VINTAGES Release September 17: Ontario + Local Fall Feast

The upcoming VINTAGES Release on September 17th will be on shelves this Saturday and features fine wines from Ontario as its main theme, while the mini-theme highlights local wines for Fall feasts.

We'll begin with the Ontario wine feature that lists 16 wines, of which only 2 are included among my wine picks. The Featherstone Canadian Oak Chardonnay has been a favourite of mine for a few years now and the 2014 vintage was fermented in barrels made from oak trees grown along the Grand River in Brantford, Ontario. The only other wine included from this feature is a sparkling wine that's crafted in the traditional method of Champagne, but is made using Riesling in a just-off dry style.

For Fall feasts, the wines featured are all from Ontario, and 3 of the 5 wines are included among my wine recommendations. Pair the Hidden Bench Chardonnay with your soup course, Flat Rock's off-dry Riesling can be paired with your main course that can be spicy. Also included is the Keint-He Voyageur Pinot Noir that is ideal for poultry or pork dishes.

From the rest of the release in red wines, there is a Spanish wine made with 100% Prieto Picudo - a local grape relatively unheard of outside of northwestern Spain. From Piedmont is a blend of mostly Barbera and Nebbiolo, while the Ruffino Super Tuscan is a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot. The Portuguese red is a field blend consisting of Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Nacional, Jaen, and Alfrocheiro. From France, the Sancerre Rouge is actually made with Pinot Noir, while the mature 2009 Bordeaux red is a classic blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Lastly, the Amarone is a blend of 45% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella, 5% Molinara, and 5% Dindarella.

In white wines from the rest of the release, both the Sancerre and the Schiopetto are made with Sauvignon Blanc. There's also New World Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and South Africa. Also from the New World is a Viognier and a Chardonnay, both from California. And lastly, there is a Albariño from Spain.

Enjoy my wine picks from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• ESTAY PRIETO PICUDO 2012 - Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León, Spain (#393140) (D) - $15.95  reviewed here
• LANTIDES AGIORGITIKO 2013 - PDO Nemea, Greece (#286708) (XD) - $16.95  reviewed here
• VIÑA TARAPACÁ GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2013 - Maipo Valley, Chile (#57513) (XD) - $17.95  reviewed here
• FONTANAFREDDA EREMO LANGHE ROSSO 2012 - DOC, Piedmont, Italy (#454041) (XD) - $17.95
• QUINTA DE SAES RED 2013 - DOC Dão, Portugal (#452771) (XD) - $18.95
• KEINT-HE VOYAGEUR PINOT NOIR 2013 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#373407) (XD) - $19.00  reviewed here
• CHÂTEAU PIERRE DE MONTIGNAC 2009 - AP Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#437954) (XD) - $23.95
• ROGER & DIDIER RAIMBAULT SANCERRE ROUGE 2013 - AC, Loire, France (#446401) (XD) - $28.95
• RUFFINO MODUS 2012 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#912956) (XD) - $29.95  reviewed here
• REMO FARINA MONTEFANTE RISERVA AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2010 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#063636) (D) - $59.95

 

White Wine:

• MAN FAMILY WARRELWIND SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#461004) (XD) - $13.95
• FLAT ROCK RIESLING 2014 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#043281) (M) - $16.95
• ERADUS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 - Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand (#225557) (XD) - $18.95
• BONTERRA VIOGNIER 2014 - Mendocino County/Lake County, California, USA (#128900) (D) - $19.95
• TORRES PAZO DAS BRUXAS ALBARIÑO 2014 - DO Rîas Baixas, Spain (#417667) (XD) - $19.95
• FEATHERSTONE CANADIAN OAK CHARDONNAY 2014 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#149302) (D) - $21.95
• BERNARD REVERDY & FILS SANCERRE 2015 - AC, Loire, France (#200055) (XD) - $26.95
• HIDDEN BENCH CHARDONNAY 2013 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#068817) (XD) - $28.95
• SCHIOPETTO SAUVIGNON 2013 - DOC Collio, Friuli, Italy (#165027) (XD) - $32.95  FSE
• LA CREMA LOS CARNEROS CHARDONNAY 2014 - Los Carneros, California, USA (#184929) (XD) - $39.95  reviewed here

Sparkling Wine:

• THIRTY BENCH SPARKLING RIESLING - Traditional method, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#469478) (D) - $34.95