The Big Post: Niagara wine picks from Vintages release; a new, naturally flavoured vodka refresher; champers and an Italian beauty

This big post today features Niagara wine highlights from the Vintages wine release Saturday plus an Italian beauty, a new all-naturally flavoured, unsweetened vodka drink, and some champers to look forward to.

Niagara wine recommendations
from Vintages Saturday

Fielding Estate Chardonnay 2014 ($22, 90 points) — Look out the window from Fielding Estate’s tasting room and that’s where this Chardonnay comes from. It has a gorgeous nose of grapefruit, citrus, poached pear, vanilla, toast and tangerine. It has lovely texture and freshness with the stone fruit and citrus flavours building on the palate and all lifted by racy acidity through the finish. Made by winemaker Richie Roberts, pictured above.

13th Street Gamay 2013 ($20, 88 points) — Positioning itself as a Gamay juggernaut, winemaker JP Colas says: “Everyone now wants to make Gamay. But we have history with this grape.” The first-tier bottling of Gamay from 13th Street is a nice place to begin, a drinking wine, a farm wine, with a nose of wild berries, currants and plums. It’s simply delicious in the mouth with plum-cherry flavours and balancing acidity.

Featherstone Red-Tail Merlot 2013 ($20, 88 points) — Fans of Featherstone Merlot may want to load up on the 2013 vintage; the ravages of two bad winters took a toll on the Merlot vines at the estate. What was left of the 2014 Merlot went to rose after about 35% of the vineyard was lost. Almost as much was lost in 2015 and it’s not looking like there will not be a Merlot made in that vintage. Featherstone is replanting but doesn’t know when there will be another vintage of the Red Tail. The nose shows pretty raspberry, cherry, cedar and spice. It’s a medium-bodied offering on the palate with rich red fruits, cran-cherry and spice with freshness through the finish.

Other Niagara wines being
released, but not reviewed:

• Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2015 ($17)
• Fielding White Conception 2013 ($19)
• Coyote’s Run Black Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 ($33)
• Wildass Red 2012 ($20)
• Tawse Sketches of Niagara Rose 2015 ($20)

International superstar
I can highly recommend:

Uggiano Falconeri Cabernet Sauvignon IGT 2008, Tuscany ($45, 93 points) — A chance to buy an incredibly bold and complex Italian red that has some age on it. The nose is intense with notes of blackberries, currants, cloves, toasted vanilla, bramble and roasted herbs. It’s a full-bodied red that reveals a range of ripe, delicious dark fruits on the palate with a plush bed of tannins on a structured frame. It is that lovely depth of spice that will enthrall, all derived from long barrel aging in a combination of French oak barrels. A beauty.

Something new hitting
LCBO shelves

Toronto entrepreneurs Dan Beach and Kevin Folk saw a need for a beverage that was easy on the calories, big on flavour without any artificial sweeteners and developed a pair of ready-to-drink sparkling vodka beverages that are just now hitting the shelves at the LCBO. Social Lite, which comes in 355 mL skinny cans (sold as a four-pack for $10) uses all-natural flavours and has just 80 calories per can. It comes in two flavours — Lemon Cucumber Mint and Lime Ginger — with two other flavours to be released soon.

The drinks were first released in Alberta, where liquor laws aren’t so bogged down in red tape, but has now migrated to Ontario.

What’s cool about these drinks is the list of ingredients on the cans: Carbonated water, vodka, natural flavours, lime or lemon juice concentrate. 

I tried the two Social Lite drinks now at the LCBO from samples that were delivered to my home (by one of the owners on a motorcycle, no less) and the unsweetened nature of the drinks was jarring (you don’t realize how much sugar is in the cooler segment of the beverage industry until you try something natural and unsweetened like this) at first but once your taste buds process the lack of sugar it becomes a refreshing, flavour-forward beverage that seems well-suited for casual summer enjoyment. Here are my reviews:

Social Lite Lemon Cucumber Mint ($10 for a four pack, LCBO, 4% abv) — Made unsweetened with all natural flavours and artisan vodka, this has appealing cucumber and mint aromas on the nose with a freshness that draws you in. It’s lightly carbonated on the palate with vibrant acidity and drinks like a wine infused with fresh garden mint and cucumbers. I absolutely love that there is no cloying sweetness.

Social Lite Lime Ginger ($10 for a four-pack, LCBO, 4% abv) — Unlike anything on the market with its fresh nose of lime and ginger and soft carbonation and vibrancy on both the nose and palate. It’s like someone served you up a fine vodka on ice and simply squeezed some lime and fresh ground ginger into your glass. Gotta love it!

Sparklers that could be
headed our way

These two Champagnes and one Prosecco are wines that are being considered for consignment or Vintages in the near future:

Gruet Brut Selection Chardonnay NV ($40, 91 points) — A blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier with a nose of melba toast, fresh lemon and a burst of lime and grapefruit. It has a persistent and elegant mousse with lemony goodness on the palate to go with toasted notes in a bright, pristine style. Quite lovely.

Gruet Chardonnay Brut Champagne 2009 ($46, 92 points) — This lovely 100% Chardonnay sparkler pours with a lively bead of bubbles. It is complex and elegant with a nose of citrus, green apple, mineral and toasty vanilla spice. It’s austere on the palate with layers of citrus, apple and pear with good persistence in a fresh, balanced style.

Case Bianche Prosecco Superior Brut Vigna del Cuc ($17, 89 points) — What a delightful (and affordable!) Italian Processo with a persistent nose and earthy/mineral notes, green apple and citrus. It’s refreshingly dry with a lively bead of bubbles that release apple, grapefruit and stone fruit flavours that are tangy and fresh through the lasting finish. Made with Glera and Chardonnay grapes.