Closson Chase Vineyards — Attraction in Ontario

DO NOT GO WITH GROUPS/BACHELORETTE. Bride here- I have been going to the county with my fiancé for years and was excited to show the girls around this weekend for my bachelorette. One place I wanted to visit was Closson and we were all BEYOND disappointed with the experience. We were a group of 9 which I understand is large, but the way the staff treated us was if they wished we weren’t there from the very beginning, on a day that was supposed to be exciting and celebratory. They first told us they have to split up the party and we can’t all sit together. Then they told us there was no availability in the shade (it was 30+ degrees and peak sun). We comfortably all fit at one (very large) table so we said we’re fine all together and you could tell the staff was annoyed at that, but there was no reason we needed to sit separately. They then proceeded to tell us that we all have to have the exact same tastings (rather than each person choosing their own). This was already a bit awkward cause some girls prefer red, some white, etc. They kept saying lots of wineries do this.. but we never experienced this anywhere else. There was room for at least half of us in the shade when we arrived, and within 10 min some people left and there was tons of room in the shade. We politely asked if we could be moved into the available shaded area because we were melting in the sun and uncomfortable the staff was incredibly rude, refused to move us. We eventually just moved ourselves so we could finish our tastings because we were literally roasting and it wasn’t pleasant in the sun. Trust me we weren’t going to stay longer than necessary. We could see the staff crowding together and pointing at us (although they never said anything after we moved). Leaving shady spots open for people who might come to the winery while people who are actively there and giving you business are uncomfortable is ridiculous. You should want your guests to be comfortable. They served us tastings just putting the smallest amount in each glass, explained nothing about the wine to us. If they would’ve been kind to us, lots of us would’ve bought wine bottles and supported them, which we did at many other wineries. I’m not sure why there’s immediate hate towards a group which will spend money at your winery, post all kinds of photos etc. Terrible experience from start to finish and none of us will be giving them business again. Every other winery we went to was excited to have the bachelorette there and going out of their way to ensure we had a great experience. Beyond disappointed with Closson, it was the worst...

Our experience at Closson Chase was up and down, but ended on a bad note overall.

We were ignored by retail staff and the hostess who prioritized large groups led by pushy drivers.

After an extended wait to order from the bar, just as we got to the front of the line, the bartender abandoned the bar to go take orders from the 2 large groups that had just been seated. (there was no one else waiting behind us - we were the only ones left).

One of the servers, Siamara, saw our frustration and almost saved our experience. She took our orders and brought our drinks, going so far as to repour an entire flight that wasn’t as we had ordered, while leaving us with the mispoured flight. She acknowledged our frustration, allowing us to enjoy our tasting. We were so impressed that we chose to purchase some bottles on our way out, only to be ignored by staff in the retail store, who proceeded to serve other customers who clearly arrived after us and pushed their way to the front of the line.

So, unless you are travelling with a large group with a pushy driver who will force his way in, or are a rude, aggressive customer yourself, this place probably...

Our first winery trip to the County, and what a delightful surprise. Closson Chase came up in every review, so we headed there. What a surprise. Firstly, the scale is small and intimate. This family-run vineyard creates a feeling of very involved winemakers who know each growing area and care deeply about the wines they produce. Secondly, the setting is lovely. No main roads here, just a county road leading to the big purple barn. We were unable to enjoy the patio as spring had not yet arrived. We limited ourselves to whites as we are well stocked with Niagara reds. The Chardonnays reflected the care and attention of the wine makers, and several now grace our wine rack. To put things into scale and using my very bad math, this winery makes around 5000 cases a year. Vineland Estates in Niagara once gave me a figure of 70,000 cases a year, and the biggies around Niagara on the Lake are ten times that. You can see the intimate relationship between the winemakers and the wine just from the scale of production. Take the time...