Wining with Mel’s first time ever in Niagara!

If there’s one thing that most people don’t know about me, it’s that besides a middle-school trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake to see a play at the Shaw Festival, I have never been to Niagara.

Shocking, I know.

What self-respecting Canadian wine writer has never visited the nation’s largest viticultural region??

With a milestone birthday coming up, it was time to remedy this travesty. I started dropping hints months ago about going to Niagara for the big event. So when my husband told me to pack a bag for a surprise birthday trip last weekend, I had my suspicions about where we were going.

It ended up being a solid 48 hours of wining and dining. We stayed in a rustic cabin in the middle of several vineyards in Vineland, in the heart of Niagara wine country. It was pretty cool to be right in the thick of the action, especially during harvest time.

With over 50 wineries to choose from in the area, deciding which to visit was a difficult task, especially for an indecisive Libra like me. Since we were driving, we gave ourselves a limit of three wineries a day (this would help avoid palate fatigue). While there were many more I’d have loved to visit, here were our picks.

First stop: 2027 Cellars

2027 Cellars is a virtual winery, meaning it doesn’t have its own vineyard. It sources grapes from other wineries and rents winemaking facilities. As of 2020, 2027 Cellars now has a storefront beside Calamus Winery. The drive up through Jordan and the Twenty Valley is stunning, and the winery borders Ball’s Falls Conservation Area, a picture-worthy spot for a hike, especially in October with all the fall colours. Calamus was hosting a wedding while we were there, so we didn’t want to take any pictures, but trust me when I say that the place is picture perfect.

We had a great tasting at 2027, which specializes in Burgundian grapes, and came away with the 2020 King Street Vineyard Pinot Noir and the Grimsby Hillside 2020 Chardonnay. Knockouts!

Tawse Winery

Next we had a date with Tawse Winery, one of the few officially organic and biodynamic wineries in Niagara. We tasted through about 8 wines in the Wine Garden while noshing on a beautifully presented charcuterie plate. It was nice to be able to see how the wines changed when paired with different foods.

Tawse Winery’s winemaker, Paul Pender, passed away under tragic circumstances earlier this year. He was an important and well-loved member of the Ontario wine community and is sorely missed. We purchased several bottles in his honour, including the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc (which was unlike any other sauv blanc I’ve had before), the 2020 Cuddy Chardonnay, and the 2020 Gamay.

Malivoire

Malivoire is without a doubt one of my favourite wineries in Niagara (as evidenced here, here, here, here, etc.). So it was top of my list for wineries we absolutely HAD to visit during our whirlwind tour. Our Malivoire haul ended up taking an incredible amount of real estate in the trunk, and included the 2021 Pinot Gris, the 2021 Stouck Viognier, and the 2020 Old Vines Foch.

Also, the fall colours along the Beamsville Bench were absolutely beautiful that day.

After Malivoire we called it a day for wine tasting, then went to stuff our faces with a delicious dinner at Good Earth Food and Wine Co.

The next day we started with a hearty brunch at August in Beamsville before continuing our exploration of Niagara wineries.

Back 10 Cellars

Back 10 Cellars was the first winery we went to where we actually met the owners. Andrew and Christina Brooks recounted their wine journey as they walked us through our tasting flight. They built their 10-acre vineyard from the ground up, releasing their first wine ten years later (hence the name). In just five minutes of conversation, you could tell that they have poured blood, sweat and tears into this project, and their passion and enthusiasm are palpable. There are so many little thoughtful details at this boutique winery that make it feel so cozy, like cute little pumpkins decorating each table, or soft, warm sheepskin covering the chairs.

Besides the 10 acres of vines, the property also boasts an adorable bungalow with tasting room and bottle shop, plus the Smitten Summerhouse, a large outdoor tasting room and patio that doubles as an events venue. We quite enjoyed their Smitten Pink rosé sparkling.

Nyarai Cellars

Nyarai is another Niagara favourite here on Wining with Mel (see Exhibits A, B, C, and D). I sent winemaker Steve Byfield a message as soon as I confirmed that Niagara was our final destination. Steve’s winemaking skills are in high demand all over Ontario, and he splits his time in and around Huron County (making wines for labels such as Cornerfield Wine near Bayfield, Coffin Ridge near Meaford, and Shale Ridge Estate Winery in Thedford) and Niagara, where he makes wine for Nyarai Cellars, his own virtual winery. As a result, we were lucky to catch him on a day he was in the area.

We met at Ridgepoint Wines, where Steve used to be the assistant winemaker (he has also held winemaking positions at Southbrook and Calamus). As I have mentioned in previous posts, Nyarai means “humility” in a Southern African dialect, and that also happens to be an excellent way to describe Steve. He arrived in jeans and a baseball cap, with a clandestine bottle stashed in the front pocket of his hoodie. While Steve makes his wines at Coffin Ridge, the grapes are all Niagara, and he had brought us a bottle of his newest gamay rosé.

Niagara wine and climate change

While we sipped on the soon-to-be-bottled rosé, we chatted about climate change and the future of winemaking in Niagara. After the amazing 2020 vintage, 2021 and 2022 were both difficult years, with a combination of unseasonable drought, early winter frost and bouts of 35 °C+ days during the growing season. We talked about how hybrid grapes could help save the industry, but VQA, the regulating agency for wine in Ontario, is not budging on allowing non-vinifera grapes.

While we didn’t quite manage to solve all the world’s problems, it was really great to see Steve and taste his latest wine. His wines can be purchased online.

Ridgepoint Wines

Since we were already at Ridgepoint to meet Steve, we figured it would be silly not to taste through some of the Ridgepoint line. And since Steve is the former assistant winemaker there, he jumped behind the bar to pour a couple of samples.

Did you know that we make prosecco here in Canada? Ridgepoint is the only winery in Canada that is growing glera, the grape used for prosecco. Of course, we can’t call it prosecco, since that is a protected denomination, but Ridgepoint’s Bellissima sparkling wine is just as tasty as the real thing. As you might have surmised, Ridgepoint’s winemaking vision is heavily inspired by Italian wines. They also grow nebbiolo, a northern Italian red grape varietalOften confused with "grape variety", a varietal is a term for a wine named after the single grape variety from which it is made. E.g. Chardonnay, pinot noir More, and use the appassimento technique from the Veneto region, which dries grapes to concentrate sugars. Their 2015 Merlot-Cabernet Appassimento is astounding.

That was our last tasting of the trip before driving home. It was an awesome birthday surprise and a lovely weekend!

To conclude, here are my top tips for a wine lover’s trip to Niagara.

Niagara wine tasting tips

• Three wineries a day is a good target. Any more, and you’ll just want to nap the rest of the day away.
• Research which wineries you’d like to visit. Ask friends for recommendations. Aim for a mix of old favourites and new-to-you wineries.
• Designate a DD (designated driver). Bonus points if you’re celebrating a milestone birthday so you automatically get a pass (not it!)
• As with any wine tasting, be sure to hydrate properly!
• Order food to absorb some of the alcohol and to play around with food and wine pairings. It’s always fun to see how the wine changes with different types of food.
• Check hours before you go and make reservations well in advance.
• Niagara is beautiful all year long, but October is especially lovely with all the fall colours. That said, it is harvest time, so some wineries may be short-staffed (or closed). Be kind and patient!

Happy wining!