Niagara. The Falls, the casinos, the wine. We love it all. It’s a world famous region, right here in our own backyard. For Southern Ontarians, it’s also an easy drive and an easy escape from the daily grind.

But where to start? We asked the experts at Visit Niagara to give us their shortlist of some of the most unique and award-winning wineries to visit now: “As a whole, the Niagara region offers 140+ wineries, each bringing something different to the table – and you’ll notice this the minute you step foot on to each estate.”

They’ve even created a hashtag for visitors: #MyNiagara For more information on the variety of wineries available, go to visitniagaracanada.com.

Scroll through for everything from great wineries to wines made by the Great One himself.

 

Konzelmann Estate Winery is the only winery with waterfront property, allowing guests to stand on the edge between wine and water and offers truly breathtaking views of the lake.

Tawse Winery in Twenty Valley continues to be recognized as a top Canadian winery using organic and biodynamic farming techniques to create lasting vines on their property.  Uniting traditional wine-making techniques with state-of-the-art technology, Tawse is dedicated to producing terroir-driven wines of exceptional elegance, depth and character.

With 110-acres resting on top of the Niagara Escarpment, Megalomaniac provides outstanding views making the winery a must-see attraction. Owned and operated by John Howard, Megalomaniac began as a retirement project to help raise funds for the Kids’ Health Links Foundation. After the original vintage sold out within 90 days, Howard realized the impact the program might have nationally. A second vintage was launched, and since then neither the winery nor the foundation has looked back.

It might be the wine that brings droves of people to Niagara, but it’s the people and the unique places that visitors come back for time and time again. The people who have created, built and maintain these wineries. Each person has their own story to share. One of Inniskillin Wines founders, Donald Ziraldo, above, helped grow the first Vinifera (a common European grape used for wine) vineyard of Reisling, Chardonnay and Gamay. Ziraldo continued to create Ziraldo Estate Winery and is recognized as one of Canada’s leading winemakers on the international stage.

Trius Winery’s lead winemaker, Craig McDonald left Australia at a young age with an open mind and a backpack. He now calls Niagara home and has been crafting premium VQA wines for over 28 years.

Wayne Gretzky Estates celebrates the iconic hockey player’s love for wines that are delicious and approachable. Recently, he launched a game-changing whisky, No. 99 ‘Red Cask’. Great wines – and now a truly game-changing whisky – from the Great One.

For more information on the variety of wineries available, go to visitniagaracanada.com.