Mark’s Score 9.4
We all have that place that we have heard a lot about, we vow to go one day, but for one reason or another we keep putting it off. Finally, we go, and we think, “why didn’t I come here sooner?” Windmill Creek Winery is that place for me. Working at Bordeleau Winery, people have been telling me for years that I should visit Windmill Creek. Finally, one rainy day several weeks ago, I went for lunch, and I regret not going sooner.
Windmill Creek is a vineyard, farm, and restaurant. The restaurant is housed in an old farmhouse built in 1858. The farm has been in the Mariner family for four generations, having been purchased by Edwin Mariner in 1924. Originally, the farm consisted of 150 acres (60.7 hectares). Barry and Jeannie Mariner now own the house and 12.5 acres (5.1 hectares) of the original 150 acres. They inherited the house and the 12.5 acres from Barry’s father in 2015. At the urging of their daughter Brittany, the Mariners planted a vineyard and converted the farmhouse into a restaurant in 2017. The restaurant opened to the public in August of the following year. The Mariners have embraced the farm-to-table experience, with all of their food sourced locally, meaning that the menu changes with the availability of locally sourced produce.
Even though we are in the midst of the season, save for one couple from North Carolina, I was the only customer the day I visited. The restaurant consists of a series of well-appointed, and pleasingly decorated rooms on the ground floor of the farmhouse. There is a bar in the center of the house that hints of an English country pub.
Windmill Creek is both a restaurant and a winery, so I ordered the duck with figs flatbread, and though it was only mid-day and a 30-mile (48 kilometers) ride from home, I ordered their dry wine flight of five wines. I spent the extra $5 for a private tasting which afforded a description of each wine by the server as the wines were being served. They grow their own grapes, but the vineyard was only planted in 2017, meaning for now, they import most of their grapes from California. Honestly, I felt their wines were pleasant house wines, but I would not rate them spectacular. However, I am looking forward to the day that Brittany Mariner produces wine from the farm’s vines. Her work with the imported grapes demonstrates a promising talent.
But the star of the meal was the flatbread. The pastry was cooked to golden flakey perfection, and the combination of the savory duck and sweet fig resulted in a very memorable meal. It may have only been a flatbread, but it was certainly a memorable one.
If you are looking for a place for those special life occasions, this is the place to go. The Mariners have done an excellent job of combining, food, drink, and place to create a memorable dining experience.
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