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Published: November 18th 2009
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This morning Robyn and I toured around the Dufferin Islands Nature Area and walked down to get a close up of the falls from directly above. Dufferin Islands was certainly worth a visit and we jumped from one little man-made island to the next, feeling far away from the Labor Day weekend crowds.
After returning home to our B&B we packed a lunch and made our way to another Niagara wine region nearby called Vineland (past St. Catherine’s). We had to sample some of Wayne Gretzky’s wine, after all. We pulled into the parking lot and enjoyed sampling some of Wayne’s wine, much of the proceeds go to charity I understand. It was not pretentious, but I could see it being that way with the wrong people at the tasting counter. The wine was quite good, but I think it tasted better because I was imagining hockey whilst sipping it.
And no fights broke out in the winery, which was decidedly a disappointment.
Next we drove down the road to Kacaba where our gay friend from Strewn had recommended we try tasting. What a great find it turned out to be. I violated the Canadian rules of only tasting
5 wines, and I’m glad. Decidedly the best winery we visited (for standard wines at least). They had nice full bodied reds - the cab franc was exquisite. The women doling out the samples were friendly, but the winery had some silly rules. For instance, if you buy a bottle to enjoy (which we didn’t) and you want to have it on their fine patio, you have to pay a corking fee of $16! To have a bottle of THEIR wine!
We ate our lunch in the car, quietly and to ourselves.
Next, Robyn was in the mood for more ice-wine so we made our way back up to Niagara on the Lake and went to Pillitteri (known for ice-wine). We had an excellent tour of the grounds and aging barrels, followed by a short tasting. They have nice wines here, but when we exited to the tasting room for a bit more of a taste we found a madhouse awaiting us. No one was helpful, and it felt like a busy bar in Manhattan where you have to shout to get a drink. This is not even fun to get one beer, but try wine-tasting this way.
As soon as you’ve gotten a tiny sip and want to try another you have to get the “bar tender’s” attention again? Most unpleasant. Happy with the tour, but exhausted trying to get 2 tastes, Robyn and I continued down the road to Hillebrand, which was just as crazy as Pillitteri. We decided to order a flight of ice wines so as to not “need” to get the bartender’s attention a second time. She eventually brought us our 3 ice-wines and left the counter to help someone else, forgetting, I suppose, to tell us what wine was even what. After calling to her for attention a few times we gave up, and resorted to eavesdropping on the next guests she was serving and squinting at bottles in order to ascertain what we were drinking. While the wine was tasty, the winery left a bad taste in our mouths. Fed up, we took our glasses outside to a bench to drink the ice wine. I’m sure we were not supposed to do this, but the workers were too busy to care.
To be fair, labor day weekend is one of the most crowded and insane of all weekends in this
area, but they were clearly not ready to deal with the volume of patrons.
We tried a couple more wineries because we didn’t want to end on a bad note, and while they weren’t very good, they did leave us with some fun experiences. We made it to the Ice House a bit before they were closing, as did a curious red-faced Russian couple who pulled up alongside us. The giant bear-of-a-man stepped out of his small car as did his plump wife and they followed us in. After an older lady gave us a rundown on how ice-wine was made (about the 10th time we had heard the story), and while Robyn and I were bored, we hid it well - unlike the Russians. The man’s eyes clearly crossed and he let out an audible sigh. Things were just getting interesting. The older lady led us to the tasting bar. There she poured each of us a taste of ice-wine. Robyn and I sipped ours daintily and chatted quietly. We casually looked over expecting a ginger taste from the Russian bear. But we were in for a treat. As we stood wide-eyed, the red-faced Russian saluted us with
his tiny shot of super-sweet ice-wine, tilted back his head and downed the wine like a shot of hard vodka. Down came the glass, landing hard on the wooden counter as if to say “hit me again”. The bear looked around, crossed his eyes as if nothing had happened and Robyn and I exchanged a glance, trying with difficulty not to laugh. The Russian wife looked embarrassed, but also looked as though she dare not say anything to her husband for fear of domestic abuse.
After that nothing could compare. We did try a winery called Riverview but it was probably the worst wine we had, they must sell to churches. We steered clear of the Jackson-Triggs and Inniskillin corporate places as best we could, preferring to enjoy the smaller, more intimate and rustic wineries. Here’s my list of wineries we visited, in order of preference.
Winery Tour of Niagara on the Lake
1 - Kacaba (fantastic classic wines)
2 - Konzelmann (a broad selection of both classic and ice wines)
3 - Strewn (loveable gay guy with insider tips)
4 - Pillitteri (great tour, good ice wine, can get crowded)
5 - Gretzky (any hockey fan should)
6 - Sunnybrook (berry wines and hard cider, unique)
7 - Reif (good wine, not extraordinary)
8 - Hillebrand (seems sorta corporate and unfriendly)
9 - Ice House (only have ice-wine, watch out for Russians)
10 - Riverview (don’t bother)
For dinner Robyn found the most delightful and positively mouthwatering placed - The Stone Road Grille. I will let her take over here…
“The Stone Road Grille is probably one of the best meals I've had in my life. After a long day of wine tasting, Matt and I drove back up from the Niagara Falls area to the quaint town of Niagara-On-The-Lake. The Stone Road Grille is truly a hidden treasure tucked away around the corner in an inauspicious strip mall, blocks from the main town thoroughfare. Matt and I had trouble finding it, and it wasn't until we stepped through the door that our doubts were put to rest. Although we arrived a good 45 minutes early (we were beyond starving), the welcoming host/owner of the restaurant greeted us, and was able to seat us in 10 minutes. Surprisingly, despite its out of the way location, the restaurant was completely packed with several other couples waiting for tables.
The atmosphere was dark and romantic, but unpretentious. The menu featured fresh, inventive dishes and the presentation of the dish was spectacular. The wine list was composed of local wines (and why not, considering the surroundings), and the attentive waitor was able to recommend a wine that suited both our tastes. We started with the charcuterie plate that featured house-made meats and pates. The whipped duck mousse was the lightest, and richest I've ever had and I've yet to find better. Their selection of homemade breads complimented each flavor perfectly.
I tried the rack of lamb which was perfectly prepared and Matt ordered the grilled flat iron steak which he enjoyed as well. Although our dessert was the recommendation of our waiter as well as the most inventive one on the menu, we felt that it unfortunately fell short in comparison to the rest of the meal, and was much too sweet. We split their sundae dessert which was a very good homemade salted caramel ice cream sandwiched between two overly-sweet biscuits of some sort which nevertheless we polished off.
Overall, a wonderful meal.
The prices are extremely reasonable for the service, atmosphere and excellent quality of food. Their constantly changing menu based on season and local ingredients ensures that diners will have a different culinary experience with each visit. I only wish there were more restaurants like this in New York City, and can't wait to go back to Niagara, if only to partake in this gastronomic adventure once again!
http://www.stoneroadgrille.com
-Robyn"
So that’s a wrap. We had a great time exploring Niagara Falls and Niagara on the lake. What a nice relaxation.
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