Midwestern Ontario’s largest brewery is now in the winery business. “Over the years we’ve worked to diversify our portfolio. So, we now have a ready to drink brand called Hijinx, and we have a spirits brand called 12 Apostles. We also make cider under the Cowbell banner,” said Cowbell Brewing President, Natasha Fritzley. “So really, the only type of beverage that was missing from our portfolio was wine.” In March, Cowbell Brewing based in Blyth bought the sprawling Dark Horse Estate Winery near Grand Bend. The original owners of the family run winery that opened in 2014, were looking to sell. “We were approached by the previous owners last August, actually. So, just about a year ago. They knew that we were heavily invested in the region. They know that we’re very big on the hospitality and beverage front, so this facility just made sense,” said Fritzley. Fritzley says Cowbell, which opened in 2017 in Blyth, was seeing tremendous growth, and were looking for growth opportunities. The 93-acre Grand Bend winery, now called Stirling Sands Vineyards, officially opened Tuesday although they’ve been open under the new banner since late June. Fritzley says not a lot will change at the turnkey winery. They’ll change up some wine varieties, more than triple the dining space, and really promote Stirling Sands as an event space, as they aim to fill the modern building and grounds, with more customers. “We’ve been super fortunate with the Huron Country Playhouse, quite literally, right in our parking lot. We have definitely seen a lot of business come from them, which has been absolutely fantastic. That was something that we were really looking forward to,” said Grand Bend Stirling Sands Vineyards General Manager, Ashley Stevenson. Even though the ink is hardly dry on this deal, Fritzley says Cowbell already has its eyes towards even more growth in the near future. “We’re always open to growth, in particular in this part of the province. Southwestern Ontario is very special to our team, and to our board of directors. We anticipate that there is more to come, both from a beverage and a hospitality perspective. So, stay tuned and we hope to be sharing more with you over the next year,” said Fritzley.
