A Rainy PEI Day at Breweries and a Fruit Winery

The day after we visited the Anne of Green Gables Museum turned out to be another rainy one, we we decided to visit some breweries and wineries in hopes that by afternoon, we'd get enough sun to visit a lighthouse or two. The sun never showed--in fact, the afternoon was practically a gale, especially near the coast--but we managed to have a good time inside.

Our first stop was Copper Bottom Brewing Company, a craft brewery in Montague. They have live music and their food menu looks great, but since we were there early in the day mid-week, we experienced none of that! We did get to sit on the stage though and Elowen practiced her waitress skills, running the menu between us and taking our orders. 


And though it wasn't on our list, I had noticed another brewery nearby that did have an open kitchen, and not only beers but vodka sodas and ciders--Bogside Brewing. Their taproom was large yet cozy, perfect for sitting and passing a drizzly day. Bogside actually has three menus inside--pizza, seafood, and BBQ--and though I was tempted by the maple cream pizza, I played it safe and got a pulled pork sandwich with Carolina BBQ sauce (which is mustardy, for those who don't know). It was delicious, though Elowen swiped most of it and left me with the poutine. 

 



 My vodka soda flight was Berry Best, Apple, and Haskap, which is a Japanese berry that grows well on PEI. The apple was my unexpectedly my favorite. I've never been a real fan of vodka sodas before, but PEI really makes them an art, with a range of creative flavors that go down easy without being too strong. 

Also this day, Elowen's beloved Minnie and Daisy purse broke--she absolutely loves her "bag," as she calls it, and it's filled with a variety of rotating treasures (in fact, if you're missing something, it may be in there). But she crammed it too full and the inevitable happened--it ripped, prompting much sorrow and vehement protestations of "I need a NEW bag, Mama." We stopped at the first touristy shop we saw and let her wander around looking for a new purse--and this neon, tie-dyed plover bag was an immediate yes. She shrieked with excitement and had her treasures transferred into it in short order. 

At that point, I still hadn't given up on seeing a lighthouse and had my sights set on Cape Bear--but the gusting wind and sideways rain showed me who was boss. There was no way we'd be able to walk along the shore, and it was nearing naptime--so we rerouted to Rossignol Winery, in Little Sands. On a clear day, you can sit at the little tables outside and sample the incredible variety of fruit wines...of course, it wasn't a clear day, but I have hopes to go back eventually and enjoy the view and some sunshine. 


 


The wines more than made up for the rainy day, though--I was most excited about the maple wine, which was good but actually a little too sweet for me (which is saying something, since I love port). I think it might have been better over some ice to dilute it a little. The strawberry rhubarb wine was phenomenal though, and recommended to us by the woman we met on the plane flying into PEI; we also tried the iced liberty blossom (apple), the blackberry mead, and a variety of reds and whites. The wild rose hip liquor, made from heritage roses on the estate, was also great and we ended up taking a bottle of it home. The owner was so friendly and told us PEI basically shuts down in the winter--which suits him and his wife fine, as she works on her art and he practices his music. 

 

After naptime, we explored more of Charlottetown and ate at Claddagh Oyster House, where I devoured both mine and Elowen's cheddar bay biscuits, as well as another portobello Wellington and some truly decadent sticky toffee pudding (Elowen and I wrestled over the fork for that). Then it was a post-meal park excursion and a stroll down Victoria Row to watch live music--during the summer, the town hosts musicians in a little pavilion several times a day every day. So whether your interest is jazz, country, folk, or something else, you'll likely stumble across it!


 
Walking to dinner. 
 




I'm a sucker for statues and murals.

The cutest little used bookstore, with early editions of L.M. Montgomery books and an impressive array of Snoopy stories for Elowen.

Listening to jazz on Victoria Row...Elowen was pretty stoked to drop some change into their guitar case.




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