Tucked between the Niagara Escarpment and the shore of Lake Ontario, the Twenty Valley is Lincoln's quiet answer to Niagara wine country: a patchwork of benchland vineyards strung along the towns of Beamsville, Vineland, and Jordan. This full-day self-drive route trades crowds for country roads, threading together three of the region's most rewarding cellar doors with a stop at a storied Escarpment waterfall so the day is as much about landscape as it is about the glass.
Start high on the bench where cool-climate Riesling and Chardonnay thrive, work your way east through hillside tasting rooms with sweeping valley views, then cap the afternoon among the twin cascades and 19th-century mill ruins of Ball's Falls. Bring a designated driver, pack a picnic, and give yourself the whole day — the Twenty Valley rewards those who linger. Country roads connect every stop, so the driving is short and the scenery long.
The route
- Tawse Winery — Begin on the Beamsville Bench at this organic, gravity-flow estate known for terroir-driven Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
- Cave Spring Vineyard — Head into historic Jordan village for a tasting of benchland Riesling at one of the valley's founding wineries.
- Vineland Estates Winery — Settle in for a hilltop lunch and flight, taking in some of the finest panoramic vineyard views in the valley.
- Ball’s Falls Conservation Area — Close the day with a walk to the twin waterfalls, heritage mill ruins, and Escarpment trails just minutes south.