apropos Fraser, it’s still only a rumour that they are set to re-open in the old refurbished church on Beechwood.)

Enjoying the food over two visits, I learned that chef and co-owner Massimo is one of those true talents who’s been hiding in plain sight.

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