Local wines that create world class talent.

Introducing Niagara College Teaching Winery

Join us live with winemaker Allison Findlay, starting at 5pm PT / 8pm ET on Feb 12!

Tucked into the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake, there’s a winery unlike any other in Canada. Here, the next generation of winemakers learn and receive hands on winemaking mentorship from the very best in the industry.

Established in 2000, graduates of the Niagara College Teaching Winery have now infiltrated almost every winery Carl's Wine Club has ever featured. This is the literal incubator for the next generation of Canadian winemakers.

But here's the big secret: these wines are a fantastic deal for those in the know! The quality to price ratio is nearly unbeatable. And I love that these wines support a winning, heart warming cause - students of Canada's wine industry!

Discover wines made with skill, creativity, and the kind of dedication that can only come from those who are turning their dreams into vintages.

Cheers,
Carl

PS With the HST holiday and free shipping on $99+ there's never been a better time to try these wines!

Niagara College

Six Bottle Niagara College Discovery Pack | 89 to 🔥 93pts

$129.68 CAD
$129.68 CAD
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Shipping calculated at checkout.

Six wines that showcase Niagara College Teaching Winery's excellent value for dollar - and elevate your everyday meals and get togethers! Click any wine below to see the tastings notes.

2019 “Balance” Unoaked Chardonnay | 90pts | $14.82

2019 “Balance” Semi-Dry Riesling 🔥 93pts | $16.59

2021 “Balance” Pinot Noir | 89pts | $20.13

2019 “Balance” Merlot | 90+pts | $20.13

2020 Les Marmitons “Gastronomy” Shiraz | 90pts | $21.90

2020 “Balance” Merlot Cab | 91+pts | $20.13

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Niagara College

Three Bottle Niagara College Collector Pack | 91 to 92pts

$119.95 CAD
$119.95 CAD
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The Dean's List is reserved for premium wines that over-deliver for their price point, and is personally vetted by wine critic Tony Aspler.Taste what the Dean's List is all about with these three curated selections. Click any wine below for the tasting notes.

2020 “Dean’s List” Meritage | 92pts | $35.38

2020 “Dean’s List” Scholar Icewine | 91pts | $45.20

2023 “Dean’s List” Viognier | 91pts | $25.64

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Choose your Niagara College wines here 👉

FREE SHIPPING for $99 or more!

Shipping for less than $99: $25 Flat Rate

These rates save you up to $60 on the regular shipping costs!

Niagara College uses Canada Post, however depending on your location or special request, we will assist with other courier options.

We anticipate wines to ship February 18-20, and arrive between February 19-March 3. We will closely watch weather to your location and hold wines if there is risk of freezing.

YES you can choose your own mix of wines! Prices are the HST Holiday prices.

Niagara College

2019 Niagara College “Balance” Semi-Dry Riesling 🔥 93pts

$18.95 CAD
$18.95 CAD
Tax Holiday Archived
Shipping calculated at checkout.
  • 93pts
  • ON VQA Niagara Peninsula
  • 100% Riesling

I fell in love with this wine at the very first sip—pure, expressive, and authentically Niagara! A beautiful blend of citrus and tropical fruit, with a flinty minerality that carries through the mid-palate.On the nose, it’s highly aromatic, delivering notes of green apple, gooseberry, pear, apricot, and white flowers. The palate is rich, textured, and vibrant, with flavours of lime, baked apple, Meyer lemon, and apricot. A hint of residual sugar adds depth, while bright acidity keeps everything in harmony. The finish is soft, lengthy, and satisfying, with a burst of ginger spice.This wine over-delivers on value—a best-value wine of the year candidate!– Carl Boucher, Feb 1, 2025

Pairings: Grilled spicy Italian sausage, red curry pork dish

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Niagara College

2020 Niagara College “Dean’s List” Meritage | 92pts

$39.95 CAD
$39.95 CAD
Tax Holiday Archived
Shipping calculated at checkout.
  • 92pts
  • ON Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA Four Mile Creek
  • 56% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot

Probably the most complete, complex, and cellar-worthy wine of this entire offering. The overall quality of this Meritage is absolutely EXCEPTIONAL for $35. The nose is overwhelming in the best way, with a cornucopia of black, red, and blue berries, perfectly accented by fine toasty oak. With aeration, the floral notes expand beautifully. Super-concentrated and vibrant, with noticeable finesse on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Flavours of blackberry, cassis, dark cherry, and graphite unfold with impressive depth. The finish is brilliant and complex, with power that builds steadily. Still young, but already dangerously delicious and entering its prime drinking window. It will be hard to wait longer! 😊– Carl Boucher, Nov 30, 2024

Pairings: Grilled lamb, ribeye steak, mushroom risotto

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See more tasting notes by clicking any wine below:

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The Winery Story

In 2000, Niagara College established the Winery and Viticulture Technician program at the Daniel J. Patterson campus in Niagara-on-the-lake. The program is the first of its kind in Canada in that the Teaching Winery facilitates the learning enterprise of the program.

Presently located amidst 38 acres of College vineyards, the teaching winery allows the students to have immediate access to a hands-on experience in a real-time working environment to produce award winning wines. Furthermore the program allows them to obtain skills in three specialty areas; winemaking, viticulture and sales/marketing, that will provide diverse opportunities upon graduation.

Inception of this program was developed in direct consultation with the local wine industry and under the advisement of a Program Advisory Committee. In 2004, the Winery and Viticulture Technician program received the Pinnacle Award for best supplier of graduates to the tourism industry, and was also awarded Best Program in Canada 2004 by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.

In the fall of 2008, Niagara College opened doors to the new post graduate certificate program in Wine Business Management. This intense program uses college science labs, a wine sensory lab, the vineyards, on-site wine equipment, and the Niagara College Teaching Winery Campus Wine Store. This program provides graduates with a well-rounded business education and a very specialized practical training required for successful operations of future growth in Canadian wine, hospitality and tourism industries. This is the first and only Wine Business Program in Canada.

About the Winemaker

Originally from Dryden, Ontario, Allison looked forward to a future in plant science and ecology. After completing her Bachelor of Science at Lakehead University, her passion sparked for Ontario viticulture while visiting the Niagara Region and falling in love with the art, science and beauty that is Ontario wine.

Allison then enrolled and graduated from the Niagara College Winery & Viticulture Technician program in 2014 and she hasn’t looked back since. Her new passion took her around the world to participate in grape harvests in Australia and Oregon, while also spending some time at a few local wineries before landing an exciting job with Flat Rock Cellars in 2016. With a little time, and a lot of hard work, Allison grew into the role of Assistant Winemaker, and finally Head Winemaker where she perfected her craft in producing award-winning wines, including a Best in Show at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards. At the beginning of a new harvest in 2022, Allison began her role as Head Winemaker at Niagara College Teaching Winery, coming back to where it all began.

Allison is the first female winemaker at the Teaching Winery – but not the first NC graduate. Former Head Winemaker Gavin Robertson, who graduated from the Winery and Viticulture Technician program in 2011, has been a fixture of the Teaching Winery for more than a decade – beginning as a student in 2010, then full-time after graduation. He was happy to pass the torch to Allison, who he knows well from both NC and the industry and praised the natural talent and hard-earned industry experience she brings to the College. After having a wonderful career so far in the Ontario wine industry, we are ecstatic to welcome her back to our Teaching Winery, where she continues to produce outstanding wines and become a valuable mentor for the budding industry professionals.

When she should not be in the cellar you can find Allison crafting, completing crossword puzzles, and running around with her two beloved dogs Maeve and Lola.  Her drink of choice is a cold glass of bubbly paired good company (and hopefully a couple dozen oysters).

Try these beautiful wines for yourself!

Click here to select your wines.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this work?

Carl's Wine Club is Canada's first pan-Canadian, direct-to-consumer wine club.

Being a member of the wine club is FREE and you have access to our informative emails and our live virtual events with Carl to learn more about Canadian wineries.

We feature a different Canadian winery every 1-2 weeks with a specially curated mix of wines. You choose if and how much wine to purchase, with winery direct pricing and shipping deals.

Is the order page secure?

Yes, absolutely! We use a secure website and order page, with all credit card information processed by a PCI-compliant payment processor and bank-grade SSL encryption of your data.

What size bottles will I receive?

All bottles are 750ml (standard wine bottles) unless otherwise noted. There may be a different size bottle for instance for Magnums at 1.5L or smaller bottles for Ice Wines.

How does shipping work?

Shipping of wines is done from the featured winery directly, unless you're ordering a 'Mystery Pack' or other limited edition pack. Shipping is available to Canadian locations only. Shipping is usually completed by Courier, however Canada Post is used for rural or remote locations. You will receive a tracking number from the winery or courier system. Someone over the legal drinking age must be present at the time of delivery and provide ID to the delivery driver (this is a legal requirement). Please do your best to ensure that an adult is available to receive the order on the anticipated delivery date.

What if there is a problem with my order?

Both Carl's Wine Club and the featured winery will be more than happy to assist you and ensure that we find a suitable solution! Please us at carl@carlswineclub.com or 587-899-8249. Thank you!

What is VIP and VIP Unlimited?

By completing your first order of a featured winery's tasting pack, you will be invited to be a VIP member. You will receive access to our VIP Facebook Group and be the first to know about exclusive collector opportunities. 

You can also upgrade to our VIP Unlimited membership and get free shipping on all orders (of 6+ wines from a single winery) and many more perks! Click here to learn more about VIP Membership Upgrades.