Niagara Wines – there’s an appellation that just doesn’t roll off your tongue. Some wine growing regions are instantly recognizable even to the most casual of wine drinkers…. places like Napa, Bordeaux, Montepulciano… but Niagara?

Why not? Grapes are grown all over the world now… anywhere they can find the right microclimate and the proper grapes to grow there.

The Niagara wine region actually sprawls across the Ontario and New York border making it a two country wine region. There are over sixty wineries in this area, and the number is growing.

The majority of wineries are in Canada. If you want to visit and taste on both sides of the border, remember that you now have to show your passport even when driving across the border between Canada and the United States.

The Niagara Wine Trail represents some of the wineries. It is well organized with maps and special events at the participating wineries.

The wineries in this region will tell you that the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario create a unique microclimate. One of the wines that they are most famous for is Ice Wine…. that makes a certain amount of sense doesn’t it? It gets cold there in the winter. They have a similar latitude to Bordeaux and Montepulciano, but it’s the microclimate that lets them make this liquid gold.

Ice Wine (or Eiswein borrowing from German) is a dessert wine made from grapes frozen while still on the vine. Some late harvest wines just hang on the vine forever increasing the sugar content…. In good years when the frost comes at the right time, they produce small quantities of great Ice Wine.

But Ice Wine isn’t all they make. Expect to taste wines made of all the usual suspects from Rieslings and Chardonnays to Merlots and Pinot Noirs. Plus some local varietals and natives like Catawba and Frontenac, and oh yes, even occasionally from Niagara grapes.

There are tasting fees at most of the wineries… generally between two to five Canadian dollars. If you plan to taste at more than a couple of wineries you might want to consider a “Vino Visa Passport” from the Niagara Wine Trail wineries…. that might save you money. It’s good from one year of purchase. It gets you free tastings at some wineries, discounts at others, and even some discounts at hotels and restaurants.

Whenever you are wine tasting, if you are driving yourself, remember to have a designated driver or taste responsibly.

The beauty of the Niagara Wine Trail is that you’re in the country, but not far from other tourist destinations. Niagara Falls is only minutes away from many of the wineries. You can stay at Niagara-on-the-Lake, a well-preserved town with Victorian architecture that’s worth a visit in its own right. You’re only about an hour and a half from Toronto and half an hour from Buffalo.

So if you’re visiting Toronto or Niagara Falls, treat yourself, and do a little wine tasting…. if you never knew about this wine region before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Wine has become popular worldwide. It is taken in a relaxed mood whether at home or at a social gathering. Those who enjoy wine prefer to drink it at social places because they argue that this reduces boredom. They say that Virginia wine is so good and well concentrated that it should not be drunk in a hurry. In fact, one said that the longer you hold it in the glass the more pleasure you get, but others argue that taking a little excess for the road is not advisable.
For many, they get as many bottles as possible and put them on the back seat of their cars and drink while relaxing with the rest of their family members. Irrespective of the way it is drunk, Virginia wine remains the most difficult to understand, but the most enjoyable. In this respect, there are many festivals that go alongside this wine festival. The following is just a compilation of a few of them. The Yorktown wine festival is a longtime celebration that has been enjoyed for various reasons.
People who attended this celebration were treated with the beauty of the York River shoreline. When the day was perfectly clear towards the evening, whatever that was observed along the show line of this river was just another perfect color of wine and this must have contributed to onset of the celebrations.
Apart from wine, the celebrations were also accompanied by food and great music. On the occasion, visits would be made to historic sites since the Yorktown was also a historical site where Cornwallis had surrendered so the American revolution of the year 1781 could come to an end. There is a strong impact that is left in your life by attending small festivals such as the Yorktown festival. This is that tasters will be able to sample the wares from a distance and other remote wineries. Some of the wineries already featured on this festival include the San Soucy, Davis Valley and Rebec. This is one of the most interesting Virginia wine festivals.
The fermented grape juice is also produced in the Okanagan valley for top wines that even win both the national and international wine completions. The harvest of grapes therefore forms another celebration in Virginia. People simply come to exhibit their wealth and this is done every season. There are other categories of wine that are observed as festival celebrations.
The Okanagan spring wine festival is celebrated at the beginning of the grape growing season and it is accompanied by exquisite medley of wine and cuisine. It is a perfect celebration to any person who enjoys wine sipping with many gastronomic treats. The summer Virginia wine celebration is marked in August and comes with the opportunity of educating oneself about the different types of wine as the many varieties are displayed.