Winery Tours of Niagara — Local services in Niagara Falls

I was recently invited on a girls’ trip to Niagara Falls with four close friends, and on Saturday, June 21st, we had the pleasure of doing a winery tour with Winery Tours of Niagara Falls — and most importantly, with Bill as our tour guide and shuttle driver. Leading up to the tour, I had spent two full days walking around in the summer heat, and as someone with type 2 diabetes, I was experiencing quite a bit of swelling in my legs and feet. Despite that, I was excited but a little nervous about the day ahead. From the moment we met Bill, he made all of us feel welcomed and cared for. He greeted us with a smile and held out his hand to help each of us ladies in and out of the shuttle, a simple gesture that set the tone for the rest of the day. Throughout the tour, Bill shared so much interesting history about the wineries in the Niagara region and the various wines produced there. He was incredibly personable, funny, and continuously checked in to make sure we were having a good time. He asked questions, engaged us all in conversation, and made the tour both educational and entertaining. Midway through the tour, my friend noticed that my swelling had gotten worse — my shoes were digging into my feet, and I had started bleeding. She asked Bill if he had a first aid kit, and without hesitation, he grabbed bandages and immediately helped. He showed such genuine concern for my well-being, checking in on me regularly after learning about my condition. At our final stop — an outdoor winery where guests were expected to stand — Bill again went out of his way. Without being asked, he brought over a chair just for me so I could comfortably enjoy the last tasting with the group. As someone who has often been overlooked or judged for my health and mobility issues, this kind of care and compassion meant everything to me. Bill treated me with kindness and respect — never making me feel like a burden. For the first time in I don’t even know how many years, I felt safe, included, and at ease doing something outside my comfort zone. When the tour wrapped up, Bill helped me out of the shuttle one last time and warmly wished me well, genuinely hoping I’d be able to rest and recover. Then, about a week after we got home, he even reached out to my friend who booked the tour to check in on me and see how I was doing. That small but powerful gesture speaks volumes about the kind of person he is. Bill went far above and beyond anything I could have expected. What could have turned into a painful and isolating experience ended up being one of the absolute highlights of my entire weekend — and that’s entirely because of Bill. This was my first winery tour, and thanks to him, it definitely won’t be my last. I can’t recommend his services enough — whether you’re fully able-bodied or need a little extra support, you’ll be in great hands with Bill. Thank you again Bill! You...

We opted for the wine tour with cheese, charcuterie and truffles. The tour started well and Bill was a polite and friendly guide, who regaled us with many a fact about Niagara on the Lake and the surrounding vineyards. The first stop was as expected with some wine tasting and pairing (with the previously mentioned food stuffs), all very tasty, although having the food pairings almost immediately after breakfast made it slightly less appealing. We were then treated to a browse around the store to make some purchases if we so desired.

Unfortunately the rest of the tour didn't quite follow suite. There was no more food included in any of the other wineries, so the "cheese, charcuterie and truffles" was actually just one 'snack' plate of a few small pieces of cheese, crackers, meat on a stick and a single chocolate truffle (which was delicious!). Maybe we were wrong to expect more than a single plate? If we had known it would be the only food on the tour we probably would have pocketed the left overs and saved them for later, as after a sizeable breakfast we left half of the food anyway. Only nibbling at items and tasting the wine accordingly.

There were aspects of the tour that felt a little like you were being sold to, which was a shame and actually made us less inclined to purchase anything. Overall it was a worthwhile experience and it was interesting finding out about ice wine production. There was a good array of different wines and we did purchase a couple of bottles to take home.

In summary, more food please, and if you are only going to provide one plate of food don't do it straight...

We took this tour on Saturday and our driver was Ted. We paid extra for the 2 course lunch. It started out by Ted texting us letting us know he would be picking us up 15 minutes earlier then expected 10 minutes prior to picking us up. The bus was max to capacity and someone had to sit up front with Ted due to this...rather than sitting with who he came with. The bus was extremely HOT and he kept turning the fan off to speak with us. He rushed us through the first 3 wineries and we barely had time to even make purchases. The 4th stop was lunch. He dropped the ones who did not purchase the lunch in the package and then dropped off the ones that had. He gave us about 45 minutes to eat and told us to walk back to where he dropped the others off at. We finished our lunch very fast and then walked back to where he instructed us be ...to only discover that he had left all of us behind. We called him and he stated the 17 others were more important to keep happy than the 5 of us who had paid more and the company instructed him to do so. He never called us or tried to pick us up where he dropped us off at. I have tried to contact this company and they do no answer my calls and I have left several messages and they will not call back. I would of rather gone to less wineries and had more time at each one and had more time for the 2 course lunch rather then being left behind. Ted called the next day because he had given 2 bottles of wine to the wrong people and was trying to find it. I do not suggest using this company. We are Very...