IT TAKES A LOT OF BEER TO MAKE…

Norman Hardie Chardonnay Unfiltered VQA (VINTAGES 184432, $39.20). The terrible frost of May 23, 2015, took out almost all the Chardonnay in Norm Hardie’s Prince Edward County vineyard. For this vintage, therefore, he used Niagara fruit, leaving the young wine on the lees for six months and giving it a minimum of sulphur. Naturally fresh and vibrant, it shows an almost salty minerality with racy acidity and lingering impressions of firm peach and citrus. This is elegant, sophisticated cool-climate Chardonnay at its best.