Modern Travel: A day trip to fill your glass in Niagara’s wine country

L-R: Jay “Eyes Closed” Kana, Craig “Super” Silva, Eddie “Niagara Expert” Chau

Ah, summer!
Where day trips and road trips are nearly mandatory and with the pandemic restrictions easing, small getaways are increasing in popularity.
I try and do as many trips as possible yearly, with the majority happening in the summer. Usually they’re solo trips but for a wine country trip to Niagara, I rounded up two terrific friends to join me.
Craig Silva and Eddie Chau. I’ve known Craig for several years and interestingly, he and I were on a press trip to Philadelphia in 2019, which included Eddie. We got along like a house on fire and decided a day trip to Niagara was a great way to reconnect since the pandemic prevented it.

The plan: Hit up a few wineries, do some tastings, enjoy the weather, stop for lunch and see how many pictures featured me with my eyes closed.

The vehicle: A 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 X-Dynamic, complete with the bigger six cylinder engine, plenty of power and a strong presence on the road.
Yes, it’s the two-door version and there were three of us, so Eddie, being the most nimble, ruled the rear seat and was able to get in and out with ease.

Here’s how the day went…

Winery 1: Henry of Pelham

We arrived at 10:50-something, ahead of their 11:00 am opening time.
My philosophy in life? If you’re not early, you’re late.
Craig and Eddie each ordered flights for their tastings, which came with complimentary popcorn, while yours truly took but a sip from each of theirs at the end, followed by a bottle of water.
Gotta be a responsible driver, right? Right.
The winery actively engages in social distancing from floor signs to a QR code to sign in and masks are (at the time of publishing) required.
The team was friendly, explained in brief detail about each wine and answered our questions with ease.
We savoured our samples on their quaint patio and collectively agreed that this was the right choice for our first stop. Overall we enjoyed the clean venue, friendly staff, good wine.

Now, back in the Defender 90 for a short drive to…

Winery 2: Niagara College Teaching Winery

With the warm summer breeze sifting through my hair, Craig and Eddie chatting about how cool our destination is, we rolled up to the Niagara College Teaching Winery.
The more outdoor time the better in summer, so our choice of seating was at a tent patio. Or is it patio tent? Moving on.
Again, a flight for the boys was ordered with four per flight and again, I would take a single sip from only a couple of them.
This was the only spot where both Craig and Eddie loved all of their choices.
No bad days, no bad wines here. In fact, it was so good that Craig picked up a few bottles to take home!
Impressively, it’s the only fully licensed teaching winery in Canada, is spread across 38 acres of vineyards, and now there’s a teaching brewery and a teaching distillery.

Lunch: Bricks & Barley

Eddie grew up in the Niagara region and we deferred to him for our lunch spot.
He kept saying “Wachos! Wachos! We must go for the wachos!”
What are wachos? They’re nachos with waffle fries.
Waffle. Fries. Replacing. Nacho. Chips.
Any guesses on if we sat inside or outside?
We were quickly seated on the patio and ordered chicken wings, a wood-fired pizza and something else I can’t recall…
We all made solid choices with the wachos living up to the hype and the pizza being the first to be finished, followed closely by the wings.
The service was prompt and cheerful, considering it was a full patio and we’ll keep letting Eddie make food choices for us in wine country. 

Winery 3: Chateau Des Charmes

Fortunately, all three of us are very familiar with this beautiful winery and their offerings.
Sometimes it’s the right choice to come back somewhere familiar; this was definitely that time.
Seated beneath a massive patio tent (tent patio?) we were warmly greeted, given a once over on the tasting menu, and the wine guys placed their orders.
The property is stunning to begin with and enjoying it on an August afternoon is absolutely astounding.
Good wine, great people framed by summer air makes for a terrific third stop.

Winery 4: Strewn Winery

Wrapping up the day, we shuffled to…well, the Defender 90 shuffled to, Strewn Winery, where we did our tasting indoors. We didn’t make a reservation (rookie mistake that we can chalk up to the pandemic and this being our first adventure in months) but regardless, the experience scored high marks.
Our sommelier was knowledgable, patient and engaged with Eddie like an old friend.
Yes, full social distancing measures were thoroughly implemented and adhered to by all and didn’t take away from the pleasant experience we had there.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 images

All in all, it was a delightful day filled with wine, food, friends, jokes and a bolstered bond between brothers.
The Defender 90, despite its two doors, was a suitable driving companion offering comfort and a smooth ride the entire day.

Craig’s a stand up guy and can be found here.
Eddie’s equally excellent and can be found here.