How many big cities in North America can include excellent wines in their 100-mile diet? Drink Ontario’s own – locally grown and locally owned.
WHAT: Henry of Pelham Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay 2010
Rating: NNN
WHERE: Short Hills Bench
WHY: Hank of Pank must have yanked the 2010 grapes at the right time, because this estate-grown Chardonnay has good acidity counterbalancing some pretty assertive oak and tropical fruits. Ontario Chardonnays continue to please.
PRICE: 750 ml/$19.95
AVAILABILITY: At selected Vintages outlets (product #268342)
WHAT: Creekside Laura’s Red 2007
Rating: NNNN
WHERE: Niagara Peninsula
WHY: It’s sold out at the winery, but the LCBO still has some of these four-and-half-year-olds on the shelf. This multi-award winner shows what our Bordeaux-style wines can do in a hot year. Thanks to global warming, brought to you in part by Steven Harper and the Hot Hot Sands, Ontario’s Cabernets and Merlots have a bright future.
PRICE: 750 ml/$19.95
AVAILABILITY: Limited quantities at selected Vintages outlets (product #117960)
WHAT: Tawse Estate Chardonnay 2009
Rating: NNNN
WHERE: Twenty Mile Bench
WHY: When you pause for the Tawse you can take a real loss, so it’s great that there are half-bottles. The energy of the juice, benefiting from expert winemaking and the soil’s minerality, allows it to bestride the oak treatment. Complexity ensues: sawdust, peach crumble, mango and apple. Again, very few of these remain, so get thee to a liquor store.
PRICE: 375 ml/$16.95
AVAILABILITY: Limited quantities at selected Vintages outlets (product #253518)
WHAT: Cave Spring Riesling 2009
Rating: NNN
WHERE: Niagara Peninsula
WHY: You’ve come a long way, Baby Duck. That a wine of this quality is grown down the road and is widely available for under $15 should help Ontarians get past our oenological self-flagelation. True to form, it’s not entirely dry, but a vigorous grapefruity zing keeps things lively. The Pennachetti family have had lots of practice with Riesling, having planted it back in 1978.
PRICE: 750 ml/$14.95
AVAILABILITY: At most liquor stores (product #234583)
WHAT: Hidden Bench Estate Pinot Noir 2009
Rating: NNNN
WHERE: Beamsville Bench
WHY: Pinot Noir requires exquisite architecture. If one element is out of balance, the whole thing may collapse, but if all the pieces fit together, you have a structure possessing both delicacy and strength. Hidden Bench built it all into this Pinot. Like a lot of great booze, it offers immediate accessibility but also rewards deeper study.
PRICE: 750 ml/$38
AVAILABILITY: At selected Vintages outlets (product #274753)
