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TDBAB Niagara Wine Tour

Come discover some of the most gifted areas of the world for creating fine wine. Our exclusive tour picks you up from our door and arrives at the first winery just as the 11AM starting bell rings, to open a full day of wine tasting and fine dining. Your professional limousine driver will follow our customized itinerary, or adapt it to suit your own preferences, with visits to as many as eight wineries, each a shining example of their own specialities, and dinner in our favourite restaurant in all Ontario. Your day may include tours of individual wineries, or you may simply move from one tasting bar to the next. Shopping time is included in two of Southwestern Ontario's prettiest villages, and there are individual boutiques at most of the wineries themselves. Best of all, You, not a guide or other guests, are completely in control of this tour, spending as much or as little time at each stop as you wish, returning you safely to our home in time for a light supper.

After a deep sleep for almost 50 years, the Canadian wine industry has experienced a dramatic rebirth over the last two decades.

The VQA medallion on the bottle is our promise and your guarantee of quality. The letters stand for Vintners Quality Alliance, a government-sanctioned authority that regulates the production of premium wines carrying the VQA logo, governed by law. It was the wine producers themselves who first saw the need to establish rigorous standards of excellence for their wines. Drawing on generations of experience in the vineyard and their combined expertise in the winery and cellar, they set about creating a charter of regulations. These rules would govern all aspects of winemaking, from the varieties of grapes grown and the location of the vineyards to the ways in which the wines were vinified.

Canada's Niagara Peninsula in Ontario and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia are considered cool climate viticulture regions, as are Burgundy, Germany, Oregon and New Zealand. Temperatures during the fruit-ripening phase are moderate and consistent. These regions are ideally suited for the growing of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Wines from cooler climates are characteristically higher in acids and highly aromatic. These high acids result in wines, particularly white wines, with longer natural aging potential. Winemakers believe that cool climates produce lighter, fruitier wines whereas hotter regions produce less fruity, heavier wines.

1 10:00AM Departure from TDBAB

2 11:00AM Vineland Estates, Vineland, Ontario (tasting opens at 11:00AM)
A premier wine and food experience in a picturesque historic setting, Vineland Estates Winery is the first Canadian winery in history to win Top Overall Award at VinItaly 2003, International Wine Competition. Optional tour at 11:00AM.

3 11:30AM Stoney Ridge Cellars (OPTIONAL, depending on departure and traffic timing)
Featuring three premium product lines and a large selection of VQA wines. Visit the Stoney Ridge Wine Library - the first retail wine library in the province open and available year-round for the public to taste and purchase vintages of 100% VQA Ontario wines produced throughout Stoney Ridge's decorated history.

4 12:00PM Cave Spring Cellars, Jordan, Ontario
Specializing in VQA Riesling, Chardonnay, Gayam and Cabernet/Merlot blends. Situated on the finest slopes of the Beamsville Bench, the Cave Spring Estate was first planted in 1978, making it one of Niagara's most mature vinifera vineyards.

4 12:30PM Shopping in Jordan village. Discover award-winning wineries, fine art, an incredible array of antiques, interesting shops, a luxurious inn, an outstanding restaurant and a pioneer museum. Along with beautifully preserved architecture, Jordan Village presents a truly unique experience during your stay.

4 1:00PM Lunch at the Bench Bistro of East Dell Estates, in Beamsville. Welcome to wine-country where food, wine and scenery are harmoniously intertwined. With its stunning view of rolling vineyards, Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline, the Bench Bistro offers a sense of neighbourhood camaraderie. The Bistro operates with the philosophy that an adventure in food and wine should be accessible and affordable. Menu items change seasonally, showcasing the best of the seasonal harvest available from local farmers and suppliers. Your server will be happy to recommend one of EastDell's VQA vintages to complement your menu choice. Lunch is included; beverages extra.

5 2:30PM Henry of Pelham (OPTIONAL, depending on lunch schedule)
This is the winery selected for TDBAB private label wines. Tastings and scenic vineyard tours offered by makers of excellent VQA wines. With the premise that fine wine is grown and not made, Henry of Pelham takes low yields and tends their 150-acre estate vineyards with meticulous care. Only small volumes of handmade wines are produced to ensure the highest standards of quality.

6 3:00PM Château des Charmes
Pierre-Jean Bosc and his family produce some of Canada's finest wines and they are proud to present them for your viewing. Many awards and accolades have been bestowed on Château des Charmes, achievements earned through dedication and commitment to quality. Tours optional, every hour on the hour.

7 3:30PM Inniskillin Wines (tasting available till 4:30)
Inniskillin strives to perfect the finest our vineyards have to offer by carefully analyzing soil and site conditions, hand-selecting the optimum fruit of its mature vines and then winemaking and cellaring with the utmost care and attention. Self-guided tour if desired.

8 4:00PM Shopping in Niagara-on-the-Lake, "the prettiest town in Canada" stroll along the town's main artery by some entertaining, albeit touristy, shops. The Niagara Apothecary Shop dates to 1866. Loyalist Village stocks Canadian clothes and crafts, including Inuit art, native Canadian decoys, and sheepskins. Maple Leaf Fudge offers more than 20 varieties that you can watch being made on marble slabs. Greaves Jam is run by fourth-generation jam makers. The Shaw Shop next to the Royal George Theatre, carries GBS memorabilia. There's also a Dansk outlet and several galleries selling contemporary Canadian and other ethnic crafts. (Shops close around 5:00PM, but the lakefront park stays open!)

9 5:00PM Strewn Winery (OPTIONAL, depending on traffic and shopping) (tasting available till 6PM) Internationally recognized VQA wines, a Provençal restaurant and Niagara's only winery cooking school. Winemaker Joe Will produced the first Strewn vintage in 1994 and the winery now offers more than 30 wines from four vintages. All Strewn wines carry the VQA designation, Canada's mark of wine quality.

10 5:30PM Hillebrand Estates Winery (OPTIONAL, depending on traffic and shopping) (tasting available till 6PM)
Hillebrand Estates offers wine lovers the rare opportunity to experience the art, craft and passion of wine and wine country. At Hillebrand, visitors are free to do much more than just taste the wines. You are invited to walk among the vines, visit the cellars, and browse rare and special vintages in the wine boutique.

6:00PM Return to Toronto

11   7:30PM Arrive TDBAB

The cost of this adventure, with lunches and incidental fees at tasting locations included, is
$499CAD for one or two persons,
$99 for each additional person
Certainly a day you'll not forget.

Other Private Tour Options

Niagara and Niagara-on-the-lake
Stratford / St Jacobs

This tour is ONLY for guests of Toronto Downtown Bed and Breakfast.
Accommodation is extra.