An expedition leaves Halifax for Saint Catherines, headed into the middle of the final weekend of the wine growing region's Icewine Festival. We meet up with other like minded people there, and commence a two day tour.
First it is Friday night supper and beers at The Merchant Ale House in St. Catherines. A great selection of beer, mostly quite fresh and tasty, especially the Wellington County Arkell on the hand pump. Hearty, tasty pub food, and great service highlight this cost venue for a cold snowy winter's eve.
The next morning we are up and at it and off to Angel's Gate Winery to meet up with the rest of our friends, making us a 10 person group. We then visit Fielding Estates, sampling their Icewine treat, and generally having a great time there with the welcoming staff.
Then it is off to Vineland Estates for lunch at their beautiful restaurant. On a clear day, you can see the Toronto Skyline, some 60 km away, but today we are greyed in. The view is limited to the vineyard, cloaked in snow, and our fellow dining companions. The food is interesting, tasty and well presented. Service is good, but a bit on the slow side, especially in the process of letting us escape to try more wineries.
We continue on the Malivoire, Cave Spring, Henry of Pelham and Flat Rock. Ending the day's touring in their magnificent tasting and sales room, perched on stilts above their vineyard.
That evening, we feast on our own cooking, after a trip to the grocery store and the opening of numerous bottles. Cheeses, breads, pasta, meats..... and lots of fine Niagara wine.
The next day we are back at it, and today our tour is highlighted by a detailed tour of Stratus, a fairly new entry to the Niagara scene. The tour is hosted by Peter Gamble, who is one of the people behind the soon to be opened Benjamin Bridge Winery in the Gaspereau Valley back home in Nova Scotia.
After a visit to Maleta Estate Winery, we tour Stratus, and visit Lailey Vineyards, Pilleterri Estates, Hillebrand Estates, Caroline Cellars, Coyote's Run, and finally Chateau des Charmes.
All in all, two days of fun, fifteen wineries, and a lot of fine wines.
My conclusions after this trip are that Niagara produces excellent Riesling, very good to excellent Chardonnay, above average Cab Franc, and occasionally, very good Pinot Noir and Meritage. The sparkling wines I tried also showed very well.
I used this trip, my second to this region this year, to reconnect to Chardonnay - I have been turned off it by over-oaking and malolactic smarmy Californian and Australian versions, but am now seeking out the clearer, minerally Chablis style that can sometimes be found where oak is not used, or used sparingly, and Burgundian styles where oak is present, but in balance with good acidity remaining.
In fact, you just might see me recommend a Chardonnay soon - stranger things have happened.
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