Cost: $34.95 Grape: Merlot Category: Red Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Nice wine, a little over-priced & needs time to soften. Score: 88/100.
Tasting Note: Dark ruby in colour with good acidity, a medium intense nose, green tannin & a good length on the finish. This wine features: Dark cherry, plum, raspberry, pomegranate, cocoa powder, vanilla & graphite.
Negatives: High alcohol
Interesting Point: “This wine spent 20 months in oak, with 30% of it being new barrels.” Winery
Pairings: Drink this now or in 5-7 years, on its own or pair it with Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs.
Cost: $28.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: Sparkling Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
This isn’t half bad, but I wouldn’t pay the price for it. A simple Brut frizzante. Score: 87/100.
Tasting Note: Cloudy yellow gold in colour with fine mousse, good acidity, a light intense nose & a good length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon zest, grapefruit, sour bread, yeast, kumquat, Jonagold apples & limestone.
Negatives: The price
Interesting Point: “This was made in the “Petillant Natural” or “Pet Nat” style. Fermented only using indigenous yeast, it was bottled down near the end of fermentation to capture natural CO2 gas bubbles. No additions have been made to this wine and it remains sur lie (with lees) to protect its integrity, structure and ageability.”
Pairings: Drink this now on its own or pair it with rippled potato chips with dill/onion dip.
Cost: $24.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: St. David’s Bench, Niagara Region, Ontario Format: 750 mL Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Nicely balanced showing citric fruit & spiciness. Score: 91/100
Tasting Note: Light yellow gold in colour with good acidity, a medium intense nose, light tannin & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon zest, pineapple, peach, apples, pear, caramel, vanilla, oak spice
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: 2020 was a great vintage year for Ontario wines.
Pairings: Drink this now or in 4-6 years on its own or pair it with snow crab lobster with drawn butter.
One of NC best dry sparkling wines they’ve made, which is delicious, elegant, clean & crisp. Score: 93/100.
Tasting Note: Straw to light gold in colour with fine mousse, good acidity, a light to medium intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Light yeast, brioche, sourdough bread, lemon rind, green apples, pear, white peach,
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: 4 years on lees.
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 3 – 5 years on its own or pair it with Norwegian eggs Benedict.
Cost: $22.95 Grape: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Pinot Gris Category: White Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Region, Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
I am normally a traditionalist when it comes to white wine, meaning I’m not crazy when it comes to several blends of white grapes in a wine, but this one was pretty good. Score: 87/100.
Tasting Note: Gold in colour with good acidity, an intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Grapefruit, passion fruit, Dragon fruit, kumquat, & lemon rind.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: “The Tom Thomson art gallery (The Tom) is a national cultural attraction dedicated to the innovation and spirit of the iconic artist Tom Thomson (1877-1917) whose artwork has been described as being the “visual equivalent of our national anthem”. This wine was created by the Niagara College Teaching Winery in honour of the 50th anniversary of The Tom and 100th anniversary of Thomson’s untimely and mysterious death at Canoe Lake.” (Winery)
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 2 -4 years on its own or pair it with calamari.
Cost: $24.95 Grape: Syrah Category: Red Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Format: 750 mL Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Not complex but well-made wine at a great price that features dark fruit & spiciness. Score: 95/100
Tasting Note: Medium ruby in colour with foaminess around the perimeter, good acidity, medium+ intense nose, round tannin & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Mulberry, plum, tamarind, black & white pepper, vanilla,
Negatives: Should be labelled Syrah not Shiraz as it’s not styled in the Australian way.
Interesting Point: The foaminess, which looks like soap, doesn’t seem to affect the wine & expect it’s due to the wine being Unfiltered. From Dr. Vinny from Wine Spectator: “Foam, and bubbles in general, are caused when the surface tension of water is decreased, which is how soap creates so many bubbles. Let’s assume that there isn’t soap in your decanter (but you should be sure you are rinsing them out thoroughly, just to be certain). That means there is something in the wine itself that is affecting the surface tension of the wine or the rinsing water.
There are two sources of surface-tension reduction in wine. The first is a protein that’s present in tannins. I tend to notice the foam phenomenon much more often in red wines than in whites, and there are more tannins in reds. Alcohol (ethanol) also has an effect on surface tension. So, you can expect a tannic, high-alcohol wine to yield the most foam among still wines.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in 4-6 years on its own or pair it with Ribeye Steak.
Cost: $21.95 Grape: Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon Category: Red Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Format: 750 mL Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
A pleasant easy drinking wine with some substance to it. Score: 88/100
Tasting Note: Medium dark ruby in colour with good acidity, a medium+ intense nose, round tannin & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Raspberry, plum, elderberry, blackcurrants, fennel, cocoa, spinach leaves, vanilla & leather.
Negatives: None
Pairings: Drink this now or in next 3 -5 years on its own or pair it with smoked gouda.
Cost: $21.95 Grape: Petit Verdot Category: Red Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario Format: 750 mL Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
And now for something completely different for Ontario wines, a Petit Verdot & winemaker Gavin’s first foray at NC with this grape is a success. Score: 91/100
Tasting Note: Medium to dark ruby in colour with good acidity, an intense nose, green tannin & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Blackberry, plum, dark cherry, sage, lavender, Champagne mushrooms, vanilla, light smoke & violets on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: As Petit Verdot is bold & tannic, it needs a large style Bordeaux glass & decant to soften the tanin.
Pairings: Drink this now or in next 5-6 years on its own or pair it with Biryani.
Cost: $21.95 Grape: Malbec Category: Red Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario Format: 750 mL Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Winemaker Gavin Robertson foray into Malbec, which is a rarity for any winery in Ontario to make generally succeeds. Score: 87/100.
Tasting Note: Medium purple to ruby in colour with good acidity, an intense nose, light tannin & an average length on the finish. This wine features: Blackberries, mulberries, eucalyptus & a touch of vanilla.
Negatives: A little too medicinal
Interesting Point: First couple of tastes, I wasn’t liking it, but the wine grew on me.
Pairings: Drink this now or in next 5-6 years on its own or pair it with Lamb Shank.
Cost: $18.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: St. David’s Bench Niagara Region, Ontario Format: 750 mL Producer: Niagara College Teaching Winery Alcohol: 12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
This balanced wine makes it one of the better oak aged Ontario Chards for under $20. Score: 90/100.
Tasting Note: Gold in colour with good acidity, medium-low intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon drops, peach, pear, honeydew melon, ginger, dill, oak spice & vanilla.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Using the right glass is key to enjoying this wine. Normally with an oak aged Chard I would use the larger open glassware. However, this wine is better with the Chablis style wine glass. I found the larger wine glass mutes the notes on this wine, while the Chablis glass lets these wonderful notes come to the surface.
Pairings: Drink this now or in next 3-4 years on its own or pair it with rotisserie chicken.
Twilight Wines 