On a recent trip to the Niagara region I overheard a wine enthusiast ask a staff member at a winery I was visiting as to what happened to Coyote’s Run? The reflection in inquirer’s voice was that of a mourner after learning the news of a friend’s death.
The winery had been sold and is now closed and being repurposed for another type of agriculture. The fact is it was sold back in the late summer of 2017. I, like the person making the inquiry, was saddened when it was sold. Coyote’s Run provided a unique experience in that they had 2 separate vineyards, each with its own uniqueness that was easily detected when you tasted their 2 pinot noirs, Black Paw and Red Paw, and the staff was always enthusiastic to tell you about their products and how they painstakingly created their art in a bottle.
I learned of the winery’s fate when I visited in September of 2017, shortly after it sold. I had made a point of taking friends to the winery so they could experience both the wines and the atmosphere firsthand. However, when we arrived, we found the tasting room open but no one there to greet us and the shelves with little stock and even less varieties. Eventually a worker noticed we were there and came in from the vineyard to assist us. Wiping the sweat from his brow and apologizing for being nervous because he rarely speaks with customers and couldn’t tell us much about the wines, he said the winery had been sold.
I left that day disappointed, much the way the individual I overheard making the inquiry. The glory was gone and now in 2019, so is the winery. However, in my mind the winery was really gone the day it was sold. I have several older vintages and varietals of Coyote’s Run. I will savour each and reflect on the good ole days with each sip.
Sláinte mhaith
A Layman's Wine Musings 