One of the most exciting features of Cuvée is being introduced to amazing Ontario VQA wine selections that our winemakers picked as their personal favourites! Visit each of our participating wineries featured in Station 2 to hear more about what makes each wine so special, complete with tasting notes, pairing tips, and insider insights.
Don’t forget to also visit the links featuring the Winemakers Favourites below. Each winery has provided options that make it easy for you to shop online and enjoy these wines at home! Support local!
Château des Charmes
1025 York Rd.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
905-262-4219
chateaudescharmes.com
WINEMAKER: Amélie Boury
N/V Brut Sparkling, Mèthode Traditionnelle
Our Brut is a classic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir made in the traditional method. I bottle age this wine on the lees (yeast) for a minimum of one year and disgorge each bottle just before it leaves my hands, the practice of “RD,” or, recently disgorged; a sign of quality and attention to detail on the part of the producer. On the nose it should remind you of lemon, lime and toasted bread. The creamy texture is punctuated by the fine, persistent bubbles.
2015 Chardonnay, St. David’s Bench Vineyard
This wine is barrel fermented and aged “sur lie” for up to 12 months in French oak barrels. The resulting wine is full-bodied, combining flavours of tropical fruit and melon in a concentrated, buttery style. There are also nuances of smokiness and soft, warm spice to make things interesting. This is an age-worthy Chardonnay that will continue to develop for a few years in the bottle.
Colaneri Estate Winery
348 Concession 6 Rd.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
905-682-2100
colaneriwines.com
2017 “Cavallone” Pinot Grigio
This beautiful peach-coloured wine has always been a winery and friend favourite as it presents unusual full flavor and a label that is dear to our hearts. Done with 40% Appassimento, it is sure to wow all the senses.
2017 “Insieme” Red Blend
Something magical happens when you blend such beautiful Appassimento style wines together. Incredible richness, to undeniable complexity, this full-bodied wine is a joy to share with everyone, year after year, and the 2017 is no exception.
Fielding Estate Winery
4020 Locust Ln.
Beamsville
905-563-0668
fieldingwines.com
WINEMAKER: Richie Roberts
NV Traditional Method Sparkling Brut
Based on the 2014 vintage (with 20% older cuvées dating back to 2009), this nonvintage sparkling was disgorged in the fall of 2019 after spending over four years on lees. Comprised of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from our two Estate vineyards, I chose this wine because It is both refreshing and vibrant while maintaining layers of complexity.
2016 Lowrey Vineyard Syrah
Hand-harvested from two select parcels of low-yielding vines in the Lowrey Vineyard, this Syrah is my favourite red wine at the moment. After an extended maceration, the barrels selected for the final blend were aged 18 months in French oak. Racked from barrel and bottled unfined and unfiltered, I think this Syrah is expressive, complex, has great texture, and has the ability to age very well.
Flat Rock Cellars
2727 Seventh Ave.
Jordan
905-562-8994
flatrockcellars.com
WINEMAKER: David Sheppard
2018 Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling
The 2018 vintage was selected from a one hectare, single-parcel of Riesling that was part of our original plantings in 2004. The limestone rich, sloped elevation of Nadja’s Vineyard exemplifies the terroir that has made this one of Canada’s most awarded Rieslings over the last 16 years.
2017 Gravity Pinot Noir
The Gravity bottling of Pinot Noir is designed to showcase the Best of the Best in our vineyard and cellar. Previous vintages of Gravity have been recognized among Canada’s upper echelon of Pinot Noirs, so we’re excited to pre-release the amazing
2017 vintage exclusively to attendees of Cuvée and en Route.
G.Marquis Vineyards
4520 Ontario St.
Beamsville
1-800-461-9463
gmarquis.com
WINEMAKER: Peter Rotar
2018 Silver Line Chardonnay
G. Marquis is a collection of tribute wines that honours our winery founder, Gabe Magnotta, and personifies, for me, Gabe and Rossana Magnotta’s bold and daring story. They are both omnipresent when I make these exceptional wines. Our absolute top grapes from our own Stone Road Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake are used to make every vintage and achieve the high-quality worthy of the G. Marquis name and the legacy behind it. Our Chardonnay Silver Line is no exception. Hand harvested grapes have been partly barrel-fermented to produce the right balance of full-bodied richness and freshness. This award-winning wine boasts unmistakable flavours of honeydew melon, Anjou pear and golden delicious apple, accompanied by slight herb, butter and oak spice notes. One of our most outstanding and requested white wines.
2018 Silver Line Pinot Noir
This is one of my favourites because it comes from our G. Marquis vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The grapes come from carefully tended 25-year old Pinot vines, and the complex notes of red cherry, mineral, and smoke make it an elegant and structured wine.
Georgian Hills Vineyards
496350 Grey Rd. 2
Town of the Blue Mountains
519-599-2255
georgianhillsvineyards.ca
WINEMAKER: Vanessa McKean
2017 Wild & Inspired Chardonnay
2017 was the first year we added a Chardonnay into our Wild & Inspired project. It was important to source fruit that would reflect the Niagara terrior without straying too far from our own Georgian Bay grown cool climate portfolio, so we took care to source from cooler, higher-elevation vineyards in Niagara. I also think the Thomas Bachelder influence is especially evident in this wine. His expertise as the consulting winemaker for our Wild & Inspired project was instrumental in creating elegance and balance in the wine.
2016 Wild & Insipred Pinot Noir Cuvee Wismer Vineyard
2016 was the start of a journey from concept to glass. We wanted to create a series of wines using premium grown Niagara Fruit & low intervention winemaking by letting the wines ferment without the addition of cultured yeasts to gain the greatest expression from the combination of Niagara & Georgian Bay terrior. Thomas Bachelder joined the project at the onset, and we sourced fruit from two different Wismer vineyards. Together, through barrel selection, we developed this Cuvée and our first Wild & Inspired wine was created.
Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery
1469 Pelham Rd.
St. Catharines
905-684-8423
henryofpelham.com
WINEMAKER: Lawrence Buhler
2018 Speck Family Reserve Riesling
The 2018 Speck Family Reserve is my top choice when selecting from our Rieslings. It originates from the oldest planted block of Mosel clones on our Short Hills Bench estate. This traditional German clone is grown in our Burgundian climate on heavy clay instead of slate and enjoys notable southern exposure; a combination of growing conditions that create a wine of outstanding complexity. We decided to age a portion of the wine from this vintage in neutral oak foudres with wonderful results. This coolclimate Riesling exhibits exceptional freshness, ripeness, and fruit purity and lingers on the palate with a light, creamy finish.
2018 Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir
2018 was a great year for all red wines produced. However, the Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir was my personal favourite. The character of the older vines on the single block where this fruit is grown is perfectly expressed in its big, jammy, dark fruit character and balanced, smoky minerality. The care we take with this wine makes me savour every velvety sip. I look forward to seeing how this wine will develop with further aging.
ICELLARS Estate Winery
615 Concession 5 Rd.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
289-479-5969
icellars.ca
WINEMAKER: Adnan Icel
2018 Sauvignon Blanc
It is a single vineyard white that is aged in French oak barrels.
2016 Wiyana Wanda Blend
This is our top wine made from the best vineyard blocs and best barrels. This big bold red is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 6% Malbec all from our estate vineyard. It is aged 24 months in all-new French oak barrels and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Due to availability, some vintages may have been changed.
2020 SPONSORS
Funding provided by the Government of Ontario.
