Lifestyle_NovDec2023_Final _Online

WINE
A Bottle (or Can!) for the Occasion
Local Wine Suggestions for the Holiday Season
Compiled by CHRIS McDONELL
The festive season can be
enhanced in so many ways with
just the right wine. Perhaps
you’re looking for a gift idea.
Wine can work but ensure that
an alcoholic beverage will be a
welcome gift. No need to offend recipients,
especially at this time of year.
You might go to great lengths to discover
the recipient’s favourite style of wine, or
pick out one of the more popular offerings at
the LCBO. That’s a good way to make a safe
choice but your gift may end up placed right
next to the same or a very similar bottle on
their wine rack. That’s o.k. for your boss, but
isn’t it more fun to give something unique
and unexpected? Even if it turns out that
your interesting choice fails to excite the
recipient’s tastebuds, they have something
different to offer their guests or a good story
if you cite your reason for picking that wine.
Note: if you’re asked to bring a bottle
of wine to a holiday gathering, you should
inquire about dinner courses and select
accordingly. Expect that it will be opened
so, if a white wine is appropriate, bring it
chilled. But if the gift of wine is your own
idea, do not presume that it will be opened
during your visit.
The Ontario wine industry has matured so
supporting local is a great option. The LCBO
stocks a wide selection of VQA wines, an
assurance from the Vintners Quality Alliance
that this Ontario (or BC) wine meets their
high standard for quality and authenticity.
You can also order wines directly from the
wineries themselves. Improvements in wine
delivery services is one positive fallout from
the pandemic. Now it’s easy to order directly,
and you’ll discover that every winery offers
more choice than you’ll find at your local
LCBO outlet.
We asked a few local wineries for
suggestions for the holiday season. We
gave them no other parameters, so it was
interesting to see the surprisingly different
directions they took. Or should that have
been a surprise? We’re thankful to get
innovative ideas, and they’ve delivered that.
Cheers!
2022 Unoaked Chardonnay (VQA)
750 ml, $24.95
Alton Farms Estate Winery
5547 Aberarder Line, Plympton-Wyoming, ON
altonfarmsestatewinery.com
Carefully picked and fermented, then cellared,
this wine is only lightly filtered, so it could have
slight natural deposits. This full bodied, pale strawcoloured
white wine is smooth and well balanced.
There are honeydew melon, honey, pear, white flower
and golden delicious apple notes on the nose, a perceived
honey sweetness on the tongue with lemon
and lemon zest on the back, and a refreshing acidity.
It will be a great accompaniment to a Sunday brunch,
smoked aged cheddar, seafood such as whitefish or
scallops, rainbow trout, kale and polenta gratin, a
turkey and Swiss sandwich or just on its own.
Bloom Rosé
6 x 250 ml, $30.00
Burning Kiln Winery
1709 Front Road, St. Williams ON
burningkilnwinery.ca
Beautiful inside and out, Bloom is an easydrinking
sociable wine for those on the move.
Delight in the confectioned, candied nose with
fresh red berries on the palate. Refreshingly
unpretentious, this medium bodied dry rosé
is best served chilled and makes a perfect
stocking stuffer!
2019 Cabernet Franc
750 ml, $21.15
Oxley Estate Winery
533 County Road 50 E., Harrow ON
oxleyestatewinery.com
The dark fruit notes, spice box backbone and
lip-smacking aftertaste of this Cabernet Franc
reminded Oxley master taster Yvonne of
the rum cake her mom served for Christmas
dessert every year. The two pair beautifully.
Share this wine with family and friends while
making your own holiday memories
50 LIFESTYLE LifestyLe November/December FEATURING EATDRINK 2023 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023