Here is the honest headline first: the Short Hills Bench is the smallest wine area you can visit in Niagara. VQA Ontario counted two wineries in the sub-appellation for 2025–26, with ten approved wines between them. If you are searching for "short hills bench wineries" expecting a long wine trail, you will find something better suited to a half-day: one historic family estate, a provincial park full of trails next door, and two more good wineries within about fifteen minutes.
This post explains what makes the Short Hills distinctive, what to taste, and how to turn it into a relaxed half-day or the first part of a longer route west. NiagaraFallsLimo.net drives it from Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto, as a return trip or an hourly booking.
What and where are the Short Hills Bench wineries?
The Short Hills Bench is a VQA sub-appellation on the escarpment slopes south of St. Catharines, between Twelve Mile and Fifteen Mile creeks. Henry of Pelham, at 1469 Pelham Road, is about 23 km (14 mi) from Fallsview, usually 25–35 minutes. NiagaraFallsLimo.net drives it by the hour or as a return trip from the online booker.
VQA Ontario's Short Hills Bench page calls it the most easterly of the sub-appellations within the Niagara Escarpment regional appellation. It covers the land rising from the plain south of Regional Road 81 up to the escarpment brow.
A landscape built on a lost valley
The name comes from the rolling, flat-topped hills. Underneath them lies an ancient buried valley that once cut through the escarpment and connected the basins of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Streams branch through the hills and give slopes facing several directions, with good drainage and, away from the escarpment face, unobstructed sun.
What that means for the grapes, according to VQA:
- Shelter and heat. The escarpment blocks strong south-westerly winds, so the bench warms early in spring and stays warm through the season.
- Big day–night swings. Lake Ontario's influence is small this far inland, so summer days are very warm and nights cool, with peak daily ranges of more than 13 °C.
- Early winter. Cold weather tends to arrive relatively early, which creates an opportunity for an early icewine harvest.
- Deep, layered soils. Clay and silty clay on top hold water and slow spring warming; sand and gravel below drain freely around mature roots.
VQA's 2025–26 factsheet gives 1,561 growing degree days, a July mean of 22.5 °C and 187 frost-free days, the shortest frost-free season of the sub-appellations in this series. Production was 6,694 nine-litre cases. Chardonnay is the common variety. VQA describes the whites as tightly structured, with fruit and minerality, and the reds as warm and earthy with dark fruit and fine tannins that suit ageing.
Henry of Pelham: six generations on one farm
Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, 1469 Pelham Road, St. Catharines, is the name most people associate with the bench. Henry of Pelham's own history tells a story that goes back to 1794, when Nicholas Smith, a United Empire Loyalist who had served with Butler's Rangers, was deeded the land. In 1842 his son Henry built an inn, tavern and carriage house on the property and signed the tavern's licence "Henry of Pelham", a joke at the expense of a former British prime minister. He also planted some of Canada's first vineyards.
In 1984 the family replaced the old Concord and Niagara vines with European vinifera grapes, after heat scans showed the site could ripen them; they contoured the hills and installed drainage to improve the odds. Today the retail store and tasting room stand where Henry's inn was, and the restaurant is in the former coach house. The family says it is still farming in the Short Hills Bench sub-appellation, six generations on.
Given the bench's character, taste Chardonnay here first, then the reds, and ask whether an icewine is pouring that day: the early winters on these hills suit it.
Get a fixed fare to Henry of Pelham
Short Hills Provincial Park, two minutes away
Henry of Pelham is about 2 km from Short Hills Provincial Park, roughly five minutes by car. Ontario Parks describes the park as about 4 km south-west of St. Catharines along the escarpment, reached by Cataract, Roland or Pelham roads. It has trails and three parking lots but no other visitor facilities. Hiking, horseback riding, fishing and mountain biking are popular, and some trails are for hikers only.
That makes a tidy plan: an hour's walk in the hills, then a seated tasting and lunch at the winery. With an hourly booking the chauffeur drops you at a trailhead parking lot and collects you when you are done. Bring proper footwear; this is a natural park, not a manicured garden.
Beyond the Short Hills Bench wineries: two neighbours within 15 minutes
Because the bench itself is so small, most visitors add one or two wineries nearby. Distances from route planning between the addresses:
- 13th Street Winery, 1776 Fourth Avenue, St. Catharines: about 6.6 km (4 mi), nine minutes. Wine, a bakery, a gallery and a sculpture garden, with live music on certain days from mid-May to mid-October. It sits on the plain below the bench; our Lincoln Lakeshore and Creek Shores post covers that area.
- Cave Spring's tasting room in Jordan Village: about 10 km (6 mi), around 13 minutes, the start of the Twenty Mile Bench. Our Twenty Mile Bench and Jordan post maps that loop.
Coming from Niagara-on-the-Lake instead? Château des Charmes on the St. David's Bench to Henry of Pelham is about 19 km (12 mi), usually 20–25 minutes via the QEW and Pelham Road. That makes a neat two-bench comparison; see our post on St. David's Bench wineries.
A half-day timetable that works
For guests staying at the Falls, this is the shape we see work best on a weekday or a quiet weekend. Adjust it around your tasting reservation.
| Time | Stop | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 | Pickup at a Fallsview hotel | About 25–35 minutes to the park |
| 10:05 | Short Hills Provincial Park | A one-hour loop on the trails; the chauffeur waits at the lot |
| 11:15 | Henry of Pelham | Seated tasting, then lunch in the coach-house restaurant |
| 13:30 | 13th Street Winery | About 9 minutes away; tasting, bakery and sculpture garden |
| 14:45 | Return to the Falls | About 25 minutes via the QEW |
The same plan works from Niagara-on-the-Lake with a 35–40 minute start, or from Toronto with roughly 1 h 30 each way. If you would rather finish in Jordan Village, swap 13th Street for Cave Spring's tasting room and add 15 minutes to the return.
When to visit the Short Hills
Each season changes the day. In spring the streams through the hills run high and the vineyards turn green early, because the sheltered bench warms ahead of the lake shore. Summer brings the warmest days of any time on these slopes, so plan the walk for the morning. Autumn is harvest and woodland colour, the best combination of hiking and tasting. Winter is quiet; VQA notes that cold weather tends to arrive early here, and trail conditions vary, so check Ontario Parks before you set out and keep the winery as the main event.
Getting there
- From Fallsview hotels: about 23 km (14 mi), usually 25–35 minutes on regional roads west through Thorold toward DeCew Road and Pelham Road.
- From Old Town Niagara-on-the-Lake: about 29 km (18 mi), usually 35–40 minutes.
- From Toronto Pearson: about 105 km (66 mi), usually 1 h 20 – 1 h 35 off-peak via Highway 403, the 407 ETR and the QEW; allow two hours on a summer Friday.
- From Union Station, downtown Toronto: about 113 km (70 mi), usually 1 h 25 – 1 h 40 off-peak via the Gardiner Expressway and the QEW.
Booking it with NiagaraFallsLimo.net in 3 steps
- Route. Enter your hotel or home as pickup and Henry of Pelham as the destination. For a hike-and-taste day, add Short Hills Provincial Park as a stop, or choose "By the hour" and decide on the day.
- Car. Two or three people fit a sedan; a couple marking an occasion might choose a Mercedes-Benz S-Class; up to six fit an SUV. Each class shows its fixed fare.
- Details and payment. Passengers, child seats if needed, and any notes for the chauffeur, then secure payment and an email confirmation.
Our hourly chauffeur page explains time-based bookings, and the booker shows the fare before you pay.
Chauffeur vs rideshare vs taxi for this trip
| Mode | Door-to-door time | Cost note | Bottles | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private chauffeur | 25–35 min from the Falls, waits at park and winery | Fixed fare via booker | Boot sized to class | Hike-and-taste days, multi-winery routes |
| Rideshare | Similar drive; return from a park trailhead is uncertain | Surge pricing | Small | Winery lunch from a St. Catharines hotel |
| Taxi | Similar drive | Metered | Small | One return trip to the winery |
| Driving yourself | Similar drive | Fuel and parking | Your boot | A driver who will not taste |
| Cycling | Hilly; escarpment climbs | Rental set by operator | None | Strong riders |
The fair verdict: a single lunch at Henry of Pelham from a St. Catharines hotel is an easy taxi or rideshare trip. Once you add the park, where there are no visitor facilities and pickups may be hard to arrange, or a second and third winery, a chauffeur makes the day straightforward. Drinking in the vehicle is never allowed; tastings happen at the winery.
Who it suits
Individuals on business in St. Catharines can fit a tasting into a free afternoon; see our page for individual travellers. Couples enjoy the history and the coach-house restaurant. Families can let active members hike while others taste. Groups should book the tasting ahead and keep the day to two or three stops so everyone has time in the park.
For the wider west Niagara picture, start with our Twenty Valley and Beamsville Bench hub, and if icewine is on your list, read our icewine guide. Our Niagara wine tour limo page covers longer wine days.
Reserve a Short Hills wine and hike day
Frequently asked questions
How many wineries are on the Short Hills Bench?
VQA Ontario counted two wineries in the Short Hills Bench sub-appellation for 2025–26, making 10 approved wines. Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, on Pelham Road in St. Catharines, is the best-known and states that it farms in the sub-appellation.
Where exactly is the Short Hills Bench?
South of St. Catharines, on the land rising from Regional Road 81 to the brow of the Niagara Escarpment, between Twelve Mile Creek and Fifteen Mile Creek. It is the most easterly sub-appellation within the Niagara Escarpment regional appellation.
What does Short Hills Bench wine taste like?
VQA describes tightly structured whites with prominent fruit and minerality, and warm, earthy reds with dark fruit and fine tannins that age well. Chardonnay is the most common variety.
Is Short Hills Provincial Park near the winery?
Yes. Henry of Pelham is about 2 km from the park, roughly five minutes' drive. Ontario Parks lists trails and three parking lots, with no other visitor facilities, so plan food and washrooms around the winery.
How far is the Short Hills Bench from Niagara Falls?
Henry of Pelham is about 23 km (14 mi) from Fallsview hotels, usually 25–35 minutes. From Niagara-on-the-Lake it is about 29 km, 35–40 minutes.
Why does the Short Hills Bench suit icewine?
VQA notes that winter tends to arrive early on the Short Hills Bench, creating an opportunity for an early icewine harvest. Icewine grapes must be naturally frozen on the vine and picked at minus 8 °C or colder.
Can we combine the Short Hills with Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries?
Yes. Château des Charmes on the St. David's Bench is about 19 km from Henry of Pelham, 20–25 minutes. A two-bench day with three or four tastings fits comfortably in six hours.
