Ridgepoint Wines

Saturday our group of 22 people stopped by Ridgepoint for lunch and a wine tasting. The sommelier was very knowledgeable and accommodating in handling the diverse tastes of our large group. The dining room staff did not disappoint and handled the peculiar requests from the large group effectively and efficiently. The owner even shared some of their wine making secrets and answered all the questions, no matter how basic. They even made a special batch of their fabulous polenta fries for us. We will be going back

Before heading to Niagara-​on-​the-​Lake Day#2 for Taste the Season (post here) and after our haul at Megalomaniac Winery (@MegalomaniacJHC), we decided to head next door to The Dinning Room at Ridgepoint Wines (@Ridgepointwines) for lunch. I really have never heard of this winery before but why not give it a try since it was recommended by the people at Megalomaniac.
Very simple décor, nothing but a very casual restaurant serving Italian fare like fresh made pastas.
We were early so the place was empty but heard from our server that the day before, the place was packed and they are sold out of a few items.
Freshly Baked Bread
~ This came piping hot and it was so good that I can munch on it these all day long.
Soup of the day $ 9
~ Made with fresh local produce, this was hot freshly made soup was perfect for that cold windy day.
Ridgepoint Nebbiolo Bolognese $ 22
~ Nebbiolo-​stewed Alberta Beef and Ontario Pork, fresh paperdella and aged Canadian cheddar
~ We tend to order papardelle whenever we see it on the menu and this was amazing.
~ Freshly made pasta does make a difference, there was just the right amount of sauce, meat and cheese that you still taste the egg-​y flavor of the pasta.
~ Doesn’t it look beautiful
Roberto’s Linguini $ 14
~ Fresh linguini tossed with preserved tomato sauce finished with cold pressed olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano
~ I love how everything was served piping hot which warm us up and prepare us for all the wine tasting ahead. We always like to order something simple and we wanted to try the preserved tomato sauce which was a tad salty for me but nonetheless, it was still delicious with the freshly made pasta.
Verdict :
~ Nothing beats simple cooking, fresh ingredients
~ And who can say no to freshly made pasta
~ It’s always best to fill up before drinking, this was perfect.
~ Great big portion and quite avoidable priced given where we are.
~ Just looking at these picture make me crave for some fresh pastas

We came here for the Niagara New Vintage Wine Festival over the weekend, it was our second stop for the weekend. They were totally swamped, one of the staff told us that their chef had left for another appointment and I can’t imagine how crazy that must have been. As such, the wait was quite long, almost twenty minutes for the venison slider that they were serving. We tried to duck out, but one of the staff called us back on the way out and offered us more wine, which was appreciated.
The wine itself, which was one of their new reds, was quite delicious, I would strongly recommend the place for their wine. There were two wine choices, they were both quite full-​bodied. I don’t particularly like red wine, but I very much enjoyed the wine here. The venison slider was great, my girlfriend didn’t like it because she’s not a huge fan of meat, but I thought it was worth the wait and would very much like to try a meal here. The wine and food were a four or five star, but the service was not up to snuff.

A small estate winery in Vineland, I have been to this place 3 – 4 times. They always have some good wine to taste, but are also one of the few places you can try some Italian grapes like Nebbilo, as they were the first to plant it in Ontario. While here this time I tried the Merlot Cabernet Aglianico blend they had and was impressed. I have never heard of the Aglianico grape, so nice to try another Italian grape grown in Canada.

The restaurant is only open for lunch, the meal was pricy but worth it. The chef uses local products with everything prepared in their kitchen. My only criticism was that they did not offer wine pairings with the entrees.

Eat at their restaurant. Oh hell yes.
Fresh, simple, tasty food. Bison spaghetti and meatballs was amazing.

I’ve always found the staff at Ridgepoint knowledgeable, friendly, approachable and attentive. Ridgepoint winery has a lovely «casual dining» experience where they serve lots of Italian style food. We had the wild boar sausage that was prepared for us by the dish’s creator Christopher Knight. It was delicious. Each time I’ve been there the food has been excellent and at a fair price. In the summer they have nice big patio. Be sure and check it out!