Last Sunday for my birthday, my boyfriend and I drove an hour out to wine country, and did a Niagara-on-the-Lake wine tour. After a quick pit-stop at the Outlet Collection at Niagara (can’t miss out on a Kate Spade and Lululemon outlet! ha), we visited Trius Vineyards for a Sparkling Wine Tour.
I’m a big fan of their sparkling wine, and it’s my choice local bubby when it’s someone’s birthday. We did a wine tasting first (their Cabernet Franc Ice Wine was a decadent dessert in itself), and ended up taking a bottle of their famous smokey Trius Red home for a future BBQ and s’mores. The tour itself was great, we were led by Bob who took us through the process of producing a bottle of sparkling wine, méthode classique, and even got to peek inside the infamous barrel room. It was interesting learning about the bottling process, the bottles themselves, and how the wine industry is expected to expand exponentially in the next few years as people leave spirits for grapes. At the end, we enjoyed a sparkling wine tasting and Bob opened a bottle with a sabre!
The grounds themselves were really pretty, and while you couldn’t prance around the vines, the lookout and restaurant patio offered a great view. We also noticed a helipad on the grounds, which incidentally, is where Wayne Gretzky lands his helicopter when he comes to visit his winery. Trius’ plant crushes and processes grapes for Peller, and Wayne Gretzky Estates as well.
After our Niagara-on-the-Lake wine tour, we headed to the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The conservatory was filled with thousands of beautiful butterflies that were very active in the late afternoon! I had a few land on me and a guide let me hold a monarch that just hatched from his chrysalis that afternoon. It was a great photo opp, and was located on the beautiful grounds of the Niagara Botanical Garden.
I stayed classic and casual in a silk Babaton shirt dress from Aritzia (similar blush dress), leather Anemone sandals c/o Iris Sandals (similar leather sandals), a purple bag from Kate Spade, gold bow bangle also from Kate Spade and “Uptown Girl” makeup c/o Charlotte Tilbury.
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As the sun started to set, we ended our day at Niagara-on-the-Lake with an obligatory trip to the Falls. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening, and the perfect opportunity to watch the wineries buzzing with activity during the harvest and wine festival. I can’t wait to visit again soon, and enjoy another Niagara-on-the-Lake wine tour and tasting! If you live in the GTA or Buffalo and love wine, it’s a must do!
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