Wine Clubs of Niagara’s Wineries

By / Wine + Drinks / September 4th, 2019 / 6
Ontario Wine Clubs - Sue Ann Staff Winery

You simply can’t speak of Canadian wine without speaking about the Niagara Wine Region. It is the country’s largest wine-growing area, and one of its best. Here are three wineries with wine clubs that showcase Ontario wine.

Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery

3210 Staff Avenue, Jordan

One of the first things you notice about this winery is… is that a landing strip? Yes, in fact, there are two. You can land your single-engine plane or helicopter at the only fly-in winery in Ontario. Of course, you could also drive, but what’s the fun in that?

Sue-Ann Staff blends practical history with modern fun, as a fifth-generation grape grower and past Ontario Winemaker of the Year (the first female, and youngest ever, winner). She’s made wine around the world, from Australia to France to South Africa to right back home on Canada’s largest privately-owned vineyard.

Their wine club is named Gold Star, after Sue-Anne’s favourite exclamation of praise. Four times a year (Feb/May/Aug/Nov), the best of the best are packed up in a box and sent nationwide for members to enjoy. Other benefits include tasting notes, the annual Fancy Farm Girl Harvest Party, and whatever else they might like throwing in from time to time.

Like a lot of high-quality wineries, they have a vineyard dog, named Brix.

PondView Estate Winery

925 Line 2, Niagara-on-the-Lake


PondView is one of the oldest estates in Niagara, a three-generation enterprise passed down from its progenitor Giuseppe Puglisi since he came to Canada in 1965. In 2008, Giuseppe’s son, Lou, was awarded the title of “Grape King”, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture’s highest award for vineyard operations.

They refer to their land as “Bella Terra”, or “beautiful land”, which is also the name of their reserve line of single-vineyard vines. For access to all their production, they offer a fee-free wine club, with free shipping within Ontario and competitive rates nationwide. Select a monthly, bi-monthly or bi-annual box of curated gems, and enjoy having them delivered straight to your door.

If you find yourself on site (like for the complimentary tasting that comes with membership), make sure to stop by the PondView cheese shop, home to fine pairing cheeses sourced from the province’s best artisans – Muenster, Gouda, Swiss, smoked Cheddar and more, whatever you have in the cellar you should be able to find a partner for it here.

Wayne Gretzky Estates

1219 Niagara Stone Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Wayne Gretzky Estates
If it’s hard to talk about Canadian wine without talking about Niagara, it’s hard to talk about Canada in general without mentioning Wayne Gretzky. One of the country’s most famous exports, Mr. Gretzky owns and operates a winery with a difference in Niagara, including a concierge to help you plan your day or weekend in wine country.

Another difference is that this is Niagara’s only joint winery, distillery and (most recently) brewery. There’s something for everyone here, from fine wines to cask whiskies to a brand new rye lager, all produced right on site.

The No. 99 Club offers a monthly hand-picked selection, with nine wines and a cocktail kit (bottle of spirits and top-quality accoutrements). Give them a try and see if you agree he’s as good with liquids as he ever was on the ice.


Want more Canadian winery clubs?

British Columbia

Wine Clubs of Naramata and Penticton

Wine Clubs from Outside Naramata and Penticton

Nova Scotia

Wine Clubs of Nova Scotia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen Smith is a freelance writer from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He likes sports, technology, and chocolate chip cookies. For more, visit https://HireSteve.ca.

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