Cheers! Niagara Wine Tour

Blog Post by: Lataysha Jackson, WPIC Intern
Photos by: Kim Choy

On November 21, Danielle, Kim, and I had the opportunity to go on road trip to Niagara Falls for the day. We were invited to attend a luncheon at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The luncheon was superb!   We were welcomed with such great presence, and the customer service was amazing.  We enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, mocktails, a sit down lunch, dessert, and a tour of the Fallviews Casino. It was a wonderful afternoon; with lots of great goodies, and it was a learning experience. BUT that’s not all we did, we couldn’t leave Niagara Falls without doing a wine tasting. Danielle, Kim, and I had the pleasure of going to two different wineries for wine tasting.

First Stop: Hillebrand Grius

Our first stop was quite the adventure, I mean I think we had more fun taking pictures then we did tasting the wine. This winery was very good, the exterior and interior of the building was gorgeous, the workers were very friendly, and the wine was EXCELLLENT.

We got to taste test 3 different Ice Wines for the price of $10.00. The 3 ice wines we got to taste were:

 

•  Trius Vidal 2010 ( new vintage)- $54.00

This wine was the winner of the day. It was perfectly sweet, it was a fruity light ice wine, and its flavours were a mix of pineapple and mango. It was very smooth and as you swallowed, you tasted a bit of its hidden bitterness.

•  Showcase Riesling 2007 ( estate only)- $75.00

This was personally my favourite. It was white Ice wine, but had more of a hard taste and wasn’t as sweet as the Trius Vidal. It was bitter, but the bitterness was not over powering, which allowed us to enjoy the wine; the bitterness didn’t take away from the wine great taste. Danielle and Kim thought this wine was ok Kim said “it’s alright, not too bad but I prefer sweet wine” Danielle agreed with her.

•  Showcase Cabernet Franc 2008 ( estate only)- $85.00

Danielle, Kim, and I are not huge fans of red wine. When we first saw that we were going to be trying red wine, we all had a blank face of disgust. We all know red wine has its title of being sour or bitter. However this wine had us at a surprise, we still weren’t too fond of it, but it was pretty sweet for red wine. It had a bitter taste, but as u swallowed it got a bit sweeter, which didn’t make it too bad. For those who love wine that has a mix of bitterness and sweetness I highly recommend this wine.

After we had the pleasure of tasting all 3 ice wines, the clerk had told us we get $7.00 off any purchase of wine for the day because we participated in the wine tasting. As soon as the lady informed us, we went looking for wine to take back home. Both Danielle and Kim took home a bottle of wine each for the cost of $8.00, can’t get no better than that, was such an awesome deal. On top of that because Danielle and Kim purchased wine, they got a free voucher to taste test wine at another winery in town. When we left the store we had ourselves a little photography session. The models were Danielle, Kim, and I, and a special thanks to our photographer Kim.

 

Next Stop: Peller Estates- Niagara-On-The-Lake

While enjoying a stroll along Niagara-On-The-Lake, we came across Peller Estates Winery, Perfect! Without hesitation we all went in. Because Danielle and Kim had free vouchers they got to taste 3 different Ice wines for no cost. Unfortunately I sat this one out because my stomach wasn’t feeling the best.

Danielle and Kim tried:

• Vidal 2010( VQA Niagara Peninsula VQA )
• Oak Aged 2010(VQA Niagara Peninsula/Vidal Blanc VQA)
• Riesling 2007 ( VQA Niagara Peninsula VQA)

Danielle and Kim said each wine had its own uniqueness and difference in taste. Each wine is a worthy wine, worth serving at gatherings, however both ladies said they prefer Hellebrand Trius wine better.

We got to taste wine, buy wine, and enjoy a wonderful day in the Niagara Region. If you are ever in the Niagara area, or shopping along Niagara-On-The-Lake, please visit these two wineries, or any wineries. You’re never too young to try some wine.