Seeing Essex County’s Wine Country By E-Bike
During a recent trip to Canada, we spent time in Southwest Ontario’s wine country on the shoreline of Lake Erie. I was impressed by the beautiful, peaceful country and how many wineries there were in a small area. During the trip we took the opportunity to do an e-bike tour of wine country with Unconquered Custom Electric Bike Wine Tours and it was one of the highlights of the trip. I would absolutely recommend it. Our tour was a fun way to explore the area and sample many of the locally-made wines. Our tour took us to three different wineries with an optional ice cream stop at the end.
The bikes we rode on were vintage-styled electric bikes from Unconquered Customs that allowed us to make our way down the country roads without much pedaling. They even included goggles to complete the vintage look. Our tour guide carried our purchases safely in his little sidecar, which was adorable.
Oxley Estate Winery was stop #1, where we sat out in the garden. I tried a nice variety in my flight from dries to sweets. It was a beautiful afternoon for sipping while looking out on the vineyard among paths lined with flowering bushes. It had an elegant vibe and I could have sat there all day soaking up the sunshine and sipping. I couldn’t help but imagine how spectacular the weddings must be that take place there.ย 
Next it was on to Paglione Estate Winery. The setting here was beautiful, our server was enthusiastic, friendly and super knowledgeableย and the wines were perfect. We enjoyed a flight on the patio while we noshed on a lovely charcuterie board.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery was our final stop. In the busy tasting room, we sampled a couple wines and settled on several for our flight, which we also enjoyed outdoors on the sunny afternoon. Itโs another serene spot where I could have sat for hours in an Adirondack chair and forgotten about everything else in the world. We were lucky to have wonderful weather the day of our tour.
The countryside was stunning. Our final riding stretch on the way back to our starting point at the John R Park Homestead was the longest and we tested out the bikes on the highest speed. It was exhilarating feeling the wind on us as we made our way down the quiet road, along the fields and past a mossy marsh where herons were lounging.
The tour includes use of the e-bike with helmet, a wine flight at each location and a substantial charcuterie board along with gratuity at each stop. The tour season runs Spring through October with tours running on weekends. For more information on tours, visit unconquered-customs.booqable.shop
Original Blog Post by Carrie Steinweg. Carrie is a freelance writer, photographer, author and blogger in Northwest Indiana. She writes a travel column for the Northwest Indiana Times and shares her food adventures on the blog Chicago Foodie Sisters. You can followย @chicagofoodiesistersย on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
