Ravine Vineyard

We went to a restaurant in Toronto a couple weeks back and had a glass of Riesling with dinner. Riesling's are normally a safe wine to order when in doubt, but this one was different from the rest. We looked up the name and it came from Ravine Vineyard and we were happy to find out that it was located near the Niagara on the Lake region! Coincidentally, we had plans to go to Niagara Falls that week, so we decided to stop off at the winery to check it out.

We didn't know what to expect when we got there, as it seemed like a smaller winery. We took a tour of the winery to get some more information and background about the wine, the company and the history. The history of the houses went back 100+ years ago, with a long story to tell. The wine itself was amazing as well! Unfortunately, the houses had a history of fires, but they were able to salvage whatever they could and rebuild. All the woodwork you'll see in the below pictures were hand carved and original pieces.

It was nice to take the tour of the winery because we got the chance to find out what they do onsite. Their restaurant next door is even more impressive as they grow most of their ingredients themselves, from the tomatoes they use to make the pasta sauce, to the sprouts they use to garnish their dishes, to the cured meats they use from their animal farm. We didn't have plans to eat there, but after hearing what they do, we couldn't resist. Although we weren't even that hungry, we decided to order a few items off the appetizer section; the butternut squash soup, house cured charcuterie plate and their house cured prosciutto. Everything melted in our mouths and tasted so fresh!

I encourage you to stop by if you're in the area! The tour's $10 -- it's half an hour and includes three tastings of their wine. And if you have time, be sure to grab a bite to eat at their restaurants as well!