My favorite place in Ontario for great food and wine is the Twenty Valley Region located between Jordan and Grimsby. Here you will find the towns of Jordan, Vineland, Beamsville and Grimsby. This area is evolving to great new heights producing hand-crafted world class wines, Michelin quality restaurants and luxury accommodations. With over fifty wineries, it is the largest wine producing region in Canada featuring many of Ontario’s best boutique wineries. Many are family run, set in the majestic natural beauty of the Niagara Escarpment. In fact, I was blown away by the Twenty Valley wine I have tried. It truly is world class. This is our little Sonoma. I’m very excited about the progress it has made and where it is heading.
The Twenty Valley Wine region is bordered by the Niagara Escarpment on the South and Lake Ontario to the North, with mineral rich soil in between. The Lake Effect results in moderate temperatures extending the growing season and creating a milder winter. This unique combination of earth and climate are what make the Twenty Valley region a special place to grow fruit and make craft wine “luring artisans dedicated to creating their own vision of perfection in a glass”.
A good time to visit the wineries is in June during the Graze the Bench event. It has become one of the most popular events in wine country. A cluster of boutique wineries in partnership with some of Niagara’s best chefs, provide food and wine paring along with live bands for your entertainment. Please check for latest information regarding events.
Recommended Wineries and Food Venues
2024 Update
In 2023 and 2024 we discovered a few more wineries in the Twenty Valley region that we highly recommend: 180 Estate Winery in Jordan, Villa Romana and Vieni Estates in Beamsville. A notable mention also goes to 13th St. Winery, and Foreign Affair Winery.
We really loved 180 Estate Winery because they have great wine and food, and the staff are exceptional. It is a small family run winery that is dedicated to quality. The bourbon red is full bodied and rich, something I never expected to find in Ontario. We tried several other reds and were equaly impressed. We also love Living the Dream, a white sparkly with a delicate effervescence and the Pink Vidal spritz which is a heavenly summer drink. Recently tried the 2021 Gewurztraminer, I typically prefer buttery Chardonnays but this was an excellent dry white full of flavour. I would buy it again. They have indoor seating and when the weather is nice you can sit outside right beside the vineyard. Make a reservation because they are busy!
Villa Romana is another gem in the Twenty Valley region. It is a small family run winery that continues the old world wine making tradition inherited from their vineyards in Italy. From their website: “We put our heart & soul into growing our grapes, hand-harvesting in small lots, with dedication to producing quality wines that we hope you will love.” I can attest that you will love them. The owner, Ugo, is certainly passionate about wine making. He gave us a run down of some key aspects of the process and proudly presented his wines for tasting. We tasted three reds, a white sparking and a Chardonnay and loved them all. Can’t wait to buy more and visit again in the summer!
Vieni Estates is another winery on the must visit and taste the wine list. Great sparkling, buttery Chardonnays and delicious full bodied reds. They also have this drink called Fashionably late which is a blend of vodka and white wine. It may not sound great, but it is. It tastes like a nice summer drink, not heavy, not fruity, just right. We buy several bottles every time we go. It is worth trying.
We used to drink a lot of California Chardonnays and big Cabs because Ontario just didn’t have what we liked, well no more. The wines in this region are top notch and on par. These are now our go to wines.
Voted Canada’s best restaurant in 2018 by Air Canada’s Enroute Magazine, and getting praise from the New York Times for the wines, Pearl Morissette in Jordan Ontario, is getting well deserved recognition and rave reviews by virtually everyone that has been to the restaurant and winery. This is as good as it gets. It is not listed in many of the brochures of the region, but those who love wine, know all about it.
Pearl Morissette was born when classically trained wine maker François Morissette met Mel Pearl, a Toronto developer who was ready and willing to finance a project. François, having worked on the Grand Cru terroirs in France, has an approach of minimal-intervention, purity, and low sulphur in wine making. And the wine is as good as I’ve tried in Napa and Sonoma, although a Cab Franc is more like a French red than a California Cabernet. The 2012 Chardonnay and 2012 Cabernet Franc Madeline are excellent. They are no longer for sale online, but you can purchase them at the restaurant with your dinner until the stock runs out. The Chardonnay was rich and complex and one of the best I have ever tasted. The Madeline is rich and full bodied and has a nice plum finish. I look forward to trying more!
The food is every bit as outstanding as the wine. Chef Daniel Hadida and co-chef Eric Robertson take pride in serving French-inspired fresh, high quality ingredients from small-scale organic farms in the surrounding region. The Chefs are both Ontario natives and have cooked in some of Europe’s best kitchens (notably Septime in Paris and Wulf in Belgium) before finding their way home.
The staff is extremely knowledgeable about food and wine, and quite passionate about working at Pearl Morissette. They treat the patrons very well and that makes it such a pleasure to dine there; along with the food and wine of course! The restaurant has a no tip policy. They decided to take that out of the equation and provide their staff with good compensation that such professionals deserve.
I’ve eaten at a lot of fine restaurants, but this takes it to a whole new level. No words can adequately describe how good the food is here. It’s a tasting menu with the freshest ingredients so well prepared that each bite bursts with an abundance of flavor. For example, we’ve all tried fresh dill before, but this simple ingredient tasted like no other dill I have ever tried! And the beet in the photo above was unbelievable! I had no idea how much flavor it can have. It was like trying fine dining for the first time.
Looking back at my photos, my mouth is watering…that sourdough bread with fresh whipped butter was so tasty, that raw scallop with dill was unlike anything I have tried, and oh the fig ice cream! Everything was SO good! If you are a foodie, Pearl Morissette is an absolute must-try. I’m so proud of what Ontario has achieved!
Megalomaniac Winery is a beautiful estate that reminds me of some of the Sonoma wineries. The tasting room is elegant, serving equally elegant wines. We both especially liked the Chardonnays; they are on par with California wines. And we tried a Cab Franc that was impressive.
Organized Crime is a boutique limited production winery with some very unique wines. They are passionate about the hand crafted wines they produce. We both enjoyed the 2012 “Download” which is a red blend.
Hidden Bench is a beautiful “artisanal, terroir-focused winery dedicated to crafting premium wines from their own certified organic estate vineyards”. And they have excellent Chardonnays! I regularly buy their Chardonnay along with Pearl Morissette. Plus they have a comfortable patio to relax in with a toasty outdoor fireplace.
Malivoire is one of the older wineries established in 1996 by a former Special Effects Director in film, Martin Malivoire. He pioneered an eco-centric approach to wine making in the region. The winery, right across the street from our B&B, was the one we frequented the most. They have a reasonably priced Chardonnay that is full bodied, somewhat buttery and not tart. And they have a very nice white sparkly. We tried a Cab Franc which was also very good.
Thirty Bench makes a small lot Cab Franc 2015 that has won awards (Platinum and Gold) and is getting rave reviews. We bought a bottle to take home and subsequently polished it off with some nice cheese from the Niagara region. It was heaven. In a blind taste test, I doubt anyone would guess this is an Ontario wine. Such richness and complexity that you would not expect from our colder climate. This winery is right on “the bench” tucked beneath the Escarpment which offers a longer season that allow grapes more time to ripen and cooler nights that help intensify flavors. Their Chardonnays are excellent as well. Next visit we must try some of the other wines, the Rieslings in the region are known to be good. I’m not a fan of tart or sweet wines (unless it’s a desert wine) but certainly worth exploring a few other styles.
Peninsula Ridge The grounds are extremely beautiful, with vineyards, a pond, lavender and other beautiful flowers, plus an excellent restaurant. This is a must see. I had the Beal Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay 2015 which was very good (along with a Caesar salad with large prawns) and my husband had a great Beamsville Bench IPA (and a juicy burger). The restaurant is highly recommended by foodies. The Kitchen House at Peninsula Ridge
The Good Earth Food and Wine Co is another excellent venue for farm fresh local food with beautiful serene surroundings.
Inn on the Twenty, in the beautiful village of Jordan, has an excellent restaurant and high end accommodations. We ate at this restaurant a few times and can confirm that the food is excellent. This was one the first restaurants in the area to combine regional farm fresh food with local wines.
Other notable restaurants:
- 180 Estate Winery has great food
- Just Cooking has excellent Italian food
- The restaurant at Vineland Estates
- August Restaurant in Beamsville
- 270 Bench Kitchen
- Root 8 Vegan Restaurant
- Jordan House for casual delicious pub food and good quality inexpensive accommodations
Other notable wineries:
There are many more wineries in the Twenty Valley region, these are just some of my picks. Go to the Twenty Valley web site to see a full list of wineries. Get out there and explore.
Another place to stop by is the Beamsville Bench Brewery. You can get a tasting of various beers, plus info on how they are made and what the nuances are. One of our favorite IPAs is made here: Balls Falls IPA. And they have a great patio and seasonal kitchen using local ingredients. 
Where to stay
If you are going to explore wineries, you may want to stay overnight. There are many excellent B&Bs, AirB&B options and a few Inns. Here are my favourites:
If you enjoy luxury and don’t mind paying the price, then Inn on the Twenty in Jordan is the best place to stay. They do have good deals that include a 3 course dinner and breakfast for two, so check out their web site. We lucked out and managed to get one of the deals that included a garden suite, a bottle of wine and a great meal at the Inn on the Twenty Restaurant.
Jordan House is the Inn on the Twenty budget version near the main hotel. We stayed there as well. It is inexpensive, clean and a good option. Nothing fancy.
The Orchard Croft B&B located among the vineyards, is getting great reviews and is usually booked solid.
Bonnybank B&B is also well recommended.
Enjoy your visit to the Twenty Valley Region!
