Niagra, Ontario Wine Tastings

I hope you are not a wine lover. You will be deeply disappointed. Stay away from the reds, unless it is a Cab Franc icewine, of which I think Vineland has a great one. You might find a decent Riesling or two. Whatever you do, do not try a Bacca Noir!! I am not saying the scenery isn't pretty, the staff friendly, or the food tasty. Just that the vast majority of the wine is not good.

If memory serves, Vineland is out around Exit 57 on the QEW. I think Tawse and Lakeview are out there too. Niagara on the Lakes...lemme think...Pilliteri <sp?> Estates, Joeseph's Estates, Chateau de Charmes, Inniskillin, Peller. There are more out there than by Vineland, if I remember right.

Stick to Rieslings, Chards, ice wines/late harvests. The reds will coat your tongue in tannins super fast, and you will feel like you've gargled old tea all day. Call ahead too, some might not be open Monday.

Like I said, not saying the food isn't tasty, the scenery pretty, or the staff friendly. It's just lacking in good wine

Yeah, a great way to enjoy time with your dad and you can seriously find some good ice wines/late harvests, and some okay Rieslings and Chards. Just watch those reds!

I've been to Henry of Pelham and was not overly impressed with the staff, but if Baco Noir is your thing I gather that's the place to go for it.

Last time I was there Jackson Triggs offered tours of their winery with a pretty generous tasting included (a red, a white, and an icewine as part of the tour, and they will let you taste anything you want in the shop). Seems to me it was $5 for the tour, which included a $5 coupon for the shop.

If you want to have a very nice meal at a place that knows how to pair and serve wines, I would recommend Treadwell, in the Port Dalhousie area of St. Catharines: http://www.treadwellcuisine.com/. It's not cheap, but the sommelier really knows his stuff.

Are you planning to stay on the Canadian side of the border? I could direct you to a few more vineyards on the US side.

I would recommend Angel's Gate, Tawse, Vineland Estates and Peninsula Ridge (for the Sauvignon Blanc).

Much as it pains me to say it, Piobaire is right -- the reds are generally weak. I like the Malivoire Old Vines Foch, but it is certainly an acquired taste. Stick to the whites, in particular Reisling, and the icewines.

This statement is nonsense. While the reds do lack the sweet and robust flavour of the Australian, Chilean and other new world wines, Ontario reds are high in acidity which is similar to a region like Bordeaux. I am not comparing Niagara to Bordeaux, but there are many excellent wines to be had if you know what to look for. Le Clos Jordanne's pinot noir easily ranks among other excellent pinot's and is better that 90-95% of the pinot's from Burgundy.

Of course, Ontario's strength is in their whites. Go to Stratus and try there white wine which is a mélange of many different varietals. Other excellent wineries are Hidden Bench (try the Nuit Blanche, it is excellent), Daniel Lenko (old vines in Niagara), Thirty Bench (reisling), Flat Rock, Southbrook, Cave Spring and Tawse (who make an excellent chardonnay). There are many more that I am not mentioning, but do a little bit of research and I guarantee that you will be very surprised.

A second recommendation for Cave Spring in Jordan Village. Their reserve Reisling and reserve Gewurztraminer are very good. I would avoid most reds. The Inn on the Twenty (also in Jordan Village) is worth checking out for a nice meal in pleasant surroundings.

3rd recommendation for town of Jordan/cavesprings.
On the route from Jordan to their vineyard, you also pass the 99 estate

Southbrook just opened up a brand new facility... with retail space and wine tasting rooms and such...

Actually, you just did. And yes, that is my problem. I do not know what to look for. Did you read my posts detailing exactly what to look for? Oddly enough, you agree with me. The whites are what to look for.


I can see you did not read my post. If you did, you would be embarrassed for suggesting wineries I did and then saying to "do a little research." Could it possibly be that I have tasted quite extensively in Ontario wines? Maybe even toured wineries from the Erie Shores to Niagara on the Lake? Nah, can't be that.

As for your Clos Jordanne, what do they have for a track record? Two vintages at this moment? (2004, 2005). It is a passable pinot; I like the Claystone bottling the best, but rank it at about an 88 or 89. It is not an earth shattering pinot by any means however.

Sorry all you Canadians, VQA just ain't all that. Why not be happy with some decent Rieslings and chards, some outstanding ice wines and late harvests, and admit most of the reds are nothing to write home about. It's more than most areas of the world have. Be happy with it.

I've been told by multiple people that Indiana used to have a huge wine industry, back in the early 1900's. Something like one of the biggest vineyards in the country, or something impressive like that, but during and after Prohibition, they had to all shut down.

Not that that means anything to you lol.

Actually, I didn't. I just mentioned that Ontario wines have the same acidity as wines of Bordeaux. I never said that Ontario reds have the same breadth as wines from Bordeaux.


I suggested eight wineries and one was the same, so no, I am not embarrassed. It is apparent by your comments, that you have tasted very little Ontario wine. So as not to embarrass yourself in future conversations, I have listed a couple of resources that will come in handy when discussing wines from Ontario. Now, you can at least sound somewhat convincing when you pretend that you have an extensive knowledge of wine.

http://www.tonyaspler.com/pub/articles.asp?s=5

http://www.vinesmag.com/sitepages/

http://www.wineaccess.ca/


It's nice to see that you have discovered that wonderful resource called Google. You gave it an 88 or 89 and it is still only passable? My, you have such refined taste! Here are a couple of reviews/articles for people that have actually tried the wines:
http://www.gremolata.com/zoltansnotes.htm

http://www.torontolife.com/features/grapes-progress/

http://www.tonyaspler.com/pub/articl...sp?id=1204&s=5

Yes, they have only had two vintages, but they are a new winery, so what's your point? The fact that they only planted their vines in 2000 and have been able to achieve this success in such a short time is indicative of the wineries quest for quality. Also, they will only get better with each successive vintage as the vines mature.


I have forwarded your excerpt above to the VQA, as I am sure they are very interested in hearing your expert opinion. Who knows, maybe they will shut down all the wineries in Ontario due to their inferior quality! Also, I will not respond to this thread anymore to defend Ontario wines against your vastly superior knowledge. Nor will I respond to your very lame PM. Have a nice day!

It was certainly a comparison. "Similar to" is pretty much a comparison, of at least the trait in question.


No need to reply to this. My wine knowledge is not at the somm level, but anyone that has discussed wine with me here realizes my knowledge is more than passing.


At its price point? Yeah, passable. For about $40 bucks, I can think of a list of PNs I'd pick over it. I tasted that 2004 at the annual Amherstburg Wine Festival last year. And that was the one I liked best, there were inferior ones too. I also worked the booth, at the Festival, for *gasp*, a winery! Something you would never do, no doubt, as what would the old chums at UCC say? However, I guess I might have tasted some Ontario wine? Maybe, just maybe, even know the owner of a vineyard or two? Nah, can't be true.


No, they will not shut them down. There are plenty of deluded people like you to drink their plonk. Sorry you are fixating on the crap that gets produced in the reds and cannot appreciate what Ontario growers can do respectably. Your rabid nationalism is showing; reminds me of Dubya's "for us or against us" mentality.

And my lame PM? I gave the guy some links in the What are you drinking thread so he could privately see that perhaps I have tasted a bottle or two of wine and maybe he could stop being condescending. Nope, guess that's not how they do things at Upper Canada.