Colio Estate Chardonnay 2002
VQA Lake Erie North Shore $13.95 (503383)

Round, full-bodied, creamy-textured, with fruit in the tropical and peach zones? if it's a Chardonnay, it's got to be oaked, right? Not this one. Colio winemaker Carlo Negri aged this without oak. "If the fruit is good," he says, "there's no need to oak." Some of this is available in odd Vintages stores, but you can order directly from the winery, using the link at www.winecurrent.com. When you've snagged your bottles, try the first with grilled white fish. (RP)


Colio Estate Cabernet Franc Reserve 2002
VQA Lake Erie North Shore $19.95 (432096)

A real bargain at the price, this gives you real Cabernet Franc typicity, with bright red and dark fruit, rich spicy notes, with hints of pepper and cedar. It's full bodied with firm tannins and is a real mouthful. Drink it now with rare red meats or cellar it another four or five years. A few bottles are still available in some Vintages stores, but you can order on-line via the link at www.winecurrent.com (RP)


Colio Estate Select Late Harvest Cabernet Franc 2002
VQA Lake Erie North Shore $19.95/375ml (623447)

If you're looking for something different and stunning to end a dinner, try this. It's a red dessert wine in a Port-like style, but it's not intended to be a Port taste-alike. What you get is intense red fruit, dried fruit and prune flavours, with rich spicy accents. It's relatively low in alcohol (11%) so that you don't get the heat that's in too many faux Ports, it's not too viscous, and it's quite delicious. Try it with blue cheese. (RP)


Erie Shore Vineyard Vidal Icewine 1999
VQA Lake Erie North Shore $16.95/200ml

Erie Shore is one of a dozen wineries (more coming soon) in Ontario's Lake Erie North Shore wine region. Owners Harvey and Alma Hollingshead use only their own grapes to make a range of well-priced wines, and this ice wine shows what they can do. It has the typical icewine flavours (tropical, mango, peach, apricot) with honey notes, and it has a spine of clean acidity that cuts through the natural sweetness very effectively. The 200ml bottle makes it perfect for four (or two) people. (RP)


Pelee Island Chardonnay Barrique 2003
VQA Pelee Island $13.95

A well-made Chardonnay that should please those who like a touch of oak as well as those who recoil from oaked Chardonnay. This has been aged in 50% older French and 50% new Hungarian barrels, and the result is a very good balance among all the components. Winemaker Walter Schmoranz says "I don't want to make it just oak," and he's succeeded in letting the fruit shine through, while providing a hint of vanilla and also the roundness that wood give to the texture. This is great with grilled salmon. Order it from the winery using the link at www.winecurrent.com. (RP)


Pelee Island Wines Cabernet Merlot 2002
VQA Ontario $14.95

Ontario's warmest wine region produced some really impressive reds in 2002. This blend is 50% Cabernets and 50% Merlot, and weighs in with dark fruit aromas and flavours, with marked notes of chocolate, spice and dark coffee beans. The tannins are firm and you can drink this now or hold it another three or four years. (RP)