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F a l l 2 0 1 4 | g o i n g p l a c e s 33 one living entity. "Biodynamic has the cachet of being romantic, but it's hard work," says Fraser. "We have the same problems as any other farmers: staying on top of weather, soil nutrition and biodiversity." Sheep wander among the vines in the warmer months, thinning the leaves, weeding and naturally fertilizing the soil. You can buy limited-edition blankets here, made from their wool. And heady-smelling pink roses bloom at the ends of the rows – nature's early-warning system for mildew. "The same things attack roses as attack the vines," says Fraser, "but they'll go for the roses fi rst." In the hospitality building, looking out onto the vines, we sample Poetica wines. During vin- tage years, Southbrook bottles exceptional wines for this fl agship collection. Love poems by Canadian poets adorn their labels. Late in the afternoon we check into Harbour House, a wood-fronted, heritage-style property by the marina. A display of dried-corn sheaths, potted chrysanthemums and gourds on straw bales at the entrance creates the kind of seasonal welcome that would appeal to Mar- tha Stewart. Crackers, along with a potted, spreadable house blend of cheeses, beer, horse- radish and pepper fl akes, have been laid out in the lobby. Guests are lounging on a leather sofa by the fi re, nibbling and sampling local wines. A little fuzzy by now, I go get the fi re going in my own room and stretch out on my pillow top bed. One power nap later and I'm ready to leave these cozy digs for our fi nal winery of the day. e restaurant at Ravine is in a simple rustic wooden building, a little unexpected consider- ing its executive chef-proprietor's interna- tional reputation. Paul Harber has worked for chef Andrew Carmellini at Café Boulud, New York, and for Michael Stadtländer at Eigensinn Farm, Singhampton, Ontario – the only Canadian restaurant ever to make it to the top 10 on the World's Best 50 Restaurants list. Ravine itself was named one of the top 20 winery restaurants in the world in 2011 by Wine Access magazine. Tonight's in-house musician is channelling Liam Gallagher with acoustic Britpop anthems as Illya and I slurp oysters and fresh lemon. Our server opens a sparkling rosé from 13th Street Winery. Ravine rotates sparkling wines from neighbouring wineries to complement their own organic off erings. Exclusive travel tips from CAA Wine and war. "Niagara-on-the-Lake is steeped in history – many War of 1812 battles were fought in the area. History buffs will relish in seeing former military sites, including the Fort George National Historic Site." –Ruth Vincent, CAA Travel Consultant Visit Ruth at our Empress Service Centre or call 204-262-6200 for more travel tips.