Cornerstone Estate Winery
Updated: Jan 11, 2022
Beamsville, Ontario
Toronto - January 5th, 2022 - It’s been a while since I have written (not like, a very long while, but I missed it and I missed writing for y’all), so I figured the best place to start again was back in the hexalogy of our Vineland adventure. That hexalogy was day one of a weekend trip. Let’s talk about day two.
On the second day, my friends and I went on an Airbnb Experience (I know, I had no idea these existed either). We found a wonderful human named Ken through Airbnb, who planned virtually our entire day of activities for us. And not to mention, he served as an incredible tour guide throughout the day. The adventure was called River & Wine, and brought us on an incredible hiking tour through the Niagara Escarpment to start (don’t forget this was a Bachelorette weekend, and hiking and wine had our bride-to-be’s name written all over it). The next stop after the hike was the first of three wineries: Cornerstone Estate Winery.
Driving east on John Street from the hike, we saw the little blue barn-like structure with the words Cornerstone on a sign affixed to its side. We pulled into the driveway and were greeted by sprawling lands of vines, a bright blue sky, beaming sun, and a cute as can be wine shop. We entered the shop to meet a wonderful gal named Nina whose family owns the vineyard. After letting us use the facilities, Nina took us to our designated bench outside and started our wine tasting. I was completely obsessed with the wine, purchasing two of the six bottles that we tried for myself (each of the girls bought two of their own as well).
Cornerstone Estate Winery was founded in 2002, completely by accident! When the family bought the farm it solely grew grapes, so they took ownership of this and started producing their own wines. Nina works with her mom and dad who champion the farm / vineyard, but she is not short of first-hand stories about growing grapes and making wine. If you visit the winery (read: WHEN you visit the winery), ask Nina about the story of picking grapes for ice wine in 2008 on New Year’s Eve. It was a good one and clearly highlights her family’s dedication to creating premium quality wines from their own meticulously handpicked and hand sorted grapes!
Apart from the fact that Nina was a FABULOUS host and made this one of the best wine tasting experiences I have ever had, the wines speak for themselves and are calling your name. The vineyard is also so damn cute, and absolutely worth a visit next spring / summer. Visit the Cornerstone Estate Winery website for more information on their wines if you get thirsty in the meantime.