Wine Travel

Tasting in a Pandemic: Niagara-on-the-Lake 2020

My fiance and I were supposed to get married on September 26th, 2020, surrounded by our family and friends in Southern Ontario.

But then Covid-19 happened.

We figured we had two options: sit around sulking and feeling sorry for ourselves, or do something to take our minds off of things and replace it with different great memories.

We chose the latter, and decided to spend the entire weekend wine tasting and relaxing in the picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake.

No gloomy faces here!

Now, we weren’t exactly sure what wine tasting would look like during a global pandemic. We knew that some tasting rooms were opening up, but we weren’t sure how many, or if they would accept walk-ins, or what their precautions might be from place to place. We figured it was best to play it safe and book ahead at all the spots we wanted to check out.

We asked around and got recommendations from a few people and compiled a decent sized list.

Personally, I’m a fan of smaller production wineries, and love tasting stuff I can’t find at the local liquor store. Plus, I wanted to scout out a winery that I could purchase a case from for my parents for Christmas, and didn’t want it to be something they could just as easily get at the LCBO (Ontario’s Liquor Control Board).

Also, since we needed to figure out appointment times, I wanted us to stay generally in the same area each day, so we weren’t spending half the day driving back and forth.

Side note: We drove between wineries, but we were very responsible about the amount that we consumed. Drinking and driving is not okay. Limit yourself to only a few wineries, don’t feel obligated to finish the wines you don’t love, or just spit into a spittoon if available! No one will be offended or think you’re gross. You know what is gross? Drinking and driving.

Okay, back to the trip. We ended up with the following itinerary:

• DAY ONE: Flat Rock Cellars and Cave Spring in Jordan.
• DAY TWO: Two Sisters Vineyards, Ravine, and Stratus in Niagara-on-the-Lake
• DAY THREE: Hidden Bench in Beamsville

Overall, it was a total success of a trip, and I can’t wait to share all the details with you!

DAY ONE – Jordan

We woke up early to leave the airbnb we had been staying at in Cambridge, and loaded up our bags.

Fortunately, the weather was stunning. Sunny, warm, but not too hot. It was hard not to think about how perfect it would have been for our wedding, but we did our best to focus on the wine and enjoying ourselves instead.

First stop, Flat Rock Cellars.

Flat Rock Cellars

We arrived for our visit just before 11:00 and took in the beautiful views for a few moments before checking in for our tasting.

The parking lot sat at the top of a vineyard covered hill that gently sloped away from us. It was a great vantage point for taking in the views.

Here we had arranged a private half hour tour. Our guide, Tate, was very knowledgeable. He met us outside with two glasses of Pinot Noir and started off by leading us out into the vineyard to learn about their farming methods and dedication to sustainability.

I’m not usually a Pinot Noir fan, but I was looking for a few good bottles to bring back for my Dad’s birthday the coming week, and this one was a great start. It was fresh and light enough to not be too overwhelming on the palate at 11AM.

From there, we moved inside to learn about the barrels and taste their Chardonnay. We learned about the difference between French, Hungarian, American, and even Canadian oak! They use French, from a wide variety of coopers (barrel makers), and of varying years of use, in order to then mix and fine tune the perfect blend for their Chardonnay.

PS. Someone in that building is very photo-savvy because they realised that was the perfect place for a photo op! There are some great lights pointing right at the barrels and steps across so our guide could snap some extremely well-lit photos for us. This area is not accessible if you are just wondering around the property though, so best to book a tour.

On our way to the next tasting point, we quickly walked by the area where they cellar all of their older bottles. Something quite unique to Flat Rock Cellars is that they’ve chosen to put ALL of their wines under screw cap, while still having ageing potential! A certain amount of air is specifically left at the top of the bottle for the oxidation process, and they are apparently tasting quite well several years on.

Bonus: you can store all of their bottles vertically and not worry about corks drying out. I ended up purchasing one of their older bottles of Pinot for my Dad and can’t wait to see how it actually ages!

Next we admired their tall stainless steel tanks, build up in a visually stunning vertical arrangement. We climbed up to the top and got to peer into a few full ones to see how the process was going. We also got an up-close look at their team, who were in the middle of hand-sorting some of their recently harvested grapes.

Here we tried their blend, “Twisted”. This one was my fiance’s favourite so far. I personally preferred the Chardonnay. But ultimately the Pinot Noir was the winner for us that day.

I wish I could give you a more detailed run down of their wines, but strolling around glass in hand doesn’t lend itself well to taking notes. That was the only downside, but not at all a criticism because I still learned a lot and was able to jot down some key points as soon as we got back to the car.

We ended things up on the balcony that extends off of their tasting room. If you get a chance to go, definitely don’t miss this view. We couldn’t stay too long though, we had to hurry off to our next stop.

Cave Spring

We received the recommendation for Cave Spring from a family member of my fiance, who used to work for their associated restaurant, Inn on the Twenty. He told us that there was a new tasting room, absolutely beautiful, and located in one of their own vineyards. Unfortunately, when we called to arrange our tasting, we learned that they weren’t hosting full tastings there just yet, but they were open for purchasing a glass. Hopefully, if you are inclined to check them out in the future, it will be open by then.

Because we wanted to taste as many wines as possible though, we opted to go to the original tasting room, located in Jordan, beside their restaurant.

The first thing I noticed upon walking in is that if you want some cute wine-themed items for your home, they’ve got a wide variety! From doormats to reclaimed barrel stave pieces, there’s quite a few things I would have happily purchased if I didn’t have to fit them in my suitcase.

For the tasting itself, we were sat at a long bar. I assume that on a normal day, it would be much busier, but due to social distancing requirements, it was only us and two other couples, each sat 6 feet apart.

We each got to select our own four wines. I love when wineries do this, because I just make sure that my fiance and I pick different wines, and then sip from his glass. Suddenly 4 tastings becomes 8! That’s the way to do it, folks.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much to say about their wines, as I didn’t take my usual detailed tasting notes here either.

I did start taking notes, but I stopped after the first two whites because I wasn’t really enjoying them. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there was some distinct characteristic to all of the whites that really took away from any fresh fruit characteristic. To me, it was a funky kind of smell that one might expect in a Riesling, but not any of the other whites. My fiance described it as being “bland”. So we didn’t end up spending much time on them.

The reds were better, and I’d say my top picks from that winery would have been the Gamay or the Cab Franc. We didn’t end up buying anything though.

The service, also, was a bit of a let down. I assumed that the fact that hardly anyone was in the shop would grant us a bit more face to face time with our tasting attendant so we could learn about the wines. Like, maybe there was reason why the whites were all like that?

But our attendant asked us what we wanted to drink, poured them all, and walked away. I don’t think she ever came back. The people on either side of us were being served by someone else and I could overhear them getting more information, but our girl was nowhere to be found.

Overall, it wasn’t a great experience…

BUT

I have to mention this while it’s relevant – I had a poor tasting experience my first time at Stratus, but when we went this year, it blew us away! So don’t discount a winery based on one experience.

Inn on the Twenty

We decided that despite nibbling on our charcuterie board, we were still in need of lunch before heading to our Bed and Breakfast. Inn on the Twenty is the restaurant side of Cave Spring, so we figured we would just pop over there before hitting the road.

It’s a beautiful space, but was fairly empty that day, which was nice for us.

I ordered the gnocchi (I almost always do, if it’s on the menu), and my fiance ordered the fish and chips. His meal looked great; large portion size and good flavour. Mine, however, was a bit of a let down.

There was a grand total of SIX gnocchi in my bowl. They were delicious, but that’s all there was! Six gnocchi and an assortment of cubed vegetables. Needless to say, I had to steal a few of my fiance’s french fries to feel like I got a full meal.

Brockamour Manor

At 2:00 we finally arrived at our Bed and Breakfast, Brockamour Manor. It was the historic residence of Sir Isaac Brock, which has since been updated and opened to accommodate guests. We actually stayed in Sir Isaac Brock’s bedroom! It was like stepping back in time every time we walked onto the property.

We also found a lovely surprise in our room – my parents had sent over a bottle of wine and a MASSIVE charcuterie board.

We decided that we needed to go for a little stroll before we dove in, and went for a walk to check out the main strip of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Well apparently everyone had the same idea we did. It was packed! We really had to bob and weave to make it down the street while attempting to social distance. We didn’t bother going into most of the shops, but we noted that they at least all required masks.

We decided it wasn’t worth the risk to stay out in a crowd like that, and headed back to the Manor to hide ourselves away for the rest of the evening.

It was a lovely quiet end to the day, just the two of us. We didn’t even go back out for dinner, as we completely filled up on charcuterie and cheese. Thanks Mom and Dad! And also thanks to my fiance’s parents who sent us a bottle of bubbly as well.

DAY TWO – Niagara-on-the-Lake

Breakfast the next day was served at 9:00AM. Normally, I assume that all of the guests would be seated together in the dining room, but to accommodate social distancing norms, we were all spread out throughout the building or out on one of their three porches.

My fiance and I chose to sit at a high top near the billiards table.

Our breakfast was delicious – a fresh berry scone, two small sausages, a German apple pancake (amazing!), and a few slices of pink grapefruit with a glass of orange juice. It served as great fuel to get us through our first few tastings.

Two Sisters Vineyards

Our first stop of the day was Two Sisters Vineyards.

My fiance was very entertained by the sign that noted it was rated the Best Small Winery in Canada… followed immediately by the view of the MASSIVE winery building. It really is a beautiful building and property. I wish we had left ourselves some extra time to explore and take pictures.

Our tasting was hosted out on the back patio, where several small tables were scattered apart and everyone was receiving personal service from your own tasting attendance, just like at a restaurant.

This was definitely the busiest tasting we went to, but they handled the social distancing rules so well. I was quite impressed.

Again, we were strategic about our tasting choices, so that we could taste each other’s glasses and make the most of it. Our glasses were brought out one by one, and our attendant took the time to give us a little blurb about each one before leaving us for a few minutes to taste.

I love this style of tasting – I want to hear about the backstory behind the winery, their wine making methods, and what each wine should be like, but I also like having some peace and quiet to do a proper evaluation and make my notes. This was the perfect blend of that.

And I have to tell you, I was blown away by their wines. There wasn’t a single wine that we tasted that I wouldn’t buy a bottle of. I had pre-planned a future case shipment before we even left the building!

I also noted that everything on their tasting menu had either won an award, or was rated 90+ points, or both! If you are looking for some really amazing quality wines, I would definitely recommend Two Sisters.

Altogether, we tasted the following:

• 2017 Blanc du Franc (a sparkling made from Cab Franc! You don’t see that every day)
• 2019 Sauvignon Blanc (which we bought a bottle of because we could NOT finish out this trip without enjoying it a second time)
• 2018 Chardonnay
• 2018 Riesling
• 2016 Eleventh Post (a Merlot-dominant blend at about 70% with the rest approximately even between Cab Franc and Cab Sauv)
• 2016 Merlot (which I will absolutely be ordering in my case to age for a bit – I’m not typically a Merlot fan but this one was fantastic and I’d love to see what it looks like in 5+ years)
• 2015 Cabernet Sauvingnon
• 2016 Cabernet Franc

Ravine

Ravine was highly recommended to us by my fiance’s cousin, who is a member of their wine club. They have an attached restaurant as well that we were really hoping to snag a reservation at, but unfortunately they were all booked that day. Maybe next time!

For our tasting, they set us up on a terrace out back, where barrels had been set up to use as tables. We were luckily able to move to one in the shade because it was very hot and windy that day, and I didn’t have any sunscreen! If you know me, shade is a must.

We thoroughly enjoyed their wines and picked up a couples bottles.

It wasn’t until we went inside to pay, however, that I realised I had been to Ravine before! The previous year I came with my mother, and seeing the inside sparked the memory. Ravine had actually been our favourite winery of last year’s trip, and I later found out that I still had four more bottles hanging out in my parent’s basement. What a pleasant surprise!

Here is our tasting list:

• 2018 Sand and Gravel Chardonnay
• 2019 Ravine Unoaked Chardonnay
• 2019 Gewertztraminer
• 2018 Small Batch Riesling
• 2019 Ravine Meritage
• 2019 Ravine Merlot
• 2019 Ravine Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2018 Ravine Cabernet Franc

Stratus Vineyards

As I mentioned briefly earlier, I didn’t have a great experience at Stratus last year when tasting with my mom. It had been a very busy day in the tasting room and our attendant poured a glass and walked away, while my mouth was already half open to ask a question, and it was like pulling teeth to get her to come back to pour us the next glass.

But, as I said before, it’s not really fair to judge a winery on one singular poor experience. I worked in a tasting room and I know all too well how a busy day can throw your best efforts down the drain.

And my goodness, I am so glad we decided to come back.

Booking in advance, as we did with all the wineries, made all the difference in how our tasting ran.

When we arrived, we had a few moments to browse the shelves in the tasting room before being ushered off into our own private room. It was large enough to accommodate three couples, but had been set up just for us.

We sat at the far end of the room, and the gentleman leading our tasting sat at the other with our glasses. I really wish I had written down his name because he was fantastic! Very knowledgeable and fun to chat with.

He explained to us the history of the winery, their philosophies, and about the winemaker. Then he gave us an overview description of every wine that was available for us to taste, so that we could make an educated selection.

Their “Stratus White” and “Stratus Red” sounded like a must-try, as it sounds like their winemaker considers the art of blending a labour of love. I admit, I am usually partial to single-varietal wines because I’m still building my palate’s skill at recognizing them. But hey, when in Rome!

And it was such a good decision to try them. The Stratus White in particular was such a cool wine! Definitely one for the wine nerds, as it had layer upon layer of complexity.

I was enjoying it so much that he also brought over a glass of the 2007 and WOW! Those layers became incredibly distinct and it was like a roller coaster on the palate, each one a fun new surprise. I was so excited about it that I forgot my plan to ship and bought both the current vintage and a bottle of the 2007, as well as a bottle of their Riesling for sipping on this trip.

Again, I would order a case from here in a heartbeat. And I noted a few other varietals on their shelves that I’d love to try as well. Here’s what we drank:

• Stratus White 2016 and 2007
• 2019 Riesling
• 2017 Sauvignon Blanc
• 2017 Weather Report Chardonnay
• 2016 Stratus Red
• 2017 Merlot
• 2017 Cabernet Franc
• 2017 Botritys Semillon (sweet!)

The Gate House

After a full day of tasting, we finished things off with a delicious meal at The Gate House.

We sat out on the patio and had a great time people-watching. A few more glasses with dinner included an absolutely amazing Sauvignon Blanc that I’m pretty sure was $24 a glass but worth it.

And I finally got some more gnocchi. There was an appetizer option that we decided to split and it was literally the same size as my whole meal last time…

Then for main courses I had the halibut and my fiance had the steak. Both were fantastic and I would definitely recommend this spot if you’re looking for a romantic evening.

We finished things off with a quick drink at the Prince of Wales and then called it a night.

DAY THREE – Beamsville

We started our morning with another delicious breakfast at Brockamour. This time it was eggs benedict, a lemon poppy seed scone, tomato and grapefruit, with orange juice.

Then after lugging all of our wine purchases out to the car and checking out, we hit the road for Beamsville.

We only had one winery planned for today. Originally I wanted to do this one on the same day as the Jordan wineries, but they were all booked. So we decided to hit it up on the way out instead, and I’m so glad we didn’t skip it.

Hidden Bench

Wine tasting in the middle of the day on a Monday is the best because NO ONE IS THERE. The winery was empty, just the way I like it.

Our tasting was set up with six pre-selected wines, with the beautiful glassware artfully arranged.

I actually loved the glassware so much that I had to ask about it later. It was Schott Zwiesel, and even better, they are dishwasher safe!

I also loved that the room was clearly designed with tasting in mind, as there was plain white paper underneath the glasses to help with colour assessment, and posters on the wall to help guide you when determining colour and aromas. I’ll be looking to add a few of those to my kitchen decor, I think!

The young man who led our tasting was also extremely well-educated on the wines as he led us through. He was able to explain them in great detail, right down to which block the grapes for each wine were sourced from and how those differences in terroir affect the final outcome.

And the wines were outstanding. Again, another winery we could easily buy a case from.

Although it was a six wine tasting, we actually lucked our way into two bonus wines!

The tasting was supposed to include the Felseck Pinot Noir, but he accidentally poured us the Rosomol Pinot Noir instead. So we got both!

And then he graciously added in a taste of their Gamay. I like the think it’s because he could tell how much we were loving everything.

Here is the full list:

• 2013 Natur (a beautiful sparkling – my mom isn’t a fan of bubbles but these are very subdued and I think even she would like this one)
• 2017 Estate Riesling
• 2017 Felseck Chardonnay
• 2017 Nuit Blanche (blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon)
• 2017 Felseck Pinot Noir
• bonus: Rosomol Pinot Noir (I liked this one better so I’m really glad we got to taste the two side by side)
• bonus: Rachis & Derma Gamay (a different label they operate under)
• 2017 Terroir Cache (nearly 50% Merlot, 30% Malbec, and just over 20% Cab Franc)

Feeder Flower Farm

Okay, this isn’t a winery or a restaurant, but it was out last stop on the way out of Niagara and it definitely deserves a shout out.

It’s a small flower farm with the most beautiful flowers, some as big as your head! The dahlia field is breath-taking.

They typically operate a small booth at the end of their driveway where you can pick up a fresh-picked bouquet, as well as have some business partnerships with other local small businesses. Find them on instagram for some stunning flower photos.

We stopped in to say hello because the owner Heather will be doing the flower arrangements for our wedding. And she’s my cousin!

But a note: if you plan on stopping by to pick up some flowers, which I highly recommend you do, please be courteous. Their farm is also their home, and it’s not okay for random strangers to start wandering around their private property.

Home

We finally made it back to my parent’s house, just in time to give my dad a few choice bottles of Pinot Noir for his birthday.

What an amazing trip. I am so glad we decided to make these memories instead of wallowing in self-pity over our wedding.

It was such a relaxing and lovely time that we might even come back for our mini-honeymoon!

There are just so many more wineries out there to try. If you have any favourites, suggestions, or places to avoid, let me know in the comments!