by Mark Cochrane
I was recently invited to attend the Taste Ontario 2015 Trade and Media event which showcases Ontario wines available to consumers through the LCBO or directly from the vineyard and their distributors. This year’s event was held in the Governor General Ballroom at the Westin Hotel on March 2nd 2015. I really enjoy these events for a couple of reasons. First, you can get some one on one time with the vintners to talk about how they craft their wine and you also get to try some wines that the LCBO is about to list in their stores. Some of the wines are small batch, higher end and usually a flagship wine for the vineyard. Unfortunately there were just too many wines and not enough time to sample all the vineyards so I was forced to make some tough decisions. Here are some of the wines I thought are good examples of Ontario’s wine industry
Huff Estates Gamay – Prince Edward County, Ontario (coming soon to the LCBO).
Another very good Gamay from Prince Edward County with aromas of cherry and leather coupled with some earthy notes as well. Nice fruit finish with a healthy portion of soft tannins. Not a full bodied wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz but it is a wine worth trying when you are having friends over for wine and cheese. This wine will probably retail around $25 when it becomes available at the LCBO later this year.
Trius Red – Trius at Hillebrand Winery ($22.95 LCBO Vintages – 303800)
This dark red wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (47%) , Cabernet Franc (39%) and Merlot (14%) aged 12 months in French and American oak. Created in the Bordeaux style this red has aromas of dark fruit like blackberry, tea and dark chocolate with a rich texture and a long plum finish. It’s listed in LCBO Vintages Essentials Collection so it would only be available in the larger LCBO stores like Carleton Place or Stittsville
Cheers!
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