It's been three months since I began offering winery tours, so I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect a little bit. At first I didn't really know how the concept would fly in Saint John. Sure, I had done the market research indicating a moderate interest in the subject. Sure, I had reached out to the wineries to get a feeling of their interest and what they knew about their customers. But I didn't know if anyone would actually GO on a winery tour.

I think all entrepreneurs come face-to-face with turning points throughout their careers. Mine was during a networking event, and most of the people there had heard about Uncorked Tours. I know there's still a long road ahead, and huge opportunities for wine tourism in New Brunswick, so I'm going to keep pounding the pavement and talking about NB wines to anyone who will listen :)

I'm excited for what the rest of the summer and fall will bring. Winery tours are being booked into October for cruise ship passengers sailing into Saint John. A wine tasting river cruise is scheduled for September 9 (GET TICKETS HERE), and private tastings are really taking off. I'm very grateful to the tourism operators who have taken me under their wing, there are many of you.

So while you take time to decide which Uncorked Tours option is the best for you, enjoy some photos of people who have already been Uncorked.

~Gilliane

Yesterday's Uncorked River Cruise was a great event! We had three gorgeous hours on the water with 5 delicious NB beers. This post is going to be brief, since a picture is worth 1000 words.

A huge thanks to everyone who came out, I hope you had a good time! Telling by the smiles in the photos, there could definitely be another beer tasting cruise in the future.

We had five beers: Big Tide Blueberry Ale, Pump House Raspberry Wheat, Shiretown Blonde du quai, Picaroons 104th Regiment, and Big Tide Whistlepig Stout. I heard many comments from people who had "discovered" a new favourite beer.

The food was awesome too! Cheese from Armadale Farm, sturgeon from Acadian Sturgeon, homemade pico de gallo and tortilla chips, and lots of other snacks. The crew of the Voyageur II were fabulous, showing us bald eagle’s nests, covered bridges and the beautiful scenery along the Saint John River.

Hoping to see everyone out on the next tasting cruise scheduled for Saturday, September 7 at 1:30pm. This time we will be sampling NB wines! 

The date is fast approaching for Uncorked Tours' first river cruise. A three-hour excursion on the Saint John River, while drinking some of the best beer NB has to offer.

This event is an awesome way to spend an afternoon. The samples are generous, the scenery is gorgeous, and the food is delicious.

Here's a little preview of what you can expect on board this beer tasting cruise. Most of our NB breweries produce small batches of beer. As such, the beer on the tasting cruise is subject to change based on product availability.

Get your tickets HERE

Big Tide is located in Saint John on Princess St. They regularly brew small batches of beer of all different styles. After many requests, they've even released their Whistlepig Stout for a summer run, which we hope to have on the cruise. 

Picaroons is one of the veterans of the micro-brewing scene in NB. With a creative flair usually reserved for artists, Picaroons is also heavily invested in the NB community. Last year it was Upstream Ale that benefited the Salmon Foundation, this year it is the 104th Regiment Brown Ale that is promoting our local history.

Another veteran of NB micro-brewing, Pump House with its brewpub and wood-fired pizza oven located on Orange Lane, are a well known staple of the Moncton Food and Drink scene. Pump House beer is available in ANBL stores right across the province, and country-wide. We're excited to have them on board! 

Shiretown is one of the newer NB breweries, and they are quickly breaking out from their home on the North Shore. Their beer can now be found in some liquor stores and bars across the province. Their Blonde Du Quai won Bronze at the Saint John Beer Fest earlier this year.

This year to celebrate Canada Day, Adam and I decided to head to Price Edward Island. A little emerald jewel off the coast of New Brunswick, and considered to be the birthplace of Canada. 

It had been over 15 years since Adam had been on the Island, and probably close to 5 years for me. It was great to get back, and still a thrill to drive over the Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge in the world over ice-packed waters.

We spent three nights at a cute little B&B, the Cranford Inn, in downtown Charlottetown. PEI has had a very strong Eat Local movement and you see it in the food. In addition, Charlottetown is home to the Culinary Institute of Canada, and the restaurants truly benefit from having the wold-class chefs trained within its limits.

Of course it wouldn't be a vacation (or a working holiday) if we didn't visit at least a couple wineries or breweries. And here's the run-down of what we saw:

• The PEI Brewing Company ( & Gahan Restaurant) - This place was awesome. Maybe it was the cool architecture of the converted warehouse, or maybe it was because we had our first drink at 10:30 in the morning, but I got a real kick out of this brewery. It has been around under a couple of different names since the mid-90s, but only recently have we started to see their beer exported to New Brunswick. The tour was awesome, our guide very friendly and knowledgeable, and the beer was delicious. Also part of the company is the Gahan Restaurant in downtown Charlottetown. This was our first dinner stop on the island, and it was fabulous. Try the wings! The restaurant brews all of their Gahan beers on site, while the brewery handles the production for bottling and export.
• Rossignol Estate Winery - 11147 Shore Rd, Little Sands PE - We decided to try and explore the Eastern side of the island. We had planned to drive a big loop but after an extended tasting at Rossignol our plans changed a little bit. This winery is heavily awarded, both from Atlantic Canada competitions, and National wine competitions. They have about 10 grape wines, and the same number in fruit and fortified wines. The winery was similar in its product offerings to some of the wineries here in NB. We ended up purchasing some bottles of the Ile St Jean Red and Ile St Jean White. Both estate grown blends, and very easy to drink.
• Newman Estate Winery - Drive to the end of Gladstone Rd, Murray River PE - Mike Newman's winery was a little off the beaten track, so we had originally decided not to visit. But we found ourselves in Murray River, only a few kms away, and went for it anyway. Newman is taking a different approach to wine. He trained as a winemaker at UC Davis, although he's originally from Moncton. He's the youngest of winemakers that I've met in my travels so far, but don't let that fool you. He can rattle off the instructions for sulfur titrations and the history of hybrid varietals and why some grapes grow and others don't. On top of that, he's trying to do something big with his winery. Instead of focusing on easte grown wines, Mike imports some juice from Niagara, then blends those juices with his estate grapes to create something new. A blend of PEI and Niagara grapes. His passion is the science of winemaking, and the artistry of blending varietals to create a very nice balance in his wines. Newman wines will soon be available in NB Liquor Stores, the pallet was shipped earlier this week.
• Matos Winery - 3156 West River Rd, St. Catherines PE - You'll pass the sign for this winery on your into Charlotte after crossing the bridge and it's definitely worth pulling off the highway for. It's run by a husband and wife team who have done something amazing. They are successfully growing Chardonnay and Gamay Noir grapes for wine. It has something to do with the soil and the slope of their vineyard, but by all accounts, it shouldn't be possible in PEI (or NB for that matter). They also have a small selection of liqueurs available including Anisette and a product very similar to Grappa.  
• The Merchantman - 23 Queen St, Charlottetown PE - This pub in downtown Charlottetown has a cool little hook, they distill their own rum. A smooth drink with a whiskey finish. It was great, although a little strong for my taste. Make sure to order a shot if you get the chance (and the mussels are delicious too!)
• Olde Dublin Pub - 131 Sydney St, Charlottetown PE - This cool pub lives on the second floor of an old building in Charlottetown, above an oyster bar. They've got a little side deck for outdoor seating. Moosehead brews a special light beer for the pub that goes by the name ODP. Worth checking out if you're in the mood for a drink and appies as they usually have scallop and oyster happy hour specials.
• COWS Factoy - OK, so this isn't wine or beer, but COWS has started exporting cheese! We're talking gourmet, aged, clothbound cheese, and it's delicious. Not the mention the ice cream, a super premium ice cream as they like to call it. Lucky for the rest of us, the cheese is being exported. You can find the extra old cheddar in Sobeys stores across the Maritimes. 

Now don't go getting the idea that all we did was drink, there was an awesome Multicultural festival and of course the Canada Day fireworks. Not to mention the miles of walking we did just getting around the city. It was a great trip, and I'm so happy to have been reintroduced to Island life. We'll definitely be heading back. 

For all the foodies out there, PEI has put together a Culinary Route worth checking out and using to help plan your trip.