Gather: Ontario’s newest wine bar in Crystal Beach

This just in: an exciting new wine bar is slated to open in southern Ontario come October.

I had the chance to interview Bianca Silvestri, co-owner of Gather Tasting Room, who shared the vision behind the project, that she started with her husband, Matt.

Follow Gather on Instagram for updates and event announcements.

How did the idea for Gather transpire? 

Matt works for Oliv (a premium olive oil and balsamic company). We always had our eye out to open a simple Oliv tasting room. We found the perfect spot and as we were walking through it hit us that we could combine both our backgrounds to compliment one another. My wine knowledge mixed with Matt’s Oliv and business experience created the perfect pairing. I’ve always known owning my own business was my calling, I just never knew which route to take and dive into fully. Gather was a no brainer! Everything happened at once. Thought of it one day, signed the lease the next.

What style of wine do you plan to pour?

We want to have a bit of something for everyone - focusing on Niagara. We make exceptional wines and they deserve to be celebrated loudly. There is so much to discover here and we are very excited to bring it all to the public in one location. Beer + cocktails will also be available so if wine isn’t your thing, we have you covered.

Do you have a particular focus? 

We are really excited to be able to pick and choose what we think each winery does best and highlight it all in one spot. I hope to showcase flights of one variety to show how different winemaking styles and growing conditions impact the wines here in Niagara. I’m excited to do this with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but that’s just a personal preference. Overall you could say the “focus” is anything and everything that excites us!

Why did you pick this particular location?

We had one viewing of this spot, looked at each other and agreed in the moment this was it. The building sold us on the whole idea. What we really like about Crystal Beach is the fact that it’s a bit out of the way from wine country. It’s a spot off the main path, perfect for those out of the way who’d like to dive into Niagara wines in the comfort of their backyard. Part of the reason we wanted to bring Oliv to Crystal beach was due to the phone calls Matt was receiving about the demands. Someone actually called wanting to open one up in Crystal beach right as we were finalizing everything. The demand is there for sure!

Do you foresee any challenges with traffic or is this meeting the demand of the local community? 

I think it’s going to be a bit challenging at the beginning just because people don’t know who we are or what we have to offer. We are also opening in the off-season. We have so much support from family and friends that we are praying word of mouth gets us going to start. Aside from that - we plan to do promotions for Crystal Beach locals and keep things interesting with specials and surprises. Crystal Beach has this sense of community and support (especially between local businesses) which is exactly what we are trying to do with Gather. I think we have a lot to offer the area and vice versa.

Share a bit about your background. 

I graduated from the Wine Business program at Niagara College back in 2017. I’ve worked at wineries since then, growing and learning all aspects of the tasting room. I realized early on that what brought people back to the winery wasn’t necessarily the wines, rather the experiences they were receiving. I’ve always genuinely loved people and providing above and beyond experiences surrounding wine - which is what led me to Gather.

Matt graduated from Brock University followed by HR at Niagara. Oliv was his internship which he worked his way up over the years to general manager. Matt excels in business growth and development. His experience and hard work in a fast paced business environment is definitely the roots of Gather and the dream becoming a reality.

Do you have plans to host events? 

OH YA. I’m excited for pop ups! I hope to use our space to celebrate/showcase other people’s talents and businesses. I have a couple friends who do cocktail pop ups that I’m really excited to host. I’d love for winemakers to come in and talk about their wines as well. Guided tastings with food pairings… tons of ideas. Private events are always welcome.

You’ve worked in the wine industry for awhile, what inspired the shift from winery to wine bar?

When working at wineries, I always found myself being overly eager to suggest other places to go with excitement. There is so much going on and each winery has something interesting/different to offer. Gather encompasses my love for local wineries, and allows me to express that passion at a much larger scale. I’m excited to do things my way as I find it extremely limiting and discouraging working for someone else and having to stick to a “script”. Gather Tasting Room is everything I’ve learned over the years from what wineries do (and don’t do) well. The switch to wine bar is ideal because we get to make our own business model and get to celebrate many wineries opposed to just one.

How do you think your experience will assist you in being successful in hospitality ?

The fun thing about wine is that everyone is at different levels of knowledge. Some people just want to have a fun day AKA wild bachelorettes and others are genuinely interested in learning and spending time going into detail about each wine. I think that being able to treat each group equally and provide the type of experience they are looking for is what we will excel in. Uncovering the needs of the guests’ tasting ensures everyone leaves our tasting room satisfied and happy with their experience.

Tell me about your definition of great hospitality. What will make it memorable for your guests ?

Great hospitality is the backbone of Gather Tasting Room. It’s not just about going above and beyond for someone. It’s about truly listening to people and uncovering their needs. If you create a safe and comfortable atmosphere, it’s amazing how fast people open up to you. It’s not trying to make a sale. It’s about genuine connection with others in hope of building a community.

There’s nothing worse than finally getting to a winery you’ve been meaning to try and having a bad experience. Our vision for Gather is a welcoming space regardless of your wine knowledge. I’m hoping the inviting and friendly experience is what is going to bring people back - but we all know that the complimentary olives, bread + oils might be the real answer.

When are you opening ?

As of right now we are shooting for October 8th as a grand opening to the public. Will we get it all done in time? Great question.

Anything else you’d like to tell the people?

Support your local wineries. Get out there with an open mind and taste - you’ll be surprised at what you find. Come to Gather Tasting Room and hang out! Wine shouldn’t be intimidating. You’re allowed to enjoy wine without knowing the ins and outs about everything that goes on in the winemaking process. It’s just a very (interesting) tasty drink!