• Purchase the following wine online from Château des Charmes for daily home, restaurant or office delivery or visit their Ottawa retail store in Minto Place at Laurier and Lyon or buy at their winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake -1025 York Rd, St. David’s Ontario L0S 1P0. Here’s a map.

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Château des Charmes ‘Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard’ Chardonnay 2017
VQA St. David’s Bench $24.95 (287268) 12.5% alcohol
Fermentation and ageing in French oak barrels for twelve months with regular bâtonnage often leads to more colouration in the wine but the nose of this pale-yellow chardonnay doesn’t lie—pear, citrus, melon, melted butter and a touch of nutmeg. It gets even better on the palate with a lovely ample mouthfeel offering ripe orchard fruit flavours, juicy pineapple, freshly baked bread, exotic spice and loads of slate minerality in the lengthy crisp and dry finish. This is totally enjoyable on its own but it will be at its best with, bacon-wrapped scallops on the grill or fresh lobster with clarified butter. There’s very good value here. (Louise Boutin)

• Order the following wine by the bottle(s) or case(s) for daily delivery to home, office or restaurant online from this link to Henry of Pelham – There is free delivery on 12 or more bottles in Ontario. Select ‘12 Bottles+’ at check out and allow up to 10 days for delivery or, order online then pick up bottle(s) or case(s) from the winery at 1469 Pelham Rd, St. Catharines ON. Here’s a map.

• The following 2019 Henry of Pelham ‘Speck Family Reserve’ Baco Noir is quite special. Baco Noir is an especially successful hybrid grape amongst a small number that could be called ‘highly successful’ and possibly stands alone when referred to as ‘elegant, stylish or distinguished’. However, I believe this wine flirts with all three descriptors. It’s sourced from a single vineyard ‘Block 106’ that the Speck brothers planted manually by shovel in a somewhat less than perfect pattern as it meanders somewhat rather than the usual row after row after row of perfectly aligned vines, posts and trellis wire. The first vines were planted in 1984, making them 35-years-old when harvested for this wine. This matured in a combination of new, second-fill and third-fill American oak barriques then partially finished in 5000L oak foudres for a combined 12 months.

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Henry of Pelham ‘Speck Family Reserve’ Baco Noir 2019
VQA Ontario $24.95 (461699) 13.5% alcohol
Lifted aromas of bramble berry, mixed piquant spice and black cherry abound on the nose of this dazzling baco noir. It envelops the palate with a surge of fruit flavours—ripe black currant and juicy Bing cherry intertwined with wisps of black plum compote and a glorious balancing streak of excellent tang and acidity mirrored by a streak of minerality. This showcases deft balance, persistent purity of fruit and excellent smooth and mellow taste, mouthfeel and a monumentally lengthy finish and aftertaste. Pour on its own or alongside grilled striploin or prawn and chorizo paella. (Vic Harradine)

• Order the following two wines online from this Kin Vineyard link and have delivered to your door in the Ottawa region. At the present time, due to COVID restrictions, their tasting room is closed. Thank you for supporting a local business.

• Five months of fermentation with indigenous yeast in French oak, 19% new, and the rest in neutral oak and stainless steel combined with weekly bâtonnage and minimal filtration before bottling leads to this Carp Ridge signature cold climate chardonnay below.

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KIN Vineyard Carp Ridge Chardonnay 2019
VQA Ontario $39.95 12.5% Alcohol
You’ll be greeted with a pretty nose of pear and apple flavour combined with roasted nuts and crushed fennel seed. This medium-bodied round-textured white treats the palate with a nice citrus medley of flavours mingling with peach and lemon curd character finishing on a delicious and satisfying buttered toast note with chalky minerality. I can’t wait to pair this with steamed mussels with cream sauce and leeks, crispy fish cakes or to simply enjoy on its own. (Louise Boutin)

• This Carp Ridge pinot noir blend of six different clones is KIN’s second vintage of this wine. It’s fermented with indigenous yeast and matured nine months in a combination of French oak, 25% new, with the balance neutral oak and stainless steel.

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KIN Vineyard Carp Ridge Pinot Noir 2019
VQA Ontario $44.95 11.5% alcohol
Sourced from 100% hand-harvested and sorted fruit from Carp Ridge Vineyard, this pinot is pale-garnet with a beautiful delicate nose of crunchy red fruit, cinnamon bark and dry rose petal aromas. This is light-medium bodied and full of delicious tart flavours—red cherry, pomegranate, cranberry—delivered in a silky-textured fashion until soft chalky tannin meet dry thyme and a spiced note persisting in the surprisingly lengthy and very harmonious dry finish. This vintage gained in ripeness and complexity and will be a perfect match with pan-seared rainbow trout, charcuterie board or red tuna tartare. (Louise Boutin)

• The following 13 wines do not yet have a set date for their Vintages Release.

• The following 2019 Carmim Terra Lenta ‘Premium’ is sourced from a red blend of manually harvested 40% alicante bouschet/ 30% trincadeira (a.k.a. tinta amarela)/30% arogonez grapes that are immediately destemmed and crushed at the winery with selected yeasts added. It’s then fermentation starts at a controlled 26 °C and using a pump-over system while maceration extends to approximately two weeks. It is filtered before bottling.

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Carmim Reduengos ‘Terra Lenta - Premium’ 2019
DOC Alentejo, Portugal $13.95 (646083) 14.5% alcohol
Aromas of kirsch liqueur, plum compote, a bit of earthiness and a whiff of alcohol introduce a purple-shaded wash of juicy ripe fruit—dark plum, blackberry and cherry. While slightly hot on the palate, this wine has a nice soft fruit texture with chalky tannin showing up midway through, along with peppery notes and tangy raspberry persisting in the finish and aftertaste. This full-bodied red is delicious with Toulouse sausages on the grill or a mild tomato sauce pasta dish. Aerate/decant one hour before service. (Louise Boutin)

• The following 2020 Domaine le Champ des Murailles ‘Cuvée Classique’ was sourced from a classic regional blend of 40% carignan/30% grenache/30% syrah from vines 25 to 60 years old and hand harvested. After carbonic maceration, or destalking—depending on the particular grape variety—it was then aged for a few months in stainless steel tank.

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Domaine le Champ des Murailles ‘Cuvée Classique’ 2020
AOP Corbiéres, France $18.95 14.5% alcohol
Aromas of blackberry, dark plum, cedar and a hint of mint precede a smooth flow of ripe berry fruit supported by savoury herbs and a hint of baking spice. Dry, medium-full bodied with a silky texture, dark berry fruit flavours are enjoyed on the warming, mid-length finish. Enjoy with an array of grilled meats. (Lisa Isabelle)

• The following 2017 Carmim Reduengos ‘Seleção Reserva’ Tinto is a red blend of 40% alicante bouschet/20% aragonez/20% trincadeira (a.k.a. tinta amarela)/20% syrah hand-harvested fruit. Grapes are destemmed and pressed with fermentation carried out at a controlled 28 °C and maceration lasting 15 days. The wine is then partially aged in vats for one year while the balance is matured in Portuguese and French oak barrels.

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Carmim Reduengos ‘Seleção Reserva’ Tinto 2017
DOC Alentejo, Portugal $16.95 15.0% alcohol
Expect an expressive nose of dark cherry, purple plum, tobacco leaf and a distant note of baking spice in this full-bodied red. Charming on the palate with a silky textured flow of mixed berry, dark plum, and piquant cinnamon flavour, it then lets its chalky tannins come out morphing into an astringent liquid carrying black olive and peppery character in the warm finish and aftertaste. Plan ahead and aerate/decant two hours to get the best out of this ‘tinto’, alongside grilled-rare flank steak or with a charcuterie board. (Louise Boutin)

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J. de Villebois Sauvignon Blanc 2020
AOP Touraine, Loire Valley, France $17.95 13.0% alcohol
Lifted aromas of ripe tropical fruit, floral and notions of flinty notes. It bathes the palate with a lovely wash of ripe, juicy flavours of lemon-lime cordial underpinned, balanced and decorated with racy tang and acidity. It’s mellow and smooth, stylish and delicious from cork pop to last drop. Crisp and refreshing on its own, it also shines with chèvre crumbled over olive-oiled arugula or steamed mussels or crab cakes. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2020 Artisans Partisans ‘Cuvée Alice’ was sourced from vineyards from 20 to 40 years of age from an eclectic blend of regional red grapes—50% carignan/30% grenache noir/10% cinsault/10% mourvèdre that express themselves as emblematic of the region.

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Artisans Partisans ‘Cuvée Alice’ 2020
AOP Corbières, France $15.95 12.5% alcohol
This opens the door with youthful aromas of dark fruits—blackberry, cassis and plum—complemented with a hint of dry bush and black tea. This is an easy drinking medium-bodied red full of juicy fruit flavours similar to those of the aromas, plus tangy raspberry, a peppery note and mixed dry herb in the finish. This is lighter in alcohol and perfect for the hot summer days alongside grilled lamb burger. (Louise Boutin)

• The following 2020 Artisans Partisans Cuve No. 102 is an accredited organic wine sourced from 50% carignan/40% grenache noir/10% syrah vines from 30 - 70 years of age with an approximate yield of 40 hl/ha.

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Artisans Partisans ‘Cuve No. 102’ 2020
AOP Languedoc, France $19.95 13.5% alcohol
Aromas of ripe dark fruit and dry strawberry mingle with cured meat and a ferrous note in this southern France red blend. It’s medium-bodied and flows nicely with flavours of ripe cherry, red berry, orange peel and dry herbs completing the picture. Tannins are powdery and add fine texture to the savoury finish. This versatile crowd pleaser will be a hit at your next barbecue party. (Louise Boutin)

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Damilano ‘barbera d’asti’ 2019
DOCG Barbera D’Asti, Italy $18.95 (541771) 15.0% alcohol
Piquant spice, floral notes and red cherry/berry fruit provides segue to a tangy river of palate flavours with passionfruit, mixed spice and juicy black cherry to the fore. It’s light-medium bodied with plenty of flavour, tangy acidity, ripe cherry fruit, and a boatload of pizzazz. Give it a go with charcuterie, a deli platter or spaghetti Bolognese. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2020 Domaine Jaume Côtes du Rhône was sourced from hand- and machine-harvested—70% grenache/20% syrah/10% mourvèdre fruit—from vines with an average age of twenty years. All fruit was destemmed and pressed gently with 8 to 10 days spent in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats then bottled the following spring.

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Domaine Jaume Côtes du Rhône 2020
AOC Côtes du Rhône, France $16.95 14.0% alcohol
There’s terrific value in this charming red blend. It displays aromas of plums and cherries mingling in harmony with anise, black pepper and violets before dark fruit and spice notes cascade over the tangy palate. Dry, medium-full bodied, it’s well balanced with supple tannins and bright acidity and exhibits an appealing freshness on the medium-long, flavourful finish. Serve with grilled pork and vegetable brochettes. (Lisa Isabelle)

• The following 2020 Le Champ des Murailles ‘la Petite Muraille’ is a blend of 50% carignan/30% grenache/20% syrah sourced from vines 25 to 50 years old with soils of sandstone and clay-limestone. Fruit was destemmed and crushed and was macerated between 12 and 14 days with simple wetting of the marc the cool-fermented between 20 and 25 °C.

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Le Champ des Murailles ‘la Petite Muraille’ 2020
AOP Corbiéres, France $16.95 14.0% alcohol
This red blend presents with aromas of black plum, blackberry, cherry, tobacco leaf and earthy notes before introducing a soft and juicy stream of black fruit flavour, joined with tangy raspberry and mixed dry herb profile. This is medium-bodied with a good integration of alcohol and offers a fruit-forward dry finish with chalky textured tannins. Slide the gourmet burgers off the barbecue and pop the cork! (Louise Boutin)

• The following 2020 Château Ollieux Romanis ‘Grand Vin Du Languedoc – Cuvée Classique’ was manually harvested from a classic blend of 40% carignan/30% grenache/30% syrah sourced from vines ten to fifteen years old with soils of red Mediterranean stone on sandstone. A portion of the carignan underwent carbonic maceration while the grenache and syrah were destemmed then fermented for 15 days under controlled temperature then aged in stainless steel tanks.

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Château Ollieux Romanis ‘Grand Vin Du Languedoc – Cuvée Classique’ 2020
AOP Corbières, France $18.95 14.5% alcohol
Carbonic maceration sometimes leads to over-the-top bubble gum aromas but not here. Instead, crushed mixed berry, black cherry and fresh rose aromas please the nose. This organic, medium-full bodied red blend has a very pleasant juicy mouthfeel with an impressive alcohol and fine-sand tannin integration leaving all the room for the fruit flavours to shine—ripe black plum, cherry, blackberry. The finish carries the dark fruit qualities with a peppery and savoury delicious aftertaste. Totally worth discovering with duck confit on braised red cabbage. (Louise Boutin)

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Damilano ‘Marghe Nebbiolo 2018
DOC Langhe, Italy $22.95 (576793) 14.0% alcohol
Aromas of exotic spice, floral and earthy notes abound on the nose. It envelops the palate with a well-balanced stream of crunchy red fruit—currant, cherry and cranberry—riding a wave of tangy acidity—and joined by ripe fruit flavours by mid-palate—black raspberry and black currant preserves adorned with savoury herbs. It’s medium-full bodied with good mouthfeel and a lingering finish and aftertaste. Pour with coq au vin or osso buco. (Vic Harradine)