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The Niagara Falls region has long been revered as a romantic get-away spot, but in the last fifteen years Niagara Wine Tasting tours have added another dimension to this reputation. The Niagara Wine Trail is a region between the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario where several world-class wineries have sprung up.
The Wine Trail boasts a unique microclimate, created in part by the Falls and the Lake, which is perfect for vineyards. The successful production of award-winning wines here has led to the popularity of Niagara wine tasting tours that last for an afternoon, a day of the whole weekend.
Unusual Wineries
One aspect of a Niagara wine tasting jaunt is how unusual it can be. Many of the local wineries have very distinct personalities, offering something beyond just the usual samples of local wine and a brief browse through the gift shop.
• Eveningside Vineyards is known for the particularly high quality of its wine and its dedication to a select, limited release of only a few types of wine. Niagara wine tasting tours feature this stop as jewel offering the best of European and American style red wines.
• Honeymoon Trail Winery hosts specially themed Niagara wine tastings year round, including “Hallowine” in October, “Share the Bounty” in Thanksgiving, and Wine and Chocolate weekends. Many of them are fundraisers for local charities. The overall feel when you stop here on a Niagara wine tasting tour is of fun and friendliness.
• Vizcarra Vineyards features an area where you can pick your own grapes and fruits and is known for their fruit wines (try the award-winning Red Creek Raspberry). Couples with children can enjoy a truly Niagara wine tasting experience by letting the kids spend some time at the Petting Zoo.
• Marjim Manor’s history is rich with stories. It’s been rumored to be haunted for over 100 years, and served at one time as a summer convent-retreat for the Sisters of St. Joseph. Today its home to one of the stars of the Niagara wine tasting experience. The Manor uses only grapes and fruits from the farm just down the road and specializes in unusual dessert wines.
• Niagara Landing Cellars takes advantage of its own herb garden to compliment their Niagara wine tasting experience with appetizers flavored with its own herbs and spices. They also sell fresh and dried herbs matched with their wines for a perfect blending of flavors.
• Warm Lake Estates is a small winery that as found its niche by focusing on one type of wine – Pinot Noir. This 45 acre estate is planted with nothing but Pinot Noir grapes and is dedicated to perfecting New York’s production of this rich red wine. No Niagara wine tasting tour is complete without visiting Warm Lake Estate, where the grapes and the production process are natural – no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers and an old-world processing technique.
The Niagara Wine Trail is located only about one half hour from Buffalo, New York and one and a half hours from either Rochester, New York or Toronto, Ontario. Its proximity to attractions such as Niagara Falls and local gambling venues helps you round out your Niagara wine tasting experience and turn it into a long weekend.
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