Category Archives: Canadian Wines

TOP BENCH WHITE 2009, VQA Niagara Peninsula

25 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by in Best Buys, Canadian Wines, White Wines

≈ Leave a comment


Top Bench White 2009, VQA Bottle

Cost: $13.95
Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay & 10% gewürztraminer
Category: Wine
Appellation: LCBO
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery
Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay & 10% gewürztraminer with the Chard part aged sur lie in French & American for a year. Medium straw in colour with medium intensity. Gooseberry, light oak, lemon/lime, some fresh cut grass notes, apple, peach & melon. The taste is dry, medium acidity, medium minus body, medium length & balanced. The taste is more expressive than the nose elevating its notes to a higher level. Drink now on its own or with edamame.

Tasted 20 Aug 11.

Best Buy.

Score: 9/10, Value: 9+/10 Total: 18+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

LCBO:# 226803

PELLER ESTATES FAMILY SERIES CHARDONNAY 2008 VQA, Niagara Peninsula

25 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by in Best Buys, Canadian Wines, White Wines

≈ Leave a comment


 

FAMILY SERIES CHARDONNAY VQA

Cost: $10.95
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: White Wine
Appellation: LCBO General List
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 ml
Producer: Andres Wines Ltd
Alcohol: 13.5 %
Description: Medium+ straw in colour with medium intensity. The nose has a light oak, nice lemon pie smell, mango, peach, apple, melon & honeydew. Taste is dry, medium acidity, medium body & length that’s balanced. Taste is as the nose & best part there’s no bitterness on the finish. Peller has done a wonderful job with this Chard. Easy drinking that can be drank on its own or pair excellently with rotisserie chicken. This one I would definitely take to a social or party. Drink now.

Tasted 30 July 2011.

Best Buy.

Score: 9/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

LCBO:# 582825

ANGELS GATE SUSSRESERVE, RIESLING 2009 VQA, Niagara Peninsula

25 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by in Best Buys, Canadian Wines, White Wines

≈ Leave a comment


Cost: $13.95
Grape Variety: Riesling
Category: White Wine
Appellation:
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 ml
Producer: Angels Gate Winery
Alcohol: 11.5 %
Description: Medium minus straw colour with medium+ intensity. Lemon, grapefruit & pear predominate with limestone. The taste is slightly off dry due to the addition of unfermented grape juice that’s added before bottling (Sussreserve), medium+ acidity, medium length & body. The wine is balanced & shows lemon, grapefruit, pear, peach, limestone & ginger. The freshness with the ginger makes this a food friendly wine that will pair with any sweet sauce like BBQ. Drink now or cellar for up to 4 years.

Best Buy.

Tasted: 24 July 2011.

Score: 9/10, Value: 9.5+/10, Total: 18.5+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

LCBO:# 620104

MISSION HILL FIVE VINEYARDS, CABERNET SAUVIGNON & MERLOT, 2008, Okanagan Valley, BC, VQA,

23 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by in Canadian Wines, Red Wines

≈ Leave a comment


Mission Hill 5 Vineyard Cabernet Merlot 2008 Bottle

Cost: $16.45
Grape Variety: Cabernet/merlot
Category: Red
Appellation: LCBO
Country: Canada
Region: Okanagan Valley, BC
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Mission Hill Vineyards Inc.
Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Dark ruby in colour with medium intense nose. The nose shows cedar, blackberry, turmeric, cassis, anise, pencil shavings, all spice & raspberry. The taste is dry, med+ tannins with med+ acid. A bit astringent & linear. Med+ length & med+ body. Taste is similar as taste with addition of leather & tobacco leaves. This wine needs to be paired with something that has a lot of protein, like steak. Try BBQ rib-eye.

Tasted 22 July 2011.

Score 8/10, Value: 7/10, Total: 15/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 2.5

SOUTHBROOK VINEYARDS TRIOMPHE, CHARDONNAY, 2008, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario VQA

18 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by in Best Buys, Canadian Wines, White Wines

≈ Leave a comment


Southbrook Vineyards Triomphe Chardonnay 2008, VQA Niagara On The Lake Bottle

Cost: $18.10
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: White Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara-On-The-Lake
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Southbrook Vineyards
Alcohol: 12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: “LCBO Quality Assurance Laboratory has determined that this wine contains 28 mg/L of free sulphur.”

Bright gold in colour with medium+ intensity that shows medium minus oak & toast, lemon, fresh Macintosh apples, mango, pineapple, honeydew flower & fortune cookies. Taste is dry, medium+ acidity, med body, long length & balanced. The taste is more complexed than the nose as the flavours come in layers. The initial taste shows lemon & pink grapefruit, followed by apples & pineapple then you get hit by a wave of lemon meringue pie, finishing of with lemon zest. If you have different style of wine glasses such as Riedel, use cold climate Chard glasses instead of the big California Chard glasses. Drink now or in the next 2 years. Drink on it’s own or with Sea Bass infused with a Chardonnay sauce.

Best Buy.

Tasted 10 July 2011.

Score: 9/10, value: 9.5/10, Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

LCBO:#172338

CLOSSON CHASE PINOT NOIR ROSÉ, 2010, Canada

02 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by in Canadian Wines, Non LCBO Wine, Rosés

≈ Leave a comment


Cost: $19.95
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Category: Rosé Wine
Appellation: Closson Chase Winery
Country: Canada
Region: Prince Edward County
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Closson Chase
Alcohol: 12% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Salmon in colour with medium+ nose intensity. The nose shows Provence characteristics of strawberry, rhubarb, minerality and cherry. The taste is dry, medium+ acidity, light tannins, medium length, light+ body and balanced. The taste is like the nose. As this is unfiltered, and personally I don’t recall drinking an unfiltered Rosé, you will find sediment at the end of the bottle so decant first. This wine went perfect with French cut pork chops stuffed with Mozzarella and sundried tomatoes on a BBQ. Truly yummy. Unfortunately, this wine is sold at the winery only.

Tasted: 30 June 2011

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17.5 /20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4

ANGELS GATE MOUNTVIEW CHARDONNAY, 2008, VQA, Beamsville Bench, Ontario

23 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by in Canadian Wines, White Wines

≈ Leave a comment


Cost: $18.95
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: White Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Canada
Region: Beamsville Bench
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Angels Gate Winery
Alcohol: 13.0 %
Description: Make sure you don’t drink this Chard to cold as it will diminish the nose & taste. Generally Chardonnays should be served around 13 C, which would put it between what a Pinot Noir & a Sauvignon Blanc. The colour is medium minus gold with med intensity. The nose shows med+ oak & toast. It’s balanced with good citric notes of lemon, green apple, pink grapefruit and minerality. The taste is dry, good acidity, med+ length, med body & balanced. The taste is similar to nose with the citric flavours dominating with med oak & toast that gives a slight bitterness on the after taste. Drink now, but will age for another 3-4 years. Pair it with calamari ceviche or fried calamari or maybe with a grilled chicken Caesar salad.

Tasted 22 June 2011.

Score: 8.5/10 Value: 8.5/20, Total: 17/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

LCBO: #116384

STREWN THREE TERROIR, 2006, Niagara Lakeshore VQA

02 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by in Canadian Wines, Red Wines, Top Picks, Price Not Withstanding

≈ Leave a comment


Imgserv_web

Cost: $28.75
Grape Variety: 48% Cab Sauvignon, 48% Merlot & 4% Cab Franc
Category: Wine
Appellation:
Country: Ontario, Canada
Region: Niagara Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada
Format: 750 mL bottle
Producer: Strewn Inc.
Alcohol: 12.8%
Description: Medium minus garnet to ruby in colour. Med+ intensity. The nose is simply delightful. Med oak with cherry pipe tobacco smoke, dill, black olives, strawberries & oyster mushrooms. The taste is dry, med+ tannins & acidity, balanced, long length & med body. On the palate there’s med oak, Bing cherries, strawberries, raspberry, dill, Macintosh apple, pencil shavings, leather, steamed artichoke & slate. This wine is simply marvelous & I especially like that it’s under 13% alcohol, which is good on it’s own or with tenderloin steak.

This is a top pick & an excellent representation of Niagara wine.

Tasted 1 June 2011.

Score: 9.5/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

LCBO#: 468918

MIKE WEIR WINE, CHARDONNAY (VQA) 2008, Niagara Peninsula

08 Sunday May 2011

Posted by in Canadian Wines, White Wines

≈ Leave a comment


Pi_16133_1__web

Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: White Wine
Appellation: LCBO
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: White Wine
Producer: Mike Weir Wine
Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: “All net profits from the sale of Mike Weir’s estate wines go to his foundation (themikeweirfoundation.com), a charity he founded to help children in need. With its layers of pineapple, green apple, tropical fruit and toasty vanilla notes, this full-bodied, harmonious and long-finishing white will perfectly match a grilled chicken breast or salmon steaks. ” LCBO

These are my personal tasting notes:
Crisp chard with granny apples, lemon & dry apricot on the finish. Med complexity on nose & taste. Drink on it’s own or pair with BBQ pork. Bought it for $1 less, which makes better.

Tasted: March, 2011

Score: 8/10, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 16.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3

LCBO#: 26

PELEE ISLAND CHARDONNAY VQA 2009, Ontario

05 Thursday May 2011

Posted by in Best Buys, Canadian Wines, White Wines

≈ Leave a comment


Cost: $10.95
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: White Wine
Appellation: LCBO
Country: Canada
Region: Ontario
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Pelee Island Vineyard Inc.
Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Not a complexed chard, and it’s non-oaked. It has good flavors of peach, melon, lemon, slight grapefruit & green apples. Non-oak, good acidity & well balanced. Food friendly & easy to drink. Crisp & clean. Went well with escargot & crab Alfredo. You can find this in non-vintage.

Best Buy

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3

LCBO#: 136044