Wine of the Week: Flat Rock Pinot Noir 2020

I randomly picked up the Flat Rock Pinot Noir 2020 on a weekend trip to the LCBO. I was looking for a Pinot Noir for my dinner that night and was immediately attracted to this bottle! The Flat Rock Pinot Noir comes from Flat Rock Cellars located on the Twenty Mile Bench in the Niagara Ontario region. The beautiful new labels are inspired by Flat Rock’s 80 acres of unique terroir. The designs are rock formations of limestone samples from their vineyards! The wine itself also speaks to the uniqueness of the Flat Rock soil. The Flat Rock Pinot Noir 2020 is a beautifully structured, complex and elegant red wine. It’s medium-bodied and on the bold side for a Pinot Noir with flavours of red berries and herbs. I paired this wine with a mushroom lasagna and it was perfection! It will also pair really nicely with rack of lamb, grilled salmon and roasted chicken. Perfect for all the upcoming spring holiday meals! You can find the Flat Rock Pinot Noir 2020 at the LCBO for $22.95, or through the winery’s online shop.

Cheers!

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Wine of the Week: 2019 Inniskillin Niagara Estates Series Pinot Noir

I love drinking Pinot Noir in the early spring. Rainy days, the smell of wet earth and nature beginning to blossom match so well with a glass of Pinot Noir. The 2019 Inniskillin Niagara Estate Series Pinot Noir is one of my favourite spring sippers. This Ontario VQA wine is medium-bodied and dry with flavours of earthiness, black cherry and a hint of spice. The Inniskillin Pinot Noir pairs really well with mushroom dishes, roasted vegetables and cheeseboards. You can find the Inniskillin Pinot Noir at the winery online shop, the LCBO and the Wine Rack for a great value price of $15.95. It’s currently on sale at the Wine Rack for only $14.95. The Inniskillin Pinot Noir is the perfect wine to welcome in the start of spring this weekend!

Cheers!~GDW

Wine of the Week: Konzelmann Pinot Noir

The Konzelmann Pinot Noir is one of those wines that checks all the boxes for me. Local, well priced and pairs with a wide variety of foods – check, check, check! And of course, tastes amazing! Konzelmann Estate Winery is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, along a gorgeous stretch of Lake Ontario. The Konzelmann family has been making wine in Ontario since the 1980’s and their experience shows! The Konzelmann Pinot Noir is a light-bodied dry red wine with flavours of cherry, earth, pepper and a hint of smokiness. Pair this wine with a wide variety foods like mushroom wellington, chicken alfredo or cheese and charcuterie. You can find the Konzelmann Pinot Noir for the great value price of $14.95 at most LCBO locations or the winery’s online store. Supporting local, well priced, pairs with lots of different foods and tastes great – the Konzelmann Pinot Noir is the perfect red wine to have on hand for the holiday season, no matter how you are celebrating!

Cheers!~GDW

Wine of the Week: Inniskillin Pinot Noir Rosé

The Inniskillin Pinot Noir Rosé truly is a wine of my weeks! I probably pick up a bottle once a week. I find it to be such a versatile wine that goes well with so many different foods and occasions. And I especially love it in the fall! The Inniskillin Pinot Noir Rosé is a medium-bodied dry wine with crisp flavours of cherry, cranberry and rhubarb. It pairs perfectly with all your favourite fall foods like applewood smoked porkchops, butternut squash ravioli and even the whole Thanksgiving dinner. The Inniskillin Pinot Noir Rosé is going to be the perfect bottle to have on hand this upcoming Thanksgiving weekend! You can find the Inniskillin Pinot Noir Rosé at the Wine Rack for $14.95.

Cheers!~GDW

Wine of the Week: Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve

This week’s wine pick is one of my favourite Ontario Pinot Noirs and go-to spring reds. The Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve is a medium-bodied dry red wine made with 100% VQA grapes. You’ll first notice it’s beautiful ruby colour, followed by lovely scents of cherry, vanilla and chocolate. This wine has flavours of red berries, plums and cherries with some underlying notes of earth, herbs and mushrooms. These flavours combined with the structure and acidity make the Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve a very food friendly wine! Pair with a wide variety of foods like pork chops, mushroom ravioli and cheese boards. You can find the Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve at the LCBO for $17.95 or pick up a bottle from the winery’s online shop. After trying the Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve, I’m sure it will become one of your favourite springtime reds too!

Cheers!~GDW

My Favourite Wines for Spring

Spring is in the air! While I drink all wines all year, there are a few specific wines that I crave during the spring season. These wines tend to be light-bodied with earthy and floral notes. From a rainy spring walk through the forest to a sunny May picnic in the garden, these types of wines all evoke a sense of springtime to me. Try one of my favourite wines for spring and get a taste of the new season!

Pinot Noir

I love Pinot Noirs that have all the earthy mushroom flavours! Especially during the early spring, this is probably the top kind of wine that I crave. I recently tried the Oak Bay Pinot Noir 2016 and it’s a great example of an earthy Pinot Noir. It’s made by the St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery in the north Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. The Oak Bay Pinot Noir is like a walk through a spring forest. You’ll find flavours of wet soil, mushroom and oak with a floral finish of rose and violet. It’s available in the LCBO vintages for $19.95.

Gewurztraminer

A warm spring Sunday afternoon on the patio with a light cheese plate and chilled glass of Gewurztraminer….sounds perfect to me! Gewurztraminer originates from Germany but is now produced in other cool climate wine regions, like Ontario. It’s an aromatic white wine that is typically on the sweeter side because of the medium-low acidity levels. I especially love the LOLA Gewurztraminer for it’s floral flavours of rose, jasmine and honeysuckle! A glass is like beautiful fresh bouquet of flowers. Your can find the LOLA Gewurztraminer for $13.95 at the LCBO.

Beaujolais

Ah, there’s nothing quite like a glass of Beaujolais in the spring. Beaujolais is a region in France that makes Gamay wine – a light bodied red. There are many different types of Beaujolais wines, based on the sub-region, but the type you want for spring is Fleurie. You can read in detail why I love Fleurie here.  Fleurie wines are very light in style and tend to have soft fruit flavours and lovely floral notes like rose, iris and violet. Basically like a picnic in a beautiful French garden! If you can find a bottle of Fleurie Beaujolais, grab it! Unfortunately, I can’t find any currently available at the LCBO.

Torrontés

When it comes to the end of spring, when the weather is warm and flowers are in full bloom, it’s Torrontés that I love to drink! From Argentina, Torrontés is a white wine made in a dry style with sweet floral aromas and bright fruit flavours. A chilled glass of Torrontés is like visiting a fresh local farmer’s market. In one of my favourites, the Susana Balbo Crios Torrontés, you’ll taste a bouquet of wonderful aromas and flavours – white flowers, peach, lemon, grapefruit, green apple, apricot, honeysuckle and lemon. Find the Crios Torrontés at the LCBO for only $14.95.

Sparkling Rosé

A spring wine list wouldn’t be complete without Rosé! With the spring season comes lots of celebrations and there’s no better way to celebrate than with a bottle of pink bubbly! As you probably know by now, I LOVE the Lily Sparkling Rosé all year round. But I especially love it for spring because of it’s delicate flavours and creamy textures that pair perfectly with springtime sweets. The Lily Sparkling Rosé is like an afternoon high tea celebration. High tea isn’t complete without a glass of pink bubbly, right?! The Lily Sparkling Rosé is widely available at LCBO locations for $17.95.

Cheers!~GDW

 

12 Days of Rosé: Rosewood Pinot Rosé

I’m so excited to start the 12 Days of Rosé! From now until Christmas I will be counting down my favourite Ontario VQA rosés that are perfect for the holiday season. Many think that rosé is a summer wine, but I can’t wait to show you how well it pairs with Christmas festivities. Get ready to Rosé all holiday!

On the first day of 12 Days of Rosé, I give you the Rosewood Estates Winery Pinot Rosé. This wine is extra dry and medium bodied with fresh flavours of strawberry and citrus. Made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes and four days of skin contact, the Rosewood Pinot Rosé has a beautiful pale salmon colour. It will pair well with a pizza night-in with friends, your family Christmas turkey dinner or as a hostess gift with a jar of Rosewood honey. Purchase the Rosewood Pinot Rosé for $15.95 at the winery or their online shop.

Cheers!~GDW

 

How to Throw a Fall Picnic

Step 1

Invite a group of girlfriends who enjoy a day drink just as much as you!

Step 2

Gather the food. We got all of our goodies fresh from the St. Lawrence Market. I highly recommend visiting your city’s local farmer’s market to get the best seasonal products. Our picnic spread included charcuterie, fruit, cranberry tarts, olives, crackers and a variety of Canadian cheeses. I think my favourite was the pink buns! Food that requires no prep except placement on a board is the best for the picnic.

Step 3

The most important step – choose the wine! For daytime drinking at a picnic, I like to choose a lighter wine that will pair well with a variety of foods. For this fall picnic,  we enjoyed the VQA Pelee Island Pinot Noir Reserve. It’s a light red wine  with lovely flavours of cherry, plums and earthiness. Good value for $17.45 at the LCBO.

Step 4

Pick a spot at the park, assemble the bounty and enjoy your fall picnic!

Cheers! – GDW

Wine of Week: Nuiton-Beaunoy Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2015

I’m excited to start a new series on the blog where I share my wine pick of the week. I’ll share my pick every Monday and each wine will be available at the LCBO. My first wine pick is the Nuiton-Beaunoy Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2015. This is a medium-bodied red wine from Burgundy, France. It can be found in the LCBO’s vintages section for $19.95. The Nuiton-Beaunoy has a beautiful red jewel colour with smoky aromas of cherry. The smoky cherry is carried through on the palate and structured with nice tannins and acidity. I really enjoyed this wine and think that you will too! I paired the Nuiton-Beaunoy with pork stuffed acorn squash for the perfect fall combo.

Cheers~GDW