By Rick VanSickle
It can be a daunting task to keep on top of what wines are coming to LCBO Vintages stores, one of the largest retailers of booze in the world.
Also in this Ontario Wine Report: Our Niagara picks from the June 21 Vintages release, including Westcott, Cloudsley, Tragically Hip and Flat Rock, plus the Brock CCOVI Experts tasting and VQA Promoter Award winners.
This is particularly true for Ontario VQA wines, which are available through several channels beyond the most populated “general list” section that carries tried and true wines that are always available in a section all its own.
The Vintages section inside LCBO stores has a reputation as the section where you can find “fancy” wines, and it can feel a little intimidating for the uninitiated. So, to help you demystify Vintages and share why there’s always something new to discover, we offer this primer.
The LCBO offers 32,000 products online and in-store, and approximately 14% of them are classified as Vintages wines. They consist of the best and most interesting wines from Ontario and around the world.
With the ban on U.S. wines still active, and with local Ontario wines enjoying a 60% increase in sales at LCBO stores, now is the time for Ontario wineries to get their wines into this important channel to grow their market share.
There are three different collections which determine what products are available, where they are available, and for how long they are available: The Essentials Collection, The New Release Collection and The Cellar Collection. Here’s the rundown:
Essentials Collection: Always
available in store and online
Vintages Essentials consist of a permanent collection of more than 200 of the LCBO’s highest-selling products, so your favourite Vintages product is always available. Here you’ll find benchmark varietals and signature styles such as Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and Trius Red VQA.
You can find the Vintages products in store by looking for the black signage or coloured product labels. Product labels on shelves also identify if a product is part of the Essentials Collection.
This is a desirable section to be a part of if you are a local winery. Your wine keeps rotating through the changing vintages and is restocked as long as your wine keeps selling.
New Release Collection: Limited-time releases
There is limited shelf space at LCBO stores, but unlimited demand for the best products from around the world, so every two weeks the monopoly releases around 120 limited-quantity wines online and in the Vintages section of more than 240 participating LCBO stores. You can find stores that carry Vintages by using the filter here (https://www.lcbo.com/en/stores/) on the LCBO website. This rotating collection of products ensures there’s always something new to discover.
To stay up to date with new products being released, customers can check out the Vintages New Release catalogue, which is published every two weeks, and available for free in store or online here. Another way to keep up to date with the latest releases is by subscribing to the Vintages latest newsletter here (https://mylcbo.com/app/register) for weekly updates on the latest offerings.
If you’re interested in trying some Vintages new releases before you buy, you can sample up to four products from the current release every Saturday from 12 pm – 5 pm at the following stores here.
Local wineries that have experienced success with the New Release Collection have benefited from strong marketing before and during the release. Success means you have a better shot at getting future wines listed. It’s a good idea to make sure you have a review to go with your wine. A score from a credible critic goes a long way in ensuring success. The LCBO only accepts credible media wine reviews, so no influencer reviews that were paid for are permitted.
Wines in Niagara publishes a list of all Niagara wines being released every two weeks, with reviews of the wines we have tasted. Feel free to send samples (we do not charge for reviews and reviews aren’t guaranteed).
Cellar Collection: Prestigious
and sought-after products
This monthly release is limited in quantity and consists of ultra-premium Vintages wines from every corner of the world as part of the Cellar Collection. Within the Cellar Collection, there are also “Special Offers” and Bordeaux Futures.
As one of the largest retailers and wholesalers of beverage alcohol in the world, the LCBO works directly with producers to secure small allotments of highly prized or rare products to bring special offers to Ontarian consumers. This can include wine and spirits directly from producers’ own cellars. Limited-time offers vary week-by-week, while monthly features typically include up to 70 wines from a range of regions and producers from around the world and are released on the first Thursday of every month. You can find both on the Vintages Shop Online here.
It’s rare to see an Ontario wine in the Cellar Collection, but a few are offered throughout the year. Many of the top B.C. wines can be found here more often than top Ontario wines, which tend to mostly be available in the new release offerings.
Is LCBO Vintages for you?
If you’re not sure where to start with all these different releases, the LCBO has 288 Product Consultants in 201 stores across the province who receive extensive training on LCBO’s products and get to taste hundreds of products throughout the year. So, whether you’re looking for a bargain, a splurge, or even an investment, Vintages is your best bet to discover something remarkable either from Ontario, Canada or the world.
Here are our Niagara wine picks
from the Vintages release June 21
Westcott Butlers’ Grant Old Vines Riesling 2023 ($20, 93 points) — This wild fermented Riesling from the oldest vines planted in 1980 at the Butlers’ Grant Vineyard is aged on its lees for six months and undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation. It’s finished at 7 g/L of RS and 9.5% abv. This is a personable and minerally laced Riesling that shows a nose of lemon-lime, white peach, apricot, floral notes, saline and trademark ginger notes. There’s subtle flintiness on the palate with lovely texture, ripe orchard fruits, zingy citrus, that trademark ginger note, a touch of honey and mouth-watering acidity through a lifted, fresh finish. Can cellar through 2035.
Cloudsley End of the Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020 ($50, 93 points) — The End of the Road Vineyard Pinot tastes “a little more New World to me,” owner Adam Lowy says. “It shows the vintage in a big way.” It starts with a floral note of violets and then penetrating red berries, Pinot perfume, brambly accents and lovely integrated spices. There’s more substance on the palate with earthy/savoury red berries, good structure and ripe tannins, a touch of cassis, elegant spice notes and a long, bright finish. Can cellar this 8+ years. A cool addition to the lineup.
The Tragically Hip Fireworks Sparkling 2023 ($27, 91 points) — This is the inaugural vintage of The Hip Fireworks sparkling wine. It was produced in conjunction with the band to celebrate their 40th anniversary as one of Canada’s most iconic bands. A celebratory sparkling wine seemed a natural fit. Fireworks is one of the main singles from the band’s 1998 album Phantom Power, which debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart upon release. The album went on to win Best Rock Album at the Juno awards in 1999. Working in conjunction with guitarist Rob Baker, the label concept pays homage to the award-winning album design of Phantom Power while mingling elements from the original single release of the Fireworks track. The goal was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the song and album, as well as the 40th anniversary of the band with the wine’s release in 2024.
The blend for this charmat style sparkling wine is 82% Chardonnay from Lincoln Lakeshore and 18% Riesling from Four Mile Creek. The wine spent six months on its lees. The nose starts with a toasty/brioche note followed by bright apple, pear and citrus with a gentle bead in the glass. The bubble is more robust on the palate followed by apple, quince and bergamot with subtle stony minerality and baked bread that all leads to a bright, clean finish with a just a touch of sweetness.
Flat Rock Pink Twisted Rosé 2024 ($18, 89 points) — This pretty in pink wine is a blend of 90% Gamay and the rest Merlot with a nose of ripe, red berries, red Twizzlers, and juicy plums. The strawberries, raspberries and red currant notes on the palate are joined by a note of sweetness but balanced out by the mouth-watering acidity.
Other Niagara wines released June 21, but not reviewed by Wines in Niagara:
• Featherstone Reserve Cabernet Franc 2021 $30)
• Thirty Bench Small Lot Rosé 2024 ($32)
• Westcott Pinot Noir Rosé 2024 ($22)
• Inniskillin Cabernet France Icewine 2023 ($60 for 200 mL)
• Inniskillin Gold Vidal Icewine 2022 ($100 for 375 mL)
• 13th Street Expression Series Pinot Grigio 2023 ($20)
• Organized Crime Limestone Block Chardonnay 2022 ($25)
• Reif Estate Drea’s Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($30)
• Snap Vidal M ($20)
Experts gather to taste, toast
and spread the word about
Ontario’s top sparkling wines
Sparkling wines have a storied history in the region of Champagne, but Ontario experts indicate a modern-day renaissance is happening in Niagara.
That was the message delivered by an invite-only crowd of industry professionals — from LCBO product consultants to wine writers, educators and sommeliers — who came together June 5 at Brock University to explore sparkling wines alongside the winemakers who made them.
The annual Experts Tasting at Brock University featured the presentation of VQA Promoters Awards designed to recognized individuals who consistently promote VQA wines through education and promotion. Awards were presented to: Angie Jewell and MJ Macdonald, The Cellar Sisters and co-owners of Decanter (Hospitality category); Ed Haddon, head sommelier at Foreign Affair Winery (Retail category); and Allison Findlay, head winemaker at Niagara College’s Teaching Winery (Education category).
Presented by Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), the sparkling wine-themed 2025 Experts Tasting coincided with the 25th anniversary of the University’s Applied Grape and Wine Science (OEVI) program — the only one of its kind in Canada.
“Our vineyards are ideally suited to this style of wine,” said Rob Power, head winemaker at Creekside Estate Winery, a member of the event’s judging panel and a student from the first OEVI graduating class in 2000.
For a sparkling wine to be a good bubbly, grapes need to produce a minimum amount of sugar to make the base wine, he said. That wine is then put through a secondary fermentation to make it a sparkling wine. Niagara’s climate is perfect for this process, Power said.
“We don’t have too much heat at the wrong time of the year and sugars don’t run away on us,” he said. “The result is wonderful sparkling wines.”
With more than 120 experts in the room, five rounds (known as flights) and seven wines per flight, it translated to more than 4,000 glasses being poured of more than 30 sparkling offerings from select wineries.
The Experts Tasting is an impactful industry event because it provides tools to people who promote and educate on Ontario VQA wine who then bring that knowledge to the public, said event manager Barb Tatarnic.
“Since taking the event over in 1997, we strive to take a deep dive into the theme with educational speakers and judged wines that won their spot at the tasting. This key learning opportunity encourages everyone to confidently share their knowledge in promotion of Ontario wines,” she said.
The day was opened by Brock acting vice-president, research, Michelle McGinn, who noted the importance of the tasting to the Ontario wine industry.
“I’m happy to see in our midst wine media, the LCBO’s customer engagement group and its product consultants, sommeliers and wine educators,” she said. “You are the wine industry’s front line.”
McGinn noted that hosting the event just steps from CCOVI’s research facilities and amongst current and past students of the OEVI program fills her with a sense of pride. She reinforced how important the partnership between industry and Brock is to the future of winemaking in Canada.
“Undergraduate and graduate students receive training with almost 12 full months of hands-on industry experience gained through co-op work terms,” she said.
“This combination of studies and applied knowledge has resulted in a job placement rate of more than 95%. Our graduates are now located across Canada, the United States and viticulture regions around the world.”
Note: Information and photos on the Experts Tasting provided by Brock University
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