Inniskillin Niagara Estate

If you visit one winery on a Niagara trip, make it Inniskillin, and if you taste one wine, make it the icewine. The estate sits just off the Niagara Parkway on the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake, about twenty minutes north of the falls, and it holds a special place in Canadian wine history. Founded in 1975 by Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser, it received one of the first new winery licences issued in Ontario since Prohibition, and in 1991 its Vidal icewine won a top international award at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, the moment the wider world discovered that a cold corner of Canada could make one of the great sweet wines. Icewine is made from grapes left on the vine until they freeze hard in winter, then picked and pressed while still frozen, so only a few drops of intensely sweet, concentrated juice run out; the result tastes of tropical fruit, honey and bright acidity, and Niagara remains one of its world capitals. The visit is easy and well organised. Regular tours and tastings run several times a day on a first-come, first-served basis and take you behind the scenes before ending with samples; the seated Icewine Experience is a guided tasting of three icewines with a wine educator; and private tastings can be booked for small groups. The estate is open year-round, with shorter hours in winter but late opening on Friday and Saturday evenings from November through February, when the Tunnel of Light installation, fire pits and wine by the glass turn the grounds into an evening outing. A casual grill serves food on weekends. Prices for tours and tastings are moderate, with premium experiences costing more and requiring a minimum spend for private bookings.

Why Niagara makes icewine: the Niagara Peninsula sits between Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment, a combination that moderates summer and autumn temperatures enough to ripen grapes, yet reliably delivers the hard freezes of December and January that icewine needs. The harvest happens at night or before dawn at temperatures well below freezing, by hand, in snow, and the yield is tiny compared with normal wine, which is why icewine is sold in slim half-bottles and priced accordingly. Inniskillin makes it from several grapes, but Vidal and Riesling are the classics, and a side-by-side tasting shows the difference between Vidal's lush tropical fruit and Riesling's sharper citrus edge.

How to visit: drive the Niagara Parkway north from the falls, past the Floral Clock and Queenston, and turn inland near the parkway's last stretch before Niagara-on-the-Lake; parking is on site. Public tours are first come, first served at set times, so arrive early on Saturdays; groups larger than six need a private reservation. Book the Icewine Experience if icewine is the point of your visit, because the educator-led format teaches you how to taste and pair it. In winter, time your visit for a Friday or Saturday evening and stay for the Tunnel of Light. The estate is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day and closes early on the eves. Designate a driver or join a wine tour from Niagara Falls.

Who it suits: couples above all, as a relaxed afternoon in wine country; history buffs interested in how Canadian wine came of age; and first-time visitors who want a taste of the region beyond the falls. Families can visit, and minors are welcome on tours at a reduced rate, but there is little for young children to do. Combine it with lunch and a stroll in Niagara-on-the-Lake Old Town for one of the best half-days in the region, in any season.