Pelee Island Winery Pavilion — Attraction in Ontario

I did the wine tour and tasting with my family last September. It was a beautiful experience and I took home three bottles, a pair of Peelee Island Winery glasses, and a metal ornament for my xmas tree.

My relatives are visiting Canada for the first time and I bragged about the awesome experience we'd have at the winery on July 17, 2024. HUGE MISTAKE! EVERYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG WENT WRONG.

When we arrived shortly after 12:30 pm, we approached Evan at the bar indicating we wanna do the next tour/tasting. We were told that no tours were being done due to staff shortage. Evan indicated we could do the tasting at the bar, which three of us decided to do after confirming we'd still get the vouchers included in the cost to offset purchases of bottles afterwards. Halfway through our tasting, we overheard the other staff member telling a couple that the next tour is scheduled to begin at 2 pm. We spoke to Evan who then indicated that we could join the tour IF we wanted but that we couldn't participate in the tasting in the cellar that would follow since we did it at the bar already. He was straight faced and offered absolutely NO apology for lying to and misleading us. This was so upsetting I decided we'd just get the bottles and leave. That's when we were told that they'd have to pop all bottles on premises due to a "logistics issue," which Evan couldn't explain further. I explained that my relatives were visiting from another country and that the bottles have to be sealed for them to take home. He had NO solution so I asked to talk to a manager. I was told he's out shuttling a group from the ferry and wouldn't be back until shortly before 2 pm.

I waited for 35 minutes before approaching Evan again. At this point I was told the manager was still not back but that I could redeem the vouchers at the retail store in Kingsville. I was then given copies of the receipt (no vouchers) and the manager's business card. As we were walking to parking lot the shuttle pulled in so I approached the manager, Troy, and apprised him of what transpired. Troy, made excuses for Evan's poor service and judgment and apologized insincerely. Troy indicated that the Pavillion had no liquor license and so couldn't sell corked bottles but again I could pick the bottles at the retail store which opened until 7 pm. I told him our return ferry leaves at 8 pm so I wouldn't be able to go until Friday. I was asked to text my info to Troy so he could chat with Glen who manages the Kingsville store. That way, if Glen wasn't there, I wouldn't have an issue. I later texted the info.

Fast forward to Friday and at 5:55 pm we decided to head to the store which is 12 minutes from where we were in Leamington. Only for the GPS to tell me the store closes at 6 pm. I called and explained my dilemma to a young lady who then put me on to Glen. After going over my experience for what felt like a gazillion times, Glen explained that they've always closed at 6 pm and that Troy never contacted him. To further my disappointment, they couldn't wait for an extra 10 minutes for me to pick up even though my relatives are leaving the next morning.

Sadly, you've lost a local family of 5 as customers. This experience is beyond horrible and not deserving of the mandatory minimum...

Very disappointed with new management/policy in 2024. We have been coming to this winery for years every summer since 2019 and it used to be something to look forward to. During this visit, staff administering the wine tastings were young (seemingly summer students) and unfortunately not knowledgeable about the wines they were serving. The first three wines on the list were out of stock. The tastings are way overpriced. $20 for a regular tasting and $30 for a “premium”. The wine glasses they use now are significantly smaller than they used to be, plus the pours are incredibly frugal. The staff enticed us with a $15 credit for purchasing wine (one per transaction). We bought a couple of bottles to take home for after our annual Pelee vacation, despite an incredibly poor selection of available wines in the first place, as we usually do. But this time, before handing them over, the staff uncorked both bottles! I was totally shocked. Obviously we won’t be enjoying them at home since they’ll both go bad within a few days at best. The reason the staff provided was that they had to open the bottles because of their “licensing requirements”. This should have been clearly communicated before the purchase was made, but it was not. Thankfully it was only a couple of bottles, but just…wow.

The food for purchase is also ridiculously overpriced. $72 including tax and tip for a small flatbread and charcuterie which was pretty “meh”. They used to have amazing BBQ options and freshly made pizzas, but not this year.

The wines themselves are still not bad for Ontario products and the grounds are stunning. But I am so disappointed in the 2024 season price increases and immense reduction in quality of service from previous seasons that I don’t think it’s worth the 4 hour drive from Toronto + 1.5 hour ferry trip there anymore. It’s really a shame how the Pavilion has gone so downhill. Nothing at all like the gem...

We visited the winery with family on Aug 7, 2024. We raved to our son how we've had great experiences at the winery in previous years and they provide you with vouchers if you do a tasting to purchase wine from their retail store. First, although friendly the 2 guys working knew absolutely nothing about the wines, nor did they explain they no longer sell retail. We were told tastings were $20 (was only $20 in the past) or $30 depending on the wines chosen and each person received a $15 voucher (no longer $20) that could be used towards merchandise or wine. After our tastings we went looking for the retail store only to be told it was gone. We asked why and didn't really get an explanation that made any sense. We were told we could purchase wine from the same list as the tastings (very limited selection) and the cheapest bottle was $34 (wine they sell at the LCBO for $13.95). We were then told they had to open the wine we wanted to purchase .. huh??? We were not explained this at the beginning otherwise we would have left and purchased wine at the LCBO. We ended up paying over $120 for 3 tastings and 2 bottles of wine. We visit many wineries on the mainland in Essex county and none charge more than $14 for a tastings and every single employee is an expert in the wines that make. I wish I could give this review -10 because that's what this recent visit deserves. Although we will return to the island as we do each year we will not be visiting the winery again, nor will we be recommending to friends or family. Such a disappointment for a once enjoyable experience. Not sure what happened but I do see a lot of other reviews with the same...