[kitty]

The Niagara Wine Festival runs from Sept 21 to Sept 30 and is a highly anticipated and enjoyable event.

i highly reccommend buying the discovery pass and doing a little research before going out without a plan because there really is so much to see and do.

i went this past Sunday and plan another trip this Sunday. The criteria we used for choosing the wineries that we visited... who was serving the best food

Our first stop The Legends Estate Winery
It was a beautiful vineyard right on the banks of lake Ontario. The Pinot Noir-Mariafelt '04 was my favourite.



Our next stop was Feilding Estate Winery.
This one was a little more upscale but also offered delicious wines. My favourite again was the Pinot Noir '06.




This is what i affectionately called "the adult happy meal". The served a yummy snack to compliment the wine.





Our third stop was Inniskillin Estate Winery. They were the most fun providing guided tours of their cellars. They have a gorgeous vineyard right on the banks of the Niagara River. my favourite wine here was the Founder's Merlot '04.






Their "happy meal" was quite enjoyable too




We ended our day at Montebello Park in St. Catharines where we enjoyed a bottle of Jackson-Triggs and some great entertainment. The park was not included in our discovery pass but came highly recommended so we included it in our plans.




This is definately a do not miss if you enjoy good wine or a great way to explore a beautiful element of the Niagara region.

Wines of Ontario


Grape and Wine Festival

[Brenda]

What a beautiful pictures, Kitty!

Sounds like a GREAT way to spend your day

[Regina]

All that would be worth another notch on the belt. YUMMY!

[WDHIII]

Im not the biggest wino aficionado but Id go for the company

[kitty]

WDHIII wrote:

Im not the biggest wino aficionado but Id go for the company

well you would be the perfect date... the designated driver! Wanna come with on Sunday?
(hell of a drive though )

[BluesBud]

Have a great time kitty. Looks like a wonderful road trip. I am tempted to go myself but I am working this weekend.

DO have a designated driver though. That way you can fully enjoy yourself without worry. We would like a post trip report please. I might make the trip next year.

[TheBigGuy]

Triggs also makes a great Whiskey " Barrel Select" oe of my favs

[kitty]

We're leaving in 10 minutes.... if you wanna come, meet us at the car.

[BluesBud]

SO? How was it? Details please! You must have had a great time. Tell us 'bout it!

[kitty]

We had a wonderful time!

One the way to the first winery of our tour, we stopped at a farmer's market. We purchased some decorative gourds and pumpkins and a few autumn mums. The colours were just beautiful.



As we were leaving we noticed the horses in the field, so we walked over to see them better. We called to them and one sauntered over. She was very photogenic and kep turning her head to show us her best side.... the one without the growth.






The first winery we stopped at was Hernder Estate. They had my most favourite wine of this tour, the 2002 Baco Noir Reserve. The Old Vines Foch was outstanding too.



Their snack was fresh bread and their own brand of savoury olive oils for dipping.



Hernder is raising money for Cancer Reserach with thier wine PINK
.... gotta love that




We stopped at another farmers market to buy some fresh produce. The white flesh peaches were delicious ... they never made it home because we ate them in the car.

The last winery on our tour was Stonechurch Vineyards. The 2005 Shiraz was really good and their snacks were yummy too.
We sat at a picnic table in the middle of the vineyard surrounded by fragrant grape vines and you could not help but think that it made the wine taste even better.





We got to tour the vineyard on a golfcart... wow... that was soooo fun. Everything seemed funny, we laughed and laughed. They had some beautiful fruit trees on their property too. We ate so many plums and yellow apples that we thought we would be sick.

We saw their brand new "grape picker and squeezer" and i do believe that is the techincal name for it.



We started our drive back and stopped in Jordan. We poked in and out of a few shops and even did more wine tasting at the Cave Spring Cellars..... meh it was ok. BUT the pumpkin pie walnut fudge that i bought from The Heritage Gift Shop was to die for and yes i bought some for you too.

i can't wait to go back again!


[font=Comic Sans MS]Wine drinkers make grape lovers!

i think thats only funny when you are drinking. [/font]

[WDHIII]

Wow this could almost turn me into a wine drinker!

Then again a day out in the country with good company ~ hell Ill drink water and be the DD

Thanks for the tour of Ontario wine country Miss kitty!


THINK PINK

[BluesBud]

Great pics! Glad you had a good time kitty. I wanna join you next time.

[kitty]

The Niagara Wine Festival is on and runs from Sept 19 to Sept 28.

We bought the discovery pass again this year and already visited five wineries

The Legends Estate Winery
-They have the best wine and food pairings. They are right on Lake Ontario and the grounds are soooo pretty

Angels Gate
- They have beautiful grounds and a lovely patio. One of my favourites here was the 2007 Late Harvest "Snow Angel". Just a little sweet but sooo yummy

Rosewood Estates Winery & Meadery
- This was really different. The wine is made from honey (mead). They have six apiaries in Beamsville where bees feed on wildflowers, clover and orchards. The honey is then transformed into a pale golden mead that is vintage dated — all the honey is collected within the same calendar year, and each displays differing characteristics.
They have three different ones, the nearly dry Harvest Gold, the sweet and rich Ambrosia and Mon Cherie, a blend of Niagara cherry juice and mead.

Mountain Road Wine
- Definitely not the prettiest winery but one of my favourites this trip. The 2005 Baco Noir is outstanding! (i bought two bottles to take home)

No. 99 Wayne Gretzky's Estates Winery
-Absolutely beautiful! This was my favourite today. They had their wine tasting for the merritage right out from the barrels! It was fun and informative. This was my absolute favourite wine of today
Estate No. 99 2006 Meritage is an artful blend of traditional partners Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.



i am looking forward to next weekend to try out a few more

[thirteen31]

What amazing pictures. I live just outside of this area of wineries. You've captured them well.

[kitty]

Indulge your taste buds at the Niagara Wine Festival

The Niagara region, with its myriad of quality conscious wineries, benefits from the heat shield of Lake Ontario and several unique smaller microclimates which foster and nurture vineyards long into the fall.

This year, because the summer lacked sunny days and heat for ripening, the grape crop is a bit behind, just like Ontario fruit and vegetables were in July and August. But with a recent burst of sunny days and a protracted dry spell, the harvest should get under way in fine shape.

September unfolds as a magical time, when winemakers and producers throw open their winery doors to share in the fruits of their labours with wine travellers. Dozens of events have been organized at individual wineries to seduce and charm visitors.

Many of these are part of the 58th Niagara Wine Festival, centred in St. Catharines. It kicks off with the crowning of one local grower as Grape King, then a week of music floods Montebello Park, including Steven Page and Michael Wainwright. A Pied Piper parade for kids marches on Sept. 19 and the annual Grande Parade on Sept. 26 attracts upwards of 200,000 spectators. There's even a half-marathon called the Run for the Grapes that winds through winery country.

However, the only way to really sip wine country is to visit the wineries. During the festival, 20 wineries host harvest events. All you need is a Discovery Pass, or you can pay a nominal fee (usually $10) on site. Because the region is so spread out, here is a partial list of highlights broken down by areas where wineries are clustered. Most of these events take place on the weekends of Sept. 19-20 and Sept. 25-27.