Click to view slideshow. Yalumba Organic Viognier 2021 (South Australia, $17.95, Vintages #28217, to be released April 29th) Golden straw in colour; minerally, peach pit nose; medium-bodied, dry, white peach flavour; elegant with an intriguing note of almond-like bitterness on the finish. (90) Henry of Pelham Classic Riesling 2022 (Niagara Peninsula, $15.95, CSPC #268375) Palest straw in colour; lightly minerally, grapefruit nose; medium-bodied, dry, crisp lemony-grapefruit flavour; good length. (88.5) Quinta de Curvos Loureiro 2022 (Vinho Verde, Portugal, $13.95, Vintages #471284) Bright, shi ..read more

Thursday, March 9th: Deborah and I were invited by Niagara College’s winemaker Allison Findlay to attend her winemaker’s dinner at the St. Catharines Club. Winemaker Allison Findlay The Niagara College wines for the dinner We were offered a glass of Niagara College Les Marmitons Gastronomy Méthode Traditionnelle Sparkling Wine before we sat down, which we drank with the first course. Les Marmitons, incidentally, is an international men’s cooking club, with a chapter in Niagara. Niagara College makes a series of wines for the club under the Gastronomy label. Niagara College Balance Riesli ..read more

Monday, February 27th: In December I got to choose seven Alsace wineries whose wines I was interested in tasting. They arrived a week ago in boxes with miniature bottles that contained a 1 oz pour. Before I got to taste them, I registered for a seminar put on by Salon Millésimes Alsace – DigiTasting: a virtual masterclass, titled “So Trendy,” based around four themes: “So Fresh,” “So Terroir,” “So Sweet” and “So Red.” Wine personnel from 41 countries participated in Alsace’s virtual wine fair, which featured 74 wineries. The Masterclass was led by Thierry Fritsch, the head oenologist and chief ..read more

Tender Hope Wines Deb Murray on her website Year In Wine writes: It has been a while since I enjoyed a Cabernet Sauvignon as much as I enjoyed the 2018 Phinny Hill Cabernet Sauvignon from Tender Hope Winery. This wine is made in BC but the grapes are from Phinny Hill Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Washington. Tender Hope Winery is relatively new to the BC wine scene. The wine industry however is not new for owner and winemaker, Ephraim Perel, who has more than twenty-five years experience as grower, cellar hand and winemaker. Ephraim was born in I ..read more

Kacaba red wines Kacaba Vineyards & Winery Reserve Cabernet Franc 2020 (Niagara Escarpment, $60.15) Dense purple-black in colour; cedary, spicy nose of blueberries, blackberries, toast, and white pepper with vanilla oak notes; full-bodied (14.9% alc.); dry, richly extracted black cherry and blueberry flavours with an inflection of dried herbs; beautifully balanced with a caressing mouth-feel. (93) Kacaba Vineyards & Winery Reserve Meritage 2020 (Niagara Escarpment, $60.15) 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot. Dense purple in colour; cedary, blackcurrant, black plum ..read more

Where we stayed in Longboat Key Saturday, January 28th: Deborah and I left our car in EZ Airport Parking at Pearson to fly to Sarasota. Our friends Arlene and Michael had invited us down to stay for a week with them in their condo in the Longboat Key Club. Michael picked us up at the airport and told us that the previous week the sky had been overcast. We arrived in bright sunshine, which stayed with us virtually for the week. Sarasota egret The club of Longboat Key, not the key club of Longboat Lots of walking on the beach and lots of great meals – with amazing wines from Michael’s cell ..read more

Flat Rock experimental Chardonnays Flat Rock Chardonnay 2021 (Niagara Peninsula, limited time offer $2.00 off, Jan. 29–February 25, $19.95) Straw colour; lightly toasty, yellow apple bouquet with oak spice and a hint of apple blossom; medium-bodied, dry, crisp, apple flavour with lemony acidity. Mouth-watering acidity. (90) Flat Rock Cellars “explores the effect of two different yeast strains on a parcel of Chardonnay grapes picked on September 30th from the North Block of the Flat Rock Vineyard. Neutral French of barrels were inoculated with either VL2 or Delta and underwent barrel fermenta ..read more

Lakeview Cellars winemaker Scott McGregor Lakeview Wine Co. Sparkling Brut 2017 (Niagara Peninsula, $45) A touch of Icewine in the dosage. Bright straw, active mousse of small bubbles. Toasty, apple nose with a light floral note; medium-bodied, crisply dry, lemony-apple flavour; fresh and lively on the palate. (89) Fresh Wines Sparkling Rosé (Ontario, $17.95) Charmat process. Riesling & Gamay. Pale pink; a nose of yellow cherries; light-bodied, just off-dry, watermelon flavor. Well-balanced. (88.5) Lakeview Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (Niagara Peninsula, $22) Palest straw in colour; gra ..read more

Click to view slideshow. Cave de Hoen Mausberg Brut Blanc Crémant d’Alsace ($18.95, CSPC #416578) Bright, pale straw in colour; minerally, crabapple nose; medium-bodied, dry, well-extracted apple flavour; fresh and lively on the palate. Good value. (90) White House Wine Co. Riesling Pinot Grigio ($14.45, Niagara Peninsula, $14.95; CSPC #219022) Made by Henry of Pelham. Light straw in colour; minerally, lemon and grapefruit on the nose; light-bodied, dry, lightly floral, apple and lemon flavours. Well-made. (89) Red House Wine Co. Baco Cabernet Sauvignon (Ontario, $14.45 [$12.45 until January 2 ..read more

Kacaba Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2019 (Niagara Escarpment, $33.15) Deep ruby in colour with a purple hue; cedary, toasty, spicy, tobacco nose of plum and blueberry; medium-bodied, dry, savoury, red plum and cherry flavours carried on fresh acidity. Nicely balanced, with firm but pliant tannins. (88.5) Kacaba Vineyards Cabernet/Syrah 2020 (Niagara Peninsula, $24.95) Deep purple-ruby colour; spicy, Christmas cake bouquet with a sweet vanilla oak note; medium-bodied, dry, beautifully balanced currant and red fruit flavours, firmly structured with well-integrated oak. Lovely mouth-feel. (90) Town ..read more