Two hours east of Toronto, Prince Edward County has quietly become one of Canada’s most exciting wine regions, a compact peninsula of limestone soils, farm patios and small, characterful cellar doors. The Prince Edward County wineries we love best pair genuinely good cool-climate wine with a slow, unpretentious County vibe that swallows a weekend whole. We spent a few days tasting our way around the County, so this is our first-hand pick of the best wineries to visit, what each one is known for, and how to plan the perfect tasting weekend.
Key Takeaways
- Prince Edward County has around 40 wineries, clustered around Wellington, Hillier and Waupoos, making it one of Ontario’s most walkable-and-drivable wine regions.
- The County is cool-climate country, best known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and a growing scene of sparkling wine and craft cider.
- Our first-hand favourites include Karlo Estates, Huff Estates, Closson Chase, Rosehall Run and Lacey Estates, each with its own setting and style.
- You’ll want a car and a designated driver (or a guided wine tour), and three to four wineries a day is a comfortable, enjoyable pace.
- Summer through harvest (June to October) is the season, with open patios, live music and the vineyards at their best.
Prince Edward County Wine at a Glance
| Where | Prince Edward County, ~2 hrs east of Toronto, Ontario |
| Wineries | Around 40, around Wellington, Hillier & Waupoos |
| Known for | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, sparkling & cider |
| Best time | June to October (peak summer + harvest) |
| Getting around | Car + designated driver, or a guided wine tour |
| Good pace | 3 to 4 wineries per day |
The County (as locals call it) sits on a limestone-rich peninsula jutting into Lake Ontario, and that cool-climate terroir is what gives its wines their bright, mineral character. Wineries are grouped loosely around Wellington and Hillier in the west and Waupoos in the east, close enough to string several together in a day. Below are the best Prince Edward County wineries to visit, starting with the ones we loved most.
Part of what makes the County so enjoyable to tour is how young and personal the region still feels. Most of the wineries were planted in the last twenty-odd years, many are family-run, and the tasting rooms tend to be converted barns and farmhouses rather than corporate showrooms. The winters here are cold enough that some growers still bury their vines each autumn to protect them, a labour-intensive touch that tells you how seriously they take the fruit. The result is a region with genuine character, where the people pouring your wine often grew the grapes themselves.
The Best Prince Edward County Wineries to Visit
Here is our shortlist at a glance, followed by a proper writeup of each. The first several are wineries we visited and tasted at ourselves, and we have added a few more well-regarded County names to round out a route.
| Winery | Area | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Karlo Estates | Wellington | Vegan winery, black-walnut port, timber-frame barn |
| Huff Estates | Bloomfield | Modern winery, sparkling, on-site art gallery |
| Closson Chase | Hillier | Iconic purple barn, Chardonnay & Pinot Noir |
| Rosehall Run | Wellington | Chardonnay and its JCR estate wines |
| Lacey Estates | Hillier | Small family winery, easygoing tastings |
| Casa Dea Estates | Wellington | Larger estate, Italian roots, big patio |
| The Grange of Prince Edward | Hillier | Organic, family-run, historic farm setting |
| Norman Hardie | Wellington | Cult Chardonnay & Pinot, wood-fired pizza |
| Sandbanks Estate | Wellington | Approachable wines near Sandbanks beach |
| Hinterland | Hillier | The County sparkling-wine specialist |
Karlo Estates
Karlo Estates was a highlight of our County weekend, and an easy one to recommend. Set in a beautiful restored timber-frame barn near Wellington, it was North America’s first certified vegan winery and is famous for its Van Alstine black-walnut port, a rich, nutty dessert wine unlike anything else in the region. The tasting room is warm and characterful, the pours generous, and the whole place has an unhurried, welcoming feel. It is the kind of stop that turns a wine tour into an afternoon.
Huff Estates
Huff Estates is one of the County’s more polished, modern wineries, just outside Bloomfield, with a sleek tasting room, an on-site art gallery (Oeno Gallery and its sculpture garden) and a well-regarded inn. It is known for its sparkling wines and its Chardonnay, and the estate is set up beautifully for a relaxed tasting, with food to match. If you like your wineries with a bit of design polish alongside the wine, Huff is the one.
Closson Chase
You cannot miss Closson Chase: its restored barn is painted a deep, unmistakable purple, and it has become one of the County’s most photographed cellar doors. In the glass, the focus is serious Burgundian-style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Hillier’s limestone soils, and the wines are among the region’s most respected. The setting, all weathered wood and vineyard views, makes it a lovely place to linger over a flight.
Rosehall Run
Rosehall Run, on the western side near Wellington, is another County name to know for Chardonnay, along with its JCR estate-tier wines and easygoing everyday bottles. The tasting room is friendly and low-key, and it makes a natural pairing with the other Wellington-area wineries on a western loop. It is a good example of the County doing cool-climate whites well without any fuss.
Lacey Estates
Lacey Estates is a small, family-run winery in Hillier that we really enjoyed for its relaxed, personal tastings. There is no pretension here, just honest County wine poured by people who care about it, in a quiet vineyard setting. Small stops like this are the heart of the County, and Lacey is an easy, genuine one to fold into a Hillier-area afternoon.
Casa Dea Estates
Casa Dea Estates is one of the larger, more established wineries near Wellington, with Italian family roots, a broad range of wines and a big, sunny patio that is made for a long lunch. It leans a little more resort-like than the tiny cellar doors, which makes it a comfortable, easy stop, especially with a group. Come for the patio, the range and the relaxed pace.
The Grange of Prince Edward
The Grange of Prince Edward is a family-run, estate winery in Hillier set on a historic 19th-century farm, with a handsome converted barn as its tasting room. It farms sustainably and pours estate-grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Gamay in a genuinely rural setting. The sense of place is strong here, and it rounds out a Hillier loop nicely.
More County Wineries Worth a Visit
We did not make it to every cellar door (nobody does in one weekend), but these are a few more Prince Edward County wineries with strong reputations that are well worth working into a County route.
Norman Hardie near Wellington is one of the County’s most celebrated names for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with a famous wood-fired pizza oven on the patio that makes it an easy place to spend a long lunch. Sandbanks Estate Winery, close to Sandbanks Provincial Park, is known for its approachable, easy-drinking wines and a laid-back, beachy vibe that suits a stop on the way to the dunes.
Hinterland in Hillier is the County’s sparkling-wine specialist, making traditional-method bubbles across a range of styles, and it is a great stop for anyone who loves fizz. Trail Estate Winery has built a following for its natural and experimental wines, including skin-contact and wild-ferment bottles that appeal to more adventurous palates. And the tiny Three Dog Winery adds live music, food and a relaxed farm atmosphere that is popular with families. Between them, these round out a classic County tasting weekend.
Prince Edward County’s wineries are spread across Wellington, Hillier and Waupoos with no public transport between them, so a car (with a designated driver) is the way to tour, unless you book a guided wine tour.
We use and recommend Discover Cars to compare rental rates across suppliers, so you can pick up in Toronto or nearby Belleville and drive out to the County.
How to Plan a Prince Edward County Wine Tour
The County is compact, but the wineries are spread across a few pockets, so a little planning makes for a much better day. Group your visits by area, pace yourself, and sort out the driving before you start tasting.
Tour by area
Most wineries cluster in three loose groups: Wellington and Hillier in the west (the densest concentration, including Karlo, Closson Chase, Rosehall Run, Lacey, Norman Hardie and Hinterland), and Waupoos in the east. Pick one area per day and you will spend more time tasting and less time driving. Three to four wineries a day is a comfortable, enjoyable pace that leaves room for a long patio lunch.
Sort out the driving
Wine and driving do not mix, so plan for it. The easiest options are a designated driver in your own group, or a guided County wine tour or shuttle that handles the driving for you. A few wineries sit close enough together to cycle between on a nice day, which is a fun way to do a short Hillier loop.
Book ahead in season
In peak summer and harvest, the popular tasting rooms get busy and some require reservations, so book tastings in advance through each winery’s website, especially as hours and tasting fees shift with the season.
Best Time to Visit the Wineries
Prince Edward County wine country is at its best from June through October. Summer brings open patios, live music and long, warm evenings, while September and October add harvest energy and glorious fall colour across the vineyards. Spring is quieter and some tasting rooms keep shorter hours, and winter is very sleepy, with many wineries closed or by appointment only. There is plenty more to the County beyond the cellar doors once the tastings are done, from Sandbanks beach to Picton’s main street.
Making a Weekend of It
The County has grown a genuinely good food-and-lodging scene alongside the wine, from the Drake Devonshire on the water in Wellington to the Huff Estates Inn right on the vineyard, plus farm-to-table kitchens in Bloomfield and Picton. It all makes for an easy weekend getaway from Toronto that pairs well with the rest of Ontario’s wine country. The full destination guide linked below covers where to stay, eat and what else to do around the wineries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many wineries are in Prince Edward County?
Prince Edward County has around 40 licensed wineries, cideries and vineyards, concentrated around Wellington, Hillier and Waupoos, making it one of Ontario’s most compact wine regions to tour.
What is Prince Edward County wine known for?
The County is cool-climate wine country, best known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling grown in its limestone-rich soils, along with a growing scene of traditional-method sparkling wine and craft cider.
Can you do a Prince Edward County wine tour without a car?
It is easiest with a car and a designated driver, but several tour companies run guided winery tours and shuttles from the County and nearby towns, and a few wineries cluster close enough to cycle between on a nice day.
What is the best time to visit Prince Edward County wineries?
Summer through harvest, roughly June to October, is peak, with patios open and the vineyards at their best. September and October add harvest energy and fall colour, while winter is very quiet with many wineries closed.
Which Prince Edward County winery is the best?
It depends on your taste, but long-standing favourites include Karlo Estates for its vegan wines and black-walnut port, Closson Chase and Norman Hardie for cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and Huff Estates for its sparkling and setting.
Final Thoughts
Prince Edward County packs a lot of very good wine into a small, friendly peninsula, and half the pleasure is the unhurried, farm-country pace of it all. Start with the first-hand favourites above, group your tastings by area, sort out a designated driver, and give yourself a long lunch in the middle. It is one of the best wine weekends in the country, and it pairs beautifully with the wider Canadian wine regions and a swing through Niagara-on-the-Lake. Which County winery will you start with?
READ NEXT: The Ultimate Guide to Prince Edward County
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