Spring Lake Winery in the News

Gravel to Grapes: The Story of Spring Lake Winery!
The latest big accomplishment is Spring Lake Winery’s first harvest. And, there was so much excitement, that volunteers even joined the Varallo family and their crew to pick the grapes. After three years, it was finally time to press those grapes for the winery’s long-anticipated and signature Late Harvest Riesling.

But, the story of Spring Lake Winery, located in Lockport, NY, begins eight years ago…when the Varallos purchased 70 wooded acres, including what had been an old gravel quarry. Today, that former quarry is a beautiful lake…part of the 8 acres they have transformed into a grape-yielding tourist destination on the Niagara Escarpment.

It’s frequently referred to as agri-tourism, and Spring Lake Winery has embraced it, offering visitors a destination of peace and serenity, where they can take a walk around the lake or stroll through the vineyards, as well as enjoy the wine tastings, weddings and numerous other events.

Many come by car, of course, but thousands arrive via the winery’s hugely popular VINEYARD EXPRESS excursion trains. Linking Lockport in Niagara County and the Medina Railroad Museum in Orleans County, each train brings hundreds of folks for an afternoon of fun, including a glass of wine, a barbeque and live entertainment.

The VINEYARD EXPRESS, by the way, has not gone unnoticed by New York State, whose “I LOVE NEW YORK” campaign encourages the regionalism that Spring Lake Winery actively promotes…not only through its excursion trains, but also through its golf, hotel, and other cooperative tourism endeavors. As members of the Niagara Wine Trail, Spring Lake and other member wineries also actively promote the Niagara region to the rest of America and the world.

Of course, long before owners Nicholas and Tamre Varallo created Spring Lake Winery, his father and grandfather were making wine at home. Their three generations of experience and expertise were the catalyst for this beautiful winery…where the family will produce high quality and award-winning varieties.

You can be sure the story of Spring Lake Winery doesn’t end here. There are more chapters to be written…and, write them they will.




Spring Lake Kicks-off MUSIC BY THE LAKE Series!
Lockport’s Spring Lake Winery is announcing a new MUSIC BY THE LAKE concert series, which will feature two big band concerts per month. Like the winery’s exclusive VINEYARD EXPRESS excursion trains, these popular MUSIC BY THE LAKE events begin on Sunday, June 14th, and continue the second and fourth Sunday of each month, through October.

Music is provided by the very popular Carol McLaughlin Big Band, and the $20.00 admission price includes lunch on the grill from 12-4pm. Plus, this season, it’s a chance to view the winery’s beautiful spring fed lake from a new Lake Overlook area, directly behind the winery’s outdoor patio. If you prefer, take a stroll around the lake, while sipping a glass of Spring Lake’s fine wines and listening to the music.

This MUSIC BY THE LAKE concert series is also a great way to make new friends, including the folks who come by train on the VINEYARD EXPRESS. They’ll be making a stopover for music and lunch, before heading back to their Lockport boarding station.

The VINEYARD EXPRESS, by the way, costs just $45.00 per person or $20.00 for children 12 and under and includes a Continental Breakfast and a tour of the famous Medina Railroad Museum. Reservations are suggested at least two weeks in advance for either MUSIC BY THE LAKE or the VINEYARD EXPRESS excursion train.

Along with these special events, Spring Lake Winery is also available for daily wine tastings, as well as weddings and other private parties, including corporate gatherings. In addition, this is the home of the new Premiere Wine Club…the first of its kind in the Niagara Region. Members receive numerous benefits.

Spring Lake Winery is located at 7373 Rochester Road in Lockport and online at www.SpringLakeWinery.com.

Joe Eberle/Staff Photographer Lockport, NY

The Lockport Business Association held its annual recognition awards night Thursday at the Tuscarora Inn on Walnut Street. Among the recipients were West Herr Honda for the New Business Award, which Niagara Produce of Lockport also won. Accepting the award for West Herr is Joe Rizzo, general manager and Scott Bieler, president. Presenting the award is Dianne Cross, First Niagara Bank, and Brian Bower of Bower Insurance, co-presidents of the association. Other award winners include Spring Lake Winery for Business of the Year and the Lockport Public Library for Community Support. The association also welcomed new board members Bob Cammarata of Cammarata’s Restaurant, John Gibson of Edward Jones and Heather Grimmer of H.G. Design.

Discover Buried Treasure at Spring Lake Winery!
January 24th & 25th 2009

Spring Lake Winery intern Camille Granchelli

How would like to escape winter with a trip to the Caribbean? Well you can do just that and maybe win “Buried Treasure” too, during a special Caribbean Weekend at Lockport’s SPRING LAKE WINERY.

On January 24th and 25th, SPRING LAKE will join its partners on the Niagara Wine Trial for a special Caribbean weekend of wine tasting and fun, while adding a few Spring Lake touches all its own.

Each wine trail member will feature a different Caribbean theme, offering visitors a commemorative wine glass, a wine tasting, and a chance to win a two thousand dollar vacation from Liberty Travel. All of this for an admission price of just $20.00.

For just $10.00 more, you can also participate in SPRING LAKE WINERY’S
exclusive TREASURE HUNT…a chance to win an overnight stay at Lewiston’s Barton Hotel.

Along with a wine tasting, each TREASURE HUNT participant will receive a key. If that key unlocks the Treasure Chest, the winner will be entered into the Barton Hotel drawing. Even if the key doesn’t fit, it’s still good for a prize.

So, join the party and enjoy great wine, music by the Caribbean Extravaganza, playing Saturday from 1 to 4pm, and maybe find buried treasure, too.

SPRING LAKE WINERY is located at 7373 Rochester Road in Lockport, and online at www.springlakewinery.com.

Caribbean Weekend…one more reason why I LOVE NEW YORK!

Time to “Spin the Bottle” at Spring Lake Winery!
Game is part of Wine Trail HARVEST FEST!

The Niagara County winery that brought you the hugely popular “Wine Train” offered something else that’s new and unique to its visitors.

Spring Lake Winery and other members of the Niagara Wine Trail held the 2008 HARVEST FEST on the weekend of September 20th and 21st. The Lockport winery entertained its guests with its own version of a classic game of “Spin the Bottle.”

In this case it was a Wine Bottle that visitors spun on a special game board, as they tried to win a variety of prizes. According to Spring Lake owner Tamre Varallo, those prizes included discounts on bottles of wine, winery tours, Wine Ice Cream, and fresh fall pumpkins.

Along with other members of the Wine Trail, Spring Lake also sold other fresh produce from the region.

HARVEST FEST participants were encouraged to visit all of the participating wineries, where, for $20.00, each received a wine glass at their first stop, which could be used for wine tastings at each destination.

Spring Lake Winery is located at 7373 Rochester Road in Lockport, where its vineyards and tasting room are complimented by a beautiful spring-fed lake and picnic grove.

The winery offers daily wine tastings and is a popular venue for train excursions, along with weddings and other private gatherings. In addition, Spring Lake Winery further encourages regional tourism through its golf and hotel packages.

Lockport, NY Winery Puts Tourism on the “Right Track”!
“Vineyard Express” Becomes Major Attraction!

Many regions of the United States have learned that the key to tourism promotion is the packaging of popular venues, for a truly regional approach to attracting more visitors.

In Lockport, NY, a place called SPRING LAKE WINERY has proven it with a truly unique offering called the “Vineyard Express” excursion train.

Through its partnership with the Media Railroad Museum and its excursion trains, SPRING LAKE has succeeded for two seasons in selling-out this unique innovation in regional tourism months in advance.

The “Spring Lake Special” utilizes vintage rail passenger cars to transport hundreds of riders from a pick-up site in Lockport to the railroad museum and then to Spring Lake Winery, where guests are treated to an afternoon cook-out, live entertainment, a complimentary glass of wine, and a tour of Spring Lake’s beautiful lakeside vineyards.

The trains have not only attracted hundreds of tourists, but also the attention of print and electronic MEDIA throughout the region.

This innovative and unique offering has also won the enthusiastic support of New York State’s “I LOVE NY” campaign, which has awarded Spring Lake Winery a major grant to pursue its regional tourism efforts.

Along with the “Vineyard Express”, the Lockport winery offers golf and hotel packages with some its neighboring Niagara County businesses. It has also become a popular destination for weddings and other private gatherings.

Founded by the Varallo family on several beautiful acres along the Niagara Escarpment, Spring Lake Winery includes several acres of vineyards, from which it will soon harvest its first grapes and produce its own signature Reisling.

To learn more, call (716) 439-LAKE, or visit www.springlakewinery.com.

Buffalo News June 17, 2007

Buffalo News June 10, 2007

Buffalo News October 12, 2006

Lockport Union-Sun and Journal January 26, 2006