There’s no reason why the wines coming out of New York’s Niagara Escarpment AVA shouldn’t enjoy the same fine reputation that its Canadian contemporaries along the Niagara Escarpment do. New York has the same growing conditions, they just happen to be on the U.S. side of the border between the two countries. But, with just nine wineries currently operating in the American Viticultural Area, the wine region has remained a little under the radar.
But there are signs that times are changing. Not only are there excellent wines coming from the AVA, but there is a wealth of outdoor activities, history, entertainment, dining, shopping, and family-friendly fun to be found in the region. It’s a dream destination from a tourism standpoint and from a wine lover’s standpoint.
It only took 400,000 million years, give or take a millennium, to get it to this point.
Terrific Terroir
Located along an escarpment that’s full of gravelly limestone soils that allow for easy drainage along the sloped land, the Western New York region’s vineyards are planted where there was once only water. Over a very long time, glacial regress left behind the mineral-rich soils of the region today, and also a little thing called Niagara Falls that’s one of the region’s biggest draws.
Nearby Lake Ontario may be the smallest of the Great Lakes in surface area, but it does an enormous job of protecting the vineyards of the Niagara Escarpment AVA from the damage that can come from extreme temperatures.
The benefits of the lake are part of a microclimate that keeps the vines from freezing to the point of damage in the winter, the buds from breaking before the last frost of spring, and the grapes from being harvested too soon. These conditions, along with sunny, moderately temperate summer days, make the Niagara AVA well-suited for growing vinifera along with French hybrids and native grapes. That’s not to say it never freezes in the region. It does, and when it does, the conditions are ripe for quality Ice Wine.
“We have a higher USDA growing zone that is just south of us. We’re a whole growing zone hotter than what you would get just 30 to 40 miles south of us in Buffalo,” says Michael Schweitzer, owner of Bella Rose Vineyard & Winery in the AVA. He also sits on the board for Destination Niagara USA and helps run the Niagara Wine Trail.
The Niagara Escarpment AVA covers a swath of the region from Rochester to Niagara Falls, about a 45-minute drive from one end to the other.
“We basically have the same growing region and the same rough terroir or soil content, growing season as Burgundy France,” says Schweitzer. “We’re actually at the same latitude as Burgundy as well.”
Other similarities include a big body of water and a big river in both regions.
“Along with the limestone, it really helps us produce very similar growing conditions to Burgundy which is why you see the Cabs, the Rieslings, the Chardonnays that you would see in that Northern France/Southern German region,” he says.
These growing conditions, as well as decades of grape growing and wine-making trial and error in the region—something all emerging regions must go through—should make Niagara Escarpment a destination for anyone looking to discover new, quality wines.
“The maturity in the region has led to a change in the quality of wines,” says Robin Ross, co-owner of Arrowhead Springs Vineyards, located within the AVA. “Several places are making a concerted effort to respect terroir and a few small growers are getting the best product.”
Her winery has had success with Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Cabernet Sauvignon, among other grape varieties. At the New York Sustainable Winegrowing certified winery, visitors will find wonderful wines on-premise and a virtual playground outside of the winery.
Terrific Tourism
Both Schweitzer and Ross are cheerleaders for not just the wineries in the AVA but everything there is to do in the Niagara region, which can go outside the boundaries of the small AVA.
“9.2 million people are coming to Niagara Falls a year,” says Schweitzer. That, in and of itself, makes the region a tourist destination, and there are many ways to take in the majesty of the falling waters.
Visitors can skydive close to the falls, take a helicopter tour to view the falls from the sky, or ride on the Maid of the Mist which goes (almost) right under the falls.
“Attraction-wise there is a ton to do by the falls, and Sheraton Hotels is working on installing a tethered balloon ride like the one in Disney’s Animal Kingdom that is close to the falls as well,” Schweitzer says.
Ross has a lot of enthusiasm for the small towns in the region and all they have to offer.
“I love this region,” she says.
“If I was visiting the region, I would love to visit Olmsted Park right on the falls. It’s beautiful to walk around the park. Then I’d head to Lewiston with a lovely center street with shops and restaurants. It’s a very walkable town.”
Schweitzer also recommends Lewiston and its Artpark with art installations, concerts, festivals, and hiking trails. Both winery owners would also steer visitors to Medina with its historic downtown.
Other places Ross recommends include Historic Fort Niagara which was used by the military until post World War 2, the canal district of Lockport offers boat rides through five different locks, and Niagara Gorge Trails for hikers.
While the drive is never far from one attraction to the next in this relatively small region, the drive itself is an attraction.
“The scenery is beautiful. It’s an amazing place to visit,” says Ross. ‘It’s rolling hills and farmland. There are beautiful fruit farms and barns and Lake Ontario itself.”
And, then, of course, there are the wineries dotted throughout the region.
“There’s something for everyone,” Schweitzer. “There are high-end, upscale wineries like Arrowhead. There are smaller wineries like Chateau Niagara or Long Clliff that specialize in a handful of good wines.”
He likens the feel of the Niagara Escarpment AVA to that of the Finger Lakes in the 70s and 80s—small, growing, and improving all the time.
