Niagara Opimian Wine Tour

Day 1 - Saturday, September 10:

Our first stop will be in Niagara-on-the-Lake at Between the Lines Winery (www.betweenthelineswinery.com). Here, we’ll spend time with wine economist Greg Wertsch and his brother Yannick, the winemaker, who will share their stories with us. We’ll enjoy a tasting of their craft wines along with some nibblies to tide us over until lunch. You might be tempted to join The Loft – the wine club of this youthful, up and coming winery! 

A wonderful lunch in the Barrel Cellar at Peller Estates (www.peller.com) awaits us part of our second winery visit. Winemaker Katie Dickieson and chef and television personality Jason Parsons work together here to create perfect pairings that “allow both the wine and the food to shine”. Barrels of Peller’s best reds will be our lunch companions as we enjoy 3 courses of Niagara’s finest produce and wine. 

Our third winery stop today will be at NOMAD at Hinterbrook in NOTL (www.hinterbrook.com). This winery takes a minimalist approach to wine creation and strives to maintain a light environmental footprint. Here, we will take advantage of a WSET-educated tour guide, a Q & A with winery owner and winemaker Violet Yeh, and a tasting of 3 late harvest wines and 3 ice wines. NOMAD has a very interesting wine label program – check it out at www.hinterbrook.com/nomad/be-a-nomad.

Late afternoon will find us in Niagara Falls at the Old Stone Inn (www.oldstoneinnhotel.com), a comfortable boutique hotel where we’ll have dinner and spend the night. The Inn’s Chef Diego will prepare a 4-course dinner especially for our group and Opimian AR Steve Grigg will help make the wine selections! The 1904 Lounge in the hotel hosts live music on Saturday nights and Casino Niagara is just a short walk away.

Day 2 - Sunday, September 11:

This morning after a simple but delicious breakfast in The Flour Mill Restaurant at the hotel, we will head off to Foreign Affair Winery (www.foreignaffairwinery.com). We’ll spend two hours with winery owners Marisa and Len Crispino who have become enamoured of the appassimento method of winemaking, typical of the Italian Veneto region. Look forward to tasting some great Amarone-style wines.

For lunch today, we’ll indulge in a 3-course meal at the iconic Vineland Estates Winery (www.vineland.com). Local, seasonal ingredients will be the foundation of a menu paired with Vineland’s Reserve wines, and we’ll enjoy these with views of rolling vineyards, the forests of the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario in the distance.

The grand finale of our Niagara wineries tour will be at Fielding Estate Winery (fieldingwines.com) in the Beamsville Bench. Curtis and Heidi Fielding, along with winemaker Richie Roberts have promised us a VIP visit that will put the perfect finish on our food and wine extravaganza!