Wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Visiting a local winery is a must while in Niagara. Even if you’re not into vino, the wineries are a delight to stroll around. Many have excellent on-site restaurants and fun summer programming (movies in the vineyard, pig roasts, and dance-into-the-night concerts are but a few warm-weather offerings). In Niagara, you’ll see some of the best in new and innovative wine design, architecture, and viticulture.

As with any major wine region, there are the big, commercial enterprises and small, artisan ones. Lately, celebrities have joined the club (here, as elsewhere), so you can try wines with names such as Wayne Gretzky and Dan Aykroyd; mostly for the novelty, not the nose.

For maps of the area and information about vintners, Wine Country of Ontario promotes wines with the VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) label—wines made from 100% Ontario-grown grapes. It's an excellent resource (tel. 905/562-8070, ext. 221). Here are our recommended wineries.

Ice, Ice Baby

Bordeaux, Napa, Chianti, Rioja, Champagne, Sonoma: These names are synonymous with wine. Good wine. Niagara? Not so much. But that's changing. These days Niagara is growing excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Franc, and vintners are experimenting with Gamay and Sauvignon Blanc with great results. Which means that the region is becoming known for more than just its celebrated ice wine. In the '80s Niagara ice wine became world-famous. Made from frozen-on-the-vine fruit, ice wine is thick and sweet, balanced with a zing of acidity. The dessert wine has become so popular in China that people have served jail sentences for smuggling the sweet nectar into the People's Republic. Personally, I find ice wine a bit too syrupy. I prefer to sip a dry sparkling wine from Henry of Pelham or 13th Street Winery. But the demand for ice wine remains strong. Be sure to try some while you're in Niagara, and make sure you do so at Inniskillin, which has been producing the stuff since 1977.