March 21, 2014

March 17, 2014

Ravine Vineyard

We went to a restaurant in Toronto a couple weeks back and had a glass of Riesling with dinner. Riesling's are normally a safe wine to order when in doubt, but this one was different from the rest. We looked up the name and it came from Ravine Vineyard and we were happy to find out that it was located near the Niagara on the Lake region! Coincidentally, we had plans to go to Niagara Falls that week, so we decided to stop off at the winery to check it out.

We didn't know what to expect when we got there, as it seemed like a smaller winery. We took a tour of the winery to get some more information and background about the wine, the company and the history. The history of the houses went back 100+ years ago, with a long story to tell. The wine itself was amazing as well! Unfortunately, the houses had a history of fires, but they were able to salvage whatever they could and rebuild. All the woodwork you'll see in the below pictures were hand carved and original pieces.

It was nice to take the tour of the winery because we got the chance to find out what they do onsite. Their restaurant next door is even more impressive as they grow most of their ingredients themselves, from the tomatoes they use to make the pasta sauce, to the sprouts they use to garnish their dishes, to the cured meats they use from their animal farm. We didn't have plans to eat there, but after hearing what they do, we couldn't resist. Although we weren't even that hungry, we decided to order a few items off the appetizer section; the butternut squash soup, house cured charcuterie plate and their house cured prosciutto. Everything melted in our mouths and tasted so fresh!

I encourage you to stop by if you're in the area! The tour's $10 -- it's half an hour and includes three tastings of their wine. And if you have time, be sure to grab a bite to eat at their restaurants as well!











March 11, 2014

Project: Explore Toronto

I live in Toronto. Whenever I travel to a different country, I'm always taking pictures of the culture, the city, the architecture and the people. I look back at those pictures and relish in the unique lifestyle or the little things that make the city so special and I think to myself...why can't I live in a city like this?

...I probably do, I just don't know it!

Let me introduce you to Project: Explore Toronto

I live in a multi-cultural city, full of life, entertainment, history, food and much, much more. I'm sometimes stuck on the same route, taking the same subway or walking the same streets. But whenever I do venture off to a new area in the city, it's new and exciting, and I discover something that has probably been there all this time.

Over the next several months, I'll be making the effort to travel to a new area in Toronto that I've never been before (and maybe I have, I just haven't had the time to walk around and take it in) and see for myself what Toronto has to offer. I'll visit a new neighbourhood each time, and I'll be doing it with my camera along with my bike, and I'll be sharing it here on this blog.

I recently came across this website (http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net). It breaks down Toronto into each neighbourhood and has tons of info about the area. I'll be using this website as a guide and will knock off each neighbourhood one at a time (or, as much as I can!)! Thank you in advance to Maple Tree Publishing for having this website. I'll be sure to reference any information I use.

Please visit back, as I'll soon have my first neighbourhood crossed off the list!! Stay Tuned!


(I didn't do any research on the Internet to see if anybody else has done this before, mainly because if I did find someone, I'd feel as if I'm trying to replicate it)