ontario2

We had a cup of hot coffee for b'fast at the Butterfly Cafe before exploring the rest of the area.

The Wineries of the Niagara Peninsula
The 40km of rolling countryside between Grimsby and Niagara-on-the-Lake is home to many of Ontario's finest vineyards and award-winning wineries. The moderating effect of two Great Lakes (Lake Ontario & Lake Erie) ensures the cool springs and long autumns that they say are ideal for growing grapes. Along the way we saw peach fields and grape fields, soo big and beautiful.

We drove to the Chateau Des Charmes. This is a family-owned winery founded by Ontario wine pioneer Paul Bosc. Featuring premium, estate-bottled VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) wines and Icewines (sweet wines are made from grapes frozen naturally on the vine, harvested by hand, and pressed under very strict guidelines).   In Canada it's called VQA, in France the AOC, in Italy the DOC, in Germany QMP.
We started by watching a video presentation for about 15 minutes, and then took a tour, and finally tasted the wines. We bought 3 bottles of their wine, choices of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Vidal Icewine.
From there, we drove to the Royal DeMaria Wines. Canada's Icewine specialist, owned by Joseph DeMaria. We took a tour, and tasted their wines. We also bought 1 bottle of their Icewine.
Before we drove to another vineyard, we decided to take a break for lunch. We found a vineyard that had a nice restaurant. The meal was very good, and we really enjoyed it, truly! not only because we were hungry:-).

After the meal, we took a short tour and tasted their wines, but decided to see another vineyard. We didn't buy any bottles from them. Then, we stopped at the Joseph's Estate Wines. The 20-acre estate winery and experienced VQA premium Wines, Icewines, and Fruit Wines, owned by Joseph Pohorly. We took a private tour, tasted their wines, and finally bought 3 bottles of their wines, choices of 2 bottles of Fruit Wines, and 1 bottle of Chardonnay.

I really enjoyed the tours, it's valuable to know how they make wine, starting from the grapes until it is finally in a bottle. Incredible!!   Also we learned how to taste and evaluate wine by colour, clarity, aroma, and flavour. We even learned how to check a cork and properly swirl wine in a glass to release its aroma. One of the great advantages of touring Ontario wineries is that most produce a wide variety of wines which I can taste to find the ones I prefer. All we need is enthusiasm and a willingness to try different wines and ask questions. Great wines are result of the finest grapes planted in the right soils, ripened in a conducive climate, then selected, and made into wine with care. A wine made from one grape variety is called a varietal wine, and carries the name of the grape on its label.

OK...now we finished our wine tours, and we drove to the Great Lake, Ontario.
Gosh, just like an ocean.......wow.............!! We really enjoyed the day because it was sunny day.   We took off our shoes and walked along the sand with bare feet, then sat on the rocks while watching sailing ships and boats come and go. Beautiful and very relaxing to feel the the wind blow.....hhhh.......!!   After that, we walked to the Old Town of Niagara which is located near the lake, offers a unique blend of shopping experiences, dining, art galleries and antique treasures, hotels, and much more. Here, we discovered Indonesian crafts with expensive prices. Again and again:-).

When the sunset came, we drove back and stopped on the way and bought cheap but delicious cherries from a young girl beside the highway. We then continued to the Floral Clock. A 12.2m diameter working clock that is one of the largest in the world, it consists of over 20,000 small plants that are placed close together. After that, we drove to the Niagara Parks Greenhouse. We explored the colourful floral displays. The tropical houses contain a wide variety of plants from all over the world. A small cactus collection helps show the diversity of plants. There are also over 70 free-flying tropical songbirds that serenade as they flit among the plants.

Before going back to the hotel, again we explored the Falls, because this is the last day for us. We had to leave for Boston in the morning.

After packing and taking a great shower, we drove for a dinner at Ribs & Grill Restaurant in the same neck of the woods. The food was so yummy.....hmmm......!!

Checking-out of hotel the next morning, we stopped at a small cafe on the street which said "open 24 hours", for a cup of hot coffee. Then left for home.

We really enjoyed our trip! We plan to be back again.