Quick quaffing
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
Transform your wine knowledge from pedestrian to professional in one weekend - that's the promise from the hosts of the Peller Estates Extreme Wine Weekend: A Boot Camp for Bon Vivants. They'll walk 24 hobbyists through the winemaking process from vine to vin. Then it's tasting time, from the most recent vintages - right from the barrel - and with a perfectly paired six-course dinner. Who says you can't taste 50 wines, prune an acre of vines, eat and sip through 14 courses and identify 12 varietals - all in 48 hours?
Cost: $550.
When: Saturday and Sunday.
Where: Niagara-on-the-Lake, about 1½ hours from Toronto.
How: For more information, call 1-888-673-5537 or visit http://www.peller.com.
It's a plane!
Ottawa
If the roaring engines overhead don't give it away, hundreds of people pointing to the sky surely will proclaim the return of Air Show Ottawa. Hosted at the city's Carp Airport, in the west end, the Snowbirds will keep perfect formation, while the Canadian Forces skydiving team, the SkyHawks, will descend under their signature Canadian flag parachutes. And heritage planes will loop and dive as visitors kick the tires of a Sea King helicopter and a Tiger Moth biplane.
Cost: $32.50 for adults, $20 for children. Free for veterans.
When: Saturday and Sunday.
Where: Ottawa, about five hours from Toronto.
How: For more information, call 613-271-8921 or visit http://www.airshowottawa.com.
Training wheels
Toronto
Everybody knows train travel is one of the most civilized ways to get from point A to point B, but how do you get around once you reach your destination? Book a Toronto-Niagara Bike Train ticket and hoist your wheels on board. Cyclists who don't want to pedal all the way to Niagara and back can ride in comfort while their bikes are safely stored in a baggage car. Stay the night to avoid spinning around and heading home the same day.
Cost: $59 return.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Where: Toronto.
How: For more information, call 416-338-0499 or visit http://www.biketrain.ca.
