Our History | Thirty Bench

The story of Thirty Bench Wine Makers begins about 450 million years ago. That’s when geologists believe the Niagara Escarpment began to take shape along the bed of a tropical sea. Over time, sediment was compressed into rock, a large portion of which was limestone and shale. As these rocks weathered at different rates, unique landforms like the Beamsville Bench were created. Today, “the Bench” is a narrow plateau that slopes gradually from the cliff of the Niagara Escarpment. Its mineral-rich soils, unique topography and favourable airflow patterns have made it one of Niagara’s most coveted sub appellations for growing grapes.

Being tucked beneath the Escarpment offers our vineyards a longer season that allow grapes more time to ripen and cooler nights that help intensify flavours. The grapes we grow on our beautiful little piece of the Beamsville Bench tend to steal the show. That’s why all Thirty Bench wines are made exclusively with grapes from our own vineyards. Our vines are meticulously hand cropped and thinned to produce very low yields that offer exceptional quality and an intensity of fruit that sets our wines apart.

The less-is-more approach at Thirty Bench extends far beyond the vineyard. Our commitment to “Small Lot” winemaking means many of our wines are made in extremely limited numbers. How small? Check the label of our Small Lot wines and you’ll see the exact number of cases that were made for that vintage. It’s often a number so small that these cases disappear quickly. Fortunately, Thirty Bench wine lovers don’t seem to mind. As passionate Small Lot enthusiasts, they’ve discovered that the wines that are the hardest to find are also the hardest to forget.

With Riesling vineyards dating back as far as 1980, Thirty Bench Winemakers is incredibly proud to be considered one of Niagara’s first true boutique wineries.

Those original single-block, old-vine Rieslings in our Steel Post, Triangle and Wood Post vineyards are the roots of our winery. They set in place a firm foundation that inspired an expansion of our varietals in 2000.

Today, the Thirty Bench Wine Makers portfolio includes a diverse range of award-winning wines across nine varietals. Our Small Lot approach has been recognized with critical acclaim, including recent awards for both Small Winery of the Year and Winemaker of the Year.

Our commitment to Small Lots is something that goes far beyond the bottle and influences everything we do at Thirty Bench. From personalized tastings that invite guests to sit down, settle in and stay for awhile, to intimate special events that pair wine, food and fun, Small Lots are something we celebrate at Thirty Bench. We invite you to join us.