• The following 2017 Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Syrah/Grenache is a Vintages Essentials wine always available in select stores.
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Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Syrah/Grenache 2017
AOP Languedoc, France $16.95 (413237) 14.0% alcohol
Aromas of black currants, black licorice and tarry notes abound. It rolls over the palate with crunchy red and black fruit—plum, currant and passionfruit—framed by tangy acidity and underpinned by soft, ripe tannin. Medium-full bodied and nicely textured, this is enhanced with a two-hour aeration/decant. Versatile at the table, pour alongside burgers, gourmet sausage, red pizza or pasta in Bolognese sauce. The price-quality proposition favours the purchaser/imbiber. (Vic Harradine)
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Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $22.95 (1545) 12.5% alcohol
Aromas of tobacco, red cherry and floral notes abound. The palate’s treated to a medium-bodied nicely textured wash of crunchy red cherry, hints of passion fruit and savoury notes. There’s good purity of fruit, deft balance and a clean, crisp, lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. This sips well on its own and is versatile at the table; pour with pan-seared Atlantic salmon and bok choy or roast chicken and root veggies. The price-quality balance tips well in your favour. (Vic Harradine)
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Château de Nages ‘Vielles Vignes’ 2017
AOP Costièrs de Nîmes, France $19.95 (40964) 14.5% alcohol
This flavourful blend of 70% grenache/25% syrah/5% carignan hustles from the glass with aromas of ripe black cherry, fig and black plum. It captures the palate with medium-plus bodied, generously textured stream of ripe black fruit—cherry, currant and bramble berry—juxtaposed with just enough crunchy red cherry for balance. The finish and aftertaste linger sufficiently and end up nicely balanced, Give this a go with lasagna, chili con carne or spaghetti Bolognese. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Henry of Pelham ‘Estate’ Chardonnay is a Vintages Essentials product always available in select LCBO stores. Search the LCBO website to find the store(s) closest to you that carry this wine. Hand-harvested, low-yielding fruit (3 tonnes per acre) were whole-cluster pressed then barrel fermented in 225L French oak barriques with a portion in 3000L foudres with all maturing for 8 months.
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Henry of Pelham ‘Estate’ Chardonnay 2019
VQA Short Hills Bench $21.95 (268342) 12.8% alcohol
Aromas of exotic spice, green apple and toasty/oaky bits waft from the glass after a vigorous swirl. It dazzles the palate with a medium-weight, generously textured gusher of tangy lemon curd, blood orange and minerality interlaced with sweet apple compote and ripe pear and peach. It’s juicy and crisp on the mid-palate and delivers excellent value along with replays of palate flavours on the nicely balanced, lengthy and lip-smacking finish. Pour with steamed lobster dipped in clarified butter or a festive turkey dinner with all the fixings… this Christmas or next. (Vic Harradine)
• New in LCBO Portfolio (the following Konzelmann wines are in most LCBO stores now. (search the LCBO website for the store nearest you) The following wines are also available at Konzelmann Estate Winery as they are open (at the time of this being written) to the general public for wine sales. Even better still, you can also purchase these wines online and have delivered to your home, office or restaurant with delivery free with every order of six bottles or more—also convenient for those who are limiting their exposure to the general public. Click on the winery link above then click on the Buy Online tab at the top of the page that opens on their site.
White Wines
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series - Unoaked’ Chardonnay 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (200535) 12.0% alcohol
Tropical fruit, peach and pear aromas provide segue to a medium-bodied creamy-smooth flow of palate flavours with ripe nectarine and juicy white peach melding beautifully with Meyer lemon and lip-smacking tang. It finishes crisp, clean and refreshing. Versatile at the table, give it a go poured with roast chicken, pork roast or vegetable terrines. The price-quality ratio skews well in your favour. (Vic Harradine)
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Pinot Blanc 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (219279) 13.0% alcohol
Delicate aromas of honeysuckle, lanolin and white floral notes are evident. A medium-plus bodied, generously textured pinot blanc packed with palate flavours— ripe Bosc pear, Mirabelle plum and lemon zest also showcases deft balance, complexity and a lengthy, tang-infused, mouth-watering finish and aftertaste… in a word, delicious. Pair this value-laden gem with grilled prawns in a pesto sauce or room-temperature mild cheese like Cream Havarti or Emmental on water crackers. (Vic Harradine)
Red Wines
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Pinot Noir 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (200584) 11.5% alcohol
A light-hued red liquid when poured, aromas of mixed spice, medicinal notes and red berry fruit can be coaxed from the glass. It bathes the palate with spice-infused red currant and passionfruit tinged with ripe red cherry and an excellent balance of delightful ripe fruit and lip-smacking, tangy acidity. It’s value-packed and light on its feet with delightful flavours and racy tang replaying on the dry finish and aftertaste. Pour alongside roast chicken, breaded veal cutlets or grilled and lightly spiced pork chops. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Konzelmann Estate Cellar ‘Canada Red’ is made from zweigelt, a red grape native to, and grown primarily in, Austria, where it originated in 1922 from a crossing of two indigenous grapes—St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch—by Austrian Entomologist, Friedrich ‘Fritz’ Zweigelt.
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Canada Red’ 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (125260) 12.0% alcohol
Aromas of piquant spice, minerality and red berry fruit abound on the nose of this well-priced red. It races over the palate with an abundance of tangy acidity expressed as Montmorency cherry and crunchy cranberry adorned with baking spice. It’s light-medium bodied with good mouthfeel and wisps of drying tannins on the finish and aftertaste. Pour with pasta in tomato sauce or meat and tomato lasagna. (Vic Harradine)
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Shiraz 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $15.95 (144857) 13.0% alcohol
The price-quality balance tips wildly in your favour here. Translucent-red hued in the glass, it dishes up a medium-plus bodied surge of tang-laced palate flavours with cherry cordial, ripe bramble berry and mixed spice to the fore. It’s balanced on a pin, with generous mouthfeel and oodles of charm and pizzazz. It replays palate flavours on the luscious, lingering aftertaste. Serve with grilled gourmet sausage, grilled rack of lamb or Moroccan lamb tagine. (Vic Harradine)
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Merlot 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (439281) 13.0% alcohol
Heady, fruit-forward aromas of black currant, black plum and red cherry abound. A deftly balanced, creamy-smooth river of pure ambrosia blankets the palate—crème de cassis, ripe strawberry and tangy pie cherry galore. Medium bodied and full of flavour, the purity of fruit persists through the deliciously lengthy and mouth-watering finish and aftertaste. Pour with your favourite cut of beef, grilled medium-rare—hamburgers with all the fixings or steak with mushrooms, or in the oven, a prime rib roast with root veggies cooked around the roast. (Vic Harradine)
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (112946) 13.0% alcohol
Tobacco, earthy notes and wisps of floral aromas set the stage for a medium-bodied, well-balanced stream of palate flavours—tangy passion fruit and red currant mingling with exotic spice and hints of kirsch liqueur. This is framed with excellent tang and acidity and underpinned by ripe tannin. Pair with braised lamb shanks. Aerate/decant a couple of hours before service. (Vic Harradine)