London cabs add to Niagara-on-the-Lake's English accent. (Courtesy Niagara Classic Cars)

Ontario’s top wine destination

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE -- Can this town, one of Ontario's prettiest, seem any more British and any more upscale? Apparently so. For starters, check out the number of London cabs on the streets these days.

Four years ago, Niagara Classic Cars, a local company owned by brothers David and Mathew Mole, imported three London cabs, in part to service its growing Vine and Dine program. Since then, the fleet has grown to 12 cars and three more are on their way from Southampton.

"I think it works well," David Mole says. "It's kind of like a tribute to our British past."

The cars are authentic London cabs. They sit higher up off the ground than regular taxis, have right-hand drive, manual opening windows, jump seats and acrylic glass between the passenger and the driver.

You'll even find stickers of City of London regulations and rate cards inside. The only difference is they don't have a London meter. That and the fact the cars are painted different colours such as blue, red, and maroon -- though there are two black cabs, which are popular.

The drivers, several of whom are originally from the United Kingdom, include retired principals, police officers and university students. According to Mole they are typically car fanatics who are passionate about the history of the town and are often hip and young.

My driver, Matt Benvenuto, who fits into the latter category, cheerfully drives me around on my mission to visit four properties that have won CAA/AAA four diamond awards for the first time within the past year. Among them: The Shaw Club Hotel and its restaurant Zees Patio & Grill, and the Oban Inn and Spa and its Restaurant Tony de Luca (where you can enjoy a four-course dinner paired with wine for $65).

They join the 13 other lodgings and restaurants in Niagara-on-the-Lake that have garnered the coveted four-diamond awards for several consecutive years.

"As you believe, so you become," are the words written above a bas relief sculpture inside the entrance at the Oban Inn. Originally built as a private home in 1824 by Captain Duncan Milloy of Oban, Scotland, the inn is a smoke-free property with 26 rooms, a lovely English garden, and exceedingly pleasant staff. I spend a tranquil night here and awake to the sound of birds chirping.

Like the Oban, the Shaw Club has a lot of qualities I like in a hotel: Modern design, a central location, comfortable rooms with windows that open, complimentary breakfast, and a computer that guests can use free of charge.

The 22-room Shaw, which owner Sue Murray describes as "contemporary, fun and funky," was fully renovated in 2006. It also offers a DVD library, and, upon request, a pet beta fish that can be brought to your room!

Only in Canada you say? Pity.

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WHAT'S ON

HERE'S A SAMPLING OF EVENTS THIS MONTH:

- The Herb & Wine Touring Program continues on May 24-25 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Each of 18 wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake will feature a different herb and wine pairing. Sip the wine, savour the herb aroma, and sample an herb-flavoured food delicacy. How about Strewn's Cabernet Rose and Caraway, or Coyote's Run Estate Winery's Unoaked Chardonnay and Lemon Basil? Tickets $30 available online at niagaronthelake.com or call 905-468-1950.

- Enjoy a spring tour of Old Town gardens on the historical Shaw Garden Tour. Members of the Shaw Guild as well as master gardeners will be at each location to help you appreciate the displays. Takes place Saturday, May 31 at 10 a.m. Tickets $20. For more call 1-800-511-7429.

- Eighth Annual Niagara Artists Studio Tour, is a free, self-guided event featuring more than 30 area artists and studios in the Niagara Region. The event runs from May 24-25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For details, contact Niagara Pumphouse Visual Art Centre at 905-468-5455 or check niagarapumphouse.ca.

SHAW FESTIVAL SEASON

The Shaw Festival, the only theatre in the world that specializes exclusively in plays by George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries, features 10 productions during the 2008 season. Five plays that opened this spring and continue until the fall include: An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley, Wonderful Town based on the book by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov, The Stepmother by Githa Sowerby, Getting Married by Bernard Shaw, and The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman.

Performances take place on the Festival's three Niagara-on-the-Lake stages: The Festival Theatre, the Court House Theatre and the Royal George Theatre. For more, call 1-800-511-Shaw (7429) or check shawfest.com.