• The following six Fogolar Winery Wines can be ordered from this Link www.drinkcollab.ca. They offer FREE SHIPPING on 6 or more bottles, or on orders over $150.00 .
• The following 2019 Fogolar Wines Riesling was sourced from hand-picked and machine-harvested fruit in select Niagara Peninsula locations before being destemmed and gently pressed. It was initially started with select non-Saccharomyces yeast before being inoculated with Saccharomyces yeast strains. One fermentation was halted partway through to preserve a large portion of residual sugar and aromatic intensity with the other fermentation processes arrested with a small percentage of residual sugar remaining then all were blended together. It was then aged ten months in stainless steel. The price-quality balance tips wildly in your favour. Pick up a few while it lasts and drink now or over the next five years. (Vic Harradine)
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Fogolar Wines Riesling 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 10.4% alcohol
Alluring aromas of pit fruit—peach and yellow plum—mingle with a wisp of petrol on the nose of this exceptional-value riesling. It captures the palate with a surge of off-dry flavour—lime cordial, lemon curd and hints of pomelo. This is medium-plus bodied with creamy-smooth texture and plenty of tang and pizzazz. It finishes lengthy and clean, crisp and refreshing. What’s not to like? Pour with tandoori chicken, pad Thai or General Tso’s chicken. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Fogolar Wines ‘Hughes Vineyard’ Riesling was sourced from hand-picked fruit in Hughes Vineyard located in the VQA sub-appellation of Lincoln Lakeshore barely one Km from Lake Ontario. Fruit was destemmed and gently pressed. It was initially started with select non-Saccharomyces yeast before being inoculated with Saccharomyces yeast strains. The fermentation was halted partway through to preserve a large portion of residual sugar (26 g/L residual sugar) and aromatic intensity.
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Fogolar Wines ‘Hughes Vineyard’ Riesling 2019
VQA Lincoln Lakeshore $19.95 9.1% alcohol
Lifted and exotic aromas leap from the glass with honeyed citrus notes, incense and lemon cake to the fore. It’s medium-plus bodied with dazzling palate flavours of poached pear, Mirabelle plum juxtaposed with plenty of lip-smacking, racy acidity. This is a full- Monty riesling showcasing plenty of everything—texture, flavour, balance, sweetness, acidity, long finish and aftertaste—it’s powerful and pure ambrosia. Kudos to winemaker Marc Pistor and his team for fashioning this beauty. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Fogolar Wines ‘Hanck Vineyard’ Riesling was sourced from Riesling fruit from Hanck Vineyard located on the VQA sub-appellation, Twenty Mile Bench. Fruit was machine harvested destemmed then gently pressed following a three-hour cold soak. It was fermented cool in stainless steel with select yeast strains. Fermentation was arrested with a small portion of fermentable sugar remaining (7 g/L residual sugar) to enhance the palate texture and weight. This was aged for 10 months in stainless steel.
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Fogolar Wines ‘Hanck Vineyard’ Riesling 2019
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $19.95 12.0% alcohol
Aromas of wet-stone minerality, green apple and lemon zest abound on the nose. Racy palate flavours of lemon-lime, passionfruit and Granny Smith apple ride a wave of refreshing acidity and oodles of tang and pizzazz. It’s dry and clean as a whistle from cork pop to last drop while palate flavours replay on the juicy finish and monumentally lengthy aftertaste. Pour this on its own as an aperitif to get the gustatory juices flowing or alongside freshly shucked Malpec oysters decorated with a squeeze of fresh lemon, a drop or two of hot sauce and a smidgeon of horseradish. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Fogolar Wines Cabernet Franc was sourced from select Niagara vineyards and carefully selected and hand-picked fruit. Once at the winery it was destemmed into stainless steel along with 25% whole-cluster fruit. Roughly 20% was bled off for rosé and to concentrate remaining must. A second batch was machine harvested, optically sorted and whole-berry fermented. Both batches were fermented warm in stainless steel on their skins for 28 days before being pressed. It was then matured for 18 months in pre-loved French oak before being filtered and bottled.
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Fogolar Wines Cabernet Franc 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 12.7% alcohol
This white-label cabernet franc is light-ruby hued in the glass and gives up lifted aromas of rose petals, bell pepper and grilled savoury herbs. It spreads over the palate with plenty of tangy acidity delivered by crunchy, red-fruit flavours—passionfruit, pie cherry and cranberry. The tannins are supple, the texture is medium-bodied while the finish replays palate flavours of mouth-watering tang. Pour with pasta in tomato sauce, red pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and bacon or spaghetti in Bolognese sauce. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Fogolar Wines ‘Picone Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc was sourced from a single vineyard of cabernet franc from the VQA sub-appellation of Vinemount Ridge. Fruit was primarily hand-picked and destemmed into stainless steel along with 25% hand-picked whole-cluster fruit. About 20% of the volume was bled off for rosé and to concentrate remaining must, Fermented warm in stainless steel on their skins for 28 days before being pressed, it was then matured for 24 months in pre-loved French oak before being filtered and bottled.
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Fogolar Wines ‘Picone Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc 2018
VQA Vinemount Ridge $39.95 13.1% alcohol
Aromas of red cherry/berry fruit, earthy notes and piquant spice waft easily from the glass with a slight swirl. This has good structure, is fully textured and blankets the palate with black cherry/berry flavours—currant, Bing cherry and bramble berry. It’s medium-full bodied with satin-smooth mouthfeel and good balance with ripe tannin, tangy acidity and ripe fruit flavours. There are notions of elegance and grace with plenty to like about this cab franc. Pour with a thick slice of striploin grilled medium-rare. I doff my cap to winemaker Marc Pistor and his team for this dazzling cab franc. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Fogolar Wines ‘Oppenlaender Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc was sourced from a single vineyard of cabernet franc in the VQA sub-appellation of Four Mile Creek that’s within the VQA’s Regional Appellation of ‘Niagara-on-the-Lake’. Fruit was machine picked and optically sorted on October 19, 2018 before being whole-berry fermented for 28 days then pressed. It matured 24 months in neutral French oak.
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Fogolar Wines ‘Oppenlaender Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc 2018
VQA Four Mile Creek $36.95 12.9% alcohol
There are delicate aromas of floral notes, savoury herbs and notions of green bell pepper. A surge of crunchy red fruit riding on a wave of racy acidity dominate the palate—red currant, pie cherry and cranberry—and make their way through the mouth-watering finish and aftertaste. This delivers good texture and mouthfeel with an underpinning of still-evolving tannin that can be easily ameliorated with three-hour aeration/decant. This is good to go now or carefully cellar for a couple of more years. You could also pour now with your favourite steak grilled medium-rare with a shake or two of seasoned salt on each side and rubbed in; this and the aeration/decant should give you a very pleasant experience. (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 2020 Malivoire Wine ‘Genova’ Gamay was sourced from a single vineyard high on the Vinemount Ridge where it enjoys basking in the sun at daybreak. Grape clusters meeting the watchful eyes and strict criteria of Malivoire’s winemaker were hand-picked and sorted by hand on October 8th, 2020 as Brix levels reached 22.2 °. 67% of the newly harvested fruit was crushed and poured into a limestone-concrete tank, alternately placed between layers of the remaining 33% which was kept in whole clusters. Following primary fermentation and malo-lactic conversion the wine aged in neutral barrels of French oak for six months before bottling.
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Malivoire Wine ‘Genova’ Gamay 2020
VQA Vinemount Ridge $27.95 12.0% alcohol
Alluring aromas of rose petals, exotic spice, savoury herbs and wild strawberry open the doors to a flood of palate flavours with tangy Montmorency cherry, passionfruit and peppery, piquant spice to the fore. It’s light on its feet with plenty of pizzazz and mouth-watering acidity on the palate finish and aftertaste. Give this a go with pasta in Bolognese sauce or pasta puttanesca. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2020 Malivoire Wine ‘Demo – Analog’ Cabernet Franc – Gamay was sourced from 73% cabernet franc from the Wismer Homestead property and 27% gamay from the Wismer, Foxcroft vineyard. The gamay was 65% crushed and 35% in whole clusters was layered into a concrete tank with cabernet franc berries of which 52% were in clusters and 48% were crushed. After extended carbonic maceration under indigenous yeast the wine was pressed and divided in equal portions for malo-lactic conversion and maturing in older French oak barriques or ceramic orbs.
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Malivoire Wine ‘Demo – Analog’ Cabernet Franc - Gamay 2020
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $24.95 13.0% alcohol
Aromas of red and black cherry/berry fruit mingle with grilled savoury herbs and wisps of mixed spice and medicinal notes. It envelopes the palate with a stream of crunchy red fruit—pie cherry, cranberry and passionfruit decorated with herbs and spice that replays on the finish along with strawberry and red raspberry. This is medium-plus bodied with good texture and mouthfeel and would benefit from another two years in bottle as still-evolving tannin is ever present. Aerate/decant this for two or three hours pouring with prawn and chorizo paella, chili con carne or red pizza with pepperoni, mushroom and bacon. (Vic Harradine)
• Order the following four wines by the case for daily office, home or restaurant delivery direct by toll-free phone 1-888-399-1183 from 10 am to 5 pm daily, online from the winery using this link - Rosehall Run - or pick it up from the cellar door on your next visit to the winery 1243 Greer Rd, Wellington, Ontario K0K 3L0 in Prince Edward County – it’s an easy two-hour drive, or less, from the GTA or Ottawa via the 401 Their Take-Away Bottle Shop (no inside access) is still available 7 days a week, 11-5 for those that wish. You may call your orders in, order online or simply walk up and one of their tasting associates will be happy to help. Check their site for the latest COVID-19 information re gaining access to their winery. - Here’s a map.
• The following 2020 Rosehall Run ‘Estate Grown and Bottled - Hungry Point’ Sauvignon Blanc was sourced from estate-grown vines yielding a modest 2.6T/acre of intensely flavoured fruit. This wine was barrel fermented in older larger barriques along with one new barrel of Acacia wood to the six months of barrel-fermented élevage.
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Rosehall Run ‘Estate Grown and Bottled - Hungry Point’ Sauvignon Blanc 2020
VQA Prince Edward County $28.00 12.5% alcohol
Aromas of gooseberry, nettles and savoury herbs precede a full-bodied mouthful of creamy smooth, palate flavours of green apple and lemon-lime zest adorned with oodles of vibrant tang and excellent acidity. Palate flavours replay on the finish and aftertaste joined by piquant minerality. This is a lovely example of PEC sauvignon blanc showcasing good depth, texture, balance and lip-smacking flavour from twist top to final drop. Pour with line-caught, pan-seared freshwater fish under a generous squeeze of fresh lemon or an arugula salad tossed with olive oil and sherry vinegar then decorated with crumbled chèvre. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2020 Rosehall Run ‘Small Lots’ Gewürztraminer was sourced from 100% Gewürztraminer grapes on the VQA Twenty Mile Bench from the Nedelko Vineyard in Niagara. Many of the grapes came from vines almost thirty years old. The grapes were fermented in old neutral wood.
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Rosehall Run ‘Nedelko Vineyard’ Gewürztraminer 2020
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $28.00 14.5% alcohol
This is highly perfumed on the nose with aromas of apricot, rosewater and piquant spice. A surge of creamy-smooth, medium-full textured palate flavours—ripe yellow peach, spiced poached pear and notions of peel marmalade. This showcases, alluring aromas, wonderful mouthfeel, excellent texture, deft balance, dazzling palate flavours and a lengthy fruit-forward finish and aftertaste. Pour with steamed and butter-dipped lobster. (Vic Harradine)
• The fruit in the following 2020 Rosehall Run ‘Estate Grown and Bottled - Hungry Point’ Pinot Gris were the first grapes harvested for the 2020 vintage from seven-year-old vines at Rosehall Run and they were picked at optimum ripeness. Their largest barrels were utilised for this wine and for most of their estate-grown white wines.
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Rosehall Run ‘Estate Grown and Bottled – Hungry Point’ Pinot Gris 2020
VQA Prince Edward County $26.00 12.5% alcohol
Delicate aromas of lemon zest and mineral notes can be coaxed with a vigorous swirl. It’s highly textured and full-flavoured on the palate with oodles of tang and pizzazz. Flavours of lemon curd, lime cordial and delightful blood orange coat the palate and persist through the lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. It’s delicious to sip on its own and ambrosia to pour alongside your favourite fish or shellfish under a squeeze of fresh lemon. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Rosehall Run ‘Small Lots – Nedelko Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot UV was harvested entirely from the Nedelko Vineyard in the VQA sub-appellation of Twenty Mile Bench in the latter part of November, narrowly missing the first snowstorm of the season. The wine spent 17 months aging in pre-loved French and American barrels with approximately 20% of the lot maturing in new French oak for added structure and depth.
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Rosehall Run ‘Small Lots – Nedelko Vineyard – UV’ Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2019
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $39.00 13.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of black juicy cherry, black currant, dark toast and bramble berry jam dominate the nose of this juicy red blend—65% cabernet sauvignon/35% merlot. It envelops the palate with deftly balanced flavours of black raspberry jam, cherry clafoutie and pie cherry, with the latter adding the balance. It showcases structure, fruit-forward flavour, deft balance and depth. This is all underpinned by still-evolving tannin that can be ameliorated by a three-hour aeration/decant or by careful bottle cellaring for another two years. The purity of flavour persists to and through the lengthy finish and aftertaste. Pour now and on to 2026 and beyond pairing with a grilled, premium cut of thick steak with seasoned salt rubbed in on both sides that will show grill marks. (Vic Harradine)