Wish I saw this video before taking a trip to Toronto and grabbing Niagara wines on the way back. Loved your video on FLX, I'm nearby the area and you covered most of my favorite places.
Cave Spring is best known for their Riesling. If you want good reds, Vineland Estates is probably the best producer, especially if you get a reserve wine.
Prince Edward County has an excellent Bordeaux blend but pricey at Karlo Estates. Good Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at Exultet. I like the 2020 Cab Franc from the Grange. I find Niagara is a little more mass-produced at least by Canadian standards.
As a Canadian i'm very appreciative of this video. I spent a whole week in St-Catherines (the center of the niagara wine region) Niagara actually has the has just as many growing degree days as Bordeaux, it gets much hotter for longer than people in think in Canada particularly in Niagara and Lake Erie North Shore. The thing is that wines between 15-20$ are pretty decent for an easy drink but once you start going 25 CAD+ for whites and 30 CAD+ the quality skyrockets. When we spent a whole week in niagara me and my wife tried over 22 wineries, we each had a different flight each everytime sometimes getting a second so we probably tasted closed to 200 wines throughout all of niagara...we did all the major vqas. I'd say overall the big hybrid grapes are great budget sippers overall Baco Noir, Vidal and even Seyval Blanc and Marquette can't go wrong with them anywhere. Riesling, Gewurtzn Cab Franc and Gamay from the major wineries are also at a good price point. But let me tell you something the wines in the mid-price range EXPLODE in quality. Overall the premium Rieslings, Gewurtz, Cab Francs, Gamays, Chardonnays between 25-35$ at the major wineries are very good. Pinot Noir in Prince Edward County, Cab Sauv and Merlot are great phenomal between 40-60$ and are extremely similiar to their french counterparts and i'd say just as good for the price. There is this cool small canadian podcast called winealign with some somms and even an MS where they blind taste test wines and they often confuse the Canadian ones for their french counter parts. Yes under 20$ only certain varietals shine in cool climates but thats the equivalent of like 15 USD quality wines from high wage new world countries are hard to find under 15 USD your better heading over to Chili, Argentina or South Africa for new world at that price. Not alot of great california or Aussie wines under 15 USD either.
great comment. I had the Peller Estate Signature Cab Franc and my god it can compete with Bordeaux's 3rd or 4th growth ( can't use Burgundy since it's pinot noir based). I do agree once the price hits $40+, quality goes through the roof. Canadian wines are often ignored or looked down upon but on the good side, it's affordable yet it can provide the quality of those that are 2-4x pricier bottles. I'm so looking forward for the 2020 vintage.
Also the populated areas of Canada is not very cold most of the year that is common misconception. The springs and Falls are very short. The winters and summers are longer.
Im born and raised in Ottawa and toured Niagara Peninsula for a week and Prince Edward County for a long weekend. I know more about Ontario wine than you get f***d. St Catherines the city in the middle of Niagara Peninsula is one of the warmest cities in Canada googled it.
You have to check out Karlo's Estates (all wines are vegan at Karlo's) and Traynor (unfiltered wines) in Prince Edward County (PEC). Side note: it is not always cold in Canada. We get summer, spring and fall. Yes, winter is cold but it is winter. Our summers are very hot and humid here in Ontario and most other Provinces too. ;-)
There are over 800 vintners in Canada, most of it is too small batch to sell to liquor stores. The supermarket style of liquor stores is not aimed at high quality wine, that’s why wine stores are stand alone businesses.
If you get a chance, try the baco noir feom Henry of Pelham. Hard to find in the States, but it is a red grape that is cold hardy and produces a wonderful wine.
Definitely glad you tried Ontario wines and I respect your opinion on the wines you tasted but I also felt you did a narrow sample & towed the standard line about whites vs reds unfortunately. Cooler climate for sure but not “very very cold most of the year” as you said. Many varietals well suited for Ontario (Baco Noir, Cab Franc, gamay Noir and Pino Noir) especially when you look at growing season temperatures in southern Ontario and BC as well as soul types, geography etc. There are vineyards growing Nebbiolo, Merlot and Syrah as well as many other Bordeaux varietals for example. Understandably it’s hard to judge on only 2 bottles and not the best ones of the bunch so I hope you do a deeper dive into Ontario and BC wines at some point (grab some better bottles to sample as well). All the best in your tasting adventures!
Wow! Tried 2 wines and made a pronouncement on a whole wine region! You might want to do a deeper dive before declaring Ontario a white wine only region…”if you want quality that is”. Cool climate is a generalization based on latitude. Ontario frequently has over 30C temps in July and August and typically varietals like Cab Sauvignon hang until mid November and sometimes into early December. Bordeaux grapes are often harvested well before that. Niagara 2020 reds were generally in the 14.5 to 15% ABV range. Having travelled to many of the world’s better wine regions I can say with some confidence that Ontario produces the highest quality single varietal Cabernet Franc wines…yes even better than Loire Valley Chignon.
What we need to know about Canadian wines is that most of the good stuff are NOT available at the LCBO. Unfortunately, the hidden gems are only found at the winery. Two years ago, I had a surprise blind taste on the Peller Estate Cabernet Franc. I told the staff that their Signature series can go on par with some of Bordeaux 3rd and/or 4th growth, and it was very good ( wasn't interested in Cab Sauv and Merlot). The Reserve series was weaker, so not as powerful. 2019 wasn't a good vintage, but 2020 is a legendary vintage. Why? Because a staff from Two Sisters winery tasted the 2020, and he said it was so good even before putting into the barrel aging, yet it was already amazing. As for Icewine, only 2013 Tawse Chardonnay really hit it because not only is it concentrated, but it also has acidity. The vidal icewines I had before lacked the acidity. (Yes, I'm a huge Sauternes and Tokaji Aszu fan). I had the Megalomaniac cab franc icewine snd ut reminded me of Liquid Jolly Rancher. Stratus was decent, but I'm not familiar with it. I avoid Jackson Triggs and Konzelman.
Nope. Canada is not cold most of the year. Most of us, especially in southern Ontario have warm weather from April or May until October, with June-Sept being very hot. Our coldest months are Jan & Feb, with the rest being cool, but not cold. Just like all of your northern states.
Also to be fair the wages are higher in Canada and you probably tried the lowest tier wine we have to offer. The wines you tried are like 17-19 Canadian Dollars which is like 13$ US and like I said the wages and landcost are just as high as in the states. Do you think it would be fair to judge Oregon, Washington or New Yorks wines based on 12-14$ wines? No. Youd probably want a 20-30 USD wine to truly get proper quality, terroir and typicty of the area. Which is like 25-40 Canadian Dollars. At 12-14$ US you are just getting average quality table wines if it comes from a high wage new world country.
Next time hit Prince Edward County! Traynor, Broken Stone and Rose Hall Run and my favourites. I grew up there.
I drank the whole bottle but saved a glass to review. ....best endorsement ever for that wine
Wish I saw this video before taking a trip to Toronto and grabbing Niagara wines on the way back. Loved your video on FLX, I'm nearby the area and you covered most of my favorite places.
Cave Spring is best known for their Riesling. If you want good reds, Vineland Estates is probably the best producer, especially if you get a reserve wine.
Cellartimehere!!! Happy you featured wines from our region
Prince Edward County has an excellent Bordeaux blend but pricey at Karlo Estates. Good Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at Exultet. I like the 2020 Cab Franc from the Grange.
I find Niagara is a little more mass-produced at least by Canadian standards.
As a Canadian i'm very appreciative of this video. I spent a whole week in St-Catherines (the center of the niagara wine region) Niagara actually has the has just as many growing degree days as Bordeaux, it gets much hotter for longer than people in think in Canada particularly in Niagara and Lake Erie North Shore. The thing is that wines between 15-20$ are pretty decent for an easy drink but once you start going 25 CAD+ for whites and 30 CAD+ the quality skyrockets.
When we spent a whole week in niagara me and my wife tried over 22 wineries, we each had a different flight each everytime sometimes getting a second so we probably tasted closed to 200 wines throughout all of niagara...we did all the major vqas. I'd say overall the big hybrid grapes are great budget sippers overall Baco Noir, Vidal and even Seyval Blanc and Marquette can't go wrong with them anywhere. Riesling, Gewurtzn Cab Franc and Gamay from the major wineries are also at a good price point. But let me tell you something the wines in the mid-price range EXPLODE in quality. Overall the premium Rieslings, Gewurtz, Cab Francs, Gamays, Chardonnays between 25-35$ at the major wineries are very good.
Pinot Noir in Prince Edward County, Cab Sauv and Merlot are great phenomal between 40-60$ and are extremely similiar to their french counterparts and i'd say just as good for the price.
There is this cool small canadian podcast called winealign with some somms and even an MS where they blind taste test wines and they often confuse the Canadian ones for their french counter parts.
Yes under 20$ only certain varietals shine in cool climates but thats the equivalent of like 15 USD quality wines from high wage new world countries are hard to find under 15 USD your better heading over to Chili, Argentina or South Africa for new world at that price. Not alot of great california or Aussie wines under 15 USD either.
great comment. I had the Peller Estate Signature Cab Franc and my god it can compete with Bordeaux's 3rd or 4th growth ( can't use Burgundy since it's pinot noir based). I do agree once the price hits $40+, quality goes through the roof. Canadian wines are often ignored or looked down upon but on the good side, it's affordable yet it can provide the quality of those that are 2-4x pricier bottles. I'm so looking forward for the 2020 vintage.
Canadian wines are so underrated! They are so crisp and clean!
Also the populated areas of Canada is not very cold most of the year that is common misconception. The springs and Falls are very short. The winters and summers are longer.
LOL you've never been to Canada.
Im born and raised in Ottawa and toured Niagara Peninsula for a week and Prince Edward County for a long weekend. I know more about Ontario wine than you get f***d. St Catherines the city in the middle of Niagara Peninsula is one of the warmest cities in Canada googled it.
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Did you visit a different Canada? Summers - especially in the wine growing regions are very Mediterranean.
Hi, what about prices for these examples? Thanks
You have to check out Karlo's Estates (all wines are vegan at Karlo's) and Traynor (unfiltered wines) in Prince Edward County (PEC). Side note: it is not always cold in Canada. We get summer, spring and fall. Yes, winter is cold but it is winter. Our summers are very hot and humid here in Ontario and most other Provinces too. ;-)
Exactly
Yes!! Traynor is excellent 👌
There are over 800 vintners in Canada, most of it is too small batch to sell to liquor stores. The supermarket style of liquor stores is not aimed at high quality wine, that’s why wine stores are stand alone businesses.
If you get a chance, try the baco noir feom Henry of Pelham. Hard to find in the States, but it is a red grape that is cold hardy and produces a wonderful wine.
Had the 2020 one. It's a very good one. Tobacc, chcolate, blackberry aroma with a plum like acidity. Too bad the world doesn't quite know about it.
Definitely glad you tried Ontario wines and I respect your opinion on the wines you tasted but I also felt you did a narrow sample & towed the standard line about whites vs reds unfortunately. Cooler climate for sure but not “very very cold most of the year” as you said. Many varietals well suited for Ontario (Baco Noir, Cab Franc, gamay Noir and Pino Noir) especially when you look at growing season temperatures in southern Ontario and BC as well as soul types, geography etc. There are vineyards growing Nebbiolo, Merlot and Syrah as well as many other Bordeaux varietals for example. Understandably it’s hard to judge on only 2 bottles and not the best ones of the bunch so I hope you do a deeper dive into Ontario and BC wines at some point (grab some better bottles to sample as well). All the best in your tasting adventures!
**soil types**
We just joined Red Tail Ridge winery’s club in the Finger Lakes. We would love a video.
Yes to Finger Lakes. Riesling is my favorite white.
Wow! Tried 2 wines and made a pronouncement on a whole wine region! You might want to do a deeper dive before declaring Ontario a white wine only region…”if you want quality that is”. Cool climate is a generalization based on latitude. Ontario frequently has over 30C temps in July and August and typically varietals like Cab Sauvignon hang until mid November and sometimes into early December. Bordeaux grapes are often harvested well before that. Niagara 2020 reds were generally in the 14.5 to 15% ABV range. Having travelled to many of the world’s better wine regions I can say with some confidence that Ontario produces the highest quality single varietal Cabernet Franc wines…yes even better than Loire Valley Chignon.
definitely gotta do a Finger Lakes show
What we need to know about Canadian wines is that most of the good stuff are NOT available at the LCBO. Unfortunately, the hidden gems are only found at the winery. Two years ago, I had a surprise blind taste on the Peller Estate Cabernet Franc. I told the staff that their Signature series can go on par with some of Bordeaux 3rd and/or 4th growth, and it was very good ( wasn't interested in Cab Sauv and Merlot). The Reserve series was weaker, so not as powerful. 2019 wasn't a good vintage, but 2020 is a legendary vintage. Why? Because a staff from Two Sisters winery tasted the 2020, and he said it was so good even before putting into the barrel aging, yet it was already amazing. As for Icewine, only 2013 Tawse Chardonnay really hit it because not only is it concentrated, but it also has acidity. The vidal icewines I had before lacked the acidity. (Yes, I'm a huge Sauternes and Tokaji Aszu fan). I had the Megalomaniac cab franc icewine snd ut reminded me of Liquid Jolly Rancher. Stratus was decent, but I'm not familiar with it. I avoid Jackson Triggs and Konzelman.
Nope. Canada is not cold most of the year. Most of us, especially in southern Ontario have warm weather from April or May until October, with June-Sept being very hot. Our coldest months are Jan & Feb, with the rest being cool, but not cold. Just like all of your northern states.
you worked for QSR?
Also to be fair the wages are higher in Canada and you probably tried the lowest tier wine we have to offer. The wines you tried are like 17-19 Canadian Dollars which is like 13$ US and like I said the wages and landcost are just as high as in the states. Do you think it would be fair to judge Oregon, Washington or New Yorks wines based on 12-14$ wines? No. Youd probably want a 20-30 USD wine to truly get proper quality, terroir and typicty of the area. Which is like 25-40 Canadian Dollars. At 12-14$ US you are just getting average quality table wines if it comes from a high wage new world country.
I’d lie you to review Finger Lakes wine
are you a real somm? I get the feeling you're not
Level 1 cms and passed theory and tasting level 2. What about you?
@@TheSommNextDoor Sassy reply :)