Explorer Ponce de León abandoned his quest to discover the mythical land of wine after a tumble into the Fountain of Youth left him eternally underage. Take up his journey with today’s Groupon to Mastronardi Estate Winery in Kingsville. Choose between the following options:
- For $12, you get a viticulture tour for two (a $5 value/person) including a wine tasting of six samples (a $4 value/person) with bread and cheese (a $3 value/person; a $24 total value).
- For $30, you get a viticulture tour for six (a $5 value/person) including a wine tasting of six samples (a $4 value/person) with bread and cheese (a $3 value/person; a $72 total value).
Mastronardi Estate Winery tills 100 fertile acres along Lake Erie's north shore, growing a bounty of grapes and turning them into award-winning wines such as the 2007 merlot, recently chosen as Essex Wine Review's Wine of the Month. On the half-hour viticulture tour and tasting, wine spectators walk and sack race through the estate's vineyard under the guidance of an experienced wine specialist. Tourists learn about the region's rich grape-growing grounds, where warm waters from the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair maintain a moderate climate along the 42nd north parallel, similar to storied regions such as Tuscany, Southern France, and Northern California. After sampling five quaffs while playing Marco Polo in the vineyards, the tour concludes at the estate's wine garden, where one more sample comes accompanied by cheese and fresh bread. Tours take place Thursday–Sunday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., and must be booked at least three days in advance.
Mastronardi Estate Winery
Nestled among 100 acres of lush vineyards that have blossomed for more than 25 years, Mastronardi Estate Winery cultivates 18 different kinds of grapes that resident winemaker Lyse Leblanc transforms into a prize-winning slate of wine varietals. Lakes Erie and St. Clair sandwich the region, naturally maintaining a suitable vine-harvesting climate that yields the building blocks of sweet dessert wines, crisp whites, bold merlot-cabernet amalgams, and sparkling varietals. Visitors tap into a rainbow of elegant elixirs during tours, tastings, and seminars, decamping to the winery's European-inspired tasting boutique, where a knowledgeable staffer points out oft-overlooked subtleties, such as the pinot grigio’s hints of honeydew and longing. Mastronardi Estate Winery donates a portion of proceeds from the floral-inspired Brianjë riesling to the Batten Disease Support and Research Association in memory of the daughter of owners Eadie and Tony Mastronardi.