Buffalo/ Niagara Region
The Best Wineries and Cideries in the region…
There are 27 Libation Makers in the Buffalo/Niagara Region, but these are the best…
Johnson Estate Winery, Westfield
In 1908 Frederick Johnson purchased land in Westfield where he planted fruit trees and Concord grape vines. Now Johnson Estate Winery is now the oldest continuously operating estate winery in New York State. Not only is the oldest, it is also one of the best wineries in Upstate NY. Their location near Lake Erie helps them to extend the growing season allowing them to make excellent wines. With a mix of European and French/American hybrid grapes coupled with their winemaking expertise makes for phenomenal wines. Every varietal that we tasted was fantastic. It is worth a trip there no matter where you live! Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!
Schulze Winery, Burt
Since its inception in 1969, with Concord grapes that were sold to Welch’s for juice, the owners of Schulze’s have amassed a lot of knowledge about the grape growing process. Now it is one of the best wineries in the Buffalo/Niagara region! Their location close to Lake Ontario lends a hand by giving the grapes a longer growing season and great soil, but the knowledge of the proprietors and the winemaker deserve most of the credit. They have numerous great tasting wines, sparkling wines, and ice wines that appeal to different palates, but they were all well made and very tasty. Our favorite was the Siegfried Reserve which is a German hybrid Riesling. We came in for a tasting and walked out with a case - that shows just how good the wines are.
Blackbird Cider Works, Barker
Anyone who can make a great tasting cider that blends Ghost Pepper and Pumpkin Spice is a place that we need to spend time at! The Cider Master, Phil, was at his home with the 37 pepper plants he had planted, which gave him the inspiration for Ghost Lantern Cider. This combination created a cider that had a start of pumpkin pie with a finish of warmth from the hot pepper. The Cidery also crafts many traditional style dry and semi-dry ciders that are smooth with unique yet flavorful profiles. But the thing that struck us the most was their passion for their craft and the area around their cidery. Most of the apples for the ciders they make are estate grown and are fermented in a variety of different barrels from traditional French Oak to barrels that previously contained 60 gallons of Gin when they were in use at a local distillery. This cidery is growing very rapidly because Phil and the owner Scott make great ciders and they aren’t afraid to step outside the box to create unique blends that keep you coming back to taste the next creation! It is the Best Cidery in Western New York and one of the best in the entire state!
Chateau Niagara, Newfane
We have been to this winery numerous times and each time it gets better. The owner, Jim, could do a side gig as a stand-up comedian and he keeps visitors laughing with his Wine Tasting jokes and puns that lighten up the mood during a tasting. But, the wines here don’t need comedy to make them taste better! When we went there a few months back, we told him that “this is now the best winery in the Buffalo-Niagara region!” I have had Cabernet Franc (the most planted New York red varietal) at about 40 New York wineries and theirs is the best! They also have a Saperavi red. You just said to yourself - “Saperavi? Never heard of it!” That is because they are one of only a few wineries outside of Georgia (the country next to Russia, not the state where Coca-Cola comes from) that make it. They can grow it here because of those warm winds off Lake Ontario in the fall that extend their growing season. BTW - try the Saperavi, it is a great hearty Red Wine with a flavor profile that is like no other wine. We’ll keep coming back and you should too, because it is the best winery in the Buffalo/Niagara region.
Arrowhead Spring Vineyard, Lockport
The Niagara Wine trail doesn’t have the cache that Seneca or Keuka have in the Finger Lakes, but there are still a lot of good wines to be had there. Arrowhead Springs is one such place to get those wines. Their best wines are the cold climate standards - Meritage, Reisling, and Chardonnay, but surprisingly, their best was their Port. Cleverly named Lock Port, after we tasted it we looked at each other and said, “this is one of the best ports in the entire state!” That alone made the trip worth it, but we ended up taking buying 4 other bottles of wine and had the Meritage with pizza for dinner that night.
Freedom Run Winery - Lockport
In an area that is not known for bold robust Red Wines, Freedom Run is showing that the terroir and growing conditions on the Niagara Escarpment can produce some good red wines. We went on a tasting there recently and we were surprised how good the Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and the Meritage were. On the lighter (or whiter) side of their wine portfolio their sparkling wine called the Estate Seanpenoise was tasty as was the Estate Reisling. They also have a freeze distilled apple wine that is aged in bourbon barrels called Apple Jack which is a great after din-din drink. It is like a port that is made from apples instead of grapes.
Clarksburg Cidery, Lancaster
We were looking for a good place to try after a 4 mile hike near Buffalo and we found Clarksburg’s web-site. After 15 or so belly laughs reading it, we decided that we had to go there because if their site is that funny, they must have great cider, right? Ok, that logic is a bit flawed, but we were indeed correct - their ciders are awesome, and the food is good too. The Pineapple Hibiscus, Savory Citrus and the Double Hopped were our favorites, but all of them were excellent. It is definitely worth the trek, and we had already burned off the cider calories on our hike. Win-win!