Galley Guys Invade the Scheuermann Winery

Galley Guys; Greg Nicoll, John Armstrong, Andy Adams and Robin Bal

The Galley Guys try for an album cover look

Good friends, good food and good times – that’s the Galley Guys motto, but we can be a bit obtrusive too. Not in a bad way. Not in a “get tossed out” way, but we can get “involved” in our work. So, we might grab the long-handled spatula and start turning our own pizza in the wood fired oven for example. And, this is more likely to happen if we are having a great time.

Galley Guys look forward to getting carried away with things; involved in our work is how I see it.

We picked up the Scheuermann Vineyard & Winery shuttle right by the
Westport docks for the short ride to the Winery.

Great hosts know how to help us have fun while gently regaining control of the longhandled spatula, for example. The result was delicious professionally prepared pizza and that was just the start of the very enjoyable evening.

But I shouldn’t get ahead of the story. Let’s begin at the beginning. You may have read in the April issue of Canadian Yachting, that the Galley Guys took a delightful and scenic cruise on the Rideau Canal aboard a Le Boat Horizon Escape 1350. The Le Boat people were marvelous and suggested all sorts of things to see and do on our cruise. One of the best suggestions was to spend a night at the village of Westport.

The town docks can accommodate transient boaters and the Harbormaster and his team welcomed us for our first night of the cruise.

At the front of the property are several Muskoka chairs where you can relax with a glass of wine.

The Le Boat staff had set this up for us and the Westport waterfront was a sheltered and very pretty place to spend the night. The Harbormaster who greeted us, guided us to a spot on the docks where we could connect to shore power and provided us with both a friendly welcome and answers to any of our questions.

We had been tipped off to a great dining experience to enjoy while in Westport. It was to visit the Scheuermann Vineyard & Winery for a delicious dinner and to
sample their wines. The Harbormaster explained that the Scheuermann Winery operates a shuttle and we just walked from the docks out to the street at the
appointed time and there was the shuttle.

Mere minutes later, and after the driver had given us a great introduction to the vineyards and winery, we arrived at the beautiful hill-side vineyard and could not
resist running out and doing our “album cover” vineyard pose.

Galley Guy John Armstrong examines the label on the Pinot Noir.

From there we were greeted by the owners, (Francois and Allison Scheuermann) who welcomed us warmly and invited us to enjoy the grounds before we sat down to sample their lovely 2015 Pinot Noir.

Scheuermann Vineyard & Winery is a family owned and operated vineyard and winery that also offers a seasonal dining experience and it’s quite unique.

The property is the Scheuermann’s home as well as their vineyard and by their home is a large covered but open-air patio with free-standing wood fired ovens.
Guests are free to wander the grounds as the aromas of steaks on the grill waft through the evening air.

The grounds have a path and interesting sculptures and works of art are on display along the path. Their home and summer patio restaurant are situated on a gentle hill overlooking Sand Lake. The view is charming and the best way to enjoy it, is from one of the Muskoka chairs with a glass of Scheuermann wine.

Then our charming hosts, posed for a photo and regained control of the pizza spatula.

The winery produces Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Les Bulles, Vidal and Pinot Noir as well as a sparkling cider. On your first visit to the Scheuermann Vineyard &
Winery, plan to order their flight of wines so you and your friends can sample all the vintages available.

Through the summer season, Mother’s Day to Labour Day, they serve their delicious wood-fired pizza and smoked salmon every day. To enjoy a hearty grilled entrée, served on weekends and some week nights, you need to make a reservation.

The Galley Guys sampled the pizza and also the grilled rib appetizers – they were almost a meal on their own. But we pressed on to the thick rib-eye steaks served with locally-grown vegetables and baked potatoes because that was just perfect with the Pinot Noir!

Before we said goodnight, we stocked up on a selection of the Scheuermann wines.

You can buy bottles directly from the Winery while you are there.

All the Galley Guys raise a glass to toast the Scheuermann’s and their excellent
hospitality.

And remember, we were taking the shuttle back to the boat. It was a memorable and perfect evening. We highly recommend a visit to the Scheuermann Vineyard & Winery if you can get to the Westport area!

Visit: scheuermannwinery.com