You may be shocked to know, but Niagara is very good at Rieslings. Well, okay, you may have already known that. With the similarities to Alsace in it’s growing conditions (is it more Burgundy or more Alsace?) it is not surprising that one of it’s best wine products is in fact ‘Rhine’ Riesling. Alsace, for [...]

A good spot to start off with for this review is to state that Thirty Bench is a winery that is owned by the same group that owns Hillebrand, Trius and Peller Estates, Andrew Peller Ltd. Despite the fear that a big operation the size of Peller might corrupt or ruin the feel of a [...]

As the 15th of January quickly approaches it is probably a good time to remind everyone of the upcoming 2010 Niagara Icewine festival. From the 15th to the 31st the entire Niagara region and it’s vineyards will be celebrating the gold that is Icewine. If you have time to make the voyage, I recommend spending [...]

Niagara Cab Francs are big wines that take quite a bit of time to be approachable. These bad boys can singe your pallet with teeth coating tannins and long tastes that make these wines a real hard wine to pair with food (sometimes). In France Cab Franc is used as a blending grape, often with [...]

Without any research on this one I grabbed it on curiosity. I like Okanaga wines. It’s good to root for the underdog. The wine is dark in color with some black fruits on the nose. On the mid pallet are some varietal cab flavors, some cherries, some cassis and the like. On the finish the [...]

We picked this one up at the winery in the spring of this year. Hilldebrand along with their Trius brand are making some consistently great wines in Niagara. This one tickled our fancy at the winery and it has held up well in the 9 months since we bought it. The wine is quite pale [...]

We were over at a friends house and this one was on table. The wine is very pale in color and quite mild on the nose. On the mid pallet are some soft sauv blanc flavors, some lemon, no grass, no tartness. On the finish the wine is quite light with not a lot going [...]

Stopped on by Spice for lunch. They rotate their wines through the wine list. Whoever they have picking the wines they are doing a good job. I had not tasted this one recently so I gave it a try. I sometimes find unoaked chards to be a little subtle for my tastes. The wine is [...]

Regular readers to this blog know I have a preconception of what a Merlot ought to taste like. And I am more often than not disappointed. Now add to that, I have never had a good Niagara Merlot and you have the making for a strong opinion. Now me and strong opinions are an oxymoron [...]

When you pick a name for a wine that is “catchy” it can cause some people to grab it, and others to leave it. Catchy to one, is irritating to another. I find this one of those. I know the general idea but was insulted by the name. Like it’s trying to appeal to my [...]

This write up is from our trip this summer to the Prince Edward County area. See the entire article at my Prince Edward County trip blog
None of these are carried in the LCBO (for now).
Norman Hardie
2007 Pinot Gris (County) $25
Slightly sweet, Riesling like. The wine is on the lighter side of a medium finish. Very [...]

Was out for dinner at Saucy’s in Streetsville and decided to try this one. There are still some wineries in Niagara (and more opening regularly) that I have not yet been to, this is one of them. Coyote’s run are also making the Bob Izumi label wines. Personally I enjoy the added complexity that [...]

We had this wine apres a ride in Short Hills provincial park. The wine is quite dark in color, mild on the nose. On the pallet the wine is reasonably fruit forward with red and black fruit flavors. Not what I would call varietal Merlot but reasonably good none the less. The wine has an [...]

This write up is from our trip this summer to the Prince Edward County area. See the entire article at my Prince Edward County trip blog
A list of all Waupoos wines at the LCBO
Waupoos Winery
Waupoos winery is a fabulous destination. An easy bike ride from Picton it has a lovely setting, beautiful tasting room and [...]

This write up is from our trip this summer to the Prince Edward County area. See the entire article at my Prince Edward County trip blog
On our last trip we visited Carmella Estates and I noted this as being the longest white wine I had ever had. Casa Dea was growing grapes for Carmella and [...]