The vignoble du clos Baillie

The beau and I recently visited a vineyard that I stumbled upon while perusing the Outaouais tourism website looking for fun and interesting things for a citycountry bumpkin to do. 

The clos Baillie is one of two vineyards owned by Raymond Huneault, the second being in Montebello. Located at 490 Baillie in Aylmer, the vineyard didn’t disappoint and was a super fun and romantic thing to do on a rainy afternoon.

When we first got to the vineyard they were in the beginning stages of making apple cider, getting the apples ready for the press. We were able to taste some of the pure juice that came out of the freshly pressed apples. Frosty pink and icy cold, it was one of the most delicious things I have ever tried.

We were also treated to a complimentary tour of the vineyard and an incredible wine tasting. Trying everything from white wine to red ice wine, we settled on a few bottles of our favourites and are planning on returning in November for the oysters and wine night.

Held November 17^th and with the proceeds going to The Arthritis Society, the evening, with oysters supplied by the Capital Fish Markets, promises to be another must-write-about happening.

Can’t hardly wait.

Part deux

I overheard myself telling the following story to my mother the other night and literally thought to myself "whose life am I leading?" 

The answer, incredibly, is mine.

To recap, it was time to come home after spending a few remarkable days in Cochrane visiting my beau at work. You-know-who thought it would be a great time for me to "feel the fear and do it anyway," or something similar, and so the decision was made (ahem) that we would fly back... by helicopter.

While this may sound slightly out of this world to many (including me) the beau is actually a helicopter pilot so it is not completely so. But still...

As we slowly separated from the earth, literally lifting and gliding up and off the ground, I closed my eyes (to recap: i am afraid of flying) and tightened up for a long, three hour ride. 

But then out of nowhere, and rather rapidly, the most amazing thing happened: I started to enjoy myself. Really enjoy myself. 

What wasn't there to enjoy?

The view was beautiful. The feeling was incredible - so light and free. As Lou Reed sang, it was "just a perfect day." And the fear, incredibly, was gone. I wondered if it was really possible to overcome a fear so quickly and apparently it was because the next time we took off, I actually kept my eyes open. For the first time in a very long time.

And it's a good thing I did too. Or else look what I would have missed: 

Not bad for a citycountry bumpkin.