Tag Archives: Niagara-on-the-Lake

In November, with winter in the air, my husband Steve and I ventured to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a little wine and food pairing. We had bought the Taste the Season touring pass for around $45 and were determined to visit as many wineries as possible. The pass was good for weekends throughout the month and this was the last weekend. It was like a circuit cocktail party. Steve kept his wine tasting to a minimum, since he was driving, and I did a little more imbibing so I’d know which bottles to buy. Suffice to say we came home well stocked!

1) Chateau des Charmes: The Earth & Sky Pinot Noir was matched with beet cured rainbow trout served with three onion crème fraiche. Delicious! The wine was light and a great enhancement for the amazing ruby-coloured trout.
2) Colaneri: The winery exterior had a Napa-meets-Disney feel about it, sort of aged but newly built. The wine was an easy-going 2011 Isieme Red Blend but the pairing was exquisite – a braciole, or strip of flank steak topped with prosciuitto, covered in tomato sauce and rolled into a pinwheel. Very authentic.
3) Cattail Creek Estate Winery: 2009 Estate Merlot was paired with a sirloin chili. Very stick- to-the-ribs. Perfect after skiing.
4) Konzelman Estate Winery: One of my favourites! A 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon served with a pulled beef and Quebec Brie slider. Rich and luscious and perfect for the chilly weather.
5) Marynissen Estates: A 2011 Primary red matched with a shaved beef slider with horseradish aioli and baby arugula. Not my favorite. Slider was light on the meat and Marynissen makes much finer reds.

6) Strewn Winery: Love this place, in an old jam plant. We sipped 2007 Strewn Three, a white blend, and munched three appetizers – mushroom with Muskoka cranberry sauce, creamy French onion and goat cheese spread on a cracker, and house spiced beef with Horseradish jelly. Yum!
7) Riverview Cellars Estate Winery: A fragrant 2012 Gewurztraminer matched with an herbed goat cheese and roasted vegetable tart. I would have preferred it if the tart had been warmed, but otherwise very tasty.

8) Reif Estate Winery: My favorite of all! We had the 2012 Cabernet Franc with a dark chocolate brownie infused with blackberries and covered in cassis ganache. A sweet way to end our tour!
I plan to go again next year, and hopefully get in two weekends instead of one. In the meantime, there’s the Icewine Festival, January 1-31, 2014 and the Days of Wine and Chocolate, on weekends in February 2014. A nice way to keep warm in winter!