Your April Wine Allocation

Peller Estates Private Reserve Merlot

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Medium to full-bodied and structured

SWEETNESS: Dry, 2.5 g/L

13.8% abv 750ml

29 95

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Bright purple garnet in colour with a bouquet of blue plum, black cherry, smoky cedar, leather, and spice box. On the palate, you’ll find flavours of black cherry, currant, spice, oak, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: 58.3% of the grapes were harvested from Wiens Family Farm, 33% from estate-owned Carlton Vineyard, and 8.7% from our Estate Vineyard. The juice is fermented with the skins for 14 days to develop colour, flavour and structure. The wine is aged for 12 months in 90% French and 10% American oak barrels with full malolactic fermentation.

BEST SERVED: Serve at a cool room temperature of 16 to 18ºC. Enjoy now through 2027. Decanting is recommended if drinking now through 2023.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Enjoy with duck breast in a rich red wine reduction; lamb burgers; 2-year-old Canadian cheddar; Portobello mushroom stew.

Trius Pinot Grigio

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Light-bodied and refreshing

SWEETNESS: Dry, 7.7 g/L

12.5% abv 750ml

1695

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Clear and bright with a slight copper hue. On the nose you’ll find a clean aroma of Bartlett pear, yellow apple, apricot, and spring blossoms. Flavours of green apple, green pear, honeydew melon, and citrus excite the palate and linger on the finish.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Pinot Grigio grapes were harvested from key vineyards across the Niagara Peninsula that provide perfect growing conditions for this varietal. A very gentle pressing, just enough to burst the skins, allows the free run juice to be separated from its skins. The juice is cool fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks for pure fruit expression.

BEST SERVED: Serve chilled at 10 to 12ºC to enhance the refreshing acidity of this wine.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with pan-fried freshwater fish; roast chicken; crab cakes; sushi; salmon quiche.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Whisky Oak Aged Chardonnay

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Light to medium-bodied and rich

SWEETNESS: Dry, 13.3 g/L

13% abv 750ml

19 95

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Clear and bright with a straw yellow hue and a lovely bouquet of spice, toasty oak, vanilla, red apple, and Anjou pear. This Chardonnay has a smooth, slightly rich mouthfeel with flavours of tree fruits and spice.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: The Chardonnay grapes were harvested from vineyards within the Niagara Peninsula. This wine was fermented and aged for 6 months in a combination of 33% French oak barrels, and 67% stainless steel before the blend was created.

BEST SERVED: Serve slightly cool of 14 to 15°C.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with smoked cheddar and smoked creamy cheeses; smoked chicken in a cream sauce over pasta; turkey pot pies; rich lobster dishes.

LOVED IT AND NEED MORE?

We can deliver more of your favourites right to your door. Call the Wine Club team at 1.866.440.4383 to re-order, and remember, members always get FREE DELIVERY on any additional 6+ bottles.

Trius Ros

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Light and refeshing

SWEETNESS: Dry, 4.9 g/L

19 95 12% abv 750ml

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Delicate coral pink in colour with a fresh aroma of Rainier cherry, plum, melon, peach, and grapefruit. This Rosé has a burst of refreshing fruit flavours including tangy red berries, melon, red currant, cranberry, and grapefruit that linger on the finish.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: A blend of 55% Gamay Noir, 31% Syrah, 11% Merlot, and 3% Pinot Noir harvested from our long-standing growers within the Niagara Peninsula. The grapes were given four hours of skin contact, then gently pressed, and cool fermented in stainless steel.

BEST SERVED: Serve at a cool 10 to 12ºC. Fabulous spring and summer sipper. Drink young and fresh.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with gourmet pizza; Mediterranean appetizers; seafood paella; gazpacho; charcuterie.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Whisky Oak Aged Red

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Full-bodied and structured

SWEETNESS: Dry, 7.8 g/L

19 95 14% abv 750ml

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Bright purple garnet in colour with a rich, warming bouquet and flavours of ripe dark plum, black cherry, sweet spice, oak, sweet pipe tobacco, and a touch of whisky barrel spice.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: A classic blend of 63% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, all harvested from vineyards within the Niagara Peninsula. The individual wines were aged for 6 months using American and French oak, before the blend was created. A full malolactic fermentation was completed.

BEST SERVED: Serve at a cool room temperature of 17 to 18°C.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with aged cheddar and gouda; seared red meats with rich red wine reductions; pot roast; bean and mushroom stews.

Trius Reserve Syrah

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake

STYLE: Medium-bodied and structured

SWEETNESS: Dry, 2.2 g/L

32 00 12.7% abv 750ml

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Bright purple garnet in colour with an enticing bouquet of blue plum, dark cherry, baking spice, violet and black pepper. This Syrah has soft tannins, good structure, and flavours of juicy, dark fruits (plum and cherry) and a touch of spice. Black cherry, blackberry, spice and black tea notes linger on the drying finish.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: A blend of 98% Syrah and 2% Viognier was harvested from the vineyards of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Regional Appellation. The varietals were co-fermented in four-ton wood fermenters; then aged for 12 months in large 2000 litre French oak casks.

BEST SERVED: Serve at a cool room temperature of 16 to 18ºC in large bowled red wine glasses.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with barbecued pepper steaks; gourmet burgers topped with mushrooms and aged cheddar; barbecued London broils; grilled rosemary lamb chops; beef and vegetable stews; meat pies; beef on a bun; two-year-old Canadian cheddar, Gouda and Asiago cheeses.

Katie Dickieson Peller Estates

Sydney Valentino Wayne Gretzky Estates Okanagan

Elaine Vickers Red Rooster Winery

Jan Oishi Grey Monk Estate Winery

Emily Aubie Trius Winery

Emily Garner Thirty Bench Wine Makers

Katie Dickieson

You might say that Katie Dickieson was destined to be a winemaker. Growing up on a farm, Katie had a strong appreciation for the potential of each harvest and enjoyed the exciting challenge each harvest brought. As a graduate of the Food Science program at the University of Guelph, Katie learned there was a natural way to combine her love of agriculture, science, and sensory studies.

Katie has explored and worked at wineries overseas including Onihi Hills and Man O’ War Vineyards in New Zealand, where she gained experience with cool climate Pinot Noir and Bordeaux varietals. Katie also worked at Domaine du Monteillet in the Rhone Valley, France, and in the Okanagan Valley. Katie ventured back to Niagara to join the Peller Estates team as winemaker in June 2012 where she produces terroir driven wines in a region that she’s passionate about.

A self-proclaimed ‘foodie’, Katie enjoys crafting wines that marry perfectly with Chef Jason Parsons’ dishes; wines that are well-balanced, with the perfect freshness, acidity, and structure.

What is your favourite spring wine?

I am loving the Private Reserve Chardonnay right now. The perfect lift of pear, white flowers, plus a bit of structure and weight from some barrel ferment.

Sydney Valentino

Sydney was born in Winnipeg and raised in Kelowna. She has degrees in Chemistry and Teaching from The University of British Columbia and studied winemaking at Okanagan College in Penticton. She is proud to be the third in a line of female-only winemakers to take the helm of the Gretzky Okanagan Winemaking team.

Sydney was named head winemaker for Wayne Gretzky Okanagan in 2019 but has been working closely with the winemaking team in Kelowna for over 10 years. She was previously the head winemaker for Conviction Wines. She has been inspired by some of the Okanagan’s leading wine pioneers - including working with Howard Soon for 5 years before his retirement.

What is your favourite spring wine?

Wayne Gretzky Estates Rosé and Wayne Gretzky Estates Sauvignon Blanc.

winemaker ELAINE VICKERS

Red Rooster Winery

After completing a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Victoria, Elaine moved to Vancouver for her first career as a cancer researcher. This move ended up plunging her in wine culture that quickly turned an interest in wine into a passion for it. After completing WSET wine education courses, working at a wine shop on weekends, and job shadowing at a local winery; she decided it was time for a career change. Elaine earned a graduate degree in oenology at the prestigious University of Adelaide in Australia. It was an immersive, hands-on experience that continues to inform her winemaking approach today.

Upon returning to British Columbia, she worked her inaugural Okanagan harvest at Jackson-Triggs before joining Blasted Church Winery in 2010. She quickly progressed from cellar hand to assistant winemaker then winemaker, under the careful guidance of her mentor Mark Wendenburg. He refocused her scientific mind to embrace winemaking artistry quickly and it paid off when their wines gained acclaim and recognition, including a coveted BC Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Award for the 2012 Holy Moly, a 100% Petit Verdot. Elaine joined the winemaking team at Andrew Peller Ltd. as the harvest winemaker for the 2018 vintage at Black Hills Estate Winery. In August 2019, she moved into the position of winemaker at Red Rooster Winery.

What is your favourite spring wine?

I seem to be reaching for either our Chardonnay Sur Lie or the Pinot 3 this Spring. Something refreshing, but with some weight.

Jen Oishi was born and raised in the Okanagan. Growing up surrounded by orchards and vineyards piqued her interested in the wine industry. After completing her degree in Microbiology from the University of British Columbia, Jen joined the Gray Monk team as a laboratory technician in 2011. It was here that she was able to pair her love of science with the artistic side of winemaking.

Jen worked closely with long time winemaker, Roger Wong. Under his mentorship, she learned many aspects of winemaking from the vineyard to the glass, helping her transition from laboratory technician to assistant winemaker in 2015 and now to winemaker in 2020. Jen believes that each glass of wine tells a story about the place it came from - influenced by the vineyard, the winery, and the history. She hopes to share a bit of Gray Monk’s story with you.

What is your favourite spring wine?

Our Siegerrebe is always a favorite spring wine for me. It is incredibly aromatic and floral. It pairs great with fresh salads. I am also looking forward to the release of our Gray Monk Estate Rotberger, which is a light pink, easy-drinking patio wine that pairs great with Easter dinner.

Emily discovered her passion for wine while completing a doctorate in chemistry and decided to change her career path to become a winemaker. She studied oenology and viticulture at Brock University before travelling to work vintages in Australia, New Zealand, and British Columbia.

In 2015 she returned to Ontario and joined the winemaking team at Andrew Peller Limited. In 2016 Emily spent a year as a postdoctoral researcher at Brock University studying the effect of harvesting grapes following severe frost and the results on wine quality. Emily is a passionate winemaker who is focused on premium winemaking and continuously challenging convention to push our vineyards and our wines to the next level.

What is your favourite spring wine?

I love the Trius Sauvignon Blanc at any time of year. The bright and refreshing flavours pair well with most seasonal spring ingredients.

Emma’s passion for great wine and food was fueled by travel to Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, and British Columbia while completing Brock University’s Oenology and Viticulture program. In 2005, Emma embarked on a small journey west from her position at Trius Winery to Thirty Bench Wine Makers. After spending five years getting to know the nuances of the Beamsville Bench, Emma was thrilled to become Winemaker for this one-of-a-kind winery that had won a special place in her heart.

Emma’s approach to winemaking is allowing the vineyard to express its own voice by making wine with minimal intervention. In 2015, she was awarded Winemaker of the Year at the Ontario Wine Awards and Thirty Bench was recognized by WineAlign as Canada’s Best Small Winery. Thirty Bench is one of the most awarded wineries in Canada, winning many gold and platinum awards from national as well as international competitions. The 2015 Small Lot Cabernet Franc won the coveted Best in Show distinction by Decanter Magazine, the first Canadian winery to win this award.

What is your favourite spring wine?

I really enjoy bubbles, so the Thirty Bench Sparkling Riesling is a wine I enjoy in the Spring (well, all year actually!).

Thirty Bench Wine Makers