by George Dyke
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Each year the CAC stages a Spring and Fall driving event. Based on favorable feedback from club members, we decided to expand our outings and offer a Summer driving outing. July 11 was the specified date and the Niagara region our destination for a wine tasting and backroad tour.
We met at Nebo Djurdjevic’s house in Oakville. From there we took scenic Lakeshore Boulevard to Burlington and stayed on the shore road all the way to wine country. Along the way stopped to purchase peaches and cherries at one of the hundreds of roadside fruit stands and made a stop at a pub along the way for a late lunch. Then we made our way to Calamus, an obscure but delectable winery located in a renovated barn just west of Balls Falls.
We then took a 45 minute drive through some of the beautiful roads of the Jordan Valley region before stopping for dinner at The Kitchen House at Peninsula Ridge. Located at Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery. The Kitchen House is actually the William D. Kitchen house, a red brick Victorian manor that was restored in 2000. Built in 1885 in the Queen Anne style by Grimsby architect Frank Hill, the house was recently declared as a historic site under the Ontario Heritage Act for its historical and architectural significance. Dinner was relaxed, upscale and sumptuous.
Every day must come to a close. We ventured back to Oakville along the same route we came. Although heavy thunderstorms drenched many areas of the Niagara region that day, we managed to avoid them and drive on dry roads all the way!
This event provided a nice mid-summer venue for Club members to get together, enjoy the summer bounty of Niagara, and take their Citroëns on a leisurely outing. Expect it to be something we’ll do annually.