NC Craft is served: Historic new brand unifies College wine, beer, spirits and cider

Niagara College has officially tapped into a bold new chapter, distilling decades of leadership in Canadian beverage education into one powerful brand.

Called “NC Craft,” the new branding for the College’s wine, beer, spirits and cider was unveiled on May 27 at an exclusive launch event overlooking the on-campus vineyard – just steps away from NC’s Teaching Winery, Teaching Brewery and Teaching Distillery which were all the first facilities of their kind in Canada. This new brand aligns the College’s unique offerings of craft beverage products – wine, beer, spirits and cider – into a single, cohesive identity, reflecting the knowledge students gain, the guidance they receive from experts in their field, and their focus on innovation and excellence as they learn to master their craft at NC.

Reflecting this evolution, the Wine Visitor + Education Centre – the popular public retail and tasting hub for student-created products – will be renamed the Niagara College Craft Beverage Centre, to fully encompass the College’s diverse beverage enterprises.

College President Sean Kennedy joined expert makers from NC’s beverage learning enterprises to pull back the curtain on NC Craft with a ceremonial sabering, cask tapping and cocktail shake-up. The new brand visually and strategically unifies the College’s world-renowned beverage learning enterprises with a cohesive product identity. Moving forward, student-created products across all three operations will proudly bear the NC Craft label.

“This marks a milestone moment of alignment for Niagara College and our trailblazing learning enterprises,” said NC President Sean Kennedy. “While our winery, brewery and distillery produce distinctly different products, they share the exact same foundation – with student learning at  their very core. It is this unmatched, hands-on experience that truly makes NC a world-class destination for beverage education.”

Officially launched in 2002 (Teaching Winery), 2011 (Teaching Brewery) and 2018 (Teaching Distillery), NC’s trailblazing facilities have revolutionized beverage education in Canada. They offer real-world experience for students in the Winery and Viticulture Technician,  Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management, and Artisan Distilling programs, providing a highly skilled workforce for the sector.  In addition to supporting the industry, NC wines, beers, spirits and ciders have consistently raised the bar, winning top honours in provincial, national and international competitions.

College staff worked with Cinnamon Toast marketing agency to develop the historic rebrand, which visually realigns the three beverage learning enterprises, and ushers in a fresh era for NC’s School of Wine Beer and Spirits.

“The NC Craft label represents our evolution as a premier leader across all beverage sectors, bringing our spectacular student-crafted products under one premium brand,” said Sean Coote, Vice-President of Partnership and Enterprises. “For 25 years, our students have been fully immersed in real-world commercial production environments. The rebranding honours our proud history of innovation while elevating how we showcase the exceptional skills of our students to the marketplace.”

Winemaker Allison Findlay, who is also an NC alumna (Winery and Viticulture Technician) noted that patrons can expect the same quality-driven estate grown wines they love, while the new branding makes their diverse styles far more distinguishable on the shelf.

“I am absolutely thrilled about the NC Craft launch. This new identity was designed to connect what we do at our commercial enterprises directly with the innovative ethos of Niagara College itself,” said Findlay. “By delivering a unified message alongside fellow masters of their craft, we are proving that world class education can be beautifully played, packaged and thoroughly enjoyed by students and patrons alike.”

Brewmaster Professor Jon Downing applauded the new brand, praising Brewmaster graduates and Teaching Brewery staff for their outstanding work in developing new beers specifically for the milestone launch.

“This launch gives us a fantastic opportunity to release two new brands and refresh six of our existing ones,” said Downing. “It has been incredibly exciting to be a part of the rebrand team and witness the immense hard work that has gone into developing this new look.”

Head Distiller David Dickson noted his excitement about the unified brand and the expansion of the prestigious Dean’s List tier to include select spirits – including the Single Malt, Spiced Old Fashioned, and Canadian Rye. While previously reserved exclusively for premium NC wines, the Dean’s List designation will now represent the most premium products across the Teaching Winery, Teaching Brewery and Teaching Distillery.

“It feels like we are taking a big step on a new journey,” said Dickson. “This process has given me an opportunity to learn and discover, as we navigated the future of our branding, and it’s great that I can pass what I learned to the students.”

Student Lachlan Robertson, who recently completed his studies in Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management and has enrolled in Artisan Distilling for the Fall term, said the new brand was an exciting development for all students from the College’s School of Wine, Beer and Spirits.

“The NC Craft label represents an incredible momentous milestone for every beverage student – past, present and future,” said Robertson. “This new product line represents a unified presentation that every single student and alum can look at and feel immense pride and connection to.”

Robertson valued his experience in the program.

“Learning in a working production brewery and managing front-facing industry intricacies through events like Project Brew, has provided invaluable knowledge that will serve me well as I transition into the Artisan Distilling program,” he said.

The debut of NC Craft features several new product releases alongside a fresh look for classic favourites. Guests at the event were treated to a first taste of several newly introduced NC Craft products. New releases from the Teaching Winery include 2025 NC Craft Rosé, 2023 Dean’s List Fortified Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023 Dean’s List Cabernet Franc Icewine, NC Craft Dry Cider, and NC Craft Cherry Cider, and the Teaching Brewery has introduced NC Craft Cherry Pilsner and NC Craft Leichtbier (light lager).

NC Craft wine, beer, spirits and cider are available for purchase on site at the  Niagara College Craft Beverage Centre (the former Wine Visitor + Education Centre), located at the College’s  Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is open to the public. All retail proceeds support student learning.

Accompanying the launch of the NC Craft brand, is a new tasting experience titled “NC Craft Beverage Flight,” offering a curated tasting flight featuring a selection of the newest small-batch creations from the Teaching Winery, Teaching Brewery and Teaching Distillery.

Several NC Craft events are also in the works following the launch: the NC Craft Industry Preview Event on June 15, NC Craft X Friday Night Pints takeover on June 26, and NC Craft Beverage Summer Social on August 9 [visit nccraft.ca for ticket information]. Follow @nccraftbev via Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

A new website has also been launched alongside the brand. Visit nccraft.ca to learn more or shop NC wines, beers and spirits.