Monastery Cellars focuses on small lot vintages of premium VQA wines with the first vintage of wines from the on-site vineyard planted in 2012.
Planting predominantly includes Vidal grapes, perfectly suited for the production of world renowned Icewines. The first recorded Icewine harvest dates back to 1794 in Franconia, Germany, when local monks were faced with winter much earlier than expected. The monks, facing the adversity of mother nature, are credited as being the inventors of Icewine by pressing juice from the frozen grapes. At the time, these new wines were touted to be nothing short of "nectar from the gods," or so the legend goes.
The shop and tasting bar are open seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm and are adjacent to the main chapel and spiritual centre.
Visitors are invited to tour the vineyard, taste wines and explore the grounds while only steps away from the world-famous
Niagara Falls.