Updated September 2026 · 8 minute read

Prince Edward County packs 37 wineries — plus 21 breweries, cideries, and distilleries — onto a limestone island two hours east of Toronto. That density is what makes County wine tours work so well: on a good route you can taste at four very different producers and still be on a beach by late afternoon. Whether you call it a wine tour, a winery tour, or a tasting tour, this guide covers every way to do it — what it costs, who drives, and how to build a Prince Edward County wine tour day that doesn't feel like a checklist.

Why the County is built for wine touring

The County sits on the same limestone bedrock as Burgundy and Chablis, and the wines show it: taut Chardonnay, perfumed Pinot Noir, and traditional-method sparkling that has embarrassed pricier bottles in blind tastings. Because winters are cold enough that many growers bury their vines by hand each fall, production stays small — most County wine never reaches an LCBO shelf. Tasting rooms aren't a marketing exercise here; they're the actual store.

The wineries also cluster tightly. The famous Closson Road strip in Hillier puts a half-dozen tasting rooms within a few minutes of each other, Wellington's Greer Road adds Norman Hardie, Rosehall Run, and Casa-Dea in a row, and the east county pairs Waupoos Estates with The County Cider Company above Lake Ontario.

Option 1: Guided wine tours (the easy button)

A guided tour solves the only real problem with County wine touring: every tasting room is a rural drive from the last one, and somebody has to stay sharp. Local operators run shuttle and van tours that handle the route, the reservations, and — most importantly — the driving. Most guided wine tasting tours in Prince Edward County run four to six hours and visit three or four wineries.

Browse the full list with booking links on our Wine Tours & Shuttles page. Book ahead for summer and fall weekends — the good vans fill up faster than the good patios.

Option 2: The self-guided winery tour (with a plan)

If someone in your group is happy pouring into the spit bucket — or you've got a designated driver — a self-guided day gives you total freedom. The trick is clustering: the County is bigger than it looks, and Hillier to Waupoos is a solid 40-minute drive. Pick one region per day and go deep instead of criss-crossing.

The lazy way to do this well: take our 60-second day-planner quiz. It scores all 73 places against your tastes, clusters the stops geographically, adds a lunch stop, and loads the whole day — with drive times — into the tour planner. There's even an optimize button that reorders your stops into the shortest route.

Three self-guided routes that work

Option 3: By bike

The Millennium Trail — a 46 km rail-trail across the county — passes close to the Hillier wine cluster, and Bloomfield Bicycle Company rents bikes and e-bikes a short pedal from the wine routes. Cycling between two or three Hillier tasting rooms is one of the best afternoons the County offers; just remember rural shoulders, sunscreen, and that a tasting flight and a headwind compound each other.

What wine tours cost

Tasting fees at the wineries themselves run roughly $5–$25 and are usually waived when you buy a bottle — and buying the bottle is the move, since most of these wines are only sold at the cellar door. Guided tours vary by group size, vehicle, and length; confirm current pricing with the operator when you book. Budget extra for the bottles you swore you weren't going to buy.

When to come

Check What's On before you pick a date — the page re-sorts itself to whatever's in season when you're looking.

Tasting-day rules the locals live by

Where to go deeper