Nine Ontario sparkling wines that are twice as good as champagne for half the price
I will not be buying champagne for my New Year’s celebration. You can’t beat French bubbly for ostentatious luxury, but for great value and taste, my money is on Ontario sparkling wine at half the price. Niagara and Prince Edward County share the same climate, limestone-based soils and grape varieties as the Champagne region of northern France, so the conditions are ideal for homegrown bubbly. What Ontario lacks are the old vineyards and multiple generations of winemaking experience. However, a crew of talented Canadian winemakers, including French-trained Jean-Pierre Colas of 13th Street and Frédéric Picard of Huff Estates, are now making non-vintage bruts and sparkling rosés using a classic French technique known as méthode champenoise. These bottles are on LCBO shelves now, along with a few longer-aged, vintage-dated bubblies. I tasted two dozen of them and was exceedingly impressed by their taut, mineral-driven elegance. Here, my picks for ringing in the New Year like a locavore.
$25 | Prince Edward County | 88 points
Given Ontario’s success with riesling, it’s surprising local winemakers don’t make more sparklers with it. This frizzante exudes terrific aromas of honeysuckle, peach, lemon and honey. It’s light-bodied and off-dry with bracing, sour acidity. grangeofprinceedward.com
$23 | Niagara Peninsula | 88 points
This is a pleasant, slightly softer blend of pinot noir and chardonnay that’s redolent of freshly baked bread, shortbread and dried apple. It’s light to mid-weight and fairly delicate, with a touch of sweetness and nutty bitterness. There’s some pastiness on the finish. Very good length. LCBO. Vintages 234161
$30 | Niagara Peninsula | 89 points
Trius is one of Ontario’s largest producers of méthode champenoise. Made from red grapes, this is a fine, taut and quite complex rosé sparkler, with gentle flavours of strawberry, dried cherry and pink grapefruit, along with a vague bready character. It’s light bodied, dry and fresh. triuswines.com
$30 | Niagara Peninsula | 90 points
Cuvée Catharine was named Sparkling Wine of the Year at the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards. It has a nose of bread, toasted almonds, pears and clover. It’s medium weight, fleshy and engaging, with a hint of honey sweetness and a pasty finish. LCBO 217505
$40 | Prince Edward County | 90 points
French winemaker Frédéric Picard made Canada’s first méthode champenoise in 2004. The 2008 shows maturity, delivering flavours of pear, vanilla, hazelnut, mushroom and a touch of garlic. It’s light with frothy effervescence and taut acidity. LCBO. Vintages 198754
$39 | Prince Edward County | 91 points
The best buy from this tiny bubbly operation is an ethereal blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. It’s aged for three years, producing a piquant nose of hazelnut, dried herbs, lemon and toast. It’s built on a seam of fine acidity and chalky minerality. A wonderful pair for oysters. hinterlandwine.com
$30 | Niagara Escarpment | 91 points
This charmer won a Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in 2012. It’s pure chardonnay, aged for 30 months to build complex almond aromas into scents of dried apple, lemon and shortbread. Balanced, light bodied and gentle, it has a wisp of sweetness and a beam of mineral acidity. LCBO 213983
$35 | Beamsville Bench | 92 points
Cave Spring’s maturing vineyards produce taut, classy bubblies. This one is slim, tidy and full of well-integrated flavours: barley sugar, pecans, dried apple and straw. It’s extremely refined for $35. cavespringcellars.com
$60 | Niagara Peninsula | 93 points
Ontario’s priciest bubbly rivals champagne in quality. Vintner Jean-Pierre Colas has created a bubbly of riveting acidity, with a powerful bouquet: crème brûlée, almonds, barley, maple and straw. Order a case for your New Year’s celebration. 13thstreetwinery.com
Sounds like the author is twice as cheap as most other writers…