By Rick VanSickle
The big Christmas wine releases at the LCBO are all but over for another year, and now the attention shifts to bubbles for the New Year.
The Dec. 16 Vintages selection touts a range of big-shot Champagne houses with venerable names like Nicolas Feuillatte, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot, while Spanish cava, Prosecco, Burgundy, and Alsace play supporting roles in the release. Niagara gets a bit of love with sparklers from Peller, Jackson-Triggs and Trius dominating the local selection.
Not to be overlooked is the Dec. 7 Cellar Collection, an online only, high-end monthly wine release that features the best wines from around the world. What caught my eye was a Niagara wine from 13th Street that was named Wines in Niagara’s Most Thrilling Sparkling Wine in 2022. The Grande Cuvée Blanc de Noirs Sparkling 2013 is a magnificent sparkling wine from winemaker JP Colas, above, and would be the perfect bottle to pop when the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31. Ordering begins at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 7. Check out the link here.
Here’s my review of the 13th Street sparkler:
13th Street Grande Cuvée Blanc de Noirs Sparkling 2013 ($70, 94 points) — The Grande Cuvée is only produced in exceptional vintages. It is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the estate’s Whitty Vineyard in the Creek Shores sub-appellation. After careful manual harvest, the whole bunches of Pinot Noir are put into the press where the free run juice is separated out and blended with the first gentle press to extract juice but not colour or phenolics. The wine was aged on its lees for seven years and no sugar was added, only the base wine was used for the dosage. What a masterpiece! Such a personable sparkling wine with an intriguing nose of mature apple, pear, smoky/flinty notes, lemon curd and brioche/autolytic accents. The colour is golden in the glass with a soft, persistent, and elegant bead. On the palate look for baked pear, stony/saline minerality, ripe apple, lifted lemon-centric citrus notes with rousing acidity keeping it fresh and lifted through a luxurious and long finish.
I’ve included a roundup of all the Niagara sparkling wines and other local wines available at Vintages stores on Dec. 16 at the bottom of this post. I don’t see or taste many of the wines from the big wine companies in Niagara, so I don’t have and that I can recommend. But I do taste a lot of other sparkling wines during the year, from both Niagara and Prince Edward County.
Here are my picks of over 20 bubbles, both traditionally made and also a wide range of other methods that offer a more affordable option for the New Year celebrations. Enjoy! Note: Wines are listed in alphabetical order, and while I have endeavoured to research if all these wines are available, I can’t guarantee they are in stock.
Our picks of traditionally made
sparklers from Ontario
Bella Terra Blanc de Blanc 2017 ($40, 92 points) — This is the second vintage for the traditionally made 100% Chardonnay at Bella Terra in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It sits on its lees for three and a half years and receives a modest dosage of 4 g/l. “I’m just trying to make a well-balanced, well-made wine,” says winemaker Fred Di Profio. There’s an intriguing autolytic/biscuit note to start on the nose followed by green apple, lemon zest, fuzzy peach, and pear with a subtle note of brioche. It’s full of life on the palate with an elegant bead in the glass and rich, biscuity notes mingling with orchard fruits, citrus zest, and a fresh, vibrant finish. Top-notch bubbles here.
Foreign Affair Blanc de Blanc 2021 ($35, 92 points) — This is the second vintage of the Blanc de Blanc, a 100% Chardonnay that spent 12 months on the lees. Winemaker Rene Van Ede plans to build this sparkling year by year and build up the lees aging. It’s finished with zero dosage. It has a fresh and lively nose of lemon biscuit, crisp apple with peach and pear skin. It’s bright on the palate with a vigorous bead and energetic acidity that lifts the fresh lemon, apple, and subtle biscuit notes through a lifted finish.
Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Estate Blanc de Blancs 2017 ($50, 95+ points) —The 2017 vintage of Carte Blanche is easily among the best sparkling wines made in Ontario that I have tasted. It’s made from 100% estate grown Chardonnay from the Short Hills Bench with 20% of the fruit barrel fermented. Secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle (traditionally made) and is followed by a further 54 months aging on the lees. Such an intriguing nose of lemon tart, brioche/autolytic notes, apple/quince fruit, poached pear, pie crust and showing a light golden colour in the glass. It’s pure hedonistic pleasure on the palate with a soft(ish) but elegant bead, ripe stone fruits, baked bread/biscuit notes, lemon, fresh saline/flinty minerality, and mouth-watering acidity keeping it clean and fresh through a lifted finish. Such depth and verve. Wow, just beautiful!
Hidden Bench Natur Zero Dosage 2013 ($65, 92 points) — The most current release of this wine, the 2017 vintage, is sold out, but what a treat to be able to buy the 2013 vintage from the vault at Hidden Bench. The blend is 70% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Noir from Locust Lane and Felseck Vineyards. It spent 47 months on the lees in bottle and 7 months in barrel. Also, as the name suggests, there was no back sweetening, leaving the RS at below 1 g/l and providing little room “to hide any mistakes,” as owner Harald Thiel, above, put it. It is fresh and fragrant in the glass with bright apple and citrus notes but also underlying roasted nuts, brioche, and toasted vanilla. It has an energetic mousse in the glass with broad flavours of baked apple, tangy lemon, and lovely nutty/toasty accents through a crisp and clean finish. Very nice bubbly. Note: This review was written in December 2018. This version of the wine has been resting on its lees in bottle for almost seven years, followed by a further 18 months age under cork.
Last House Bonheur Blanc de Noir Traditional Method 2020, Prince Edward County ($45, 92 points) — Happiness, as the name of this first traditional made Pinot Noir sparkling wine from Last House suggests, is a state of mind brought on by delicious bubbles. This falls under that category. Even the label, a painting by artist Stewart Jones that hangs in the family’s home, brings a sense of joy. The fruit is sourced from estate grapes planted in 2018, so third leaf Pinot Noir that was whole cluster pressed. It was wild fermented in stainless steel and then lees aged for 28 months. The wine was hand riddled and disgorged with zero dosage and bottled unfiltered and unfined. The first 100 bottles are released in time for Christmas with other disgorgements following. It shows a light golden colour in the glass with a vigorous, persistent bead in the glass and toasty notes of pear, yellow apple, and bright citrus. It shows beautiful freshness on the palate with a more elegant flair for the bubbles. The palate shows a minerally/flinty edge with pear/apple/quince, toasty/pie crust nuances and a bright, lingering finish.
Lighthall Vineyards Revelation 2011, Prince Edward County ($100, 94 points) — “This is the lord of the sparklings,” Lighthall GM William Haddleton commented during a visit to the County this fall. What a treat to see a 100% County Chardonnay sparkling wine that spent 10 years sur latte with zero dosage. It’s a limited edition blanc de blanc offered in numbered bottles. Such a soulful nose of flint, lemon curd, toasty brioche, complex autolytic notes, pear preserves, yellow apple, and an elegant bead in the glass. Such brightness and flair on the textured palate for a sparkler that spent a decade resting on its lees. It displays flinty minerality, a delicate bubble, an array of citrus and pear, an almost smoky note to go with pie crust and nutty accents with bright acidity keeping this fresh and youthful through the finish. Beautiful bubbles!
Southbrook Poetica Traditional Method ($70, 93 points) — This is the first “Poetica” sparkling wine to be made at Southbrook, joining the Poetica Chardonnay and Poetica Red as the flagship wines at the winery. It’s a non-vintage, 100% Chardonnay triaged in 2018 and disgorged in 2023 after 50 months of sitting on the lees. It’s finished with zero dosage. It shows a lovely golden colour in the glass with an elegant bead. The creamy, autolytic notes are evident on the nose with lemon tart, yellow apple, and pear notes. It’s crisp, vibrant, and elegantly bubbly on the palate with apple/quince and lemon curd and a nice complex array of creamy/nutty/brioche notes all leading to a vibrant finish driven by mouth-watering acidity. The fine bead is persistent through the finish. Fantastic, well-aged bubbly. It’s released just now for the holidays at the estate.
13th Street Cuvée Brut Rosé Sparkling NV ($35, 91 points) — This is the top selling Canadian sparkling wine at the LCBO and the only one in the portfolio to receive a dosage (8 g/l), which is still dry but a bit of a departure from the other sparklers in the portfolio. It’s a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a splash of Gamay that’s fermented and aged in the traditional method. It was aged sur lattes (en tirage) for a minimum of 18 months during which the bubbles became smaller and more compact. It shows a gorgeous rose petal colour in the glass with an energetic mousse. It’s loaded with red berries, cranberries, rhubarb, lemon zest and a subtle toasty note. It’s fresh and the bubbles pop on the palate with a barrage of red berries, subtle earthy/autolytic notes, red currants, and a dry impression through a finish that features mouth-watering acidity and verve.
Westcott Brilliant Sparkling Rosé 2020 ($35, 92 points) — This is a traditionally made sparkling wine that consists of 100% Pinot Noir from the Home Farm. It soaked on the skins for two hours, giving it a lovely light coral colour, and spent 12 months on its lees before being hand riddled and disgorged. “The whole concept with this wine,” said winemaker Casey Kulczyk, “was to focus on the fruit and the place.” It’s lively and fresh on the nose with an elegant bead in the glass to go with red berries, red currants, and watermelon. The palate reveals a melange of bright red berries, a touch of citrus, a persistent bead and plenty of acid lift to keep it finessed and fresh through the finish.
Charmat and other styles
of sparklers from Ontario
AMO Pinot Grigio Sparkling 2021 ($35, 90 points) — As with all the grapes harvested at AMO, there are at least two picks to ensure both acidity and ripeness in the wines. Both sparkling wines made in the charmat method are finished at Ridgepoint Estate Winery (shout out to Ramsey Kahriallah). It shows a soft effervescence in the glass with a bright nose of melon, tropical fruits, peaches, apple skin and citrus zest with a lovely saline edge. It’s more vigorous on the palate with a melange of ripe orchard fruits, guava, lemon zest and a vibrant, fresh finish.
AMO Sparkling Rosé 2021 ($29, 91 points) — This is made as above in the charmat method and is a blend of Cabernet Franc with a bit of Riesling and Pinot Gris. It shows a delicate bubble in the glass with fresh red berries, subtle herbs, and citrus/lime zest. It has electric acidity on the palate and an elegant bead with brambly red berries, herbs, and a vibrant, fresh finish. Delicious!
The Foreign Affair Brut Rosé Sparkling NV ($25, 89 points) — A smartly priced charmat style blend of Riesling with a bit of Gamay and Malbec (mostly for colour). It’s bright and lively on the nose with persistent effervescence and plenty of citrus, apple, and red/dark berries. It’s flavourful and zesty on the palate with citrus, green apple, and berries. “This is just way more fun than serious sparkling,” said winemaker Rene Van Ede. “I have no problem crushing this bottle.”
Lailey Sparkling Rosé 2022 ($28, 90 points) — The blend is predominantly Vidal with just a bit of Zweigelt for colour purposes. It’s a sparkling wine made in the charmat method and has pretty nose of sweet raspberries, lime/lemon/citrus, and candy apple notes. It has persistent bubbles on the palate with a range of bright red berries, citrus zest with a touch of sweetness. It’s juicy and fresh on the finish, and nicely balanced. A fun wine in an attractive package.
Lailey Sparkling 2022 ($28, 89 points) — The Lailey sparkling wine is made from 100% Vidal, the very last of the original vines that the Lailey family planted at the estate at the behest of Karl Kaiser and Inniskillin. A small dosage of Vidal icewine was included before bottling, with the RS at 18 g/L. The nose shows peach, fresh lemon slices, melba toast and green apple with a brisk, sustained bead in the glass. The palate reveals toasty/creamy notes, rounded, subtly sweet notes of peach, apple and citrus with a gentle bubble and a clean, fresh finish. A nice, easy-drinking sparkling wine.
League of Farmers Sparking Rosé NV ($19, 89 points) — This is a blend of all four of the League of Farmers’ fruit including Vidal, a pinch of Chardonnay and “blushed with our token Cabernet Franc” for colour and made in the charmat method. Winemaker (and co-owner of the brand) Marty Werner said this is a wallet friendly sparkling wine that “people can drink on a Monday by the pool.” The Cabernet Franc gives this pleasant sparkler its light salmon colour in the glass. It’s fresh and fruity on the nose with a vigorous bead in the glass and notes of peach, lemon, citrus zest, and apple. It’s bright and lifted on the palate with orchard fruits, a touch of earthiness and pleasant effervesce through a lifted finish.
Lighthall Vineyards Progression 2022, Prince Edward County ($25, 89 points) — Made in the charmat method, this 100% Vidal is fresh and floral on the nose with citrus, melon, green apple, and a subtle effervescence. It’s bright and lively on the palate with tart citrus, peachy/melon notes, and tiny bubbles offering lift on the finish. Made from 55% County Vidal and the rest sourced from Niagara to keep up with the volume.
Nyarai Folklore 2021 ($24, 90 points) — This sparkling blend of Vidal Blanc, Muscat Ottonel and Chardonnay was inspired by the spumante wines of Italy. Steve Byfield, who is the winemaker/owner of the Nyarai brand, said “this wine was crafted in gratitude of the struggle, sacrifices and hardships endured by our ancestors.” Byfield is black and officially released this wine during Black History Month last February. Such a lovely, fresh nose of lemon, orchard fruits, a touch of herbs with a vigorous mousse in the glass and on the palate. Subtle flinty minerality emerges on the palate to go with all that lovely fresh cut citrus fruits, apples, peaches and a zingy, lifted finish. An everyday sparkling wine that offers great value.
Ridgepoint Bellissima 2021 ($25, 91 points) — Ridgepoint’s Bellissima, Italian for beautiful, is a sparkling wine made from Glera grapes (made famous by the sparkling wines of Prosecco) and believed to be the only Glera-based wine made in Canada. Scarsellone first sourced the Glera grapes from Zanesco Vineyards in Stoney Creek, which had been growing the grape for years. Ridgepoint had plans on planting its own Glera last spring. What a lovely surprise that out-performs many of the Proseccos imported into the LCBO. Such a highly aromatic nose of green apple, white flowers, and bright citrus. It’s vibrant and nicely effervescent on the palate with a balanced melange of citrus, lime peel and green apple in a fresh, lifted style with a pinch of sweetness for everyday enjoyment. 12% abv.
Ridgepoint Frizzy 2019 ($18, 88 points) — Continuing with the Italian-style sparkling portolio — “we want our sparkling wines to by fun,” said Ridgepoint owner Mauro Scarsellone — we turn to Frizzy, short of Frizzante, a sweet Italian style of sparkling wine made from Muscat grapes using the charmat method. The nose is rife with summer strawberries, wild raspberries, white flowers, and a touch of citrus. There is a touch of sweetness on the palate, but it’s rounded out by ripe red berries, gentle effervescence, and a lifted finish. A respectable 9% abv.
Stratus Field Blend Ancestral 2022 ($35, 92 points) — This is a wine that was envisioned by winemaker Dean Stoyka after a trip with other winemakers to Italy, where field blends are part of the winemaking tradition. Stoyka wanted to gather up a variety of grapes from the estate, pick them all at once, press them and vinify using the oldest sparkling method in the world, predating the methode traditionelle, a naturally paused fermentation that restarts in spring to complete the “bubbly” effect in the bottle. This is finished in a crown cap and left undisgorged while the lees remain in bottle and contribute texture and an intriguing hazy hue. The three grapes — Riesling, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc — need to be separated before joining together because VQA does not allow unidentified “field blends,” and therefore each variety needs to be weighed and the information sent to the authority for approval. So, a lot of work for such a fun and simple, lightly effervescent bubbly wine. There is nothing funky about this, it’s fresh, bright, enticing and intriguing with a lovely nose of bright lemon, white peach, nectarine, kiwi, and passionfruit. It’s absolutely delicious on the palate, so bright and cheery with a soft, tickling bubble and firm vein of acidity on the finessed finish tying all those flavours above into a neat little bow. At 11% abv, flip the cap and pour in whatever glass you have handy and enjoy!
Trail Estate Field (of Dreams) Blend 2022, Prince Edward County ($45, 89 points) — Only winemaker Mackenzie Brisbois could dream up this wine. It’s a 40% mix of organic, estate Geisenheim and Gewurztraminer with 60% County sourced Chardonnay. The Geisenheim and Gewurztraminer were picked at 15.9 brix, hand-destemmed and fermented with light punchdowns for 10 days before pressing. It was blended with foot-stomped Chardonnay picked at 19.6 brix with about two weeks of total skin contact. It was fermented to dryness and bottled with Riesling juice added for an aim of 3 bar pressure for the bubbles. Hard to fathom what goes through Brisbois’s over-active mind when creating up a wine like this, but somehow it works! It’s fresh and lively on the nose with a soft bubble in the glass and loaded with grapefruit, citrus zest, peach skin, ginger spice, and a bit of an unsweetened tropical feel. It’s tingly dry with a subtle bubble in the glass and elevated tartness in the puckering citrus fruits, pear skin, green apple, and fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. It’s super dry and refreshing as you reach for a second glass. Did we mention that it’s 100% wild fermented with zero filtering and zero sulphur added?
Westcott Violette Sparkling 2022 ($27, new review, 91 points) — Crafted from 100% Chardonnay and made in the charmat method has a refreshing nose of lemon, apple and pear with a subtle floral note and a persistent bead in the glass and palate. It’s perky, fresh, and lively on the palate with lemon, pear/quince fruits, a touch of sweetness, and plenty of juicy acidity on the backend.
Niagara wines coming to
Vintages stores Dec. 16
• Flat Rock Twisted Sparkling 2021 ($20)
• Peller Estates Signature Series Classic Ice Cuvée Sparkling ($36)
• Peller Estates Signature Series Ice Cuvée Rosé Sparkling ($37)
• Twenty Bees Sparkling ($18)
• Vieni Sparkling Riesling ($20)
• Jackson-Triggs Niagara Grand Reserve White Meritage 2021 ($30)
• Megalomaniac Narcissist Riesling 2021 ($20)
• Trius Distinction Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2021 ($20)
• 13th Street Expression Series Cabernet Merlot 2020 ($20)
• Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Meritage 2020 ($33)
• Marynissen Cabernet Franc 2021 ($19)
• Vineland Estates Elevation Cabernet 2020 ($25)
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