Sandbanks Estate Winery — Attraction in Ontario

Discovering Sandbanks Winery, Ontario

We took a 3 day road trip this fall (2018). We stayed at the beautiful MacKechnie House B&B in Cobourg, Ontario. Although we knew there was plenty to discover in the area, we weren't exactly sure where to start. so we asked the house lady, Cathryn her thoughts. She suggested for us to visit wineries and the name Sandbanks came up which immediately rang a bell. From this moment on, we had a starting point for our discovery day !

First thoughts

Just to be clear, we absolutely enjoyedour visit, which included a wine tasting and a small winery tour. We previously visited wineries in various parts of the world, France, Brazil, Chile and Canada. That said, we expected something similar to the likes of Montreal, Canada so we were a little overwhelmed with our first impression of the Sandbanks Winery! It felt almost too fancy and intimidating and we didn't really know where to start. Surely, it was probably near the end of the season so the staffing might have been on the lighter side. Otherwise, we would recommend a type of greeter at the door to explain the process, so that it can be digested more easily. Things to do

There's a nice success story about the Sandbanks Winery. Catherine Langlois comes from a city in Quebec, went to study in France and later planed to establish a winery in Prince Edward County. We won't spoil the goods for you, so if you're interested to hear more feel free to contact us or visit the Sandbanks Winery for a free25 minutes tour guide.

Additionally, you can purchase wine from the main store or even better do some wine tasting ! There's a $5 dollar fee per person for the tasting, but if you buy 2 or more wine bottles they'll waive the charge ! There are many options of whites, roses and reds to choose from. Its also a peaceful setting, and it sounds like people drop by for a glass and a picnic during the summer. Stocking up!

We enjoyed the wine and purchased 5 bottles since we were there. However, you can find their wines at many LCBO's cheaper than the SAQ. Another bonus for Ontarians, is free shipping for online orders with 4 or more bottles - check it out here if interested.

They also offer a nice area for families that want to spend sometime around visiting the place this time of the year and some other events you can check in their website. Do we recommend ?

Yes! It's quite the experience and we were taken by surprise as our expectations were much lower, no offence! The fact is, wineries in the Prince Edward County are growing at an insane rate. So if you're planning a trip from Ottawa or Montreal, you now have a closer (and cheaper!) alternative to Niagara...

A bit disappointed in all honesty. We had booked a reservation for 9 people on a Friday for a bachelorette party; the bride loves the wine and was SO excited to finally go here! However, when we arrived, we were a bit disappointed. We weren’t really greeted by the staff behind the bar; when we advised her we had a reservation, and were early, it seemed like she had no idea what we were talking about. Nothing was set up for us, and luckily, only 7/9 of us were able to make it. Despite that, the staff member had the two people sitting at the bar move over to accommodate us, and had to find a stool for the 7th person. She even had the audacity to ask us to thank the two women who were at the bar and moved- um. We booked a reservation for a reason? We shouldn’t have to thank fellow patrons for moving us out of the way so that they can accommodate a reservation we had. It was a bit disappointing in all honesty, being handed big laminated menus with peeling corners and a wipe off marker. While our server was kind, the tasting information was off (I’ve done 40+ wine tastings in my life- this was like the bad sparknotes version). We didn’t receive much info on what we were drinking, info on the winery; etc Also disappointing is that the designated drivers were offered a non-alcoholic wine for $10; it’s a bit ridiculous. Especially when our drinking friends are receiving 3 one-ounce samples for the same price. Just an FYI, a standard drink of wine is 5oz, so we could’ve participated in the tasting as well. I appreciate the attentiveness to not drinking/driving; but education is needed. And it’s a bit annoying to spend the same as the alcohol drinkers when we get to be the ones driving. We watched as other parties of 3-4 arrived after us, got nicer seating, and their 3 wine picks served on a cute platter. We had much higher expectations of this winery, and considering it was still kind of off-season and a weekday (Friday in April) there’s no excuses. Please know the intent of this review is constructive, and we hope that in the future, you consider reservations a bit more. This area is prime bachelorette area and this is a top recommended winery, and I truly feel as though the ball was dropped here. This experience is everything to the bride and we wish we had more positive memories of this experience.

Edit to add- thank you to the winery staff who kindly responded to this review. We appreciate you taking the time to accept our feedback, and if we’re ever back in the area, we will reach out. Thank...

This will be a longer review but stay with me. This is my second time visiting Sandbanks winery, the first time pre-covid was awesome, they had a great tour and lesson all about the grapes they grow. This second time left a little bit to be desired, at least when we first showed up. When we first entered the winery we were greeted warmly by one staff person and told we could do a tasting with another staff right away, which we were excited to do. This staff person however unfortunately did not offer a great experience. They barely knew anything about the wines that they had, other than which ones were the new exclusives for the summer. When she poured the first tasting glass she didn't even tell us what she had poured and just handed us the glass. I'm going to assume she was new for the season which while totally fair, she definitely needed more training about how to connect with customers and how to do a proper wine tasting before being put on the floor. The tasting was so awkward in fact that I asked if we could go outside just so that I could finish it with another staff person. The outside staff person was much better, much more friendly, way less nervous, and after some chatting she shared that it was her 2nd day on the job. I told her she was doing really well and that you would never know she was new. From there the visit got better and better, we ordered a charcuterie box from the food truck on the property which was huge! 4 types of cheese, 4 types of meat, mustard, jelly, olives, and lots of crackers! The perfect lunch! And as usual the wines were delicious, very welcoming wines that you can enjoy with anyone, anywhere. And their property is amazing, lots of Muskoka chairs and picnic tables so that you can sit and enjoy...