2019 Henry of Pelham Old Vines Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

Henry of Pelham has been called the "King of Baco", and rightly so: they planted their first Baco vines in 1984 and have been putting out quality iterations of this varietal wine for decades. Henry of Pelham isn't just another producer of Baco Noir in Ontario: they're really dedicated to this grape variety.

I enjoy the regular bottling, finding it to be well made, well balanced, and stylistically elegant. The Old Vines version is sold in a tall, heavier bottle, and is closed with a natural (albeit particle) cork enclosure. The regular bottling, by contrast, has been closed with a screw cap for the past few years—a sensible, functional choice.

The 2019 Old Vines Baco is 13.5% alc./vol. and sells for about $20 at the LCBO. It pours with a gorgeous, saturated, deep-beet-red/purple colour that turns into a neon magenta at the meniscus—a common feature of the V. riparia hybrid reds. The nose is very oaky right off the bat, showing plummy/blackcurrant fruit and juicy acidity that is eager to carry that same fruit along the palate. On the palate, it is invigoratingly tart, zingy, and refreshing—with good mid-palate heft coming from both the tart berries and the oak overlay. Excellent quality. Following this fruit-and-oak crescendo, the aft-palate character of the wine accentuates the oak, which leaves a pleasant spicy finish.

2018 Sandbanks Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

This wine can be picked up for $15.95 in the Ontario VQA section of the LCBO.

Sandbanks is a winery in Prince Edward County, along the northeastern shore of Lake Ontario. I seldom buy the varietal Baco from Sandbanks—the last time I did, it tasted far too sweet for my taste. That said, I made an exception earlier today and it was a good decision.

Medium-dark, clear garnet in the glass. The wine initially pours with some very fine effervescence along the meniscus; this dissipates with time in the open bottle. Strong aromas of brackish wild black cherry; a typical hint of leafiness and plums, so very characteristic of Ontario Baco. Zippy, clean and lean acidity on the entry, balanced by appropriate residual sugar. Warm and fruity on the mid-palate. A clean and cleansing finish, as one is wont to expect from this varietal wine. Just a hint of smoky, toasted buckwheat and oak on the finish. Thumbs up.

2015 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir

Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery is Niagara's Baco Noir specialist. Not only are they a consistent producer of quality varietal Baco in the region—they actually produce three distinct releases of the varietal wine, all with slightly different oak aging regimens and fruit sourced from vines of different ages.

In reserve for today's New Year tasting is the Speck Family Reserve. It's the only one that I hadn't tasted up to now. It retails for $25 at Vintages and is available at select stores only.

This wine hails from the winery's original planting of Baco, dating back to 1984. That's interesting, because it means that the vines predate the whole VQA system under which the wine bears a "VQA Ontario" designation. Even though the wine technically hails from the Short Hills Bench appellation, VQA does not deem hybrids worthy of appellation-specific nomenclature—an absurdity, as wine writer David Lawrason rightly pointed out in his write-up on the wine.

The bottle is closed with an elegant, solid, top quality natural cork. The cork showed deep purple-black staining once pulled out, though only where it had been in contact with the wine, indicating a good seal.

The wine poured with a gorgeous, saturated black, cherry-mahogany hue which, in the glass, morphs into a weathered-sumac hue at the meniscus. At 13.5% alc./vol., good tear development can be seen along the inside of the glass (and is even visible in the picture at right).

The nose is deeply oaky, with big, bold, black-cherry fruit and prominent wood vanillins from the American oak. There is lengthy integration of bold oak and fruit. On the palate, lithe, bright acidity leads the way; the texture is dry and cleansing along the mid-palate and energetically lively into the finish. The flavours finish out with beets, red currants, a hint of dried tomatoes and just a tap of oak at the end.

Very well done, but bold and oaky in style. If you prefer less oak, try the winery's Old Vines release.

Happy New Year!

Vieni Estates 2012 Foch Vintage Reserve (Ontario VQA)

Vieni 2012 Foch Vintage Reserve (Ontario VQA)

I was impressed to find this fine Ontario Foch at Vintages recently. Truth be told, it sort of flew over my radar, having been released this past summer.

The wine pours with a beautiful, and typical, saturated deep-garnet colour that fades to a "weathered sumac" black-mahogany hue at the meniscus. It opens up in the glass with wonderful, big, quality aromatic oak aromas. Mingling with that, there are tart black currant and blue plum aromas. Aromatically, this reminds me of the many reserve Fochs that graced the Ontario wine scene right up to Y2K.

On the palate, there is tart, lithe acidity and a clean, dry, palate-cleansing texture that carries the fruit and oak aromas right across it — with power, lightness, and elegance, all at the same time. This is classic Ontario Foch.

The finish is dry and elegant, with replays of the same aromatic compounds.

It is a shame that so many excellent examples of varietal Maréchal Foch have disappeared from the Ontario wine scene over the past decade. For this reason, it is a joy to find a winery producing a treat like this, from a grape that deserves much more respect in this part of the world for climatic suitability and innate quality characteristics.

The wine retails for less than $20 and is 14% alc./vol.

2012 Reif Estate Vidal (Ontario VQA)

The 2012 Reif Vidal pours with a very light, pale greenish straw colour. Initially shy on the nose, the wine showed more of a bouquet a day after being opened and kept in the fridge.

After it warmed up and upon being swirled in the glass, the Vidal revealed clean, light pineapple aromas and a hint of pine needles. The entry is clean, crisp and light; some tangerine rind (common to Vidal table wines) shows up on the fore-palate. Very crisp and dry on the finish, with some warmth rounding it out (12% alc./vol.). Apparently, this wine has 10 g/L of residual sugar (as per the LCBO product description), but it tastes drier.

Overall, this is a light-bodied Vidal. It works really well as an aperitif, but also with any main course calling for a light, dry white wine.

Purchased for $9.95 on general list at the LCBO.

I like to think of Vidal being to Ontario what Grüner Veltliner is to Austria: a regionally recognizable grape that may not be one of the "mainstream" varieties, but that can be counted on to produce quality table wine with a defined character. 

Vidal is, in fact, a very versatile grape: it produces everything from icewines to late-harvest wines, off-dry table wines - and dry crisp wines, like this one. It's well worth checking out.

2012 Scotch Block Winery Halton Hills Blanc

The Scotch Block Halton Hills Blanc is a relatively new wine. It pours with a very clear, pale straw colour and some minor effervescence along the bottom of the glass. It has a very pretty hue in the glass.

Upon swirling the glass, aromas of pineapple, cantaloupe and honeydew emerge; some citrus-rind notes and pine needle can be picked up as well. It's a fresh, crisp, inviting nose.

There's excellent balance right on the entry, with crisp acidity and just a slight residual sweetness. The wine is crisp and balanced, with good flavour replay. It's a well structured and substantive white wine that goes with just about anything calling for a white dinner wine. The wine comes in at 11% alc./vol.

The citrus/lemon-rind notes continue along the palate and right into the finish. There is some slight warmth, and the finish is clean and cleansing.

Based on the Cayuga White grape variety, this is one of the best white wines I've had from Scotch Block to-date. Available at the winery only, and highly recommended.

2010 Sandbanks Estate Baco Noir Reserve (Ontario VQA)

I had been wanting to try Sandbanks' Baco for quite some time. Having seen the Reserve recently, I bought it for Victoria Day weekend ($19.95 on general list at the LCBO; Product ID: 225920).

This Baco Reserve pours to reveal a dark garnet colour with a ruby tint that appears nearer the meniscus. Strong barrel aromas emerge over Baco's sour hickory and brackish bouquet. Brisk, strong acidity signals the entry. Plenty of oak character mingles with the tart, lithe and laser-like focus of the acid-driven structure. There's an invigorating, Barbera-like tartness, with plum and hickory replays; a bit of warmth (13% alc./vol.), and a mouth-cleansing finale, with more oak replays drawing the proverbial curtains.

While the wine initially seemed a bit tart for a 2010 reserve, it did settle down and integrate with some decanting (2+ hrs).

2011 20 Bees Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

The wine pours with a beautiful dark garnet core and a magenta meniscus. The aromas are very Baco - but more in a fruity rather than funky way: bright raspberries cloaked in cherries; crispy bacon aromas round it all out. Tart, juicy, invigoratingly brisk entry; mouth-filling, cleansing acidity dominates the texture. Light bodied and tartish, but balanced. Diminutive tannins carry through on the mid-palate, and are followed by a wave of warmth across the aft-palate. The flavours all but peter out at this point; there is no strong or dominant flavour on the finish. I cannot pick up any oak in this wine.

This light Baco was purchased for less than ten bucks on general list at the LCBO. It is 12.5% alc./vol. and has been bottled with a screwcap closure. This would make a very decent pizza wine. As with all Bacos, it has that palate-cleansing quality that is particularly good if you're having cuts of meat that have some fat on them.

2011 Pelee Island Eco Trail Red (Ontario VQA)

A blend of 33% Baco Noir , 17% Chambourcin, 50% Cabernet Franc (according to the winery's website), this red comes with a natural, high-quality cork closure. It is 13% alc./vol.

Deep, yet clear, dark garnet with a good ruby tint. Some spice enters on the nose and is soon followed by Baco's brackish rootsy aromas, and a bit of cherry in the background. You can pretty much pick up each of the varieties and their contributions to the blend. Tart entry, with rootsy celeriac flavours, wrapped in a touch of oak spice. Brisk tartness, but good balance; a touch of warmth on the mid-palate, with more oak spice (very balanced) and that familiar Chambourcin cherry fruit, all rounding it out. Very invigorating.

A three-way red blend using a vinifera component, together with a hybrid component (or, as in this case, two hybrids), is a good formula. Years ago, Henry of Pelham made a Cabernet-Baco blend that showcased the best of each grape variety, and was a good blend.

This was a very good wine, and the price is right.

(Note: it was decanted for a bit over two hours.)

2011 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

Henry of Pelham's Baco Noir is a long-standing go-to example of varietal Baco in Ontario. The 2011 version is particularly elegant and from a good red-wine vintage.

The wine shows a saturated dark garnet-purple colour and a brilliant, deep-scarlet hue at the meniscus. It has complex and pleasant, brackish / Vitis riparia aromas on the nose, which are framed by gentle American oak vanillins. The zingy (but not sour) acidity creates a nice balance. A fine streak of tannin holds it all together.

I'm not sure if vine age is starting to do its magic, but this is one of the most balanced and structurally integrated examples of this wine that I've had. It's very good.

The finish is warm clean and flavourful on the mid-palate, with a rounded, cleansing acidity leading into the warm (13% alc./vol.), oak-accented finish. It's a very pleasant wine, and quite moreish.

LCBO Product ID: 270926

2010 Pelee Island Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

$10.95 on general list at the LCBO. 12.5% alc./vol. Compressed-particle, natural-cork closure (I think a screw cap would be better).

This opens with a very typical leafy / peppercorn / brackish / raisiny Baco aroma. With a couple of hours of aeration, the raisiny quality becomes more pronounced and the wine now shows some bright raspberry character. Suprisingly tart on the entry (2010 was a hot vintage in Ontario). Sour redcurrant fruit, with a rounded sourness to the mid-palate and a soft core. A bit odd, and not in line with what I expected from the vintage.

Given this, I tried an old trick that worked really well in the past: I refrigerated the rest of the wine overnight. On the following day I poured a glass cold, and let it slowly warm up. Now, some torrefied character came through on the nose. The palate, however, was much improved from the previous day: although the wine was still zingy, there was a certain density to it when sipped cold, that seemed to round it out a bit more. Some diminutive fuzzy tannin and a bit of warmth rounded out the finish.

I always used to say that Foch was more funky than Baco, but that Foch had better acid / tannin balance.

I still believe this to be true.

Baco can surprise you with acidity that's aggressive and unbalanced. What's really strange about it is that more often than not, you'll find this to be the case in hot, rather than cool, vintages...

2010 Pelee Island Late Harvest Vidal (Ontario VQA)

Screwcap closure; 12.5% alc./vol.; on sale for $10.95 (at time of writing) on regular list at the LCBO.

Light straw colour with a slightly viscous appearance. Green apple, pineapple, citrus pith and a whiff of something that reminds me of varietal Diamond. Zippy acidity on the entry, immediately balanced by a rounded residual sweetness; tangy and zesty on the mid-palate. Warm zesty replays last long into the finish.

One of my favourite Vidals, year in and year out, the Late Harvest edition of Pelee Island's Vidal (there are two - a near-dry one called Monarch and this sweeter one, Late Harvest) is a reliable go-to wine if you happen to want something a few notches sweeter than your average table wine. Unlike many late-harvest wines in Ontario, this one is always bottled in a 750 ml format.

2010 Magnotta Harvest Moon Vidal (Ontario VQA)

A medium-sweet Vidal, attractively packaged in a deep blue 750 ml bottle. Synthetic cork closure. $9.95 at the Magnotta retail outlet; 12.6% alc./vol.

The Vidal pours with a pretty, semi-unctuous straw hue and brilliant clarity. A beautiful mix of ripe tropical fruits rises out of the glass: pineapple, tangerine, fresh orange juice, Granny Smith apple, and that note of spicy passionfruit that is so typical in sweeter versions of Vidal.  Laser-crisp acidity on the entry, well wrapped in a blanket of residual sweetness (7 g/l). Crisp/sweet texture, but the acidity never lets up bringing on the tang - so this wine still works decidedly well at the dinner table. Lots of citrusy tangerine / pink-grapefruit zest in the finish, which again is fleshed out nicely by another dose of residual... A very pleasing wine indeed.

Even though I am partial to dry wine across the entire vinous spectrum, I still find the occasion now and then to enjoy a late-harvest Vidal - one of Ontario's true gems, and with a close heritage to another regional highlight: icewine.

2009 Malivoire "Albert's Honour" Old Vines Foch (Ontario VQA)

A long-time favourite of mine, since its initial release in the 1998 vintage.

Vineyard established in 1975. Solid, high-quality natural cork closure. 12.5% alc./vol.

Intense, saturated black/cherry-red hue, with a ruby/magenta meniscus. Beautiful, nearly viscous appearance in the glass; the dark colour and light-purple legs make for great visuals. Expansive bramble-type fruit, framed by tightly-wound oak spice; secondary hints of its V. riparia parentage, via myriad brackish/wild/marshy/celeriac aromas. Plummy replays. Tart entry, with lively acidity, a firm but light structure, and good warmth on the finish. Flavours carry through onto the mid-palate. Cleansing, tasty, bright-on-the-palate, dark-coloured red wine.

If you must compare this to something from the vinifera world, think northern Italy: e.g. a laser-crisp Barbera, but with a much darker colour.

As usual, give it some time in the open bottle before drinking - or better yet, decant it: the bouquet will open up very nicely.

2009 was not a notable vintage in Ontario; it was actually quite a weak vintage. But I love trying red hybrid wines from such years, because I get to see what grapes that fit the climate can produce under less than favourable conditions. I'm already looking forward to trying the 2010 version of this classic Ontarian red.

2008 Konzelmann "Golden Vintage" Vidal (Ontario VQA)

One of my favourite Vidals, but only available at the winery.  Natural cork closure. 12% alc./vol.

Light straw colour.  Lovely aromas of apricot, pineapple, green apple, passionfruit and citrus - classic Ontario Vidal.  Balanced on the entry, with tart acidity but a rounding sweetness of light- to moderate intensity.  Pineapple replays on the midpalate.  A warm, cleansing, tart / sweet finish - very invigorating and enjoyable.

I am convinced that Vidal is one of Ontario's noble grape varieties: not only is it versatile (dry, off-dry, late-harvest wines and icewines are made from it), but it does each of these styles extremely well.  Konzelmann's Vidal is not only no exception to this rule, but it is indeed exemplary.

2010 Konzelmann Select Late Harvest Vidal (Ontario VQA)

10.5% alc./vol.  Solid natural cork closure.

Deep straw colour with a pale amber glint.  Beautifully complex aromas of luscious tropical fruits (pineapple, passionfruit) and green apple, with a viscous raisiny note.  Sweet / tart on the entry, with a sweet, viscous but also tart texture; lots of electrifying, palate-wakening energy in this wine.  Passionfruit replays on the finish.

Truly wonderful!

Ontarian Table Wines: A Call For Imagination and Originality

Grapes like Vidal, Seyval and Foch, which have established histories in Ontario's wine regions, are excellent varieties from which to create a whole new category of wine: inexpensive regional table wines. 

A while back I posted on the need for a good $7 local red wine.  It seems that you can walk into any LCBO and find lots of cheap Italian reds for around that price or a buck more; and that's great.  But why is it that Ontario's wineries don't offer a similar category - something akin to "vin de table" or "vino da tavola", but made from grapes that actually grow well here, cost relatively little to grow (compared to vinifera) and consistently fetch lower prices on the market?  Why should there not be excellent quality dry Seyvals and Vidals and Fochs for around $7-8 each?  In other words - something uncomplicated to have on the patio or to sip with pizza.  There is certainly the potential for this, but there doesn't seem to be the imagination to make it happen.

In fact, things have regressed in the past decade: there are fewer examples of these varietal wines on the shelves.  Foch has all but disappeared in Niagara, save maybe one or two producers.  Yet this grape should have been lauded as one of our absolute best red wine grapes - more so than the sour Baco Noir, which probably is best as a blending component.  So far, Malivoire is on the right path, although they, and others would also do well to offer a less expensive Foch so as to give the grape presence across the price points and increase its exposure.

I don't believe for a moment that wineries pulled their Foch because people didn't like it.  Lakeview Cellars, for example, made an amazing Foch up to the late 1990s, and it was a great value too.  Dark, inky, smoky, velvety wine ... all for about nine bucks.  D'Angelo winery in Amherstburg (near Windsor) probably made (still makes? I don't know) the very best Reserve Foch in the province.  Why is D'Angelo Foch not a household name in Ontario?

I think that what has done many of these varieties in is simply a form of dogmatism that is based on the perceived necessity of following international marketing; it is certainly not based on agricultural fact.  Farmers should run wineries, not marketers.  Quality starts not with grape name envy, but with what actually grows best in the region.  Then, you take quality winemaking, make the wine with imagination and tender loving care, and watch it move.

But, there has to be the imagination and the originality to want to do it.

2009 Pelee Island Monarch Vidal (Ontario VQA)

$9.95 in the VQA section, regular list; screwcap closure.

Pelee Island's Vidal wines are my favourites, and have been for years. I love what this winery does with its Vidal: it makes a dry table wine, and a late-harvest version, also suitable for table consumption, but a couple of notches higher on the sweetness scale. Both are exceptional examples of what varietal Vidal can do in Ontario in table-wine (i.e. non-icewine) iterations.

12.5% alc./vol. Bright, pale clear light green with lots of C02 bubbles clinging to the inside of the glass. Big Granny Smith apple and tart pineapple aromas on the nose with every swirl. Grapefruit and lemon rind follow shortly thereafter. Brisk, crisp entry; pineapple right on the fore-palate; tart but balanced; cleansing texture; lovely definition. Some alcoholic warmth on the mid-palate and into the finish. Very appetizing and palate-wakening impression. Green mango flavours and aromas make fleeting appearances across the palate, but only long enough to be noticed - and then they disappear. Served chilled on a hot day, this wine could go pretty quickly.

As always, I highly recommend this wine. It's easily recognized by the monarch butterfly sticker and, nowadays, the orange screwcap closure.

2010 Scotch Block Winery Halton White

Just in time for summer, the 2010 vintage of Scotch Block's legendary Halton White is yet another example of the kind of flavourful regional wines that await you at Halton Region's first winery.  The 2010 Halton White pours with a bright, clear straw colour and a pale yellow glint.  Some youthful carbonation clings to the inside of the glass.  The bouquet is clean and fruity, featuring pineapple, green apple, honeysuckle and cantaloupe aromas.  The wine is brisk and crisply tart on the entry, but is immediately balanced by some residual sweetness.  It features a bracing, clean, balanced texture, with a zesty, just barely off-dry, yet crisp, finish.  It's fruity and lively, and will go wonderfully as a chilled sipping wine, or indeed, as a dinner wine.

2009 Reif Estate Vidal (Ontario VQA)

$9.95 on general list in the VQA section at the LCBO. Closed with a very smart screwcap. 12% alc./vol.

Pours a very pale, crystal-clear, green-tinged clear-straw hue; a tiny bit of effervescence clings to the bottom of the glass.  Gentle aromas of melon and pineapple; very subtle.  Beautiful, laser-crisp acidity on the attack; clean and near-dry, but with a small amount of residual sweetness just rounding out the entire package.  Plenty of zesty white grapefruit flavours on the mid-palate and in the finish.  Clean and bracing structure; palate-cleansing. 

I tried it at basement temperature, but served chilled, it would really sing.  This went perfectly with pan-fried cod fillets. 

2009 wasn't an especially good vintage in Ontario, being quite cold and a bit wet.  Yet Vidal - the icewine grape - once again shows its mettle and versatility, putting out a wonderful table wine that can be enjoyed in as many situations as the imagination allows.