• The following wines, and those from the previous newsletter now archived on the www.winecurrent.com site from Tawse Winery, can be purchased by the case for home, office or restaurant delivery online at Tawse Winery, by Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by phone +1 905 562 9500 or for pick up by the bottle or case directly at the winery 3955 Cherry Ave, Vineland ON. Here’s a map.

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Redstone ‘Limestone Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc 2017
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $23.95 14.0% alcohol
In a word… delicious. This is farmed organically and biodynamically. Aromas of leafy herbs, minerality and orchard fruit provide segue to a value-packed, medium-bodied, creamy-textured flow of palate flavours—white peach, Granny Smith apple and green pineapple riding a seam of acidity and mineral notes. There’s complexity and depth, deft balance and it’s simply charming and quite satisfying—it was also difficult to spit. Pour on its own or with goat cheese crumbled over olive-oiled arugula. Kudos to winemaker Rene Van Ede and his team. (Vic Harradine)

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Redstone ‘Redfoot Vineyard’ Viognier 2017
VQA Lincoln Lakeshore $19.95 12.0% alcohol
Delightful honeysuckle, Mandarin and baking spice aromas abound. It coats the palate with gusto—a medium-plus bodied, oily textured wash of white peach, blood orange and grapefruit pith dominate the palate persisting through the mildly tart finish and aftertaste. Serve lightly chilled by taking out of the cooler 20 minutes before serving alongside chicken tagine including dried apricots and cubed rutabaga. This is very good value. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2014 Tawse ‘Laundry Vineyard’ Blanc de Noirs Sparkling Wine was fashioned in the traditional method with 100% Pinot Noir fruit from a sustainably farmed, single-vineyard in the sub-appellation of Lincoln Lakeshore and spent 36 months on its secondary-fermentation lees.

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Tawse ‘Laundry Vineyard’ Blanc de Noirs Sparkling Wine 2014
VQA Lincoln Lakeshore $29.95 12.0% alcohol
A delightfully alluring nose of strawberry, spice and notions of leesy notes set the stage for a racy, tang-infused, laser-like stream of acidity and steely minerality balanced by ripe plum and soft Meyer lemon on the back palate and aftertaste. This really shines when sipped on its own or poured with freshly shucked, briny oysters under a few dots of hot sauce and a squeeze of fresh lemon. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2014 Tawse ‘Estate Bottled – pét-nat’ is the first ‘Pétillant Naturel’ produced by Tawse. It’s a blend of organic and biodynamic estate chardonnay fruit that underwent fermentation in the bottle, but was not disgorged—expelling expired yeast cells aka lees—so remains on its lees in the bottle you purchase and is unfiltered—an ancient method for making sparkling wine and it pours slightly cloudy as a result. It’s closed with a crown cap for über-easy access—a helpful, very-modern method.

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Tawse ‘Estate Bottled – pét-nat’ 2014
VQA Niagara Peninsula $24.95 13.0% alcohol
Delicate aromas of honey, floral and mineral notes introduce spritzy mouthfuls of racy lemon-lime, biscuit, pineapple and Granny Smith apple. It bathes the palate with clean, crisp and refreshing waves of flavour, tang, steely minerality, acidity, balance and pizzazz. It finishes with more of the same and it’s deliriously, lip-smacking good. Pour on its own as an aperitif or welcoming wine or with fish tacos, sushi or crab cakes. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2017 Tawse ‘Growers Blend’ Sauvignon Blanc was fashioned from select parcels of Niagara Peninsula sauvignon blanc fruit then fermented and settled in stainless steel.

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Tawse ‘Growers Blend’ Sauvignon Blanc 2017
VQA Niagara Peninsula $25.95 12.5% alcohol
Flinty minerality, green apple and pear aromas introduce a tang-laden stream of palate-bathing flavours with piquant spice, tangy, white grapefruit acidity and plenty of pizzazz. It streaks across the palate, mid-weight and nicely textured with oodles of nerve and verve. It finishes with more of the same—racy, crisp and refreshing. Pour alongside sushi, prawn ceviche or cod poached in lemon and white wine. (Vic Harradine)

• Fruit for the following 2015 Tawse ‘South Bay Vineyard’ Chardonnay was sourced from South Bay Vineyard in Prince Edward County and was aged 12 months in French oak.

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Tawse ‘South Bay Vineyard’ Chardonnay 2015
VQA Prince Edward County $34.95 12.5% alcohol
Baking spice, sweet vanilla and oaky notes coalesce on the nose of this absolutely gorgeous chardonnay. Palate flavours of ginger and baked apple settle on the palate interwoven with lemon curd and blood orange and they infuse the finish with gusto, deft balance, depth and complexity along with a lip-smacking aftertaste layering on saline, flinty mineral notes. This is delectable now and will improve over the short-medium term. The price-quality balance tips wildly in your favour. (Vic Harradine)

• The organic and biodynamic fruit for the following 2013 Tawse ‘David’s Block’ Merlot was hand-harvested, fermented then matured 18 months in French oak barrels. Most unfortunately, the two killing winters that followed this harvest wiped out the vines; this is the final bottling of this perennial favourite.

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Tawse ‘David’s Block’ Merlot 2013
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $49.95 13.5% alcohol
A lovely garnet hue in the glass, aromas of exotic spice, grilled savory herbs and red and black berry fruit are accessible. It blankets the palate with a lively wash of crunchy, sour cherry and piquant-spiced passionfruit flavour interwoven with leafy herbs and lip-smacking tang. It’s medium-plus bodied with good mouthfeel and drying tannin on the medium-length finish and aftertaste. Aerate/decant a couple of hours or cellar two more years pouring with a tomato-based sauce and pasta or meat lasagna. (Vic Harradine)