In celebration of International Women’s Day, join 4 of Ontario’s premier, woman-owned wine agencies at a Walk Around, Taste and Buy Event featuring small parcel, hidden gem wines from Italy, France, Spain and Argentina.
***NEW***
We will have Jennifer Wilhelm joining us for a book signing - she just published her first book 'Sharing a Glass’
- The book is retailing for $34.95 and she is prepared to offer a discount at the event - $25 per book + tax
Tasting Menu
1. Antonina Single Vineyard Malbec 2020
Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina
Intense blue + purple coloured wine. Violets, tea, floral aromas and a strong, lush fruit presence. Fruity entry of plum, black fruits and berries, generous, quite intense, with a long, delicious finish. A great Argentinian Malbec. 14.7% alc./vol.
2. Giovanni Ederle Valpolicella DOP 2020
Verona, Veneto, Italy
Brilliant ruby colour, pleasant aromas of crisp Marasca cherries, wild roses and hints of liquorice and pink pepper. On the palate, it is agile, well balanced, and full of flavour with a rich freshness, calling for another glass. Organic. 12% alc/vol.
3. Tenuta Bonincontro Melovivo Grillo 2022
DOC Sicilia, Italy
Mediterranean aromas of citrus, melon, almond and white flowers; fresh, crisp, ripe fruits on the palate. A savoury and balanced Grillo. Organic. 12.5% alc./vol.
4. Tenuta Bonincontro Melovivo Frappato 2022
DOC Sicilia, Italy
Fresh and lively violet aromas on the nose with bursting red berry fruit flavours; soft texture and lively acidity. Vinified to preserve the delicate beauty of the Frappato grape. Organic. 13 % alc./vol.
1. Canta Rainette Elegance Chardonnay 2022
I.G.P Méditerranée, France
While Chardonnay is not commonly grown in Provence, the 2022 Canta Rainette Elegance shows the potential for high-quality expressions in the region. Its refined bouquet is scented with the fragrance of lemon, apples and buttery pastry. Mouth-filling citrus and orchard fruit notes are wrapped in toasty oak flavours on the palate.
2. Domaine des Carabiniers Tavel 2022 Tavel AOC, France
This bountiful Tavel delights with a vibrant cherry hue and an attractive bouquet of fresh summer berries. Juicy flavours of strawberry, raspberry and red plum fill the palate and linger on a pleasing finish. As a weightier rosé, this is an ideal wine for pairing with a cedar plank salmon or a plate of charcuterie.
3. Nizza Silvano Barbera d'Alba DOC 2022
Barbera d'Alba DOC, Italy
This smooth operator captivates with a satisfying depth of fruit wrapped in silky, sleek tannins. The bouquet of earthy grilled cherry transforms into bright fruit flavours of cherry, cranberry and red currant. A beautifully balanced wine that signs off with a hint of smokiness on the finish.
4. Cascina Barisel Barbera d’Asti 2022
Barbera d’Asti DOCG, Italy
The deep ruby hue of the 2022 Cascina Barisel Barbera d’Asti makes promises that are kept in aroma and flavour. Its bouquet expands from the scent of black cherry and plum to include the alluring scent of violet. The palate offers Barbera’s classic juicy fruit with notes of cherry, red plum and cranberry trailing off into a noteworthy finish.
5. Domaine des Carabiniers Côtes du Rhône 2021
Côtes du Rhône AOC, France
This classic Rhône wine impresses on every level. Its bouquet is an expressive mosaic of violet, plum and smoky bacon. The first sip reveals a fruit-charged palate packed with flavours of plum, black cherry and raspberry. Bright acidity and smooth, generous tannin provide flawless balance.
1. Domaine Eugène Meyer 2020 Crémant d'Alsace Brut
AOC Crémant d'Alsace, France
Through patience and tenacity, Eugène Meyer was the first person to master biodynamic viticulture in Alsace (and all of France) in 1969! This Crémant shows lively bubbles, with delicate flavours of pear, white flowers and brioche. An underlying mineral note creates complexity and keeps the palate cleansing.
2. Domaine de l'Enchantoir 2021 Chenin Blanc
AOC Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Terres Blanches, translating to “white lands”, is 100% Chenin Blanc grown on limestone-rich “tuffeau soil”. Hand picked from 35 year old vines, this wine is matured in stainless steel tanks for 8 months, resting on the lees. This helps to soften the sharp acidity of the Saumur Chenin Blanc grape and create a rounder mouthfeel while staying juicy and vivacious!
3. Domaine de l’Enchantoir 2020 Cabernet Franc
AOC Saumur, Loire Valley, France
L’Îlot des Biches, translating to “island of deer”, is 100% Cabernet Franc grown on red soils filled with flint and iron from the Jurassic period. Even though deer can sometimes be seen as pests that nibble on the grapes, this 20 year old vineyard is seen as a refuge for the animal, hence the name l’ilot des Biches. Stamped with Saumur-Puy-Notre-Dame AOC for it’s specific terroir, this cabernet franc is full of unique personality.
4. Domaine de Leyre-Loup 2018 Morgon Réserve
AOC Morgon, Beaujolais, France
90 pts Wine Enthusiast – “Well structured with bold tannins, this wine shows the aging potential of a Morgon. While the wine has black fruit and a juicy, perfumed character, the tension and texture promise a good future. Drink from 2022.”
5. Villota Blanco 2020
Rioja Alavesa, Spain
A rich, creamy white wine that’s been hand harvested from 45+ year old Viura vines and aged for 6 months in French oak barrels where the wine is in contact with the lees. Highly rated by several reputable wine critics from around the world, this is a wine that is made in the vineyard.
92 pts James Suckling / 91 pts Tim Atkin MW / 90 pts Wine Enthusiast
6. Villota Tinto 2020
Rioja Alavesa, Spain
Hand harvested from old tempranillo and graciano vines ranging from 45-90 years old, all trained in bush formation with minimal human intervention, this is a wine that is made in the vineyard.
93 pts Tim Atkin MW / 93 pts Guía Peñín
7. Cortes Do Tua 2021 Douro Valley Red
DO Douro Valley, Portugal
Rising Stars of Portuguese Wines!
Winemakers and partners in life, Duarte da Costa and Ana de Almeida have been cultivating a small plot of land in the Douro Superior for the past decade. Their vines are over 30 years old, located on steep slopes at high elevation with poor soils mostly comprised of granite and schist soils. ‘Cortes’ is the Portuguese translation of the word ‘blends’, explaining the winery name with it’s unique combination of indigenous grape varietals grown on the slopes of the Tua River.
8. Château Mille Roses 2019 Haut-Médoc
AOC Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Château Mille Roses is part of a new generation of Bordeaux producers who focus on making their wine sustainable, affordable and more approachable in their youth. The 2019 vintage is a perfect example of this: it’s fruit-forward, yet still fresh, structured and totally drinkable now.
1. 2022 Vivera Etna Bianco
With the Carricante grapes grown on the north-east side of the Etna volcano, in the Martinella vineyard in Sicily, this wine is truly electric. It has acidity, complexity, salinity (minerality) and an enjoyable balanced brightness. Intense aromas of orange blossom, apple, zesty lemon and notes of anise on the nose; on the palate definitely fresh and lively, with a savoury, herbal, salty finish. (Organic, female winery owner, 90 points - Wine Align)
2. 2020 Vivera Etna Rosso
This 100% Nerello Mascalese is a beautiful bright ruby red and the taste follows through – cherry, red currant and a bit of orange peel complexity at the end. This is a medium-bodied wine – I liken it to a meeting of pinot noir and Nebbiolo with plenty of dried herbs and a distinct minerality thrown in. Clean tannins, acidity and a very long finish. (Organic, female winery owner)
3. 2022 Domaine Andre Berthet-Rayne Muses Côtes du Rhône
A blend of grenache, carignan and mourvedre, this approachable wine is made near the templar village of Cairanne with biodynamically grown grapes. Perfect for restaurant by-the-glass or for at-home every day enjoyment, this wine has something for everyone. James Suckling: “brimming with red berry and black cherry aromas, plus it has an attractive brightness for a Mediterranean wine. Restrained healthy tannins and a touch of bitterness balance the full body.” (Organic, female winery co-owner and wine-maker - James Suckling 90 points)
4. 2021 +Ritme Blanc Priorat DOQ
White wines from this region are divine but we rarely see them from this region in the market. Less than ~7% from Priorat is white wine. Garnatxa Blanca produces wines of depth and strength and though this is no exception, there is a brightness in this wine that makes you keep returning for another sip. This wine is drinking beautifully now but also has the structure to age well - worth the 12-bottle commitment. (Organic, Guía Peñín – 92 points)
5. 2020 Ritme Negre Priorat DOQ
“Priorat Character - The fruit-driven red 2020 Ritme Negre was produced with (70% Cariñena, 30% Garnatxa). Matured in light-toast French oak barrels for some 10 months, it is ripe and powerful at 15% alcohol with a round and juicy palate”. (Reviewer L. Guttierez – Robert Parker Wine Advocate). Dark cherries and violets, licorice and a hint of wood smoke… enjoy this with braised or grilled meat, roasted mushrooms and other earthy vegetables. (Robert Parker, Wine Advocate – 91 points)
6. 2021 Francois Millet Sancerre Blanc and 2020 Sancerre Rouge TBC (in transit)