Ride The Bine

Hey there we have lots of new faces, and during lockdown we’ve been pretty quite! We’re Amanda and Susan, owners of Ride the Bine. We started on this crazy journey to provide an opportunity for people to explore and enjoy the local craft beverage scene, which has expanded from Norfolk where we originally started! We are SO pumped that our partners in many counties are able to start the process of reopening. We are holding off tours until we have a bit of time in each county... in Orange and keep your eyes peeled for when bookings open for the summer! We have lots of fun changes in store for the season and I know our Tour Animators are pumped to hang out with you again!

Hey It’s been a hot minute - I’ve taken a bit of a break on socials, but don’t worry, behind the scenes lots of fun things are a brewing (solid beer pun, eh?) I’m reminded of the trip my husband and I took last year to New Zealand - pictured here is a picture in the orchards of Zeffer Cider which happens to be close to where co-owner Amanda’s husband hails from. Talk about full circle!... I’m reminded of this as I attend CiderCon this week, meeting people from around the world working in cider, beer and wine! We have tons to share with you and in good time, we promise! Until then, stay safe and sip local!!

As we get our first looks at 2021, we are filled with hope. We’ve been working on a project that we’ll be showing you early this year and has us antsy to get back out and enjoying everything that Ontario Southwest has to offer Until then, stay safe and we’ll see you soon!

We’ve been working on a project to highlight the amazing producers and partners you’d see along the way on tour... follow along as we give you a glimpse into the experience Heeman's Ontario's Southwest Visit Middlesex

Raise a glass of your favourite local beverage to another year! Cheers to the lessons, the trials and tribulations and above all else, the joy, the laughter, the love and our community! Happiest New Year

Here’s to the Merry & Bright, no matter how your holiday season looks this year. We wish you the best for 2021, and hope your upcoming days are filled with good food, good drinks and good friends - even if they are on a Zoom call... Thank you for all of the support this year - we look forward to seeing you all again sometime soon! Merry Christmas

Thank you for supporting loads of local this year! If there’s anyone left on your list, consider this a sign Ridethebine.com Blueberry Hill Estates Ontario's Southwest Paradigm Spirits Co. Heeman's Inasphere Wines Heeman's Forked River Brewing Company Shale Ridge Estate Winery

Who else loves to feel festive this weekend? Holiday shopping is in full swing - and this year feels a little strange for us. Although we currently aren’t offering tours, you can purchase gift cards of any amount that will never expire! Many of you have missed celebrations, birthdays, time with friends and family this year and we have too... Start planning for those memories now! Gift an experience this holiday season (perhaps it’s just for yourself) and get the gift of anticipation and looking forward to what’s to come as we know the future will be merry & bright! Visit ridethebine.com to grab your gift cards now!

One of our favourite parts about our tours are that they often show a glimpse of one of our partner stops real-ness These moments make it extra special because we’re seeing the joy, struggle, balancing act and compromises that are being made every day to make the business and the families behind them happen It might be a run in with a bar top as a desk space, a doggo who’s come along to work, some tots following in tow, or perhaps all of the above... We know that some people apologize for this, but let me state for the record, seeing this makes the hard word and dedication so real! Thank you to all our partners who are out there just trying to make it all work, you’re awesome!

Hey there, Susan here with an update: Ride the Bine will be pausing our small group experiences until further notice. We have made this decision based on the provincial governments’ ‘pause’ on social bubbles. We feel the best way forward with this information is to pause in this critical moment to help protect our partners, animators and staff.... We have had an amazing time this summer harnessing the excitement and enthusiasm to visit local agri-businesses. We will continue to shout from the rooftops our mission, to help drive the agri-businesses and local tourism that sit at the heart of our rural communities. As always, please take this time to shoutout some of your favourite local businesses, beverage companies or friends who might need a virtual , or Let’s keep the local love alive!

Being able to enjoy our favourite local beverages across Southwestern Ontario makes us -> A big reason why we do what we do is so that we can either introduce some of these delicious options to people, or gives our guests an easy, safe, fun way to enjoy some of their favourite WITH some of their favourites Cozy space and friendly faces... that’s what we’re all about

This time of year is always a great time to add a little pizzaz to your space inside or out Anderson’s is showing off some beautiful fall decorating with a creative twist - anyone else use their cups/glasses/mugs/bottles as decor? Tag us so we can see your creative side!

How we thought things would go > how it’s going With the rising cases, we are looking to do what feels best for our business and for all of you! We will be offering tours again in early March 2021 (at the latest) unless we see a nice decline in cases before then!... We know lots of our partners are having to navigate continually changing group sizing and restrictions - it’s tricky and hard to make everyone happy. We want to make sure we can support these businesses - and make sure to let them know we’ll be coming with bubbles of fun folks again soon... You will be the first to know if we’re able to offer any tours sooner. We will be back and ready to have a grand time

Tours might be paused, but exciting projects are still in the works What have you been tasting lately?

Looking at these signs always makes our heart happy Even though it may just take a few minutes, whenever our partners have or take the time to write a little message to our groups, it’s the best feeling in the world Although we’re currently pausing tours as counties transition into the new covid system, we look forward to seeing these signs once again... We know it won’t be easy for our partners and ourselves to get through the winter. If you’re thinking of holiday gifts, or perhaps getting friends or family something to look forward to, know that we’ll be back and offering safe an awesome local tours as soon as we can and yes, we have gift cards! Keep shopping local this holiday season!

Another teaser for the exciting things to come! Paradigm Spirits Co located at 100 Kellogg in London, On is set to open SOON! The brilliant ladies behind this brand are passionate about locally made spirits, and are huge bourbon fans.... We are counting the days until this fantastic stop will be open to the public and offering up some of their delicious spirits Have you heard of this new distillery yet? Who wants to go check it out?

Amanda, Hayden, their family and team have been working hard to harvest apples this fall Apples in Norfolk County are special for a few reasons. Here in Ontario we can grow some of the best tasting apples in the world. Local cider producers use these local, fresh apples to create world-class ciders for us to enjoy If that’s not worth a cheers I’m not sure what is?!... @dooneyranch

Who else looks forward to daylight savings? We may be losing light, but that means the harvests are finishing up and the magic fermentation is taking off in production facilities across the province The colours outside might be fading, but the colours in your glass should keep you