February 16, 2015
Tickets On Sale Now!
Sue-Ann's Annual Holiday Sip & Savour Open House $45+HST
When: Saturday, December 13, 11 - 5
Where: Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery
What: Sue-Ann's Holiday Sip & Savour is back!
We are rolling out the red carpet for a delicious day of holiday flavours! Our Holiday Sip & Savour is the ultimate holiday open house for wine lovers and foodies alike!
Enjoy deluxe wine & food tasting stations on the way -- we are opening our premium wines, pairing them with delicious foods to warm and delight your senses. Plan to spend an amazing hour touring and tasting your way through Sue-Ann's home!
Tickets are $45+HST per person. $5 from each ticket sale will be donated to the Howard V. Staff Memorial Fund at the Niagara Community Foundation, supporting St. Catharines Community Care.
Buy your tickets here: https://www.sue-annstaff.com/collections/events/products/holiday-sip-savor-open-house-2025-45-hst
Save the date!
Shortbread Showdown: Sip & Stock Up
When: Saturday, December 20
Where: Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery
What: Stop into the winery on Saturday, December 20th and join the fun! Try a selection of shortbreads while enjoying a glass of wine, and then cast your vote for the best cookie! It's a great little break from holiday fuss AND you can stock up on feast-worthy wines while you're at it! $10 per person, with $5 going to The Howard V. Staff Memorial Fund at the Niagara Community Foundation, supporting community care.
No advance tickets or reservations required, simply show up and pay $10 to cast your vote while enjoying a 5 oz glass of wine.
Reservations open! Book now!
The Holiday Board: Flight & Bites
When: December 27 & 28, January 3 & 4
Where: Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery
What: The Holiday Board: Flight & Bites is the perfect post-Christmas treat!
You've done all the cooking. You've done all the hosting. You've assembled, you've wrapped, you've done it all. Now it's your turn to sit back and relax!
Reserve your time now for an elevated wine tasting that will delight your senses, taking place December 27 & 28, January 3 & 4 at Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery.
Enjoy a seated tasting of four wines, each one perfectly paired with a delectable small bite.
It's like a four-course meal...in miniature!
Fancy Farm Girl Flirty Bubbles sparkling rosé with Creamy Brie & Cranberry
The Louie Pinot Gris with Duck Rillette with Blueberry Jam & Cornichon
The Gritstone Cabernet with "SASsoulet", our deconstructed sausage cassoulet
Howard's Icewine Vidal with a White Chocolate Coconut Almond confection
$24.50 per person, reservations highly recommended! Book now: https://www.sue-annstaff.com/products/the-holiday-board-flight-bite-december-27-28-january-3-4
In the new year...
Icewine Festival Discovery Pass
When: January 16-18,23-25, 30-February 1, 2026
Where: Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery and other participating Niagara wineries!
What: Sip, Savour & Explore Niagara This Winter
Get ready for a self-guided tasting tour through Niagara’s most scenic vineyards! The Icewine Discovery Pass pairs world-class Icewines with spicy, savoury, or sweet bites from inspired local chefs — the perfect way to warm up your winter weekends.
Our offering? Tinga, Tango, Taco!
Imagine juicy, spicy Tinga de Pollo (chicken in a smoky tomato/chipotle sauce) tucked into a warm, soft corn tortilla, dressed with lime crema and a cilantro garnish. Paired with our 2018 Vidal Icewine, it’s a divine marriage of spice and ice!
Find all the information and tickets you need here: https://niagarawinefestival.com/icewine-discovery-pass
FANCY FARM GIRL
Wines to Watch: Fancy Farm Girl...
Snap up these Fancy Farm Girl wines while you can — they're available in limited supply — and savour the craftsmanship of Sue-Ann Staff, one of Ontario's most successful winemakers.
This month, our featured Wines to Watch come from fifth-generation grape grower and talented winemaker Sue-Ann Staff, who combines her love of the simple life and finer things in Fancy Farm Girl wines. Pair Flamboyant Red, an elegant and approachable Cabernet Franc-Merlot blend, with appetizers, red meats, rosé sauce or milk chocolate. Refreshing and citrusy, Frivolous White is great with chicken, seafood or mild cheese.
FANCY FARM GIRL
Meet Sue-Ann Staff, the record-breaking, medal-winning Niagara winemaker at Sue-Ann Staff Estate Wines and Megalomaniac, and creator of Fancy Farm Girl wines. Here, Staff talks about getting dirty, cleaning up and the secret to fabulous wine.
Q. Your family owned the largest private vineyard in Niagara. What did you learn from that?
I learned not to be afraid of hard work. I used to drop my school bag and run outside to watch trucks loading up or help my grandma plant vines — there was always something happening. Life on a farm doesn’t stop at 5 or on weekends, but the work is wholesome and honest and I get so much satisfaction from it.
Q. What made you become the first winemaker in your family?
You can make a really great wine that tastes fantastic but if the pH is too high, for example, it will be a lovely wine for two months instead of two years. If the pH is too low, it might have an amazing shelf life but be unpalatable. The artistry of making a fabulous wine and the science of lining up the technical details is what appeals to me.
Q. Your wines have already won 500+ awards — more than most winemakers collect in a lifetime. C’mon, what’s your secret?
I got a degree in horticulture from the University of Guelph, then I studied winemaking in Australia. The University of Adelaide trained us for every imaginable condition, so that helps me deal with difficult vintages. I also like to drink really great wine. If I want to drink it, I’d better make it!
Q. Many wineries and farms have a dog around to help. What kind of dog does a fancy farm girl have?
That’s Brix, my five-year-old Burnese Mountain Dog. He’s my greeter: he’s with me wherever I go. Most farm dogs are shorthaired. I’ve got a purebred that has to go to the groomer every month to smell good!
Q. Your new wine labels feature the drawings of Francesca Waddell, a fashion illustrator whose work has appeared in Vogue. What inspired your Fancy Farm Girl wines: Frivolous Red and Frivolous White?
I’m not a typical farm girl. I renovated my family’s 120-year-old farmhouse to make it more glamorous. One minute I’m in the fields with steel-toed boots, and the next I’m at a gala wearing stilettoes. A fancy farm girl is authentically who I am, and I think there’s a little bit of that in all of us.
Watch this video to find out how Sue-Ann Staff mixes New World and Old World in her wines for Megalomanic. Or, check out this video to discover her favourite grape and her digital trick for making better wine.
2012 Flamboyant Red - $14.95 Loaded with bright red fruit and tannin on the finish that isn’t overbearing. This bottle isn’t just a flashy label… but let’s face it the artwork on both the White and the Red are fantastic. This Red blend is well worth the price of admission from the great 2012 vintage. This is drinking great right now with no need to cellar until a later date. The thing that’s great about this wine is that at the price point you can dress it up by pairing it with an expensive steak or fine roasted lamb or dress it down by matching it with pizza.
2012 Frivolous White - $14.95 This is a good easy drinking, well balanced Riesling that offers up a nice mineral note on the finish. There is some sweetness that rolls off the back of your tongue before it’s greeted by the crisp acidity. Flavours of apple and citrus are also what you will find in the glass. Pair with Roast Chicken, or lighter pasta dishes.
