Not all wineries have their products distributed for sale at your local wine merchant.  This may be because the winery does not produce the minimum prescribed quantity to enable distribution.  In other cases it may be a conscious decision by the vintner where they prefer to sell a certain wine or vintage at their own facility.  Thus without actually visiting the winery you may be missing out on some of the wine world’s best kept secrets.

There are other reasons for visiting a winery.  No one knows their wines better than those who make them.  Well informed staff can explain the process used to make each of their wines, as well as the varietal composition, cellaring capability, and food pairing suggestions.

You will usually have the opportunity to taste the various wines on offer.  I can’t think of a better way to determine whether a particular wine is to your personal liking.

I have had some very enjoyable experiences, as well as some not so pleasant ones.  The common denominator of a rewarding winery experience is having good interaction with knowledgeable and pleasant staff that are willing to spend the time to answer questions and listen to what you are looking for.   As a result, on several occasions I have gone to a specific winery in search of one wine but after some discussion I have happily left with a different one.

When I am planning a visit to either Niagara or Prince Edward County, I do my research and plan ahead as to which wineries I want to visit and in many cases, which wines I am interested in purchasing.  Otherwise, with about 100 wineries on offer in Niagara and another 40 in the County, I would be wandering aimlessly in my search. 

A winery may make it onto my list for several different reasons.  I may have heard about a specific wine that intrigues me; I may be simply looking to restock my cellar with a certain wine that I have previously enjoyed; I may research wine reviews and make some decisions based on what the experts have to say; or as in the case of a recent trip, I may be in search of a wine that my wife and I enjoyed in an area restaurant. 

In situations where I have visited based on reviewer opinions, sometime I have gone in search of a specific wine but in others I may have been intrigued by the winery itself.  In the case of the latter, the staff’s knowledge and expertise is most important to ensure a successful experience.

If nothing else, it is a good idea to search out which wineries have a restaurant so you can plan to be somewhere food is served when hunger pangs hit.  Many of these restaurants offer a unique experience in themselves as they will often pair their wines with the various menu items.

I often travel to the wine regions during the off-season, avoiding the period from Victoria Day to Labour Day.  This way there are less likely to be crowds and winery staff will have more time to answer questions and make suggestions, making the experience more rewarding and enjoyable.

When touring the various wineries you will see that the wineries themselves are unique from one another in appearance, ranging from very modest and plain, to rustic, to extremely elaborate.   Keep in mind that appearances can be deceiving.  I have purchased great wines from barns and cinderblock shacks located along obscure lanes and paths.  Remember it is the vintner behind the scene who puts the quality in the bottle.

Sláinte mhaith

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