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Local Find

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The best of both worlds

Ridgepoint was founded in the late ’90s by two children of Italian immigrants, who were drawn to the property by its similarity to the hilly landscape their parents had farmed. This wine blends Glera with Pinot Noir for a lovely sparkler that’s perfect for sipping or pairing with an Italian charcuterie board.

Why do we love this wine?

1. It’s made with Glera, the same grape used to make Italian Prosecco.

2. It has flavours and aromas of apple, citrus and strawberry, along with some floral notes.

3. This charming pink sparkler would make a lovely gift for your valentine!

- Sean Adams, Ontario Wine Buyer



Local Talent

Great wines, year after year

Bordeaux and Burgundy are famously vintage-associated, but Ontario’s winemakers are no strangers to the trials and delights of Mother Nature’s mercurial character. Ask a local winemaker what a typical Ontario vintage is like, and they’ll laugh. There’s no such thing. Winemaking in Ontario tests the skills and instincts of those who service the vines here, and it’s their capacity to manage nature’s challenges and take advantage of its favours that brings forth the distinction and provenance that define Ontario’s best wines.

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Casey Hogan.


Southbrook Triomphe Organic Merlot 2019

“In 2019, the Merlot performed best of all our Bordeaux varietals,” says winemaker Casey Hogan. “It ripened well with a good intensity of fruit, good structure and balancing acidity. I tasted the 2019 recently and it was still very young, without a whole lot of the tertiary character you get as a wine ages. For the Triomphe, we use fruit from organic growers and some of our own estate fruit. The Merlot was picked from mid-October to November and, if you can believe it, we picked our Icewine grapes in mid-November, before we had finished bringing in our Cabernet Sauvignon.” Not even Burgundy deals with such volatile challenges. Southbrook’s Poetica, the winery’s premium Bordeaux blend, was 60% Merlot in 2019; a testament to the quality and success of 2019’s Merlot.


Thirty Bench Winemaker’s Blend Red 2020

The 2020 vintage in Ontario was, to put it simply, amazing, producing red wines with superb concentration and ageing potential. “It was a perfect vintage,” says winemaker Emma Garner. “Timely rains helped us to gain optimal ripeness in all Bordeaux varieties.” This was a boon to the Thirty Bench Winemaker’s Blend, whose components were “harvested from our vineyard on the Beamsville Bench and from a long-standing grower: Emerald Shores Vineyard. The Merlots were rich and ripe with supple tannins and lots of layers of complexity. The Cabernet Franc developed beautifully and contributed a quintessential tobacco characteristic and a firm framework. The Cabernet Sauvignon enjoyed the warmer weather and hit optimal ripeness, giving us beautiful structure and lots of length. You can drink this now through 2030."

Emma Garner.



Marc Pister.


Fogolar Picone Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2021

“People who drink my wines,” says winemaker Marc Pister, “expect vintage variation, but with a core consistency. The 2021 vintage was a difficult one and compared to other years, the 2021 Picone Vineyard Cabernet Franc is slightly less concentrated perhaps, but it’s more aromatic and approachable. Cabernet Franc has the potential for wide expression – from savoury and herbal to opulent and fruity, and everything in between. Picone’s Cabernet Franc vines are now nearly 30 years old, and these old vines have deep roots, so they’re less impacted in dry years, and the excellent drainage from the vineyard’s position at the edge of the Escarpment helps in wet years, keeping the wines consistent and balanced year to year.”


Stoney Ridge Small Lot Bucknall Vineyard Gamay Noir 2022

This Gamay Noir comes from a small block in the Bucknall Vineyard that was planted in 1998. Bucknall is one of Niagara’s few south-facing vineyards. “The 2022 season got off to a very cold start, with extreme cold temperatures throughout January, resulting in bud damage and a reduction of the crop size,” explains Victoria Cianciolo, winemaker at Stoney Ridge. “Spring was cooler than usual, but June was warm and dry, and July and August had intense heat, and then conditions through the harvest were really favourable, so the fruit quality was excellent. This was certainly the case for our Gamay Noir. We had a smaller crop than we had hoped for, but the fruit was ripe and intensely flavoured.”




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