• The following 2021 Casa Dea Estates Winery Pecorino is awaiting VQA confirmation and paperwork for release of the following wine. Keep an eye on the winery’s website.
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Casa Dea Estates Winery Pecorino 2021
Prince Edward County $34.95 13.0% alcohol
Aromas of floral notes, lemon citrus and hints of fennel abound on the nose of this tang-laden gem. It races over the palate on a laser-like streak of gorgeous acidity expressed as passionfruit, lemon-lime citrus notes and saline minerality that persist through the finish and aftertaste, full of tang and lip-smacking good. Give this a go with freshly shucked East-coast oysters dotted with hot sauce, a squeeze of fresh lemon and a smidgeon of horseradish. (Vic Harradine)
• The three following Flat Rock Cellars wines will be available at the winery, either online to be delivered to your home, business or restaurant or drive to the winery to pick up a curbside order made previously by phone or online. Follow the winery link to online guidelines for ordering wine online off their website and to the ever-changing provincial COVID-19 guidelines for visiting Niagara wineries including Flat Rock Cellars.
• The following 2020 Flat Rock Cellars ‘Twisted – White Blend’ is the 16th vintage of this gem. It was sourced from 72% riesling/17% gewürztraminer/11% chardonnay, in a 2020 vintage that most called absolutely outstanding. The residual sugar is 15 g/L and the titratable acidity is 7.4 g/L. The Brix level of 20.1 measures the average sugar level in the unfermented grapes of this white blend.
• This is available now at the LCBO as a Vintages Essential wine and also at the winery, participating grocery stores and the 2020 vintage could be the first to be seen with the striking new label. Keep your eyes and your wallet open and pick up a few.
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Flat Rock Cellars ‘Twisted – White Blend’ 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (1578) 12.0% alcohol
Exotic aromas of tinned lychee in rosewater, chalky minerality and lime cordial abound on the nose intertwined with ripe apricot and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Palate replays include tang-infused lemon juice, lime cordial and apricot. It’s clean, crisp and refreshing on the finish and aftertaste. Perfect for sipping in warm weather and to serve to guests with your choice of tapas. The price-quality balance tips in your favour; pick up a few and serve over the summer and well into fall. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2020 Flat Rock Cellars ‘Red Twisted’ was sourced from premium vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula and consists of 72% gamay/25% merlot/3% pinot noir.
• It is available now at the LCBO and the winery. Each grape component was aged separately before being chosen to be in the blend following rigorous tasting trials. This was sourced and harvested when the grapes registered 21.5 ° brix and the wine was bottled August, 2021. The residual sugar in the just-harvested grapes was titrated just before being fermented. The winery suggests seared duck breast or grilled pork tenderloin for perfect pairings with this wine.
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Flat Rock Cellars ‘Red Twisted’ 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (86918) 12.0% alcohol
Alluring aromas of dark cherry/berry fruit with savoury herbs and charred toast waft easily after a couple of gentle swirls. It’s light-on-its-feet with plenty of tang and acidity and a soft underpinning of ripe tannin. The palate’s treated to a mélange flavours with ripe black currant and black raspberry along with tang-infused red pie cherry. There’s persistent purity of fruit and plenty to like. It finishes lengthy, balanced and bountiful. Pour with a thick cut of beef steak, grilled medium-rare. (Vic Harradine
• The following 2021 Flat Rock Cellars ‘Pink Twisted’ was sourced from 56% pinot noir/ 31 % Riesling/13% gewürztraminer sourced from select vineyards in the broader VQA Niagara Peninsula.
• It’s available now at the winery and in LCBO Vintages and has been since Vintages most recent release on July 16, 2022.
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Flat Rock Cellars ‘Pink Twisted - Rosé’ 2021
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (39974) 11.5% alcohol
Bronze and pink-hued, pure, palate-pleasing ambrosia pours easily emitting fruit-forward aromas with blood orange, strawberry, pear, apple and quince jelly to the fore. It’s tang-infused on the palate expressing itself as pure lemon pastille, Key lime pie and citrus-peel marmalade galore. This is medium-plus bodied with plenty of tang, pizzazz and piquant spice. It lingers on the racy finish and lip-smacking aftertaste. The winery suggests pouring alongside seasonal summer salad, or grilled vegetables, or cheese… or all three. (Vic Harradine)
• For daily home, office or restaurant delivery for the following two wines are sold at the winery only, order online from this link Malivoire Wine Company with Free shipping on orders of $99 or more, or $20 credited next business day towards delivery outside Ontario and Québec. Phone 905-563-9253 Monday to Friday 10 am - 5 pm on weekdays and noon to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday for information and for locals to access curbside pickup instructions. Their retail shop is now open - 10 am - 5 pm on weekdays, and noon to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. There are guidelines due to COVID-19 that change often, best to phone or email first (the website has a space to type and is linked to their email)
• The following 2019 Malivoire Wine Company ‘Moira’ Chardonnay was hand-harvested and sourced from the Moira Vineyard’s north block on October 7th, 2019 at a 21.6 ° Brix average of unfermented grape sugar. It was destemmed then went directly to press into 300 L neutral French oak barrels where the wine completed primary fermentation and partial malolactic conversion. After eight months, 97 cases were bottled unfiltered during July, 2022. This wine is accredited sustainable by ‘Sustainable Winemaking Ontario’.
• Advice from the winery:
- Serve at 10 °C with generously flavoured and textured food such as crispy-skinned roast chicken, turkey pot pie or halibut in a buttery sauce or pumpkin ravioli.
- Drink now to 2027.
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Malivoire Wine Company ‘Moira’ Chardonnay 2019
VQA Beamsville Bench $44.95 12.5% alcohol
In spite of the ‘neutrality’ of the French oak barrels, there are notions of toasty oak on the nose along with apple pie spice of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s fascinating on the palate with
deft balance and dazzling flavours of lemon pastille, crisp, green apple, lime cordial and plenty of tangy pizzazz juxtaposed with the creamy-smooth mouthfeel and delightful texture and elegance from cork pop to last drop. (Vic Harradine)
• This following was harvested October 15th at the Stouck Family Vineyard as the unfermented grape sugars averaged at 19.1 ° Brix. Grapes were then destemmed, pressed and fermented in a chilled stainless steel tank. After four months in tank it settled and matured and was bottled in March, 2022 without any mention of oak. This wine is accredited sustainable by ‘Sustainable Winemaking Ontario’.
• Advice from the winery:
- Chill to near 11 ° C and serve with Pad Thai or grilled fatty fish with a cream sauce or lightly spiced curries or triple cream brie and Gruyère.
- Drink now to 2026.
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Malivoire Wine Company ‘Stouck Family Vineyard’ Viognier 2021
VQA Lincoln Lakeshore $24.95 12.5% alcohol
Voluminous, enticing aromas of honeysuckle floral notes, orange peel marmalade and quince jelly set the stage for the surge of fruit-flavours enveloping the palate with ripe apricot, yellow peach and Mirabelle plum to the fore. There’s also good balance playing itself out as persistent purity of fruit to and through the finish and aftertaste as honey-drizzled poached pear, grilled pineapple with hints of coconut and plenty of lemon pie filling. There are palate-fruit flavours of apricot and Mirabelle plum intertwined with plenty of tang and pizzazz. It finishes mouth-wateringly good and somewhat dry—only 1.0 gram/L of residual sugar present. It’s clean and crisp throughout. (Vic Harradine)
• Order the following wines online for home, office or licensed restaurant: delivery in Ontario is FREE on orders of $100 or more from this link - Vineland Estates Winery. The wine shop is open for Curbside Pickup 7 days a week, 11am-5pm. Purchase online from the above link or place your order at 905.562.7088 ext. 124. Restaurant is open for Takeout Wednesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm. Please order directly with the Kitchen at 905.562.7088 ext. 165. Best to check with the winery first as COVID-19 rules and regulations often change; and lately they’ve been improving.
• The following 2020 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Elevation - Bo-Teek Vineyard’ Cabernet is accredited as a sustainable wine from ‘Sustainable Winemaking Ontario’ and was sourced from one of the iconic and mineral-rich soil vineyards of the VQA Niagara Escarpment and is made up of 98% cabernet franc and 2% cabernet sauvignon that spent 18 months maturing in neutral oak along with settling in bottle sealed with cork before release. It has a proud history including the Bo-Teek Vineyard named for Thoroughbred Hall of Fame member George Frostad’s premier horse-breeding stable in the late 1950’s on this very site.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Elevation - Bo-Teek Vineyard’ Cabernet 2020
VQA Niagara Escarpment $28.00 14.0% alcohol
Aromas of fresh red cherry/berry fruit mingle with savoury herbs and mixed spice adorned with notes of minerality and rose petals. It envelops the palate with tannin and full-flavoured ripe berry fruit with black currant and mulberry to the fore. This is just coming in to its own and would benefit from three months of careful cellar time and an aeration/decant of a couple of hours on opening. If you can’t wait, pour now alongside a premium cut of grilled medium-rare beef steak with a generous shake of © Hy’s Seasoned Salt. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2021 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Unoaked’ Chardonnay was sourced from various premium Niagara Peninsula vineyards and has a healthy dollop of 9.4 residual sugar making it an off-dry offering worth tracking down as the price-quality balance tips well in your favour, especially with the discount price. Pick up an armful or two.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Unoaked’ Chardonnay 2021
VQA Niagara Peninsula $12.95 (includes the $2 off on a Limited Time Offer) 11.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of floral notes, exotic incense and green apple abound on the nose of this exceptional-value gem. It blankets the palate with a surge of delectable ambrosia expressed as Meyer lemon, lemon pastille adorned with grilled ripe pineapple and oodles of tang-infused Granny Smith apple and notions of layers of lemon meringue pie. Give this a go with all manner of roast fowl or pan-seared in butter, freshwater, line-caught pickerel or bass. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2021 Vineland Estates Winery Cabernet - Merlot was sourced from select Niagara Peninsula vineyards with the final blend being: 50% merlot/26% cabernet sauvignon/24 % cabernet franc along with moderate residual sugar of 6.5 grams.
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Vineland Estates Winery Cabernet - Merlot 2021
VQA Niagara Peninsula $15.00 11.5% alcohol
This is lightly hued ruby in colour and easily wafts aromas of sharp spice, a mélange of black currant, juicy dark cherry and notions of charred toast. It rolls over the palate with tang-laden flavours of crunchy red fruit—pie cherry and red currant—mingling with a laser-like stream of tang-infused flavours over the palate finish and aftertaste. Give this a two-hour aeration/decant and pour now with pasta puttanesca or pastitsio (a.k.a. Greek lasagna) or chorizo and prawn paella. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2021 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Bo-Teek – Clone 54’ Pinot Blanc is accredited as a sustainable wine from ‘Sustainable Winemaking Ontario’ and is residing on a downward slope from the Twenty Mile Bench that was sourced from estate fruit sporting vines that were 25-years-old at the time of the 2021 harvest for this wine along with a moderate 6.0 residual sugar. The pinot blanc grape is a white mutation of pinot gris (itself a mutation of pinot noir that is autochthonous to Burgundy, France. Pour and serve this wine after being removed from the frig ten minutes before serving.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Bo-Teek – Clone 54’ Pinot Blanc 2021
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $25.00 12.5% alcohol
Light-yellow hued when poured in the glass, aromas of delicate yellow plum, floral notes and a fruit bowl of nectarine, ripe pear and yellow peach appear after a couple of serious swirls. It blankets the palate with citrus flavours of lemon curd and lime cordial, ripe pineapple and plenty of tang and pizzazz. These flavours replay to and through the lip-smacking finish and crisp, clean and refreshing aftertaste. Sip on its own or with lighter-styled appetizers or with cold-smoked Atlantic salmon on a warmed bagel smothered in cream cheese and decorated with fine-chopped dill weed and sweet onion and a few capers strewn on the bagel and cream cheese along the way. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2021 Vineland Estates Winery Chardonnay Musqué is accredited as a sustainable wine from ‘Sustainable Winemaking Ontario’ and was sourced from estate vines on the Niagara Escarpment and given the high quality and low price of the finished wine, you might want to pick up a few. It carries itself well with 9.4 residual sugar and enough acidity to match up well.
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Vineland Estates Winery Chardonnay Musqué 2021
VQA Niagara Escarpment $17.95 12.0% alcohol
Aromas of hazelnut, citrus and floral notes abound on the nose. It captures the palate with a wash of balanced and bountiful surging flavours with peel marmalade, Key lime pie and plenty of tang and pizzazz. It’s beautifully balanced with smooth and mellow flavours from opening twist top to last delectable drop. It finishes crisp, clean and refreshing. Pour with skewers of garlic prawns and butter-basted, pan-seared pearl onions or prawn ceviche or freshly shucked, Malpeque oysters dotted with hot sauce, a squeeze of fresh lemon and a pinch of horseradish. (Vic Harradine)
• The fruit for the following 2021 Vineland Estates Winery was sourced from select vineyards from premium sites in the Niagara Peninsula from primarily cabernet franc fruit. Drink over the next 10 to 12 months. This carries residual sugar at 6.4g and almost the identical number for titratable acidity. Serve well chilled and taken from the kitchen frig 10 minutes before pouring and serving. We tend to serve white wines right out of the ‘too cold’ frig rather than removing from the ‘too cold’ frig 10 or so minutes before service, allowing the aromas and flavours to develop in the wine glass for the imbiber.
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Vineland Estates Winery Rosé 2021
VQA Niagara Peninsula $16.95 11.5% alcohol
This is a pleasing orange-tinted pink in both the bottle and the wine glass. Aromas of mixed herbs and fresh ginger mingle with citrus and red cherry/berry fruit. It streams over the palate with tang-infused flavours of pie cherry, passionfruit and plenty of nerve and verve cascading from first sip and over the finish and aftertaste. This is a great thirst quencher and will find many dance partners at the table—try with brie cheese on a biscuit or bread roll or bruschetta or with your favourite sushi platter. The price-quality balance tips well in your favour – 91 points @ $16.95. (Vic Harradine)