20 years of that that peaceful, easy feeling at Fielding Estate Winery
Fielding Estate Winery is a beacon of goodness perched high atop the Beamsville Bench with endless views and one of the most diverse wine portfolios in Niagara.
The family owned and run winery is celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer, a well-deserved pat on the back for two decades of innovation, excellence in winemaking and enticing wine lovers to Niagara to experience all the region has to offer from its comfy Muskoka chairs, and a warm, friendly vibe. And by the way, you are all invited (see details below).
Ken and Marg Fielding, along with their son Curtis and his wife Heidi (above), opened the winery doors in 2005. From the very beginning, Fielding established its place alongside other Niagara wineries as an inviting place to relax and enjoy small lot VQA wines over several different tiers.
The architecture of the winery is influenced by the Fielding’s northern Ontario roots in the Haliburton Highlands. The contemporary Canadian design is inspired by elements found in nature — wood, stone and sunlight. With the natural finishes and earthy tones, the design allows all the facets of nature to become one. It’s the perfect setting to sit on the lodge deck or outdoor lounge to enjoy the wines and spectacular views that look out over Lake Ontario to Toronto in the distance.
The wines, made by Richie Roberts (above) since 2008, and assistant winemaker Clark Tyler who joined the team in 2017, are sourced from a combination of the estate’s two vineyards — the home vineyard in front of the winery and the Tufford Road Vineyard closer to Lake Ontario — and trusted growers, including one of Robert’s favourite sites, the Lowrey Vineyard in St. David’s for Pinot Noir and Syrah.
The wines are labelled with either a black or white label — black meaning estate and white meaning sourced fruit or a combination of both. There are also the ground-breaking and popular Long Weekend wines that started out as one of the first boxed VQA wines in Ontario, and now consists of several fruit-forward styles in bottles that are perfect for the cottage, pool-side sipping and “any days ending in y.” You can find these affordable wines in the LCBO, grocery, select restaurants and at the winery. As Heidi Fielding says, “people know they can get a very good wine at a good price.”
Fielding Estate, in the hands of Heidi and Curt Fielding, has been a leader in moving quickly to react to consumer tastes and pivoting during times of uncertainty. Who remembers the “igloos” during the COVID years? Fielding was one of the first (if not the first) to establish those self-contained domes that allowed wine lovers to taste in safety during the winter months when tasting rooms were closed. They were among the first with the Long Weekend boxed wine and have always been quick to move off wines that weren’t selling while maintaining the core portfolio and finding new styles that consumers were gravitating to. They have also been fortunate to have a robust selection of their wines perform well at LCBO stores. Craft ciders were added to the portfolio, with Fielding among the first in Niagara to offer a non-wine tipple.
We thought it appropriate to discuss the success of Fielding Estate Winery by asking Heidi and Curt Fielding and Roberts to reflect on two decades of trend setting. Here’s what they had to say in their own words.
Two burning questions for Curtis and Heidi Fielding
Wines in Niagara: Can you take us back to the moment you decided to plant grapes and build a winery on the Beamsville Bench? What was your vision?
Curtis and Heidi Fielding: My parents and I spent about a year looking for a property to plant grapes and build the winery. We drove all around Niagara and when we came to the now winery property, we knew it was perfect. We really liked the small town feel of Beamsville and the quietness of the area. The view was amazing, and the soil was absolutely perfect for grape growing.
After planting the vineyard in 2001, we learned quickly it was best suited to Riesling and Chardonnay, so we made the painful and expensive decision to pull the varietals that were not thriving and replanted again. Fun times! Luckily, we also purchased a well-established vineyard at the same time located about five km from the winery site, closer to the lake, where varietals like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Gris grow very well.
We wanted to be a warm and hospitable winery, “a retreat” where our guests could come and enjoy premium wines and feel very comfortable whether they were a wine expert or just learning!
The winery design was “contemporary Canadiana architecture” with state-of-the-art winemaking equipment but still felt very welcoming – like a modern cottage. We called the retail tasting room the Wine Lodge. Our guests would drive from all over just to sit in a Muskoka chair on the deck with a glass of wine and take in the beautiful view of the vineyards stretching to Lake Ontario.
WIN: What changed from your initial vision in 2005 and the critical pivots you have made to become successful 20 years later? In other words, how has the industry changed and how have you reacted to those changes?
The Fieldings: In the early years, it was all about the tasting bar experience. Guests would visit, taste with our team at the tasting bar and purchase on their way out. Our wines were not available at the LCBO for our first few years but, as opportunities opened up for small wineries by 2007, we were able to list a couple wines at the LCBO. Over the 20 years, we have grown our wine production at a steady pace without compromising quality. Our wines are now sold throughout Alberta and into Quebec.
We noticed a shift in the consumer wanting to stay longer at the winery, enjoy a glass of wine with a simple cheese plate. It became more about an experience. Wine fixtures were moved around in the Wine Lodge to accommodate seating. This trend continued to flourish and by 2019 we began a huge undertaking of our outdoor Vineyard Lounge with approximately 100 seats for guests to come and enjoy flights, wine by the glass and our newly released craft ciders.
All the furniture was bought, the project went ahead and then … Covid hit. Little did we know, the project couldn’t have come at a better time as, by its completion (June of 2020), wineries were allowed to open back up to the public and only serve wine to guests seated at tables in outdoor spaces. We were ready!
That year (2020) we purchased 10 outdoor wine domes and in the winter months, we offer our guests a cosy dome experience to enjoy their wines and ciders. To our delight and relief, it was quite a hit and we continue to offer the domes in the winter months.
In 2023, we expanded our food offerings to offer a simple “shareables” menu and work closely with CHZ PLZ for items that complement our wines and ciders.
Not all ideas and risks have been successful, so to know when to change something that’s not working has been key.
Our winemaking team has done an incredible job. Our winemaker (Roberts) has been making our wines for 17 years. The care and consistency in his winemaking has been an important factor in the success of the winery. Under his direction, our winemaking team produces beautiful, quality driven wines – the attention to detail is the same for all wines in the portfolio.
By Rick VanSickle, Wines in Niagara
