Coffin Ridge

Although there are several similarities between the south shore of Georgian Bay and the Okanagan Valley, it would be considered quite a stretch to put Meaford on anyone’s list of wine destinations. I have always maintained, however, that with the many sun-drenched hills and valleys in the area, all we need is a couple degrees warmer average temperatures, and it could in fact be a great wine-producing region.

But believe it or not, there are two wineries within a 15 minute drive, Coffin Ridge and Georgian Hills. A few weekends ago, my wife Beth, who is a certified yoga teacher, was holding a Yoga and Art Retreat at our place. Since the entire upper floor, including outside deck was in use by the 8 budding artists, I had to amscray for the day. I took our friend Nick with me, and after a hearty breakfast at Blue Mountain Village and some aimless driving around for an hour, the sun was over the yardarm (somewhere), so therefore time to head to the winery I hadn’t been to yet, Coffin Ridge. The name alone provides intrique enough to make the visit.

It didn’t disappoint. To get there, you turn north off Highway 26 west of Meaford onto the 2^nd Concession North. The paved road turns to gravel, and as you head deeper and deeper into the countryside, with visions of the Squirrel Lady from “Rat Race” (see below) creeping into your brain, you start to understand perhaps why it got its name. But we arrived at the winery safely, without flying off a cliff. And to our very pleasant surprise, there in the middle of nowhere stood a very Niagara-like boutique winery, with 2 levels of outdoor decking overlooking the vineyards and Georgian Bay.

Coffin Ridge does play up on its name extremely well, from the dead tree in its logo to the bathroom ghoulishly decked out in black and red, with a TV screen playing an old episode of The Munsters! Inside, stations were already set up with the names of the wines we would be tasting right under the glasses, names like “Into the Light White,” “Back from the Dead Red,” and “Resurrection Rosé.” After the free tasting, Nick and I decided the wine was well worthy of ordering a couple full glasses, a cheese tray and heading outside to enjoy the scenery for awhile. And at the risk of overdoing this, the final nail in the coffin was indeed a coffin, used to hold the cutlery: