Good food and a complementary wine make for a great dining experience, and nowhere in Niagara is there a better places to enjoy VQA wines and superb cuisine than a winery or VQA GOLD award-winning restaurant.
Even casual dining - hors d'oevres, snack & finger foods, brick-oven pizza, a grilled burger, fresh-shucked oysters, a bowl of chili or simple cheese tray - is better enjoyed with a glass of wine.
Enjoy the oppulence of a luxurious dining room, the enchantment of the wine cellar, the shade of a patio umbrella, the bustle on the deck, gentle breezes on the lakeshore, a picnic table along the Niagara Parkway, or an award-winning restaurant that proudly serves and promotes Niagara VQA wines - wines that can be enjoyed with family, friends and wine lovers anywhere, with anything. ( Niagara winery dining rooms, cafés, decks & patios listing )
VQA Ontario also recognizes restaurants whose wine lists give preference to VQA Ontario wines. ( more ... )
Throughout the year, some of the larger Niagara wineries offer "winemakers' dinners" - each a multi-course, haute-cuisine banquet prepared by talented chefs and paired with wines selected by the winemaker. As each course and wine are served, the chef and the winemaker explain in detail the preparation of the dish and the character of the wine that makes it a good accompaniment. These culinary events can be staged in the winery dining room, barrel cellar, banquet hall, private room or at a VQA GOLD 'Award of Excellence' designated restaurant.
Because most Niagara wineries do not have food preparation or dining facilities on-site, select Niagara restaurants and premier inns take on the task and feature Niagara wines - usually from a single winery - as the basis for "winemakers' dinners".