2016 Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling – Vintages 80234 – $16.95 – ****½ – This is a benchmark wine for Riesling in Niagara. When I’m talking about quality and value this is a flagship for the province and a perfect way to either build or bolster a cellar. The concentration of...
I want to start this post with a pronunciation clarification. This winery is named for the Muscedere family and it’s pronounced Moo-Said-Ray. Muscedere Vineyards is a family run winery in the Lake Erie North Shore. I had the opportunity to taste some of their wines last year and it’s something...
2015 Flat Rock Unplugged Chardonnay – Vintages 68015 – $16.00 – ***½+ – As far as unoaked Chardonnay from Ontario goes there is something a little magical about this wine. The nose is bright, fresh and clean with lemon and lime notes and a potent mineral note that sails over...
2015 Chateau des Charmes Cabernet Franc – **** – This was tasted in early February 2017, I need to point this out because when I opened this bottle the tannin was firm and grippy the whole way down. I don’t expect this to last for too long, but for a...
2013 Henry of Pelham Family Tree White – Vintages 251116 – $17.95 – ****+ – Simply put, I love this wine. There is a nice acid backbone to this bottle that keeps it food friendly. This is a blend of viognier, gewurztraminer, chardonnay and chardonnay musqué. There should be no...
2014 2027 Wismer Vineyard Foxcroft Block Chardonnay – Vintages 421362 – $22.95 – ****½+ – This may be the most underpriced bottle of wine from Ontario to hit the shelves of the LCBO. The intensity of this wine is almost in contradiction to the balance in this bottle. The vanilla...
2014 Terraced Vineyard Syrah – $29.95 – ****1/2 – Whispers of soft white and black pepper work their way out of the glass and layer over soft red fruit. This is elegant and well balanced. Perfectly ripe fruit unravels on the palate with a hint of smoke peeking through on...
2015 Henry of Pelham Family Tree White – Vintages 251116 – $17.95 – ****+ – The blend on this wine is always a little different but every year this wine seems to deliver something delicious and unique. For 2015 the blend is mainly Viognier with Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay Musqué....
2015 Dirty Laundry Woo Woo Vines Gewurztraminer – Vintages 245140 – $18.95 – Whether it’s Niagara or the Okanagan Canada is kind of doing it’s own thing when it comes to Gewurztraminer. The texture of the wine typically falls halfway between what you would expect from Alsace or Germany. There...
2014 Kew Marsanne – vintages 485334 – $19.95 – ****+ – This is the only Marsanne in the province, that makes this wine both unique and special. The aromas are tangerine and vanilla making this seem like a creamsicle in a glass. There is a nice note of baking spice...
2016 Rosewood Nebulous – $24.95 – **** – This is the first “sparkling” offering from Rosewood. I am putting the Sparkling in quotes because it’s not really a Sparkling in the sense that most Ontario wine lovers are familiar. This is essentially an Ancestral style sparkling wine made with the...
There are a pair of wines available from Vineland that are worth the trip down to the winery. Brian Schmidt is a flag bearer for Cabernet Franc in the province so it should be no surprise that the wines i’m about to talk about are Franc. 2014 Van Bers Vineyard...
