Buyer’s Guide to Vintages May 24th Release

Ontario Wine is Busting Out All Over, Trends from Cuvee 2025
By David Lawrason with notes from Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato and Megha Jandhyala

Our cool spring may have delayed the flowering and fruit set in Ontario’s vineyards longer than wished, but Ontario wine is in full bloom here in late May in terms of events and promotions.

On May 24, Niagara went gala at Brock University’s annual Grand Cuvee Tasting in St. Catharines where 32 winemakers poured bottling they deemed their best and/or most interesting. Then less than 48 hours later, on May 26, more than 300 wines were poured for the Toronto trade at Taste Ontario’s annual tasting (a bit late for this deadline). And, coming up June 2, 10 wineries from Prince Edward County arrive in the GTA with Dare to Compare, an event pitting their chardonnays and pinots against foreign competition.

Before returning to Cuvee 2025, please note that there are 14 Ontario wines in the Vintages May 24 release (out of 102), with the proportion growing right along with VQA wine sales overall since all the noise erupted south of the border. Our picks (below) nicely mirror the Vintages theme of wines for outdoor dining, dominated by a selection of intriguing, varied and value-driven white wines.

Back to Cuvee 2025, I have always liked this dress-up event for its sense of quality and celebration, and the trends it reveals when winemakers show their best efforts. There were three things that struck me this time out: the quality of the sparkling wines (which is the theme of this year’s Experts Tasting), the quality of the “Bordeaux” reds from the 2020 vintage, and the promise of sauvignon blanc in Niagara.

Let’s start there, because five of the first ten whites I tasted were sauvignon blancs, a cool climate variety that Niagara has historically shied away from due to the grape’s lower winter-survival threshold. But that has not been an issue in recent years and the new crop of 2024s and 2023s is particularly promising. I really liked three elegant, mineral examples from the adjacent Wismer and Hanck Vineyards in Twenty Mile Bench: King & Victoria 2023 ($32), Icellars 2024 ($36) and Peninsula Ridge 2024, which is a steal at $19.95. Then from a lake-warmed sites in Niagara Lakeshore, Leaning Post 2024 ($29) is very expressive and complex, as is the Peller Signature 2023 ($32) that has seen barrel fermentation.

The traditional method sparklers were excellent one after another, showing great acidity, verve and especially depth of flavour. Henry of Pelham 2017 Blanc de Blancs Carte Blanche ($44.85) remains a benchmark, with Divergence 2020 Blanc de Blanc ($75) in the same league. Malivoire Bisous Rose NV ($32) is delicate, deep and 100% pinot noir-based. Thirty Bench Sparkling Riesling ($40) shocks me every time with classic aromatics and riveting structure and depth. And 13^th Street NV Blanc de Blanc is an incisive, lean yet elegant green apple edition.

The 2020 pandemic vintage may have been the year that time stood still for many, but it was one of the healthiest and ripest crops in Niagara’s history, and those big cabernet and merlot-based reds are out of hibernation. I was very impressed by Ravine Reserve Nancy’s Block Cabernet Franc 2020 ($67), Peninsula Ridge BV Cabernet Sauvignon ($35), the very age-worthy Stratus Red 2020 ($55), Riverview Basket Press Salvatore’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($60) and Magnotta’s appassimento Enotrium Gran Riserva ($60).

With a reminder that all the wines above can be purchased online direct from the wineries, and/or packed into your trunk after a weekend junket to wine country.

Just before getting to our Vintages picks, here are the three big award winners from Cuvee 2025. Viticulturalist Tom Wiley of Jordan received the Cuvee Vineyard of Excellence Award. Thomas Bachelder of Domaine Le Clos Jordanne and Bachelder Wines received the Cuvee Winemaker of Excellence. And photographer extraordinaire Stephen Elphick received The Tony Aspler Cuvee Award of Excellence for years of chronicling Niagara wine through his keen lens.

Meanwhile here are our picks from the May 24 Vintages release, assembled in ascending price order.

Buyer’s Guide May 14th: Whites and Rosé

Azevedo Loureiro Alvarinho 2024, Vinho Verde, Portugal
$13.95, Charton Hobbs
Megha Jandhyala – This very affordable Vinho Verde is fun and fresh, brimming with juicy fruit and invigorating acidity, with a crisp, cheerful finish.

Marrenon Rosace Rosé 2024, Rhône, France
$16.95, Vonterra
David Lawrason – Nicely balanced, fresh and lively with pretty strawberry, saffron and florals. It is light to medium bodied, crisp and warm with a hint of balancing sweetness.
Michael Godel – Light, flavourful and even unctuous blush, chock and rife with red fruit, sapidity and toothsome quality. Plentiful for $16.

Sonsierra Viuria 2022, Rioja, Spain
$16.95, Rogers & Company
David Lawrason – From 40-year-old vines, this is a barrel-fermented, 100% viura has taut, almost light-bodied feel with lifted and very spicy aromas with cedar, fresh herbs, lemon and some barrel resin. Try with spicy grilled shrimp recipes.

Kir Yianni Le Nord Assyrtiko 2024, Macedonia, Greece
$19.95, Kolonaki Group Inc
Sara d’Amato – Assyrtiko may be best known for its razor-edged expressions for Santorini’s windswept volcanic terroir, but this high-elevation Macedonian take brings its own refreshing charm. Brimming with tension and clarity, it’s piercingly fresh and mineral-driven.
Michael Godel – Cooly herbal, crunchy and sapid high-altitude wine indeed. Plenty to sink your palate into.
Megha Jandhyala – From high elevation vineyards in Northern Greece, comes this citrusy and herbal, faintly saline assyrtiko. I recommend pairing it with mildly spiced light seafood like shellfish.

Leindl GV Grüner Veltliner 2023, Kamptal, Austria
$19.95, VINOLOGIE
David Lawrason – This is solid, dry and mineral gruner veltliner. Rather restrained but very classy. Expect yellow pear/unripe peach fruit, lemon blossom, wet stone and very subtle GV pepper.

Paddy Borthwick Riesling 2023, Wairarapa, New Zealand
$19.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
Sara d’Amato – From the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, it’s dry and brimming with nervy energy. A racy rush of lime and grapefruit streaks through its high-acid frame, grounded by minerality and lifted by a flicker of florals. Clean, crisp, and classically styled.

Stina Cuvée White 2023, Croatia
$21.95, Croatia Unpacked
Sara d’Amato – This gently aromatic Croatian blend is anchored by local pošip, complemented by vugava and chardonnay. It is a sea-kissed sip that is salty, bright and impeccably clean. Ripe pear and zesty lime hover above its mineral backbone, with impressive concentration and memorable length.

Marynissen Heritage Collection Picone Vineyard Riesling 2023, Ontario, Canada
$22.95, Michael Andrew Brands
Michael Godel – Smells and tastes like Picone Vineyard riesling, equipped with the right shading and balance between fruit, sugars and acidity. Along with the infamous petrol which speaks to what should and will be.
David Lawrason – With fruit from a great riesling site, the aromatics are very lifted with pineapple, honey, petrol and herbal notes. It is slim, wiry and just barely off-dry. The length is excellent.

Torre Mora Scalunera Etna Bianco 2023, Sicily, Italy
$32.95, Medovino Imports
Megha Jandhyala – This organic 100% carricante is a delicious and approachable representation of Etna Bianco — displaying equals parts fleshy fruit and flinty notes, with a lingering, pithy finish
David Lawrason – I immediately picked out the flinty/waxy aroma emanating from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna. Alongside ripe almost banana peel fruit, barrel spice, fresh herbs and vanillin. It is fulsome yet angular and intense with all kinds of minerality.
Sara d’Amato – This volcanic gem erupts with flavour in every sip — bursting with crisp, saline energy and waves of juicy pear and passion fruit. Botanicals and sea spray make for a crunchy, electric palate. One sip, and resistance is futile.

Château De Beaucastel Coudoulet De Beaucastel Blanc 2023, Rhône, France
$34.95, Charton Hobbs
Sara d’Amato – Nicknamed the “baby Beaucastel,” this white Rhône blend punches well above its weight class. Crafted from a quartet of bourboulenc, marsanne, viognier, and clairette, it’s been aged thoughtfully — primarily in vat with a touch of oak for nuance. Elegant and multilayered, it shows clean complexity and undeniable sophistication.
David Lawrason – A blend of white grapes (see Sara’s note) assembled with effortless poise to create a rich yet refreshing and firm white with almost tropical pineapple, lemon blossom, fresh herbs and oh-so-subtle wood spice. It is medium-full bodied, elegant and bright.

Trimbach Réserve Pinot Gris 2018, Alsace, France
$37.95, Woodman Wines & Spirits
Michael Godel – A Ribeauvillé classic, semi-aromatic, understated if riveting and balanced. Scents and tastes of class and pleasure. True delight in Alsatian white wine.

Buyer’s Guide May 24th: Red

Château Gaillard Beaujolais Villages 2023, Beaujolais, France
$19.95, Sylvestre Wines & Spirits
David Lawrason – This is a purely rendered, very pretty Beaujolais that captures lightness and delicacy. It is medium bodied, almost satiny, warm and sweet-edged, but with a dry, keen finish.
Michael Godel – Lovely, quaint and easygoing gamay here to represent the Villages designation out of Beaujolais. As straightforward and classic as they come. Glou-glou, as they say.
Sara d’Amato – In the vein of light, chill-worthy, warm weather-friendly reds, here’s a lively Beaujolais Villages with more elegance and nuanced complexity than the norm. Finely composed with gentle botanicals, white pepper, a melange of just-ripe red fruit, silky tannins and just enough acidity.

Santa Carolina 150 Anniversary Edition 2022, Chile
$19.95, Charton Hobbs
Michael Godel – Bold, bolder and boldest three grape mix and frankly the outcome is fresher and lighter than expected. Balanced and very effective to match (especially) vegetarian options on the table.

Wirra Wirra Farmer’s Heart Grenache 2023, South Australia
$25.95, Andrew Peller Import Agency
Sara d’Amato – This makes a strong first impression with its generous, expressive nose that features black cherry, ripe strawberry and a lift of white pepper. Pours a typically pale hue but don’t be fooled: there’s impressive concentration beneath the surface. Light tannins lend gentle grip, while a subtle salinity adds finesse.

Hidden Bench Gamay 2022, Ontario, Canada
$29.95, Mark Anthony Group
David Lawrason – A re-release from October 2024 but worth mentioning again as the ripest and best yet from Hidden Bench. More colour depth than expected and generous aromas of strawberry/cherry fruit, soft florals and subtle oak. It nicely composed and effortlessly balanced.
Megha Jandhyala – Hidden Bench showcases how Ontario gamay can be both varietally representative and inimitable at the same time. It is layered, flavourful, and bright, with a long and captivating finish. Chill lightly.

Tawse Quarry Road Pinot Noir 2021, Ontario, Canada
$35.95, Tawse
Megha Jandhyala – Another re-release, this perfumed, complex, and concentrated pinot noir is drinking beautifully now, a few months on. I especially like its silky, supple palate, with burnished tannins and firm acidity.

And that’s a wrap for this edition. We return with a report on the June 7 release which features Rose, and Bachelder wines of Niagara.
– David

Use these quick links for access to all of our May 24th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.

Lawrason’s Take – May 24th
Megha’s Picks – May 24th
John’s Top Picks – May 24th
Sara’s Selections – May 24th

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