Rancourt Winery

This place is a hidden treasure, that’s for sure. It’s tiny but we’ll worth going off the beaten path for.

It was the last stop on an epic 7 hour wine tour, but it seriously had the best red wines we tasted from any of the other vineyards (bear in mind we like California wines, which are more fruit forward). They were about to close, but Mary was charming, serving us three different red wines and a cheese plate to nibble on while we sat outside. We definitely will be back, although we wish they sold their wines somewhere around Toronto!

At the top of my list for favorite wineries in the Niagara Region…
It’s small, but mighty with their fabulous whites, reds & ice wine choices. It’s a hidden gem amongst the wine tours in the area with it’s private driveway, and you will park by the barn entrance.
The staff is fun, hip & über-​knowledgeable about their wines. Plus, they often have tasty tidbits coming off the grill to enjoy while you’re tasting their vintages.
Have them take your palate on a wine adventure, c/​o resident winemaker, Eric Pearson. He’s so excited about the grapes & what he creates with them. Heaven in a bottle.
My fave: 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Ice Wine. You want to try this one!

This was the smallest winery we visited over the past weekend, but it was also our favorite. I never would have seen or stopped at this place, but it was recommended to us, and I’m glad it was. Like the other 1 reviewer, you pull in to this tiny driveway that ends at a barn. We were the only customers there when we arrived which was nice, and we were greeted by a very friendly young man who would later tell us he was 1 of 6 employees. We met 2 of the employees and both knew absolutely everything about the wine and the winery itself. It was quite a different experience than any of the larger wineries we visited.
The winery which is located on less 30 acres if I recall produced a surprisingly high variety of wines. My wife and I are both prefer reds usually, but their Nobel Blanc was fantastic. After a cheese plate and very informative conversation we ended up leaving with a case of their Nobel Rouge that they had on sale.
Their show room is quite small but nice and clearly has one of the female family members influence as there are high heel shoe decorations everywhere, including high heel bottle stoppers, coasters and napkins.
I would definitely recommend stopping in if you are nearby. This is definitely and underrated winery and a hidden gem that most people are probably missing out on.

We made a little pitstop at Rancourt’s Winery on the way back from Niagara on the Falls. Get into a private driveway, and go straight to the «barn“‘s entrance. I will fully admit I only stopped because it’s the only place with a French name, and wanted to support fellow Quebecers in the area.
A small rack of wines displayed the winery’s four styles, and a 30yo men with funky glasses gave us a tasting of the wines. He was very personable and quickly gave us a very simple explanation or description of his wines, and educated us about the region (neither of us are big wine drinkers).
In short, it was much more fun than the tastings we had at some of the the bigger wineries in the area where wine snobs wouldn’t leave the counters (we were alone) and where the attendants couldn’t wait for you to leave so that they could resume gossiping with their fellow workmates. Rancourt’s visit was short, and delicious: we left with a bottle.