On my birthday at Niagara on the Lake, Jackson-Triggs was the second winery we visited after Peller Estates, which we thought was beautiful with a lovely range of wines. As we approached Jackson-Triggs, we were disappointed by the boring factory look of the winery especially coming from Peller Estates!

Jackson-Triggs at Niagara-on-the-Lake

Jackson-Triggs is a Canadian winery with vineyards in Okanagan Valley, British Columbia and the Niagara Peninsula. It was founded in 1993 when Donald Triggs and Allan Jackson began producing the wine in Mississauga. In 2006, Jackson-Triggs won the Gold Medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) for the best Shiraz/Syrah, which was the first Canadian red wine to be recognized by the IWSC. Jackson-Triggs kept up their reputation and in 2010, they won their seventh Canadian Wine Producer of the Year trophy and have now been awarded more than 50 medals at 3 competitions.

We got to taste a wide range of wines here as well, from the Sauvignon Franc to various Icewines. Wine tasting here will set you back approximately $1-$3 a pop (depending on the type of wine).

Here are some of the wines at Jackson-Triggs.

I saw this and thought it was really cool, I had to take a snap! Maple Infused Wine Vinegar? How interesting.

We accidentally went down the wrong way and caught a glimpse of where they store the wine! Very cool.

Here’s me and Elliott.

Here’s what it looked like outside. So wet and rainy! It was unfortunate because this part of Niagara Region is so beautiful!

And here’s us in the car :) Hehehe.

About Sunnyridge Strawberry Farm at Mornington Peninsula

I’ve been wanting to visit Sunnyridge Strawberry Farm for a few years now but haven’t had the chance. I can’t believe I haven’t been here because I’ve lived in Victoria all my life and it’s so close by to travel to. Mornington Peninsula is just a beautiful place to visit for tourists and locals all around, and everything about Sunnyridge just sounds appealing. You can pick your own fresh strawberries, eat strawberry desserts, purchase strawberry jams and chocolates, or best yet – taste strawberry wines and liqueurs. There are hundreds of strawberry varieties and you can find even the most premium and sweetest strawberries here.

U-Pick was closed when we visited Sunnyridge, but we picked up a box of these gorgeous premium strawberries! They were so delicious. So fresh and flavourful.

Going to Mornington Peninsula is often a magical playground for wine lovers, who go to each and every winery tasting all the wines available. But for those who aren’t a fan of alcohol, it can be very boring. Sunnyridge is great because they offer a very refreshing Sparkling Strawberry Wine that is non-alcoholic for just $10. So good!

Here are the selection of fruit wines and liqueurs available to taste test. We tried them all! There is an apple cider, strawberry & apple cider, a sparkling strawberry wine, a sparkling strawberry & grape wine, strawberry port, cherry port, strawberry liqueur and a strawberry and cream liqueur. You can check out the wines at Rebello Wines and order online as well. We purchased the Charlotte 100% Strawberry Sparkling wine and the strawberry & apple cider. They were so flavourful and refreshing. The Charlotte has won the Best Sparkling in Show at the 2009 a& 2010 Australian Fruit Wine Awards.

We also picked up some strawberry jams. Nom nom nom.

This was my favourite part, because I love cheesecake and this was a gorgeous smooth strawberry cheesecake. It wasn’t too sweet either and had such a smooth fluffy consistency. Probably one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had!

This is my mum & I’s favourite dish – devonshire tea! Two fresh scones served with jam & cream, with tea.

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Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm
244 Shands Road, Main Ridge 3928
Victoria, Australia
Melway Reference 190 E12

It is approximately 75 minutes from Melbourne if you take the Monash Freeway, Eastlink, Moorooduc Hwy and Mornington Peninsula Freeway.

The last time I tried to visit Sunnyridge, it was closed during the week as I visited it not during the strawberry season. The strawberry season runs from November to April and Sunnyridge is open daily during 9am-5pm. But you can still visit Sunnyridge during the non-strawberry season on the weekends between the hours of 11am-4pm. This place is hugely popular – when we visited, there was so many people even on a Monday. It’s a must visit if you come to Melbourne!

In May 2010, I went to Napa Valley which is known for their wines and has become increasingly comparable to the wines from France and Spain. I was lucky enough to have beautiful weather. It was so sunny and the air was so fresh

I went on a wine tour by Platypus Tours which took a small bus full of people (about 12 of us) to four wineries. Above was my tour guide who had a tremendous amount of knowledge of wines.

Our first stop was Judd’s Hill where we tasted various wines but really enjoyed the Rosé, Sauvingnon Blanc and Lodi Petite Sirah. I purchased a bottle of Lodi Petite Sirah for myself and the tour guide bought a few bottles of Rosé for the whole group to enjoy in the bus! Woooo!

In my tour group we happened to have two couples that were married recently and on the same day! Judd’s Hill offered us all another tasting of an $80 bottle of wine. Shown above is my glass of Rosé, below are the barrells at Judd’s Hill.

Our second stop was Casa Nuestra which was a cosy winery with a wide range of wines on offer.

We had free tasting directly from the barrell. The experience was that the wine is a lot fruitier and stronger. It was intense! We also had our lunch here which the tour provided.

In all, I enjoyed the Rosado and Dry Riesling that they had to offer.

Our third stop was Arger-Martucci. I loved the  beautiful view of the mountains at this place. When we had got to this place, it was mid afternoon already and the sun was at it’s peak. It was so lovely to sit outside and enjoy the combination of wine, sun and the view.

My favourite at this place was the 2004 Dulcinea which is comprised of 70% Semillon harvested at 42 brix and 30% Sauvingnon Blanc harvested at 38 brix was 11.7% by weight. I love botrytis wines. This was a nice sweet dessert wine which I was excited to take home with me.

Our fourth and last winery to stop at was Robert Biale Vineyard. I stopped drinking by this point, because we already spent most of the day drinking! Also, this winery specialises in Zinfandel and it is too sharp for my liking.

This winery was so beautiful! Check out the view below.

Here’s the whole group before we went back to the drop off spot and went our own ways.

In all – the tour was a lot of fun and we all learnt a great deal about wines and what we liked. We definitely got a great showcase of the amazing wineries in Napa Valley and it was a great experience. I have no doubt that every person in our tour group left with a few bottle of great wines to enjoy at home as well.

While we were still cruising down the East Cost of Tasmania, we stopped by at a vinyard. Because Tasmania has a cooler climate than the rest of Australia, their wines are distinctly different than in the rest of the country and primarily produces Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Riesling with some smaller plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon blanc.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Riesling that they had to offer, and snapped that up quick!

Beautiful photos of the grapes and the vinyard are below.