at play on the
PENINSULA
By Mike Muirhead, Sommelier( ISG, CMS), CSW
Travel and wine are a natural pairing. In our wine education classes, we cannot talk about wine without discussing the importance of place. We discuss the climate, weather, soils, and all the things that make where grapes grow important. It is difficult to grasp why these things are so important until you actually visit wine country. Increasingly, our customers are no longer interested in jetting off to sunny shores where the welcoming drink is served in a pineapple with a tiny umbrella. They are, instead, looking at exotic places where they can both travel and learn more about their passion for wine.
You might think the best way to learn about wine is to book yourself on the next flight to France, and spend a month travelling around the multitude of French wine regions. Unfortunately, time( and budget) don’ t always allow for such a trip. Lucky for us, just one province to the east is the beautiful Niagara Peninsula, home to many of Canada’ s best vineyards and scenic wine tours.
Flying into Toronto’ s Pearson Airport might not get you into the mood right away, but once you are on Queen Elizabeth Way heading south towards the citrus belt, it is amazing how quickly you forget about the busy metropolis, and are soothed by the thought of sipping some of Canada’ s finest wines. If you are really anxious to get to wine country, flying into Hamilton will save on your driving time, and you can be in the land of vines that much quicker.
Niagara offers wine lovers many different travel options. You can take the road well travelled, staying in the larger towns of Beamsville or Niagara-on-the-Lake. St. Catherines is in the middle of the two major wine growing regions and if you would rather spend your budget on wine than accommodation, all the big hotel chains are there to offer a comfy bed after your day of adventures. For those of you who are looking for a“ country” holiday, my suggestion would be the Inn on the Twenty in the village of Jordan. This amazing, fully restored heritage building is part of Cave Spring Cellars and has a full spa and fine dining restaurant called On the Twenty. It is also in a prime location for travellers who want to take in as much of Niagara as they can, as there are over 30 wineries within a 15-minute drive, and Niagara-on-the-Lake is only another 30 minutes down the highway. www. banvilleandjones. com 61