What’s the best way to tour a wine region that’s home to over 100 wineries? Take it one sip at a time! Follow these five tips to make the most of your touring time in Niagara wine country!
Sip One Side At A Time
Niagara is home to three unique grape-growing appellations and five sub-appellations, but wineries here are often referred to as being located either in the Niagara Benchlands or Niagara-on-the-Lake. Grouping your winery visits by these categories will help reduce your travel time. Visit the websites of Niagara Benchlands Wineries and Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake to help plan out your stops.
Pick A Passport
Niagara’s many passport touring programs make it a breeze to curate a day of wine-and-food pairings at multiple wineries. Niagara Grape & Wine Festival offers Icewine touring passports in January, sparkling wine touring passports in April, and harvest-themed touring passports in September. Niagara Benchlands Wineries and Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake also offer seasonal touring passports.
Get Insider Intel
Taking advantage of the diverse range of guided tours and tastings offered at Niagara wineries is a wonderful way to tap into next-level knowledge about what makes the varietals produced here so unique. Fan favourites include #TheTriusTour, Pillitteri Estates Winery’s The Grand Estate Tour and Flat Rock Cellars’ Backstage Tour.
Go With A Guide
Group experiences with local wine touring companies are another fun option for wine country explorers eager to visit multiple stops in an afternoon via vehicle or bicycle. Check out the tours offered by Crush On Niagara Wine Tours, Grape Escape Wine Tours, and ebike The Bench Wine Tours.
FAQs
Q: What’s the best way to experience Niagara’s wineries?
A: Passport touring programs, tours and tasting experiences offered by individual wineries, and guided group experiences are all excellent ways to sample the signature styles of Niagara wine country.
Q: Which area of Niagara has the best wineries?
A: You’ll find dozens of award-winning wineries in and around Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Niagara Benchlands.
Q: Do Niagara’s wineries offer on-site dining?
A: Many of Niagara’s wineries have excellent on-site restaurants ranging from MICHELIN-starred dining to casual wood-fired pizza.