A Day Spent Basking in Beauty and Sipping Cab Franc!
Does your perfect event or wedding involve lots of wine and being outdoors? Look no further than Niagara-on-the-Lake!
Just a short drive from Toronto, this charming town features some absolutely dream venues.
My bestie, Sera (@seradenizwrites), owner and co-founder of BizSassy and I went on a fantastic wine tour over the weekend and checked out 7 wineries!
Thankfully, we had Joe from A Celebrity Limousine as our designated driver so we were able to sip without the "spit" part of the wine tasting.
Even in the winter, Niagara-on-the-Lake shines as a hotspot for a girl's weekend or bachelorette party or corporate retreat if wine is life for you and your crew.
Here's how we planned our day using the Winemaker's Pass. I've reviewed the best out of the 7 we visited below.
9:30am- Joe from A Celebrity Limo picks us up in a Chrysler 300 at my home in Downtown Toronto. We didn't end up leaving until 9:50 as one of us was running late, but got to the winery right on time for......
11:00am- VIP winetour with our tour guide, Aaron, at Creekside Vineyard. Aaron comes from a wine family. His entire family is involved in the wine business and he loves working with Creekside. Would definitely recommend doing a wine tour with him!
Check out their wine cellar. It's spectacular. A gorgeous location for private events or weddings. Sampled many wines. Their charming tasting room upstairs is small but cute, with plenty of adorable gifting items. This gorgeous winery is my top choice for weddings. The rustic chic venue and tasty wines, combined with world class cuisine and fantastic customer service really exemplified what a winery wedding should be.
11:50am-Arrive at Queenston Mile. This was a slight detour from our original plan, but we couldn't resist when Aaron told us to go check it out. We loved this place. Great staff and a fantastic venue for weddings and events. In fact, they just started hosting events in the last year, so now is a wonderful opportunity to book at this location. It was stunning and modern. I can't wait to see photos from their first weddings!
12:37pm- Arrive at Southbrook
This is a gorgeous winery, very modern. They do corporate and private events, though no weddings. With their floor to ceiling windows and great location this should be a top choice for corporate events for those looking to "wow" guests.
1:05pm- The Hare Wine Co.
This gorgeous winery does weddings and events and couldn't be cuter. The tasting room is very rustic. The courtyard is beautiful and features a lot of brick and an adorable gate that opens onto the winery. Weddings here are adorable and rustic with a maximum capacity of 180.
1:45pm- Trius Wines
This was a great stop for tasting and for their restaurant, however Trius does not host weddings and only hosts corporate and social events. It is a beautiful location. During the summer, there is an Instagram worthy tour dubbed "The Trius Tour" which features some absolutely adorable photo ops. They have beautiful spaces and great food, so definitely something to look at for events surrounding your wedding (rehearsal dinner or bachelor/ette) or a corporate event.
2: 30pm- Stratus Wines
This striking building was a beautiful location. Private and corporate events are their specialty. Very modern and upscale, with exquisite cuisine. This is a one stop shop for food and wine pairings that will leave a lasting impression with guests from any background.
3:45pm- Headed home and arrived at 5:15pm. Right on time! Traffic from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto was a little slow due to the Maple Leafs Game, but otherwise, you can make the trip in about an hour and fifteen minutes.
The whole day was about an eight hour time commitment, but I felt we spent a good amount of time at each winery to really learn about their wines and various offerings. I would 100% recommend hiring a driver for the trip, as drinking and driving is never a good idea!
It was such a fantastic trip and I would highly recommend the Winemaker's pass. It was excellent value for the price.
I'm off to go drink some of the fabulous wine I found on our tour. Until next time!
Stacey
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