Your adventure starts at Niagara Landing, a winery whose roots reach back to the late 1800’s.  Here you’ll enjoy a tour of the vineyard and a wine tasting, of course.  A short drive will bring you to Freedom Run Winery where the Manning family motto is, “We view wine as art.”  You’ll be certain to enjoy the scenic grounds and the panorama of the Escarpment region.  Drink in the history of Freedom Run Winery, a name inspired by runaway slaves who came through this area on their last leg of the Underground Railroad.  Just ten minutes away you’ll find Warm Lake Estates, a winery renowned for its Pinot Noir.  In 2007 the Wine Spectator magazine rated Warm Lakes’ Pinot Noir higher than any other Pinot Noir in New York State.  Exploring the wonders of this world class winery is a great way to close our trip.
Light snacks and bottled water are provided, and you are encouraged to bring your own food and wine to enjoy while in transit.

We chose this tour to allow a full appreciation of the scenic wonders the Niagara Wine Trail offers.  Starting with a tour at Niagara Landing, we proceed in a leisurely drive up to the Winery at Marjim Manor, a grand mansion built in the 1800’s, that has served as a farm and then as a convent during its history.  The winery is home to many spirits, including some ghosts who’ve found the 9500 square foot mansion so welcoming that they’ve never left!
Heading south from the shore of Lake Ontario, we arrive at Vizcarra Vineyards, a family owned winery that focuses on family fun.  Take in the pastoral pleasures of this winery and working farm.  Here you can enjoy the lunch you’ve brought, or sample the many homemade treats from the on-site bakery such as gourmet cookies and fresh fruit pies.  Our last stop is a beautiful winery that is part of a 78 acre estate that features a spring fed lake (hence the name, Spring Lake Winery!).    The winery features a Tuscan like setting, affording an opportunity to stroll through the woods or to enjoy the art works inside the tasting rooms.

Our first stop is the incomparable Château des Charmes.  The grounds of the Chateau including the winery, awe inspiring tasting rooms, an outdoor courtyard and rose gardens.  The ambiance is romantic and French.  The wines are award winning and regarded as among the finest in the world.   Be certain to glimpse the owner’s family chateau (across the street), complete with stables for Egyptian-Arabian purebred horses.

Our next stop is Inniskillin, a winery with a Gaelic flavor.  Inniskillin was among a handful of pioneering wineries that established NOTL as a world class wine producing region.   Here you can browse at your own pace on a self guided tour and appreciate the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired architecture.  Connoisseurs will appreciate the knowledge of Inniskillin staff members who are experts in wine-food pairing and proper glass selection for optimum vintage enjoyment. 

We finish the tour in grand style at Peller Estates, a beautiful Chateau that springs from the midst of lush vineyards.  The restaurant here received the highest food rating by Zagat readers.  Discerning wine lovers will appreciate the premium vintages that are crafted here.

Our 8 hour tour allows you add a relaxing visit to the Niagara-on-the-Lake village at the end of your tour.  You can meander through the quaint Victorian town at your own pace or make meal reservations.  We can make suggestions for dinners or lunches and you may make reservations, or you can let us handle everything.  If expense is not an issue, consider dining at the Chateau des Charmes or Peller Estates—you will be amazed at the subtle pleasures that arise from the proper wine-food pairings.

Our first stop is Johnson Estate Winery, the oldest estate winery in all of New York.  Nearly 200 years old, the Johnson family meticulously oversees every aspect of the wine production.  Their ‘chateau‘philosophy is that a smaller vineyard produces superior wine because all grapes are harvested at their optimum ripeness.

Our second stop takes us from the old to the new.  Mazza Chautauqua Cellars is the newest winery in the region.  The main tasting room is a beautiful Mediterranean style villa which provides the perfect backdrop for enjoying a wine tasting.  Mazza was also chosen because it is Western New York’s only distillery.  This gives you the opportunity to try fine fruit brandy made from local fruit.

As we head toward home, our final stop is the venerable Merritt Winery in Forestville.  Here you’ll find everything you expect in a winery—a vineyard tour, extensive array of wines to taste and a relaxing outdoor pavilion.   

Our Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Tour gives you a little of the old, the new and the best.  As always, you may alter this itinerary should you want to add or delete wineries to suit your needs.

This is our favorite tour because it blends a gothic mansion, a rustic winery over looking a beautiful lake and a fun tour of a winery with a ton of personality. We leave Buffalo headed east, landing at Sonneberg Gardens. Sonnenberg is a fully restored mansion with 52 acres of gardens, lawns and forest. On the grounds we'll sample the offerings of the Finger Lakes Wine Center. Although the beautiful mansion is not itself a winery, it provides an inspiring place to sample wines from several vintners in one place.

We could stay here for an entire day, but we need to move on to Fox Run Vineyards on the shore of Seneca Lake. Fox Run retains the family flavor of a smaller vineyard and offers excellent views of the lake from its sundeck.

Our last stop is at Bully Hill Winery in Hammondsport, at the southern tip of Keuka Lake. Bully Hill's tour is renowned for its fun; you're likely to laugh while learning about wine and the business of wine making on the guided tour.

This tour allows you to sample the wineries of three Finger Lakes, Canandaigua, Seneca and Keuka. Each of the three wineries offers restaurant of areas for picnicking.

As always, you may alter this itinerary should you want to add or delete wineries to suit your needs.