Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/375259
(opposite top l-r) valerie howes (2), niagara-on-the-lake, ravine vineyard, (top far right) valerie howes F a l l 2 0 1 4 | w e s t w o r l d 33 approachable, like Betty herself," adds Wille. Family is at the heart of the Good Earth story: Novak took over the 22-hectare property from her father, a peach farmer, in 1987, and turned it into a winery, bistro and cooking school. She replanted three hectares of orchard with Cabernet Franc and Riesling grapes – cold- climate varietals that thrive here – saving a few stone fruit trees to honour the past and keep the boutique well stocked in house-made preserves. Rather than head to the tasting room, Illya and I opt for a paired lunch. Food creates context and gives Wille the opportunity to broaden our horizons. Her dimples flash as she brings a bot- tle of Pinot Noir from the honey-coloured din- ing room. I'm surprised to see red; I've ordered nasturtium-garnished pan-fried salmon. "Peo- ple think you have to have white wine with fish, but Pinot has good acidity and fruitiness that works with salmon," she explains. "I wouldn't do it with white fish, but salmon can take it." On our charcuterie tray (which is paired with a mildly sweet and fruity Cab Franc rosé), we find buttery Pingue Prosciutto (Ontario pork cured by a neighbouring butcher using traditional Italian methods), marinated olives, pickled beets from the kitchen garden and house-made chicken liver pâté. Good Earth has an eat-local philosophy, but there's room for the odd deserving import: in this case BellaVi- tano cheese from Wisconsin. Lunch is relaxed and sociable: between courses, we chat to a raucous work group at the harvest table and a couple of tourists with a sweet toddler. But Wille says we must come back for the Good Girth Supper Club, a year- round series of themed three-course dinners. "ere was a Latin one this summer," she says. "It ended with dancing in the rain." I'm intrigued by the cooking school too. Using local ingredients, wherever possible, Niagara chefs demonstrate how to make everything from Nordic-inspired small plates to Oaxacan cuisine from Mexico in a little kitchen by the vines. Twenty minutes later, we're pulling up at a 200-metre-long horizon-hugging building, all right angles and reflections, with a façade that changes hue as the daylight shifts. South- brook Vineyards' hospitality pavilion was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, known for its glass-fronted opera houses in Toronto and St. Petersburg. "at's the yoga crowd," says wine steward Robin Fraser as he pours, nodding towards a group of people in the barrel room. "They practice by the vines once a month. ey like that our wine's organic – it works with their healthy lifestyle." at's what I find interesting here: from the outside it looks futuristic; inside, you discover, it's all about harmony and nature. Southbrook was the first Canadian winery to be LEED-certi- fied gold. All its wines are organic; most are also biodynamic – made with an approach that's pesticide- and chemical-free and synched to lunar cycles. e whole farm – plants, creatures and soil – is treated as one living entity. "Biody- namic has the cachet of being romantic, but it's hard work," says Fraser. "We have the same problems as any other farmers: staying on top of weather, soil nutrition and biodiversity." (both pages, l-r) Executive chef Therese de Grace garnishes her charcuterie platters with edible flowers at Good Earth Food & Wine Co.; keeping it classy – a group of women attend a wine tasting during a bacholerette party at Southbrook Vineyards; the European-inspired Shaw Cafe & Wine Bar sits along the popular strip of eateries and boutiques on Niagara-on-the-Lake's Queen Street; Ravine Vineyard's maple-baked apple stuffed with oats, brown sugar and currants and a scoop of parsnip ice cream alongside bottles of sweet Riesling icewine; at Ravine Vineyard's grocery store you can buy a wide variety of local and international cheeses, as well as all kinds of pickles, preserves and fine foods made on site.