Strewn Winery — Attraction in Niagara-on-the-Lake

It had been 4 years since we'd been to Niagara-on-the-lake, we used to go at least once a year. Since covid wine tastings have changed - you used to be able to just walk right up to a crowded tasting bar and dig into some tastings. Every winery we visited has now changed where you need to register, wait for availability, or make a reservation. The pros: more personal service, no crowds, and you don't feel rushed; The cons: you need to have a little forethought/planning and/or have a little patience (something we saw lacking in some who showed up while we were there, expecting the old way of tasting and ignoring the clear signs with directions as to how it now works). Though every past visit to Strewn has been great, our experience at Strewn this time was truly the highlight of this year's visit, even though we had to register and wait a little bit since we did not book ahead. We had lunch there first, then when we went seeking out the tasting room noticed the sign with directions on where to register. There we met Sherri, who was energetic and super friendly with a warm welcoming smile - she's the manager and also who was at the registration desk to register us and book us in for our tasting. For the tasting we got to meet Juan - what an incredible wealth of knowledge this man imparts about wine (we will forever roll our reds instead of swish them), and he's also able to perfectly pair you up with wines you'll love that you would not expect (eg: I've never been a Chardonnay fan, but he introduced me to a Chardonnay I loved). He answered all our questions, and gave us so many tips including what to age and what not to. After the tastings we choose what we wanted to buy, and both Juan and Sherri gathered them up. They also suggested we pick it up the next day on our way home as we were staying in a 2nd floor hotel room with no elevator (something they picked up on during our conversation - another tribute to the great service!). The whole experience left us feeling valued, relaxed, and confident in our wine purchase. See...

We were very much looking forward to taking our bikes up to NOTL for a weekend away as we are supposed to be on our a honeymoon in Peru, which was cancelled. I had printed some maps off on google maps and made a route in advance, as well as booking some tasting times. Strewn was first on the list, so we left the hotel (Pillar and post) in plenty of time to get there. We ended up in the wrong spot as the google map location online was incorrect. We called and they said they were aware of this issue and others have done the same thing. So we biked approx 9km in 15 mins to get there in time (still about 10 mins late). When we arrived we were soaked in sweat and trying to find out where to go for the tasting. It took 10 mins of us wandering around asking various staff until someone asked us for our information and took us to where the tasting was. This gentleman also made a point to say that we were late and our tasting time would not be changed. We explained the google map situation and he was like you’re still late. We did point out that perhaps the google map location should be changed so that false information is not being provided to guests and he shrugged his shoulders at us. He then took us to an empty patio to have our tasting which was nice aside from being soaked in sweat and having to deal with the man who seated us and was just plain rude in his tone and mannerisms. We didn’t stay after the tasting or shop for wines there, even though the wines were very tasty. The experience was already ruined for us so we carried on to our other booked locations where we had a lovely remainder of the day. I think a little understanding goes a long way and we didn’t feel...

We went here at noon - a one-time mistake made by my novice daughter who made the reservations - since the right time seemed later in the afternoon closer to 4PM, but nevertheless, we did manage to taste a good selection of their wines. The hostess did justice - I forget her name, sadly - serving us their Muselet, Cabernet, and all sorts of other wines to taste. We were the only people in that tasting room in mid May. This was our first wine tasting venture, but then once I got the hang of it, we kept it going for a while. I ended up buying a few bottles for home to be tried w cheese. Overall, we walked out of there with a very good feeling as if we accomplished something positive, a feeling that you don't get often. In reality, I sipped thru a bunch of wines, first tasting them leisurely like a pro, and then swallowing the rest in one gulp before moving on to the next one, a mistake in retrospect, but a technique that I have seen my uncle do effortlessly. He never wasted even a drop of any alcohol, whiskey being his all-time favorite.

Afterward, we went to the butterfly conservatory at my daughter's insistence and walked around, a repeat performance from last year, but a good match after the wine tasting, and that was followed by a leisurely dinner. All in all, a day well spent in activities, none of which my mother would have approved of, drinking in the afternoon w my daughter, butterfly watching, etc. ... 'This is not what your father had taught you to do ...', would be her response. 'OK, whatever' would be my daughter's...