Touring Vineyards along the Niagara Peninsula

Take a Day Trip Wine Tasting in Beamsville and Vineland, Ontario

Apr 22, 2009

Taking a day trip to tour the wineries along the Niagara Peninsula is a leisurely drive though the bucolic farms and sprawling vineyards of Beamsville and Vineland.

Wine tasting and touring vineyards is a popular pastime in Southern Ontario, especially during the warmer months of summer and fall. The wineries in Beamsville and Vineland may not be as popular or as plentiful as they are in the other wine regions here, but they are equally delicious.

The gentle slope of the Beamsville Bench creates ideal drainage for the soil and constant air flow from the wind off of Lake Ontario. This area has a substantial growing season with perfect temperatures for vines and grapes.

The Bench and Niagara Escarpment

Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery sits on a sprawling 80 acres of land and their location on the Niagara Escarpment is a UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve. The red wines have a velvet, earthy berry quality to them and the whites are crisp and clean.

The winery’s gift shop, tasting room and cellar is in a beautifully restored “post and beam” barn, originally built in 1885. Peninsula Ridge offers one public tour a day at 11:30 am ($5.00 per person) and groups of 10 or more can call ahead to arrange a private tour.

Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery – 5600 King St. West, Beamsville, ON, 905-536-0900

De Sousa Wine Cellars combines new world wine making with a traditional Portuguese flair. Their wines often have a muddy, leathery nose and are good for casual family dinners. They are open seven days a week during the summer and fall but only on the weekends from November to April.

The traditional Portuguese clay cup is available here. Try a fun little test and taste the wine in both a glass and clay goblet. The clay really does change the taste of the wine considerably.

Stoney Ridge Estates is an adorable garden winery. The pretty, flower laden trellises and stone angels make a delightful back drop for a picnic lunch but that should not override the fact that Stoney Ridge produces some fabulous wines.

They run scheduled public tours on the weekend at 11:00 am and again at 2:30 pm ($5.00 per person) or private tours by appointment. There is also a small delicatessen and gift shop here that sells cheese, jams and trinkets.

Be sure to try: 2003 Founders Signature Collection Meritage and 2006 Pinot Grigio

Getting There and Maps of Wineries

From downtown Toronto take the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Highway) west. Drive through the city of Hamilton until Grimsby, take exit 68 and follow the marked wine route along King Street. Use this wine route map or call Wines of Ontario for a free guide, 1-800-263-2988.

Visiting the wineries of Beamsville and Vineland can be an intoxicating afternoon on the Niagara Peninsula. Be sure to bring along a designated driver, a road map and a full tank of gas.

The copyright of the article Touring Vineyards along the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario Travel is owned by Allison Anthony. Permission to republish Touring Vineyards along the Niagara Peninsula in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.