December 04, 2020
FALL FEST (free event)
When: Saturday and Sunday, October 25 & 26
What: It's the season to GET COZY! Help us celebrate the last weekend of the Moyer Marquee with live music, wine, food, cozy fire pits, and FUN.
Join us the weekend of October 25/26 for live music from BY DESIGN DUO (Saturday) and THE FEVERISH LEMONS ACOUSTIC DUO (Sunday), as well as award-winning wines and food by SMOKE & MOONSHINE FOOD TRUCK.
This is a free, outdoor event! Wine & food available for purchase. Dog friendly. Event open from 11 am to 5 pm both days, live entertainment 1 pm to 4 pm.
November 2025
THE GREAT GRILLED CHEESE EXTRAVAGANZA
When: Saturday, November 1st 11-4:30, Sunday, November 2nd 11-4
Where: Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery
What: Experience the best grilled cheese sandwiches of your life, each one perfectly paired with our wines! It’s a celebration of Sue-Ann’s long-time love affair with inventive grilled cheese sandwiches. “Why have tomato soup with your grilled cheese, when you could have wine?”
Ticket-holders are welcomed with a refreshing sip of our Fancy Farm Girl sparkling before setting off on a delicious cheese adventure. Four fabulous grilled cheese stations are set up throughout Sue-Ann’s home, each one offering delicious sandwich samples with our award-winning wines. MENU NOW AVAILABLE HERE!
$48.53 per person ($42.95+HST). Gluten Friendly timeslots available! Find all the details and buy your tickets online here: https://www.sue-annstaff.com/collections/events/products/sue-anns-great-grilled-cheese-extravaganza-2025
Get Wrapped Up!
When: November 8 & 9 AND November 15 & 16
Get Wrapped Up is back on November 8-9 & 15-16! Pick your weekend and join us for festive food and wine pairings at 8 wineries of your choice for only $49.95.
With over 25 Niagara Benchlands Wineries to choose from, use your pass to visit your favourites and discover some new ones: 13th Street Winery (Saturday only), 180 Estate Winery, Calamus Estate Winery, Commisso Estate winery, Creekside Estate Winery, Dim Wine Co., Domaine Le Clos Jordanne, Fielding Estate Winery, Flat Rock Cellars, Harbour Estates Winery, Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, Kew Vineyards Estate Winery, King's Court Estate Winery, Malivoire Wine Company, Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery, Puddicombe Estate Winery, Redstone Winery, Ridgepoint Wines, Stonewall Estates, Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery, Tawse Winery, The Organized Crime Winery Inc., Thirty Bench Winemakers, Vieni Estates, Vineland Estates Winery, Wending Home Estate Vineyards and Winery.
What: Purchase one ticket $49.95 + hst/fee per person and visit EIGHT participating wineries of your choice for a delicious wine & food sample. https://niagarabenchlandswineries.com/pages/events
Save the Date
Holiday Wine Trail
When: November 29 & 30
Where: Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery, 180 Estate Winery, Malivoire Wine Company, Cave Spring Winery, Fielding Estate Winery
What: We put the WIN in Winter Wine Trail. One ticket = five delicious wine and small bite pairings at five fabulous wineries. Stay tuned for details!
Save the Date
Sue-Ann's Annual Holiday Sip & Savour Open House
When: Saturday, December 13
Where: Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winer
What: It's our annual Open House! A one day event featuring wine, food and holiday shopping. A portion of ticket sales is donated to The Howard V. Staff Memorial Fund at the Niagara Community Foundation, supporting Community Care.
Watch this space for details and tickets!
Holiday wine pairings, a la SAS
Back in October, I spoke with Niagara Life magazine about wine pairing suggestions for their Holiday Issue.
"When it comes to Christmas dinner, I think a lot of us want to go down to the cellar and pick up the biggest, fullest red wine we have down there, and really that's not the right strategy."
You want to bring out the best in both the food and the wine when pairing them together. While I encourage fearlessness when it comes to wine pairing (just trust your instincts and have fun!), here's a good basic rule of thumb for matching proteins and wines:
"If you can chase the meat, pair it with a white. If, on the other hand, the meat can chase you, go for the red."
So, for chase-able mains like poultry or fish, Chardonnay and Riesling immediately come to mind. For beef, bison or elk, Cabernet blends and Cabernet Franc are a great choice. And for meats like pork and game birds which, frankly, can go either way (geese are mean!), the choice is yours!
For vegetarian and vegan guests, the playing field is even wider! Think of the seasoning and "weight" of your entrees when picking wines. Dishes that include woody-stemmed herbs like thyme and sage will welcome big, structured reds. Dishes with more delicate flavouring or fresh cheeses ask for lighter wines. And as for root vegetable dishes, well, much like pork and game birds, you can go a number of directions ;)
Here's a few suggestions to get you started:
Roast Turkey, Poached Salmon, Herb & Endive Salad
Elisha's Chardonnay
Robert's Block Riesling
Luminescence Sparkling Riesling Demi-Sec
Fancy Farm Girl Frissonesque Sauvignon Blanc
Prime Rib, Venison Roast, Vegan Mushroom Wellington
Gritstone Cabernet
Chestnut Tree Cabernet Franc
Baked or Smoked Ham, Roast Squash
Riesling Loved by Lu
Mabel's VCR Viognier Chardonnay Riesling
Rubinescence Brut Rosé
Fancy Farm Girl Flamboyant Red
Roast Goose, Seared Duck, Root Vegetable Slab Pie
Louie Pinot Gris
Bank Barn Baco Noir
Windsock Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé