Canadian wine regions are taking a new, less boozy approach to tourism | Canada Voices

From Vancouver Island to the western peninsula of Nova Scotia, Canada’s wine regions host more than one million visitors a year. But in the past decade, an increasing number of Canadians have chosen to drink less. The Globe and Mail noted earlier this year that a Statistics Canada report revealed in 2023, 54 per cent of respondents over 18 did not drink at all in the week preceding the survey. Wine sales also decreased 4 per cent between spring 2021 and 2022 – the largest decline since Statscan started tracking sales in 1949.

Wander the Spa: Prince Edward County’s latest distraction

While wineries will always have cellar door tastings, vineyard tours and cork popping festivals, regions across the country traditionally known for wine-centric holidays are evolving to attract a new kind of traveller, someone who might be interested in art, adventure or something else entirely. It’s working – during my last two visits to Prince Edward County, Ontario’s fastest-growing wine region, I didn’t set foot in a winery. Instead I spent my time by the water, popping into shops and checking out restaurants at the County’s newest hotels.

Here is a guide to the new look of some of Canada’s most popular wine regions for drinkers and non-drinkers alike.

Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

In Canada’s oldest such region – the Annapolis Valley dates back to 1611 – there are a wealth of family friendly experiences during both day and night. Tour Tipsy Toad Grove Farm with miniature Nubian goats as your guides where you’ll learn about the operations of this sustainable farm. They also offer a Great Goat Escape, a more hands-on experience that includes the tour, a picnic featuring ingredients grown on the farm, and the chance to decorate and take home your own customized walking stick for future adventures. At Two Birds One Stone, a flower farm, those with kids 14 and up can create a souvenir and learn about the farm’s 100-plus variety of blooms with the Saving the Seasons: A Botanical Casting Adventure. Participants tour the farm and harvest their choice of flowers before learning how to style and set their casting by pressing the flowers they’ve collected into clay then creating a plaster sculpture of the impressions. And after dark, Valley Ghost Walks is a full-on production in the form of a walking tour, sharing the (spooky) history and folklore of the Valley.

The Okanagan, British Columbia

With a landscape that includes mountains, valleys, deserts and lakes, this wine region has a lot more than winery visits to explore. The most significant way to experience much of the Valley is via the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, a former rail corridor turned multiuse trail. Cycling between Penticton and Naramata offers incredible views of Okanagan Lake. Mountain bike trails can be found in the hills surrounding Penticton. Campbell Mountain is a great starting point for beginners, Three Blind Mice has trails for all levels, and the Rock Ovens trail in Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park is a must for advanced riders. For hikers there are trails running from easy one or two kilometres out and backs in Peachland and Naramata, to flat but lengthy routes (28 km round trip) running from Penticton to the rushing Okanagan Falls. And Skaha Bluffs is one of the top spots in the country for rock climbing with more than 1,200 routes. Get a grasp of the sport with lessons from Skaha Rock Adventures or Hoodoo Adventures. For something more peaceful, boat, SUP and kayak rentals are available for a day on the lake, and you can take unwinding one step further with a lazy float along the Penticton Channel. Coyote Cruises rents tubes that can seat one to four people and runs shuttle buses to get folks back to the starting point.

Prince Edward County, Ontario

Art, boating on the lake and sauna sessions – the growing variety of therapeutic experiences in PEC is turning the region into a veritable wellness hub. The newest addition to the County is the Wander resort’s new spa, a Nordic-inspired luxe retreat. If the lake is calling, Happy Sailing, a Métis-owned sailing school that launched a couple years ago, offers a water-based perspective on the County with relaxing half-day and full-day sails. Guests get the chance to learn boating basics – or they can opt to simply soak in the views of Prince Edward Bay while someone else mans the sails. Art spaces are blooming, too. Base 31 is the newest addition to the cultural scene. Its multiple venues are situated on a former military training base just outside of Picton, and its calendar is filled with music performances and fine art. And Big Lake festival is another arts initiative that launched during the pandemic. The focus is music – strings, piano, classical. Performances are scheduled throughout the year, and a week-long event runs Aug. 15-23 this year.

Niagara Region, Ontario

Where there’s good wine there’s good food, and the country’s most notable wine region, which stretches more than 50 kilometres from Winona, Ont., just east of Hamilton to Niagara-on-the-Lake is leaning into food. Two recently awarded Michelin stars for the region certainly help. Last year Restaurant Pearl Morissette, in Jordan Station, Ont., received a star and a Green Star for its sustainability commitment, and butcher shop/restaurant Fat Rabbit in nearby St. Catharines nabbed one star as well. Also new in St. Catharines is the diner-inspired Di’s Pizza Pies. The vibe is old-school fun, the cherry soda is house-made and the eight-pie menu is intentionally minimal to focus on obtaining the perfect crispy crust. For a sweet treat, RPM Bakehouse (from the Pearl Morissette team) is a must (there’s almost always a line so consider ordering ahead), or Hometown Ice Cream in Virgil scoops flavours inspired by nearby farms, think peach and maple butter tart.

Eastern Townships, Quebec

The vineyards along the Brome-Missisquoi Wine Route in the Eastern Townships produce over 60 per cent of all Quebec wine. But the region has also become a hub for artists and visitors in search of some cultural inspiration. To get your bearings, start with the self-guided audio tour to dig into the history of the region. BaladoDécouverte has several routes to explore in the region, Sur la route des vins de Brome-Missisquoi shares the history of the area and its Prohibition past. Louise Penny fans should make time for Three Pines Tours, which guides visitors to important sites and settings from the author’s books. The town of Sutton is a gathering spot for artists with the Arts Sutton Gallery regularly hosting exhibits, and Tour des Arts – during which artists open their studios to the public – happens July 12-20 this year. The Arts Centre in Frelighsburg is also worth exploring to view contemporary local artists.

Special to The Globe and Mail