From meticulously manicured gardens to the friendly warmth locals extend to visitors, examples of the intense Canadian pride felt by those living in Niagara abound. During harvest season, there’s even more evidence of the strong connection that those in Niagara feel toward their country as proud growers, chefs, winemakers, and craft beverage makers take what’s grown here and work tirelessly to transform it into something even tastier. Here are just a handful of ways to experience that Canadian harvest season pride and support local makers on your next visit to Niagara.
Each summer, Wine Align’s National Wine Awards of Canada judges taste their way through close to 2000 different wines from 250 Canadian wineries. In addition to identifying the winners for individual wine varietals, the awards recognize Canada’s leading wineries with award categories that include Winery of the Year, Best Performing Small Winery, Top 25 Wineries in Canada, Top 10 Ontario Wineries, Top 10 BC Wineries, and Top 10 Small Wineries. This year’s Top 10 Ontario wineries are ALL proud to call Niagara home, making it really easy to create a tasting trip with a stop at each winner. The top-ten winners located with the Niagara Benchlands were:
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s top-ten winery winners were:
Seasonal touring events are a wonderful way to discover Canadian wine regions, wineries, winemakers, and wine country chefs that may not yet be on your radar. On weekends in November, for example, the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake host Taste the Season, a touring program that invites passport holders to visit participating wineries to enjoy eight carefully curated holiday-inspired food and wine pairings. Those tight on touring time have the option of purchasing individual pairings at the number of wineries that best suits their schedule. Niagara Benchlands Wineries also host a November touring event. Get Wrapped Up, running on November 8, 9, 15, and 16, offers visitors the chance to select their preferred weekend for festive food and wine pairings at eight wineries, all for just $49.95.
While joining a subscription-based wine club provides the convenient perk of regular shipments of wines delivered right to your door, wine club members are on the receiving end of some other fabulous advantages when they can make a visit to the winery as well. Many wineries, including Vineland Estates, Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery, Creekside Estate Winery, and Jackson-Triggs, treat wine club members to complimentary wine pairings at on-site restaurants, complimentary tastings at the tasting bar, and exclusive access to amazing club member events.
While Niagara’s wineries have long been on the radar of the world’s wine critics, more recently, the region’s restaurants have also really started feeling the love! Read our Fanning The Flames and A Star In Born articles for all the details about Niagara culinary standouts, like Restaurant Pearl Morissette, Fat Rabbit, and Trius Winery Restaurant, that all received noteworthy nods of approval from MICHELIN Guide Inspectors in 2024 and again in 2025, when Restaurant Pearl Morissette was also recognized with a second MICHELIN Star!
In addition to enjoying a delicious meal, reserving a table at a restaurant that has earned Feast ON certification offers the tasty assurance of flavours sourced from local growers and makers. In fact, the average menu at a Feast ON-certified restaurant consists of 54% Ontario-grown food. Excellent options for enjoying a meal at a Niagara restaurant with Feast ON certification include:
In the Niagara Benchlands:
In St. Catharines:
In Niagara-on-the-Lake:
In Niagara Falls:
Niagara’s South Coast:
Arriving in Niagara a little earlier in the day offers diners an entirely different range of culinary experiences to try at restaurants with stand-out breakfast, brunch, and lunch menus. Can’t-miss mid-day options to add to your next Niagara trip include Vineland’s Revalee Brunch Café, St. Catharines’ King Street Pantry, and Sunday brunch in Niagara-on-the-Lake at Tiara Restaurant or in Ridgeway at 335 On The Ridge.
Each of Niagara’s many different communities offers diners something deliciously different. Switch up your restaurant routine by trying a new-to-you dining destination and let the passionate chefs there wow you. Excellent options include:
Since not all Niagara wineries are large enough to offer on-site restaurants, pairing up a tasting at a smaller winery with a lunch or dinner at a winery with its own restaurant is a fantastic way to experience the best of both worlds. Here are a few creative combinations:
In the Niagara Benchlands, pair a tasting at Watchful Eye Winery, Kacaba Vineyards and Winery, or Wending Home Estate Vineyards and Winery with a meal at Redstone Winery, Megalomaniac, The Good Earth Food & Wine Company, or Honsberger Estate Winery.
In Niagara-on-the-Lake wine country, blend a tasting at a smaller property, like Ferox, Lailey Winery, or Marynissen Estates, with a meal at The Farmhouse Café at Caroline Cellars, Barrelhead at Pillitteri Estates Winery, or Queenston Mile Vineyard.
Niagara’s not only home to over 100 world-class wineries. There’s a buzz-worthy craft beer, cider and distilled spirit scene that’s well worth getting to know a little better, too. Spending some time exploring the Niagara Ale Trail is an excellent way to discover the distinctive craft breweries and cideries that call Niagara home. Adding a stop at Niagara Benchlands distillers like Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers, and Tawse Winery & Distillery, Niagara-on-the-Lake spirit makers, like Limited Distilling and Spirit In Niagara, or Niagara Falls’ Niagara Distillery, is another fun way to taste the creative ways local makers are putting a unique Niagara spin on locally made liquors. Bar Barista in the Fallsview Casino offers up contemporary cocktails and expertly curated beverages.
Create your ideal culinary getaway in Niagara, enjoying the region’s vineyards, wine tours, craft breweries, distilleries, cideries, wine- and food-focused festivals, and its diverse collection of restaurants and cafés. Be sure to check out @visit_niagara on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for additional trip inspiration and to learn about upcoming events. Then, scroll through local accommodations options to find a delightful place to spend the night in Niagara.
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