This is a brief post to let you know about a new service being offered by Uncorked Tours. Starting this week, we are facilitating NB wine tastings for private parties. 

In some cases, it can be difficult to get a group together to visit our wineries, whether because of distance or scheduling. So instead, why not host a tasting of your own facilitated by Uncorked Tastings? With a minimum group size of 8 people, Uncorked Tastings will bring the wine to you, wherever you are in the province*.

Fees start at $25 per person for 6-7 wines. There are different tastings available to choose from:

• NB Wines (my preference for an introduction to wine in NB)
• NB Whites
• NB Reds
• NB Fruit wines
• Winery-specific tastings

 The basic wine tasting includes your wine, a souvenir wine glass, bread and gourmet olive oil, and photos from the party posted on a private site for you to download and use however you wish.

For an additional $15 per person, you can upgrade to a Gourmet NB Wine Tasting, which includes a selection of fine NB cheeses, meats and condiments to enjoy with your wine.

The mission of Uncorked Tours is to share NB wines one glass at a time, and I'm hoping that Uncorked Tastings will help to serve a greater number of New Brunswickers. For more information or to request a date, please use the Contact form on the website or email [email protected].

Cheers,
Gilliane


*Depending on distance, a fuel surcharge may be required.

Yesterday, May 25, I took out my first group of the year of wine lovers for a winery tour in the Lower River Passage. We began with a glass of wine at happinez wine bar. I was so happy to meet the three women going out, what a hoot!

We left happinez to go to Gillis of Belleisle winery. With only a few technical difficulties, we arrived to a warm welcome and a beautiful tasting room. After a tour of the wine making room and process, we settled in for an extensive tasting of the wines available from the winery. One of the favourites was an apple wine, as of yet unlabeled. I guess we'll be going back from more! 

Leaving Gillis of Belleisle, we headed down the peninsula to Crimmins pottery. Here we shared a bottle of Summer Solstice wine from Mott's Landing Vineyard, a real hit! Even though the rain didn't let up for us AT ALL, the girls were real troopers and we had a great time.

Our last stop of the day was Dunhams Run. By this time we were having so much fun that we were quite a bit behind schedule. Tony Rickett had everything ready to go, and we enjoyed another fabulous wine tasting and a tour of the riddling room, where Tony is making traditional method champagne, a 2 - 10 year process.. 

Overall, we had a really fun day and I look forward to taking these girls out again!! Thanks so much!

Cheers,
Gilliane

For the past two months I've been going to every event I can, to get the word out about Uncorked Tours. In addition, I've been trying to participate in tourism kick-off events to get a better understanding of the industry that I now find myself in. In the process, I've had the pleasure of meeting many people from the Saint John community.

I thought that now might be a good opportunity to share some exciting news, both from Uncorked Tours and from the industry as a whole.

A week ago I participated in an event in Fredericton at The Station on York St. This event brought together some of the wineries in the province with local food producers. The purpose of the event was to promote local NB food and drink. A government partnership was announced by the Minister of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture that will include a roadshow or sorts, promoting the benefits of the Buy Local movement.

The fact that our government sees the value in what is being called agri-tourism is a good sign for food and drink producers, as well as tour operators like Uncorked Tours. If you visit the Tourism NB website, you will now find a section on Food & Drink that was sorely lacking in the past. NB is getting on board to promote what many of us have known for a long time, we have wonderful farmers producing delicious products that we can all be proud of.

The big news for Uncorked Tours is the creation of a couple key events this summer, so get ready to mark your calendars.

On July 20th, the inaugural Uncorked River Cruise will sail from the Saint John Marina. This cruise on the Saint John River will be an opportunity to sample NB beer from Shiretown, Picaroons, Pump House, and Big Tide. The Saint John River has been a major connecting route since long before Europeans settled in NB. Is there any better place to bring these breweries together?? If beer's not your thing, don't worry. A wine tasting cruise is scheduled for September 7. Both events leave the marina at 1:30pm for a 3-hour cruise with tastings of 5-6 different beers/wines. 

Many people have asked about a wine and beer tour, and I've put one together for you. This tour, rightly named Bees, Wine and Beer, follows the movement of some key ingredients in the wine and beer making process. 

We begin with a honey tasting of Kingston Peninsula honey which is the main ingredient in Dunhams Grog. Then we enjoy a wine tasting of Dunhams Run meads and wines. Dunhams Run grows some of the hops used in Big Tide's beers, so our final stop is Big Tide Brewing in Uptown Saint John. Big Tide also gets some of their honey from the same honey source.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for your ongoing support as I get this business off the ground. It's been a long process, and summer is just around the corner, so go ahead and book a tour if you're in Saint John. It's a ton of fun and you'll be able to try some new things and get a real taste of New Brunswick.

Cheers,
Gilliane

Last night I went to the Fundy Food Festival to promote Uncorked Tours. It was a great event bringing chefs together and raising money for the Boys and Girls Club.  

I arrived early to set up my table. Since I didn't have any samples at my table, I decided to do a draw for two bottles of Dunhams Run wine. I chose a bottle of Riverside Rose and a bottle of Dunhams Grog. 

I was next to the NBCC St. Andrews students and instructors. They had a competition going on all evening. Three teams were given the theme of molasses, and each had to come up with the own dish. They were all delicious, and what a great bunch of students and instructors. 

I was more than happy to donate 2 half-day winery tours to the silent auction. They raised $110 for the Boys and Girls Club! Not too shabby for my first auction :)