“In the heat of mid-Autumn, grapes hang thick and ripening in the sunshine. Harvest is not so far off now.” – Ed Lehming

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit few of the local wineries in Prince Edward County. Many are now offering food as an option. COVID-19 has made wine tastings ‘interesting’ and we experienced many variations on what was once a fairly standard practice. Depending on the winery, its size, and facilities, the owners have all done their best to devise a model that works for them. Some seem close to ‘normal’ while others are experimenting with alternatives.

Fortunately for us, we are already familiar with many of the local wineries and trust their product quality, sight unseen. However, it poses a problem when visiting wineries we are unfamiliar with. Despite the challenges, we did discover a few wineries with lovely wines and I’m happy for this; firstly because we have some very nice wines to enjoy and secondly, we are able to support local farmers.

One thing that was encouraging was seeing all the ripening fruit on the vines. Despite a significant drought and high temperatures, the grapes seem to be flourishing. Some recent rains will have helped the vines before they get too stressed. The image above was made at a local vineyard as we waited for our lunch, a fantastic wood-fired pizza under a trellis of grape vines; simply marvellous!

iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/529 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
Edited with Prizma