Comfort, cleanliness, character... all wrapped in one. This beautiful manor home has been brilliantly transformed into a relaxing place to unwind and enjoy all the delights of a vineyard wrapped in a boutique inn. The views from the room were lovely and sunset over the vineyard was magical. Oysters and sparkling wine at the restaurant were a wonderful treat! The welcome drink upon arrival was a lovely touch, jumpstarting the getaway in the first few moments... Definitely will refer and will return.

Riverbend - The newest member of the Peller/Trius/etc group.
Due to the Member's weekend, we opted to stay overnight at the Riverbend Inn.
This is not, I repeat not, a cookie-cutter, impersonal hotel. This is a cozy, traditional Inn in the best senses of the word. Staff are friendly, welcoming, accommodating, and help to make the experience a cozy setting for your stay.

But really, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Oaklands Restaurant. Because as good as the food is at Trius and Peller's Restaurants, Riverbend edges them out. And you can walk home to your room.

1) 30 Bench Winemaker's Tasting and Lunch - Members Weekend Event
As a devoted follower of 30 Bench wines, we looked forward to this with great anticipation. It still blew our minds.
You were greeted with the sparkling Riesling. Then Emma presented a tasting of 2021 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 2 each. Small lot and barrel-aged. Emma again surpassed herself by adding as much information as she could cram and adding greatly to our knowledge of how the barrels affect the wines, all the variables a winemakers has to deal with and wants to select from to make that grape into the best wine possible.
Then we had lunch. 2 different vintages of Chardonnay and Pinot. Paired with the Oaklands Restaurant selected courses. None of these foods were on their regular menu. Seared Scallop in onion consomme with fennel/anchovy/pecorino paired with Chardonnay. The buttery flavours in the wine melded into the scallop/onion flavours like a dream. Then the striploin on it's bed of polenta with mushrooms, kale and bone marrow jus were topped with shaving of truffle and paired with Pinot Noir. The only difficulty was in getting a complete bite every time. Because you wanted it all together all.the.time. To miss a single flavour was to dimish the whole. Excellent is an understatement. And the finish was a choco-holic (me!!) dream. Gluten-free chocolate almond cake with dark ganache, poached cranberries and Pinot Noir syrup. Paired with late-harvest Vidal. So very rich but not overwhelmed with sweetness. The cranberries added a beautifully tart freshness.
If you weren't there, you seriously missed out!

2) Bubbles and Oysters - Member's Weekend Event
Again how can you go wrong? A Riverbend specialty paired with excellent sparkling wines. Your choice of Brut or a dry Rose.
6 oysters on the half shell. 3 different toppings. A wedge of lemon. A traditional mignonette, horseradish and a very spicy hot sauce. Spoilt for choice. I think I need more oysters .... Wait they do this on Sundays??? I'mma coming back.
It was a wonderful way to end the weekend.

We had Room 108. Nice, clean but the satellite TV wasn’t working and no one in the place had a solution. So we booted up our iPads and watched TV on the hotel’s excellent wifi.

Now to the restaurant. Exceptionally nice space. Our waitress was a real Niagara wine evangelist and made us laugh. The menu advertises tagliatelle, but the kitchen served up linguine, which turned what could have been a great dish kind of meh. To be fair, wife was very happy with her oysters and caviar and squash entree.

So, not five stars. Could be though.