Your May Wine Allocation

TRIUS SHOWCASE MERLOT ‘RHS’

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Full-bodied and structured

SWEETNESS: Dry, 3.3 g/L

13% abv 750ml

55 00

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Bright garnet colour with an aromatic bouquet of smoky oak, spice, earth, black cherry, and blue plum. This medium to full-bodied Merlot shows firm, youthful tannins, great structure and moderate acidity. Fruit flavours of blueberry and cherry are complemented by notes of spicy oak and black licorice.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Harvested from the estate owned Clark Farm Vineyard, from vines on the sun-bathed ‘right hand side’ (RHS) of the vineyard on October 12, 2019 at 21.6° Brix. The Merlot was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (35% new oak).

BEST SERVED: Serve at a cool room temperature of 17 to 18ºC. Enjoy now through 2029.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with duck breast in a rich Merlot reduction; potato and mushroom gratin; grilled porterhouse steak with sautéed mushrooms; prime rib with roasted root vegetables.

Peller Estates Signature Series Riesling

APPELLATION: VQA Four Mile Creek

STYLE: Light-bodied and refeshing

SWEETNESS: Off-Dry, 24.3 g/L

10.1% abv 750ml

33 00

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Clear and bright with a fresh clean bouquet of yellow apple, Meyer lemon, tangerine, golden kiwi, and site specific minerality. Flavours of Key lime, Meyer lemon, and tangerine excite the palate.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Harvested early, to retain great acidity, from Riesling vines (Riesling Clone 21B) planted in 1987. Only premium free-run juice from Riesling grapes were used for full expression. Some of the pure juice was collected from the settling tank and kept in cold storage until after fermentation. The juice was added back to the wine for the perfect balance, a process called Sussreserve. The wine was aged in stainless steel, bottled, and allowed to age for 10 months before release.

BEST SERVED: Serve chilled at 11 to 13°C.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with Asian glazed salmon; spiced steamed mussels; sushi; lemon chicken; baked ham.

Trius Showcase Wild Ferment Chardonnay

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Medium-bodied and rich

SWEETNESS: Dry, 2.8 g/L

12.8% abv 750ml

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Clear and bright with a straw yellow hue and a bouquet of tropical fruit, ripe red apple, Meyer lemon, oak, and a touch of spice and toffee. This Chardonnay is medium-bodied, slightly rich, round, and smooth. Flavours of tropical fruits, oak, and spice are perfectly balanced on the palate.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: The Watching Tree Vineyard was planted in 1989 with clone 95 and clone 96 Chardonnay vines on stony, pebbly soil which was once an ancient riverbed. The handpicked Chardonnay grapes are whole-bunch pressed; the juice is cold settled in tank; then sent directly to barrel for fermentation.

BEST SERVED: Serve lightly chilled at 15 to 17ºC.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with smoked chicken risotto; wild mushroom rice stuffing and your holiday turkey; cream sauces on pasta tossed with shrimp or scallops; roast lemon chicken; grilled fillets of firm fish on cedar plank; puff pastry-wrapped salmon or chicken.

LOVED IT AND NEED MORE?

Wayne Gretzky Estates Signature Series White

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.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Medium-bodied and fresh

SWEETNESS: Dry, 5.1 g/L

13.8% abv 750ml

2495

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Clear and bright with a straw-yellow hue. The bouquet showcases notes of yellow apple, peach, honeysuckle, Meyer lemon, and yellow plum. An aromatic, slightly rich, and flavourful wine.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Harvested from vineyards across the Niagara Peninsula. A blend of 50.9% Viognier, 23.7% Pinot Gris, 17.5% Riesling, and 7.9% Chardonnay. The Viognier, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay were barrel fermented and aged for 6 months in 100% French oak barrels.

BEST SERVED: Serve chilled at 10 to 12ºC to enhance the refreshing acidity of this wine; or serve slightly warmer at 13 to 15ºC to allow for rich fruit development and a softer mouthfeel.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with simply prepared roast chicken, turkey or pork; light cream sauces on seafood and pasta; buttery baked potatoes; smoked salmon and cream cheese appetizers; chicken pot pies.

Peller Estates Signature Series Cabernet Franc

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Full-bodied and stuctured

SWEETNESS: Dry, 2.8 g/L

13.9% abv 750ml

5495

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Bright garnet in colour with an aromatic bouquet of blue plum, blueberry coulis, smoky oak, violet, Chai spice, earth, cedar, and leather. Wonderful flavours of ripe blackberry, spice, oak, earth, and vanilla bean mingle on the palate.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Hand-harvested from one of our long-standing growers (Lawrie Vineyard 62%) and from the Estate owned Carlton Farm Vineyard (38%) within the Four Mile Creek sub-appellation. Through extensive skin contact and barrel malolactic fermentation we have developed a wine with great complexity and depth of flavour.

BEST SERVED: Serve at a cool room temperature of 18°C in large-bowled glasses. Decanting is recommended if drinking now through 2024.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with grilled red meats; grilled steak and red wine reduction; lamb stews; beef bourguignon; rich lentil or black bean stews.

APPELLATION: VQA Niagara Peninsula

STYLE: Full-bodied and structured

SWEETNESS: Extra-Dry, 2.1 g/L

13.8% abv 750ml

3195

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Deep purple garnet in colour, with a lovely bouquet of black currant, dark plum, and ripe blackberry, accented by smoke, charred oak, and spice. A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with firm drying tannins. Flavours of ripe black currant, dark plum, spice, and cocoa powder mingle together on the palate.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Harvested from vineyards within the Niagara Peninsula. Individual Cabernet Sauvignon lots were aged for 12 months in 65% French and 35% American oak barrels, before the final assemblage was created; 25% of the barrels were new oak. A full malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel.

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

FOOD PAIRINGS: Serve with two-yearold aged cheddar; grilled medium-rare cuts of beef; rack of lamb; wild game meats; sautéed mushrooms; 70% dark chocolate.

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