Exploring the Niagara Wine Trail

Niagara, New York is more than the falls. It is also one of the top wine producing areas in the country. The Niagara Wine Trail has 13 different wineries that band together to host special events throughout the year. The wineries also have their own wine tasting events and most of them are open seven days a week. For those who want to make a long vacation out of the Niagara Wine Trail, there are associate members that are not wineries, but rather other businesses in the area such as restaurants, bed and breakfasts and tour operators who also participate in the events.

One of the special features of the Niagara Wine Trail is called Ice Wine, which is a product that can only come from areas with very cold winters. Ice Wine is a sweet dessert wine made from grapes frozen on the vine. The harvest is small each year and it takes a lot of work to press the frozen fruit, so it is more expensive, but it is available at the Niagara wineries and something worth trying.

The Niagara Wine Region is relatively small as wine regions go, but the wineries produce a wide range of varieties made from all types of fruits.

Arrow Head Spring Vineyards produces Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. They grow their grapes to be low yield per vine which makes the fruit have a more intense flavor.

Black Willow Winery is scheduled to open at the end of 2009. Eventually, they will have a complete complex including a bed and breakfast.

Eveningside Vineyards has been producing Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Franc since 2000.

Freedom Run Winery produces Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Catawba, Chardonnay, Manning Manor Blanc, Reserve Dry Niagara, Manning Manor Rose', Merlot, Niagara, Riesling, Semi Dry Riesling Meritage and Dry Rose'.

Honeymoon Trail Winery produces Riesling, Cayuga White, Chardonnay, Delaware, White Lace, Diamond, Mighty Niagara, Frozen Niagara, Frozen Catawba, Cabernet Sauvignon, Frozen Concord, Merlot, Frozen Cherry and Apple Wine.

Leonard Oakes Estate Winery started producing wine in 2003. They have created many blends all their own - Blushing Oakes Cayuga White, Chambourcin dry red, Cerise cherry cider, Dry Vidal white, Frontenac, Red Oakes (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Noiret and Frontenac), Riesling, Semi-Dry Vidal, Vignoles tropical fruit, White Oakes (a blend of Chardonnay, Traminette and Pinot Gris with a touch of Cayuga White), Olde English Sparkling Cider, Fuji Apple Wine, Frose Frontenac Rose, Cabernet Meritage dry red and
Vinho Tesouro port.

The Winery at Marjim Manor opened in 2004. Their fruit wines include Apple, Apricot, Blueberry, Dry Blueberry Cherry Concerto, Cherry Rhapsody Dry Cherry Wine, Cherry Serenade Port, Cranberry Crescendo, Currant Wine,
Katapalooza Fruit Blend, Peach, Plum Dandy Dry Plum Wine, Strawberry Wine and Grape/Peach Blend.

White wines include Fifty Windows dry white wine, Lady in the Window, One Hundred Windows light, bright white wine and Starlight.

Red wines include Lady of the Manor, Lord of the Manor, Spirit of the Law, Syrah, Merlot and Steuben. Blush wines are Cat's Meow dry, Shubal's Sunset rose and Sophia's Sunrise rose. The Winery at Marjim Manor also has its own line of signature blends.

Niagara Landing Wine Cellars has been in business 10 years and the vineyards themselves have been here for more than 100. Their selection includes:

Red Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Baco Noir, Dry Steuben, Cabernet Sauvignon Rose', Old Mill Red, NL House Rose', Red Rooster, Stearman Steuben, Captain's Choice, Sweet Captain, Rosebud Rose' and Raspberry Rosebud.

White Wines: Chardonnay, Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Cayuga White, NL House White, Boxer Blush, Misty Niagara, Rosebud White and Rosebud Peach.

Fruit Wines: Strawberry Wine, Cranberry Wine and Blueberry Wine.

Dessert Wines: Port, Chocolate Dream and Ice Wine.

Schulze Vineyards & Winery only uses grapes from their own vineyards. They produce:

Sparkling: Siegfried Brut, Vidal Blanc Brut, Vidal Blanc Semi-Dry Brut, Cuvée Rosé, Crackling Niagara and Crackling Catawba.

Ice Wine: Vidal Blanc. White: Vidal Blanc(Dry), Vidal Blanc(Semi-Dry), Siegfried Semi-Dry and Thirty Mile Point Niagara.

Red: Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Rosé, Thirty Mile Point Catawba, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Meritage, Lotus (Blush wine) and Ruby (Sweet).

Springlake Winery has 78 acres of vineyards. Their wines include Old Vine Zinfandel, White Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay.

Victorianbourg Wine Estate produces wines designed to compliment foods and are mostly dry. However, they do produce several top sweet wines as well. The selection includes:

Specialty fruit wines: Berry Patch Pink (Strawberry wine), Becker Blue (Blueberry wine), Perfect Plum (Plum Wine), Rhuberry (Strawberry Rhubarb wine), Red Creek Raspberry (Raspberry wine), Spiced Apple (Apple wine with mulling spices)m Apple Cranny (Apple Cranberry wine) and Emperor Cherry (Cherry Wine).

Red Wine: Paso Fino (Baco Noir, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc Blend), Quaker Red Rougon (Rougon Variatal), Concord (Concord Variatal).

White Wine: Falls Fusion (Dry Catawba), Rusty's Riesling (Riesling variatal), Erie Canal Catawba (Catawba Variatal), Barrelled Over Niagara (Niagara Variatal), Dusty's Diamond (Diamond Variatal) and Late Harvest Niagara.

Warm Lake Estate Vineyard and Winery is different from all the others. They focus on different varieties of Pinot Noir.