There’s no better time to head to Niagara than now — October — when the region hums with the harvest. Here, where the highway gives way to two-lane roads and maples are changing colour, the brisk air has a clean edge and vineyards are heavy with plump bunches of fruit. A visit to wine country now both steadies the pulse and quickens it. The only question is where to go.
The answer: Lundy Manor Wine Cellars — a chateau-like escape just 90 minutes from Toronto, where the wine and the atmosphere are quietly extraordinary.
The atmosphere
Lundy Manor is a big, old country mansion surrounded by vineyards. It opened its doors in 2018 and makes remarkably good wine that sells for less than it probably should. The property, which used to be a private residence, was purchased in 2016 by Jessie Zhao. She renovated the estate, turned it into the winery it is today and runs it with general manager Daniel Wang. Adam Kern makes the wine.
Lundy Manor is at 9941 Lundy’s Lane in Niagara Falls, a road of deep, historical significance. Lundy’s Lane is where the famous Battle of Lundy’s Lane took place on July 25, 1814, between British and American forces, ultimately stopping the American invasion of Upper Canada.
While you’re there, roam the grounds and spend time in perched on the patio or lounging in a comfy club chair by the fireplace — glass in hand.
What to do
Saddle up to the bar to sample any three wines for $15, served in proper Riedel stemware. That fee is comped with the purchase of two bottles. Or book ahead for an estate wine tour and let the estate’s sommelier guide you through the winemaking process. You’ll head out to the vineyards, venture to the cellar and barrel room and finish with a glass of wine in hand. This one-hour tour costs $45/person.
If you love cheese, sign up for a guided tasting of four wines and four cheeses, sampled in the cellar. This book-ahead experience costs $30 per person.
Make the estate your home base for a getaway by renting one of four bright and handsomely appointed rooms on the second floor of Lundy Manor. The rooms are reasonably priced at $149.99 to $199.99/night. Though you’ll find coffee makers in each room, there’s no actual restaurant at the manor. So you’ll have to dine off-site for dinner and breakfast. But restaurants dot Lundy Lane. And the winery is just a 10-minute drive to Niagara Falls.
The food
Despite no commercial kitchen, Lundy Manor offers a small but tempting menu of finger foods. The cheese and charcuterie board ($20) comes with a delicious Lundy Manor Cabernet Franc Rosé Wine Jelly and crackers. The smoked mozzarella, sausage and bacon flatbread ($16.95) is excellent — especially with the 2016 Meritage. And the blue cheese and figs ($14.95) are fabulous with the 2016 Reisling Icewine.
Speaking of wine, here are the best wines to taste on your visit.
The wines to buy
2024 Riesling VQA Niagara Peninsula ($29.95)
Score 94
This Riesling shines water-white and exudes a steely, mineral, floral-lime scent. Gorgeous elegance in the glass — clean and lightning-bright. The expression is fresh but not shrill. Flavours suggest pineapple sorbet, bitter lime and kaffir-lime leaf before receding to a long, powdery finish, with a final note of lemon cream. Lip-smacking wine. The winemaker nails the sugar — acid balance — just so bang on. (12% alc. 16 g/L sugar)
2024 Lundy White VQA Niagara Peninsula ($19.95)
Score 92
This Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer blend starts with a chiselled complexity on the nose that recalls candied lemon, lychee, Mirabelle and apricot. That intriguing scent leads to a luminous and faintly Cabernet-Franc-spiced entry. Then suddenly, there’s apricot-lemon-Mirabelle again with a slight cherry-blackcurrant undertow. Close your eyes and you’d think this was a rosé. A little strawberry-rose flourish emerges on the finish, too. This wine gets better with each sip. (12% alc. 8 g/L sugar)
2024 Lundy Rosé, VQA Niagara Peninsula ($21.95)
Score 92
This Cabernet Franc seasoned with Chardonnay and Riesling shines silvery pink and smells like Niagara air — such purity — with a gentle, breezy whiff of ripe cherries. That fragrance leads to a clean, bright slip of sugared raspberry and lemon tart with faint apricot-pit grip. The finish is short but nicely textured. Here is a wine that’s dry and light, with lovely focus and precision. Just outstanding with a sliver of Gouda on a cracker with a dab of Cabernet Franc Rosé Jelly from the charcuterie board. (12.5% alc. 2 g/L sugar)
2017 Lundy Red, VQA Niagara Peninsula ($25.95)
Score 94
Great bones and tonnes of charm here. This blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Gamay and Cabernet Franc is drinking beautifully now at eight years old, yet it’s still quite youthful — doesn’t show its age at all, aside from suave complexity. The nose is crushed hazelnut and blackberry with a touch of cigar box, fig, date and violet. The flavours are lifted and perfumed. The entry is smooth yet lush. And each sip cascades with everything found on the nose. Gorgeous. (12% alc. 2 g/L sugar)
2016 Meritage VQA Twenty Mile Bench ($49.95)
Score 94
Meritage means a Bordeaux-style blend, and this deep, dark mix of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc recalls the reds from that respected French region. The dried-plum-tobacco-sultana fragrance leads to a generous, palate-drenching flood that’s plush and immediate. The flavours fan out with black forest fruit laced with dried plum, black walnut, a touch of tar, espresso bean and dark chocolate. While the palate is dense, cashmere-like and spicy, there’s much elegance here, too. Long. (13.5% alc. 4g/L sugar).
2016 Riesling Icewine VQA Niagara Peninsula ($59.95)
Score 96
The aroma of warm maple syrup rises from the glass first. Then, the almost viscous liquid glides in tasting luscious, yes, but balanced with mouth-watering acidity that snaps everything into focus. Astonishingly good. The flavours taste robust and explosive yet controlled, calling to mind maple-baked apples with a touch of blackstrap molasses on toast. Texture is broad and silken, each sip tapering to a long, persuasive finish that hums with spice, sap and maple-candied pecans. Irresistible chilled. (11.5% alc. 202 g/L sugar)
