Niagara On The Lake Wineries Guide

Niagara-on-the-Lake is quite possibly one of the cutest towns I have ever visited. Even better, it’s on the doorstep to one of Canada’s premier wine regions. The Niagara wineries are super compact, and we managed to cover over 20 Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries in just 2 days. (Yes, 20+ wineries. Yes, 2 days. In my defence, it was the Sip & Sizzle weekend.)

Wine Tasting Niagara – Top Tips

Where to Stay – Niagara-on-the-Lake vs Niagara Falls Town

Niagara-on-the-Lake or ‘NOTL’ is a quaint town just 30 minutes from Niagara Falls and around 1.5 hours drive from Toronto. While both NOTL and Niagara Falls are tourist towns, they’re touristy in completely different ways.

We chose to base our few days in Niagara on the Lake rather than Niagara Falls, as we prefer smaller towns with a boutique feel over the bright and shiny resort towns, and we were glad for it. Oh, and because of easy access to the wineries of course!

NOTL is packed with gorgeous B&Bs in grand and historic buildings. We loved our few days at Butler Creek House B&B. We were treated to lovely digs, multi-course breakfasts, extraordinarily friendly and helpful hosts and a central location a pleasant 15 minute walk from the main Queen Street drag.

Read More: NOTL may be the cutest town in Canada, but Vancouver is definitely a contender for the most beautiful city in Canada. Check out my 3 day Vancouver itinerary for an action packed long weekend!

Niagara Falls Wineries History

It might surprise tourists to learn that Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of Canada’s best wine regions, with fertile soils and favourable wine growing conditions. The NOTL wineries range from large estates to boutique wineries, with everything in between.

The Niagara wine region is fairly modern as far as wine regions go. The first new winery licence since the 1920s Prohibition era was issued in the mid-1970s and, since then, the Niagara wine industry has flourished. In fact, almost 100 wineries have cropped up around the Niagara Peninsula. This post focuses on the wineries around NOTL town, although there’s plenty more further afield in the region if you have time to explore.

Wine Tasting NOTL – Niagara Wineries Opening Hours

Most Niagara on the Lake wineries open from 10am to 5pm (winter) or 6pm (summer).

NOTL Wineries Cost 

It’s free to pop in and visit the wineries. Some wineries offer free tastings, while others charge a small $5-10 fee, often refunded if you purchase a bottle of wine.

Butler Creek House B&B provided us with an information pack which included several free wine tasting vouchers (cha-hoo!). Combined with our Sip & Sizzle tickets, we barely spent an extra dime on wine tasting.

Niagara on the Lake Winery Events

There’s always something happening at the Niagara wineries, from large scale wine festivals to concerts and smaller events at vineyards. The key multi-vineyard events on the Niagara wine calendar are centred around the shoulder season, with many other concerts and events occurring all through the peak summer season (June – August):

January – Niagara Icewine Festival: While the weather’s cool (okay, freezing), visit Niagara-on-the-Lake when it turns into a winter wonderland and celebrates the region’s famous icewine.

February – Days of Wine & Chocolate: Yup, every weekend in February one pass ($55 + tax and fees in 2019) will give you access to a wine tasting and chocolate infused food pairing at over 20 wineries. Even better, a single pass is valid for the whole month so you can try a few wineries each weekend, perfect if you’re based in Ontario.

May – Sip & Sizzle: The Sip & Sizzle event happens every weekend in May. Similar to the Days of Wine & Chocolate, one pass ($55 + tax and fees in 2019) includes a wine tasting and grilled food pairing at over 20 wineries. Sip & Sizzle is a fun and budget friendly way to sample many of the best Niagara wineries.

November – Taste the Season: NOTL’s Taste the Season is run in the same style as Days of Wine & Chocolate and Sip & Sizzle. Every weekend in November, one pass will treat you to a wine tasting and holiday season inspired food pairing at over 20 wineries. Once again, the ticket is a bargain $55 (plus tax and fees).

Famous NOTL Wines – Niagara Ice Wine

Niagara-on-the-Lake is world famous for its ice wine. I was a little bamboozled by the term ‘ice wine’, but it is literally made from grapes that are picked when the temperatures change from frost to freezing in the middle of the night (-8 degrees to be precise).

The Niagara wine region is the world’s top producer of ice wine, and produces red, white and sparkling ice wines. Be warned: ice wine is a dessert wine and is very sweet. Worth a try, but might not be everyone’s jam.

Niagara on the Lake Wineries Map

The Niagara wineries are super easy to navigate, and are all a short distance from NOTL town. Pick up a Niagara on the Lake Wineries map like the one above from your accommodation, the information centre, or a winery and map out your Niagara winery route.

The wineries below are listed by area, starting with the wineries that line Niagara Stone Road, the main arterial route from the town on the Niagara wineries map above.

Niagara Wineries – Main Drag

1. Jackson-Triggs Winery

Jackson-Triggs Winery is just a hop and a step from Niagara-on-the-Lake town. Not only that, but Jackson-Triggs is Canada’s most awarded winery and has its very own open air amphitheatre with a summer concert series from June to September.

Jackson-Triggs is a bigger warehouse style winery, with a lovely terrace looking out over the vines back to Stratus. The terrace is the perfect spot to sip the wide range of reds and whites on offer at Jackson Triggs. Pretty sure that red bike is also insta-famous!

2. Stratus Vineyards

Stratus Vineyards is a chic modern winery, housed in a trendy warehouse style building with soaring ceilings and minimalist decor. As well as looking good, Stratus Vineyards is a sustainable winery, and became the first fully LEED certified winery in the world (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

While Stratus wines are at a slightly higher price point, you can enjoy a tasting flight of 4 wines for only $15.

3. Joseph’s Estate Wines

Joseph’s Estate Wines is a family owned and operated winery founded by one of the first winery owners in the Niagara region. The winery has a super cute tasting room housed in a mixed brick and wooden building.

4. Pillitteri Estates Winery

Pillitteri Estates Winery is a fan favourite and was recommended to us by, well, pretty much everyone we encountered in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Pilliterri Vineyards is another family run winery, with three generations contributing to the winery’s operations. To top it off, Pillitteri offers daily tours and free wine tasting. I’ll toast to that!

5. Pondview Estate Winery

Pondview Estate Winery is a picturesque winery sitting on a 50 acre grape farm. I’m partial to a fruity dry white wine, and Pondview offered a good selection of whites, from a nice dry sparkling wine to a solid riesling and a surprisingly good voiognier.

6. Trius Winery

Trius Winery is a bit like a sprawling country estate, with different areas and experiences to suit everyone. Take your pick from wine tasting, to a meal in the renowned restaurant, to a summer calendar jam packed with events!

7. Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery

Can’t decide what your tipple of choice is? Visit Wayne Gretzky Estates which is not only a winery, but is also a whisky distillery and beer brewery. In fact, it’s the only winery, distillery and brewery in the Niagara wine region.

Wayne Gretzky Estates offers a range of experiences including wine, whisky and beer tours and tastings. There’s a lively and atmospheric bar out the back, and I for one would have been perfectly content to park up for a few hours in the sun for some wine tasting and whisky cocktails. (Alas, we were on a Sip & Sizzle mission and visited like eleventy wineries in one day, so did not have time to dilly dally.)

I was quite possibly the only person not to know that Wayne Gretzky was some uber famous Canadian ice hockey player, so great that he is in fact nicknamed ‘The Great One’, aka the greatest hockey player of all time. Wayne Gretzky Estates even has its own ice rink in winter!

8. The Hare Wine Co

The Hare Wine Co was a personal favourite of mine for its unique industrial style. (And cos I love bunnies, couldn’t resist the name! Although named after a person, not an actual rabbit.)

The winery is built from recycled brick from an old factory in Detroit, with wide open features and a large courtyard. Though a little chilly in early May, I imagine the patio would be a stunning spot come summer!

9. Southbrook Organic Vineyards

Southbrook Organic Vineyards is Canada’s very first organic and biodynamic winery, with a veritable smorgasbord of green certifications. Sample Southbrook’s renowned Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnays in the winery’s modern and airy tasting room.

Niagara on the Lake Wineries – Niagara River Region

The wine region around the Niagara river is the perfect area for a bike tour, as you can ride along the path next to the river and duck into the wineries that line the river. Ride safely!

10. Peller Estates Winery

This one’s another family run vineyard, with four generations of wine making under its belt. Peller Estates has been producing wines for over 50 years, and was awarded the Ontario Winery of the Year in 2018.

Peller Estates is a grand old dame with opulent interiors, wide balconies and picturesque surroundings. The winery has a fancy farm-to-table style dining room indoors and a relaxed grill outside which would be lovely on a summers day.

11. Lailey Winery

Lailey Winery has grown grapes since the 1970s, but has only been producing wine since 2000. The tasting room is housed in a big wooden building, with casual laidback vibes.

12. Reif Estate Winery

Reif Estate Winery has some of the oldest grape vines in Canada, which produce rich full-bodied wines. I loved the beautiful main winery building, with its coat of arms, lovely tasting room and barrel room, and pretty gardens with water features.

13. Inniskillin

Inniskillin has been producing wines for over 35 years, and was awarded the first post-prohibition winery license in 1975. The estate produces a full range of red wines, white wines and ice wines. In fact, Inniskillin is one of the pioneers of the ice wine industry (sparkling ice wine anyone?).

Something about the large estate and tasting rooms (The name? The decor? The vibe?) feels distinctly Scottish, even though Inniskillin’s roots are very much Canadian / European.

14. Riverview Cellars Estate Winery

Riverview Cellars Estate Winery has a beautiful setting just across the road from, you guessed it, the Niagara River. Perch on the wrap around verandah and enjoy a vino with a view. As a non-red wine drinker, I really enjoyed the Gamay, a light-bodied red wine similar in style to Pinot Noir.

15. Marynissen Estates Winery

Marynissen Estates Winery was right up my street, as it has a more rustic country feel than most modern Niagara wineries. As well as typical Niagara reds, whites and ice wines, Marynissen has a lovely light peach Rose in the French Provence style. Perfect for a warm summers day!

We visited Marynissen for the awesome Sip & Sizzle event in May, and would love to have returned in June when the winery was hosting a Wine & Swine event (mmmm, pulled pork goodness) with live music.

Best Niagara Wineries – Lake Ontario Area

16. Strewn Winery

Strewn Winery offers a range of tastings from casual stand up tastings in the tasting room, to by appointment 40 minute seated tastings in the Heritage Room, to private cellar tastings (oh la la!). However, we visited Strewn towards the end of a rather long day of wine hopping, so I mostly just admired the gorgeous barrel room!

17. Hinterbrook Winery

Hinterbrook Winery boasts a beautiful vineyard coupled with a nice minimalist style tasting room. I particularly loved the hand drawn style labels on the Hinterbrook NOMAD wine range. The artistic amongst you can let your imagination run wild and design your own NOMAD wine label. (I have nary an artistic bone in my body, so will leave that to the professionals.)

I have a penchant for Provence style Roses, and was pleasantly surprised to find many good Roses in Niagara-on-the-Lake, including Hinterbrook’s light rose with a touch of sweetness.

18. Konzelmann Estate Winery

In case the name didn’t give it away, Konzelmann Estate Winery was originally a German winery. Konzelmann was founded in the late 1800s in a small town outside of Stuttgart, Germany, and was transplanted to Niagara-on-the-Lake in the late 1900s.

’Estate’ is definitely the word to describe Konzelmann. The winery is housed in a rather resplendent brick building complete with turrets. Inside, you’ll find a lovely tasting room and (in my very non-expert opinion) some pretty solid white wines.

19. Palatine Hills Estate Winery

Palatine Estates was quite possibly my favourite winery. Not so much for the wine (which I’m sure was good but, to be honest, all wine tastes good when it’s winery #10 of the day) but for the industrial style tasting room which is housed in a restored barn. Totes funky funk.

20. Small Talk Vineyards

Small Talk Vineyards was another fan favourite for its chillaxed style. The tasting room is barn style with eclectic and colourful furniture, where wine tasting feels kinda like imbibing in a good friend’s cosy lounge.

Niagara Falls Wineries – Town Outskirts

21. Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery

Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery is a little further from town, but is worth the short extra drive. You’ll find a tasteful tasting room upstairs, and a pretty restaurant and barrel room downstairs. I particularly liked Ravine’s Chardonnay.

22. Chateau de Charmes

Close to Ravine you can’t miss Chateau de Charmes, with it’s distinctly austere French style. Chateau de Charmes was founded by a 5th generation French wine grower, who established the estate in 1978. The estate’s style reflects its European heritage, with a grand chateau style building complete with indoor balconies. Keeping with the French theme, I sampled the Rose which was again a winner, and had a dryer taste than it’s mid-pink colour suggested.

This is just a taste of the incredible Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries that you can visit in the Niagara wine region. While it would be easy to while away days in NOTL, it is 100% worth taking an easy day trip to the incredible nearby wonder of Niagara Falls! 

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