I recently had the opportunity to taste the new VQA Fresh wines from Diamond Estates at the iYellow Wine Cave. In short, I was impressed. Wines like these are important. It’s the same reason I spend time looking at the Pelee Island wines. Let’s call them “entry level” wines. Let’s face it these are not the finest most refined bottles you will find in the LCBO but they have an important role to play. For people who are new to wine they will generally start with more affordable bottles. So, the important thing about these “entry level” wines is that they need to convince you to buy your second (and third) bottle of wine. The Fresh wines are great flag bearers for VQA wines. The sparkling wines are bright, crisp and balanced and don’t be surprised if you find them around my house.
Wines not available at the LCBO can be purchased online: http://freshwines.ca/
Fresh Ideas Sparkling Riesling – LCBO 441162 – $15.95 – ***½+ – Slightly floral and honeyed on the nose. There is bright lemon drop and floral on the palate with bright crisp acidity. This wine is off-dry but still in good balance. This will make a perfect wine for mimosas. As far as food pairing you will want something with a bit of salt to help match the sweetness.
Fresh Ideas Sparkling Rosé – Winery Only – $15.95 – ***½+ – This is sparkling gamay and riesling and it’s solid wine. This walks a tightrope between being bone dry and leaving just a hint of sweetness on the palate. Even with a bit of sweetness the great acidity keeps this wine clean and crisp on the palate. There are subtle cherry and strawberry notes in this wine with nice citrus notes. This is something to serve with the whole family for your turkey day meals coming up in the holiday season.
Fresh Ideas Crisp White – Winery Only – $12.95 – ***½ – This does have a bit of residual sweetness on the the finish, but there is nice acidity to balance it. The fruit flavours are tropical with passion fruit and mango. This is easy drinking and will make a great match to sushi, thai food or mexican cuisine.
Fresh Beginnings Moscato – LCBO 341776 – $12.95 – ***½ – This is off-dry and a great wine to pair with salty movie snacks whether it’s popcorn or chips. The flavours in the glass are Peach, Melon and white flower. There is some acidity to this wine, but the finish does linger with a bit of sweetness.
