In Ontario, the wine industry is booming. And while wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake and surrounding areas make all kinds of wines from a number of varietals, the area wineries are best known for their sweet and delicious ice wines. The following top Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries are culled from top review sites, bloggers, tourism websites, and publications such as Huffington Post, Wine Enthusiast, Trip Advisor, Yelp, Decanter, Bon Appétit, Wines of Canada, and Sun RV Resorts, among others.
1. Peller Estates
Among bloggers, publications, travel sites, and consumer reviews, Peller Estates consistently ranks at the top of wineries in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region for a great winery experience. The winery has received numerous awards, including a 2018 Decanter Wine World Award, a 2014 WineAlign Canadian Winery of the Year Award, and 2017 and 2018 Ontario Winery of the Year award. The winery offers several tours and experiences for guests, including the Greatest Winery Tour ($35) where you tour the winery and end up in the 10Below Ice Wine Lounge sipping ice wines in a room made of ice. The winery is located at 290 John Street East in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is open daily.
2. Jackson-Triggs Winery
Jackson-Triggs Winery is no small name in the world of wine; its ice wine (they make other wines as well) is famous and often highly rated by critics. It's also frequently listed as a top winery to visit in Niagara-on-the-Lake - it is Trip Advisor's top rated winery in the region. Visitors enjoy the beauty of the winery, as well as how friendly and knowledgeable the staff is. When you visit Jackson-Triggs, located at 2145 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake, you'll be able to take a tour and experience a flight of wines for $10. You can also book private tour and tasting experiences starting at $15. Reserve on the website. The winery is open daily and also hosts multiple events throughout the year.
3. Inniskillin
Inniskillin is another winery famous for its ice wines, which are usually quite highly rated by critics. In fact, the wines have won multiple awards including Decanter World Wine Awards, WineAlign Awards, and many others. Visitors give their experiences at the winery high ratings. They especially appreciate how informative and interesting the tour is, and they love tasting the sweet, delicious wines. The winery is located at 1499 Line #3 in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Tastings start at $10 for a flight, and the winery also offers tours and dining at the Market Grill & Smokehouse. There's also an amphitheater and concert venue. The winery is open daily.
4. Trius Winery
Located at 1249 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Trius Winery offers a number of wines including the ice wine the region is famous for, as well as sparkling wines and dry wines. The winery is frequently mentioned by bloggers as a must-visit winery, and visitors praise the friendly and knowledgeable staff. The winery offers a few tasting experiences, tours, and even has dining options at a restaurant and a bar. The winery is open daily, and tastings start at $15. Book online.
5. Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery
Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery is located about 8 miles outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake at 1366 York Road in St. Davids, and it's frequently rated as one of the region's top wineries. The family-owned winery is on an estate that has been in the family for 150 years. Tours and tastings are available starting at $8 for a three wine tasting. Dog lovers particularly love how dog-friendly the winery is. For $25, visitors and their dogs can take an educational tour of the grounds that includes a four-flight tasting, with $5 of the proceeds from each ticket being donated to the SPCA. Reserve tastings and tours by calling 905-262-8463 x32. The winery also has a restaurant that's open daily, and it also serves as a venue for special events and weddings.
6. Reif Estate Winery
Trip Advisor has Reif Estate Winery listed as their #2 thing to do in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the winery is frequently mentioned in travel blogs and publications as a must-visit. In 2002 and 2017, the winery was awarded the Best Canadian Winery at the Wine and Spirit International Wine Competition. The winery is located at 5608 Niagara Parkway in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Tastings and tours are available starting at $15, and the tasting bar is open daily.
7. Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery
Lovers of wine, beer, and whisky don't have to choose between them when they visit Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery. Founded by the Great One, there's plenty to do when you visit the winery, which is located at 1219 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Along with tours, tastings, classes, and dining, in the winter you can even skate on the backyard ice rink. In the summers, visitors can dine in the beer garden, and the whisky bar is open with a limited menu year-round.
8. Château des Charmes
Château des Charmes is located on lovely grounds about 8 miles outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake at 1025 York Road in St. Davids. It was founded in the 1970s by a French winemaking family, the Bosc family. The winery is open daily, and there are a number of public and private experiences available to visitors. The public wine growing discovery tour costs $15 and features a tasting at the end. You can also make reservations for seated tastings and food and wine pairing experiences.
9. Stratus
Stratus has a very modern look and feel to it. In reviews, guests state they especially love the food and wine lab, a $30 tasting experience that teaches about pairing food and wine through the experience of tasting and comparing. Of course, visitors can also enjoy a straight tasting for $15 as well, and private tastings and tours are available with reservations. The winery is open daily and is located at 2059 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The winery is also available as a space for private events and weddings.
10. Konzelmann Estate Winery
Konzelmann Estate Winery sits lakefront, so the views are beautiful. It's located at 1098 Lakeshore Road in Niagra-on-the-Lake. While it has a full complement of reds, whites, sparkling wines, and ice wines, it's the ice wines at Konzelmann Estate Winery that receive the most acclaim from wine critics. The winery has a few different private and public tour and tasting experiences you can enjoy starting at $10, and reservations are required. One experience visitors seem to particularly enjoy is the $20 junk food tour and tasting in which you pair wines with fun junk foods. The winery is open daily and also has an events venue for private events such as weddings.
11. Southbrook Organic Vineyards
Southbrook Organic Vineyards is Canada's first certified organic, biodynamic winery. It offers a range of reds, whites, rosés, and ice wines. However, what sets Southbrook apart is an interesting wine you dont' see very often - an orange wine. Orange wines aren't orange flavored, but rather orange-ish in color because they're made with white wine grapes processesed as if they're red wines and left in contact with the skins for a period. They also offer a raspberry dessert wine that visitors seem to particularly enjoy tasting. The winery is located at 581 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is open daily, and visitors can enjoy a $10 premier tasting or a $25 grand tasting. Reservations for the grand tasting are not required but highly suggested, and you can book online.
7 Honorable Mentions for Top Niagara-on-the-Lake Wineries
While the above 11 wineries have received the most accolades and recognition as top wineries, the following also receive frequent mentions by visitors and bloggers as great wineries to visit.
- Two Sisters Vineyards is located at 240 John Street East in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It's open daily for tastings and tours, and visitors can also enjoy the Kitchen 76 restaurant.
- Colaneri Estate Winery is located at 348 Concession 6 Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The wine tasting fee for a public tasting is $10, and private tastings are also available. The winery is open daily.
- Pillitteri Estates Winery is located at 1696 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The winery is open daily for tours and tastings starting at $10.
- Megalomaniac Winery is located at 3930 Cherry Ave in nearby Vineland (24 miles outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake). The winery is open daily, and tasting flights start at $10.
- Caroline Cellars is open daily and located in nearby Virgil (4 miles outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake) at 1010 Line 2 Road. The winery offers all of their wines for tastings, many free of charge, as well as providing the opportunity for a number of tours and experiences.
- The Hare Wine Co. is located at 69 Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake and is open daily. Tastings start at $5.
- Tawse Winery is located about 24 miles outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake in Vineland at 3955 Cherry Avenue. The winery is open daily for drop in and private tastings with fees starting at $8.
Niagara-on-the-Lake's Best Wineries
Wine lovers have plenty of options when they visit wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario. With a cool weather climate perfect for producing ice wines, if you like your wines on the sweeter side, you'll love Niagara-on-the-Lake's wineries.
