Cuvée<\/strong><\/a>. A month later, Taste Ontario happened. This is where the Ontario wine producers take over a venue and pour a number of their their wines.<\/p>\nThis year, it was held at The Quay in Toronto. While I appreciate the opportunity to taste as many Ontario wines as possible, they secured a venue that was a little confusing. There was a primary room that housed the majority of wines from Lake Erie North Shore, Prince Edward County, and the Bench. But Niagara-on-the-Lake got short-shrifted into a room down a hall and past some sitting area. Plus, not all of them were in there. When I left and boarded my train back home, only then did I realize that anything S and beyond was missing from my tasting notes.<\/p>\n
Next year, if the venue remains the same, better signage is a must.<\/p>\n
Here is a list of the best wines from Taste Ontario.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
THE TOP WINES …<\/strong>
(with notes)<\/p>\nDivergence Wines NV MV Brut One<\/em><\/span> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Taste_Ont_3.png\")
Lincoln Lakeshore – $ 33.00<\/em>
Chardonnay (42%) and Pinot Noir (58%) from the 2021\/2020 vintage – spending 28 months on lees: lovely complexity and acidty and a fantastic finish – lots of biscuits and toasty sensations. (**** ½) <\/strong>
__________________________<\/p>\nBachelder 2022 Chardonnay Les Villages Bench<\/em><\/span>
Niagara Escarpment – $ 34.95 <\/em>
Tropical fruits like pineapple meet pear and nice minerality, here the acidity slaps. (****+)<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Taste](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Taste_Ont_4.png\")
Creekside Estate Winery 2022 Iconoclast Syrah<\/em><\/span>
St David’s Bench – $ 30.00<\/em>
20 months in oak helps produce a smoky-raspberry wine with lots of pepper – this one is pure Syrah at its core. (****+)<\/strong><\/p>\nDomaine Queylus 2023 Chardonnay Signature<\/em><\/span>
Niagara Peninsula – $ 26.00 <\/em>
Pretty floral with notes of apple, pear and tropical fruit. (****+)<\/strong><\/p>\nKern & Co. 2018 Rapanaro Vineyard Cabernet Franc<\/em><\/span>
Creek Shores – $ 49.00<\/em>
Nice ripeness of fruit from the mediocre 2018 vintage: smooth and silky across the palate, this one hits the sweep spot for good Franc; best of all, it’s ready to drink. (****+)<\/strong>
_____________________________
Black Bank Hill 2021 Égalité<\/em><\/span>
Lincoln Lakeshore – $ 40.00<\/em>
Equal part Cabernet Sauvignon \/ Merlot \/ Cabernet Franc – it’s from the 2021 vintage, so I expected a light wine. But this one has a surprising fruit driven core. A lovely expression of a wine that had the potential to be so much worse, and yet has turned into something so lovely. It’s an eye-opener as to how good a wine can be in a poor vintage if care is taken – the acidity just takes it up another notch. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nClosson Chase Vineyards 2023 Brock Chardonnay<\/em><\/span>
Niagara River – $ 24.95<\/em>
Good crispness with plenty of apple and pear. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nCloudsley Cellars 2021 Pinot Noir, Hanck Vineyard ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Taste_Ont_5.png\")
<\/em><\/span>
Twenty Mile Bench – $ 53.00 <\/em>
Earthy and fruity, spicy with great, and surprising, licorice notes; finishes pretty and floral. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nCloudsley Cellars 2023 Chardonnay, Twenty Mile Bench<\/em><\/span>
Twenty Mile Bench – $ 36.93<\/em>
Creamy pineapple puree with apples and spice. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nCreekside Estate Winery 2024 Backyard Block Sauvignon Blanc<\/em><\/span>
Creek Shores – $ 24.95<\/em>
Really zippy and fresh with a lively grapefruit punch. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Taste](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Taste_Ont_6.png\")
Hidden Bench Estate Winery 2022 Chardonnay<\/em><\/span>
Beamsville Bench – $ 31.95<\/em>
Creamy but also has a smoky character; you’ll also find peach and pear fruit with a long finish. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nHuff Estates Winery 2023 Huff’s Corners Pinot Noir<\/em><\/span>
Prince Edward County – $ 40.00<\/em>
70% of the wine spends time in neutral oak, keeping the fruitiness, but also adding texture: earthy, cran-cherry- rhubarb and spicy. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nInniskillin Winery 2022 Reserve Cabernet Franc<\/em><\/span>
Niagara Peninsula – $ 19.95 <\/em>
Lovely fruit forward nature with good smoky content. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nKern & Co. 2018 Foxcroft Vineyard Chardonnay<\/em><\/span>
Twenty Mile Bench – $ 42.00<\/em>
Super pretty wine. Spends time in new oak (25%), has great acid punch; drinks well now, but is on the cusp of old; a little creamed corn and peachy on the finish. I’d drink this now-2026. (****)<\/em><\/p>\nMeldville Wines 2023 Sauvignon Blanc<\/em><\/span>
Lincoln Lakeshore – $ 20.00<\/em>
Vibrant and fresh – lovely and peachy. A good expression of Ontario Savvy B. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nRosehall Run Vineyards 2022 JCR Chardonnay<\/em><\/span>
Prince Edward County – $ 36.00<\/em>
Nicely balanced fruit core with apple leading the charge. Spends time in 100% barrel French for a mere 6 months, of which 25% is new – nice finish. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nRosehall Run Vineyards 2022 JCR Pinot Noir<\/em><\/span>
Prince Edward County – $ 45.00<\/em>
Mineral and stony. A solid offering with good acidity, and cranberry-cherry fruit. This one spends 18 months in French oak, of which 25% is new. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Grange Of Prince Edward 2023 Estate Series Chardonnay<\/em><\/span>
Prince Edward County – $ 34.10 <\/em>
Spicy with a lovely mouthfeel: apple, slightly musque-like, and a long finish. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\nTrail Estate Winery 2020 Cabernet Franc<\/em><\/span> ![\"Taste](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Taste_Ont_7.png\")
Twenty Mile Bench – $ 58.00<\/em>
19 months in oak, fruit comes from the Foxcroft vineyard in Niagara: spicy, and fruit forward with notes of blueberry, black cherry and black raspberry. (****)<\/strong>
____________________<\/p>\nTHREE-AND-A-HALF PLUS<\/strong>
Bachelder 2022 Pinot Noir Les Villages – Niagara Escarpment<\/em><\/span> ($34.95)
Black Bank Hill 2022 Cabernet Franc – Lincoln Lakeshore<\/em><\/span> ($50.00)
Closson Chase Vineyards 2022 South Clos Chardonnay – Prince Edward County<\/em><\/span> ($50.00)
Divergence Wines 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Brut – Niagara Peninsula<\/em><\/span> ($20.00)
Domaine Queylus 2020 Mountainview Pinot Noir – Lincoln Lakeshore<\/em><\/span> ($80.00)
Drea’s Wine Co. 2022 Cabernet Franc – Niagara Peninsula<\/em><\/span> ($36.50)<\/p>\nHenry Of Pelham 2023 The Shadow Rock Estate Sauvignon Blanc – Short Hills Bench<\/em><\/span> ($21.61)
Henry Of Pelham 2023 Three Hills Estate Chardonnay – Short Hills Bench<\/em><\/span> ($20.48)
Inniskillin Winery 2022 Reserve Chardonnay – Niagara Peninsula<\/em><\/span> ($19.95)
Inniskillin Winery 2023 Discovery Series Blanc De Franc – Niagara Peninsula<\/em><\/span> ($23.19)
Redstone Winery 2021 Estate Syrah – Lincoln Lakeshore<\/em><\/span> ($40.95)
The Grange Of Prince Edward 2023 Estate Series Cabernet Franc – Prince Edward County<\/em><\/span> ($36.36)
Westcott Vineyards 2022 Block 76 Chardonnay – Vinemount Ridge<\/em><\/span> ($50.00)
______________________________
<\/p>\nTHREE-AND-A-HALF<\/strong>
Broken Stone Winery 2021 Amour Traditional Method Sparkling – Prince Edward County<\/em><\/span> ($44.95)
Icellars Estate Winery 2024 Cervus – Niagara-on-the-Lake<\/em><\/span> ($25.00)
MW Cellars 2023 Pinot Blanc – Niagara-on-the-Lake<\/em><\/span> ($21.00)
MW Cellars 2024 Sauvignon Blanc – Niagara-on-the-Lake<\/em><\/span> ($21.00)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(May 2025) … Recently, I posted my top wines from Cuvée. A month later, Taste Ontario happened. This is where the Ontario wine producers take over a venue and pour a number of their their wines. This year, it was held at The Quay in Toronto. While I appreciate the opportunity to taste as many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-the-road-with-the-grape-guy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Taste_Ont_2.png\")
<\/p>\n