Not your Grandma’s Heirloom!

Try this sometime.

Ask a group of your friends if they want to take a bus and attend an Heirloom Tomato Festival. You will likely get a lot of polite declines like “I have to wash the dog”…” My great Aunt Beulah needs me to move a couch”… or “I don’t even like tomatoes, never mind old ones!”

Well, much to the delight and pleasure of  50 or so of the OWEC members, that is exactly what we all did one fine August afternoon as we attended the Niagara Heirloom Tomato festival at the Fielding Estate winery on the Beamsville bench. Who knew there were virtually dozens of tomato varieties in more colors than Crayola and more flavors than Baskin-Robbin’s?

Curtis and Heidi Fielding and the staff did an outstanding job of providing our group with the VIP treatment as we feasted on a gourmet lunch, enjoyed the generous pours of wine, toured their scenic vineyard and visited Fielding’s modern wine cellar for a cask tasting. Members grooved to the sounds of the Delco’s as we experienced perfect 24 degree weather on the natural grass amphitheatre that served as the stage to the bands tight sound.

And the wines!!  Fielding offered an excellent selection of  Cab Franc, Cab Sav, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay  and Riesling to name a few  … and that 2004 Meritage ! Magnificent!

At Fielding, they say “Better a drop of the extraordinary than an ocean of the ordinary”.

I think if you ask anyone who attended, they will definitely tell you that this was an extraordinary day… and if one of your friends should ever ask you if you want to attend an Heirloom Tomato Festival…say YES!