Friday Two Cents: A New Experience In Niagara
December 28, 2018 Leave a comment
Christmas week for many people is a busy week. Meeting with family and friends, preparing special meals and of course eating too much. As a supply teacher this week is a welcome respite from the daily grind of working with students. Not only teachers enjoy the time off, but also I have observed that students as young as kindergarten age needing this break in their routines.
On that note I decided to get out of Toronto for a couple of days to help centre myself. One of my favourite places to go to simply “get away from it all” is the Niagara region. They have many different diversions yet my favourite of them is visiting the local wineries. I have been to a great many and this year I discovered a new winery that recently opened last year.
Opened in June 2017, Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery and Distillery is in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region. When you arrive you can see a modern building based on the design of a regional barn. Inside though is a modern layout wonderfully decorated with photos of Wayne Gretzky’s hockey career. Yet what impressed me was the skating rink just outside and behind the building. Beside the rink is a patio with a bar and a place to rent skates for both adults and children. It was amazing to see parents and children skating around the rink while others sat at the outdoor patio bar with a hot chocolate.
This is where the tour began and we were treated to home-made hot chocolate but with a special shot of cream whiskey that they make on the premises. It was delicious and a wonderful way to start the tour. Nothing screams Canada more than hot chocolate outside in winter, beside a skating rink. I know a lot about the wine making process, yet the tour was informative about how they make whisky and I learned a great deal.
I asked the question, “Why do we spell whisky with a ‘y’ and others spell it with an ‘ey’?” His answer was countries without and ‘e’ in their name use ‘y’ and those with use ‘ey’. Examples include Canada & Scotland ‘whisky’; United States & Ireland ‘whiskey’. Yet another also mentioned that it might have something to do with immigration. This by the way is my theory when I asked the question. Many Scottish people migrated to Canada and thereby we use whisky like them. Alternately a lot of Irish migrated to the USA who uses whiskey.
Whatever the reason you cannot deny the results. I am more of a wine and scotch drinker but I do enjoy a good Canadian whisky, which Wayne Gretzky’s whisky is up there with the best of them. If you are ever in the Niagara region I recommend a visit and of course, ‘a wee dram’, you know for the vitamins. Enjoy!!