Caroline Cellars

Caroline Cellars was one of the stops on my Niagara Fun Tours trip and it definitely did not disappoint. They let us have 8 tastings (and I was able to try 3 ice wines!). The lady who served us at the tastings bar was very informative and friendly. I wasn’t able to buy any wine for myself as I had spent my money all on my friend for her birthday (which was worth it).
Also you can’t buy any of their wines at the LCBO which is okay since it is way cheaper buying directly from the winery itself. I was told LCBO takes 60% of the profits (I’m unsure if this is true or not).
Even if you don’t have this stop on a tour you I recommend making this a stop if you’re ever visiting the Niagara wine belt.

Our Wine Tour driver stopped here as one of his regular stops and the ladies were definitely ready for us!!! The samples flowed, the ‘wine chatter’ started and after 5 samples we were ready for lunch in their restaurant. The wines were pretty good but didn’t please us enough to buy any. In their attached restaurant– We ordered Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Poutine, a cheese plate & a charcuterie plate. Since WHEN does 3 slices of each– salami, prosciutto and capicolo with some bread get a fancy French name and added to menu’s all over North America??? When I was young– we called this ‘Cold cuts’ and bread. On to the next one…

One of my fav wineries that we stopped at
They give you 4 free tastings which is pretty generous compared to the other wineries.
I loved the farm house feel.
Unfortunately we didn’t have time to have lunch here but I heard it was good.
Staff were also quite friendly!

Extremely knowledgable stuff! Fantastic vibe from the moment you walk in. That was my first time in Canadian wine tasting house and I am definitely coming back there.
Each and every wine there is special. The best of all is that you can taste four wines for free.

In my opinion, this is one of the best wineries in the Niagara-​on-​the-​lake region. Tasting is a must.

Was tipped off to this place by our lovely server at AG the night before. Hubby and I don’t drink, and the lady at AG said that this place had a non-​alcoholic tasting we could partake in. Yay! So we headed over there and had our eyes opened to what a Saturday at a vineyard was like. Holy cow! It was a bunch of ladies 3 deep to the bar and elbowing in was a challenge. Being a newbie to this kind of experience, I didn’t know what to do. After waiting for some time, one of the ladies behind the counter caught my eye and saw my desperate deer in the headlights look. She acknowledged me and I asked about the non-​alcoholic tasting and she said they had a white and red grape juice from their vineyards and said she’d help me and my husband out with that. We elbowed our way to another place she pointed out and she came over and poured us each the white grape juice, which was delicious. We had to wait a long time for the other pour and to buy some grape juice, but it was a mad house in there. I sincerely applaud all the ladies behind the counter because they were patient and upbeat through the whole thing. It was fun to be able to experience, but I’ll never do it again! Anyway, the grape juice is yummy, if you’re not into alcohol!

lunch is delicious. lobster raviloi and braise beef poutine was outstanding.
only complaint is extreme slow service when you happen to arrive at the time a tour bus is in.

Great selection of different fruit and ice wines, and all very reasonably priced too! Came here with my family in our way to Niagara Falls and although we don’t know much about wine, the lady behind the counter was very helpful pointing out a few to try.
You can try any of the wines free of charge except for a few of their specialty icewines, though they will waive the $ 4 tasting fee of you buy the wine. We ended up taking 6 bottles home with us: the 2010 Pinot Noir, the blackberry wine, cranberry winter harvest, 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Icewine, and two 2008 Cabernet Franc Ice wines (yes we liked it that much!) Definately stop by if you’re in the area!

This was a fun experience! We don’t know too much about wine but we went there to do a tasting anyways and the lady there was super friendly and helpful. We ended up buying 3 pretty expensive bottles but they were just so tasty! You should go here!

With fond memories of eating myself silly a few weeks ago, I present this overdue review of Caroline Cellars’ «Lobsterfest»!
First, with the word «lobster» in the title can you really go wrong? My parents have been dedicated Lobsterfest attendees for a few years now. This year, my brother and I joined in for the festivities. Word in the winery was that this year’s was the biggest yet.
Well, we weren’t disappointed. Lobsterfest is a ritual. You feverishly look through the back field for a parking spot, first bumping your brother when you find one (okay, maybe I’m the only one that does that…). The lineups are ridiculous, but we were lucky enough to catch an early sitting.
A single lobster with roast potatoes, green salad, pasta salad, corn and a roll (phew!) was $ 24. You could get all that plus a ribeye for $ 35.
And it was ridiculously good. And messy, so so messy. I now feel slight twinges of shame at how terrible I must have looked. The satisfaction from retrieving that lobster meat and devouring it with butter sauce, however… It’s a rare joy.
They also have estate wines and beer for purchase. Go big or go home, right? Live bands are also on scene for entertainment and ambient lobster-​noming music.
All in all, a great, messy day… One I will attend again next year. I may bring a bib though.

Now THIS is my kind of winery.
Our Niagara Fun Tours group split into two groups. Caroline Cellars’ tasting room doesn’t fit large groups, but their tasting was the best on the tour. We sampled four wines (the other wineries provided three), and the best part…
We were all allowed to individually choose which four wines we wanted to sample! The menu they provided made it so hard to choose. Red, white, ice, fruit, the options were seemingly endless. In order to make the most of it, my husband and I each chose four different wines and shared them. So while I consumed only four samples, I tasted eight totally different wines.
There wasn’t a whole lot of wine talk while we were here, sweet relief…
There were two ladies pouring for us, but they did a terrific job keeping up with everyone’s requests and purchases. I could have purchased more, but we took home a bottle of the Pinot Cherry and a Vidal Ice Wine.
And guess what? We don’t even *like* red wine, unless it’s sangria. The Pinot Cherry tastes much like a Pinot Noir, but the cherry added just enough sweetness without being a «sweet red wine.» My husband was motivated to purchase this one because the description said it was good with popcorn. Hey, why not? The Plum wine suggested it be served with Chinese take-​out. I was intrigued by this one, but wasn’t crazy about the flavor.
I do regret not purchasing one of the Farmers’ Whites as well. Don’t make the same mistake as I did. If you like multiple wines at Caroline, get them all!
Alright kids, back on the bus again…

This was our second winery on our tour, but was a great addition. The staff here is much friendlier than they were at the larger wineries which is very nice, and there aren’t any huge sampling fees. They did have some nice wines. The Farmer Riesling was our favorite though, and we picked up a bottle.
Another random plus was the fact that they have AMAZING food in there restaurant. Even if you don’t like wine it’s worth stopping in for the food. We had a Reuben Poutine and it was to die for. I’ll definitely be making we stop in again on any future trips to Niagara on the Lake.

3.5 Star
If you are into Fruit wines, Caroline Cellars is a MUST visit winery if you are in NOTL. Blueberries, Plum, Cranberries? I hope they are loaded with antioxidants. The good thing is that they are not overwhelming sweet!
Extra half star for FREE wine tasting!
Ok! Even if I am not into fruit wines, I will be back! Maybe to drink them like desserts?

My parents took me to NOTL for my birthday. We visited a total of 16 wineries and this one was my favorite. Not only do they have outstanding wine, the service we received from Laura and Heather was fantastic. Best grilled cheese EVER!!!

So…6 wine stops later… we stumble into Caroline Cellars…
…and it was the PERFECT end to our wine tour for the day! The wine tasting is free (which is a nice change after Inniskillin’s $ 25 wine tasting), AND the wine experts were FUN AS HELL (an even nicer change after Inniskillin’s cattle treatment)! Although there was a tour bus pulling up after us, they spent time to talk us through each wine, cracked jokes, and even made fun of us (in a totally charming way that only Canadians can).
THEN…we stumbled into their dining room and had one of the most scrumptious lunches we’ve had the entire trip! The red-​wine and duck poutine was *ridiculously* good, and the green bean salad was so refreshing. The soups were delicious and filling, and the service over in the dining room was just as great as over in the tasting room.
Highly recommend! It was a ton of fun, and if you’re drinking your way through Niagara On the Lake, I insist that you plan your route so that you pass by here for lunch!

OMG. We were soooo stuffed after lunch we could hardly move. And please — no more wine.
We had the shrimp burger which my girlfriend rated 4 stars and I had the Thanksgiving Poutin which was crazy!
The Plum wine was delicious — not too sweet. Yum!
And our server, Sabrina, was cool and charismatic.

A more rustic looking tasting room than some we visited. But the money not spent on the tasting room obviously went into their wines. We tried four wines here: the 2009 Meritage, a 2008 Merlot, and the 2008 and 2010 Cabernet Franc. The 2008 Cabernet Franc had aged well in the bottle and we bought one to enjoy later that evening on the porch of our B&B.

My girlfriend and I wanted to hit up a winery while she was in town and we were doing the Niagara thing. A friend suggested this winery as you can’t buy their wine at the LCBO and said that it was great value.
Upon our arrival mid-​day the place was packed. Their tasting room has a nice rustic feel, but is well maintained. Even with the place being full, the staff still squeezed us in at the end of the bar so we could get down to business. Now I’m a red drinker and my lady friend a white, so while the staff suggested that we try each other’s selections, it didn’t really matter. The one tasting that really stood out to me was the Marechal Foch. It has a very dark, earthy flavour. I had never tried one before and though Cabernet Sauvignon will stay at my go-​to the Marechal Foch is something I want to try more of.
With the staff running around like crazy getting everyone their tastings, they still took the time to talk about each wine and answer any questions we had. The only drawback was that sometimes it took a little while to get the next tasting poured.
After the tasting we figured out what we wanted to buy. They had a few sales going on which mostly consisted of getting the larger bottles for the price of the smaller. I picked up a few bottles as did my girlfriend. My friend who recommended the winery asked me to phone him so that I could pick some up for him. He wanted two cases. The staff were great at getting his large order together and were willing to take his credit card info over the phone so that I didn’t have to hassle with getting cash from him.
I would highly suggest putting this winery on your list if you’re exploring the area or going on a tour.

Amazing fruit wines — their plum wine is definitely something special. For those who like sweeter wines, Caroline Cellars has an abundance of delicious options. The Gewürztraminer is practically a dessert wine. The bonus — their pricing is much more reasonable per bottle than other wineries in the area. A definite must visit!

I came to Caroline Cellars as a bonus stop on a wine tour and I’m so glad we made this special stop. The staff here was fabulous! They were so knowledgeable and passionate about their wine, it truly showed. It’s a family owned & operated winery and Caroline’s granddaughter was one of the people talking to our group. She gave us some valuable tips with wine tasting that I’ve carried with me, was very helpful and very nice.
The tasting is all wood as is the dining area which gave the whole place a very cozy, homey, very Canadian if I may say so, feel. They gave us a double sided sheet with 31 choices of samples and let us pick three to taste. The sheet gave us detailed information about each wine, including what it would pair well with.
They had the BEST ice wine I’ve ever had! I neeeeed a bottle — award winning 2008 Riesling Icewine. It was so rich, sweet, and fruity yet balanced, like a dessert in a bottle. They looked to have some very tasty choices for lunches as well.
I highly recommend Caroline Cellars as a stop while in Niagara — you won’t regret it!