Purchase the following wine by the case for daily home, restaurant or office delivery online from Creekside Estate or pick up from the winery in Jordan. (Vic Harradine) 

   
Creekside Estate ‘Queenston Vineyard’ Pinot Noir 2013
VQA St. David’s Bench $22.95 13.0% alcohol
Roasted herbs, piquant spice and sous bois aromas, aka earthy/forest floor, abound. Lively savoury-tinged flavours of pie cherry and ripe briary berry wash in waves garnished with excellent moderating acidity and wisps of black plum—delicious. It’s structured with good depth and complexity, mid weight, good mouth feel and a lingering, balanced finish and aftertaste. Very well done—pour with coq au vin. (Vic Harradine)

• Purchase the following wine by the case for daily home, restaurant or office delivery online from Featherstone or pick up from the winery in Vineland.

   
Featherstone ‘Canadian Oak’ Chardonnay 2013
VQA Niagara Peninsula $21.95 (149302) 12.5% alcohol
Hand-harvested, hand sorted, whole-bunch pressed and barrel fermented, it aged 12 months in Canadian oak barrels—Canadian oak is tighter and finer-grained than French and often said to impart a spicy note. Sandalwood, caramel and baked apple on the nose, it bathes the palate with a delectable tapestry of creamy-smooth, spiced apple pie, lemon yoghurt, sweet vanilla and buttered toast. It’s balanced, with good structure and wisps of oak on the lingering aftertaste. (Vic Harradine)

   
Featherstone ‘Four Feathers’ 2014
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (341586) 12.0% alcohol
Featherstone produces carefully crafted, well-made wine with purity of fruit and the quality-price balance always tipped in your favour. This off-dry white blend—Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc—coats the palate with a fully flavoured wash of tropical fruit, lemon pie filling and notions of grilled pineapple. This is medium-full bodied with a long, fleshy, balanced and beautiful finish and aftertaste. It’s value-laden and you won’t go wrong picking up a few to sip or pour with lighter appetizers or spicy Asian cuisine. (Vic Harradine)

   
Featherstone ‘Red Tail Merlot’ 2013
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $19.95 (131540) 12.5% alcohol
Sourced from estate,12-year-old vines, it was fermented with indigenous yeast in small vats over 15 days. A lighter-styled, consumer-friendly red with charm and elegance, it dishes up aromas of baking spice, red berry fruit and notions of red cherry. It’s mid weight with good mouth feel and savoury-laced flavours of ripe red berry fruit and sweet-ish red cherry followed by a balanced finish. It pours well with mains of grilled red meat. (Vic Harradine)

   
Featherstone Sauvignon Blanc 2014
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $17.95 12.0% alcohol
A lifted alluring nose of floral notes and honeyed pit fruit aromas mingle with wisps of lime. It bathes the palate with plush mouth feel and medium weight showering peach, pear and oodles of tang on the palate persisting through the lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. Not your typical Sauvignon Blanc, but it’ll find plenty of people who’ll love it poured on it’s own or with pan-seared fish or grilled seafood. (Vic Harradine)

• Order the following 3 wines, along with wine from the previous May 13 winecurrent newsletter, by the mixed case of 6 or 12 for daily home, restaurant or office delivery in Ontario online from Huff Estates or pick up from the winery in Bloomfield, Prince Edward County.

   
Huff Estates Pinot Gris 2013
VQA Prince Edward County $20.00 13.0% alcohol
Honeydew melon and citrus aromas interweave with wisps of honey and toast on the alluring nose. It coats the palate with a medium-weight, creamy smooth wash of Meyer lemon, apple pie filling and notions of buttered toast. There’s a sense of finesse and fullness of flavour throughout. Stylish and charming, it finishes balanced on a pin inviting a pairing with pan-seared salmon or mussels steamed in white wine. (Vic Harradine)

   
Huff Estates ‘Cuvée Janine’ Sparkling Rosé 2011 

VQA Prince Edward County $30.00 12.9% alcohol 

Produced Methode Traditionelle from 100% Pinot Noir, this spent 30 months on its lees. Aromas of cherry and red berry fruit mingle with wisps of minerality prior to unleashing a glorious profusion of fine-bead mousse, aka millions of tiny bubbles. Red currant and pie cherry flavour dance over the palate with strawberry and watermelon carried along with all those wonderful bubbles. It finishes clean, crisp and refreshing. Has enough structure and pizzazz to pour with roast bird or pan-seared salmon—sublime sipped alone. (Vic Harradine)

   
Huff Estates ‘first frost’ Vidal 2013

VQA Ontario $25.00 (063842) 500 mL 8.5% alcohol
From hand-picked fruit around the time of the first frost in fall, this delivers stunning aromas—tropical fruit, apricot and candied citrus—and a mouthful of sweet, rich, ripe fruit flavours—honeyed mango, grilled pineapple and sugared grapefruit. It finishes balanced and beautiful. Pour on its own as dessert, with a fruit flan or alongside blue-veined cheese. (Vic Harradine)  

• Order the following three wines by the case, along with wine from the previous May 13 winecurrent newsletter, for daily home or office delivery from Thirty Bench or pick up from the winery in Beamsville. 

   
Thirty Bench ‘Small Lot – Steel Post Vineyard’ Riesling 2013

VQA Beamsville Bench $30.00 10.9% alcohol
Aptly named, it’s a bit more tight and steely on the palate than last vintage. Aromas of jasmine, citrus and green tea have to be coaxed from this limited-edition gem while on the front palate it fairly sings with bright lively tang—lime zest, racy grapefruit and chalky minerality. It finishes a bit broader on the finish and aftertaste with ripe peach, lemon pie filling and wisps of Kiwi fruit. Give this more time in bottle allowing to open up—pop corks in 2018 and again in 2020—should reward careful cellaring. (Vic Harradine)

    
Thirty Bench ‘Small Lot – Triangle Vineyard’ Riesling 2013

VQA Beamsville Bench $30.00 10.6% alcohol
Pungent aromas of lime zest, piquant spice and orchard fruit—apple, pear and nectarine—herald a nicely focused wash of tang-laden flavour with Granny Smith apple, ripe pineapple and white grapefruit to the fore interlaced with mineral/saline and notions of peel marmalade. It’s light-medium weight with excellent nerve and verve throughout ending in a blaze of dry, crisp, lip-smacking acidity. Riesling aficionados, collectors and wine-lovers like you and me would do well to pick some up. (Vic Harradine)

   
Thirty Bench Riesling 2013

VQA Beamsville Bench $18.95 10.8% alcohol
Sourced from estate-grown younger vines, aromas of Key lime, orchard fruit and wet slate abound. It rolls over the palate with lively tang and freshness showcasing flavours of ruby red grapefruit and lime cordial interwoven with blood orange and minerality. It’s light and zesty with very good mouth feel and a balanced, lingering, slightly off-dry finish and aftertaste. Good to go now on its own or paired with lemon Sole. (Vic Harradine)