Alberta's Own Wine Route

Alberta's Fruit Ripe for Fruit Wine 1

Popular for thousands of years, wine has an important human history that spans the globe. Wine’s popularity has only grown over the years, with the boundaries of wine growing regions ever expanding. Only a few decades ago, a Canadian wine industry was inconceivable, but today it thrives in regions like BC’s Okanagan or Ontario’s Niagara Region. While Alberta’s climate is not conducive to grape growing, its rich soils have supported a varied fruit industry, from apples to various berries. In an effort to diversify, several of Alberta’s fruit farms have began a cottage fruit wine industry, giving Alberta, for the first time, its very own wine route.

OF NEWNESS AND NOSTALGIA

A new and exciting industry, Alberta’s fruit wineries offer a sense of history and nostalgia. While original homesteaders of this province made their own wine from locally harvested produce, Alberta liquor and licensing laws have traditionally made it difficult for wine to be produced on a commercial level because of required wine-production minimums. In an effort to diversify their farming operations, fruit farms en Sante and Field Stone teamed up to rally the government to create new regulations, which resulted in a cottage wine industry in 2005.

CALGARY AND AREA

Strathmore

Field Stone Fruit Wines
Just 45-minutes east of Calgary, Strathmore is an expansive parcel of prairie that extends as far and flat as the eye can see. Here, visitors can find many a farm, from ranches to u-pick berry farms. And it is home to award-winning Field Stone Fruit Wines.

Orchards at Field Stone Fruit Wines 2

Getting there
Strathmore is 30-45 minutes east of Calgary by car. Drive east on 16th Avenue (Trans-Canada Highway), past Chestermere. Field Stone Fruit Wines is south of 16th on Highway 817. Just watch for the signs. Field Stone can also be reached on Highway 22X east of Calgary to Highway 817.

Okotoks

Chinook Arch Meadery

	The Buildings at Chinook Arch Meadery 3

The area surrounding Okotoks is untapped by many tourists to Calgary. But at only 45 km (28 mi) from the hubbub of the city, it is well worth a visit to experience its ubiquitous rolling landscape, complete with hay bails and blue sky canopy. Chinook Honey sits in such a setting in an unassuming building. Visitors are invited into the honey shop where they can learn about the production and see the cross section of a beehive and watch the busy bees at work. There are all sorts of honey products to sample and purchase, from flavoured honey to body lotions. And then there’s the mead.

Mead, or honey wine, is produced here under the name Chinook Arch Meadery. The oldest alcoholic beverage known, mead was produced in Alberta for the very first time by this meadery. Experimenting with different flavours, they offer several different types of mead, like Buckaroo Buckwheat, which has a rich cocoa colour, and Bodacious Black Current, which is infused with fruit flavour. Because of the high sugar content, mead is particularly popular with those who have a sweet tooth. However, there are layers of flavour to make each variety more complex and drier than expected. The mead is available for sales and tastings at Chinook Arch only, so it is worth the visit.

When in town
Okotoks is rife with agricultural producers, making visits popular with regional and slow food aficionados. The Millarville Farmers’ Market is a popular reflection of the area’s abundance, featuring over 175 vendors. The Saskatoon Farm welcomes visitors to their bakery, café and gift shop, and there are Saskatoon berries available for u-pick as well. The Harvest Festival, held at the end of August in Okotoks, celebrates the area’s bounty. The Bistro Provence is one restaurant not to miss. With the owner hailing from Brittany, France, critically-acclaimed meals are derived from locally sourced produce.

Getting there
When driving to Okotoks from Calgary, visitors can return by a circular route that includes scenic ranchland views and historic towns Black Diamond, Turner Valley and Millarville. Westbound from Okotoks, Highway 7 leads into Black Diamond followed by Turner Valley. Then head north on Highway 22 to Millarville. To get back to Calgary, keep heading north, turning east on Highway 22X to Spruce Meadows.

EDMONTON & AREA

Brosseau

en Sante

From Orchard to Bottle at en Sante 4

Only an hour east of Edmonton in Brosseau, visiting en Sante is like stepping back in time. Visitors can experience the homesteader lifestyle, beginning with the original hand-built farmhouse constructed in 1927. While the farm equipment is modern, their farming methods are traditional in that they use tried and true farming techniques to produce organic goods, and were certified in 1999. Primarily a fruit farm, they diversified to fruit wines, becoming Alberta’s first organic fruit cottage winery in 2006. While the setting will be reminiscent of visitors’ own family homesteads, the wine produced is much more than any regular kitchen-variety. While there are some sweet wines available, there are some surprising drier varieties, and each one comes with a surprising depth of body. The originality is perfect for those wanting to find something different. Campfire, for example, is made from cherries. Being quite dry, it is a perfect accompaniment for pork and red meats.

Visiting the farm is fun for the whole family. Wine tastings are offered in the farmhouse, tours of the orchards are available, and everyone can get their fingers dirty in the u-pick. Hours of operation and tour availability vary throughout the year, so calling ahead before visiting is essential.

When in town
en Sante is in part named because of its close proximity to Lac Sante, a large prairie lake that attracts day trippers and recreation property developers alike.

Brosseau is just a golf swing away from Two Hills, which is home to popular Two Hills Lions Golf and Country Club, a surprisingly challenging nine-hole course. Vegreville is also en route, and is home of the Pysanka, a giant Ukranian Easter egg and fun photo opportunity. Between Vegreville and Edmonton is Elk Island National Park. The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is located here. The park itself is worthy of an extended visit as it is Canada’s first federal wildlife sanctuary established in 1906.

Getting there
From Edmonton, head east on the TransCanada Highway through Elk Island National Park and then past Vegreville, turning right at Highway 36, also known as Veterans Memorial Highway. Drive north to Two Hills, turning right at Highway Avenue and then left, continuing on Veterans Memorial Way. Brosseau is just past Duvernay.


If you enjoyed this feature, take a look at these great WorldWeb.com articles:
• A Guide to the Vineyards & Wineries of the Okanagan
• A Guide to Canada’s Wine Regions

PHOTO COURTESY

1. c/o en Sante, Alberta's Fruit Ripe for Wine, Brosseau, AB, Canada
2. c/o Wendi Seskus-James, Orchards at Field Stone Fruit Wines, Strathmore, AB, Canada
3. c/o Wendi Seskus-James, The Buildings at Chinook Arch Meadery, Okotoks, AB, Canada
4. c/o en Sante, From Orchard to Bottle, Brosseau, AB, Canada