Here’s what’s in January’s Toronto Life Wine Club box
Join the club
In January’s Toronto Life Wine Club delivery, you’ll find a trio of bottles for your holiday feasting and festivity requirements: there’s a succulent merlot and an elegant pinot to go with dinner, and a gorgeous pink sparkler to add the requisite pre-party pop. Hurry: orders must be placed by Dec. 13.
Leaning Post Merlot 2016
Retail $42 | Winona
Why we’re into this wine:
Winter calls for merlot, which can be the wine equivalent of wrapping yourself up in a big warm blanket in front of a toasty fire. This one was entirely hand-made by Ilya Senchuk (along with his wife, Nadia) at Leaning Post Winery, which has earned a cult following among Toronto sommeliers and others in the know.
What it tastes like:
Concentrated raspberry jam, plum, blackberry, tobacco, soft leather and herbs. It envelops your palate in rich silkiness. A dash of cabernet sauvignon (14 per cent) adds a nice bite and just enough tannin to keep things interesting. The finish is long and complex.
How to drink it:
The perfect match for winter roasts, especially poultry and beef tenderloin. But it’s soft and pretty enough for sipping languidly as the snow falls.
Tip:
Leaning Post’s wines sell out fast, so it’s a good idea to monitor its website and Facebook page for new releases.
Tawse Spark Rosé 2016
Retail $29.95 | Vineland
Why we’re into this wine:
If you ask any winemaker or sommelier for an opinion on who is making Ontario’s most consistent and exciting wines, Tawse is probably going to be near the top of the list. The biodynamic winery is not only obsessively eco-friendly, but the wines are some of the most exciting around. This pink sparkler is made with pinot noir from the single vineyard Quarry Road. It’s a wine that brings smiles, a perfect summer sipper that will bring a ray of sunshine to a winter occasion…especially one with fresh seafood or a cheese plate featuring Ontario’s finest.
What it tastes like:
Beautifully elegant bubbles—that’s the “mousse”—are fine and tingly, indicating a very fine sparkler indeed. This tastes like you’re picking berries in the sunshine, with tangy raspberry/strawberry flavours, even a little cherry and pomegranate, and some nuttiness. The finish is bright, mouthwatering and irresistible.
How to drink it:
Just try to drink it slowly, on its own or with oysters, ceviche, charcuterie, salmon tartare or goat cheese.
Tip:
Polish your best glasses so you can appreciate this colourful beauty.
The Farm Pinot Noir 2016
Retail $22 | Jordan
Why we’re into this wine:
The Farm’s 10 acres of pinot noir are cited as some of the very finest vineyards for this grape in Niagara. Owned by the Neudorf family, the Farm’s wines—a mere 500 or so cases per year—are made by Kelly Mason, who also makes wines at Domaine Queylus and Honsberger Estate Winery. Pinot for the Black Label wine is sourced from a variety of vineyards in Niagara and is designed to maintain a consistent style that is soft and approachable, young but complex, and structured enough to warrant aging.
What it tastes like:
Pretty and perfumed, just as pinot should be, this wine delivers black cherry, plum, dried herbs and a touch of pepper, along with a subtle earthiness. A touch of new oak—about 20 per cent—offers nice tannin structure. The finish is long, with nuts, chocolate and coffee notes.
How to drink it:
Pinot purists will sip this with delight and bask in its delicious sour cherry and earthy edge. It should be cooled just a bit and served with anything duck, especially magret or confit. Also try with charcuterie, mushroom risottos and roasted capon.
Tip:
The 2016 vintage was near perfect for pinot, but this is still a young wine, which could benefit from decanting an hour before dinner to bring out all the florals and spices.
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In January's Toronto Life Wine Club delivery, you'll find a trio of bottles for your holiday feasting and festivity requirements: there’s a succulent merlot and an elegant pinot to go with dinner, and a gorgeous pink sparkler to add the requisite pre-party pop. Hurry: orders must be placed by Dec. 13.
Leaning Post Merlot 2016
Retail $42 | Winona
Why we’re into this wine:
Winter calls for merlot, which can be the wine equivalent of wrapping yourself up in a big warm blanket in front of a toasty fire. This one was entirely hand-made by Ilya Senchuk (along with his wife, Nadia) at Leaning Post Winery, which has earned a cult following among Toronto sommeliers and others in the know.
What it tastes like:
Concentrated raspberry jam, plum, blackberry, tobacco, soft leather and herbs. It envelops your palate in rich silkiness. A dash of cabernet sauvignon (14 per cent) adds a nice bite and just enough tannin to keep things interesting. The finish is long and complex.
How to drink it:
The perfect match for winter roasts, especially poultry and beef tenderloin. But it’s soft and pretty enough for sipping languidly as the snow falls.
Tip:
Leaning Post’s wines sell out fast, so it’s a good idea to monitor its website and Facebook page for new releases.
Tawse Spark Rosé 2016
Retail $29.95 | Vineland
Why we’re into this wine:
If you ask any winemaker or sommelier for an opinion on who is making Ontario’s most consistent and exciting wines, Tawse is probably going to be near the top of the list. The biodynamic winery is not only obsessively eco-friendly, but the wines are some of the most exciting around. This pink sparkler is made with pinot noir from the single vineyard Quarry Road. It’s a wine that brings smiles, a perfect summer sipper that will bring a ray of sunshine to a winter occasion…especially one with fresh seafood or a cheese plate featuring Ontario’s finest.
What it tastes like:
Beautifully elegant bubbles—that’s the “mousse”—are fine and tingly, indicating a very fine sparkler indeed. This tastes like you’re picking berries in the sunshine, with tangy raspberry/strawberry flavours, even a little cherry and pomegranate, and some nuttiness. The finish is bright, mouthwatering and irresistible.
How to drink it:
Just try to drink it slowly, on its own or with oysters, ceviche, charcuterie, salmon tartare or goat cheese.
Tip:
Polish your best glasses so you can appreciate this colourful beauty.
The Farm Pinot Noir 2016
Retail $22 | Jordan
Why we’re into this wine:
The Farm’s 10 acres of pinot noir are cited as some of the very finest vineyards for this grape in Niagara. Owned by the Neudorf family, the Farm’s wines—a mere 500 or so cases per year—are made by Kelly Mason, who also makes wines at Domaine Queylus and Honsberger Estate Winery. Pinot for the Black Label wine is sourced from a variety of vineyards in Niagara and is designed to maintain a consistent style that is soft and approachable, young but complex, and structured enough to warrant aging.
What it tastes like:
Pretty and perfumed, just as pinot should be, this wine delivers black cherry, plum, dried herbs and a touch of pepper, along with a subtle earthiness. A touch of new oak—about 20 per cent—offers nice tannin structure. The finish is long, with nuts, chocolate and coffee notes.
How to drink it:
Pinot purists will sip this with delight and bask in its delicious sour cherry and earthy edge. It should be cooled just a bit and served with anything duck, especially magret or confit. Also try with charcuterie, mushroom risottos and roasted capon.
Tip:
The 2016 vintage was near perfect for pinot, but this is still a young wine, which could benefit from decanting an hour before dinner to bring out all the florals and spices.){kind=link}