Westcott Vineyards · Niagara Wine Country
Our Ten Favourite
Niagara Wineries
The question we get asked most often in the tasting room
These are friends. Over the years, every one of these producers has opened their cellars, shared their knowledge, and offered counsel when it mattered most. We are proud and grateful to recommend each one.
From the Tasting Room
"Who else would you recommend?"
It is the question we are asked most often at Westcott Vineyards, and we always have an answer ready. Birds of a feather flock together, and the wineries on this list are very much our flock. Almost without exception, they have built their reputations on the same varieties that define Westcott: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
These are unforgiving grapes that reward only those who respect the land, trust in the cool mineral soils of the Niagara Escarpment, and show restraint in the cellar. Every producer below has done exactly that, vintage after vintage. They are proof that Niagara belongs in the same conversation as the world's great cool-climate wine regions.
But there is something that matters even more to us than shared varieties or philosophy. These are friends. Over the years, every one of these producers has extended a hand, opened their cellars, and offered counsel at the moments when it mattered most. We are proud and grateful to recommend each one of them.
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01
Beamsville Bench
Hidden Bench Estate Winery
Tucked behind a curtain of vines on Locust Lane, Hidden Bench has been one of Ontario's most celebrated estates since its first vintage in 2003. Owner Harald Thiel's commitment to 100% organic estate farming and non-interventionist winemaking yields single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling of remarkable depth and precision. Named Winery of the Year at the National Wine Awards of Canada in 2023, Hidden Bench continues to set the benchmark for Beamsville Bench terroir.
hiddenbench.com ↗ -
02
Twenty Mile Bench & Vinemount Ridge
Tawse Winery
Four-time Canadian Winery of the Year, Tawse is one of Niagara's great organic and biodynamic estates. Head Winemaker Jessica Otting, who has led the cellar since 2020, continues to craft world-class Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Riesling with a distinctly Burgundian sensibility. The gravity-flow winery, geothermal systems, and wetland biofilter reflect a deep and enduring commitment to the sustainable stewardship of the land.
tawsewinery.ca ↗ -
03
Niagara Peninsula
Leaning Post Wines
Winemaker Ilya Senchuk is one of Niagara's most passionate champions of small-lot, vineyard-specific winemaking. Leaning Post sources from exceptional sites across the peninsula, with a particular gift for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The name is a beautiful metaphor: a leaning post anchors the beginning of a vine row, just as Leaning Post anchors serious Niagara wine on any list.
leaningpostwines.com ↗ -
04
St. David's Bench
Five Rows Craft Wine
Niagara's closest thing to a cult winery. Winemaker Wes Lowrey crafts barely 900 cases a year from the fifth-generation Lowrey Vineyards on the St. David's Bench, and each release sells out within days. The Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon are hand-labelled and individually numbered by the family. Five Rows is as intimate and honest a winery as you will find anywhere in Canada.
fiverows.com ↗ -
05
Twenty Mile Bench & Beamsville Bench
Bachelder Niagara
Thomas Bachelder's singular focus on terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay has made him one of the most respected winemakers in the country, and in Burgundy, where he has also made wine. His Niagara releases, sourced from storied sites like Wismer-Wingfield, are among the most precise expressions of the region's cool-climate potential. Thomas has also been a generous mentor to our own winemaker Casey Kulczyk, a relationship we hold in the highest regard.
bachelderniagara.com ↗ -
06
Twenty Mile Bench
Cloudsley Cellars
A fellow Twenty Mile Bench producer and near-neighbour, Cloudsley has quickly earned a reputation for fine, minimally-interventionist Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that vibrates with the appellation's signature acidity, minerality, and energy. Small lots, exceptional attention to terroir, and a quiet confidence in the fruit define everything this winery produces. A rising star we are proud to call a neighbour.
cloudsleycellars.com ↗ -
07
Twenty Mile Bench
Flat Rock Cellars
One of the great destination estates on the Twenty Mile Bench, Flat Rock Cellars has long been an eloquent ambassador for the appellation. Their estate vineyard, nicknamed "Nadja's Vineyard" for a resident hawk, regularly produces benchmark Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. The dramatic hillside winery is as memorable as the wines within it.
flatrockcellars.com ↗ -
08
Beamsville Bench & Twenty Mile Bench
Cave Spring Vineyard
One of Niagara's founding estates, Cave Spring has been making wines from the Niagara Escarpment since 1986. The Cave Spring Vineyard Riesling is among the most enduring expressions of Ontario cool-climate viticulture. Anchored in the historic village of Jordan and home to the celebrated Inn on the Twenty, Cave Spring is both a winery and a way of life in wine country.
cavespring.ca ↗ -
09
Niagara Lakeshore, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Stratus Vineyards
Stratus stands apart from the Niagara pack in the best possible way. Their LEED-certified, gravity-flow winery is Canada's first of its kind, and their winemaking philosophy embraces 16 grape varieties across 55 acres to create signature assemblage wines that are complex, distinctive, and entirely their own. A quarter century in, Stratus is as relevant and inspiring as ever.
stratuswines.com ↗ -
10
Vinemount Ridge
Vieni
Vieni — Italian for “welcome” — is one of Niagara’s most distinctive and versatile estates, situated on a breathtaking 175-acre property on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment. Under master winemaker Mauro Salvador, Vieni produces an exceptional range of still wines, Icewines, and sparkling wines crafted in the Charmat method. Our relationship with Vieni runs deep: back in 2013, Westcott was the very first customer for their Charmat sparkling winemaking service, and we have sourced fruit from them over the years as well. Today, much of our bottling is done at Vieni. It's a partnership built on trust, generosity, and a shared commitment to quality that has only grown stronger with every vintage.
vieni.ca ↗
Niagara is not a secret anymore, and these ten estates are a large part of the reason why. We are grateful to count every one of them as a friend.— The Westcott Vineyards Team
