For the past three years we have taken mom to Niagara to celebrate Mother's Day with the best that wine country has to offer. Rather than join the crowds on Sunday itself we took advantage of Paul being off work during the week and me taking vacation days to make a stress-less day of it. This makes for a happy mom, who has a great adventure, and a happy Jerry and Paul since we don't have to fight through crowds.
This year we started off at the Niagara butterfly conservatory.

There we discovered that photographing butterflies was bloody difficult!
On the way to our next stop we passed the famous floral clock. Because it was overcast and rainy the usual tour buses weren't there yet so we did a quick u-turn and pulled in.

It is hard to believe that this clock, one of the largest floral clocks in the world, has been ticking away the seconds for more than 60 years.
Other than the rain and grey skies it was a beautiful day. The blossoms were out in full force.

One of the things that mom declared she wanted to do while we were in Niagara-on-the-Lake was to go to the Lavender farm. We had just enough time for a visit and shopping spree prior to our lunch reservations.

We had to backtrack a bit in order to get to the restaurant but when you're driving along quiet country roads past orchards in full bloom, lambs frolicking in the fields, and vineyards in leaf bud who could complain?
Lunch was at the restaurant in Ravine winery. I had heard many good things about this spot but never eaten there myself. The menu is inspired by traditional French bistro dishes, highlighting the seasonal bounty and offerings of the local farmers in Niagara. Each dish is paired with one of the wineries own vintages.
The restaurant has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the vineyard. We were shown to our table and proceeded to have one of the best meals we've eaten in years!

The food was brilliant - so good that it is worthy of a post all its own in the near future.
After lunch we wandered around the winery a bit taking photos, tasting wine, and doing some shopping in their wee food boutique.
We made a beeline for the Niagara College Greenhouses to buy plants grown by the horticulture students (note: cheapest place anywhere to buy perennials, hanging baskets, bedding plants, and herbs). By the time we pulled out of the parking lot the car was FULL and we hadn't even visited the three wineries we had selected for visits yet.
It had been some time since we had visited the wineries on the Beamsville Bench so that was out wine tasting destination. The 'bench' occupies a narrow strip of land with vineyards clinging to
its slopes. Warm days, cool nights and deep soils help to shape the
character of the wines made at the wineries.
First up was Organized Crime - no, not THAT organized crime. Instead the name refers to two warring Mennonite congregations who were known to plan stealth action against one another from time to time. The most infamous example being the night that some of the men from one church's congregation broke into the other church, loaded the organ up on their buggy, and proceeded to drive it to a nearby gully where they tipped it over the edge.

We could have walked to Fielding Estates, our next stop. Actually, you can walk to all of the wineries on the Bench!
Fielding Estate Winery is a small family-run winery producing limited
batch wines through traditional methods. Located on an 18-acre vineyard
at the high end of the bench, the siting and
building design maximize arable vineyard and optimize the visitors’
views across the landscape.
I love the way they have Muskoka chairs lined up on the terrace so you can sit there, sipping wine, looking out across the vineyards of the Bench. On clear days you can see right through to Toronto!

We had a short drive to the final winery of the day: Hidden Bench. I had been hearing great things about the wines that they produce since they have been winning plenty of awards, however we had never visited. This small, yet modern and sophisticated, estate winery showcases the terroir of the
Beamsville Bench through their award-winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and
Riesling.

We were surprised to see that they had fresh eggs for sale in addition to amazing wines! Apparently they have chickens who have large runs in the vineyards. We bought a dozen (on top of a case of wine) and headed out to the vineyard to thank the hens for their gift.

By now the car was bursting at the seams. We managed to find room for mom amongst the lavender, plants, wine, bread, preserves, eggs, and other purchases, and made our way back home. It had been a happy, full day!