TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA
SEE
THE
WAR
OF
1812
COME
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LIFE
VIVEZ
L'EXPÉRIENCE
DE
LA
GUERRE
DE
1812
1-888-773-8888
parkscanada.gc.ca/fortgeorge
parcscanada.gc.ca/fortgeorge
Marmalades store on Queen Street that is
both sophisticated and centrally located
(www.greavesjams.com/sweetescape).
SAVOUR A SPLASH OF
SUPERPREMIUM WINE IN
CANADA'S FAMOUS
NIAGARA WINE REGION
Who can argue with the appeal of fine
wine and food? It's not surprising that the
culinary scene and the wineries of Niagara
now rival the Falls in popularity. From May
to October, visitors can tour and taste and
feast at the many easily accessed wineries.
In winter, visitors can stay warm at the Ice
Wine Festival. You haven't really experi-
enced a "Nuit Blanche" until you have
dined in the icy white (but heated!) tents set
up on the streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake
on a chilly winter evening. Local wines and
food specialties will keep you toasty (
www.
niagarawinefestival.com
). Visitors can
order ice wine from the ice bar, dance at
galas, dine on ice-wine-inspired menus and
enjoy the best elements of a Canadian
winter in wine country. Or be one of the
first to try this year's wines at the Niagara
New Vintage Festival.
Companies like Crush on Niagara
Wine Tours (
www.crushtours.com ) offer
visits to the vineyards, while Zoom Leisure
Bikes organizes cycling tours (www.zoom
leisure.com
). Another attractive option is
the Niagara Helicopter wine tour where
you can fly over the Falls and then take in
the vineyards by air, landing at a local
winery for a tour and tasting or gourmet
meal (www.niagarahelicopters.com
).
It's easy to do your own individual
tasting tour as most wineries are well-
signed and an excellent self-touring map
(www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com/
cta/greatest-winery-tour
) allows you to
choose between large establishments like
Jackson-Triggs Winery (www.jackson
triggswinery.com
), Inniskillin Wines
(www.inniskillin.com
) or Château des
Charmes (www.chateaudescharmes.com
),
and smaller ones that are aggressively
pushing the boundaries of winemaking.
Five Rows Craft Wine, depending on the
crop, only produces a limited output
of 400-600 cases of wine per year, but the
entire production is handcrafted and truly
exceptional (
www.fiverows.com ). The
expanded and decadently French wine
caves at Megalomaniac Winery are built
into the limestone escarpment, where
visitors can taste Narcissist Riesling and
Bigmouth Merlot (www.megalomaniac
wine.com
). Three generations of grape
growers, including one member who was
named Grape King in 2008, are making
wines worth sampling at PondView Estate
Winery in the Four Mile Creek appellation
(www.pondviewwinery.com
). For the
dedicated connoisseur, Flat Rock Cellars
is a wine lover's dream (www.flatrock
cellars.com
). You'll find a more spirited
experience on a visit to Forty Creek Whisky
to sample authentic Canadian whisky
(www.fortycreekwhisky.com
).
If you find a wine you like, be sure to
buy a bottle or two. Many wines can only
be purchased at the source.
MAKE A SPLASH IN NIAGARA
Niagara has so much—and the Falls are
just the beginning of the adventure. Plan to
spend some serious time here to experience
all that the region has to offer, in every
season (www.tourismniagara.com;
www.niagarafallstourism.com).
