The Smoke Show: Classic Cars and Fine Cigars in Niagara

Canada boasts of having two wine-producing regions, one in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and the other in the Niagara region of Ontario. 

Within Niagara, you’ll find Palatine Hills Estate, a winery known for producing a diverse selection of wines (including a coveted Canadian ice wine) as well as a popular dry cider. 

In association with Havana Castle Cigars of St. Catharines, the Neufeld family-owned and operated Estate winery and farm opened its gates for a private celebration of fine cigars, food, wine, cider, whisky, and the allure of luxury cars. 

After an early afternoon of heavy rain throughout the region, the skies settled in time for the event, affording eager participants the opportunity to enjoy an assortment of cigars along the edge of the estate’s wide-stretching vineyards. 

Often with a cigar in hand, attendees took the opportunity to stroll between two rows of luxury cars before ultimately voting a mustard-yellow 1973 Corvette Stingray, entered by retired photographer Robert Goshgarian, as the ‘Best in Show’. 

Palatine Hills wine, Ramblers Cider, and The Gentleman’s Flavor Sunshine Claro Cigar Whisky (which is made in BC’s Okanagan Valley) was available to be paired with an exclusive cigar selection that included releases by Matilde, Esteban Carreras, and Havana Castle Cigars, which are made in Estelí, Nicaragua. 

“Because summer is only so long, It’s always nice to see people come together to enjoy our cigars outdoors in comfort before fall arrives” says Tamila Darsalia, who along with her husband Leo and three daughters, operate two Havana Castle Cigars locations within Ontario, one in St. Catharines and the other in the Toronto borough of Etobicoke. 

As the successful late summer event drew to a close, the sun set on the vineyards to the sound of revving car engines, briefly leaving behind an entangled essence of both exhaust and cigar smoke.

Hence the event name ‘The Smoke Show’. 

Palatine Hills Estate Winery is located at 911 Lakeshore Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

Havana Castle Cigars are located at 111 Forth Avenue in St. Catharines, Ontario