Buffalo/Niagara Region
Libations
The Niagara Wine Trail is the newest of the Upstate Wine Trails, but it’s wineries, cideries, breweries, and distilleries are producing some great libations. Part of the reason for the region’s success is that the world’s 9th biggest lake, Lake Ontario, is the protector of grapes as the days grow colder. The 6 quadrillion gallons of water in the lake take a while to freeze and when the wind blows to the south over the lake, it keeps the grapes from freezing. That is why the winery with the longest growing season on the East Coast of the U.S. is in this area.
Niagara Wine Trail
23-Wineries, 4-Cideries, 1-Distillery, 3-Breweries, 1-Meadery
The Basics - This is the only upstate NY Wine Trail that isn’t around a Lake. It starts in the western suburbs of Rochester and goes all the way to Buffalo. Most of the wineries are within 10 miles of Route 104. Medina or Lockport are the best places to start and end from because the are both fun towns that are near most of the libation stations.
Most popular Wine Varietals - Cabernet Franc, Blaufrankish, Rose
Best Wineries/Cideries - Chateau Niagara (Saperavi - very unique), Leonard Oakes (Port, Vignoles, Ciders), Blackbird Cidery (great dry, hopped, and flavored ciders)
Fun Destinations - Leonard Oakes - every summer they have a Steampunk Festival that is a lot of fun. Most people dress up in weird mechanical costumes, or like the 2 people to the right. The festival has bands, acrobats, food, and of course Steampunk Cider. Marjim Manor - the wines aren’t that good, but the house that the winery is in supposedly is haunted and many people have felt a presence when they are there, Flight of Five Winery in Lockport is named after a set of 5 locks in the original Erie Canal, and within a 1/4 mile of the tasting room you can go on an underground boat ride which used to be where the diverted water from the locks flowed or you could Zip line across the 85 foot high gorge.