Sundays Are For Sunshine, Wine, & Family

With my nanan here visiting from England, a beautiful day outside, and my brother’s new job at Vineland Estate Winery – we figured what better time to go and get day drunk on a Sunday than then? Who can say no to wine on a sunny day? Not me that’s for sure.

To be honest I think visiting wineries might be one of my new favourite things to do – and with the Niagara Region being riddled with them I’d say my new found love is a pretty convenient one. They’re a nice excuse to spend time with people you care about, be socially acceptably tipsy, and wineries are always riddled with top photo ops.

So, off we went to Vineland Estate Winery. The drive itself to get to the Estate is almost as picturesque as the winery – countryside, winding roads, and amazing views.

I’m not a fan of the overly modern looking wineries and those that lack character, nor am I a fan of the huge wineries that you could get lost in. This winery is neither of those things; it is elegant, but cute. Their main shop is a beautifully renovated farmhouse, dating back to the late 1840s, and on the inside it has a rustic type feel to it without being looking overly like you’ve stepped straight into a horses stable without the hay.

Our tour guide, Tommy, was wonderful. His knowledge was so vast – not only about the winery itself, but wine making and the industry as well. You could tell how passionate he was about his job and the world of wine making. Isn’t it so refreshing when you come across someone that you can tell genuinely likes their job? If you head to Vineland Estate, see if you can request him!

We were taken around the buildings within the winery, as well as into the vineyards, and then into the wine cellar. In the vineyards we learnt about the types of grapes they grow, how they came to be, and the nature of the ground they grow in. We even got to try some grapes right off the vine! (Tip: if you’re not a fan of sour foods maybe don’t help yourself to wine grapes straight from the vines because they were TART).

Back inside the winery, we were shown where the wine making occurs, as well as where the wine is bottled up.

Then we were taken into the cellar, where we found all the wine sitting in barrels, along with some bottles that were aging the wine. Some of those bottles cost thousands of dollars… Imagine being able to just spend that much on a bottle of wine?? I think I’ll stick to my $15 bottles of wine and use the rest for a vacation.

Obviously they saved the best bit until last… and that was the wine tasting. We were taken through a structured tasting for 4 different wines, and then were able to pick a 5th wine to try as well. My favourite, along with many others, was their top selling Riesling. I said before in my previous wine tour blog post that I’m not a fan of reds, or any wine really that gives me the shivers, and this one didn’t do that at all. It was sweet enough without being sickly, and it went down nice and smooth, too.


Aren’t my wine descriptions amazing?

Then we wobbled merrily onto eat a big old lunch and sat around for the rest of the day in a post wine food coma, and it was lovely.

Until next time,

xx