Colio Estates CEV Chardonnay Musqué 2007
VQA Lake Erie North Shore $15.35
This lives up to it’s breeding—it’s an aromatic clone of Chardonnay—with highly perfumed orange blossom, spice box and honey aromas. It’s medium bodied and fully textured, almost creamy, with citrus, ripe yellow peach and cantaloupe flavours. It’s zesty, crisp and clean on the medium-length perfectly balanced finish. Pair this with roast chicken with dried fruit stuffing or pan-seared white fish. Available from Colio Estates, their many winery retail stores. For daily home or office delivery, in cases of six or twelve, e-mail Gord Weber \n This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . (VH)
Colio Estates CEV ‘Six Barrel’ Shiraz 2006
VQA Ontario $24.75
This is a delectable Rhône-styled red that offers up aromas of black pepper, mixed herb and spice, and oodles of dark rich berry fruit—makes you wonder why they didn’t call it Syrah. It’s fully textured, medium bodied and delivers a steady stream of well-focused delicious flavours with black currant, sweet briary berry and spiced black plum to the fore. There’s a touch of sweet ripe fruit flavours throughout the well balanced and lengthy finish. When first told there were Shiraz plantings in Ontario, I cavalierly asked, why bother? I’ve changed my tune and question to, why not? Available from Colio Estates, their many winery retail stores. For daily home or office delivery, in cases of six or twelve, email Gord Weber \n This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . (VH)
Coyote's Run 'Red Paw' Pinot Gris 2007
VQA Four Mile Creek $18.20
This offers a fuller body, creamier texture and more complexity than most wine made from this varietal; it's more Alsace than Niagara. It showcases the terroir and the wine maker, it's simply outstanding. Aromas of spring blossoms and tree fruit segue a tropical fruit salad bowl of flavours with honeyed melon, ripe pineapple and mango predominant. There's also an element of citrus and spice on the deftly balanced and refreshing finish. This is a natural to be served with Alsace onion tart. For daily delivery to home or office order by the case direct from Coyote's Run. (VH)
Coyote's Run 'Red Paw' Syrah 2006
VQA Four Mile Creek $24.20
This is gorgeous. It offers up an aromatic nose of mixed spice, floral notes and dark berry fruit. The fruit-forward flavours burst on the palate with sweet and juicy Bing cherry, mulberry and a delicious stream of moderating tang. It's full bodied, nicely textured and extremely well balanced—even the alcohol level has been held in check at 12.5%, providing a pleasurable experience, glass after glass. It finishes lengthy and pairs well with osso bucco. For daily delivery to home or office order by the case direct from Coyote's Run. (VH)
Huff Estates ‘first frost’ Vidal 2007
VQA Ontario $18.95 500 mL
From grapes hand harvested near the first frost, this delivers a stunning mouthful of sweet, rich, ripe fruit flavours of peach, apricot and tropical fruit. They’re deftly balanced with racy and heady acidity. It offers a medium body and a generous texture while the finish is lingering and luxurious. How can wine taste this good? A portion of the unfermented grape juice was set aside, never fermented and added back later to the now-fermented wine then bottled—a process known as süss-reserve. It’s off-dry and on the mark for a pairing with fruit flans or blue-veined cheese. For home or office delivery by the case, order from Huff Estates. (VH)
Konzelmann ‘Winemaker’s Collection’ Reserve Pinot Grigio 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula $15.00 (605360)
Alluring aromas of peach, floral notes and mineral nuances roll off the glass of this zesty gem. It’s medium bodied and delivers a steady stream of lemon-lime zest along with ripe and luscious flavours of peach, pear and apple. This is deftly balanced, nicely textured and delivers a dry, clean and refreshing finish. Pair this with lightly pan-seared, sushi-grade Tuna alongside a quinoa salad. Order by the case for daily home or office delivery direct from Konzelmann. (VH)
Konzelmann ‘Winemaker’s Collection’ Sauvignon Blanc 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.00
Passion fruit and ripe tropical fruit—pineapple and honey dew melon—abound on the nose and palate of this medium-bodied and generously textured beauty. There’s also moderating and refreshing white grapefruit flavour with hints of fennel—particularly on the racy and lip-smacking finish. This has great balance and reflects the warm ’07 vintage, but still keep’ its nervy acidity. The price-quality ratio is skewed well in your favour. Order by the case for daily home or office delivery direct from Konzelmann. (VH)
Konzelmann ‘Select Late Harvest’ Riesling X Traminer 2004
VQA Niagara Peninsula $30.00 375 mL
This is not a blend of two grapes, but the name of a single vitis vinifera varietal—who knew? This is a gorgeous wine—crisp, clean and refreshing and that’s surprising as the sugar level approaches that of ice wine. There are delightful flavours of ripe lemon and sweet pineapple on the palate while a lingering finish introduces perfect balance with a generous hit of heady citrus tang. Medium bodied, nicely textured and mouth-watering delicious; it’s beautiful sipped on its own, as dessert, and matches well with simple fruit flans. Order by the case for daily home or office delivery direct from Konzelmann. (VH)
Stratus Riesling 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula $35.00
There’s a roomful of tantalizing aromas with floral notes, ripe citrus and steely mineral nuances up front. This is medium bodied and delivers a focused stream of crisp, refreshing zest and tang flavours—lemon-lime, pineapple and Granny Smith apple—that are delivered on a surprisingly generous texture. The racy laser-like mouth-watering finish portends a magical pairing with calamari under a drizzle of fresh lemon. Order by the case for daily home or office delivery via Stratus. (VH)
Strewn ‘Terroir’ Cabernet Franc 2006
VQA Niagara Lakeshore $29.00
This is one delicious red with its chockfull-of-flavour attack on the palate—chocolate-covered dark sweet black cherries and spiced ripe black Damson plum that’s all nicely balanced with a bracing stream of delightful tang. There’s perceptible tannin adding structure and ageing potential. It’s medium in weight, nicely textured and finishes lengthy and lip-smacking good. Drink now, after a three-hour aeration / decant, or cellar 2010 to 2015. Order by the case for daily home or office delivery via Strewn. (VH)
Strewn ‘Terroir’ French Oak Chardonnay 2007
VQA Niagara Lakeshore $24.95
From fully ripened fruit harvested in the Strewn Vineyard, this was aged in French 'Alliers' oak barrels. Aromas of toast and vanilla open this nicely textured medium- to full-bodied offering. That’s followed by expressive and elegant layers of ripe, sweet, tree fruit flavours—ripe yellow peach, succulent pear and apple. There’s a delightful edge on the lengthy finish as it cleans up nicely with a glorious gusher of spice-infused citrus flavours. It pairs well with roast chicken accompanied by root vegetables. Order by the case for daily home or office delivery via Strewn. (VH)
Strewn Sauvignon Blanc 2007
VQA Niagara Lakeshore $19.95
This is a gorgeous ripe wine on the palate; it reflects the very good ’07 vintage, along with typical herbaceous and grassy aromas on the nose. The ripe fruit flavours include nectarine and yellow plum juxtaposed with crisp and clean moderating green apple and citrus zest, leaving the palate cleansed and refreshed. There’s a splinter of oak and good viscosity leading to a generous texture and good weight; the balanced finish lingers. Order by the case for daily home or office delivery via Strewn. (VH)