A short introduction to Niagara-on-the-Lake with detail on wineries and Icewine.
Niagara Falls, one of the wonders of the World. And just a few kilometers away, a wonderful world called Niagara-on-the-Lake. Voted the most beautiful city in Canada. Known for its wineries and old English atmosphere, Niagara-on-the-Lake, or NOTL as the locals know it, will make you think you are back in jolly Old England, or in Heaven.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a beautiful small town, with lovely churches, bed and breakfasts, Inns and shopping, most of which is located in a few block area. You can also stop in the Graves market, or at Kurtz's, where they have my personal favorite, the wine jellies, particularly, Ice Wine Jelly.
Icewine
In the cold climate of Southern Canada, what better place to find the local treasure, Icewine itself. Icewine wasn't invented here, but it has become very popular. The climate is excellent for growing grapes in the nice weather, and these people have perfected a method of allowing a few choice grapes to remain on the vine until the freezing cold of December takes over the region. Once the grapes have frozen, there picked and squeezed, and the resulting wine is very sweet.
In Canada, they use a rating system for measuring the sweetness of wine. To give you some idea, dry wine is zero, sweet wine is between two and four, and Icewine comes in around 20 to 24. There are many wineries in the Niagara of the Lake area, and all of them feature Icewine, as well as many other varieties.
Niagara Wineries
Wineries stretch all along the coast of Lake Ontario and the Niagara River, from NOTL past St. Catherines to Winona, Grimsby and Beamsville, or halfway to Hamilton, Ontario. The wineries are in easy proximity to the Queen Elizabeth Way or QEW, which runs from Fort Erie, across from Buffalo, to Toronto.
Due to the influence of the Great Lakes Erie and Ontario, the climate is temperate, and winters are less harsh than you would imagine. Flowers bloom into November. The area gets less snow than its American neighbor to the South, which gets the brunt of the lake breezes.
Nearby to Niagara Falls
It is just a short drive from the Falls, or, there are many bed and breakfasts as well as up-scale inns for a short or long stay. With a lovely walking trail, parks, a beach, and quaint boutiques, you will find many things to do before resuming your wine tour.
After you’ve had your fill of the hustle of Niagara Falls, step back in time and be refreshed at its easy going neighbor, Niagara-on-the-Lake.
