ottawa foodies

Wife and I are hitting Niagara-on-the-Lake for a long week-end in a week and looking for some great restaurants. Any feedback welcome.
Right now looking at maybe booking On The Twenty at Cave Spring Cellars for the Friday night.

Phil

You may want to try Pillar and Post Inn's Cannery dining room.

Check my review at:
www.ottawafoodies.com

Love Niagara-on-the-Lake and the winery area in general. Two of our favourites are: Hillebrand Estates just outside of town. This spot is not inexpensive... expect to pay over $ 150 for two for lunch to enjoy a stunning 3 course table d'hote menu of the day, with an appropriate wine flight, but a wonderful experience for either lunch or dinner. We actually prefer lunch here, because you can enjoy the view of the vineyard, have intimate 1-on-1 service with your waiter / wine steward and if your lucky get a personal tour of either the wine cellar or the private tasting room (all ya gotta do is show a definite interest in wine with the dining room personnel... and they'll be happy to either show you more of the winery and it's collection, or arrange for someone else to).

Our second choice would be East Dell Estates up on the Escarpment in Beamsville (somewhat farther afield, but worth the drive). A fantastic place for dinner. Not as expensive as Hillebrand, but a very cozy romantic atmosphere. This spot is more casual than some of the others you'll hear about... Inn on the 20, Hillebrand, Pellar, or the Inns in Niagara-on-the-Lake. But the staff are professional and really nice (and friendly), and the food is great. The winery is nestled into the woods just where the escarpment starts. Out of the two story a-frame dining room you look over the vineyard, down onto Lake Ontario and on a clear day straight out to downtown Toronto and the CN Tower. We like the food and the service is good. And besides that, it is the #1 favourite of Dan Ackroyd, so much so that he bought the company!

I can second F&T's recommendation of the Vineyard Cafe at Hillebrand. Wifey and I visited for lunch in fall of 2001 and we still talk about the food there! An in-house dedicated pastry chef is a nice touch.

I went to chef school at Niagara College (when the campus for hospitality was still in Niagara Falls.

The biggest treat was to go for breakfast at the Prince of Wales. It was around $20 - 30 for two people and the pancakes had berries and whipped cream!

I'm in this weird situation where we almost always do the cooking ourselves when we're wine touring. I do have a couple of cents to provide, though:

My fiancée swears by the restaurant at Vineland Estates (www.vineland.com), but it's pricy. She'd eaten a dinner there every year for I think five years, and had never had a bad experience.

We had lunch at La Cachette (at the Strewn Winery, www.lacachette.com/) when we were there last weekend, and it was good for the price ($60 for two people after tax and tip, no bevvies). Honest Provençal food. Won't knock your socks off, but it was good.

Though I've never eaten there, I've also heard great things about the Stone Road Grille (www.stoneroadgrille.com/). They're only open for lunch Tuesday-Friday.

And don't forget to pick up Chip Nuts at Picard's (www.picardspeanuts.ca/) for the ride home!

Daft diner/Momomoto- My wife and I went to the stone road grille maybe 3-4 years ago and it was love right away, from the atmosphere to the food and he amazingly well priced wine. I recommend that spot to anyone who will listen to me.

Stone road grille x2

I'll also recommend the pub at the Pillar and Post- I had one of the best burgers ever there but was quite underwhelmed by their wine flight (go figure).

Draft Dinner - If you find yourself doing the obligatory trip to the Falls, you might want to consider a visit to The Keg Fallsview. They are on the 9th Floor of The Embassy Suites Hotel and the view (and the food) are never a dissappointment. The bonus with The Keg, of course is that you are paying Keg prices and still get to have a spectacular view vs. some of the other fancy-schmancy places that offer virtually the same view at 3 times the cost. The Keg is less busy at lunch than dinner (but still make sure you call ahead to see if you can reserve a table at the windows). After dark is very special there as you can see the falls illuminated, it is a pretty sight. And from May 16th onwards into October the Fireworks display happens 2 or 3 nights a week. For more information on the falls schedule check www.niagaraparks.com (especially good for info if your thinking about the other parks canada activities like Maid of the Mist). For more info on The Keg checkout www.fallsviewrestaurant.com

If you do go to the Falls, I also recommend Antica pizza (right on the main strip) nice wood fired oven, some excellent Margherita pizza.

I would have to recommend Hillebrand as well. It's been about 3 years and I still remember enjoying a fantastic lunch there. It was in the early fall and if you sit outside, you have the view of the Vineyard. It is quite peaceful there and you get exceptional food. An overall quality experience.

The chef at the time was Tony de Luca and from what I understand he has moved on to another location. However, I did manage to buy a copy of their cookbook "Recipes from Wine Country". I've tried out a few of those recipes and they've been a hit. I'm glad to hear that Hillebrand is still getting great recommendations.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! Here are our reservations:

Friday: Tony de Luca's at the Oban Inn
Saturday: Peller Estates
Sunday: Hillebrand

Most lunches will be on the fly but Saturday we will hit Stone Roade Grill.

Managed to call-in some favours and arranged a private tour of Stratus by the head winemaker for Sat. afternoon. Getting excited. This should be great.

Draft Dinner - Hope you have a wonderful time in Niagara (I am so jealous, I love that area so much, I'd even consider moving there). Please remember that after you get back we want reviews... and the more details the better.

Cheers!

"Call in some favours" = me so jealous. I'd love to have JL show us around one of these days. Let me know what you think of the place when you get back.

Alright, awesome awesome week-end. NOTL is a beautiful place. The surrounding areas (Hamilton/St-Catharine's/Niagara Falls)--not so nice, but that is another story...

For fancy meals:

Tony De Luca:
-Decor feels a little outdated, excellent food & presentation, fair prices for the quality.

Vineland Estates:
-Had the tasting menu and was sooooo disappointed. Gritty morels, rock salt on scallop (blech) and over done veal tenderloin.

For other meals:

Discovered a great bakery serving awesome sandwiches called The Pie Plate, great place for breakfast or lunch. Also there is a pub on King St. (Golden Harp or something) that served us the best pint of Guiness I have had outside of Dublin. And the food there is top notch, everything made from scratch.

So wineries, did about 15, some were outstanding, some were average, some were GHETTO and wastes of time. Only paid once for tastings, and that was at Peller.
Here is a quick synopsis:

Stratus:
-Stunning design and archictecture.
-Stratus Red is an excellent blend, but a little hard to swallow/justify the 45$ tag.
-Their icewine (2006 & 2007) made me change my opinion on icewines. Amazing, and a relative bargain at 39$.

Lailey
-Beautiful building and nice staff. The winemaker is usually on hand and is a character.
-Very very good Cabernet & Cabernet Franc.

FlatRock:
-Beautiful building, stunning views over the vineyard.
-Staff a little snooty
-Excellent Pinot Noirs, their Gravity being one of the best I have tasted. Really good Riesling

Reif Estates:
-Brand new bulding. Nice staff.
-EXCELLENT and ridiculously buttery Reserve Chardonnay.

Jackson Triggs:
-This was the biggest surprise for both the winery and the wines, was waiting for it to be super commercial but it was great.
-Really nicely designed building, very nice staff.
-Some of the wines not readily available at LCBOs were fantastic, especially the Delaine line.

Hillebrand:
-nice winery
-Excellent Vidal icewine, and very very good Trius Red. Trius Grand Red is amazing but $$$.

Palatine:
-totally unassuming tastings in a barn.
-Really nice staff
-Cab Sauv 2004 was one of the best reds we tasted.

Konzelmann:
-Really nice Riesling Grand Reserve.

Peller:
-Polar opposite experience to Palatine.
-It is the biggest so we were expecting it to be very commercial...and it was.
-Of 8 tastings, 5 had gone bad. Meh.


There were some mediocre wines and wineries, but the worst was Joseph's. Complete waste of time and aweful wines.

Draft Diner - Thanks for an update on your visit to Niagara. Sorry to hear about the uninspiring meals. That is unforunate, but thanks for the tip on The Pie Plate, I'll add it to my 2008 places to see.

Unfortunately, I can only comment on 3 of the wineries you visited (one is a medium and two are biggies)... there are just so many small wineries that it takes forever to see them all.

I'd say your remarks on the 3 I've visited are pretty close to my experience:

Loved Hillebrand (a real surprise), they have a fantastic job reinventing themselves and their wine. And yes they have great wine, especially the Trius line. Glad you got a chance to taste the Trius Grand Red, and yes it is AMAZING!

Jackson Triggs was also a surprise, the architecture is really modern and LOL, if you got to see the bathrooms, really really cool design. The Delaine line is outstanding! Sometimes you can find a Delaine wine at the wine stores (The Wine Rack) at the Grocery store, rarely at the LCBO.

Flat Rock the architecture is amazing and the views spectacular. Loved all their wines. On both our 2006 and 2007 visits we found the staff to be knowledgable and friendly (maybe you got there on an off day).

PS... So now tell us the GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS how much wine did you bring home?

F&T...it was a dangerous trip, came back with 5 cases of red/white and 6 bottles of icewine.
Funny thing I was at Absinthe at lunch and they had a Flatrock Pinot..at 70$/bottle. Considering it is 19$, thought that a little gouging.

Draft Diner - I can only imagine what a hit your Visa Card took (6 bottles of ice wine, LOL). I'm guessing that you discovered (as I did that there is a lot more to ice wine than just Vidal), I am so in love with the red varietals (Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauv.) talk about DANGEROUS!

Now that you've had a taste of the good stuff, as they say, it is hard to go back to the regular LCBO line. Restaurants know that, they know that these wines are difficult to source, so they charge extra for them (and get away with it). As Momomoto has implied in his other posts, sometimes ya just need a fix. LOL

The 2005 Stratus Red is pretty well undrinkable right now unless you decant it and let it sit out for at least three hours. For the record, I think that this is the only wine that I've ever bought knowing that I can't touch it for another six months at least.

It's so worth it in the end, though. I'm cracking my last bottle of 2002 Red tonight to prove it :P

I wish I had seen this posting earlier! We would recommend the Epicurean Bistro www.epicurean.ca . Small but good menu and the best part is that the maximum corkage (either bring-your-own bottle or from their N0TL wine list) is $12!!! We had a delicious meal of steak frites and were able to try an expensive bottle of red (name escapes me right now) for only $12 more than we would pay for it at the winery! We were able to try a few wines, white with appetizers, red for main and a dessert wine with delicious dessert. Next time!

tnt - Perhaps too late for Draft Dinner's recent trip, but I've added your recommendation to my list for my 2008 visit to Niagara (along with Draft Dinner's finds of The Pie Plate and The Irish Harp).

Thanks to both of you.

Cheers!

Oh... I totally forgot about the Pie Plate, although I thought it was called the Pie Place, so I would have got the name wrong. It is excellent, I highly recommend it also.

For winery dining... our best dining experience at a winery - low prices for great food was at Henry of Pelham (a bit further out of town) in St. Catherines. We stopped there on our way back toward Ottawa. They only offer a lunch/munchie menu, but it was AWESOME. As we are not big fans of Baco Noir, we didn't enjoy all of their wines, but we did find a couple that we liked in the flight that we ordered with our selection of delicious appetizers.

We have friends in NOTL so we are there at least once a year. Enjoy your trip!

tnt - In 2007 I visited Henry of Pelham, and liked the experience, we had a nice man who lead us through the tastings. "The Man" is a fan of their Baco Noir (not me... too much tabacco-leather for my taste) I much prefer their Merlot and Pinot Noir. We didn't eat there, but we did notice that they had a nice set-up for light lunches, will maybe try them out on this year's trip.

I'm resurrecting this thread, since we're headed down to NotL this weekend and staying at the Pillar and Post. Hooray! This'll mark the first time that we've actually stayed in NotL proper, since in the past we've used Hamilton or Welland as our base of operations.

Lunch on Saturday? Reservations booked at The Old Winery (Tony DeLuca's latest place, www.theoldwineryrestaurant.com)

Dinner on Saturday? Reservations booked at The Stone Road Grille (awwww, yeah: www.stoneroadgrille.com)

But we're wondering what to do for breakfast. Sure, we'll have breakfast at the inn once, but what I'd really like is a place to get a latte and some decent pastries.

Any recommendations?

Please do revive this thread! I'm going in 12 days to NotL for my honeymoon and I have no idea where to eat! I'm thinking the Stone Road Grille since everyone has mentioned it!

Congratulations in advance! I'll be sure to let you know what works well.

If you're willing to drive a little bit to get to Vineland, I can highly recommend Vineland Estates for either lunch or dinner. Finally went when we were on our wine tour last year, and it was spectacularly delicious.

Yes, Stone Road Grille is awesome. My only advice is that if you are going to use a taxi is to set it up in advance. We got fleeced on cabs in Niagara because we didn't realize this until it was too late.

We also dined at Zee's which was okay, but not totally worth the price. Poor service and an overly hot dining room really detracted from the experience.

A very timely resurrection, thank you Momo.

I guess I could always go to The Pie Plate for my pastry fix, although it is a bit far afield. Good thing we're driving ;)

My co-worker just brought in a fresh bag of salt & vinegar Chip nuts from Picard's. 3 words: OMG! Too bad they don't ship :-(

Poutine, if they ever do..... hook me up!

Picard's is fabulous, but rather dangerous too. They have a really wide variety of nut foods and you can sample a huge number of them. That is the dangerous part since it makes you want to buy way more than you should.

It's doubly dangerous, since they have free samples of everything!

While they don't ship, they do have a "closer" location in St. Jacob's. 'Course, that's only closer if you happen to be in or around Guelph or Waterloo.

Momomoto - Hi, it's after 6 PM on Monday... where is the "dish" already?

Your Wino Fans want details... and the Foodies in us want ALL the info on Restaurants, Food Stuffs, even Breakie at the Inn (heck I'd even like to hear about the Inn or what else you did while away).

PS... I'm desperate, I am so psyched for our visit later this summer... will take point form now and (juicy) details later. LOL

No pictures, just words:

The Irish Harp (corner of King and Johnson) - Daft_diner mentioned this as a great place for comforting pub grub and a fantastic pint of Guinness. Man, was he right. The food was homey, and executed well. The sausage they had atop my bangers and champ were delicious, and the potato-leek mash (the "champ" part) were buttery, but not overly so. And, yes, I've never had as good a pint of Guinness as I had there. It's hard to explain: it was brighter, and more bitter, than anywhere else I've tried. A bit noisy for my taste, but that's pubs for ya.

Willow Cakes and Pastries (corner of Mississauga and Mary) - Ten-fifteen minute walk from the hotel, meaning my hunt for breakfast was easy. Decent pastries and a good latte. The chocolatines—oh, I forgot, they're "chocolate croissants" outside of Québec/Ottawa—were good, but not as good as The French Bakers. Luckily they were able to provide almond croissants, and those wicked cheese croissants with cubed ham on the inside, so I was pleased. Awww, yeah.

The Old Winery (2228 Niagara Stone Road) - Great wood-fired pizzas for an informal lunch. The patio is enclosed with trees on most sides, which is quite nice. Pretty OK selection of wines by the glass, including the 2006 Clos Jordanne Reserve Pinot Noir. Opened a wine bar in the restaurant on that day, although we didn't check it out. We also found out that afternoon that The Old Winery is no longer Tony DeLuca's latest restaurant, since he opened another restaurant a one-minute drive/three-minute walk down the road.

Stone Road Grille (corner of Mississauga and Mary) - Absolute bedlam on a Saturday night. Book your reservations early, and show up a bit early, too, in case you have to wait. We were comped a couple glasses of bubbly because we had to wait a while for our reserved table. Errrr, at least I *think* they were meant to be comped. They weren't on our bill.

ANYWAY, great food, good prices. Mains have a "tasting" size that's a bit more than half the cost of a full dish, so you can pick and choose your way around the menu. Each dish has a suggested wine pairing to go with it, too, which is nice. And the mark-up on wine is sometimes only 50% on top of retail. Stupendous. Favourite dish we tried was probably the tempura soft-shell crab, fried wholly intact, with braised pak choi and lime mayo.

One word of warning: they use a lot of quotation marks on their menu, so if that rubs you the wrong way (a la achewood.com), then you may be enraged by the "fruit cocktail" and the "bubbly coq jus" and the what-have-you.

I can vouch for The Old Winery. They are not open overly late, but were very accommodating. They have a wonderful patio, (bring bug spray). We also shared a delicious bottle of Clos de Jordanne Pinot Noir! Can't remember what we had for dinner, but it was very good.

We also had dinner at Peller Estate. Très $$$$. But the view and service was worth it as a special dinner (it was my B-day)

i don't have a lot to offer restaurant-wise, but my roots are in niagara-on-the-lake (lots of family still live there and we go back regularly, though we eat in). my grandfather had a wonderful farm and orchard which we all worked on growing up. it also created a huge family of foodies. if you are a frequent visitor, you might enjoy my aunt's book - 'a year in niagara' by kathleen sloan-mcintosh.

the amazon write-up is a tad misleading, she didn't just stumble upon niagara, she married into my family, fell in love with niagara, then divorced, then married someone else and fell in love with niagara again many years later (it sounds better the way they write it up).

>> When renowned food writer Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh visited Canada's world-famous Niagara region, she was so enchanted that she and her husband sold their house in the city and relocated to an old farmhouse there. Part cookbook, part wine guide, and part travel guide, this unique book tells the story of their first year in Niagara. <<

more about the book:
a Year in Niagara is a wonderful tribute to the foods, wines, chefs and farmers of the Niagara region. And it’s an interesting read. The book follows the seasons in the Niagara region of Ontario – month by month – highlighting foods grown in this area each month, and featuring recipes that use those foods.

HipFunkyFun - Sounds delish... I will be sure and pick it up, sounds like a great "foodie" read for this summer. Thanks.

I'm a bit late to the table on this one, but what the hey...

Our big problem when we go to Niagara is there's never enough time to get to all the wining and dining establishments we'd like to - even last time, when we had 3 1/2 days to work with. Fun trying, though!

Around NOTL, Stone Road Grill is certainly a great choice. Also, the nearby winery restaurants at Peller, Strewn and Hillebrand are all very good. Over on the Bench, the big three restos are at Vineland Estates, Peninsula Ridge and Cave Spring (Inn on the Twenty). Vineland is certainly tops for the view. EastDell is a notch below those three, but a nice spot for lunch. Several other wineries may offer lunch (Henry of Pelham, Featherstone, Creekside come to mind), depending on time of year.

I haven't tried many places in St. Catherines, but I would highly recommend giving Treadwell (www.treadwellcuisine.com/) a try if you're in the vicinity.

Good food tastes even better in wine country!

Pairings Specialty Food Market is a great spot to drop into and the girls that run the place are great. Also downtown is Wine Country Vintners which is an awesome spot to sample the wines from the Hillebrand group (including Trius and Thirty Bench) and once again the people there are awesome.

If you head up near Jordan Station drop into Zooma's, a neat little cafe and lunch spot with a nice patio and check out the Upper Canada Cheese Company.

As far as wines go, I personally find those up near the bench the most interesting, especially the Rieslings. My favourites are from Henry of Pelham and the single vineyards from Thirty Bench, especially the 2007s.

In St.Kitts there is a little place called the Pan Cafe that I would really recommend.

Also, when the season is right there is a gentleman that sells fruit along Niagara Stone road about halfway between Saint Catharines and Niagara on the lake, his produce is fantastic and in the fall he makes some of the best apple cider going.

Keir - I'm really pleased how the Twenty-Mile Bench is starting to come into its own. Although I haven't tried enough places to get a really full idea of the, errr, lay of the land, it seems like it's easier to find good vineyard space on the Bench rather than further east, where the land can be quite fertile (good for fruit cultivation, bad for wine production.)

I also have a strong preference for the Bench area. In our 3 1/2 day trip to Niagara, we alloted just one day for the NOTL area, and the remainder for the Bench... and that turned out to be about right. Keir, I just got a note from Thirty Bench that they're holding a release event for their 2008 single vineyard Rieslings on July 4-5. Wish they were a little closer... sigh.

Another vote for "the bench"... we tend to focus our attentions there as well (Henry of Pelham thru to Peninsula Ridge). I like it better because it doesn't have that BIG corp over commericialized feel that most of the NOTL area has. Plus it is more to my taste in wine in general... Reds (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Gamay & Foch) and IMO better whites (Gewurtztraminer & Riesling and less Vidal & Chardonnay). That said, I still usually visit some wineries in NOTL, and pick up a few favourites (small batch wines from Delaine Vineyard J-T, a meal at Hillebrand and an award winner, and to discover a smaller winery... Marynissen last visit).

I am soooo looking forward to our visit later this summer... "The Man" and I talk about it regularly, LOL.

Yep, no visit to Niagara would be complete without spending a bit of time in the NOTL area... We usually try to get to Lailey, Marynissen, Coyote's Run, and Palantine Hills... and one of Hillebrand/Strewn/Peller, mostly for the dining. And now, there's that new Southbrook winery to check out, and maybe Cattail Creek... sounds like a full day!

Southbrook's been around a while, but they've become more apparent now that they have that big awesome wall-thing and their wine quality's improving. Their Triomphe Sauvignon Blanc is great, and their Framboise remains one of the best things to have ever happened to dessert.

Stratus and Marynissen remain my favourite wineries down by the lakeshore and to my taste Cab Franc is best suited to that area whereas I find that the whites, Riesling and Gewurtztraminer are my favourites when you go up to the bench.

Had a girlfriend recently visit Cattail Creek she said she really enjoyed this small family owned & operated winery. I've now decided to add it to my next visit.

F&T - good to hear that about Cattail Creek, and I look forward to your review! We're thinking in terms of September (before the wine festival hoopla starts) for our next foray to Niagara.

Another newish winery that recently popped up on my radar screen is Rosewood (on the Bench). The only wine of theirs that I've tried so far is the 2007 Pinot Noir, but it's pretty terrific, and good value at $17.95. I'm a fan of Flat Rock, but I think this one is better than their '07 Pinot, and it's two bucks cheaper. I'd put it on a par with the $32 '07 Tawse Pinot. If you want to try the Rosewood, you'll have to hustle (or head for the winery, I guess) - the only LCBO stores in the area that still have stock are Barrhaven, Shopper's City East, and Carleton Place.

BDM - Thanks for the tip on Rosewood, I will see if I can't snag a bottle before it is gone.

Ya we have similar issues... haven't decided exactly when we are going... I too would prefer September because I think it is a little less crowded and yet it is an ideal time to visit the Wineries (in the past we've gone in August).

Rosewood was pretty nice when we were there last year, although I think that their new releases are a bit better than the ones we tried.

They do a decent, light-and-lively Cab-Merlot, too.

And they sell honey. And also mead.

Just returned from NOTL and my honeymoon! It was really lovely, and thanks to all of you I had some idea of where to go for good food!

One place that is relatively new and that no one has mentioned so far is Olsen Foods at Ravine Winery on the bench. I only went here since it was part of a tour, but holy cow, am I ever glad I got to go! Ravine Winery, btw, is beginning to be a huge smash in the region. They only recently started bottling, but their wines are already top notch and promise to get only better! Family run, friendly, friendly service. Small tasting bar now, but will get much larger when renovations are completed in the summer!

Olsen Foods was great too. We had a set menu with a choice of sandwich and a salad with dessert and a glass of wine, so I didn't get to see what else was on offer, but everything I saw pass by looked great. I had a roast beef sandwich that was fantastic, simple fresh salad, and a fresh strawberry tart was superb also!

On to the rest...

-Olde Angel Inn - my accommodations as well. Well-priced, and a party joint! Food was good but the service was beyond expectations.

-DeLuca Restaurant - Everything was delicious, service was friendly, free champagne!, and fantastic flavours overall. Really nice place. I thought it was reasonably priced for all the food and wine.

-Stone Road Grille - Like everyone has said, good food, good atmosphere, great prices.

-The Irish Harp - BEST fish and chips I have had for years! Crispy, fresh, SO GOOD.

-The Irish Tea Room - Good scones and biscuits, FANTASTIC tea. Good breakfast stop.

-The Pillar and Post's Cannery Restaurant - had breakfast here. Practically white glove service, great buffet for the price!

... and I think that's it. Probably more, but hopefully that will at least provide some options for others planning trips!

Oh, and for the wineries! I think most have been covered here already, but one that we had a spectacular experience at was Stratus. Long story short, after a dinner at Play one night (which I will review later) their sommelier Grayson took us aside and offered us his contacts in NOTL for our honeymoon. Stratus was the one that really went above and beyond, offering us a private tour and a private tasting with cheeses afterwards. It was magical.

And like Momo said, going there will really change your idea of icewines.
Can't wait to go back.

So our intrepid group of explorers headed down to Niagara-on-the-Lake for our annual wine tour. Two days, eight wineries. Well, nine, but we were making a pickup at one and didn't try any, so I'll conveniently ignore that part.

For the fifth year in a row, we booked the first day's tour with Crush on Niagara (www.crushtours.com), and drove for the second day. We were told after the fact that we are officially Crush Veterans, because people hardly ever go back for a second tour. I guess we take our wine buying/designated driving more seriously than most!

Once again, we stuck to "The Bench" for our Crush tour, and went to Niagara-on-the-Lake (AKA "The Swamp") for the second leg. One of these days we'll start exploring things east of Jordan, I promise.

Without further ado:

Henry of Pelham (www.henryofpelham.com)

Our first stop, and likely the largest operation we visited. I've had many of their wines, and found them to be of pretty good quality. Actually, the fact that most of their wines are available at the LCBO was the sole reason why we've avoided them for so long. Doubly so now that the Baco Noir Reserve and their "Cuvée Catherine" Brut Rosé are Vintages Essentials.

The staff were really friendly, and showed us their newly finished underground barrel cellar. If I remember correctly, they said it was the largest one in Canada? Sunken twenty feet into the rock, with the walls kept the unfinished, natural slate. It's only got "mood lighting" right now, but your eyes adjust quickly enough.

It's easy to typecast Henry of Pelham as "the Baco winery", and while their 26-year-old vines do make a fantastic Baco, it's not they only thing they do well. My picks from what we tasted:

- Aforementioned NV Cuvée Catherine Brut Rosé. HoP makes fantastic Champagne-style sparking, at half the price of Champagne. Yes, you sticklers could say that "half the price of Champagne" means "twice the price of Prosecco", but you're doing it wrong. Both this and the normal Brut are almost always in my cellar. Snappy and clean as a whistle. Great for cocktail hour.

- 2007 Speck Family Reserve Chardonnay. For something done in French oak, this was way understated. For those who know their Burgundies (I had to Google it), it's more like a Puligny-Montrachet than a Meursault: steely and citrusy.

- 2002 Baco Noir. Baco's one of those "love it or hate it" wines that underlines why people don't always like Canadian reds: it's got backbone, and it's got smokiness, and it has this rustic twang. Me? I like Baco. It goes well with BBQ like you wouldn't believe. And I really liked this Baco. Now that it has a couple of years on it the edges have softened a bit, and the rustic twang has given way to some wonderful earthy, berry flavours.

But, sorry, our group bought all of the bottles they had left. Better luck next time! :P

- 2005 Baco Noir Reserve. Bigger, more concentrated, more tannic than the previous one. I'm going to hold onto the one I've got for a couple of years to see if it develops like the 2002 Baco did. Should be an experience. But it's definitely ready to drink now: we had it with the mentioned-in-a-previous-thread BBQed skirt and hanger steaks. Perfect.

Foreign Affair (foreignaffairwine.com)

From the largest operation to the smallest. The story of Foreign Affair is thus: Len Crispino falls in love with Amarone while working as Ontario’s agricultural attaché to Italy. Len returns to Canada after his appointment is up, and founds a winery exclusively to make Amarone-style wines in Niagara. Len sells wine. People are happy.

The winery’s built into one of the buildings at the old Vineland Research Station. I believe it used to be a University of Guelph campus? Regardless, it’s not often you see barrels littering the floor of a former classroom. Great contrast going from Henry of Pelham’s 20’-deep monster to a pair of concrete-block rooms containing all of a winery’s offerings.

So, appassimento. Harvest grapes, set them out on racks, and let them dry until they’re shrivelled little raisins of things. Press the juice out. Make wine. It’s an expensive process. As a result, most of the wine they offer is done with only 20% of the grapes being dried in this way. Even with that little bit, though, you get this crazy magnification of varietal character. (I guess this means that, if it amplifies the characteristics you like, you're going to like it. If it doesn't, you'll hate it.)

Len himself led the tasting, with his wife helping out. They were both wonderful, and their dry sense of humour was fun.

My standouts:

- 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. 20% appassimento. Holy crap. This is like concentrated Sauvignon candy. A blockbuster white at 14% alcohol, all funky gooseberry and...I appear to have written down "steely poo." Huh: 14% alcohol indeed.

- 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. 20% appassimento. Huge, chocolatey, black-peppered and crushed violets. I think it's a bit harder to pass full judgement on the reds yet, since they'll definitely get more interesting with age.

None of us had the stones to buy the $110, 17% alcohol, 100% appassimento Cabernet Franc, since they weren't offering tastings for some strange reason. But I think I might. It’s definitely something that nobody in Canada has done before, and maybe not even anybody in North America.

Megalomaniac (www.megalomaniacwine.com)

The Megalomaniac winery is exactly the evil lair you’d expect from a place named "Megalomaniac": you wind up a long, twisty road, past myriad bulldozers and bare patches, until you get to this big-honkin’ fortress at the summit.

John Howard decided, after retiring from his position at Vineland, that it was time to strike out on his own. The story goes that John wanted to call the new wines "John Howard wines", a friend called him a "[expletive deleted] megalomaniac", and the name stuck.

I do love the irreverent names and the fun labels.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t entirely taken by the offerings I tried. I don’t know how much of this was due to the quality, and how much of it was due to us having just had our minds blown at Foreign Affair. That and it was their first day open and the wine was pretty warm.

My pick:

- 2006 "SonOfABitch" Pinot Noir. Pinot in the style I like: not too much fruit, but enough cola, beetroot, and cherry to make it interesting. I'm beginning to associate those flavours with a lot of Bench Pinots, for better or for worse.

Thirty Bench (www.thirtybench.com)

Thirty Bench makes premium wines grown on estate vineyards. And they want you to know it. By telling you at the end of every second phrase.

And thus began my love-hate relationship with Thirty Bench. Our visit was an object lesson in how customer service can make or break an experience.

Once we were shuttled into the hallway, we were given an ultimatum: either we each pay a $10 tasting fee in advance, or you buy the wine without tasting it first.

Our tour guide was quite apologetic, and said afterwards that they've tried to negotiate this to no avail. Their rationale is apparently that it's "another revenue stream" (i.e. the tasting fee is not intended to recoup the cost of the wine served.) Jerks.

And how can you call yourself a premium winery when you pump your wine? That's not gentle!

Sorry.

The problem is that the wines are often achingly good. BDM: they're as good as you remember. And (slight design wonk) their label design has a subtle, elegant blue/ivory colour scheme that I really like.

Picks:

- 2007 "Steel Post" Riesling. Lime, steel, and rock.

- 2007 "Triangle" Riesling. More off-dry than above.

- 2007 "Red". Solid, rustic, universal bistro Bordeaux blend.

More later. Outta characters.

OK, now that I've got another 8000 characters of blather, I want to expand a bit more on the Thirty Bench offerings:

- 2007 "Steel Post" Riesling is the kind of Riesling I crave: bold flavours, with a balance of minerality, citrus, and acidity. An aperitif-type wine to whet the appetite, and to serve with appetizer-type dishes (sushi, smoked fish, shellfish, etc.)

- 2007 "Triangle" Riesling has a bit more body to it, and is slightly more off-dry. More stone fruit and apple flavours than the stuff from the Steel Post vineyard. The extra body and off-dryness would lend itself better to Southeast Asian-type dishes: a bit of coconut, a bit of lemongrass, a bit of ginger, but not too much spice.

- 2007 "Red" is one of my favourite types of red wine. Something with a lot of character, and some tannin, but not so big that it obliterates the food. Smoky, fruity, and structured, it is a wine for meat in all its many forms. The handouts they gave us indicated that it would also marry well with "rich lentil dishes" and "2-year-old Canadian cheddar", and I won't argue.

Tawse (www.tawsewinery.ca)

We've been interested in going to Tawse for quite some time, and this was the year. I had no idea that their winery was a gated château-type building, but I guess it fits in with their fairly French way of making wine.

This was also one of the few times where I did some LCBO pre-buying! One of the wines I was particularly interested in—the 2006 Meritage—was sold out at the winery but available at the Rideau and King Edward LCBO. I guess I'll find out in a couple years whether or not it was worth it ;)

Picks:

- 2004 "Robyn's Block" Chardonnay. It's rare to find wines this aged still for sale, and boy was I glad that it was for sale. I said it tasted like "pineapple and love, with a structure and slight bitterness that belied its evocative nose." Olivia said that it tasted like "fish and pepper. Peppered fish. Pfish." (It was getting late into the afternoon, what can I say?)

- 2007 "Grower's Blend" Pinot Noir. Depth of fruit and structure that was far more interesting than the non-Grower's-Blend one we tried before it.

BONUS STAGE! Flat Rock Cellars (www.flatrockcellars.com)

Once again, we finished our five stops ahead of schedule. And we owe it all to not taking any extensive facility tours: just a bit of barrel cellar exploration at Henry of Pelham and a bit of fermenting tank exposition at Thirty Bench.

Once again, we called up Flat Rock to make sure that it would be OK if we dropped by to taste some things, hang out on the deck, and stock up on wines.

Once again, they had no problem.

Once again, we left happy.

Flat Rock has a special place in my heart, because they have a solid line-up of fantastic wines, at rational prices. I guess this means that I consider $20 a rational price for a bottle of wine nowadays.

We contented ourselves with a back vintage 2005 (Estate) Pinot as our only red. I don't know if they had released their 2007 Pinot when we were there: the web page only shows the 2007 Estate, and not their top-tier "Gravity" offering. Looks like we may have to visit later on in the year.

Picks:

- 2008 "Nadja's Vineyard" Riesling. A perennial favourite of mine, in the mouthwatering, edgy style I mention above. I always feel smart and snappy when I whip this out as a "welcome drink" at parties.

- 2008 Pinot Noir Rosé. Since it's all Pinot Noir, it's light, delicate, and fruity. A great patio sipper.

- 2008 Gewürztraminer. Great combination of flavour and body.

- I'd be remiss to not mention how much I enjoy both their "Sweet Revenge" Vidal Icewine and their "Gravity" Pinot Noir, even though I didn't buy either this trip.

Strewn (www.strewnwinery.com)

We're regulars at Strewn, too, because of our barrel club membership. How can you not want to buy somebody a barrel, get wine coupons for three years, and then get tot keep the barrel?

More important than that is the engraved plaque, with your name or words of wisdom immortalized in 26 characters or less (including spaces).

We got a new barrel this year, whose plaque reads "Ceci n'est pas un baril."

I will warn you, though: sometimes you have to do some hunting at Strewn to find something you like. Some of the wines are a bit one-dimensional (their Cabernet Rosé is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing, because it tastes mostly like green peppers and not much else.)

Among the wines I picked up were:

- 2007 "Terroir" Chardonnay (French oak). Strewn's one of the few wineries I know of that sells their barrel-fermented Chards in three configurations: French-oaked, American-oaked, and "Amalgam" (a blend of French and American). My pick this year was the French one. Something about the taste and the finish appealed to me more than the others.

- 1998 Cabernet Franc. I've long contemplated buying a bottle of this, just to see how it is. It's been affectionately dubbed "The Cellar Monster" by the Strewn team because of the extreme tannins it had upon release. They told me that now is the year to drink it, and that sealed the deal. I appreciate the extensive back catalog Strewn cellars, for opportunities such as this.

Stratus (www.stratuswines.com)

We concluded our tour with a sit-down tasting at Stratus. I think I've said enough about Stratus in the past to let on that I'm quite the fan, so I was expecting good things from them.

They didn't disappoint.

Accompanying our tasting were little nibblies: a ceramic spoon of sweet pea foam dusted with curry spices, a slice of garlicky "saucisson sec" made by the folks at the Stone Road Grille, and a selection of cheeses that I can't for the life of me remember but were all Canadian and all delicious.

My pick list is essentially everything we tasted:

- 2007 Riesling. Focused, bold, and bright.

- 2006 "White". A blend of Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Viognier. The last time I had this was at the Beckta dinner in February. Stratus White gets my nod for "best Canadian wine ever made no seriously", simply because it's intense, and complex, and can go with pretty well anything. Creamy and tropical: a new flavour with every sip.

- 2006 Merlot. Not yet released. It boggles the mind that this was a Merlot made in Ontario: it's full-bodied and ripe, without a hint of green. Chocolate, vanilla, cedar, and blueberries. Yum!

- 2006 "Red". A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Another repeat offender for me. Definitely better now than it was five months ago. The flavours are fruity and spicy, with great tannin. Should cellar for a long time.

- 2008 "White" icewine. Not yet released. A blend of Sémillon and Riesling: the first time they've made a White blend for their icewine. They're actually releasing Sémillon and Riesling icewines alongside this one. That's a horizontal tasting that I want to try.

- 2007 "Red" icewine. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah. It's been out almost a year now, so the colour's fading from light red to a bit more a deep amber, and the flavours are evolving from strawberry-rhubarb to include a bit more spiciness.

We also picked up some bottles of their not-yet-released-but-soon 2007 Wildass Rosé, which is currently my go-to wine for summer fun. It's got ridiculous heft for a Rosé, since it's a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Gamay, and Syrah. Haven't tasted it yet, since they didn't have any chilled when we visited, but I assure you it will be good.

And then we went home and napped a lot!

Thanks for the thorough report!

Re Thirty Bench: I don't recall paying a fee for tasting when we were there last... but that was October '07. I hope at least they refund it if you purchase something. I'm also surprised that they still had 2007 Rieslings on hand, as I believe they released the 2008's earlier this year. I still have a bottle or two of the 2005 Red, and one of the 2006, so it would be nice to snag some of the 2007 to see how it compares. I too have ambivalent feelings about Thirty Bench... the quality is certainly there, but prices are pushing close to my pain threshold.

That's what made it all the more unpalateable: not only did we have to pay for the tasting beforehand, but they didn't refund it if you bought wine. This speaks to the fact that they (allegedly, mind) see it as revenue, rather than recouping the costs of the bottles they open.

This is in stark contrast to how we were treated at Stratus. I was advised in advance of our visit that there's a $10 fee for the sit-down tasting, but if you buy wine the fee is waived. No mention of the fee was made when we got there, and it never was because we bought some wine.

We were there the week before the 2008s were released, so I guess we got a good deal by buying bottles that already have a year of aging on them. Heck, I think that their web page showed the 2008s available, although they were only pouring 07s.

Should I want to buy more, I think I'll be doing it on-line, thank you very much. At least that way I don't have to deal with the attitude ;) For me my ambivalent feelings come at it from the other direction: the quality is there, and the prices I can live with because we save up for our wine tour all year.

It's the fact that we're treated like street trash that gets me. I felt that they were giving the vibe that they considered us to be unsophisticated yokels, who would drink them out of house and home if the tastings were free. Actually, no: we're there because we've heard good things about the quality of your wine, and we want to buy in quantity as a result.

That reminds me. I've been meaning to send an e-mail to Thirty Bench to discuss our treatment.

Momomoto - Thanks for sharing your recent winery visit / tours info.

We had exactly the same experience as you did with Thirty Bench last time we visited there in 2007 as far as the phonograph needle stuck on the "we make the best premium estate wines in all of Niagara"... they seem to repeat this sentence constantly... to the point of absolute irritation. Although, we didn't encounter the "forced tasting fee"... that we however did discover at another winery (see below). Overall we too came away with a love-hate relationship with Thiry Bench... (love the wine - hate the marketing). And like you we also felt that we were being spoken down to continually, however it was rehearsed, in the end it was easily seen that "The Man" knew a ton more about wine than the gal ("sommelier", I truly doubt) who was pouring the wines did.

So although the wines were mighty fine, we purposely now give them a "pass" (even at the LCBO) and will spend our money elsewhere... things will remain so until I hear that there has been a change at the Winery.

As for the "ultimatum" that you spoke of for paying for a tasting fee (somewhere around $ 5 per person), that happened to us at Strewn (also in 2007)... and like your experience with Thirty Bench we were not given the option of a refund if we purchased wine. Which our group was quite prepared to do... infact my GF got to the cash with her $ 20 PLUS bottle of wine, and was told there was no refund, "The Man" I believe had two if not three bottles in hand at the same time (probably in the $ 50 PLUS range total)... we said we thought this was ridiculous, and left the bottles right there at the till. And like Thirty Bench, have since black-listed them on our Winery list. Their loss.

Like you I felt that both of these Wineries were missing the point, it was quite obvious from our conversations with their staff that we were quite knowledgeable, and ready to buy... not just today, but in the future... in conversation we always make it known that we are (a) wine knowledgeable, (b) collect, (c) return at least once a year (if not more often). I think the "Enforced Tasting Fee" was put in place by some wineries to offset all the freeloaders, "tourists by the bus load" or the "college crowd" who can spend all day sipping with no intention of purchasing (LOL, "The Man" who is well over middle age, looks a heck of a lot more like a Professor than a Co-Ed). We have been to other Wineries where one is charged for Tastings, but the cost is refunded with purchase, and that I totally understand.

Anyhow, in the end we came away with the same feeling as you did...

JERKS!

Momomoto - As for the rest of your comments...

We love Henry of Pelham and Flat Rock... drop by each on every visit to check out what is new, and pick up a bottle (or two, or three) of our favourites. Flat Rock's Building and setting alone is always worth the visit! And the folks there are so nice. We also like to pick up a bottle of their Pinot Noir Vinegars (Flavoured ones... our favourite is Maple).

Thanks for sharing info on newbies Foreign Affair and Megalomaniac will have to put them on "the list". As for Tawse and Stratus both are on the 2009 list as we still haven't gotten to either as of yet. With the region closing in on 150 wineries now, and always a limited amount of time for a visit (and favourites one has to get back to each year) it gets harder and harder to make a lot of progress on said list. LOL

Going to Tawse, Stratus, and Flat Rock in one outing has the potential to be expensive. I highly endorse it ;) Actually, those three would make for a really high-quality, focused tour. I found that once we hit Tawse the wine fatigue had started to sink in, so it was hard to really assess how good the wine was.

It's true that we as a group may have been insulated from the tasting fees at Strewn. We were there on our first Crush tour, and then joined the barrel club, so the tasting fees have been waived every time. It's a crying shame, really, that they strictly enforce the tasting rules, too.

I think it depends very much on the luck of the draw when you hit a tasting room. In our case, we had a gentleman at Thirty Bench who accomodated our tasting interests, and provided useful information about the wines rather than marketing hype. He even provided us with a spiffy wooden case for our purchases, and we only bought four bottles, so we weren't exactly big spenders. That said, I'll ask up front on our next visit about their policy regarding tasting fees and refunds on purchases, and I'll be prepared to walk away if I don't like what I hear. There is plenty of choice in Niagara, so I have no qualms about bypassing those who have a no-refund tasting fee. One good thing about Thirty Bench is that there are a number of alternative wineries very close by.

One thing I've found is that tasting fee policies are often flexible. I've frequently found when visiting a winery that has a posted notice about fees that I actually was never charged anything. I think the tasting room proprietors sometimes make a judgement call - if you display some knowledge about wine and ask intelligent questions about their products, and are clearly not just after free booze, they often will quietly waive the fee. Another factor may be that my wife and I usually share the sample pour of a given wine to keep our alcohol consumption down (and we dump samples that don't appeal) - this is a pretty clear indication that we're not just there to get soused!

BDM - Agree totally... we too put out these same vibes... and you are right most places pick up on it immediately (part of the reason we've been given the absolute "royal treatment" in the past at Hillebrand (the upstairs Wine Club Tasting Room with their best vintages and the tutored pour in the Restaurant Wine Cooler... if you've been there, you know the spot... it's that whole wall of wine behind a glass... that one was really neat).

And similarly we also like you say "their loss" if a Winery doesn't get it... there is no reason to nickle & dime people who are full-paying customers with tasting fees (and I might add typically buying non LCBO small batch best wine that a Winery produces) there is more than enough wine (and good wine) in the region to go around.

"The Man" and I most often share our pours (which means if we want to we can get 6 different pours... the LCBO standard being 3 x 2 oz pours per person at each Winery). Momomoto that for us works as our way of getting around the tasting rules... although you'd think that common sense would wave that if you were on an organized wine tour with a DD.

Oh ya, me bad... I forgot common sense and the LCBO are not synonymous.
;-)

I know someone who does wine tasting tours around Niagara part time. He has slowed down doing the tours, because they aren't as fun anymore. Between (its seems most wineries now) having to pay for tasting and pushing very hard on the purchasing/marketing, the tours are not as "fun" as they used to be. Just one second hand account. I'll still gladly go pay a bit at my favorites to see what I want to purchase - but I sure hope they waive the tasting fee if I do make the purchase -if not I'd be pretty ticked off too.

BTW has anyone been by Stonechurch lately? I've picked up some nice stuff there in the past, but have not had or seen much from them the last few years.

Sourdough - In recent years a lot of spots have now added a "tasting fee or tour fee" (typically $ 5) and they give you a little card that you can turn in at the time of purchase that gives you a credit of the $ 5 against your purchase... this I don't mind at all... actually I really do understand it considering the number of motorcoach tours that are now making their way to the wineries (especially in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area and the bigger wineries). For example, I know on my last visit to Inniskillin, I wasn't even phased by this practice. But I think that as we've discussed here, someone willing to purchase (and especially someone wine knowledgeable finds it a real tacky practice to not refund that fee when you are purchasing their higher end wines, or a volume of wine... it is rare for us to visit a winery and not spend somewhere in the $ 25 to $ 100 range if we enjoy the wines... we are usually looking specifically for small-batch wines which can't be found at the LCBO).

As for Stonechurch, I see by the 2009 issue of the "Wineries of Ontario" Official Guide that not much has changed there since 2008... their listing is identical to last year save that they are now open longer hours on Sunday.

Wines listed remained...
Winemaker's Choice = Riesling
Best LCBO Brand = Cabernet Sauvignon

What is different though is their paid for glossy ad in the Guide... the 2009 issue now lists...

*Cycling
*Guided Tours
*Catered Lunches
*Groups / Buses
*Affordable
*Book Ahead
*Or by Chance

The ad looks good... but it left a lot of Questions as to what that all meant.

However the Guide's Directory portion listed them in the Tours Section as providing Bike Rentals... "Enjoy the vineyards close up on quiet country roads in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Guided tours available with catered lunches. Groups and buses welcome. Affordable, book ahead or by chance."

Sounds interesting.

And as an aside on the "Wine Touring Biz" I see that by their glossy ad that Niagara Wine Tours International has expanded their business to now include the Prince Edward County Region... don't have any specifics (they do Bicycle Tours in Niagara & Vineyard Lunches, as well as Luxury Car Tours with Gourmet Lunches or Dinners in Niagara, and of course Group Tours)... Not sure what they are doing in PECounty but they do have a website listed in the ad www.niagaraworldwinetours.com

EDIT - Ha, checked the Website... and NO references to PE County!
Guess one would have to contact the Touring Co. directly for info.

Actually, a lot has changed at Stonechurch since 2008 - they went into receivership recently - see www.stcatharinesstandard.ca Not sure if they found a buyer or not, but if not, they may be liquidated by now.

I last visited Stonechurch in 2002. It was not a happy experience. We got some major attitude from the woman running the tasting room - she was unfriendly, and uninformative. In spite of that, we bought a couple of bottles of wine, though it was nothing to write home about. Later we found that she'd tacked on a tasting fee to the bill without even mentioning it. Since then, we've given them a pass. I don't like to see any Ontario winery close its doors, and by some accounts they've pulled up their socks somewhat in recent years,but I can't say I'll be shedding many tears over this one.

Interesting, on our visits there they've always been very friendly. One year we stopped it was their first year bottling their own Cab. The owner/wine maker was there, and grabbed us some bottles before they even had the labels on. No issues with extra fees or anything else. They used to stock a great smoked tomato spread too. But sadly I haven't been there for a while - I guess no one else was either :(

FYI, the 2006 Stratus Merlot I talked about above gets released this Saturday:

www.stratuswines.com

Apparently it's the second time they've bottled a single-varietal Merlot ever, and the first one since the 2002 vintage (released in 2005, back before I had a real job and could afford things like Stratus Merlot).

$42 for f***ing Merlot? I dunno... But seriously, Stratus deserves praise for producing a good full-bodied red in a cool vintage like 2006. I probably won't spring for it, though. Speaking of Stratus, there is also a Vintages release on Saturday, and it features the 2007 Wildass rose, for a mere $20. Also worthy of note in this release is the Flat Rock 2008 Riesling, Cave Spring 2007 Chardonnay Musque, and Peninsula Ridge 2007 Wismer Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.

Even though I bought some of the Merlot while I was there, I think I'd rather have two bottles of Wildass Rosé than one bottle of Stratus Merlot ;)

I don't know what he thinks of the Merlot, but here's what David Lawrason says about the 2006 Stratus Red (also priced at $42):

"This has been fashioned into a very stylish wine from a lighter vintage. The nose is a careful composite of well integrated dried herbs, cedar, caraway, currants and tobacco. The palate is mid-weight, a bit dry and scrawny, and there is a bit of a power outage on the finish in terms of fruit; but lots of herbs and oak spice. Very good length, but not up to the price tag. Best 2010 to 2013."

For comparison, here's his review of the 2007 Thirty Bench Red ($22):

"The new vintage is very classy with some suppleness yet it could still use another year or two in bottle. Wonderful lifted nose of red and blackcurrants, mocha, dried herbs, olive and a bit of charcoal and earth. Open knit, fleshy yet dry. Excellent length. Best 2012 to 2017."

Not much doubt as to which is the better value!

It's tough for me to admit that he's right, because I'm an unabashed fan of Stratus wine who was treated like gutter trash at Thirty Bench ;)

But in all seriousness, I've not read enough of David Lawrason's reviews to make a judgement on whether or not I agree with his viewpoint.

He is right that the 2006 Stratus Red has more spice in it, and the 2007 Thirty Bench Red has more fruit in it. Whether or not that makes it "better" to me is a bit more subjective. Since I in all honesty never drink wine without food, they occupy two different wine spaces.

If you're comfortable with what he says, then definitely stick to Thirty Bench Red over Stratus Red. Especially if price is the deciding factor: Thirty Bench Red is *insane* at $22! (It's worth noting that the Château des Charmes Estate Cab-Merlot (the black-labelled one) is also an insane value at $20.)

Me? I loved them both when I tried them, I bought them both as a result, and you'd better believe I'll drink them both, but in different situations.

I'm just sayin'... clearly, both are high quality wines, and I'm sure I'd enjoy either with the right food pairing, but if one costs nearly twice as much as the other, I know which one I'm going for! Price is definitely an issue for me... I'm generally looking for good value in the under $25 range. Anything over that is a splurge that doesn't happen very often.

Re Lawrason, I've been reading his reviews for many years (at least ten, probably more) and have had many opportunities to try the wines he's reviewed. I've also attended tastings he's conducted. I don't take everything he says as gospel, but I've found him to be generally very reliable and astute, and most importantly, we seem to have similar tastes in vino.

Speaking of things Stratus, I see that the 2006 Wildass White is scheduled for release at Vintages on August 15.

BDM - Hmmm, 2006 Wildass White LCBO Release... count me there!

BDM - Apologies if I sounded defensive: I'm just trying to justify my purchase! The 2007 Thirty Bench Red is the first one I've tried from them, so I can't compare it to the 2005. But you'll not be disappointed.

The 2006 Wildass White is ridiculously good.

Momo, awesome write-ups!!

Momo, awesome write-ups!!

No worries, Momo... and thanks again for the great tasting notes!

I'm starting to contemplate the next trip to Niagara... gazing at the map, and noting the concentration of interesting wineries on the west end of the bench. Thirty Bench, Angels Gate, Rosewood, Fielding, Organized Crime, and Hidden Bench, all clustered close together, with Daniel Lenko and Peninsula Ridge also nearby (I left out EastDell, who are also in the cluster... the wines are meh, but it's a good spot for lunch). One could have a heckuva day of tasting just in that one little area!

Just a quick note to mention that the time has finally come - we're off to Niagara tomorrow for three days of wining and dining! Two days on the Bench, one in the NOTL area. Some tough choices to make on which wineries to visit, but we'll be hitting a lot of our old faves, plus four or five that will be new to us. Looks like we lucked out on the weather - forecast looks fabulous!

A thorough report will be forthcoming when we get back.

Great! Looking forward to hearing where you went and what you liked.

We're back! We had a great time - the weather was superb, and the wineries were not busy. There seems to be a lull the week before Labour Day weekend - several staff people at the wineries remarked on how quiet it was. We sure weren't complaining. We were often the only visitors in the tasting room, and on a couple of occasions, spent close to an hour there without any interruption from other customers. That kind of unhurried access sure makes it more fun.

We got to 18 wineries during our three-day stay (base camp was a hotel in St. Catherines). Here's the list:

Angels Gate
Calamus
Creekside
Flat Rock
Henry of Pelham
Hidden Bench
Lailey
Malivoire
Marynissen
Organized Crime
Palatine Hills
Peninsula Ridge
Ravine
Rosewood
Southbrook
Tawse
Thirty Bench
Vineland Estates

Twelve of these we'd been to before, and six were new (to us). We found some worthwhile wines at every place, though some had more misses than hits. When the dust settled, we had a bit over seven cases of wine to haul home. The breakdown by vintage of what we bought is quite interesting:

Whites: 1 2000 (!), 8 2006, 7 2007, 35 2008
Reds: 1 2002, 2 2006, 32 2007
Rose: 2 2008

The tastings solidified my impression that the 2007 vintage is a bit over-hyped. There are certainly plenty of good reds, and the best could be great, but there are also a lot that are a tough and tannic, and may not evolve all that well. The 2007 pinot noirs in particular seem to be a troublesome lot. At several wineries, the 2007 pinots have been bottled for some time, but have not been released (or made available for tasting) because they're not showing well at the moment. Some will no doubt come around, and others won't. On the white side, many 2007s are flabby and over the top, probably destined for an early demise - especially the aromatic whites like riesling and gewurztraminer. Most of the chardonnays seem okay, though. All in all, the cooler and more typical 2006 and 2008 vintages seem much better for the aromatic whites.

I've got lots more to say about the individual wineries and their wares, tasting fees, and the places we dined (some new discoveries!), but I'm short of time right now... more to come!

I'm afraid this trip report is going to dribble out in small doses, as I get caught up on things. In this installment, some comments on our experience with tasting fees at the wineries on this trip...

Nearly all of the wineries had something posted about a tasting fee in their tasting room. There were many variations, ranging from 50 cents a taste, on up to $2, $5, and up to a high of $10 for three or four tastes. As it turned out, nearly all of the wineries also had some flexibility in their fee structure - sometimes stated, sometimes not. Most of them will waive/refund the fee if you make a purchase, though a few have a minimum purchase for this to kick in (two bottles in one case, six in another). The worst case was, as Momomoto described previously, Thirty Bench: a $10 fee, and no refund even if you buy a bunch. But read on...

In the end, of the 18 wineries visited, we paid a tasting fee exactly once. And it wasn't at Thirty Bench. The one place that wouldn't budge was Hidden Bench, who charge a $10 fee unless you buy at least six bottles (we bought three). They did throw in a nice canvas tote bag, which softened the blow a bit. At most of the wineries, the tasting fee was simply never mentioned at all. In essence, the people manning the tasting rooms tend to make a judgement up front about how serious you are, and conduct themselves accordingly.

Back to Thirty Bench... I asked the woman there up front about the tasting fee policy. I really was prepared to walk out of there if I didn't like what I heard. She seemed slightly embarrassed about it, but said it was company policy. However, she said that they did offer two complementary tastes, and the fee would only apply if we went beyond that. Okay, so we'd try the two that I was most interested in, from the low end of their price range - the 08 riesling and the 07 Red. We whipped out our notebook and made some notes about the two wines. We also talked about some of our previous visits to Thirty Bench, and mentioned the wines from them that we still had in the cellar. She warmed to the topic at hand, and brought out some of their higher-end rieslings to taste... no mention of a tasting fee anymore. She even tried (unsuccessfully) to hunt down the winemaker for us to talk to, and gave us a great tip on another winery, Organized Crime, that we really shouldn't miss (it was on our tentative list, but we went there next because of her advice, and it proved to be a major highlight of our trip). As it turned out, we decided that 08 riesling and 07 Red were the best values, so that's what we bought.

So, what happens with tasting fees often depends on the circumstances. In this case, I think it helped a lot that we were the only customers in the place. Aside from that, there are clearly several cues that the tasting room people pick up on to separate the serious tasters from the freeloaders... the serious tasters ask intelligent questions, display some knowledge about the product, take notes (and, in our case, share tastes from a single glass). That's my experience, anyway.

That's fantastic, and reassuring news. If you were able to work your magic, we may be able to do the same thing, provided we ditch the Crush on Niagara van.

Who knew that a white van would be such a red flag for people?

I forget if I mentioned previously that we were denied entry to Organized Crime last year, which may or may not have been due to the fact that we were several enthusiastic oenophiles in a white van, so you're two for two ;)

Time for another installment... I'll get to the wineries eventually, but first I want to mention the places where we ate lunch and dinner on our recent Niagara trip.

About Thyme Bistro - we noticed this place on our previous trip to the area in 2007, but didn't get a chance to try it. This time, we headed there for dinner shortly after our arrival. They're on the main drag (King St, aka Hwy 81) in Vineland, near Victoria St, and are not open Mondays or Tuesday. It's a friendly place with a small but eclectic bistro menu, and a good selection of local wines. I was blown away by the reasonable markup on wine - well under 100%, compared with the 200% or more that is typical in Ottawa. They also allow BYOW. The food was not flawless - in particular, my wife's scallops were extremely salty. However, they comp'ed the dish when we mentioned the salt problem at the end of the meal, which made a very favorable impression on us. This is a great alternative to the pricier eateries such as Vineland Estates and On the Twenty in the area, and we'll definitely be back.

Angels Gate - we were focused on the western end of the bench on our first day of wine touring, and this place fit nicely into our schedule. They only serve lunch, and their website says only on Friday through Sunday, but we were here on a Monday, so I guess they reduced their hours after Labour Day. They have a great outdoor terrace with a terrific view, and we had our choice of tables, since we were the only customers. Their small menu features sharing plates for two, loaded up with goodies. We had the "Bench Tour" that included pickerel, lamb, cheeses, heirloom tomatoes and various other veggies, etc. The wines are of course from Angels Gate. A very pleasant spot, and worth considering if they happen to be open when you're in the area.

Treadwell - this is our current favorite spot in St. Catharines for a splurge. They're actually in Port Dalhousie, in a nice waterfront location. Excellent food, and they have a sommelier who seems to know his stuff - who knew that a gamay (08 Featherstone) would go well with pickerel? He did.

Olson Foods at Ravine - Our day to do the NOTL area... we usually do lunch at one of the pricey winery restaurants (Peller, Hillebrand, Strewn), but we tried this place instead, after a tip from the gent at Southbrook winery who was manning the tasting room. The wines at the co-located Ravine winery weren't that impressive, but Olson serves up a tasty of array of plates, suitable for sharing, at affordable prices ($5 for small plates, $10 for the larger ones). Nice setting by the vineyards in a funky old restored "packing shed", and a great alternative to the aforementioned eateries.

Stone Road Grill - this has been our go-to place for dinner on our last several trips to the NOTL area, and they did not disappoint this time. Nondescript location in a small strip mall, but great food, good service, nice atmosphere, and an extensive local wine list. We had a bottle of excellent Organized Crime 08 pinot gris that was sold out at the winery, and thanks to their THTR policy, we took part of it with us for further sipping back at the hotel.

August - back on the Bench for our last day of tasting. We were going to head for Henry of Pelham for lunch, but decided to try yet another new place. August was not only new to us, but is fairly new to the Niagara scene, having opened just over a year ago. They have an unassuming location on the King St main drag in Beamsville, a stone's throw from the Daniel Lenko winery. August is based upon a partnership between a chef and a gardener, and they grow most of their own produce - it shows on the menu, with lots of veggies in the dishes, though there's enough meat and fish to keep the omnivores happy too. An interesting selection of local wines (I had a glass of Tawse pinot noir) is on offer at those, low, low markups again, and they also have BYOW. Another great alternative to those expensive winery eateries - seems to be a trend, and a welcome one!

Vineland Estates - having dinner here has been a feature of our Niagara trips for many years. The setting is hard to beat, and the food is still good, but the prices have crept up, the service perfunctory, and I find myself questioning whether it's really good value for the money anymore, especially given some of the newer alternatives mentioned above. Maybe next time we'll scale back to having a light lunch here, and do dinner elsewhere.

That's it for the restos... stay tune for the wine report!

Okay, on to the wineries, starting with...

Day One, the west end of the Bench:

Peninsula Ridge - we started here, as we often do. They always have some better than average wines, and usually a few outstanding ones. The sauvignon blancs we tasted on this trip were often disappointing, but Peninsula Ridge had one of the best - the 08 Wismer Vineyard edition. We were also very impressed with their 07 Meritage, which has lots of potential and needs some cellar time. Just to show that the 07 vintage doesn't have a monopoly on good reds, we also really liked the 06 reserve syrah. I was less impressed with the 07 reserve chardonnay, which I though was overly oaky.

Rosewood - our first visit here. Quite the mixed bag here... we're fans of their 07 pinot noir, available briefly at Vintages earlier this year, so we had to try their 07 reserve pinot ($40). It's fairly impressive, but still rather rough and tannic... hard to assess its future at this stage, but the regular pinot at less than half the price is certainly the better value. I'd say the 07 merlot reserve has more potential - it's a big honkin' red with lots of power and complexity. The 08 'Sussreserve' riesling is a pleasant enough sipper, but a bit lacking in pizazz compared to other 08 rieslings we tried. The 07 gewurztraminer is loaded with lychee and spice, but is a bit over the top at 14% alcohol - we preferred the 08, which also has the characteristics of a good gewurz, but is a bit more delicate and refreshing. We also tried a couple of meads: the 06 'Ambrosia' is a nice sipper that is redolent of honey, while the 07 'Harvest Gold' is just plain weird. All in all, Rosewood is a bit hit and miss at this stage, but we'll definitely head back here in the future to see how they're progressing.

Angels Gate - we had lunch here, and with our meal we had the 08 Sussreserve riesling and 07 gamay (both regular listings at LCBO). They're decent wines, but they're outshone by many of their competitors. And that's how I feel about Angels Gate wine in general, with one or two exceptions. One exception is the Old Vines chardonnay, which we've been fans of since we tried the 2000 vintage when we first visited Angels Gate in 2002. This time around, we tried the 06, and I'm happy to report that it's still very, very good (and, at $24, cheaper than many in its class).

Thirty Bench - this is always a regular stop on our Niagara travels. The prices have crept up (and the tasting fee policy is very annoying, but we haven't been zinged by it so far), but there is still good value at the low end of the price range. Their regular riesling ($18) is consistently one of the best in Niagara, and the 08 is no exception - fresh, lively, fruity, a touch off-dry, a great food wine. We grabbed half a dozen. We also tried the higher end 08 'Wood Post' riesling ($30) - it does have a slight edge on its junior partner, with a bigger "mouth feel", but I'll happily stick with the regular riesling. For comparison, we also tried an 07, the flagship 'Triangle' riesling ($30) - it is very different - very petroly, very lemony, very 'warm climate' in character. If you like Aussie rieslings, you'll like this one, but I much prefer the 'cool climate' style that is more typical for Ontario, and the 08's are a great example of that style. Lastly, we tried the 07 Red ($24, recently released at Vintages), and it was very impressive - still tannic, and probably heftier than the very good 05. We grabbed an armful to cellar for a year or three.

Organized Crime - our first visit, and a real highlight of our trip. It's a small, family-owned winery, and the tasting room is part of their house (shades of Daniel Lenko's kitchen!). We were hosted by owner Krystyna (her hubby is the winemaker), and we spent close to an hour there, during which time no other customers arrived - perfect! Her enthusiam was infectious, and she kept pulling out more things that we had to try... she said she would "spoil us for the other wineries", and that was pretty close to the mark! We tried nine different wines here, and the quality was extremely high, right across the board. Fortunately for my bank account, some of them (08 pinot gris, 07 cab franc, 07 syrah) were already sold out. What we bought: 08 riesling and gewurz (at least the equals of any others we tried on this trip), 07 'Download' (big, dark, complex Bordeaux-type blend), and 07 pinot noir (probably the best tasted on our trip, and that included the likes of Tawse, Flat Rock 'Gravity', Rosewood, etc.). We rarely buy icewine, but we succumbed to their 08, and bought one of those too. For a relatively new winery, it's almost scary how good the wines are here. Not cheap, of course, but you can't have everything...

Hidden Bench - last stop on a busy day, and another first-time visit for us. We were getting a bit 'tasted out' at this point (and spoiled by Organized Crime!), so we didn't try a lot here. Their 08 riesling is nice, but not quite the equal of those at our previous two stops. The 07 'Roman's Block' riesling was quite impressive, with better balance and complexity than most of the 07's we tried, but at $36, I'll pass. A better value is the 06 estate chardonnay ($30), an excellent food wine that still has some aging potential. In a moment of weakness, we also splurged on a bottle of their 08 'Felseck' gewurztraminer ($35), which one could easily be convinced came from Alsace rather than Ontario. Definitely some very good wine being made here, but the prices give one pause... getting nicked with a tasting fee didn't impress us much, either.

And so endeth day one...

Day Two, Niagara-on-the-Lake area:

We throttled back a bit today, and only hit five wineries, starting with:

Southbrook - another first-time visit (we've had their wines before, but their Niagara winery wasn't built yet when we last visited the area in 2007). Their new facility is very spiffy and modern, though it has a rather industrial look from the outside. Inside, there were some goodies! We'd been impressed by their 08 cabernet rose, available at some Ottawa restos, so we tasted that and bought a couple. We've also had the 06 Triomphe chardonnay before... we tasted that too and found it holding up really well, so we bought a couple of those too. Then came the big surprise - it was suggested that we try their 2000 Triomphe chard. Now 2000 was a decent vintage, but not outstanding, and I would expect even the best reds to be fading by now, and the whites to be essentially dead. Not this one! It's deep gold in colour, and has an intriguing toasty/butterscotchy nose and marvellous mouth feel. Who woulda thunk a Niagara chard would have such staying power? Even at $34, we had to get one of these. Another impressive oldie that we bought was the 02 Triomphe cabernet merlot - smooth 'n fruity with soft tannins, and still plenty of life ahead of it. We also tried the 07 sauvignon blanc (too minerally for my taste) and the 06 'Poetica' cab merlot (good, but way too expensive at $59).

Ravine - this one wasn't on our radar at all, but we went here to try lunch at the Olson Foods establishment next door, and did some tasting afterwards. We tried the 07 cab franc rose and 07 'Redcoat' blend with lunch - both were unremarkable, but fruity and pleasant. At the winery, we tasted a bevy of whites. The 07 and 08 sauvignon blancs were not bad, but lacked concentration and pizazz (young vines). The 07 gewurztraminer was quite nice - delicate, spicy, low in alcohol, but also low in acidity, and probably won't last long. Should be worth watching as the vines get older. The 06 and 07 rieslings were a bit strange, with botrytis evident on the nose (especially the 07, which is odd for a hot, dry vintage), a cooked apple character, and like the gewurz, too low in acidity to keep for long. The best of the whites were the 07 chardonnay and 07 reserve chardonnay - good oak/fruit balance, caramel, long finish, though a bit on the expensive side ($24 and $38, respectively). They're just starting to get their bearings here, but should be worth watching in the future.

Marynissen - another one of our usual stops. We had hopes for the ultra-cheap 06 'Sandra's Summer Blend' white, but it was tired and fading. The other white we tried, the 07 gewurz, was better, but atypical and not compelling. On the red side, the 07 gamay was decent and well-priced ($13.50), but fairly tannic and lacking the richness of most other 07 gamays we tried. The 07 'Bottoms Up' red blend ($29) perhaps has potential, but was way too oaky (American oak) for me. I preferred the 07 'Solstice' blend - tannic, but loads of fruit, long finish, and a better price ($22). Another one to tuck away for a few years is the 07 syrah - a hefty wine with black cherry, pepper, and lots 'o tannin.

Lailey - yet another regular stop in the NOTL area. We've long been fans of their pinot noirs, but this time around, not so much. The 07 'Niagara River' pinot ($25) may smooth out in time, but it was rather rough and earthy, with a somewhat sour finish. The 07 'Canadian Oak' pinot ($35) was fruitier and smoother, but didn't really measure up to the best pinots tasted on the Bench. The 07 'impromptu' red blend (including some malbec, unusual for Niagara) was big and impressive, but didn't quite persuade us to part with $40, especially after we tasted the 07 Meritage ($30). We bought some of the latter to stick in the cellar. It isn't all big reds at Lailey, though - they have a nice touch with Vidal, a white hybrid that has gone out of fashion (except in icewine) in recent years. Their 08 Vidal is very attractive, fresh, peachy, and perfect for sipping on the deck in those waning days of summer... best of all, it's only $14.

Palatine Hills - the quality can be uneven here (like just about everywhere in Niagara), but they always have something worthwhile, and it's a fun place to visit. These folks have a way with gewurztraminer, and the 08 is a very good example of what can be done with this variety in Niagara, and is a steal at $12.75. They also have a delicious gewurz icewine (currently the 06 vintage) - resistance is futile! On the red side, we tried an 05 cabernet sauvignon ($20) - good, but very tannic, and I fear the fruit will fade before the tannins soften. Besides which, the 07 cab merlot has nice clean fruit and less tannin, and is another $12.75 bargain.

We had planned to get to Cattail Creek too, but decided to call it quits for the day instead, and save ourselves for some wining and dining at Stone Road Grill!

You're probably all bored to tears with this by now, but here's the last installment...

Day 3, east end of the Bench:

We had a 11 am appointment with Calamus (they're normally only open Thursday to Sunday, and our trip was Monday-Wednesday), so we started the day with some hiking at nearby Ball's Falls conservation area. What a difference from the last time we were there! That was October 2007, and it was so dry that there wasn't even a trickle of water going over the falls - you could walk right out on the rocks of the creek bed and peer over the precipice of the falls, without getting your feet wet. This time, it was a raging torrent.

Calamus - these folks aren't that well known, but well worth visiting. There is good value here - the quality is high, and the prices are reasonable. And, they use the Stelvin screwcap for all of their wines, which is a big plus in my book. Their gewurztraminer is a particular favorite, and the 08 ($15) is very good indeed - along with usual spiciness, there is apricot/peach in the nose, and it has a long finish. .Also very good is their 08 pinot gris ($15), a crisp, refreshing sipper. A more weighty white, the 07 barrel-fermented chardonnay ($17), has great balance, with hints of butterscotch and spice. On the red side, we tried the 06 Meritage ($24), 07 cab sauv ($23), and 07 Calamus Red (cab franc / cab sauv / merlot blend, $16). All were good, but the Red gets the nod as the best value, with good aging potential.

Henry of Pelham - always a worthwhile place to visit, though we usually don't buy a lot here, since many of their wines are available at LCBO/Vintages. The 08 pinot blanc ($13), an uncommon variety in Niagara, is quite nice - peachy nose and taste, hard to distinguish from a pinot gris. The 07 barrel-fermented chardonnay ($20) is big 'n buttery, and still needs a bit of time to mellow out. The 07 pinot noir ($15) has a nice smokey/cherry nose and taste - not profound, but good value at that price. They weren't offering tastes of their 07 Reserve pinot noir (it's in a rough stage at the moment, apparently), but I really liked their 05 Reserve, so I bought a bottle of the 07 to put away for a few years.

Flat Rock - another 100% screwcap establishment, so they deserve our support! We started by tasting a trio of rieslings: the 06 and 08 regular editions ($17), and the 08 Nadja's Vineyard. The 06 is clearly more mature, with petroly notes, but we preferred the fresher 08's. The regular 08 is off-dry and fruity, while the Nadja's is drier and more appley, with refreshing acidity. We were less impressed with the 08 gewurz ($19), which has a minerally nose and is a bit on the flabby side. The 07 Gravity pinot noir ($30) has a warm, inviting nose, but loads of tannin in the mouth - it should age well, but I think there are better ones around in that price range. Lastly, we tried the 07 Twisted Red ($20) - it's a pleasant enough BBQ red with no great complexity, but again, the value is questionable.

Vineland Estates - another regular stop on our Niagara travels. Everything we tasted here was from the 2007 vintage, including a gewurz ($15), sauvignon blanc ($17), pinot gris ($17), cab-merlot ($15), and pinot noir ($20). All were decent, but none of them really impressed - I guess we were getting more picky at this point, since we had already accumulated quite a bit of wine to take home. The one that did impress was the 'Elevation' cabernet, a blend with cabernet franc predominating - invitingly fruity with a touch of sweet pepper, soft tannins, already very drinkable, but should improve further. I would've also tasted the Elevation riesling, which I've enjoyed in the past, but it was not offered for tasting (probably sold out - I forget now).

Tawse - they were on our list for the 07 trip, but we missed them for some reason. This time, we made it. We started with a pair of 08 rieslings, the 'Sketches of Niagara' ($18) and the 'Wismer Foxcroft Vineyard' ($22). The Sketches riesling was off-dry, fruity, and refreshing - one of the better 08's we encountered on this trip. We preferred it to the drier, more austere Wismer wine. Next we tried the 08 gewurztraminer, which is a beaut - classic nose of roses and lychee, great mouth feel and length. Too bad it has a price to match ($30), but we still had to buy one. Then we tried several chardonnays: the 06 Robyn's Block ($42), 07 Sketches ($20), and 07 Quarry Road Vineyard ($35). Once again, the Sketches line provides the best value - an easy-drinking chard with good acidity and overall balance. The Quarry Road was too heavily oaked for my taste, and the Robyn's Block didn't have enough substance to justify the price tag. Speaking of high prices, we went on to try the 07 '17th St Vineyard' pinot noir, priced at $58! It's a big, chewy, tannic pinot, and probably a good candidate for cellaring, but at that price, no thanks. The 07 Wismer cab franc is another big red, very chocolatey, but at $38, we managed to restrain ourselves. Our resolve to buy only the best value Sketches wines slipped in the end, though, when we tried the 07 Quarry Road chardonnay icewine - an unusual variety for icewine, and soooo tasty!

Malivoire - another "don't miss it" place, and one of the screw cap pioneers of Niagara. We like their 08 pinot gris ($18), previously purchased at Vintages, so we bought another one. Their 08 gewurz ($25) is complex and powerful. We also tried the 07 chardonnay, which should be available at the LCBO - very nice fruit, appley, with a touch of maple, and little oak showing. The 07 gamay ($18) demonstrates the success of that vintage for many reds - deep colour, spicy (cloves?), berryish fruit, not at all like Beaujolais (a good thing). The 06 pinot noir ($25) appears to be a success for that coolish vintage, but it still needs some time to round off the rough edges. I had hoped to try the 07 pinot, but no such luck. Same story as Henry of Pelham - it's not showing well at the moment, and is being held back for more bottle aging before release.

Creekside - last stop, and another one we try not to miss. They're one of the pioneers of sauvigon blanc in Niagara, so we started by tasting their 07 regular release ($14). It has a floral nose and a very grapefruity taste - not a bad wine, but I don't think I'd recognize it as sauvignon blanc. We preferred the 06 Reserve savvy ($19), which is more classic, and has a bit of oak aging to add some complexity. We tried that exact same wine two years ago at the winery, and it has clearly improved since then. The 08 pinot grigio ($14) is a nice, crisp, aromatic sipper with some mineral notes. The 07 Reserve viognier ($25) is very impressive - very aromatic, but needs a some more time to mellow a bit. The only red we tried here was the 04 Reserve Meritage ($35) - it has a curious salami note in the nose, and in the mouth, lots of tannin and not much fruit. It was probably better a couple of years ago, and is now on a downhill slide.

That's it - I'm done. I hope somebody gets something useful out of these notes.
Cheers!

Very useful, indeed. Thanks for taking the time to post it all out!

Thank you so much. We're getting ready for trip number two for our mini-moon next week. This topic is so useful for planning!

Oh and Momo... we tend to go for Niagara Classic Cabs. They're great to deal with, friendly and we didn't notice a difference in treatment versus when we go to a winery on our own.

BDM - Amazing stuff... thanks for the taking the time to write this all out and share with your fellow Foodies. Our next trip to Niagara happens later this Fall, and I am so looking forward to it. This info will indeed be very helpful.

Nanook - I'm not all that familiar with Niagara Classic Cabs (we usually go with another couple, the Husband who isn't much of a wine drinker, so he is our DD). BUT, this time we are on our own, so anything you could you tell me about NCC's services would be much appreciated (you can send me a PM).

Sorry F&T - I got sidetracked with the last-minute wedding stuff!

When we went last year, it was $85 per person for the two of us, and it included pick up, drop off, 4 winery stops of our choice in the NOTL area, as well as lunch at the Olde Angel Inn. We chose to visit Inniskillin, Hillebrand, Strewn, and Peller. Our experience at Hillebrand was fantastic. They made us customers for life! They took us into the private tasting room and opened or decanted pretty much anything we wanted.

Strewn was good too, though Inniskillin was a pass (the tour was pretty awful) and Peller was okay. It was fun toodling around NOTL in their London cab and I really liked that we both could drink and enjoy the scenery.

Nanook - Thanks for the info, I will keep them in mind for my next visit. Sounds ideal, and ya I bet just being in a London Cab was a hoot. I have been to countless wineries in Niagara now, and Hillebrand continues to be our fave, no one to date has come even close in service. Like you said, customers for life. We continue to buy their top end wines, not only because they are good, but also because there is a no pressure attitude... very refreshing. Some of the other wineries could learn more about customer service, especially so when it is obvious that the customers are wine knowledgeable... these are the folks typically who are willing to spend.

I'm bumping this because we did our wine tour last week and this will be the thing that forces me to write down where we went. If I'm feeling madly ambitious I'll also write up about last year's tour, but don't get your hopes up ;) In the meanwhile I'd love to hear if anybody else has done any touring lately!

(Currently drinking the 2006 Tawse Meritage that I mention above as having "pre-bought" for my 2009 tour, and it is sublime. Everything's well integrated: tannin, acidity, red and black fruit, and some fun floral and mineral notes.)

Here we go!

Preamble

Ah, summer! When a man’s fancy turns to cold drinks, BBQed meats, and lingering trips around the Niagara Peninsula.

So gather round, grab a drink of your choice (I’m polishing off a tumbler of pastis right now, thank you very much), and allow me to regale you with the wine tour that was Wine Tour 2011.

We scaled back slightly compared to the last couple of times, and covered four wineries on the first day, and three wineries on the second day. Actually, I think we’ve discovered that four wineries in a day is a real sweet spot. If you do more than four, you’re bound to have one or two wineries that you just can’t appreciate, because you’ve been drinking for a while and your palate has been dulled to the point where you could lick an eraser and think that it’s fancy Champagne.

If you do four wineries over the course of an afternoon you get time to linger at each, and your palate never gets dulled unless you go out of your way to get stinkin’ drunk. And you get home at a reasonable hour, too.

As every year before this one, we booked a tour with Crush on Niagara (www.crushtours.com) for the first day, and drove ourselves around on the second. Crush once again thanked us for our continued loyalty, and larded us with praise for using them seven years in a row.

The last two years we were driven around in a short bus, but their bus broke down, so they rented a cube van for us to be carted around in. Kinda cramped with 11 people, but still doable!

Paul. Vaguely surfer dude. Don’t know what he did in a past life, but I’m sure that it involved finance. It always involves finance.

Very precise here. Comes in, says that we’re pros, and asks us to be led to the tasting room. Makes me wonder if people are sad that they can’t give our spiels to us, but really we’ve heard it all before: let the wine speak for itself, good wine comes from good fruit, only interested in making the best, minimal intervention, blah blah blah.

One thing that was new this year, though: pretty well everybody suggested using their ice wine to make martinis. What the hell? Can’t I just enjoy it for what it is? ;)

Just like the last several tours, we stuck to the Bench. We had suggested a single Niagara-on-the-Lake winery, but Crush would have none of it because it would be so far out of the way. One of these days we’ll collect enough NotL wineries to make them our target. Maybe Cattail Creek, Lailey, Marynissen, and Colaneri?

Staff (www.staffwines.com/, @sueannstaff on Twitter)

It’s always nice to have a tour start off on a high note, and I think this one may have been the highest note we have ever had.

We pulled up to the Staff farm-house, and were told that “Sue would be with us shortly.”

Wait, what? Sue-Ann Staff? The winemaker herself?

“Well, sure! She’s just been puttering around in the garden, but she’ll be out soon.”

And that’s how we met Sue-Ann Staff: flushed, still in her gardening clothes, and smiling ear-to-ear. Petting her dog (Brix) and keeping her cat out of trouble (Nuisance).

The Staff family has been farming this land for the last seven generations, and growing grapes for the last five. And, let me tell you, Sue-Ann was lovely. A warm soul. She oozed genuineness, and positively burbled that she’s been wanting to be a winemaker since she was sixteen, and that she was so happy to have her own winery. (She used to be the winemaker at 20 Bees before their business plan imploded, and is currently the winemaker at Megalomaniac, which we visited in 2009.)

Since the winery is still very new, the selection of wines is very focussed. She’s hoping to expand into Bordeaux varieties and Viognier soon, and has a Pinot Grigio that was currently sold out, but a new vintage was coming soon.

My picks:

- 2009 “Robert’s Block” Riesling

The “Robert’s Block” of vines is the oldest on the property, at 14 years. Sue-Ann said that she thinks that this could be one of the top-tier Rieslings in Niagara, but felt that she had to “earn the price point.” So, for now, it’s an absolute steal at $21, but will likely increase in value slowly over time as the wine evolves.

Fantastic mouthfeel, less sweet, and a delicious limey character. It “feels” right.

- 2008 Baco Noir

The Baco was crafted in a, well, crafty fashion. Sue-Ann said that she wasn’t in the business of competing with Henry of Pelham’s Baco Noir, so she made this one in a lighter style.

A fantastic bistro-style red. It’s grippy, and has nice acidity, and has Baco’s famous gamy, “foxy” characteristics. A wine for some badass burgers.

Sadly, I was not into her icewine. Sue-Ann said that it’s quite possibly the sweetest in Niagara (28 on the sweetness scale!), and I believe her, but I prefer my ice wines to have a bit more acid to them.

As we left, Sue-Ann ran outside to ring their antique, Russian “cold weather” bell that they have in the front yard. It’s a gigantic beast of a thing, and she said that now that we’ve heard it we are compelled to come back and hear it again.

I think she’s right.

Alvento (www.alvento.ca/)

Alvento is pretty unique for a couple of reasons. For one, their wines skew heavily Old World, and you don’t see that too often in Niagara. This makes them challenging, since each wine we tasted didn’t have much in the ways of fruit, but had an array of smoky, leathery, meaty, vegetal characteristic. (Appealing, no?)

For another, they’re the first place that I had heard of outside of Piemonte that grows the Nebbiolo grape variety. Nebbiolo has a reputation like Pinot Noir does: an absolute pain to grow, but hauntingly good if it’s done right.

This was the first time Crush had visited (I know that a lot of people in the industry have visited, but I don’t know if tour companies have come here before), so we were placed in an interesting, vaguely uncomfortable situation. Following the tasting, our tour guide asked us what we thought of the place and whether they should bring people back.

It’s so hard to say.

The owners clearly love what they do, and they’re clearly making the wine that they love to drink, but it’s not necessarily a wine for tour groups. The guy was really sweet, but I felt that he didn’t know how to sell his wines. Maybe it’s just us, though?

I think he needed to take a stance. I really would have liked him to come out and say “Look, our wines aren’t for everybody. They’re really Old World, so if you’re looking for fruit bombs this ain’t the place. But I will tell you that our wines will go great with food. And isn’t that what enjoying great wine is all about?

“Also: check out our Nebbiolo. Why buy a Barolo when you can get something LOCAL that’s just as good, and one-quarter the price?”

Anyway, the more I think about their wines, the more I think I would have liked them if I had a steak in front of me. Their Nebbiolos were classic (we tried the 2006 and 2007): supremely high acidity, with a nose of tar and strawberries. Wines to linger over; not wines to sip at a tasting bar.

Even though I didn’t like any of their wines when I first tasted them, I can’t. Stop. Thinking about them.

Angel's Gate (www.angelsgatewinery.com, @angelsgatewines on Twitter)

Angel’s Gate was the “big winery” of our tour, in that they appeared to make every single varietal in every single configuration. Normally I prefer places that focus on a couple of select varieties or styles, and then tries to make them the best that they can, rather than approaching things seemingly scattershot. It also helps me figure out what to sample.

My picks are both sparkling. I should have read BDM’s report beforehand! I would have tried the Old Vines Chardonnay.

- 2008 Archangel Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs

Lighter style, snappy, steely, fruity and slightly bready.

- 2008 Archangel Pinot Noir Rosé

Also pretty light, crisp, and berried.

To be continued...

Foreign Affair (www.foreignaffairwine.com/, @wineaffair on Twitter)

Foreign Affair was what we chose to go back to when 13th Street cancelled on us. And why not? We loved their wines when we were there two years ago. Actually, let me copy-and-paste from that report, with a little rewriting here and there:

The story of Foreign Affair is thus: Len Crispino falls in love with Amarone while working as Ontario’s agricultural attaché to Italy. Len returns to Canada after his appointment is up, and founds a winery exclusively to make appassimento (Amarone-style) wines in Niagara. Len sells wine. People are happy.

Len’s also probably got the nicest dress shirts in Niagara.

So, appassimento. Harvest grapes, set them out on racks, and let them dry until they’re shrivelled little raisins of things. Press the juice out. Make wine. It’s an expensive process. As a result, most of the wine they offer is done with only 20% of the grapes being dried in this way. Even with that little bit, though, you get this crazy magnification of varietal character. (I guess this means that, if it amplifies the characteristics you like, you're going to like it. If it doesn't, you'll hate it.)

Len himself led the tasting, only this time it was his brother-in-law helping out, instead of his wife. The private tasting room we were in before has been repainted: it’s now a rich red, rather than research lab green. And there are more knick-knacks, too, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

My picks (everything was good, but these two stood out):

- 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

Uses 20% dried grapes (meaning that 20% of the grapes were dried completely, and 80% of the grapes were not dried at all). Len mentioned that they were, by their reckoning, one of only ten wineries that does appassimento with white grapes. This was referred to as “a technical wine” and “Len’s degreaser” almost in the same sentence. The two seem a bit incongruous, but it’s the intense acidity and focussed citrus, gooseberry, and herbal notes that really make this the thing to chow down on. We’re thinking that this would be the wine for coconut-milk-based prawn curry.

- 2007 Cabernet Franc

Uses 100% dried grapes, dried for 100 days. It’s extremely resource intensive. Normally you can make about 720 bottles of wine from a tonne of grapes; they made 97 bottles from half a tonne.

And it’s the type of wine that critics go ga-ga over (for better or for worse). Intensely concentrated. Black black black with prunes and plums and spice. More like Port than wine, particularly because it’s 16% alcohol.

This is Cabernet Franc?

After that I think I figured out why they let us taste it: it was no longer their most expensive wine. That’s when they mentioned that they made one called “Unreasonable” in 2008, which used grapes that were dried for more than 50% longer than the ones for the Cab Franc.

Ummm . . . we bought it. Don’t judge.

Flat Rock (www.flatrockcellars.com, @winemakersboots on Twitter)

Flat Rock is like an old friend to us. Beautiful winery, great wines, fantastic attitude.

And, what’s more, they have a taco truck. Every weekend El Gastrónomo Vagabundo (www.elgastro.com) sets up on their lawn, and serves delicious tacos.

It’s the perfect setup! We placed an order at the truck when we got there, asked them to start making it in about twenty minutes, and then went off and did our tasting. When we were done there was delicious food.

And man was it delicious.

I weep for the lack of food truckery here in Ottawa.

Our tasting was led by Ed, the owner, a move that I really appreciate. He’s intensely passionate (although isn’t everybody?) and he’s really happy to share his passions with people. He positively bounded down the stairs, led us to the barrel cellar, and gave us tastes from seven Chardonnay barrels, each with a different treatment.

The tasting went something like this:

“Try this! It’s from a higher-up part of our vineyard.

“Now try this! Same location, different barrel toasting.

“Now try this! Different location, same barrel toasting as the last.

“Now try this! Same location, but the barrel’s from a different provider.

“Got it?”

“No! I’m confused and scared!”

“Good! Have another drink! Have a taco! Have whatever you want!”

My picks (not necessarily tasted on the tour, but I’m not lying when I say I think I’ve had everything they’ve ever made):

- 2009 “Rogue” Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir made like a white wine. So it’s a pale, pale pink, but still tastes of a delicate Pinot with the full mouthfeel of an oaked Chardonnay.

- 2006 Sparkling Brut

Snappy like a starched shirt.

- 2010 “Nadja’s Vineyard” Riesling

Probably my favourite of all of Flat Rock’s wines. Intense, focussed acidity, and great citrus and mineral character.

Stratus (www.stratuswines.com, @stratuswines on Twitter)

Heading to Stratus is fun because we don’t really get the blahbityblah anymore. We’ve had the same guy for the last three tastings drag us out onto the patio, have a drink or two, and listen as he tells us about what stage they are in their growth (they should be pulling the top vines down to the bottom soon) and what new tech they’re trying out (they figure that their electrostatic sprayer will use about 10% the water that their regular one does).

After that we meandered to their tasting room and had a flight. I’ll always love their flagship Red and White, and I’ll always recommend that people try them to see what Canadian wine can really be like, so here are some non-flagship picks to consider:

- 2008 Sémillon

Who bottles single-varietal Sémillon in Niagara? Hardly anybody, that’s for sure. Apparently Stratus’s predilection for long hang times means they can make a pretty good Sémillon. Great, filling mouthfeel, stone-dry, with tastes of tropical fruit and orange peel.

- 2008 Malbec

This is the second year in a row that Stratus has released a single-varietal Malbec. They claim that it’s a true “Bordeaux” Malbec, as opposed to the dense tannin bombs that Cahors makes and the releases from Argentina. Bewitching nose of earth, dried tea, and dark fruit. Great tannin and acidity.

For whatever reason I said that this was the ”Smell the Glove” of wines. I’m still not entirely sure why, but I guess I have an inkling.

- 2007 Petit Verdot

One of my perennial wines for serving alongside steak. This one benefited well from the hot, hot 2007 summer and has this smoky, coconutty, berried quality to it.

- 2008 “White” Icewine

Stratus didn’t make icewine in the 2009 vintage year (too warm?), so we got another taste of the same Riesling–Sémillon icewine that we tried back in 2009. This bookends my experience with Sue-Ann Staff’s icewine because, without a word of a lie, this made me salivate just trying it. This is the sweetness backed with acidity that icewine makers everywhere should strive for.

Strewn (www.strewnwinery.com)

Aww, sadly I don’t have much to say about Strewn any more. This is our sixth year with them as barrel club members, and it’s the last year that we get free wine from them for our contributions. And I don’t think that we’ll be back.

It’s not you, Strewn. It’s us. We’ve changed. We’re no longer just content with “good because it’s cheap”. We need something to grab us, and we haven’t seen that from you in a while.

We did wander down into their barrel cellar to get a taste of what’s in our barrel: 2009 “Terroir” Merlot.

No recommendations. Didn’t taste anything. Just grabbed our free wine and left. It was late and we were tired.

Reif Estates sparkling wine is supposed to be quite good:

www.reifwinery.com/

Thanks! I didn't know that Reif did a sparkling. I've never been, so I also wouldn't mind hearing about other things of theirs that people have enjoyed.

The Anchorage in N-o-t-L does for fish & chips what Bruce Lee did for nunchucks.

...no, i don't know what that means, but they're really really fantastic fish & chips...

Great post, Momo! I haven't posted here on OF in eons, but your account of Niagara imbibing has coaxed me out of the shadows. We're starting to get the itch to head down there, but we generally go in September or October (last time was Sept. 2009), so we'll likely hold off until then. We always do our own thing and have never tried one of the organized tours. Agree that four wineries a day is probably a sweet spot, but we usually push it to five or six... however, we get quite selective about what we taste towards the end of the day, and we share tastes (and dump 'em if they're mediocre).

Like you, we favour the Bench, and spend the majority of our time there, but we always make a little time for NoTL. Lailey and Marynissen are usually on our route, but when you go again, consider adding Southbrook and Ravine to your itinerary. Also, though we haven't visited Inniskillin since the last millenium, they seem to have made a real comeback in the last few years. We went to a tasting of 26 NoTL wineries (actually 24, since two were no-shows) here in Ottawa last month, and the two wines served up by Inniskillin (Winemakers Series Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir) were both standouts. Many of the white wines from other NoTL wineries were just plain insipid, but there were some nifty reds.

Will report back next Fall... :-)

Funny you mention those two in particular: last year we did Flat Rock, Southbrook, Ravine, Coyote's Run, and Five Rows. Stratus and Strewn on the second day.

I'll be honest though: Southbrook didn't live up to my expectations. The wines were OK, but the place itself had a whiff of the jackboot to it.

We were met at the door by a gal with a clipboard that chided us for being late, and then our "tour" consisted of them telling us we should drink wines based on the phase of the moon and how their way is the one true way (pointing specifically at Featherstone for not doing sheep right.)

I was expecting relaxed, groovy passion; we got aggressive, borderline fascism. Not fun.

Somewhat aside, but if you want to check out a really nice wine region close to O-town, i recommend the 'Route des Vins' in the Eastern Townships south of Mtl, more or less from Granby to Sherbrooke. Great whites, the reds aren't bad and improving year after year and don't get me started on the awesome cider products. Some terrific restaus down there too. Highly underrated foodieland.

OSoloMeal: Good call! I haven't been down that way for a long while. We did tour some cidreries a couple of years ago, and I agree that the food is great. I completely forget where we ate, but I do remember that I loved the sweetbreads.

Re Southbrook: luck of the draw, I suppose. When we last went there in 2009, we had a very friendly and informative gent serving us. We had plenty of choice in what we tasted, including older vintages of their high end stuff, and there was no proselytizing about their biodynamic winemaking philosophy. Biodynamic does have some weird mumbo jumbo associated with it, but there are also some sound organic growing principles embedded in it.

On a few occasions, we've encountered attitude in a tasting room that put us off, and, given all the choice that's out there, our usual response has been to never go back. I'd give Southbrook another try, though.