Niagara Wine & Graze the Bench

I first was introduced to the Graze the Bench Festival in May 2014.  One day we were doing a mini-tour of the Twenty Valley area and noticed Graze the Bench being promoted at Angel’s Gate winery.  We picked up a brochure and had a listen to what the sommelier had to say.  It was pitched as an open concept wine tour with music, food, and of course, wine tasting.  It featured Niagara wine from the famous Twenty Valley pocket located near Beamsville, Ontario.  Reds, Whites, Rose, Honey Mead, you name it.  My wife and I decided to grab some tickets and give a try.

One month later, on a hot summer’s day, my wife and I were dropped off at the Mike Weir Winery.  It was there we started our journey wine tasting some excellent Niagara wine.  The Mike Weir winery was packed and the music was slamming.  We were allowed complimentary tastings and had tickets for a glass, food dish, and first glass of wine.  Niagara Riesling is the best in the summer!  We moved along and enjoyed the wine tasting at another winery.  Each winery had it’s own band and unique food dish.  Of course, when we needed a refill, we could purchase fine Niagara wine almost anywhere.  What was fun about the event was the community feeling it had, and not to mention the much needed exercise after all the Niagara wine and food consumption.  I highly recommend this event and will hopefully be going again.

Graze the Bench – 2016 Information

A “passport” type of event featuring Niagara wine, GTB will be held on June 4th and 5th 2016, from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.  Participating wineries from the Twenty Bench area include Angel’s Gate, Fielding, Hidden Bench, Mike Weir, Organized Crime, Peninsula Ridge, Rosewood, and Thirty Bench.  To purchase tickets and for more information, visit the official website.