Winery Tours of Niagara

Top shelf, this crew. I easily made an online reservation for a January weekend visit to the Ontario wineries during IceWine Festival. This only happens once a year, and is a gorgeous event that is heavily attended by Canadians, eh? Our tour was 17 people on a comfortable mini van. We visited 6 wineries — each with outstanding personality and delicious IceWines. At Enniskillen, the Winery left a row of grapes so visitors could appreciate the sight of a final harvest of the year. Some grapes are left on the vines, netted to protect their delicate skins from the ground and from voracious birds, and picked after first frosts. The rapid change in temp causes sugars to aggregate. Once picked, the precious drop of juice that comes from an IceWine grape is processed into IceWine.
Over 6 hours, we tasted Riesling, Cab Franc, and Vidal varietals, paired with such goodies as seafood chowder, chicken & waffles, apple cinnamon fritters, roasted marshmallows, and lamb bacon pizza. Participating wineries were Jackson-​Triggs, Peller, Trius, Inniskillin, Konzelmann, and Pillitteri. I loved the smell of wood smoke, the upbeat staff, and the fascinating glimpse of the very special IceWine industry.

A perfect way to spend the day!
We booked the tour just one day in advance, and a very kind lady on the phone explained what the tour included and what to expect. She assured us that the tour was for everybody and that there would be explanations for proper wine-​tasting etiquette.
Rob was our shuttle driver. He picked us up right outside of our hotel and was right on time. While driving us from winery to winery, he was talking to the passengers and informing us on different landmarks, streets, wineries, etc. He was super kind, helpful, and knowledgeable… We were lucky to have him as our guide!
The value received for the price paid was quite generous. Nobody had to drive drunk, and the wine samples are plentiful enough to give any novice wine-​drinker a buzz. We also enjoyed the approx. 75 minute stop at Niagara on the Lake, a quaint town full of unique shops and eateries.
I would absolutely take this tour again, and will adamantly suggest it to all potential Niagara Falls visitors!

We just did two tours with this company in two days, and both were fantastic! Day one was the Falls tour, and we got everything as advertised. Dave was our tour guide. He was knowledgeable, pleasant, entertaining and on time. We got views of the Falls from many angles, including behind them and well above them in the tower. It was a great way to spend the day, and we were fortunate enough to be able to bypass some of the lines.
Brendan was our tour guide for our «Signature Wine Tour with a Private 3 Course Lunch.» He was also knowledgeable and entertaining, and having worked at one of the wineries in the past, had some inside knowledge and connections that others might not have. By the time we got to lunch, everyone was friendly enough with each other that we all sat together instead of at our own separate tables.
Both tours were great experiences, and I would recommend them to anyone. Door-​to-​door service from the B&B we were staying at was a huge bonus!