Allison Findlay has made her mark in Ontario’s wine industry since she graduated from Niagara College, and now she’s returning to her alma mater as winemaker at the Niagara College Teaching Winery.

Findlay, who graduated from the College’s Winery and Viticulture Technician program in 2014, was most recently head winemaker at Flat Rock Cellars in Jordan, where she honed her craft producing award-winning wines – including a Best in Show at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards.

“It has been rewarding to see Allison’s skills and talents come to fruition as an award-winning winemaker, with recognized success not only here in Niagara but among the best in the world,” said general manager of NC’s Learning Enterprises, Steve Gill. “We are very excited to welcome her back to our Teaching Winery, where she will continue to produce outstanding wines and become a valuable mentor for budding industry professionals.”

Findlay, who is originally from Dryden, Ontario and currently resides in Grimsby, reflected on how joining the team at the NC Teaching Winery has been a homecoming of sorts.

“I have felt at home here since I first toured the campus on a freezing February afternoon in 2012,” she said. “I have had such a wonderful career so far in the Ontario wine industry and cannot wait to share my experience and passion with the students.”

Passionate about maximizing the fruit and quality that comes from the vineyard to produce balanced, focused wines, Findlay noted that she is looking forward to experimenting with new grape varieties available at the College.

“Education, for me, is at the forefront, demonstrating different winemaking styles and techniques, all while mentoring students,” said Findlay. “I am excited to blend my commercial experience with my student experience to best prepare the next generation of fermentation experts.”

Findlay 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.

Head winemaker since 2014, Robertson gained recognition as the highly skilled winemaker behind the Teaching Winery’s growing roster of numerous award-winning products and as a Nuffield Scholar (2018), where his international work helped to address challenges faced by Ontario grape growers.

As he begins a full-time faculty position at the College, Robertson noted that he will miss his production role – “especially the adrenaline rush of a midnight grape intake on the crush pad” – but he is looking forward to spending more time working directly with students in the world-class facilities he has come to know so well over the past decade.

He was happy to pass the torch to Findlay, who he knows well from both the College and the industry and praised the natural talent and hard-earned industry experience she brings to NC.

“She’s open-minded and creative with the right personality for making wine in our unique Learning Enterprise context where commercial winemaking goals have to align with academic programming in a way that fosters a safe, fun and engaging learning environment for future generations of Canadian winemakers and viticulturalists,” said Robertson.

“She’s an amazing addition to the winemaking team at the Teaching Winery and to our beverage programs, and I look forward to working closely with her to help students learn and innovate and push the boundaries of what’s possible in the Canadian wine industry as it continues to grow and evolve.

“I know that she’ll drive the quality of our wines to new heights.”

The NC Teaching Winery became Canada’s first commercial teaching winery in Canada when it was launched in November 2002 and is the only facility of its kind in the country today. It is located at the College’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Visit ncteachingwinery.ca.

Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit niagaracollege.ca.

Photo: NC Teaching Winery’s new Winemaker Allison Findlay raises a glass in the College vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake.