You have to visit this Niagara winery for amazing wine — and food

For a trip to wine country that will leave you grinning ear-to-ear, head to Two Sisters Vineyards in Niagara. Located 90 minutes outside of Toronto, this sprawling, upscale winery ticks all the boxes for food and wine lovers. If that’s you, you’ll probably leave with a trunk full of bottles and plans to return.

This family-owned and operated winery with two sisters at the helm lets you swan in, taste fabulous wines and then sit down to a meal of traditional Italian fare overlooking the vineyards. If you like, wander out to the estate pond, and view the fruit growing on the vines. Then, purchase some bottles of wine and olive oil before you leave. You won’t regret any of it.

The two sisters who run the winery, Melissa Marotta-Paolicelli and Angela Marotta, are the daughters of hardworking Italian immigrants.

“Dad came to Canada at 19 and worked as a labourer in construction,” says Angela. “He worked his way up, eventually building his own successful business — Solmar Development Corp. Mom was a teacher. And it was always our family’s dream to own a winery.”

One day the stars aligned. In 2006, the family was visiting Niagara-on-the-Lake and happened upon a For Sale sign. A peach orchard was for sale, and the Marottas thought they could turn it into a vineyard and winery.

“We looked at each other and said, ‘Are we going to do this?’” says Melissa, who was 29 at the time. Her sister was 31.

So they did. The family bought the 76-acre estate, taking ownership and planting 67 acres of vineyards the following year. The first vintage was 2010, and the winery opened its doors at 240 John St. E. in Niagara-on-the-Lake in November 2014.

Today, the sisters run the business and have families of their own (Angela has three children from 18 to 22 years old, and Melissa has four, from 13 to 21. And business is booming.

“We’re constantly racing against the clock,” says Melissa. But they’re winning.

They employ 100 people, have expanded their vineyard holdings to 130 acres and run a swanky yet welcoming winery and restaurant on-site called Kitchen 76 that incorporates the family’s recipes into the menu. The sisters’ 96-year-old nonna even makes jam from the property’s fruit trees kept from the original orchard, and it appears on the menu occasionally.

Here are my recommendations for what to have at Two Sisters Vineyards.

The marvellous meatballs on the menu called polpette ($22) transport you to Italy. Made with a traditional recipe of ground veal with bread and milk, formed into balls and poached in tomato purée, the flavour and texture are sublime.

The artichokes come tender-crisp and three to a plate with fried Calabrian olives ($22). The focaccia baked fresh daily with an impossibly cloudlike centre and bubbly-golden crust seasoned with salt and rosemary ($10) is served with a dish of the K76 olive oil for dipping. The family imports this delicious olive oil from their native village of Pertosa in Italy, and you can buy a bottle at the winery for $35. Well worth it.

Do not miss the mushroom truffle pizza, topped with mascarpone, fior de latte, oyster and shiitake mushrooms, as well as arugula, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and truffle oil ($36).

Kitchen 76 is open from Wednesday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with plans to extend the hours in summer.

None of the above would matter much to wine lovers if Two Sisters didn’t nail the wine game — which they do. I visited the winery and curated a flight of wines for you to taste. Ask for the Toronto Star flight in the wine boutique to the right of the main entrance. The flight costs $30 to sample, which entitles you to $20 off the purchase of four bottles or more.

2020 Lush Sparkling Rosé, Traditional Method, VQA Niagara Peninsula ($58/bottle)

Aromas of violet, wild strawberry and wispy notes of white cherry lead to a brisk yet round, mouth-filling attack that’s dry and delightful. Flavours fan out with suggestions of berries and wildflowers, lemon pith, pink grapefruit and cherry blossom that taper to a long, slow lemon-salt finish. Score: 94

2021 Margo Rosé, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake ($35/bottle)

“Margo” is a French name meaning pearl, which is also the colour of this wine — pink pearl. And it has the uncanny scent of a bowl full of pearls — try it, you’ll see. Then, the wine streams in allusive, cool and shiny. Flavours flit from strawberry to orange zest, raspberry to lemon, cranberry to cherry — and yes — pearls. A delicate, complex, serious rosé that plays at being approachable. Score: 94

2020 Chardonnay VQA Beamsville Bench ($58/bottle)

Fluttery aromas of candied almonds and marzipan lead to a beam of citrusy flavour imbued with hazelnuts and nougat, toasted meringue and sweet butter. Every sip of this bone-dry, wooded white delivers a perfect balance between pristine, lifted fruit and creamy saturation. The length is long and textured leaving the palate scraped clean and seasoned with a certain chalky finish. Score: 92

2018 Eleventh Post VQA Niagara River ($48/bottle)

This Bordeaux blend of 48 per cent Merlot, 24 per cent Cabernet Franc and 28 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 30 months in French oak starts with a fresh, brambly nose — all muddled blackberries and black cherries with a touch of warm chocolate. The wine sweeps in smooth and ripe — a dry, cashmere crush of berry fruit threaded with vanilla, milk chocolate, slate and dried currants before tapering to a long smoked coffee bean finish. Score: 95

Carolyn Evans Hammond is a Toronto-based wine writer. Wineries sponsor segments on her YouTube series, yet they don’t select the wines she reviews and her opinions are her own. Prices are subject to change. Reach her via email: carolyn@carolynevanshammond.com