Wine aficionados and foodies had the delight of enjoying an international spread at Reif Estate Winery over the weekend.
Visitors to the 52-year-old winery on Niagara Parkway were sampling six different kinds of cuisine with their wines.
Richardson Matias was busy rolling sushi and torching salmon on behalf of Danny’s Sushi from Niagara Falls.
Originally from the Philippines, he has been cooking with Danny’s Sushi for two years.
Matias seared the top of a salmon nigiri dish and glazed it with a spicy teriyaki sauce before offering it to a pair of diners with two sushi rolls, one with white tuna and cucumber, the other with salmon and avocado.
For those who prefer lamb, cooks and servers from Kaashi – an Indian restaurant also from Niagara Falls – were offering a lamb methi with buttery-yellow sauce on rice.
There were also some Mediterranean, Peruvian and Italian dishes on offer from other restaurants in Niagara.
Oya Ege and Valentina Axenova were both visiting from Toronto and got to sample these viticulture and culinary delights.
Good wine isn’t really about the country of origin, Ege said.
Turkey, for example, produces good wine despite lacking the international clout of Italy or Spain, Axenova said.
“It really depends on the grape and your taste,” Ege said.
Ege said she tends to lean toward a good Cabernet Sauvignon.
“She used to be Merlot drinker,” Axenova said, “and I introduced her to Cabernet Sauvignon.”
Beth Zola and Michelle Domescek were visiting from Amherst, N.Y., near Buffalo.
Domescek said she’s been coming to Niagara-on-the-Lake since about 1993 and is always impressed with the quality of the wine and service.
“The experience here with the servers is really special,” she said.
The two friends agreed the wine on this side of the Niagara River was better than what they could get at home.
