Our plan for our second day on the wine trail was to hit the bigger, more famous wineries. While several did indeed live up to their hype, there were also a few that proved the old adage, “Bigger isn’t always better.”
Chateau des Charmes
We arrived on Chateau des Charmes' doorstep promptly right after opening and despite not having a reservation, were warmly welcomed by the hostess. While the winery offers several tasting experiences and tour options, we elected to each enjoy a glass of wine in their spacious tent outside by the vineyards. To our delight, said glasses also included complimentary pretzels and a sample of their 2023 Rose, a lovely dry with berry notes. Mark was enamored by the hints of green apple in the 2022 Gewurztraminer while I relished the 2020 Riesling, an off-dry with nectarine notes.
From its 120 acres of thriving vineyards to the grandeur of its chateau-style tasting room, Chateau des Charmes offers up postcard-perfect scenery in a classy environment. We could have easily spent several hours just soaking it all in but the day was young and the road beckoned.
Inniskillin Niagara Estate Winery
Inniskillin is famous for being the first to be granted a winery license in Canada post-prohibition. They are also legendary for their ice wines. I will say that up until this point, I have never tried a single ice wine that I liked and so I approached our tasting with some apprehension. We kicked off with Discovery Series P3, a pleasant, semi-dry white wine blend. Next came the slightly acidic but pleasurable Niagara Estate Rose which had notes of watermelon. Now it was time to try an ice wine. Our sommelier recommended the Vidal Icewine, which is also their biggest seller and to my shock, I loved it! It was not at all what I expected – light rather than thick with notes of honey and not overdosed in sugar. Wow, call me a convert!
Besides their ice wine, the other thing I liked most about Inniskillin was that they offered both inside and outside seating. The temperatures were already starting to rise and it was nice to have the option to chill in their AC. They also have plenty of patio space and picnic tables for those seeking outdoor adventures.
Unfortunately, our next two winery stops would both prove to be disappointing.
Wayne Gretzky Estates
Wayne Gretzky Estate unapologetically capitalizes on its namesake at every turn. It has some nice touches, including a fountain that turns into a skating rink during the winter and an onsite distillery, which was sadly closed on the day of our visit. It was lunchtime so we chose to have wine and food out on the whisky bar patio. While the cost was your typical, overinflated winery pricing, my mojito chicken salad was disappointing and my glass of the Wayne Gretzky Riesling 2023 was unmemorable. Mark did enjoy his BBQ double beef cheeseburger but was also less than impressed by his glass of the Wayne Gretzky Rosé 2023.
There is a convenient but lengthy walkway connecting Wayne Gretzky Estate to our next stop, and despite the afternoon heat, we decided to take the journey…
Trius Winery & Restaurant
The grounds and buildings of Trius are indeed gorgeous but tracking down a hostess turned out to be quite a chore. By the time we located one, we were overheated, tired, and put-off by her dismissive attitude. So we ended up just having Froses (Rose slushys) on the patio and calling it. In hindsight, maybe we should’ve lunched at Trius instead, the food looked delicious and we probably would’ve been treated better.
Two Sisters Vineyards
Our final stop of the day wound up having the most spectacular drive-up to a winery that we’ve ever encountered. From the moment we turned into the entrance to Two Sisters, we were overwhelmed by its endless vineyards and the tree-lined drive leading up to its classically-styled tasting room with its tall white columns. Turns out that you pay for all that prettiness. No, we didn’t get to every winery on our trip but we did hit ninety percent of them and Two Sisters was by far the most expensive for both food and wine. That said, at least both the margherita pizza and the wine were excellent. My glass of the 2021 Riesling was crisp with grapefruit notes and Mark savored his 2022 Margo Rose, a dry with notes of strawberry. Together, we watched the sun set and said goodbye to Day 2 of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Wine Trail.
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