Yes, Ontario can make rich, ripe reds
Niagara has loads of land under vine and Prince Edward County is certainly hip and cool, but Ontario’s third major appellation can produce rich, ripe reds like nobody’s business.
I’m talking about Lake Erie North Shore (LENS), a region that stretches along the shoreline of Lake Erie from Amherstburg to east of St. Thomas, including the South Islands. LENS is Ontario’s — and indeed Canada’s — most southern wine region. Its vineyards get more heat and sunshine than anywhere else in Ontario, creating a climate much like parts of California — and the wines follow suit. In other words, if you’re a fan of big reds, this is the region for you.
And two of the wineries making outstanding reds include Muscedere Vineyards and Colchester Ridge Estate Winery, recently rebranded CREW.
Muscedere — pronounced moo-SHED-re — is a small, family winery with deep Italian roots in Harrow, Ont. And it makes shockingly good wine from its five-hectare vineyard of hand-harvested grapes.
If you appreciate the suave, silky yet powerful appeal of a Barolo, you’ll want to get your hands on the newly released 2017 Muscedere Nebbiolo, VQA Lake Erie North Shore
($80.20). But the winery only made 40 cases, so it will sell out fast. Nebbiolo is of course the grape variety of Barolo and is difficult to find outside its native region of Piedmont, Italy. But this winery grows it and is clearly capable of making marvellous wine with it.
The 2017 Muscedere Nebbiolo shines pale ruby-amber, as you’d expect for Nebbiolo, which can turn slightly amber early despite its long aging potential. The aromas are seductive, allusive. Dried rose, gentle blackberry and black pepper aromas merge with shy suggestions of caramelized meat drippings. It streams in with a glossy mouth feel then unspools with elegant fruit — black fruit mostly — laced with an intricate tapestry of flavour that echoes the elements found on the nose. A light little tug on the finish lends just the right amount of structure to each sip. Though this wine isn’t velvety and fruit forward like, say, a Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s still a powerhouse packing 14 per cent alcohol. Score. 93
If you prefer plusher styles of red, you’ll like the 2017 Muscedere Meritage, VQA Lake Erie North Shore ($30.20). The winery made 170 cases of this wine and just 60 cases are left. Meritage — which rhymes with heritage when pronounced correctly — is a Bordeaux-style blend.
With 60 per cent Merlot, 30 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 10 per cent Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Muscedere Meritage exudes a heady fragrance teeming with plump red and black fruit laced with a touch of sweet almond and plum pudding. The entry drenches the palate with a velvet sweep of blackcurrant liqueur and damson then shifts slowly toward spice cake and sultanas, dried currant, fig and nut. The finish is long, and the wine dry and complex. Score: 94
A bit of a steal is the 2018 Muscedere Cabernet Franc, VQA Ontario ($19.20). About 400 cases were made and about 300 cases are left. This red shines deep ruby and opens with dark fruit on the nose before saturating the palate with plush depth spiked with bright acidity that keeps it fresh and bright. The flavours suggest damsons and blackberries threaded with hazelnut from time spent in oak. After the entry, a touch of black olive slowly emerges and lingers on the finish. This wine is lively enough to keep you sipping and ripe enough to satisfy the hedonist in you. Score: 93
And for that porch-swing-inthe-afternoon quencher that’s perfect after some autumn yardwork, there’s the 2020 Muscedere Rosé, VQA Ontario ($17.20). Ninety-six cases are left of the original 260 cases made. It blends 95 per cent Vidal with five per cent Cabernet Franc to create a pretty pink vino with the fragrance of sugared rhubarb and the lip-smacking flavour of homemade strawberry rhubarb pie. A bright, crisp wine with fabulous purity and balance. Score: 92
Muscedere wines are not sold at the LCBO. They’re only available at the winery and through its website. And if you visit the winery, stay for its wood-fired pizza and a glass of something on its patio that’s a stone’s throw from the vineyards. Even the gluten-free pizza is excellent!
About 10 minutes down the road from Muscedere you’ll find Colchester Ridge Estate Winery, recently rebranded CREW. Also in Harrow, it’s making big reds and opulent whites that thrill. And the best of the bunch is the 2017 CREW Grand Crew, VQA Lake Erie North Shore ($39.95). Just 65 cases of this wine are left though, so snap it up immediately.
The 2017 CREW Grand Crew is made of about half Cabernet Sauvignon and half Merlot, and starts with seductive aromas of muddled black forest fruits drizzled with cassis. Then it swathes the palate with more of the same before cascading with cherry-studded fruitcake, toasted marzipan and a touch of vanilla cream. As it tapers toward a long finish, café latte with a dusting of cocoa powder emerges and persists. Fullbodied, bone-dry gem of a wine. Score: 96
White wine lovers will almost certainly appreciate the 2019 CREW Flagship Chardonnay, VQA Lake Erie North Shore ($21.95). Lots of this wine is available now, about 110 cases. In the glass, it gleams yellow with gold inflections. The nose is rich with butterscotch and lime, which leads to a weighty entry. Lemon curd and butter pastry flavours give way to allusions of almond, orange zest and a touch of wet stone. Fabulous value for money. Score: 94
These CREW wines are available at the winery and through its website. But one wine from this winery does hit shelves at the LCBO Sept. 18 that’s well worth snapping up. It’s the 2019 CREW Riesling, VQA Lake Erie North Shore
($16.95) that offers enticing aromas and flavours of gourmet lime and pineapple sorbet laced with a touch of sea salt. This off-dry white with bracing acidity is the prefect aperitif. Score: 93
Colchester Ridge Estate Winery has a screened-in patio restaurant on site, making it a great stop for lunch. And Lake Erie North Shore makes a wonderful weekend wine jaunt at about three and a half hours west of Toronto. If you stay over, book the boutique hotel The Grove, at 12 Main St. E. in Kingsmill. It’s equal parts hip and comfortable.
You might want to head to LENS now. Before it becomes as popular as Niagara and Prince Edward County.
Carolyn Evans Hammond is a Toronto-based wine writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star.
Wineries occasionally sponsor segments on her YouTube series yet they have no role in the selection of the wines she chooses to review or her opinions of those wines. Reach her via email: carolyn@carolynevanshammond.com