Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992

The De Simone family has been producing wine for many generations. Our ancestors owned and operated a wine boutique and barrel cellar in the mountains of Southern Calabria, Italy, supplying an entire village with wine.

De Simone Vineyards is located in the heart of Niagara-On-The-Lake within the Four Mile Creek Appellation. Situated on 40 acres of land, the boutique winery focuses on quality from the vineyard to bottle. Each and every wine is produced 100% from estate grown fruit. Currently they have 6 varieties planted which include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling and Vidal. Today there is over 17 acres planted of various varieties on the 40 acre Estate.

Vince De Simone is the owner. In 1967, the De Simone family immigrated to Canada with only a few dollars in their pockets. Vincenzo’s parents worked long, hard hours to provide for their family, eventually opening three variety stores in the city of St. Catharines. In 1991 they purchased the farm of their dreams and worked the farm, opening a family run fruit stand that still exists to this day.

In 2010, Vince and his father hand planted their first vinifera grape vines; three rows of Cabernet Franc. After seeing the success of the new vines, they continued to plant the rest of the vineyard. Today there is over 6 acres planted of various varieties.

Winemaker Vincenzo De Simone,

As a young child, Vincenzo Robert De Simone always enjoyed listening to stories of his family members and their winemaking history. Little did he know that he would one day follow a similar path. Not only did he listen to their stories, but winemaking was also in his blood. He traveled through Southern Italy to learn traditional vineyard techniques and the appreciation for fine wine. Spending over 9 years mastering his winemaking techniques and skills at some of the most prestigious Niagara wineries, Vincenzo embarked on his own adventure opening his dream De Simone Vineyards.

Vincenzo also studied winemaking at Niagara College, graduating in 2011 from the Winery and Viticulture program. Vincenzo strongly believes in the saying “great wine is made in the vineyard”, and is very knowledgeable in both viticulture and winemaking practices.

The techniques he uses in the vineyard are the first step to creating premium, high quality wines. “Winemaking is an art”, says Vincenzo, “but it must be felt from the heart”. Vincenzo is very passionate about winemaking and he puts his skills to the test when it comes to making wine. He takes a lot of pride in what he does and it shows in the final product.

Cabernet Franc is their flagship wine. They produce vidal Icewine.

In 2023, De Simone Vineyards received recognition at the Decanter World Wine Awards, earning a Silver medal for their 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon and a Bronze medal for their 2020 Merlot and 2020 Riesling

De Simone Vineyards received recognition at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024, earning a Bronze medal for their 2022 Determination wine. They also won a Bronze medal at the All Canadian Wine Championships 2024 for their 2022 Bellissima Moscato

The winery hosts numerous events through out the year, From wine tastings and live music to elegant dinners and creative workshops

One hospitality reporter described the winery "a small winery with a big heart"

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