The Pearl Morissette Winery and Restaurant Boasts Architecture on Par with Its Gastronomy

Located between the edge of the Niagara Escarpment and the shores of Lake Ontario, Niagara-on-the-Lake is a region whose mineral-rich soils and mild climate make it one of Canada’s top winemaking areas, with four distinct appellations. Among the dozens of winemakers to call this region home, from tiny boutique operations to major national players, Pearl Morissette stands out for its low-intervention approach to winemaking as much as the stunning architecture of its winery. In addition to these draws, The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette – which is consistently ranked among Canada’s best restaurants – offers some of the most innovative farm-to-table cuisine in the country. Add in the stunning natural scenery of Niagara-on-the-Lake and a broad selection of overnight accommodations, and you’ve got the recipe for a perfect Ontario road trip.

With its sustainable all-electric powertrain, sleek, modern design, and innovative technologies, there’s no better vehicle than the BMW iX xDrive50 for a winter road trip to Niagara. With 516 hp, electric all-wheel drive, and an impressive estimated range of up to 475 km, the new iX will get you from Toronto to Pearl Morissette’s doorstep in style. Plus, with its combination of classic BMW design cues like the iconic kidney grille, a streamlined modern design, and a selection of luxe interior surfaces, the BMW iX xDrive50 will look right at home alongside the winery’s angular modern architecture.

Veteran winemaker François Morissette learned his trade from the best, honing his knowledge through stints in France’s Grand Cru terroirs, and with formal training at L’Université de Dijon, before setting up shop in Niagara. Like the world’s most innovative modern winemakers, the wines he produces are informed not by a predetermined ideal of specific characteristics, but by the earth, the climate and the living vines of his estate. This low-intervention approach allows the grapes to speak for themselves and results in wines that could be made nowhere else, with no two releases ever exactly the same.

The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette follows similar principles, with an ever-changing omakase-style blind tasting menu crafted by European-trained chefs Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson. Emphasizing the bounty of the Niagara region, their exquisite plates take full advantage of the area’s skilled local producers, from farmers to foragers, and are naturally complemented by an extensive wine list. The experience of a meal at The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette is as much about the setting, however, as it is about the food, with a stunning modern dining room inside a black-clad modern barn designed by Toronto-based architecture firm gh3*.

Learn more about the BMW iX xDrive50 here

Images courtesy of Dan Neuhaus