Object of lesson: drink well at good price
During this pandemic, all sorts of great deals exist among local wineries such as free shipping, discounted wines and the ability to buy coveted cuvées usually reserved for restaurants. This roundup of some of the best offers out there will keep you drinking well at the best possible price, while supporting Ontario producers.
One of the smartest deals is from Pillitteri Estates Winery in Niagara. It’s selling its 2019 Canadian Gothic White VQA Ontario for $99 per case of 12 bottles, reg. $156, and waiving the shipping fee within Ontario. This wine is normally only available at farmers’ markets, but it can now be purchased online at pillitteri.com for what works out to $8.25 per bottle. That price for a delicious local white is a steal.
The 2019 Canadian Gothic White is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer. It swirls with aromas and flavours of dried apricot and sundrenched grapefruit, then it shifts toward tangerine zest, lemon curd, wildflowers and rose before leaving a crushed stone and salt finish. Taut, shimmering acidity hems in the effusive off-dry fruit. And this light-bodied, honest value white clocks a relatively low 12 per cent alcohol. Outstanding value for money. Score: 93
Here’s an insider tip for those enamoured by mineral-driven, dry styles of Chardonnay. Bachelder Niagara has just released a brilliant bottle to consumers, which is normally reserved for its restaurant clients — who would of course mark it up considerably. It’s the 2018 Minéralité de Niagara VQA Niagara Peninsula. They’re selling it for $22.95 at BachelderNiagara.com and waiving the shipping fee within Ontario for three bottles or more. That wine is deeply undervalued for what it is.
The attack is quick and racy, instantly mouth-watering. Then it fills out, broadens, and saturates with a powerful punch of luminosity that seems to glow in the mouth. Glossy mouthfeel, citric zeal, stone, salt, sweet butter, a touch of mushroom maybe — it’s all there. Then, it tapers to a resounding finish of grapefruit — flesh and peel — that goes on for ages. This wine will astound and amaze those with a thing for fine, mineral-driven, focused whites. Though marketed as a summer sipper, this wine will lift and tune the senses 12 months of the year. Score: 96
From Prince Edward County, Rosehall Run Vineyards offers a mixed six-pack of rosés valued at $160 for $125, with free shipping anywhere in Ontario. And they’re throwing in four GoVino wine glasses — those shatterproof, reusable and recyclable plastic glasses with a cult-like following.
The six pack — available at rosehallrun.com — includes two bottles each of the 2019 Just One Rosé and the NV Pixie Sparkling Rosé, which are both VQA Ontario. And it includes one bottle each of the 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir and the 2019 Pét-Nat, both from Prince Edward County. Each of the four wines offers an interesting variation on the rosé theme.
The 2019 Just One Rosé is a dry Gamay seasoned with a touch of Pinot Noir and a dash of Zweigelt. It shines sunset pink in the glass and rivets the senses with bright, forthright flavours of raspberry-lemonade — without the sweetness. It’s the kind of drink you’ll want to enjoy chilled on a porch swing in the country somewhere — but your balcony or back garden will do, too. Score: 91
The coral-tinted NV Pixie Sparkling Rosé with its boholabel is made from Vidal and Pinot Noir and unfolds with sheer, off-dry flavours of wild strawberry and lemon-lime before the soft peach and cranberry undertow emerges along the length of the finish. It’s a well-balanced quencher with great purity of fruit. Score: 91
The salmon-hued 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir tastes dry and crisp — a bit more serious, really — with understated flavours of violet, raspberry, beetroot and stone. It would work very nicely with grilled salmon or a mushroom quiche. Score: 89
And the 2019 Pét-Nat is a curiosity more than anything. Pét-Nat is short for Pétillant Naturel, a style of sparkling wine made by bottling the wine mid-fermentation. Doing so traps the carbon dioxide in the bottle while the remaining yeast gives the wine a cloudy appearance while adding complexity. This bottle is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gamay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and other varieties, and the result is a fizzy, hazy pink wine with flavours of mixed red berries, salted lemon zest, crumbled herbs, cranberry, and many other nuances. It’s tasty, but there’s also a certain rusticity about it. Score: 88
And for those looking for a six pack with a white, rosé and red tucked inside should look to Marynissen Estates Winery in Niagara. This producer now offers two bottles each of its 2019 Heritage Collection “Charmed” Sparkling VQA Ontario, 2019 Rosé VQA Niagara Peninsula, and 2017 Heritage Collection “Nanny’s Blend” Red VQA Niagara Peninsula. The six-pack is $99.95, regularly $135.70, and is available at marynissen.com. And they’re waiving the shipping fee in Ontario.
The 2019 Heritage Collection “Charmed” Sparkling is a lovely blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Muscat that tastes off-dry and elegant. It starts with the compelling scent of French lemon tart. The attack is brisk and lively with a mouth-filling hit of lemon lime and chin-drip peach laced with a touch of cool stone minerality on the finish. And the hint of sweetness is balanced by bracing acidity, so each sip finishes clean and dry. Great value. Score: 93
The 2019 Rosé is a riveting blend of Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Muscat. This cheerful, off-dry style offers immediate pleasure with quenching flavours of yellow plum, ruby grapefruit, and tangy raspberry. Lots of levity and oodles of clean, bright fruit. Score: 90
The 2017 Heritage Collection “Nanny’s Blend” Red is a grippy, bold blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot with tight-fisted flavours of black olive, black tea and blackberry mostly with black pepper, roasted walnut and crushed stone on the finish. It’s the sort of wine that you’d want to serve with grilled meat or aged cheeses to match the wine’s firm structure and robust flavours. Score: 87
As always, good wines sell out quickly — especially now that the secret is out for these particular bargains, available only at the wineries. So, if you’re interested, act fast. They won’t last.