WEST CARLETON – A new website focused on the Valley’s wine, cider and beer makers is making sure those who want to taste West Carleton’s crafters, can find them.

In June Craft Ottawa (https://craftottawa.ca) launched their site to showcase craft liquor makers in the Ottawa Valley and Seaway Valley. The site, which includes a space for listing events and festivals, includes all local breweries, distilleries, wineries, cideries and meaderies. Craft Ottawa’s simple interface includes some bonuses such as search by location or town name, filtering by crafter type and a cycling map layer.

The site’s creator, Daniel Post, moved to Almonte in November 2019 after nearly a decade enjoying Vancouver’s craft beer revolution. He and his wife wanted to learn what the region had to offer. Having recently become a web developer, this seemed like the perfect project.

Craft Ottawa was built with local in mind – to make it easy for anyone, wherever their interests lie, to connect with their local crafters. Three of West Carleton’s crafters can be found there. Having sampled them all, Craft Ottawa reports:

• Farmgate Cider, near Galetta, started planting apple trees in May 1999. All good things are worth waiting for, as was the case here when they were licensed to start selling cider in April 2017.
• KIN Vineyards, near Carp, stewards 10 acres of grape vines and 47 acres overall. Resting on grey limestone, KIN claims a “distinct terroir” with their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and other unique offerings.
• Ridge Rock Brewing Company was founded in 2018 by four local residents. The brewery, in a historic 1893 building, doubles as a brewpub with numerous beers on tap.

Anyone with feedback, updated information, or listings not yet found on the map, are encouraged to contact Craft Ottawa through the site.