The Staff family has been farming in the Niagara Peninsula for over 200 years, making Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery one of the most historically rooted estate wineries in Ontario. The property at 3210 Staff Avenue in Jordan was first settled by Robert Staff — Sue-Ann’s Great Great Great Grandfather — after the family immigrated from Lincolnshire, England in the late 1700s. Today, the same land that once supported a mixed fruit and livestock homestead is home to an award-winning estate winery, with the oldest commercial vineyard block in Ontario still in operation on the property.
Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery Timeline
- 1800
- Robert Staff emigrates from Lincolnshire, England to Upper Canada, beginning the Staff family’s Canadian story.
- 1899
- The Staff family plants their first vineyard — a 3.3-acre block of Concord grapes at the corner of what is now 17th Street and Staff Avenue in Jordan, Ontario. This original block still stands today.
- 1967
- Lavelle Staff, Sue-Ann’s grandfather, is crowned Grape King — one of Ontario’s most prestigious honours in viticulture.
- 1971
- Sue-Ann Staff is born in Niagara, the fifth generation of a family with deep roots in Ontario grape growing.
- 1994
- Sue-Ann graduates from the University of Guelph with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and Biotechnology. Her father, Howard V. Staff, plants a block of Riesling in celebration — grapes that would go on to define the winery’s signature style.
- 1996
- Howard V. Staff is crowned Grape King, following in his father Lavelle’s footsteps. That same year, Sue-Ann earns a graduate degree in oenology from Roseworthy College, University of Adelaide, Australia.
- 2002
- Sue-Ann is named Winemaker of the Year by the Ontario Wine Awards — the youngest recipient ever and the first woman to receive the honour.
- 2009
- Sue-Ann launches her eponymous winery on the Staff family farm in Jordan, Ontario, in the heart of the Niagara Benchlands appellation.
- 2010
- Sue-Ann’s 2009 Robert’s Block Riesling wins Gold at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Wine Competition, launching a long and distinguished record of national and international awards.
- 2014
- Sue-Ann is awarded the Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Emerging Business Award.
- 2018
- Sue-Ann receives the Tony Aspler Cuvee Award of Excellence.
- 2025
- Sue-Ann is awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, recognizing individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community in Canada.
Rooted in Niagara for Over 200 Years
The Staff family originally immigrated to Canada from Lincolnshire, England in the late 1700s. The property at 3210 Staff Avenue was acquired by Robert Staff and has remained in the Staff family for over 200 years. Through two centuries it has transformed several times, commencing as a mixed fruit and livestock homestead and evolving into, today, an estate winery and vineyard operation.
A Century of Vines
The first vineyard was planted in 1899 by great-grandfather Howard Alexander Staff and his great-great uncle — a 3.3 acre block of Concords located at the corner of Staff Avenue and 17th Street.
This vineyard is over 100 years old, still in operation today, and is perhaps the oldest productive vineyard in Ontario. It will be preserved for generations to come as part of a living legacy.
To Modern Wines
Over the next 100 years, the property served as a hub for an agricultural enterprise that expanded to become, at one time, the largest privately owned fruit growing operation in Canada — encompassing over 800 acres of grapes.
Through each generation, the dream of owning and operating a winery endured. Today, that dream is a reality. The small, quality-oriented winery produces only VQA wines from grapes grown on the property — enticing white wines, fresh and intriguing reds, luscious traditional sparklings, and decadent Icewines.
