Between 10:30am yesterday and 10:30am today we (Nellie, myself, and CBJ+M) drove to Niagara, stopped at five wineries (Leaning Post, Hidden Bench, Kew, Tawse, and Southbrook), a brewpub for lunch (Merchant Ale House), a brewery (Silversmith), and a pie place (The Pie Plate) before arriving at our friends’ place in NotL, where demolished a cheese board, drank some excellent wine, ate an enormous roast (the afore-mentioned four-boner), enjoyed a chilly fire, played some Wii tennis (!), slept it all off, ate some breakfast, and drove home.

Hidden Bench is where we did the most damage, but Leaning Post was the big find of the day. None of us had been before, but we all really liked their wines. Also, Ilya and Nadia were incredibly nice. Great first stop on the way into wine country.

Here’s what we brought home, and a few pictures from the day:

• Hidden Bench 2011 Tete de Cuvee Chardonnay (x3)
• Hidden Bench 2011 “La Brunante” (x2)
• Hidden Bench 2012 Nuit Blanche
• Hidden Bench 2013 Locust Lane Rose
• Kew Blanc de Noir
• Leaning Post 2013 “The Fifty” Unoaked Chardonnay
• Leaning Post 2013 Gamay
• Leaning Post 2013 Foxcroft Vineyard Riesling
• Leaning Post 2012 Keczan Vineyard Syrah
• Southbrook 2009 “Married Young” Cabernet
• Southbrook 2012 “Minerality” Chardonnay
• Tawse 2010 David’s Block Cabernet Franc