This past weekend, Carly and I took a road trip to a place that most locals take for granted - Niagara Falls. Now, I know that most people in the GTA have found their way to one of the seven wonders of the natural world at one point in their lives, but the novelty of having the falls so close may rub off on some. Unfortunately, I am one of those people. I had been a few times in my life, for camp and family trips or whatnot, but I hadn't truly experienced the falls the way they should be.Â
Now, I had been to the falls recently in February of this past year, but I got there at night, and it was snowing - I simply don't count that. This time, Carly and I were heading up for the day, staying the night, and then coming back home the following day - leaving us plenty of time to check out the falls themselves, and the surrounding areas. We headed up quite early on the Friday, as Carly had a surprise planned for the day that we had to be at our hotel by 11am. Luckily, there was no traffic, and when we arrived, our room was ready. So we were able to check in, drop off our luggage and then make our way back down to the lobby to wait for transportation to this "surprise"!
My surprise turned out to be a tour of the Niagara-region local vineyards, which was an incredible gift! I was thrilled to do this, as I really had only done some wine tasting in the past, and this was a good way to expose myself to a few of our local wines as opposed to imports. We met our guide Andrea in the lobby where she informed us that we were two of six people on our tour, which was excellent as it wouldn't be too crowded for us. As we drove in the Suburban toward Niagara-On-the-Lake, Andrea gave us a ton of information about the surrounding areas, and more importantly, about the wine industry of Ontario. Before long, we had picked up our last 2 tourees, and were on our way to the first vineyard of the day - the PondView Estates Winery.Â
Like many winery's before, the PondView Estate Winery's story began in Sicily, Italy, where the family's ancestors grew vines and produced their own wines, and when family patriarch Giuseppe Puglisi made the jump to Canada back in 1965, he continued his tradition of wine-making here with Canadian soils. His son, Luciano, is now the man in charge - carrying with his generations of wine-making traditions and cultivating wines that are now enjoyed by many. His dedication and commitment to excellence garnered him the prestigious "Grape King" award back in 2008, with his vineyard being regarded as the Best in Ontario.Â
We tried several wines at PondView, pairing each wine with a specific food accompaniment, whether it was cheese, orange slices, or even a slice of prosciutto with bread. The addition of food, for those not familiar with wine-tasting, brings out entirely different flavours when tasting the wine, and truly enhances the natural tang of the wine.Â
From there, we moved on to the Pillitteri Estates Winery, famous for many wines, including the 2008 Sparkling Cabernet Icewine, which garnered them a Gold in the Effervescents du Monde Championships in 2009. Like many other Niagara-region wine-makers, Gary Pillitteri originated from Sicily, Italy. In 1948, he emigrated to Canada, and since then, has been working towards a lifelong dream of wine-making. In 1993, his efforts came to a head, as the Pillitteri Estates Winery was opened. Five years earlier, Gary had won a Gold Medal for his Icewine in an amateur Niagara wine competition, and from there, he realized his dream could become a reality.Â
Like at the previous vineyard, we were able to try several wines here at the Pillitteri Estates Winery, including a rare Shiraz Icewine, which hosts an intriguing set of flavours including candied cherry, black forest cake and even an underlying hint of spice. All in all, we enjoyed Pillitteri immensely, as well as learning about the Pillitteri's near obsession with the number "23", which has been coming up in Gary's life constantly.Â
The next stop on our wine tour was the Konzelmann Estate Winery, where Herbert Konzelmann continues his family's tradition of wine-making, dating back to 1893 in Wuerttemberg, Germany. Like the previous two, Konzelmann's winery was very well received by many in the Niagara region, and his wines continue to impress to this day. With a special Peach Wine as a feature, Konzelmann Estates provided several new wines to taste as well, most notably a Vidal Icewine, which the presenter paired with a drop of hot sauce right into the glass. This combination of sweet and spice gave the Icewine an extra little bite, which I wasn't expecting but truly enjoyed!
On our way back, Andrea asked the group if we'd like to stop in at a new winery on the way back, to which we all replied in the positive. Hinterbrook Estates was our last stop. Philip Nickel opened up Hinterbrook early this year in 2011, and his staff pride themselves on being very environmentally friendly, and eco-conscious. Using renewable energy resources, as well as "green" wine-making processes, Hinterbrook is a true advocate of the ever-growing "Green Movement" that the globe is experiencing.
After our tour had ended, both Carly and I were pretty bagged - not to mention a bit buzzed from lots of wine, and little to no food. We made our way back to the hotel and grabbed a quick snack and a nap before our dinner later that evening. Located on the 9th floor of the Embassy Suites hotel, the Fallsview Keg Steakhouse & Bar is something I'd heard about for years as an employee of the Oakville Keg. With the reputation of being the largest Keg in the chain, as well as having a phenomenal view of the falls, the Keg was a great choice for dinner, as you can always count on the Keg for quality. The bonus was that at 9pm on the 11th, there was a fireworks spectacle right over top of the falls. Luckily, yours truly knew all about it, and planned dinner accordingly. ;)
The following day, we got up with the intention of walking around the falls and seeing the sights, but unfortunately, weather was not necessarily permitting. To quote the great Winnie the Pooh, it was a "rather blustery day" at Niagara Falls on the 12th of November - not necessary the most pleasant falls viewing setting. So after checking out the Falls themselves, and walking around the surrounding area, we decided to call it a day, and make our way back home.Â
All in all, however, it was an excellent way to spend a Friday and Saturday! Even with poor weather conditions, Niagara Falls is a fascinating and amazing natural wonder - one to which I will certainly return one day. Although the city reminds me of a miniature and lower budget Las Vegas, it still has many endearing qualities. I look forward to my next visit!
