Embedded Files
Less than a two-hour drive south of Toronto lies the Niagara region, home to the world-famous Niagara Falls. This area is also Canada's premier wine country, with countless vineyards and wineries scattered throughout the region. During the warmer months, Niagara attracts visitors from near and far. Each winery is surrounded by beautiful vineyards and has its own unique character. Many offer guided tours of their production facilities, wine tastings, and charming patios with excellent restaurants.
So, once again, we set off for Niagara — not only to admire the magnificent waterfalls, but also to explore the region's scenic Wine Route
So, once again, I'm sharing one of nature's greatest treasures in my blog — Niagara Falls. We are on the Canadian side, while across the river you can see the section of the falls that belongs to the United States.
We arrive in Niagara, check into our hotel, and head out for a walk. In the evening, the falls are illuminated with colorful lights. The Canadian falls are horseshoe-shaped and are the more powerful of the two
The next morning, we set off on our planned "wine route." I organized our itinerary so that visiting the wineries would take just over half a day. The distance between them was only about a 5–10 minute drive. By the way, it's also possible to explore the wine route by bicycle. We’ll definitely try that romantic experience next time.
Not far from the falls is the charming town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. That's where we begin our journey. This region is home to around 50 wineries, and this time we'll be visiting eight of them.
Since the coronavirus had only just begun to ease its grip, the wineries were not yet operating as usual. The restaurants were still closed, and tours were not yet available. However, visitors were free to stroll around the winery grounds, enjoy wine tastings (by appointment), and browse the wine shops to pick up new favorites—or old ones.
Along the way, we came across so many beautiful views that we stopped the car several times just to take them in. Behind us is the Niagara River. By the way, every winery offered a very convenient wine route map. On the back were the addresses, phone numbers, and opening hours of all the wineries
Now, let's take a look at the wineries in the order we visited them.
The largest exporter of Canadian ice wine. Ice wine is made from grapes that are left to freeze naturally on the vine. The temperature must not rise above -8°C before the grapes are harvested. The result is a sweet wine, traditionally served as a dessert wine
The shelves are lined with a wide variety of wines. We're not wine connoisseurs — we drink wine only occasionally and prefer white wines with sweet notes. This is our favorite wine from this winery
And here are the famous ice wines.
We spent a little time looking around, then continued on to our next winery
A winery founded by immigrants from Germany
In front of the rows of vineyards, flowering shrubs are in full bloom. Inside, the winery is beautifully decorated. The staff were incredibly friendly and spent quite a while telling us about their wines. Both we and our friends ended up buying a bottle
The largest winery we visited. Endless rows of vineyards stretched into the distance. Inside, there was a spacious wine tasting hall, a restaurant, and an elegant event venue. In Canada, it's quite common to celebrate special occasions — such as weddings — at wineries like this.
At the entrance, there was a list of the wines along with their prices
Inside, there is a large shopping area
We leave the winery and notice a beautiful little bridge. We stop to admire the scenery. Huge fish were swimming in the water, and a turtle was diving nearby. It looked like this might have been someone's private property
A modern-style winery
Here, by the way, is a reminder about maintaining social distance. Similar reminders were displayed at all the wineries because of COVID.
Outside, there were beautiful vineyards and a cozy patio where, in non-COVID times, visitors could sit with a glass of wine and enjoy appetizers from the restaurant
And nearby, another reminder that exploring the wineries by bicycle can be a wonderful experience. Bikes can be rented right at the entrance
A small winery that deserves a lot of attention. We always stop here whenever we visit this area. It is famous for its fruit wines as well as its cider. The wines are arranged on the shelves in order, from dry to sweet
A winery located on a beautiful property with a view of Lake Ontario
Another very beautiful winery with a stunning, well-maintained property
The restaurant (which, by the way, is a very cozy place with delicious food) was closed, but the patio remained open. You could see that they had reduced the number of tables to ensure proper physical distancing
A modern winery owned by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. The winery is relatively new, having opened only in 2017, and it has quickly become very popular among Canadians
The only place we visited where there was a line at the entrance for wine and whiskey tastings (by reservation only).
A beautiful property where, in normal times, you can take a tour, see the production process, enjoy a meal at the restaurant, join a cooking class, or relax on the veranda with a glass of wine while listening to live music. Outside, there is a pool that is transformed into an ice rink during the winter, which is not surprising considering who owns the winery (Wayne Gretzky played wearing number 99)
This was our first time visiting this winery, as it was located right across from our favourite lavender fields. I had never heard of these wines before. Many of the labels feature a hare. It turns out that Hare is the owner’s surname, and the hare is a symbol of fertility and good luck. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to taste the wines, but next time I think I will definitely buy a bottle of the “hare” to try
Across from this winery are our favourite lavender fields — Neob. As it turned out, the lavender had not bloomed yet and needed another couple of weeks. We will definitely return to this place to admire the lavender in full bloom, but for now, we stopped by the small shop on the lavender farm. They offer a great selection of organic products with the beautiful scents and healing properties of lavender and lemongrass. My daughter absolutely loves their bath bombs
And now it was time to drive a little farther and admire the beauty of Lake Erie. Half an hour by car brought us to a stunning sandy beach. But there was an unexpected surprise waiting for us. Due to the virus restrictions, the parking lots were closed, and we simply couldn’t find a place to park. There were people on the beach, but they were mostly those who lived nearby or were renting cottages in the area. We had to look for another spot. And that’s how we ended up at Crystal Beach
Crystal clear water, endless lake views, but a rocky shoreline. A great spot for fishing. Nearby, we eventually found a small sandy beach, and since the water was not warm enough for swimming yet, we simply dipped our feet in and skipped stones across the water.
The weekend came to an end. Now we are waiting for the lavender to bloom. And by that time, who knows, we might just have to stop by one of the wineries again to pick up a new bottle of wine...
The 2nd part of our winery visits can be found here
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse