By Rick VanSickle

The rattle and hum of harvest, and the raw vibrancy of fall in wine country is tonic for the soul from Niagara to Prince Edward County and in all Ontario wine regions far and wide.

In this Ontario Wine Report: Grapes for Humanity announces next charity wine auction, an extraordinary sparkling wine from Henry of Pelham, first red wine from Liebling, a trio of new wines from Flat Rock Cellars, Brock recognizes Marynissen winemaker Mitch McCurdy, and former Wines in Niagara beer correspondent Stephen Beaumont launches new website.                                              

I’m in The County as I write this, and the smell of fermenting grapes permeates the senses as we jet from winery to winery, brewery to brewery, patio to patio, with dog in tow. I’ll have more about this unique, pastoral region soon on Wines in Niagara as we hit up some favourite wineries over the next few days.

Back in Niagara, with harvest in full bloom, I caught up with Ravine Vineyard winemaker Lydia Tomek and her assistant Denise Peacock rocking out some gorgeous smelling Sauvignon Blanc as it progressed through their new optical sorting gizmo. We sipped the upcoming 2022 vintage of said Savvy as the juice from the 2023 version made its way to through the winemaking process. Tomek is happy with what she is seeing in the vineyard so far and even more happy with what’s in the house thus far.

Niagara wineries love to show off during harvest in the fall. And why not, it’s gorgeous weather and spectacular scenery as the leaves turn to brilliant colours and all hands are on deck in the vineyards, winery and tasting rooms.

I attended the fall open house and wine club pick-up party at Southbrook Vineyards as a guest of proprietor Bill Redelmeier. We were treated to a full range of current and future wines (watch out for the Triomphe Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 coming early in the New Year) and some fun library wines, including Triomphe Chardonnays from 1999 and 2002 and the still-going-strong Poetica 2007.

It’s incredibly gratifying to see these older vintages in such fine form and Southbrook, with its long history in the region, is more than happy to show their roots with these oldies and keep a few back for consumers to purchase and enjoy.

We have a lot to get to in this Ontario Wine Report, so let’s on it.

Call for wine donations for
next version of Grapes for Humanity

In the face of one of the worst years for ecological disasters, Grapes for Humanity hopes to break a record with its 2024 charity wine auction, which will take place virtually in Toronto from April 12 to April 22, 2024, concluding on Earth Day.

Partnering with Waddington’s Auctioneers, organizers are hoping for more donors than ever to step forward in the quest to raise funds for climate action and to support communities around the world. The primary beneficiaries of the next auction will be The Halo Trust, Tree Canada, and The Nature Conservancy of Canada.

“It is hard to believe that our little auction has been said to be the most successful charity wine auction in Canada and the only one to feature Canadian wine and Canadian wine experiences,” said Steven Campbell, a board member with Grapes for Humanity.

Since initiating its virtual fundraising events in 2020, Grapes for Humanity has successfully raised over $1.4 million. “We are pleased to continue our support of Tree Canada and The Nature Conservancy of Canada for 2024 to address the pressing issue of climate change and The Halo Trust, which primarily works to clear landmines and other explosive devices left behind by conflicts,” a news release said.

Grapes for Humanity is asking for fine wine donations, which are tax-deductible, to bolster the charity effort further.

One of the highlights of the auction will feature micro lot wines where teams of three Niagara winemakers will combine skills and wine to make exceptional cuvées that will be up for bids. For example, Thirty Bench Winemakers, Cave Spring Cellars and Charles Baker Wines are joining forces to craft a Riesling lot and Lailey’s Ann Sperling, Queylus’s Kelly Mason (shown above), and Jessica Otting from Tawse will craft a special Bordeaux-variety blend. Each cuvée will be a maximum of 10 cases.

If you’d like to donate an item for the upcoming auction, please contact Pauline Fortier (paulinefortier@sympatico.ca) for a donation form.

About Grapes for Humanity Canada

Grapes for Humanity was established in 2001 by wine journalist Tony Aspler and Arlene Willis. The organization has successfully raised millions of dollars for international humanitarian efforts. Notably, they conducted a landmark virtual auction in 2020 to assist the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Benchmark bubbles from Henry of Pelham

Over a decade ago, Henry of Pelham released a stunning Blanc de Blanc as part of a concerted effort to bring top-drawer sparkling wines into the Shorts Hills Bench producer’s already stellar collection of wines from top to bottom.

I was there when Paul Speck, one the three Speck brothers who own Henry of Pelham, first introduced the winery’s debut vintage dated sparkling wine, the 100% Chardonnay that would eventually see 60 months of bottle aging (maybe the first Ontario sparkling wine that had that much lees aging) after partial barrel fermentation.

That tete de cuvée was being made to celebrate the winery’s 25th anniversary of winemaking and Speck brought to wine to Canoe in Toronto for a preview to a select few wine journalists. The tasters all agreed that it bested a wide range of other sparkling wines assembled for the tasting from all over Canada. It was shockingly good.

It was called Cuvée Catharine Estate Blanc de Blanc Carte Blanche 2007, the first vintage dated sparkling wine from the Niagara producer and was part of the relaunch and redesign of HoP’s sparkling program that also includes both the Cuvée Catharine Rose Brut and Cuvee Catharine Brut.

“We are looking for a bigger style in this wine,” Speck said in 2012. “We pick them a little riper. We’re really excited about the wine. It was such a long wait.”

Zoom ahead to 2023, and the Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Estate Blanc de Blancs still holds a place among the top echelons of bubbles in Canada.

A new iteration of the fabulous 2017 vintage will be released Nov. 18 at Vintages stores, and I can tell you after tasting this recently, it is as good as it gets for sparkling wines in Ontario. I have tasted and reviewed this wine before, but the latest bottle either has a later disgorging or more lees aging, I don’t know, I could not find the answer to that. It has a minimum of 54 months on the lees, but this recent release feels different than the previous bottle reviewed here. Here is my review:

Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Estate Blanc de Blancs ($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 is 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!

First red wine from Liebling Wines

The mission from the grape growing Oppenlaender family, shown above, is to showcase the single vineyards they tend and the vines they grow. Crafted in collaboration with winemaker friends, Liebling Wines “connects the passion of grape growing with winemaking.” The family released their first white wines in June of this year and this Gamay is the debut red wine, with more to come.

Liebling (which translates to “darling”) wines are true to variety and are offered at price that most everyone can afford. The Liebling motto is to “celebrate the everyday, the opportunities, the adventures, and most importantly, celebrate love with Liebling Wines.”

Liebling wines are available (and made by) Collab Wine and Beverage (located at Marynissen Winery) by clicking here.

Liebling Wines Creek Road Vineyard Gamay 2022 ($26, 91 points) — The Four-Mile Creek grower wine was made by blending 50% crushed fruit with 50% whole berries. It was aged for nine months in French oak barriques. It has a juicy, plummy nose with ripe black cherries, wild raspberries, autumn leaves/underbrush, integrated spice, and subtle herbaceous notes. It has lovely texture on the palate and big flavours of red berries, anise, plums, and spice accents. This Gamay has some structure and light tannins and age 3-4 years but is singing from the get-go. Great job!

A trio of new wines from Flat Rock Cellars

These three Vintages Essential wines from estate vineyards on the Twenty Mile Bench represent excellent bang for the buck and a true expression of Bench-grown fruit under the Foundation Series. All wines are continuously available at LCBO Vintages stores. Here’s what we liked:

Flat Rock Cellars Riesling 2021 ($20, 91 points) — Love the nose on this, with zippy lime, pear, yellow apple and wet-stone minerality. It’s electric on the palate with lime/citrus, quince, saline minerality, a touch of honey sweetness with a racy, vibrant finish. Fantastic Riesling at this price with room to evolve with 3-5 years of cellaring.

Flat Rock Cellars Chardonnay 2021 ($20, 89 points) — This Chard was fermented and aged in French oak barriques for 10 months. The nose is bright and vivid with notes of summer apples, lemon zest, peaches, stony minerality and subtle spice notes. It’s rich and generous on the palate with orchard fruits, flinty minerality, citrus zest and spicy accents with zippy acidity holding it all together on the finish.

Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir 2021 ($25, 90 points) — Hand-picked, hand-sorted and aged in French oak barriques, this is a really lovely Pinot at this price point with a nose of earthy/savoury cherries, black raspberries, woodsy spice notes, underbrush and plums. It has a smooth entry on the palate with rich, ripe red berries, underlying savoury/underbrush notes, well integrated spices, and a firm spine of acidity driving the vibrant back end. Can cellar up to five years.

Brock recognizes Marynissen winemaker

Working in a vineyard during one of the hottest summers on record wouldn’t be enjoyable for most people. Mitchell McCurdy relished every minute of it.

The oenology and viticulture graduate fell in love with winemaking during a co-op work term in his second year at Brock and has been building a career in the wine industry ever since. He achieved his goal of becoming a winemaker within a year of graduating in 2018 and is now pursuing entrepreneurial endeavours that help small-batch producers. In recognition of his accomplishments, McCurdy was awarded the 2023 Faculty of Mathematics and Science Distinguished Graduate Award during Brock’s Homecoming celebrations recently.

McCurdy started his career at Vintegrated, a wine consulting company that focuses on all aspects of the wine business, including viticulture, oenology, and the marketing of wine products. He was hired as winemaker at Marynissen Estates Winery, a Vintegrated client, the following year.

“The most exciting part about making wine is the variety,” he said. “Every year in Niagara, we have different weather and there’s new challenges and new ways to make products. I also love getting to do science on a regular basis and experiencing wine from a sensory perspective through tasting and smelling.”

Over the next year or so as McCurdy and his Vintegrated colleagues made wine for clients and continued to develop the consulting business with established brands, they saw an opportunity to help small-batch producers. They invited Ontario winemakers, grape growers, and others to create their own boutique wine, cider and perry brands using Marynissen’s production facilities.

The collaboration reduced barriers, such as the substantial capital investment need to buy the land and equipment needed to open a winery, so producers can create and sell the products they’ve been dreaming of, said McCurdy.

“They can come in with no wine experience, no access to grapes or land, but with just an idea, and we can work with them to turn concepts into market-ready products,” he said.

The small-batch beverage brands created at Marynissen became known collectively as Collab Wine and Beverages. Since its official launch in 2021, the hub has grown from four to 10 virtual brands, including McCurdy’s own wine and perry.

On top of his entrepreneurial endeavors and winemaking responsibilities, McCurdy has stayed connected with Brock by leading online tasting events and taking on a teaching assistant role for Brock’s introduction to wines course.

“This course is where I took my first steps into the world of wine, so it’s really exciting that I get to do that for others,” he said.

A new home for independent beer/spirits
writing from Stephen Beaumont                                                

Leading Canadian spirits and beer writer and former contributor to Wines in Niagara, Stephen Beaumont, has announced the official launch of Beaumont Drinks (https://www.beaumontdrinks.com/), his new dedicated spirits and beer review website.

Designed for ease of navigation and free to access for all interested aficionados of beer and spirits, Beaumont Drinks showcases detailed reviews of spirits and beers available in Canada, whether produced domestically or imported. Additionally, “Portfolio Spotlight” reviews will highlight up to a dozen spirits or beers produced by a single distillery or brewery and “Category Spotlight” overviews will cover a range of products within a single category, such as the rhums agricole of Martinique or Bavarian style wheat beers. Rounding out the site’s content are “Will Travel” reports on specific beer or spirits tourism destinations, inspired by Beaumont’s 2018 book, Will Travel for Beer.

“While quality, flavour-filled spirits and beer have never been more popular, these are tough times for traditional media and I was finding editors reluctantly saying no to beverage stories simply because they didn’t have the space available,” says Beaumont, “Eventually, I decided that the best way to give these great beers and spirits coverage was to do it myself.”

Unlike other sites featuring crowd-sourced reviews of a sentence or two, Beaumont Drinks features long-form reviews often extending to 300 words or longer, all coming from the palate and keyboard of one person, 30-plus year veteran drinks writer Beaumont. “Spotlight” articles are even longer and include insight on the category or producer, as well as detailed reviews.

“Although my files contain literally thousands of spirits and beer reviews, I’ve compiled over the years, I am writing every entry on Beaumont Drinks anew, casting fresh eyes and palate upon both long-established brands and new arrivals,” says Beaumont. His new 100-point scoring system ranks beers and spirits from “seriously flawed, avoid” (< 50) to “stunning, a legitimate classic” (96-100), and include a special “Critic’s Choice” designation for those beverages which “stand out for both character and value.”

Ultimately, the intent is for Beaumont Drinks to be drinks industry supported in the manner laid out on the website’s “Full Disclosure” page. It will always remain free for readers to access.

Wines in Niagara extends a healthy cheers to our friend Stephen Beaumont whose top-notch writing and independent reviews are integral to critical reporting.

— Some information in this post was provided to Wines in Niagara

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