• Order the following wines by the case for daily home or office directly online from Kacaba Vineyards with FREE shipping in Ontario on orders of six bottles or more, by phone at 1 866 522-2228 or 1 905 562-5625, or pick up a bottle or case from the winery (curbside pick-up or shop in the boutique it’s open 10 am to 5 pm seven days a week) at 3550 King Street in Vineland ON. For various wine shopping options during COVID-19, click here.
• The following Kacaba red blend of 60% cabernet franc/40% syrah from the 2020 vintage was a dazzling vintage in virtually all VQA appellations and sub-appellations in Ontario.
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Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Premium Series-Sustainable’ Cabernet Franc/Syrah 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $24.95 13.0% alcohol
Aromas of sharp spice, dark cherry/berry fruit and exotic incense easily waft from the glass with two or three swirls. The palate’s treated to a gusher of flavours—bramble berry, Saskatoon berry, savoury herbs and plenty of tang and pizzazz. A delectable, affordable red that should not disappoint. It is medium weight and nicely textured with good mouthfeel, deft balance, savoury herbs and plenty to like. Pour with mushroom and beef pot pie or a cassoulet or osso buco. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Escarpment – Premium Series’ Cabernet Franc is a wonderful wine that tips wildly in your favour with a 94 score and a moderate $33.15 price tag.
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Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Escarpment – Premium Series’ Cabernet Franc 2019
VQA Niagara Escarpment $33.15 13.0% alcohol
The slightest of swirls brings out aromas of piquant spice, fruit-laden red cherry/berry aromas juxtaposed with sprigs of grilled savoury herbs. This Bronze Medal Award winner also blankets the palate with plenty of tang and pizzazz that’s persistent with purity of ripe fruit—black juicy cherry, black currant and notions of blueberry—to and through the finish and aftertaste. This is balanced with good texture and mouthfeel and flavour galore with an underpinning of ripe tannin. It is smooth and mellow from cork pop to last drop. This is medium bodied and just plain delicious. Pour with grilled burgers, smoked pork back ribs or vegetarian pizza. (Vic Harradine)
• The following Vintage-dated 2019 ‘Irresistible’ Sparkling Rosé was sourced from the same grape varieties most popular in making French Champagne – 66% chardonnay/20% pinot noir/14% pinot meunier with all hand-harvested. This was fashioned in méthode Charmat with the 2nd alcoholic fermentation made in a special stainless steel tank before being bottled and sealed with a cork and wire cage. The base for this wine was gently pressed to avoid skin contact. After settling, the grape varieties were fermented in separate batches then blended as one into stainless steel. The base then aged for 22 months in stainless then was transferred to a special Charmat tank in October 2020 for its 2nd alcoholic fermentation under pressure. After 2 months of ageing on its lees, the now sparkling wine was racked, filtered and bottled December 2021.
• This wine and the other Kacaba wines that follow, owe a hearty thanks and doff of the cap to winemaker Vadim Chelekhov and his marvelous winemaking team.
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Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Irresistible – Joanne’s Blend’ Sparkling Rosé 2019
VQA Ontario $30.15 12.2% alcohol
A good mousse, aka bubbles, when poured in the glass, there is also a seemingly endless steady-stream of fine-bead bubbles winding their way from the bottom of the glass to the top of the wine in the glass. This is fully flavoured on the palate with pie cherry, red currant and oodles of acidity and pizzazz intertwined with ripe black plum compote and notions of kirsch liqueur. It’s medium-plus bodied with good mouthfeel, persistent purity of fruit and good balance. The price is right, you could pick up a few and keep for friends who drop in unexpectedly. Serve as an aperitif or match with appetizers such as smoked salmon, oysters Kirkpatrick or crab cakes, (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2021 Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Rebecca Rosé – Summer Series’ was sourced from gamay fruit as it has for many previous vintages. 2021 was another wonderful summer of warmth and just enough rain without serious weather disturbances. Fruit was picked in the cool early morning in mid-October and brought to the winery to cold soak for 24 hours before being gently pressed; which resulted in an attractive pink-hued rosé. It was fermented using a special commercial yeast the cold and long fermentation that followed amplified and concentrated flavours captured during press. It was also cold-stored for a lengthy time avoiding malolactic fermentation before being bottled in April 2022.
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Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Rebecca Rosé – Summer Series’ 2021
VQA Niagara Peninsula $20.15 (227025) 11.7% alcohol
Very aromatic and quite attractive when poured in the glass. Aromas of apricot, blood orange and Ruby Red grapefruit abound on the nose decorated with mineral notes and exotic spice. It envelops the palate with a dry, racy surge of tang-infused pizzazz and acidity presented as passion fruit and sweet red cherry along with wisps of sweet watermelon and a mid-length lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. Sip on its own or pour alongside mixed sushi platter, pan-seared scallops or rotisserie roast chicken. (Vic Harradine)
• In the following 2021 Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Susan’s – Summer Series’ Sauvignon Blanc, once again the excellent 2021 Vintage really shines throughout this lovely, light-on-its-feet wine. Picked at the peak of phenolic ripeness and before the rains came, the fruit for this wine underwent 24 hours of cold soaking then the wine-making team pressed and allowed the juice to settle naturally by gravity at very cold temperatures. After a cold and slow fermentation the wine was allowed to winter in stainless steel tanks achieving cold stability naturally. There was no malolactic fermentation with this wine.
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Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Susan’s – Summer Series’ Sauvignon Blanc 2021
VQA Niagara Peninsula $20.15 10.5% alcohol.
Aromas of savoury herbs, mango and hints of mint jelly, Granny Smith apple and citrussy notes waft easily from the glass with the gentlest of swirls. It dazzles the palate with a laser-like streak of grapefruit, lemon curd and saline minerality that carry through the mid-length finish and aftertaste. This is clean, crisp and refreshing from twist top to final drop. Pour alongside briny freshly shucked, oysters dotted with hot sauce, a pinch of horseradish and a squeeze of fresh lemon wedge. (Vic Harradine)
• Fruit for the following 2021 Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Reserve – Premium Series’ Riesling was sourced from vines growing on the footsteps of the Niagara Escarpment. Taking advantage of the excellent 2021 vintage, the grapes were allowed to hang on vines into October. Grapes were harvested very early in the cool morning then quickly and gently pressed at the winery. Juice was settled at very cold temperatures for over a week prior to racking. Juice was then allowed to warm for fermentation which was conducted at low temperatures. The fermentation process was stopped allowing for residual sugar in the wine. Over the winter the wine continued to develop floral and fruit flavours. The wine was then bottled in April 2022.
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Kacaba Vineyards and Winery ‘Reserve – Premium Series’ Riesling 2021
VQA Niagara Peninsula $21.15 11.0% alcohol
Aromas of white flowers, green apple, and ripe honeydew melon can be coaxed from the glass with some vigorous swirls. This dazzles the palate with creamy-smooth mouthfeel and plenty of pizzazz in this off-dry, flavourful riesling. There’s a myriad of palate flavours with lemon pastille, crisp green apple, and sweet white peach to the fore. This is nicely balanced and showcases persistent purity of fruit and a lingering, mouth-watering finish and aftertaste. Short term and careful cellaring – up to five years – should be handsomely rewarded. Pour with the usual suspects; freshly shucked oysters, grilled calamari or spicy Asian food like pad Thai. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2 House Wine Co. wines may be purchased online at the winery—here’s a link--Henry of Pelham Winery—and delivered to your door or you will find product at your favourite/local LCBO retail store. The LCBO website has been down for some time, but you can still pick up wine from your favourite local LCBO retail store.
• The following 4 wines will be available on Blue Monday—January 16, 2023—with all less than $15.00 in these inflationary times! Don’t hesitate to jump on these before they are all snapped up.
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House Wine Co. ‘White’ Riesling/Pinot Grigio
VQA Ontario $14.45 (219022) 11.5% alcohol
Exotic aromas of lemon curd and tropical fruit with wisps of minerals and the yin and yang of the crisp clean and refreshing palate flavours of exotic incense, ripe, grilled pineapple along with plenty of lemon/lime citrus tang and pizzazz will perk you up and have you looking for more. This is deftly balanced and persists with purity of fruit to and through the finish and aftertaste. Pick up a few and serve to friends and family. (Vic Harradine)
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House Wine Co. ‘Red’ Baco/Cabernet Sauvignon
VQA Ontario $14.45 (279521) 13.0% alcohol
Aromas of black currant and black raspberries abound on the nose juxtaposed with honeydew melon and notions of chamomile tea and campfire-smoke. The price is more than reasonable especially for a red wine with a score of 92. It matured for six months in wood. Give this a go with wood-oven pizza with all your favourite toppings or with grilled burgers. (Vic Harradine)
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Cusumano Nero d’Avola 2021
DOC Sicilia, Italy $12.90 (143164) 13.5% alcohol
Aromas of piquant spice, ripe, red cherry/berry fruit and notions of cassis jump from the glass with a gentle swirl or two. It blankets the palate with excellent tang and plenty of pizzazz expressed as passionfruit and red pie cherry. It’s medium-bodied with good texture and plenty of fruit in both the finish and aftertaste—look for black bramble berry, blueberry and wild strawberry. The finish lingers, you shouldn’t, it’s a red wine scoring 89 points with a price of $12.90 a bottle – it may not hang around for long. (Vic Harradine)
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Bodega Luigi Bosca Wines ‘La Linda – Familia Arizu’ Malbec 2021
Mendoza, Argentina $13.00 (11927) 13.5% alcohol
This is dark and brooding in the glass and almost opaque. Aromas of baking spice, blueberry and dark, juicy Bing cherry replay on the palate flavours persisting to and through the finish and aftertaste. It’s balanced, textured with medium-body and an underpinning of soft ripe tannin. Pick up a few, if you’re able to and share with unexpected guests, neighbours and friends. Pour on its own or with grilled steak or wood-oven pizza with your favourite toppings. It’s smooth and mellow on the finish and aftertaste. (Vic Harradine)
• For daily home, office or restaurant delivery for the following two wines may be ordered online from the winery-only. Order online from this link Malivoire Wine Company with FREE shipping on orders of $100. or more, or $20 credited next business day towards delivery outside Ontario and Québec. Phone 905-563-9253 Monday to Saturday 10 am - 4 pm for information and for locals to access curbside pickup instructions. Their retail shop is now open - 10 am - 5 pm, 7 days a week. There are guidelines due to COVID-19, best to phone or email first (the website has a space to type and is linked to their email).
• The following Non-Vintage Malivoire ‘Bisous’ Sparkling Wine was sustainably farmed and fashioned from 100% handpicked, estate-grown chardonnay- 63% and pinot noir – 37% from the Moira and Mottiar sites on the VQA Beamsville Bench. 78% of the fruit was whole-cluster pressed with 2018 grapes then fermented in pre-loved, neutral—eight
years or older—French oak barrels. Importantly, it was crafted Méthode Traditionelle, aka similar to Champagne—with the 2nd fermentation taking place in the bottle(s) you purchase with the lees – aka spent yeast cells—remaining in bottle for 36 months before being disgorged in March, 2021.
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Malivoire ‘Bisous – Méthode Traditionelle - Brut’ Sparkling Wine, Multi-Vintage
VQA Beamsville Bench $34.95 12.0% alcohol
A frothy mousse aka bubbles gathers quickly when poured in a wine glass, as does the aromatic portion of the wine gather quickly with plenty of leesy notes, baking brioche, and fruit-forward aromas and flavours of Granny Smith apple, ripe pear and plenty of sharp tang expressed as passionfruit, lemon-lime, blood orange and notions of saline minerality bringing about crisp, clean and refreshing mouthfuls from cork pop to last drop. Enjoy with Sunday roast chicken and all the fixings. (Vic Harradine)
• The following Malivoire Wine Company ‘Small Lot’ Pinot Noir 2021 sourced pinot noir grapes from three Beamsville Bench sites. The blend is 56% Mottiar Vineyard/35% Moira Vineyard/10% Malivoire Estate, with all hand-harvested between September 30th and October 12th 2021. Most of the grapes were destemmed with 6% held in whole clusters then divided into two lots, one in stainless steel and the other in concrete tanks. The wines were next combined to mature nine months in French oak barrels. After blending, 654 cases were bottled in August, 2022.
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Malivoire Wine Company ‘Small Lot’ Pinot Noir 2021
VQA Beamsville Bench $29.95 12.0% alcohol
When poured in the glass it shines with lightly-hued bright ruby red colour galore. Aromas of earthy notes and red cherry/berry fruit waft easily with the gentlest of swirls. It blankets the palate with delightful fruit-forward flavours of pie cherry, blueberry, black bramble berry and oodles of sharp tang and pizzazz expressed as delightful acidity of rhubarb flavour and Montmorency pie cherry. The finish and aftertaste are lengthy and persistent purity of fruit that is deftly balanced. Pick up an armful and drink now to 2028 with careful cellaring. Pour alongside home-smoked duck breast adorned with home-made mango marmalade. (Vic Harradine)