By Rick VanSickle
They don’t have the slick marketing campaigns or the attention that the bigger, more established wineries get, but it’s a growing network of small brands that form the bedrock on which the Ontario wine industry is built.
Note, also in this Niagara Wine Report: Our picks of the Niagara wines coming to LCBO stores Oct. 19, including Bella Terra, Featherstone, Flat Rock, Hidden Bench, Foreign Affair, and Henry of Pelham.
I’m talking here about grape growers making their own wine, young, eager winemakers creating their own brands from scratch and reaching for the moon, and the next generation from legacy grape growers and iconic winemakers creating their own brands.
All the brands in this post — Liebling Wines, Drea’s Wine Co., Divergence Wines, Maenad Wine Co. and Bob Nedelko (grape grower and owner of Ivan’s Vineyard) — are relatively new to the Niagara winescape but are already making a big impact.
As we head into the Thanksgiving weekend, there’s no better time than to choose local when shopping for wines to pair with the bounty of Ontario food that will fill our bellies as families and friends gather to celebrate the harvest.
Here are some suggestions from a few of the smaller Niagara wine brands that are making a strong statement for the go-local movement, beginning with four Cabernet Francs from three micro producers with deep ties to top vineyards and styles that reflect the Niagara region.
Liebling’s duo of Francs
Liebling Wines is a grape-growing family’s mission to showcase the single vineyards they tend and the vines they grow (note: for top photo is of Liebling Cabernet Franc). The Oppenlaender family has been growing grapes in Niagara since 1984 and now patriarch Matthias, his daughters Alison (marketing and business side) and Jessica (winemaker along with Jeff Moote), along with their brothers Aaron, Michael and Danny (all on the viticultural side), have created a virtual brand featuring single vineyard wines from their own vineyards.
The first wines from this heart-felt project were released a year ago, and now it’s time for the Cabernet Francs — a classic bottling and the first “Family Select” tier — to make their debut.
Here is what I liked from the Cab Franc duo. Note, the classic tier bottling can be purchased here with the Family Select version released Oct. 20.
Note: Liebling is part of the Collab Wine and Beverage collective of brands, which can be found here.
Liebling Wines Cabernet Franc 2022 ($32, 91 points) — The fruit comes from the family’s Oppenlaender Vineyard in the Four Mile Creek sub-appellation with its unique east-west planting. It’s aged for 20 months in French oak barriques (both new and older oak). It has a classic Niagara Cabernet Franc nose of dark cherries, wild raspberries, savoury/earthy notes, black pepper, herbs and spice. It’s bright, bolstered by ripe tannins, and has a lovely red berry melange on the palate with anise, plums, peppercorns, some herbaceous notes and a lifted finish. Lovely, medium-bodied Cab Franc that you can cellar to 2028.
Liebling Wines Family Select Cabernet Franc 2022 ($52, 93 points) — The first “Family Select” tier wine displays a graphic of a bouquet of all the flowers featured on all the Liebling bottles representing everyone “coming together for our Family Select line.” The difference between the Family Select and regular Cabernet Franc above, according to Jess Solanki (Oppenlaender), the winemaker along with Jeff Moote, is barrel selection. The Family Select contains Cab Franc from the oldest vines in the family vineyard. “This barrel also happened to be the one that had a little more lees in it,” said Solanki, “So, it just had this roundness that we loved. I think all that together really made this one stand out. That’s why we pulled it out — it was so vastly different from the other barrels.” And Solanki is right. This version has a contrasting style with a nose of dark cherries, more concentration of fruits, floral accents, ripe raspberries, herbs, savoury notes, touch of cassis and spice. It’s mouth-filling on the palate, a real cracker, with red berries, anise, savoury herbs, plush tannins, pepper, spice and a luxurious finish that’s long and lifted. A beauty! Can cellar to 2032.
The Kaiser connection
Andrea Kaiser, daughter of the late Karl Kaiser (both above), co-founder of Inniskillin Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, draws her inspiration from her famous father for her own brand called Drea’s Wine Co.
As Canada’s first estate winery, Inniskillin jump-started the Canadian wine industry on July 31, 1975, when its founders — Kaiser and partner Donald Ziraldo — were given the first winery license in Canada since Prohibition. Kaiser was the winemaker at Inniskillin and Andrea Kaiser has built a portfolio that reflects his favourite grapes to work with in Niagara.
“I selected the Cabernet Franc grape variety for my first classic oak-aged red wine as it was one of mine, and my father’s, favourite grapes for Ontario,” said Kaiser. “We both love Cabernet Franc for its bright fruit flavours and gracious acidity. Cabernet Franc is a most noble variety believed to have been established in the 17th century and in the late 1990s was recognized as the ‘father’ of the well-known Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Unlike a big Cab however, Cabernet Franc wines are medium-bodied with a savoury mouthwatering taste and are a very versatile food pairing wine.”
The grapes were sourced from Hubel Grape Estates in Niagara-on-the-Lake (the same vineyard as Liebling above) and can be order online here.
Drea’s Cabernet Franc 2020 ($39, 93 points) — Kaiser’s first Cabernet Franc in her growing portfolio was aged in three French oak barriques for eight months. It has a rich, dense and savoury nose of brambly raspberries, macerated cherries, black currants, mulled herbs, black peppercorns and fine oak spice perfume. It comes together nicely on the palate, so ripe and pure with a melange of savoury red berries, smoky cedar, herbaceous accents, anise, pepper and a tangy, long, lifted finish. Can cellar to 2030.
Less is more from Maenad wines
Winemaker Yvonne Irvine (above) co-owns Maenad Wine Co. with her husband Rob Wallace. The project was born out of a desire to create a brand with integrity while producing honest, well made, and unique wines crafted on their own terms, embracing women and wine just as they are, unfined and unfiltered. Irvine, also the assistant winemaker at Creekside Estate Winery (where we tasted this wine recently), brings 14-plus years of winemaking experience and knowledge along with a zeal for perfectionism to a brand that is a true reflection of her spirit and personality.
Irvine has been following the Maenad playbook all along, without even realizing it. After stumbling across the history of these fierce, wild, wine drinking women one night, the notion of creating not just a brand or a winery, but a lifestyle began to take shape. Her wines are a reflection of both the spirit of the Maenads and her determination to create fun, well-made interesting bottles to be enjoyed with laughter and exuberance. Her Cab Franc below follows that path precisely. Here’s what I liked.
Note: Maenad is also part of the Collab Wine and Beverage collective of brands, which can be found here.
Maenad Wine Co. Cabernet Franc 2022 ($37, 92 points) — The Cabernet Franc was harvested from the Smith Vineyard in the Four Mile Creek sub-appellation. The fruit was destemmed but not crushed in order to make the brighter style of Cab Franc wine that Irvine was going for. It was wild fermented with regular punch downs, followed by 21 months of aging in older French oak barrels. It was bottled unfiltered and unfined with a small addition of sulphites at bottling. This is a pure, stripped-down CF with a nose of ripe black raspberries, fresh cherries, floral notes, herbs, cassis and light spices. Irvine’s style leans toward less intervention in the winemaking process and that shows here on the palate. It’s just an interesting style that clearly represents this Niagara superstar variety perfectly on the palate with earthy/savoury notes, brambly red berries, herbaceous accents, medium+ tannins, smoky/cedar notes, some subtle pyrazine notes and a tangy, lifted finish that’s bright and finessed. Drink now or cellar a few years.
New wines from Divergence
Divergence Wines is another virtual brand working with the Collab collective and has quickly established itself as a brand focused on precision, authenticity, and texture “as we seek to deliver a unique take on the best of what Niagara has to offer.”
Jeff Moote, above, is the founder and winemaker behind Divergence Wines and has worked at well-known Niagara wineries such as Fielding, Creekside, and Trius before joining the Collab team and launching Divergence. His time both inside and outside the wine industry has reaffirmed his “no compromises” ethos that continues to drive him.
Moote has just started a wine club for Divergence wines, which you can check out here. The impetus for creating the “Signature Club,” said Moote, “is to build my allocation list for the forthcoming Signature Series wines — vineyard first expressions that I feel show the best of Niagara terroirs.” He noted that, coming in 2025 (from the 2023 vintage), the following wines should make an appearance: Bock Vineyard Viognier, Black Bank Hill Syrah, Grimsby Hillside Vineyard Frontier Block Chardonnay.
Here’s what I liked from two recent releases (both should be available online here soon).
Divergence MV Brut One ($33, 92 points) — Moote sourced the 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay from the Lincoln Lakeshore sub-appellation. It spent 28 months on the lees before disgorging with a 5 g/L dosage. MV stands for ‘Multi Vintage’ and ‘One’ because this is the first edition of a series of wines that will be made as the reserve wine stocks are accumulated spanning many vintages. This version is 79% from 2021 and the rest from 2020. The nose starts with a toasty/brioche note followed by lemon, flinty accents, pears and green apples with a persistent, elegant bead in the glass. There’s a bit more pep on the palate with lovely freshness, robust bubbles, stony/flintiness, creamy brioche, citrus zest, pear, a hint of red currants and a tangy, lifted finish.
Divergence Red 2022 ($33, 91 points) — This is a three-variety blend of Syrah (46%) from the Wes Wiens Vineyard, Cabernet Franc (36%) from Cuesta and Picone Vineyards, and Merlot (18%) from Stouck Vineyard. The lots were vinified separately and aged for 20 months in selected French oak barrels. It has a smoky/meaty nose with savoury red berries, black currants, anise, brambly raspberries, subtle herbaceous notes and integrated oak spices. It’s bright and vibrant on the palate with earthy red and dark berries, purple plums, black licorice, mulled herbs and floral accents to go with ripe tannins and a lifted, long finish.
A grower’s sweet inspiration
Bob Nedelko, owner of the Ivan’s Vineyard on the Twenty Mile Bench, released his first ever wine from his own vineyard on Thursday at the Niagara Custom Crush Studio where it was made and is being sold. “This a culmination of many years of work and planning to arrive at this point,” said Nedelko. “I put some love and respect into this bottle.”
The wine, the Nedelko Vineyard Sweet Caroline Gewürztraminer Icewine 2023, is named after his partner and “inspiration” Caroline Yue (with Nedelko, above), whose likeness and name grace the bottle. You can buy the wine here or get it directly at The Crush.
Nedelko Vineyard Sweet Caroline Gewürztraminer Icewine 2023 ($60 for 375 mL, 93 points) — Gewürtztraminer icewine is a rare and exotic treat and one of the more difficult sweet wines to get balanced just right. Grower Bob Nedelko has threaded the needle nicely with this highly aromatic and luxurious wine that has a nose of lychee, honeycomb, rose petals, dried apricots and lovely, sweet ginger notes. It has a silky, unctuous texture on the palate with exotic tropical fruits, jammy apricots, floral notes, lemon tart, ginger, brown honey and a luxurious, rounded finish that goes on and on. A truly special treat from the Twenty Mile Bench.
Our picks of the Niagara wines
released at Vintages on Oct. 19
Foreign Affair Conspiracy 2020 ($22, Vintages Essential, 93 points) — Here’s a hot tip for you … this is a stunning wine for the price (it’s actually on sale right now until Oct. 13 for $19), a wine you can have on hand for guests, and it won’t break the bank. It’s Vintages Essential and the vintage just changed over to 2020 (make sure you are getting this vintage). This is a Ripasso style red wine that is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot from the warm, excellent 2020 vintage. It has a gorgeous nose of black cherries, cassis, kirsch, black currants, and integrated spice notes. It’s structured on the palate with firm tannins and is saturated in dark berries, kirsch, plums, anise, and rich spice notes all leading to a vibrant, long and lifted finish.
Bella Terra Blanc de Blanc 2017 $40, 92 points) — This is the second vintage for the traditionally made 100% Chardonnay. It sits on the lees for three and a half years and receives a modest dosage of 4 g/l. “I’m just trying to make a well-balanced, well-made wine,” says winemaker Fred DiProfio. There’s an intriguing autolytic/biscuit note to start on the nose followed by green apple, lemon zest, fuzzy peach, and pear with a subtle note of brioche. It’s full of life on the palate with an elegant bead in the glass and rich, biscuity notes mingling with orchard fruits, citrus zest and a fresh, vibrant finish. Top-notch bubbles here.
Featherstone Canadian Oak Chardonnay 2022 ($25, 91 points) — Featherstone has been a champion for Canadian oak for 20 years. This iteration is aged for 10 months with monthly lees stirring. The nose shows rich pear, yellow apple, lemon tart, bergamot and rich, buttery, vanilla-tinged spice notes. It’s generous on the palate with ripe stone fruits, stony minerality, flecks of citrus zest, full-on spice notes and a bright, vibrant finish keeping it all in balance. Put a couple of bottles in the cellar for a year or two to see how it all integrates.
Flat Rock Gravity Pinot Noir 2020 ($40, 93 points) — A multi-block blend from the estate’s Pinot Noir vineyard with aging in a variety of French oak barrels (15% new oak). It opens with a beautiful floral note, then an array of black raspberries, bramble, dark cherries, red currants, anise, earthy/savoury notes, and elegant oak spices. There is a silkiness on the palate, but also fine-grained tannins that add texture and some muscular traits before the fruit kicks in — wild raspberries, dark cherries, black currants, anise followed by savoury spice and floral notes with a long and finessed finish. A beautiful Pinot with plenty of room to cellar for 7+ years.
Flat Rock Cellars Red Twisted 2023 ($20, 89 points) — For the 2023 Red Twisted, the winemakers envisioned a Twenty Mile Bench marriage of single-vineyard Wismer sourced Cabernet Franc (60%) with single-vineyard Merlot (40%) from a parcel 500 meters away from the Flat Rock winery. The components were vinified separately, brought together and aged in a combination of French and American oak. It has a rich and savoury nose of brambly raspberries, dark cherries, black currants, anise, toasty vanilla and spices. With the ripe tannins on the palate adding structure, the melange of savoury red and dark berries shine through in spades, with a lovely splash of herbs of spices on a vibrant finish. Good value red blend chock full of personality.
Henry of Pelham Estate Gamay 2020 ($22, 89 points) — The nose shows ripe wild blueberries, fresh raspberries, plums, cherry tart, and lightly toasted spice notes. It’s bold and sassy on the palate with darker berries, anise, pepper, and spice.
Flagship stores and online only
Hidden Bench Locust Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020 ($49, 94 points) — The Locust Lane has a more herbaceous/floral nose than the other single-vineyard Pinots in the portfolio, with fresher red berries, anise/licorice notes, crunchy pomegranate, and integrated spice notes. It’s a more muscular wine on the palate with grippy tannins, red cherries, brambly raspberries, anise, dried herbs, fine oak spices and a fresh, finessed finish. Can cellar 7+ years for further development.
Also released, but not reviewed by Wines in Niagara:
• Inniskillin Montague Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
• Marynissen Heritage Collection Pinot Noir 2021 ($25)
• The Tragically Hip Fully Completely Reserve Red 2022
• Thirty Bench Wild Cask Cabernet Franc 2020
• Trius Red 2021
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