We’re still here, we’re still farming, and we’re still working on creative ways to make your experience with local wine more personal than just a one time stop! Thank you for all the amazing support and love we’ve received so far during the Covid-19 Pandemic. It is our plan (and our privilege!) to continue providing you with local wine to share around your dinner table – and keeping your family (and ours) as safe as possible in the process! Read on for an update on our Curbside Pickups and an invitation to join us for another Virtual Happy Hour!

Curbside Pickup still Available!

At this time we are continuing to take carry-out orders for curbside pickup by appointment only.  Please note that our tasting room is CLOSED, and guests are asked to pay in advance and remain in their cars. Purchases will be carried out and placed directly in your trunk.
We still ask that you have your I.D. ready to present through your window.

Our current wine list and pricing can be found right here on our website!
Appointments for pickup can be made by e-mailing Danielle at longcliffwinery@gmail.com

Open Local Wine Night: a Toast to Your Local Hero!

This Saturday you’re invited to join us for a Virtual Happy Hour taking place on the Niagara Wine Trail’s Facebook page!

You may be familiar with the Fred Rogers Quote “When I was a boy and I saw scary things in the news my mother would say to me ‘look for the helpers! There’s always people who are helping!”
This week the Niagara Wine Trail wants to pay tribute to those helpers! We’re asking you to grab a bottle of local wine and raise a glass to your favorite Covid-19 Helper! One participant, (and the hero they nominate!), will each win a pair of tickets to the NWT July wine festival, Niagara Uncorked! More details are available on the Niagara Wine Trail Event page!

Need something to toast with?!

Long Cliff Vineyard & Winery’s “Champagne Style” wines are a testament to tradition! After initial fermentation, still wine is bottled with additional yeast to ferment a 2^nd time inside the bottle.  By hand, winemakers freeze & release the yeast from the bottles (disgorgement), before topping them off with a wine dosage and resealing each one with a champagne cork & long neck foil.  

Available in two varieties, Bright Stars is a dry sparkling wine with hints of orchard fruits, orange zest & almond with fine bubbles.  Starlet, is a semi-sweet sparkler that boasts notes of apple, pear, and just a touch of sweetness. 
Both are available for Curbside Pickup this week with 20% off when you buy 2 or more! 

What a whirlwind week it has been… and it’s only Tuesday!
It goes without saying that so much has changed in so little time, but we’ve put together a plan to get your favorite estate grown Long Cliff Vineyard & Winery wines back on your wine rack – and we have a plan for book club too! We’re still here! Read on to learn more!

Curbside Pickup:

Although the tasting room is closed indefinitely, “carry-out” orders can be phoned in to the winery during our revised open hours for curbside pickup.  These orders are for sealed bottles to be consumed off-premises only, no tastings will be offered at this time.
All orders must be paid in advance over the phone, we will not be running credit cards in person or taking cash for the time being.
As our tasting room is closed, guests will be asked to remain in their car and phone the tasting room when you arrive.  Your order will be delivered to your car window – and as always, please be sure to have your I.D. ready to present.

As a token of our appreciation for supporting your local businesses, we are offering a limited time Quantity Discount through March 20th!
Enjoy 19% off the purchase of 6+ bottles, or 30% off the purchase of 12 or more!

Our first round of pick up is scheduled for the following days / times:

Wednesday, March 18: 1pm – 3pm
Thursday March 19: 3pm – 5pm
Friday, March 20: 3pm – 5pm

E-mail Danielle at longcliffwinery@gmail.com for a current menu & pricing!
THEN, call us during the open times above to place your order:
716-731-3316
Please remember, as the Covid-19 situation has proven to be very fluid and constantly evolving, this service may be discontinued at any time.

Book Club:

Our regularly scheduled book club meeting is STILL ON for this Sunday, March 22 at 5pm! But in compliance with the CDC’s recommendations for social distancing, we are trying out an entirely virtual experience!

While it won’t be quite the same, we are inviting you to join us ONLINE for our next meeting! Simply login to the zoom meeting link below on your computer or mobile device to join in!

https://zoom.us/j/542884532?pwd=TkVBSUJYNURpOERaOUtMLzNRQlR4dz09
when prompted, enter the password: marchbook

Participants in the live book discussion will receive a credit for 25% off their bottle purchases on their next visit to the winery – whenever that may be – and one lucky guest will win a small gift on us!

Haven’t read the book yet? There’s still time! (Especially now that we’re all cooped up at home!) And it’s available for free as both an ebook and audiobook on the Hoopla app with your Nioga Library Card!

Questions about Zoom or Hoopla? Contact Danielle: longcliffwinery@gmail.com

THANK YOU EVERYONE for the outpouring of small business love & support we’ve received. Hopefully this all passes as quickly as it came.

Until then, keep raising each other up, and be well.

As the COVID-19 situation rapidly evolves, the Long Cliff Family has decided to do our part in cooperation with Governor Cuomo’s request for businesses to help flatten the curve and close our tasting room doors until further notice.

Thank you for your continued support.  Please stay tuned to our social media channels or website for more details on “curbside pickup” by appointment only at the #winery!

Be well friends. Go wash your hands & have a glass of wine!

With the uncertainty in the days and weeks to come, your small local businesses need your support now more than ever!

That being said, the safety and well being of our loyal customers and their families (as well as our staff’s and our own) has always been and will continue to be our first priority. 

As of now we are remaining OPEN but we are implementing a few changes to our current tasting room policies which may affect your experience for the time being. 

Effective immediately, we are no longer accepting buses/limos, or groups larger than 10. This is so that we may limit our tasting room capacity and allow for more space between guests at the bar.  This is a difficult decision and we hope it will only be a temporary measure.

Further, we are switching to single use, disposable cups for wine tasting, and we will no longer offer crackers on our bar- although we will allow & encourage you to bring your own to cleanse your palate between tastes! 

Lastly, our selfie station props have been packed away – but we don’t want that to discourage you from continuing to take fun pictures on your wine tasting adventure and sharing them with #UncorkNWT and #LongCliffWinery.

We apologize for any inconvenience these temporary changes may bring. Thank you for your loyalty, and for believing in us. We look forward to helping you stock your wine cellar!

I could provide you with a long list of reasons you should join us for Book Club every month – like this one, here – but after I tell you participants receive complimentary tastings and 25% off bottle purchases during each meeting, what more really needs to be said?

For seven years the official Long Cliff Winery Book Club has been meeting monthly to discuss great books over even better bottles of wine. (Okay… sometimes the books have been not so great… but the wine never disappoints!) Consider this your official invitation to join in on the fun this Spring and check out what all the hub-bub is about!

Our Upcoming Titles include:

March 22, 5pm – The Vintner’s Daughter, by Kristen Harnisch
April 26, 5pm – All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
May 24, 5pm – The Moonshiner’s Daughter, Donna Everhart

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact Danielle: longcliffwinery@gmail.com

Looking for something to do this January?! Join us 1/18 from 2-4pm for our first Wine Workshop of the new decade: Taste the Farm!
This is an ideal class for wine lovers looking to enhance their palate, or just getting started in their exploration of wine.  Our 2 hour wine tasting seminar contains a wealth of detailed  information delivered in a hands on, easy to understand approach.  Come prepared to sample our estate wines as we walk you through three of our most frequently asked questions:

1. How do you taste wine?
2. Why do we taste wine that way?
3. How can I become really, really, good at it?

In this workshop you will:
-practice basic wine tasting skills
-develop a comprehensive foundation for truly understanding wine.
-demystify wine tasting vocabulary & familiarize yourself with tasting etiquette
-learn about 4 of the major grape varietals grown on Long Cliff Vineyard & Winery’s family farm & the different personalities of these wines! 

Through tasting different expressions of each of the 4 grape styles covered (Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Lemberger), you will walk away from this class knowing what it is you like (and don’t like!) in a bottle of wine, and how to communicate what you are experiencing with your server and friends!  

Tickets are just $18 / person – space is limited
FREE GIFT with advance ticket purchase!
Order Tickets online now – or – Pay in the tasting room to save on online ticketing fees!

**this indoor event will be held snow or shine! The cellar is kept cool year-round to protect our inventory, so dress warm! Tickets are non-refundable.

We are excited to announce with two weeks until our 3rd Annual Nouveau Night, we are officially SOLD OUT!

This event started in 2017 as a little passion project for Danielle, who wanted to bring a taste of the traditional French festival to the Niagara Wine Trail. We had no clue what the reception would be, especially with the festivities happening on a “work night,” but we’re ecstatic to see everyone enjoying it as much as we are!

In the spirit of “Beaujolais Day” in France, we invite guests into the wine cellar to celebrate the season with us as we bottle the first wine – new, or “nouveau,” wine – made from our 2019 Harvest. Having gone through such a short fermentation period, we can promise you a red wine that’s light, bright, and jubilantly fruity – pleasing to every palate! Each ticket holder will take a turn bottling, corking, and labeling their very own bottle of wine, with refreshments and light hors d’eourves available while they wait.

Not only is it a fun night out of the house, but it makes for AWESOME bragging rights when you pop the cork and share the story at your Thanksgiving table the following week!

If you missed your chance for tickets this year but would still like to snag a bottle of this year’s Nouveau, we may have limited quantities available after the event! Check back with us on November 22 to see what’s in stock!

…and be sure to follow us on facebook or instagram for pictures, news and more!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• November 21, 5pm – Nouveau Night 2019 – SOLD OUT
• November 24, 6pm – Free Book Club Meeting!
  • What we’re reading: Maine, by J. Courtney Sullivan
• December 7 & 8 – Holiday Happening on the Niagara Wine Trail
  • $30 per person / $55 per couple : tickets available at niagarawinetrail.org include 3 tastes of wine from each participating winery, a commemorative wine glass, and the keepsake gift. 
• December 22, 12-5pm – Sip & Swap (An LCW Book Club Exchange)
  • Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holidays to treat yourself to wine tastings and a new (to you) book!
  • Bring in books from your shelves you’re ready to part with and trade them for something new to read while you travel over the river and through the woods this Christmas. This free event* is happening during regular winery business hours (12pm-5pm) Sunday, December 22. Stop in anytime! Our signature “Apple Cider Sangria” will be available, as well as our full tasting menu!
    • *Wine tasting not included
• January 26, 5pm – Free Book Club Meeting
  • What we’re reading: Bursting Bubbles, by Robert Walters
  • **note the time change for 2020! We will meet at 5pm in Jan-May

This week we’re pausing for a moment to catch our breath & raise our glass to a successful #Hallowine weekend – the best & smoothest we’ve had since first joining in the fun in 2012!

Thank you 100 times over to our amazing team (both my normal crew, and the auxiliary staff who stepped in to give us a hand for this busy weekend), and the 2000+ guests who had a great time out on the Niagara Wine Trail USA, while still remaining respectful and courteous, & treating our winery like our home (because it is!) 💙

We always appreciate your support- you really do keep this small farm family running, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
Perhaps you’ll join us for our 3rd Annual Nouveau Night 2019, happening Thursday, November 21 @ 5pm! Tickets are just $18 a person (and include a bottle of our not yet released 2019 Leon Nouveau wine – which you’ll get to bottle, cork and label all on your own!) 🍷 
Call Danielle at 716-731-3316 to #uncorkNWT and make a reservation!

Until then, may you never be short on love, laughter, and good wine!
Cheers!
-The DeMaison Family

It’s officially harvest season on the DeMaison farm and we’re up to our knees in grapes and fresh juice around here!

We picked our first grapes of the year, our 2019 Leon Millot, on August 29th – and those grapes are already fermenting away to become that rich, sweet, delicious Leon Nouveau everyone is so excited for!

“Save the Date” to taste the Harvest!

Our 3rd Annual Nouveau Night is scheduled for Thursday, November 21, when we’ll release this brand new wine, in the same year it was harvested!

Inspired by the tradition of Beaujolais Day in France, this fun & festive event is a private bottling and release party where each guest will personally bottle and hand label their very own 2019 Leon Nouveau straight from the tank! Just $18 / person – reservations are required. Wine tasting and light hors d’oeuvres will be provided

Attention Home Winemakers:

We have small lots of grapes & juice from our Niagara Escarpment Estate Farm available for home vintners, as well as home winemaking supplies including yeast, additives & equipment.
Contact us at longcliffwinery@gmail.com for more information on getting started, or to place your order!

Other Upcoming Events:

• September 21 & 22: Niagara Wine Trail’s Annual Harvest Festival
• September 22: Free monthly Book Club Meeting!
  Reading: “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova
• October 27: Free monthly Book Club Meeting!
  Reading “The Last Thing He Wanted” by Joan Didion
• November 21: 3rd Annual Nouveau Night! $18 / person – reservations required – includes wine tasting, light hors d’eourves, and a bottle of wine to go!
• November 24: Free monthly Book Club Meeting!
  Reading “Maine” by J. Courtney Sullivan

With Harvest Season fast approaching, we are pleased to offer small lots of grapes & juice from our Niagara Escarpment Estate Farm to our local home vintners- as well as home winemaking supplies including yeast, additives & equipment.

Considering producing your own small batch of homemade wine?  
Nothing is more satisfying than popping the cork on a bottle of your own wine for dinner guests!  
Watch for details on our Hands-on Winemaking Seminars to give you one-on-one support from our staff this season! Cost and dates to be announced – please inquire with danielle at longcliffwinery@gmail.com for more information and to reserve your spot!

We’re excited to work with you this year & can’t wait to see what great wines you can create from our high quality vinifera grapes!