Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/375259
34 w e s t w o r l d | F a l l 2 0 1 4 niagara-on-the-lake, (bottom inset) valerie howes Sheep wander among the vines in the warmer months, thinning the leaves, weeding and naturally fertilizing the soil. You can buy limited-edition blankets here, made from their wool. And heady-smelling pink roses bloom at the ends of the rows – nature's early-warning system for mildew. "The same things attack roses as attack the vines," says Fraser, "but they'll go for the roses first." In the hospitality building, looking out onto the vines, we sample Poetica wines. Dur- ing vintage years, Southbrook bottles excep- tional wines for this flagship collection. Love poems by Canadian poets adorn their labels. Late in the afternoon we check into Harbour House, a wood-fronted, heritage-style property by the marina. A display of dried-corn sheaths, potted chrysanthemums and gourds on straw bales at the entrance creates the kind of seasonal welcome that would appeal to Martha Stewart. Crackers, along with a potted, spreadable house blend of cheeses, beer, horse- radish and pepper flakes, have been laid out in the lobby. Guests are lounging on a leather sofa by the fire, nibbling and sampling local wines. A little fuzzy by now, I go get the fire going in my own room and stretch out on my pillow top bed. One power nap later, and I'm ready to leave these cozy digs for our final winery of the day. The restaurant at Ravine is in a simple rustic wooden building, a little unexpected considering its executive chef-proprietor's international reputation. Paul Harber has worked for chef Andrew Carmellini at Café Boulud, New York, and for Michael Stadtlän- der at Eigensinn Farm, Singhampton, Ontario – the only Canadian restaurant ever to make it to the top 10 on the World's Best 50 Restau- rants list. Ravine itself was named one of the top 20 winery restaurants in the world in 2011 by Wine Access magazine. Tonight's in-house musician is channelling Liam Gallagher with acoustic Britpop anthems as Illya and I slurp oysters and fresh lemon. Our server opens a sparkling rosé from 13th Street Winery. Ravine rotates sparkling wines from neighbouring wineries to complement its own organic offerings. We share our second charcuterie platter of the trip, and it won't be our last – these carefully curated offerings speak volumes about the win- eries and their chefs. Harber (a fifth-generation farmer) and his staff raise and cure their own Blackworth pigs on-site; they grow the cauli- flower for their piccalilli in the kitchen garden, as well as the yellow and red beets, which they serve with hard-boiled eggs from Meg's Eggs, a free-range farm just down the road. e crusty baguette is baked in Ravine's own wood oven. Our server pours Ravine cabernet rosé to go with our platter. It's a dry wine whose acidity works with pickled vegetables. Somehow I squeeze in crispy-skinned duck after this smor- gasbord; it comes with red cabbage, sweet and regular mashed potatoes. And for dessert: apri- cot and blackberry sorbets, made from Niagara fruits and balanced by salty sponge toffee. Ravine's menu is creative and gives a sense of place – not unlike the winery's events calen- dar. You could come here for an indie fashion show; Halloween supper and ghost stories; or wood-oven pizza and ping-pong by the vines. On Sunday morning, we wander through Niagara-on-the-Lake's Old Town where we browse boutique stores with painted window boxes and bakeshops with cherry cakes and iced buns on display. This place was a safe haven for Loyalists fleeing the U.S. after the American Revolution and has held onto its British identity and charm. We pop into Wine Country Vintners, an off-site tasting room serving Wayne Gretzky (clockwise from left) Downtown Niagara-on-the- Lake has the vibe of an old English town, complete with horse-and-carriage tours; more than 1,000 people dressed in white dine on the streets of Niagara-on-the Lake's Old Town at the annual Diner en Blanc; overlooking the Niagara River, Harbour House boasts a design reminiscent of maritime life in the 1880s.