Reif Estate Winery, one of Niagara on the Lake’s foundational family-owned wineries. Established in 1982 by the Reif family. Nestled within the Niagara River sub appellation, this winery benefits from the region’s ideal conditions for cultivating sun-loving grape varieties. The Niagara River presence bestows a prolonged growing season, gently refining it with its moderating air currents, which in turn provide protection against the threat of early spring and late fall frosts. Today, the winery draws from its expansive 125-acre vineyard. Originally planted in 1977, the property is composed of three distinct sections. The main section is made up of five separate buildings that serve the winery’s production, distribution, and retail needs. The first building houses the main public tasting area and retail store, where the guests can experience the variety of wines Reif has to offer. In one of the three exclusive tasting rooms at the back, the building also houses 29 stainless steel tanks yielding over 700,000 litres of quality wines. Beyond the large front doors of the main building lies a turf courtyard with a casual seating area flanked by exquisite landscaping tied together with the handcrafted stone waterfall inspired by the original wine barrels of the Reif family. There’s an additional seating area where guests can enjoy an array of small dishes prepared carefully to complement the selection of wines. At the rear of the winery lies three warehouses, two of which store current product and packaging. The third building houses all the various tractors, harvesters, and essential farm equipment to maintain the 125-acre vineyards. There are also two residential dwellings on the property, a 3300 square foot, multi level English Tudor style home built in 1988, as well as a 1300 square foot farm workers’ house located on Line Two.