Richard Magnusson marked his 47th birthday in Niagara-on-the-Lake this weekend, where he, his wife and friends spent the afternoon sipping and touring local wineries as part of November’s Taste of the Season passport.
They ended up at Pillitteri Estates Winery, where he said the experience felt different from others because their tastings take place on the second floor right above the production tanks.
“It is different in a good way,” said Magnusson. “The food and the wine just clicked, and the whole space has this industrial feel since you are right above where they make the wine.”
His friend Serena Eckert said the change of setting made the stop stand out.
“It makes you feel like you are getting a bit of a peek behind the curtain,” said Eckert.
The pass offers eight holiday-themed food and wine pairings each weekend through November. It gives visitors a way to explore seasonal flavours while sampling from 24 of NOTL’s wineries as they head into the holidays.
Guests choose their route, scan in at each stop and collect a pairing created specially for the event.
The fall passport sits between summer and the icewine season, a quieter window for most wineries.
Visitors come from across the region, including Hamilton friends Christina Versacio and Alexis Marquis at Ravine Vinyard Winery, who treat the November pass as a yearly tradition.
“You feel like every stop has its own sort of personality,” said Versacio.
Ravine Vineyard returned to the passport experience after stepping away during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, they’re offering a braised short rib taco served with optional pineapple salsa in their barrel cellar with the 2022 Sand and Gravel Cabernet.
“To be back a part of that passport program has just been wonderful for us,” said co-owner Alex Harber.
Harber said their kitchen chose the taco because short rib is already a staple on their menu.
As for who’s been coming out to these tastings, he said it runs the gamut: “You get everything from locals to people coming in from Pittsburgh.”
At Pillitteri Estates Winery, guests tried a steamed pork dumpling with a spicy umami sauce paired with the 2023 Bring Me Flowers Gewurztraminer Riesling blend.
“The sesame soy sauce balances really well with that,” said staff member Sierra Fowler.
Pillitteri staff member Supreen Brar said attendance reached more than 100 on Saturday, Nov. 15, with attendees enjoying the unique flavour combinations.
“The pairing was something I would never think to try at home, and that is kind of the fun of it,” said Eve Eckert.
Meanwhile, over at Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate, visitors sampled cranberry rosemary scones with Devonshire cream and chutney paired with a Grand Reserve Pinot Noir.
It wasn’t just the professional wineries taking part in the festivities: Niagara College’s teaching winery is also part of the event, offering butternut squash soup with pumpkin seed granola paired with the 2021 Balance barrel-fermented Chardonnay.
The teaching winery first opened in 2000 as Canada’s first commercial teaching winery and operates as a non-profit learning environment for future winemakers.
“All the money spent here goes back to the students,” said staff member Tyler Laws. “You can think of it as drinking for the kids or drinking for a cause.”
Taste of the Season continues every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through November with both wine and non-alcoholic options available at each stop.
