Now, most people from this part of the country have visited or at least heard of Niagara Falls, but what about Niagara-on-the-Lake? This little gem that is less well-known should be added to the list of must-see spots for anyone who loves charming lake towns, tasty restaurants, and small wineries.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is situated right at the edge of Lake Ontario - one of the Great Lakes. This region makes for great grape growing conditions. Many wineries in the Finger Lakes and Niagara region are known for their sweeter wines, but upon exploring, there are some great dry Rieslings and full-bodied Malbecs out there as well. I usually am not a fan of white wine, let alone dry whites, but Mr. C and I tried a Riesling at Maleta Winery and the crispness of the wine was what really struck you, rather than a sharp dryness.
In terms of sweet wines though, I would be remiss if I did not mention the amazingness which is icewine. Icewine is created when grapes are left on the vines until the temperatures drop below freezing. This wrinkles and crinkles up the grapes, extracts out the water, and leaves just pure, un-diluted grape juice behind. These grapes are then harvested and made into sweet, nectar-like heaven! Icewine from the Niagara and Finger Lakes region is commonly made from a grape varietal known as "vidal" but if you get the chance, I think the harder-to-find Cab Franc variety is a winner in its own right.
We came home with a bottle of icewine from a small, family winery called Between the Lines. Streets in this area are called concessions and lines rather than the typical street, road, drive, etc. This winery is situated between two of the lines, earning its play-on-words name.
The operation is led by two brothers from Germany and one of their wives is the "face" of the winery. She was a lot of fun to talk to while sampling. I hate when you feel awkward sipping away at your wine and you have the person behind the counter just staring at you. She knew her stuff when it came to wine, but she was still relaxed and welcoming as well.
No visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake would be complete with out a meal. The heritage district is where you can find the "Main Street"-esque action of cafes, boutiques, wine shops. The sidewalks are bustling with tourists and locals and the center of the road is anchored by a large clock tower.
Mr. C and I found a small Irish pub for lunch and enjoyed good drinks and food. The best part of our meal came at the end when we ordered traditional Irish custard. I had never heard of this and was honestly a little skeptical from the waitress's description of it being more runny than a frosting, but thicker than a pudding. We didn't know what to expect, but the dish was beautiful to look at as it was swirled with sweet toppings. After we hesitated for maybe a millisecond about not messing up the pretty design on the custard, we dove in and found that it was lighter than we expected, fresh, creamy, and just the right amount of sweet.
Overall, it was a great weekend spent together enjoying our neighbors to the North in Canada!
Until next time, travel on, eh???
Maggie
