Tasting Gold Award Wines in Beamsville, Ontario

Visiting and Touring Vineyards in the Bench Region of Niagara

Oct 13, 2009

Beamsville has one of the best grape growing regions in the province. Spend the day touring vineyards and tasting wine that is produced here along the Niagara Peninsula.

This part of southern Ontario is often referred to as the Beamsville Bench because of where it is located on the Niagara Escarpment. The dry soil and downward slope of the terrain creates ideal conditions for grape growing.

Bench wines are characteristically intense with flavour. The growing season here is longer than in the other appellations of the region and the cool evenings and constant breeze off of Lake Ontario ensures that the vines are well aerated.

There are more than a dozen vineyards to visit in Beamsville. The following three wineries have been awarded Gold in the 2009 Ontario Wine Awards.

Fielding Estate Winery and Vineyard Tours

Fielding’s bright and airy tasting lodge is open seven days a week with tours of the winery available all year (call for an appointment November – May.) Large windows offer spectacular views of the vines, and in the distance Lake Ontario and the skyline of Toronto.

Winemaker, Richie Roberts’ tasting notes for the 2007 Viognier is, “fresh peach, lime and poached pear with a long finish.”

Although the Viognier is a little pricey, $30.00 a bottle, Fielding also has many affordable wines for under $20.00.

Tasting Small Lot Wines at Thirty Bench Vineyards

Don’t be fooled by the rustic barn exterior of Thirty Bench Vineyards, this is one of the regions most exclusive wineries. The benefit to producing only small lot wines is that each vintage is carefully created by hand. Of course this also means they can be difficult to purchase and many of the varietals are limited to six bottles per person.

Winemaker, Natalie Reynolds’ tasting notes for the 2007 Riesling is, “Bartlett pear and sweet citrus, accented with a touch of mineral and spring blossoms.”

Unfortunately this wine is now considered a library wine, which means what is left of it is currently being held back for further ageing and “possible future release.”

Legends Estate Winery Located on Lake Ontario

This lakeside vineyard may not be fancy or very large when compared to the other wineries in the area but the wines (particularly the whites) of Legends Estate make it worth a visit.

Winemaker, Serge Papineau’s tasting notes for the 2008 Malbec Rosé, “the aroma is a distinct blend of strawberry and grapefruit, but tastes like a bowl full of cherries.”

Many of Legends wines are priced below $20.00 and the winning Rosé is only $14.95, which means it doesn’t have to be a special occasion to open this bottle.

Beamsville is approximately an hour and a half drive from downtown Toronto, making it an easy destination for wine tasting in Southern Ontario. Download a map and spend an afternoon tasting the award winning wines of the Beamsville Bench.

The copyright of the article Tasting Gold Award Wines in Beamsville, Ontario in Canadian Wine is owned by Allison Anthony. Permission to republish Tasting Gold Award Wines in Beamsville, Ontario in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.