Kacaba Vineyards Open House

Many wineries (especially in the Niagara region) put on a number of special events each year - open house, holiday celebrations, art shows, concerts, private dinners in the cellar, participation in tasting festivals, etc. Kacaba happens to be one of my personal favourites and I receive email invitations to their special events, so it was a no-brainer to round up my girlfriends for a day trip when I heard about their open house.

Over two days last weekend, Kacaba Vineyards opened its doors to the production area and we received an individual tasting of this year's wines straight from the barrels (with VERY generous "samples"), as well as tastings of any of their other wines we could possibly ask for. There were also special prices on some bottles, appetizers (including the owner grilling some shrimp on the bbq), and a special surprise treat from our host in the form of tastings of a $120 bottle of wine (which we all enjoyed tremendously).

To round off the day, we grabbed lunch and stopped by a few other wineries before heading home. We picked some new wineries that we have not yet visited on previous visits and found some great deals on select bottles in the process. 

WHAT: Kacaba Winery Open House, visits to three other wineries, and lunch at About Thyme Bistro

WHERE: Niagara region, wine country

WHEN: Dec. 9, 2012 (but these types of events are available year round)

COST: $20 (gas money and lunch; all our tastings were free)

INSIDER TIPS: If you are familiar with any local wineries, get yourself on their mailing list. If you don't have any favourites yet, ask your friends or sign up for all of them! It's a great way to learn about upcoming special events and a much cheaper (and fun!) way to spend a day out in the wine country.