Celebrate the grape harvest in style

Perfect time of year to put Niagara on your travel itinerary

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — As Niagara’s winemakers turn their attention to harvesting the grapes that will become the 2011 vintage, the time is perfect to plan a visit to the picturesque vineyards of the Niagara Peninsula.

The 2011 vintage promises to be a good one, the latest in a run of several strong years that have produced some outstanding award-winning Ontario wines. There is a special ambiance among the vines during harvest time, adding a new dimension to the tourism experience in Niagara.
“Niagara’s wineries are special places, offering excellent wines that are difficult to find anywhere else but at the winery,” said Anthony Annunziata, Vice-President of Marketing at the Marriott Gateway on the Falls and Marriott Fallsview Hotel & Spa. “Wine tours take you right to the source, hearing directly from the winemaker how to best enjoy particular wines. A visit to a winery puts you in a unique setting, a vineyard backdrop you can only find in a select few places around the world.”
Winery tour packages not only take you to several different wineries to sample some of the wide variety offered in Niagara, but they also save you the worry of having to drive. Bicycle tours are a unique way to travel Niagara’s idyllic rural roads between wineries. Winery visits also enable you to learn how to properly store your wines, when and if they should be aged and what foods they will match best with.
Niagara Falls, one of Canada’s leading tourism destinations, is only a short drive from the wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake and is the base for many winery tour packages offered through local hotels. It also offers restaurants, shows, concerts, clubs, attractions and casinos, not to mention the Niagara Falls themselves, to add some diversity to your trip.
“Swirling and sipping in a vineyard is a great way to spend your afternoon, but it is really just the beginning of what Niagara has to offer,” says Annunziata. “A chef-prepared dinner using local ingredients is a perfect cap to a day spent among the vines. After dinner, there are literally limitless options available to ensure your is a truly memorable one.”
Niagara also happens to be the home of Ontario’s grape wine harvest celebration. The 60th Niagara Wine Festival, based at historic Montebello Park in downtown St. Catharines, features more than 100 events between Sept. 16th and 25th, including winery tours, tastings, concerts, Niagara cuisine, wine seminars,live entertainment and one of the largest street parades in the country.
Admission to the park is free, where wine will be available by the sample, glass or bottle and matched with some of the finest food Niagara has to offer.