|
|
|
Hello From Toronto Part 3 Exploring Niagara Wine Country
wo days ago I took our 8, Ontario's wine route, which
European visitors on a follows the outline of the
little driving tour of the NIagara Escarpment.
Niagara Peninsula, specifically
to explore some of the 50 Our first stop on our wine tour
something wineries. My brother is was Peninsula Ridge Estates, a
a chef and very interested in very impressive winery built
exploring the authentic tastes around a Victorian farmhouse with
and flavours of Canada. So far my several modern buildings that
visitors have been very impressed have been added to faciliate a
with the quality of the Canadian wine tasting facility and gift
vegetables, meats, spices, and shop. The wine testing area is
even the various types of beers housed in a beautiful barn-like
that they have tried from structure with lots of wood and
different microbreweries. high ceilings, and all the wines
and gifts are presented in a very
We got going around 9:30 am to attractive way. My European wine
avoid the brunt of rush hour conoisseurs tasted 4 varieties of
traffic and made our way west on white wine and admitted that they
the QEW highway on another day of were duly impressed. They
perfect weather. We drove through commented that some of the wines
the industrial outskirts of had a more distinct flavour than
Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington what they are used to back home
and Hamilton, where they were and indicated their surprise at
particularly fascinated by the the quality of wines from
huge industrial complexes of Ontario. Of course my brother
Ontario's steel industry. Just also examined the menu of the
about 20 minutes south of dining room and confirmed that
Hamilton we turned off the the establishment was indeed an
highway onto local Highway Number upscale gourmet restaurant,
featuring finely crafted cuisine. facilities and surroundings
hosting the wine tasting were
We had a beautiful day with impressive.
absolutely no humidity, so we had
a clear view of downtown Then we headed further south to
Toronto's skyscrapers from the Vineland Estates Winery situated
Peninsula Estates winery. After a on the slopes of the Niagara
little photo tour of the premises Escarpment with Lake Ontario in
we made our way to the next stop: the distance. This winery has
Eastdell Estates, winery located sometimes been referred to as
high on top of the escarpment "Ontario's Most Picturesque
with a perfect lookout point. The Winery" and we certainly enjoyed
restaurant, called the "Bench the location. It is another
Bistro" offers simple, yet winery that features a restaurant
innovative dishes that pay homage as well as a wine boutique,
to the area's bountiful harvests located in an 1877 historic barn.
and local producers. Reasonably The boutique features wines, fine
priced, two can dine, with a glassware and local preserves,
bottle of wine, for about $80 and my European travellers
(CDN). embarked on their second tasting
of the day, this time enjoying
Our next stop was a relatively both red and white varieties. The
new winery called Angel's Gate winery offered various types of
Estates, with a beautiful main crackers and cheese, combined
building that included a wine with grape jellies, providing a
boutique as well as an indoor and little snack to a group of hungry
outdoor dining area overlooking pilgrims on Ontario's wine trail.
Lake Ontario. We did not taste We also noted that the staff in
any wines here, but definitely the various wineries was
enjoyed the view. Again, the extremely welcoming and friendly,
an impression that got reinforced starts to hurl down the rocks.
throughout the day. The amount and force of the water
is awe-inspiring, and the
Our lunch stop was at Rockway thundering sound of the falling
Glen Golf Course and Estate water provides an appropriate
Winery, a rather unusual backdrop to this natural wonder.
combination offering delights for
golfing and wine enthusiasts. We The waterfall produced the most
had a reasonably priced lunch of amazing complete rainbow inside
gourmet sandwiches on the patio, the gorge that I have ever seen,
and appropriately strenghtened offering many scenic vistas of
continued on our way along the the Niagara River set against the
wine route towards our next appropriately named Rainbow
destination: Niagara Falls. Bridge which connects Ontario
with New York State.Several Maid
After arriving in one of the most of the Mist sightseeing boats
popular destinations in Ontario, holding curious visitors dressed
not to be missed for any in blue plastic capes were
traveller to Toronto, we parked floating dangerously close to the
our car on the main parking lot, bottom of the waterfall,
at $18.00 a little overpriced, providing a great photo
although it offered unlimited opportunity.
parking until midnight. As we
approached the falls from the Naturally, after taking in all
south, my guests were astounded these sights we had to take in a
at the width of the river and the refreshment and we rested a bit
quantities of water that were on a restaurant patio overlooking
about to drop down the steep the falls. After our brief
precipice. We stopped for a while respite we drove along the scenic
at a spot right where the water Niagara Parkway towards
Niagara-on-the-Lake, stopping We had a little stroll around
several times at various lookout this charming Victorian village,
points, such as the Aero Car tram admiring the beautifully kept
crossing the gorge, and the houses and gardens, and since it
immense power plants located on was getting late we headed back
both sides of the river, into the car to continue our
generating clean hydro-electric drive back to Toronto. The last
energy. leg of our trip was a drive
through St. Catharines' beautiful
The bucolic countryside along the little lakeside village, Port
Niagara River features a large Dalhousie, which on this day
number of wineries and orchards featured a younger crowd than
and the road is lined with fruit Niagara-on-the-Lake.
stands, featuring fresh Ontario
produce. Finally, we parked our Filled with a multitude of
car next to a beautiful park, impressions of this gorgeous day,
right where the Niagara River we arrived back in Toronto,
flows into Lake Ontario. By this sharing our various impressions.
time, the Niagara River has My European visitors, who had
turned from an angry and wild never been to North America, were
river with churning waters and truly impressed with the Niagara
rapids into a mild-mannered Region and I was glad I was able
waterway, ready to merge with the to give them a little taste of
waters of one of the Great Lakes. Ontario's wine country.
About the Author:
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com), a popular web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new section featuring FREE ebooks about travel.
Read more articles by: Susanne Pacher
Article Source: www.iSnare.com |
|
