Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate — Attraction in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Our not so VIP experience at Jackson-Triggs

I won a gift certificate to Jackson Triggs which was good for 4 people to be taken on a private tour, wine tasting and enjoy a cheese platter upstairs in the estate lounge overlooking the vineyard. It sounded lovely and both my husband and our two friends who we took along (recently engaged) were looking forward to a weekend out of Toronto. We planned our weekend accordingly, rented a BNB and arrived at Jackson Triggs on time at 4:30pm to begin our tour.

Upon our arrival a grumpy, disinterested lady walked up to us and without introducing herself or greeting us, tells us we are 30 minutes late for our tour. I did not choose the time of the tour I was only given 2 options, 1 of which was 4:30pm on Saturday. With a look of irritation the tour guide reiterated “since you are 30 minutes late you will now only have a 15 minute tour and we will not be taking you to see the wine cellar because the rooms are closed off for a private party tonight”. She explained all the amazing parts of the vineyard we would be missing today since we were “late” and her negative attitude and hasty tone made us feel like we were intruding on this imminent party.

After the short, pointless 15 minute walk around a few barrels of wine, we were brought to the busy sitting area attached to the gift shop and given a cheese plate. When we asked (yes we had to ask) what type of cheese it was the waitress responds, “I don’t know, cheese is cheese!” And walked away. When I asked to speak to the manager to confirm that this was the "estate lounge" she told us the manager is too busy setting up for the event and the estate lounge was closed this evening.

The staff at Jackson Triggs on this occasion were horribly ungracious, offensive, rude and pompous. We felt unwanted, unappreciated, and felt as though we were a burden. Even when I expressed my disappointment and explained that we planned our weekend around this experience our tour guides response was "You really planned your ENTIRE weekend over a 45 minute tour??”

No one ever did apologize for the ‘miscommunication’ and lack of a VIP experience. We will never return to Jackson Triggs winery. There are so many lovely wineries in Niagara on the lake, ones that are family owned, with lots of personality and spunk. With staff who are friendly, helpful, welcoming and who genuinely appreciate your presence. Please take a minute to re consider visiting such a large winery like Jackson Triggs that have no interest in pleasing their customers and probably couldn’t care less if you actually came. Unless you like your wine with a side of pretentious, it’s...

We went to see Rural Alberta Advantage last night. The amphitheatre was nice, but it's all seated (which I don't prefer) with a bit of space at the very back for people that want to be up and dancing. Overall, the venue is nice and we had a good time.

The restaurant has a limited menu, which is generally a good sign. However, it was also pretty pretentious. Fancy sounding options that are not properly delivered.

The Lobster nachos are severely lacking in toppings and mostly just serve to be a worse, overly rich version of the traditional dish. Expect to have a plate full of tortilla chips by the time you're done with it.

The asiago and brisket grilled cheese was dry and bland. I didn't really taste any sauce, and there was no dip. It mostly tasted like toast with butter; I couldn't finish it.

Both dishes were quite expensive. It would be more forgivable if it was closer to pub-fare pricing.

The drink menu only included wine, but they have soft drinks... If you don't care much for their brand of wine--or wine in general--there's not much else for you. One could argue this should be expected, but I'd argue that catering to the non-wine drinkers should be top of list for a "tourist"-type attraction, for those that are not interested in wine and attending with family or friends for their sake. The only reason I'd ever return for food/drink is for someone dear to me that likes the wine and is opposed to eating somewhere else first.

I overheard some staff talking about not being paid for a month. I didn't want to interject, but generally this is illegal and comes with some pretty hefty fines. Really put a damper on my feelings about the whole place in a more general sense.

If you like their wine I'm sure you'll like the place well enough if you go in without high expectations for the food. For everyone else, I'd steer clear. If you're going for a show, eat and drink somewhere else before arriving. That will be my...

Terrible customer service. We went to see Dwayne Gretzky, the last of the summer concert series of 2025 so you would think they had all the bugs worked out. Nope.

We tried to buy a bottle of wine to consume in their courtyard prior to the show and were sent from the outdoor line up (which we waited in), to the tasting room, which she also said no even after being sent there by the lady outside. We were then sent to the bar at the restaurant who tried to send us back to the tasting room, until I told them the fiasco. Who knew it would be so hard to get a bottle of wine at a winery?

We chose the bottle and noticed it was $10 more from the bar than from the tasting room. We enquired and were told it was a corking fee. I have never, ever had a corking fee from a winery when they are opening their own product! Ridiculous, total money grab.

Then a bit later we lined up again at the outdoor kiosk to get a couple cans of cider, told to go in to the bar again. Got into the bar to order cans of cider, they only had one can available. All the staff were frazzled, stressed and frankly terrible. I would never go here again for a tasting, meal or event (even though Dwayne Gretzky killed it)! Disorganized, cranky staff and a corking fee for their own bottles is a hard no from me, here on out.

PS the actual event staff, in the red shirts were freaking amazing! So fun, friendly, helpful, we loved interacting with them! We especially loved Anne, with an e, she...