Cattail Creek

We came to this winery on the recommendation of another small winery. We really loved their dessert wines and their ice wine. Their Catastrophe wines are a orange-​chocolate infused wine or a strawberry-​chocolate infused wine. It was like alcoholic candy in liquid form. So yummy! We all purchased bottles of those wines. The guy at the tasting bar was super nice and waived our tasting fees. He also kindly recommended a few other small wineries to visit.
A very pleasant visit.

My boyfriend and I biked to this winery during our stay in NOTL. We hadn’t heard of this winery but thought it might be nice to sample its wines and take a break from the more well-​known mass producing wineries. We regret nothing! Matthew helped us through our sampling adventures and seemed to enjoy our company. He was knowledgable and very informative. He knew his stuff!
The winery itself is family owned and eco-​friendly. There is a water reserve behind it which houses many different species. We felt at home being here. There are muskoka chairs positioned in from the vineyards and a couple of picnic tables for enjoying the day. The sun sets so beautifully over the vineyard which creates a very romantic ambiance. We learned that they have a picnic option for $ 15 which we will be looking into during our next visit.
I know we will be back as this vineyard felt like home and the family operating it welcomed you as their own.

The second stop for our Afternoon Delight tour with the Grape and Wine Tours company, this was probably the most intimate of the three. We pulled up and were greeted by one of the family members running the winery Roselyn Dyck.
We were then brought down a ramp in the back to do a tasting in their barrell cellar. Roselyn was an excellent ambassador for her winery, as she was very informative on the actual process that goes into barrel aging wine. I for one never knew that when they say a wine was barrel aged for say 12 months, that most of the time it is not in just one barrel, but is moved to different barrels throughout that time period, as each barrel will offer it’s own unique flavor addition to the wine. So one barrel may provide some vanilla flavors, another cedar, an another peppery spice. And if you want all three of those flavors imparted on your wine, the art of the wine make is to know which barrels to use and how long to use them. Her description of wine makers with their heads and noses all in the barrels sniffing them for ideas of what it could contribute to flavor provided for a bit more of the nuance that can go into wine making.
As for the wines, well they were all pretty solid. I walked away with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, but would have got the Cabernet Sauvignon if I was a high roller as it was excellent, but out of my wine price range. (Under $ 20 is where I need to be)

Enjoyed some great wine (Late harvest varieties are a treat) And a picnic. A nice little boutique Winery.
The picnic was a treat, Freshly Baked baguette, 2 cheeses, antipasto, cookies. for 15 $, Not bad at all for a meal between wineries.

We were driving to find another winery and made a stop at this one along the way. I was glad we made the stop. The staff at the winery was informative and friendly and our entire experience was memorable and fun.
We were promptly greeted and they started to tell us a little about the winery as we were waiting for a spot at the wine bar. When the bus group left and the wine bar emptied, we were escorted over to the bar to begin our tasting.
The wines were decent but most of them did not jump out among my favorites of the day. I did love the Late Harvest Merlot because it was so unique. It was fun hearing about the owner’s love for cats and stories about the farm cats while sipping a large variety of wines.
In addition to the wines, they offer picnic options. My husband and I enjoyed the cheese, bread and meats. It was a much needed meal after wine tasting most of the day.
If you are doing a wine tour in Niagara on the Lake, make sure you add this one to your list.

We visited this winery as part of the Niagara Wine Festival Discovery pass, and looking back wish we had’ve gone somewhere else.
Upon arrival, it was a small facility which in itself we wouldn’t pre-​judge against. However the entire experience felt like a cash grab. They poured the wine with the 1 ounce pouring caps that you use on liquor bottles. 1 ounce of wine is hardly enough to actually taste or appreciate a wine, especially when there is a food pairing. Any additional samples from the bar were seemed even smaller than the 1 ounce initial serving, and we tried a couple of other wines but nothing really stood out.
Additionally, where the smaller wine places usually make up for the lack of facilities by telling you about their wines, or their story of how they came to be, or something. Here is was just here’s your sample, what do you want to buy? Not exactly personable or memorable by any means.

One of our last stops on the wine tour was Cattail Creek. I dunno, maybe I was starting to wind down from all of the other wineries, but this one didn’t blow my skirt up.
The tasting area was mouse-​fart quiet, and while the pair in the tasting area were very kind, I was just a little underwhelmed by it. The wine was perfectly acceptable though.
I think I’d like to give Cattail another shot one day. Maybe it was just poor timing.

I’ve been to this small winery twice this summer — their Off-​Dry Riesling is what sent me back the second time, to then also discover the Chardonnay Musqué which is a less sweet, but no less beautiful wine.
While you’re there, try out their Catastrophe series of dessert wines too! So named in honour of the vineyard’s family’s love of cats, a portion of some of the proceeds of a few of these wines goes towards a humane society. They’re really sweet and perfect on their own, or even to use in baked desserts.
If you end up purchasing some bottles, the vineyard will comp back some of the samples you’ve tried.

Fairly young winery with a very impressive quality that belies their youth.
Riesling’s were good — interesting old vine Riesling’s especially.
Rose («Serendipity») was a fabulous value — just the right hint (HINT) of sweetness.
Ice-​Vines and dessert wines were some of the best that I’ve tasted from Niagara.
All in all, an excellent example of real, good quality Canadian wine.
It helps that the family seems really nice too.