Ontario was the region of choice for our March, 2022 wine tasting venture. The group selected a vast variety of VQA wines which were all delightful. Of the group, two selections stood out because of the stories that led the tasters to choose them. Both selections were from small wineries in the Niagara region and can be easily accessed when and if you decide to go on a Niagara wine tasting tour. They are also available at the LCBO which was not the case a few years ago.
For information on wineries in the Niagara region and a map of suggested tours, please visit Wine Country Ontario.
Our next destination on our international journey of wine tasting keeps us in Canada, where we have excellent wines. We will be visiting British Columbia at our next get together on Thursday, April 7th.
Megalomaniac – My Way Riesling
Reviewed by Elaine Dulmage
On our way to an over night trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake, we stopped at the tourist info bureau at new exit 78n Winona, and got the updated wine routes brochure and some suggestions as to which wineries we might like.
The wine route is right behind the centre. We travelled through the towns of Grimsby and Beamsville, which were cute little towns.
Our friends had recommended Megalomaniac, so we did a side trip to Cheery Ave. in Vineland. The winery started 18 years ago by John Howard as a retirement project to help raise funds for Kids’ Health Links Foundation. He was going to name the winery for himself but somehow he got teased about being a megalomaniac, so hence the name.
The bottles feature a series of faceless executives wearing the iconic bowler hat, having labels like Pompous Red and Narcissist Riesling etc. Some of their wines are in the LCBO.
The winery earned 20 medals from top world wine competitions in 2019.
A new building was built in 2014 over the old cellars. It is attractive, partially up the escarpment with outdoor tables to enjoy wine in the good weather with a great view.
Workers were pruning the vines as the cold winter killed some branches. They were Malaysian workers, but I was told that they live here.
We chose My Way Riesling for $21.95. The oak in the wine barrels was imported from France, and the oak flavor was very subtle. It was a VQA corked bottle and we enjoyed the wine very much.
Marynissen Estates – Dokaal White, 2019
Reviewed by Linda Hasler
In my search for an interesting Ontario white wine in the LCBO, I found a bottle of Marynissen Estates Dokaal White wine. It caught my eye because, in the past, my husband and I used to cycle through the Niagara wine region and would make a point of visiting Marynissen Estates Winery, which at that time was quite small and only produced small hand crafted wines. Their wines were not available at the LCBO at that time. We always thought that we had found treasures in the Niagara region that were rather unique – which they were.
Since I have never noticed any Marynissen wines in the LCBO, imagine my surprise when I encountered a display of this Marynissen Dokaal White wine. What an interesting selection for the wine tasting meeting. I was not disappointed. This wine is a blend of Vidal, Gewurtztraminer and Chardonnay and is very pleasant to consume with a 12% alcohol content and is very reasonably priced at $13.95. This very refreshing white wine would be delicious chilled in the summer and a delightful addition to your get togethers.
About Marynissen Estates Winery
Marynissen Estates has its roots deeply embedded in the soil of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Located in the Four Mile Creek sub appellation, the estate is home to the oldest commercial planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in Canada. The property, an old pig barn, was purchased in 1953 by viticulture pioneer John Marynissen and his wife Adrianna. John and Adrianna began growing their own grapes in 1976, planting the classic European Vitis vinifera grape varietals of Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Merlot and Gamay Noir.
You may want to visit their winery on your next wine tasting tour. To visit their website, click on this link: Marynissen Wines.
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 