Uncorked on Main
Our drive from Derry, New Hampshire to this charming town just west of Toronto was a delight. The VRBO we had rented for Janice's days at the Canadian Senior Women's Golf Tournament was perfect, a spacious apartment built into a new home, with everything we needed for a comfortable stay. After a while to settle in, we set off to find a glass of wine and some dinner in the old heart of Georgetown.
We always take to the history of the towns we pass through, and Georgetown has its share. By about 1650, European diseases had swept through the Huron and Iroquois peoples, and in time the Mississauga, an Ojibwe people, came to hold the region. The British Crown began buying land from the Mississauga in 1781, and the ground around Georgetown was purchased in 1818. The first settlers raised sawmills along what is now Main Street, and the town was founded in 1837. It is worth remembering that Canada itself was not formed until 1867, and did not gain full control of its own constitution from Britain until 1982.
We chose a brick-faced building on Main Street. The sawmill across the way was long gone, replaced by a row of handsome buildings full of busy shops. As we stepped into Uncorked on Main, Jag, the proprietor's husband, greeted us warmly and offered us a seat inside or out on the back patio. We took the patio, which was not just comfortable but delightfully warm, and we felt at home.
We learned a little about Jag and their place. His wife, Sarina, had long wanted a restaurant of her own. Uncorked came up for sale in 2022; it had been a fixture on Main Street for more than ten years, and its previous owner, like so many, had struggled under the heavy restrictions placed on small businesses during the COVID years.
We shared a cheese and meat platter with marinated artichoke hearts, olives, and an assortment of vegetables and preserves, and asked for a fine Canadian wine. Some of the best come from the Niagara-on-the-Lake region, about seventy-five miles southeast, but Jag had an excellent new Sauvignon Blanc from Adamo Winery, just north of Georgetown, and that is what we drank. When we had finished, we went inside to listen to Vivian Clement, a jazz and blues guitarist from the Toronto area; she is also an author and publisher, and had just played with her husband aboard the Queen Mary 2. Her music, with the good food and the warm evening, made it a night to remember.
If you find yourself in this corner of Ontario, Uncorked is well worth the visit.
