Holiday prep can be a task that takes time but it does not have to feel like work. In fact, it can pull double duty, checking items off your list while turning the day into an outing worth savouring. Tasting along the way, discovering new local flavours and gathering ingredients that will soon take centre stage on your holiday table.
In the Niagara Benchlands, getting ready for the season becomes exactly that kind of experience. Located in the Town of Lincoln between St. Catharines and Hamilton, the Benchlands is a place where markets, makers and producers invite you to slow down, sample generously and make a day of it.
This one-day itinerary is built for holiday prepping done right. Graze, sip and stock up as you go, enjoying the process while bringing home thoughtful local finds that make setting the holiday table feel extra special!
Stop 1: Revalee Brunch Cafe
Where: 4100 Victoria Ave, Vineland, ON (View Map)
There is a golden rule to any good food-focused day out: never shop hungry. With that advice in mind, start your day in the Niagara Benchlands the right way with brunch at Revalee Brunch Cafe, where a delicious meal sets the tone for everything that follows.
The name Revalee comes from réveille, the French word for “wake up,” a playful nod to the military morning call played on a trumpet or bugle to greet the day at sunrise. Here, waking up happens slowly and deliciously, one plate and one sip at a time.
Sweet or savoury, the menu delivers comfort with a little flair. The Pistachio French Toast is layered with rose-scented ricotta, saffron and cardamom syrup and pistachio cream, finished with rose petals, pomegranate and crisp kataifi for crunch. If you are leaning savoury, the Pork Belly Benny brings together seared pork belly, poached eggs, lemon and chive hollandaise, pickled onion and garlic crushed potatoes for a dish that is both induldgent and satisfying.
Handcrafted coffee keeps things grounded, while fresh pressed juices add a burst of brightness. The Awake Juice blends orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime and mango into a citrus-forward mix that lives up to its name and feels like a fresh start to the day.
By the time you leave Revalee, you are well fed, fully awake and ready to start exploring!
Stop 2: Grand Oak Culinary Market
Where: 4600 Victoria Ave, Vineland Station, ON (View Map)
Just a five-minute drive from the café, Grand Oak Culinary Market invites you to browse an impressive assortment of gourmet goods and freshly made fare. With cozy seating and welcoming corners throughout the space, it is equally suited to a quick coffee stop or a relaxed lunch between stops.
Inside, you will find a cheese counter filled with Ontario-made cheeses, shelves stocked with specialty goods and locally produced pantry items, plus a bakery turning out fresh bread and pastries daily. It is an easy place to begin gathering pieces for a holiday spread. Look for small-batch jams and preserves, such as the French Onion Jam from Beamsville-based Provisions Food Company, or a standout from a recent visit, the sun-dried tomato and rosemary focaccia, warm, fragrant and hard to walk past.
As you continue browsing, the pastry case is also worth a closer look. Peppermint-topped shortbread cookies add a festive touch, classic crinkle cookies dusted with powdered sugar are always a crowd favourite and the Toblerone-topped shortbread cookie remains one of the market’s most popular treats. These make great additions to dessert platters, gifts for the host or snacks for the drive home.
With a generous selection of gluten-free options too, the market offers something sweet or savoury that everyone at the table can enjoy!
Stop 3: The Watering Can
Where: 3725 King St, Vineland, ON (View Map)
Next, slow things down with a visit to The Watering Can Flower Market. This stop is about atmosphere as much as shopping, offering a welcome change of pace and a healthy dose of seasonal cheer.
Located in Vineland, The Watering Can is a European-inspired space filled with plants and flowers at every turn. The greenhouse features an ever-changing mix of tropical plants, cacti and succulents, along with a floral boutique and hands-on workshops.
These creative experiences are a great option if you are having trouble finding just the right holiday greenery to bring home. Thoughtful arrangements, potted plants and seasonal accents also make The Watering Can an easy stop for festive table additions or host gifts that feel personal and memorable.
During the holidays, the space transforms into a festive escape. The on-site bistro and café offer seasonal drinks and baked treats that lean fully into the season. As you browse for greenery or gifts for plant lovers, pause for something cozy. A peppermint hot chocolate paired with a Christmas Cookie Dough Brownie is a simple way to pause mid-day and enjoy the moment before moving on.
Stop 4: Vineland Estates Winery
Where: 3620 Moyer Rd, Vineland, ON (View Map)
Spending the day in wine country wouldn’t be complete without a stop to a winery. Next, Vineland Estates Winery is a natural place to taste, shop and settle in for lunch.
With a history dating back to 1845, Vineland Estates Winery has long been part of the Niagara Benchlands landscape. Before heading to the restaurant, stop by the bottle shop to sample a selection of the winery’s signature wines. It is an easy way to get to know each style and flavour before deciding which bottles to bring home to serve guests on the big day or gift to a host.
One standout during a recent visit was the St. Urban Riesling. Bright and expressive, it offers notes of lemon-lime zest, white peach, Honeycrisp apple and melon, finished with a touch of wildflower honey. Its enjoyable on its own but we learned through our tasting associate that the wine pairs beautifully with savoury dishes and cheese.
With wine selections sorted, ease into the afternoon with lunch at the wineries on-site restaurant. Feast On® certified and led by Executive Chef George Ward, the restaurant offers a welcoming pre-fixe table d’hôte style menu that highlights seasonal ingredients.
During our visit we opted to start with the soup of the day which was a roasted apple and parsnip purée that felt well suited to the season. For the main, the 16-hour braised beef chuck flat is tender and satisfying, served with whisky onion jam, black pepper raclette, smoked spuds, rapini and bone jus.
Dessert brings the experience to a sweet close. Options included a strawberry corn cake with honey roasted strawberries, house-made corn gelato, caramelized cocoa nibs and salted cream or a dark chocolate cheesecake with banana custard, dulce de leche, toasted hazelnut and chocolate mint.
This stop brings tasting and dining together in a warm, unhurried way, offering a comforting meal that re-energizes you for the rest of the day before continuing your Benchlands adventure.
Stop 5: Little Foot Farms Meat Shop
Where: 4107 Quarry Rd, Beamsville, ON (View Map)
Now it is time to anchor the menu. Little Foot Farms is a reliable stop for adding thoughtfully raised, local proteins to your holiday table. Whether you are planning a larger gathering or something more low key, this small but mighty farm shop invites you to browse with intention and choose ingredients that will shape the main event.
The shop offers a wide range of locally sourced and produced goods, from fresh eggs, poultry and meats raised without drugs or GMOs to seasonal produce and artisanal items. The meat selection includes beef, pork, lamb, goat and rabbit, along with chicken, duck, turkey and goose, all ethically raised and free range. These flavour-forward options suit everything from a traditional holiday roast to smaller, shareable dishes.
Beyond food, Little Foot Farms also carries a thoughtfully curated selection of goods made on site and by local makers, including fibre and yarn, clothing, jewelry and beauty products. It is a sweet one-stop shop where stocking the holiday table can easily overlap with checking off a few gifts.
Stop 6: Rosewood Estates Winery
Where: 4352 Mountainview Rd, Lincoln, ON (View Map)
As you explore the Beamsville Bench, one of the most winery-dense areas in the Niagara Benchlands, it quickly becomes clear how many tasting options are close at hand. With estates clustered within a short drive, it is easy to shape an afternoon around a few well-chosen stops.
Rosewood Estates Winery offers something a little different along the way. Known as Niagara’s original wine and honey estate, it brings together more than 20 years of sustainable farming and winemaking with a beekeeping heritage that spans over 90 years. The result is a tasting experience shaped by the balance between bees and vines.
Settle in for a tasting flight that brings together a mix of meads and wines, offering a clear sense of Rosewood’s beekeeping roots and winemaking approach. Thoughtful snack pairings round out the experience, from seasonal dips served with vegetables and flax crackers to an Ontario cheese board layered with honeycomb, honey nuts, fruit, lavender honey compote and fresh house-made sourdough.
During our visit, a few pours stood out. The Riesling AF was a bright and playful sip, with flavours resembling raspberry and watermelon candy. A crowd favourite (and for good reason!) is the Mead Royale, a semi-sweet traditional mead fermented with Niagara Escarpment wildflower honey and finished with notes of ginger, honey and caramel. With the wineries unique offerings of wine and meads, they’re sure to add delicious and unexpected flavours to your holiday table that sparks conversation long after guests arrive.
Before heading out, take a moment to browse the shop. Bottles from the tasting make easy host gifts, while small-batch honeys and hot honey fudge pieces are simple additions to a holiday spread. It is a rewarding stop that adds unique flavour to a day spent exploring the Benchlands.
Stop 7: Dillon’s Distillery
Where: 4833 Tufford Rd, Beamsville, ON (View Map)
For a festive bar cart or a thoughtful gift, Dillon’s Distillery is next on the list. Known for small-batch spirits crafted with locally sourced ingredients, Dillon’s offers an easy way to sample before you buy and stock up for the season.
A guided tasting invites guests to choose four spirits to explore, making it simple to try a range of styles in one stop. The line up from our visit included a seasonal cranberry gin, a cantaloupe gin steeped with locally sourced melons, a ten-year single grain rye whisky aged in Ontario oak and a chamomile and gentian liqueur often used by mixologists to add some additional depth of flavour to cocktails.
After sampling the spirits and learning more about the distilling process, take time to browse the shop. It is an easy way to revisit the bottles you enjoyed most during the tasting and choose which ones to bring home with you. Alongside individual spirits, you’ll find canned cocktails and cocktail-making kits that make gifting simple. These ready-to-go sets include everything needed to mix an impressive drink at home, making them a thoughtful choice for the cocktail lover on your list or a welcome addition to your own bar shelf.
Stop 8: Upper Canada Cheese Company
Where: 4159 Jordan Rd, Jordan Station, ON (View Map)
To round out the holiday table with a few more festive additions, a stop to Upper Canada Cheese Company is a must!
Founded in 2005, Upper Canada Cheese Company produces award-winning cheeses using fresh Guernsey and goat milk sourced from local farms. They are also the only cheesemaker in Canada producing cheeses made entirely with 100 percent Guernsey milk. Crafted in small batches and aged on site, the cheeses reflect both seasonality and careful attention to detail.
The shop is well worth browsing. Alongside the cheese lineup, you will find a thoughtfully curated selection of gourmet pantry items from Niagara and Ontario makers. Freshly roasted coffee from Black Sheep Coffee, along with jams, crackers, honey and hot sauces from Thunder Bay’s Heartbeat Hot Sauce and other local finds, make it easy to build a complete cheese board or add a few extra touches to the table.
For gifting or sampling, the trio pack featuring Comfort Cream, Nanny and Smoked Baby soft cheeses offers an easy way to try a few local favourites. Whether you are shopping for the holiday table or bringing something along for a host, this stop neatly ties everything together in one delicious stop!
Final Stop: Avante Garde Emporium
Where: 3744 Main St, Jordan Station, ON (View Map)
Wrap up the day at Avante Garde Emporium, a well-loved shop in the heart of Jordan Village, housed in one of the area’s original buildings from 1842. Deeply rooted in the Twenty Valley and proudly local, it is an easy place to end your Benchlands wander.
Inside, you will find a thoughtfully curated mix of Canadian and locally made goods, from jewelry and bath and body products to candles, retro toys and games and fair trade natural fibre clothing. It is an ideal stop for host gifts, stocking stuffers and those finishing touches you didn’t know you needed.
Before heading home, take a few extra minutes to browse. You may just find a little something for yourself too, a well-earned reward for a day spent gathering, tasting and supporting local.
A Holiday Table Gathered with Intention
By the end of the day, you will leave the Benchlands with more than a full car. You will head home with ideas, ingredients and many delicious additions for your holiday table, all shaped by local flavours and a day spent exploring at a relaxed pace. From market finds to thoughtful gifts, the joy is in the gathering, and in the Benchlands, the lead-up is just as enjoyable as the celebration itself.
