NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE

This weekend we returned to the quaint village of Niagara-on-the-Lake but this time the famous falls weren't on our agenda. With our friends Judy and Rob, we were here to tour the wineries of Canada's #1 wine region. After a 4 hour drive south in shocking conditions we dropped our bags off and headed for the Old Angel Inn for dinner and a few drinks.

After a leisurely Saturday morning we toured 5 wineries during the day. The weather was absolutely dreadful (see pics) with temperatures of about zero, heavy rain, sleet and snow, but we had lots of fun and tasted many delicious wines. The specialty of the area is Ice Wine which has won numerous prizes world-wide. The grapes must be picked at lower than -8 degrees ( usually in the middle of the night) to ensure the water content is frozen. This results in an intensely flavoured, ultra sweet and expensive wine. We felt really sorry for the pickers. After several purchases at the wineries, a tour at Inniskillen and dinner at Zees restaurant we headed for bed.

Sunday's weather was a little better so Tracy and Judy hit the shops while Rob and I had a walk then found a paper and cosy cafe... Shopping done, we managed another 3 wineries before we headed to Sandy and Michael's ( friends of Judy and Rob) home for drinks. Then it was off to the Stonegrill for dinner and a few more drinks!!! During the night a dump of snow ensured our return to Owen Sound was a very pretty drive. All in all, a terrific weekend with great company and lots of fun.