By Rick VanSickle
International Riesling Day has come and gone and another year of tepid respect for one of the world’s greatest grapes has begun.
Note, also in this Niagara Wine Report: The Stone Eagle winery has earned an interior design award, plus our picks of the Niagara wines coming to Vintage stores Saturday, including Westcott Pinot Noir, Bachelder Gamay and a pair of new wines from Henry of Pelham.
March 13 marked the documented “birthday” of Riesling, traced back to 1435 in Germany. The day is set aside to celebrate this aromatic white grape variety known for its fresh and vibrant flavours, high acidity, food-pairing flexibility, and ability to express terroir in myriad styles.
Riesling has been slowly losing fans for a decade or more, yet winemakers, who prize this grape for its ease of growth in the vineyard and the resulting styles of wines that can be crafted at attractive prices, refuse to give up on it. It’s because they know how great Riesling is, year after year, despite the downward trend.
Let’s face facts — Riesling is losing ground with consumers and the grape is slowly being replanted in the vineyard for, in my opinion, lesser white grapes that cannot possibly match the strength of a well-made Riesling. It’s just not economical to carry a wine that is a struggle to sell.
Yes, it’s sad. I weep for the predicament Riesling is in. We — and I mean me as a communicator, wineries, wine industry associations, somms, restaurants and everyone who has contributed to its demise — have failed to do our job. And as a result, consumers have simply given up on Riesling, especially those just embarking of their wine journey.
In advance of Riesling day, wineries and winemakers from coast to coast have been touting the Rieslings they have on offer on social media and followed up with a slew of posts last Friday. But only one winery in all of Niagara, that I could find, offered any sort of consumer event for Riesling. It was a chance to educate non-lovers of Riesling and show them what they are missing. But instead, it was another year gone and another lost opportunity.
We need to change that, and I’m hearing grumblings that there might be a move afoot to do just that. Riesling needs our full attention, and it should start right here in Niagara wine country where it’s made and appreciated. Let’s hope we do a better job for Riesling’s 592nd birthday next year. Isn’t it about time? Rant over.
I opened a trio of Bella Terra Rieslings for International Riesling Day in various styles — one with a bit of age, another wild fermented with 20% botrytised grapes and the last one a 100% botrytised affected Riesling. Here’s what I liked:
Bella Terra Wild Ferment Riesling 2024 ($29, 93 points) — This Riesling was hand-picked with about 20% of the fruit botrytised. It was whole cluster pressed, cold settled, racked and wild fermented in stainless steel. Fermentation took five months. It’s quite expressive on the nose and oozes lime, white peach, apricot, subtle beeswax, pineapple and tropical fruit notes. It’s rich and textured on the palate and shows apricot tart, a medley of orchard fruits, lemon-lime, jasmine and ginger, notes of wild honey, though made in a bone-dry style, with a long, finessed finish. It’s recommended you cellar this for a bit to soften the sharp edges or at least decant for an hour before drinking. Beautiful Riesling that will cellar well through 2035.
Bella Terra Wild Ferment Riesling 2019 ($25, retasted, 93 points) — This estate Riesling from the Bella Terra Vineyard is made in a bone-dry (less than 4 g/l of RS) style. When first tasted, this had an impressive nose of lime, apricot, peach, a touch of ginger, lemon oil, beeswax and hinting at petrol. It had lovely texture that shines a spotlight on the grapefruit/lime zest notes, apricots, green apples, ginger, and lovely savoury/petrol accents on a zippy, fresh finish. Enthralling Riesling that will age nicely over the next five years. After retasting, it’s coming along nicely. The early petrol notes have dissipated somewhat and the acidity has rounded out a bit. It’s still rocking and rolling and can age some more, say through 2034.
Bella Terra Botrytised Affected Riesling 2024 ($70 for 375 mL, released shortly, 95 points) — The grapes for this sweet treat were 100% botrytised (noble rot). The grapes were hand harvested, whole cluster pressed, settled racked and underwent wild fermentation. It was picked at 28.6 Brix. What a lovely, sweet treat! It already shows a more golden colour in the glass with notes of lemon curd, yellow apples, dried apricots, pie crust, marzipan, grilled pineapple, ginger and wild honey notes. It’s rich and viscous on the palate with exotic ripe fruits, golden apples, candied lemon peel, wild honey, marmalade, ginger and a sweetness that is perfectly balanced by racy acidity. It has a finish that lasts for minutes. Such a rare treat that can age through 2037 or beyond but is irresistible right now.
New Stone Eagle Winery
earns interior design award
Canadian firm Dochia Interior Design has been named the winner for interior design at the 2025 LIV Hospitality Design Awards for its work on the Stone Eagle Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Stone Eagle Winery was conceived as an immersive hospitality experience shaped by heritage and elegance, according to a news release sent to Wines in Niagara. “Drawing from Italian traditions of winemaking, the project integrates intimate tasting rooms, the Nest restaurant, and a series of event and ceremonial spaces into a cohesive architectural narrative.
The interior architecture has calibrated proportions, ornate ceilings, and choreographed visual sightlines that build spatial sequencing in the visitor’s journey through the building.
Textures, materials, and proportions recall the enduring elegance of Italian villas while remaining grounded in the Canadian landscape.
The material palette includes softly pigmented Venetian plaster and vineyard-inspired tones establishing a tactile atmosphere rooted in permanence. A refined metal lattice bar anchors a pre-function room, balancing precision metalwork with the patience associated with winemaking. Throughout, custom millwork, fixtures, and commissioned art reinforce a philosophy of material mastery and longevity.
“The interior rooms unfold, like wine, revealing their details gradually.” said lead designer Adriana Mot.
Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Stone Eagle Winery contributes to Canada’s evolving hospitality landscape by positioning winery architecture as a cultural and experiential destination rather than a purely commercial venue.
The LIV Hospitality Design Awards recognize exceptional projects worldwide in the fields of architecture and interior design for hospitality environments. This recognition places Stone Eagle Winery among an international selection of projects redefining contemporary hospitality design.
Note: Information provided to Wines in Niagara
Our picks of the Niagara wines
coming to Vintages stores Saturday
Westcott Estate Pinot Noir 2021 ($34, 92 points) — This is a wild fermented and barrel aged Pinot Noir sourced from both Westcott sites, that sees 22 months in older French oak barriques. It shows good colour in the glass and has an intense nose of brambly red berries, earthy/spicy notes, a touch of anise, violets and subtle spice notes. It’s rich and savoury on the palate with ripe tannins, a bit of cedar and a melange of dark cherries, black raspberries, cassis, spice and a lifted, vibrant finish. The 2021 vintage of this Pinot is in a very good spot right now and will continue evolve through 2032.
Bachelder Wismer-Foxcroft 32% Whole Cluster Gamay Noir 2023 ($33, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder produced both this 32% whole-cluster fermented version, and, for the first time, a 100% destemmed version, made like a Pinot Noir. “Both distinct, yet utterly Wismer-Foxcroft in their flinty, iron-tinged savoury profile,” said Thomas Bachelder. “The evolution in the cellar will be interesting to follow.” The Wismer-Foxcroft Vineyard Gamay is the “wine that started it all, that made Mary and I fall in love with Gamay Noir in Niagara,” said Bachelder. “We love Jordan, we love all of Niagara, but my word, this wine absolutely proves that the Bench in Vineland has something special, with its slightly reddish magnesium oxide-tinted dolomitic soils.” Such a profound nose of savoury red berries, Morello cherries in spades, underbrush, plump plums and stony minerality. It’s a mouth- filling, cherry focused Gamay with support from wild raspberries, red currants, plums earthy/umami notes, a soft texture and a long, lifted finish. Can cellar through 2032.
Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2024 ($48, 94 points) — The top expression of Pinot Noir from HoP is sourced from Block 100 of the Homestead Vineyard in the estate’s Short Hills Bench sub-appellation. The grapes were planted from 1998 to 2006. The wine was aged for 10 months in European oak, 30% of which was new oak. It shows a rich, ruby hue in the glass with an enticing nose of brambly and persistent wild raspberries, dark cherry perfume, violets, a touch of anise and elegant spice notes. It’s silky-smooth on the palate with polished tannins followed by a substantive range of ripe red berries, a touch of licorice, forest floor, truffles, and savoury spice notes on a long, echoing, lifted finish. Very fine Pinot Noir that should cellar well through 2036.
Henry of Pelham The Dry River Riesling 2023 ($20, 91 points) — The Dry River Riesling has a portion of the fruit fermented and aged in 3,000L neutral oak foudres, which brings a subtle roundness to the finished wines, rather than spice notes. The nose shows appealing notes of lemon grass, grapefruit, white peach, subtle tropical fruits, stony minerality and fresh saline. It has a dry impression on the palate with bright citrus fruits, river rock, green apple, a touch of ginger and mango with mouth-watering acidity through the vibrant finish. Good value Riesling here.
Also released but not reviewed by Wines in Niagara:
• Kacaba Merlot 2021 ($35)
• Trinity by Hinterbrook 2018 ($43)
• Leaning Post Gamay 2024 ($28)
• Lundy Manor Lundy White 2024 ($20)
• Rosewood Chardonnay 2022 ($40)
• Rosewood Riesling AF 2023 ($20)
• Inniskillin Riesling Icewine 2023 ($90 for 375 mL)
• Peller Signature Series Vidal Icewine 2024 ($74 for 375 mL)
• Featherstone Canadian Oak Chardonnay 2024 ($25)
• Cave Spring Estate Grown Cabernet Franc 2024 ($25)
What do few people realize is how age worthy good riesling as long is. I had the pleasure of enjoying a 2002 CSV a couple of years ago and it was sublime.