Annual Fizz Guide 2024

By John Szabo, MS, with notes from David Lawrason, Megha Jandhyala and Michael Godel

Flat Bubbles & True North Strong and Sparkling

By John Szabo MS, with notes from David Lawrason, Michael Godel and Megha Jandhyala

It’s Fizz Guide time! So, what’s new this year? On the one hand, this was the largest WineAlign Annual Fizz Guide tasting ever conducted, with an enamel-stripping just-shy-of 150 bottles of bubbly submitted for consideration. That’s up from about 130 last year, which was until now the largest such tasting. When I first started this report a dozen or so years ago, I remember tasting little more than dozen wines in my living room.

On the other hand, after multiple years of growth, sparkling wine sales over the last fiscal year have flatlined according to statistics provided by the LCBO. This could explain the large number of submissions as importing agents scramble to shore up torpid trade.

For the record, this year as in past, samples were solicited from agents and wineries. There was no charge to participate in the tasting.

If you’re keen to get on to the best buys, jump straight to one of the categories below. Availability — winery direct, consignment, or LCBO — is listed after the price of each recommendation. For a refresher on the different ways to make wine sparkle, refer to last year’s Fizz Guide 2023 where I describe the various methods ahead of each category.

Buyer’s Guide:

• Traditional Method White & Blancs de Blancs (including Canadian Sparkling, Champagne, Crémant, Cava and Others)
• Traditional Method Rosé
• Charmat/Cuve Close/Martinotti/Tank Method White (including Prosecco)
• Charmat/Cuve Close/Martinotti/Tank Method Rosé
• Sweet Sparkling
• Pét-Nat (including Ancestrale)
• Low Alcohol (<8% ABV)
• Half Bottles

Bubbles Are Flat

Total sales of sparkling wines at the LCBO were down slightly from just under $121 million in 2023/24 to just under $120 million in 2024/25, also down in volume. Over in Vintages with its generally more premium assortment, numbers were virtually flat, shifting ever so slightly up from $7,109,916 to $7,142,262. Even the Italian spumante juggernaut, led by prosecco, of course, seems to have reached cruising altitude, leveling off in the past two years at about $75.5 million (LCBO and Vintages). Italy, however, remains way out in front of all other countries in terms of sales by a country mile, with Canadian sparkling in distant second place at $15.4 million in sales over the past year.

True North Strong and Sparkling

But it’s noteworthy that Canada was one of the very few countries to report slight growth over the previous year, up by more than one million from $14.3 million previously. And judging by the WineAlign Crü’s enthusiasm for Canadian sparkling wine in this report, it is easily the strongest category and the most represented in this Fizz Guide. As National Wine Awards of Canada panel captain Treve Ring wrote last June in her sparkling wine category overview, “Global quality continues to rise, and we see it constantly with Canadian wines, and very clearly with NWAC24…. Overall there were nearly 100 medals awarded for sparkling wines this year, and I think that’s a very just result, considering the quality and diversity of style, place and grape.” For regular readers of the annual Fizz Guide this will come as no surprise as Canadian sparkling has been consistently strong for many years now.

Vintage 201……0?

One wine that stands out for me in particular for both its quality and astonishing value is the Tawse David’s Block Blanc De Blancs 2010, VQA Twenty Mile Bench ($55.15, Tawse Winery). Yes, you’re reading that correctly, a 2010, which spent a remarkable 12 years on the lees, equivalent to only the top prestige cuvée champagnes. It’s a textural masterpiece.

PEC’s Triple

While Tawse is already well-known, a new name in the guide this year is Last House, whose vineyards lie a flying champagne cork’s distance from Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County. Vigneron André Gagné’s 2021 Joie De Vivre Blanc De Blanc ($48.00, Last House Vineyard) garnered triple alignment from the Crü. According to Megha: “This bone-dry, chardonnay-based traditional method sparkling wine beguiled me with its dense, honeyed, and taut palate and its complex flavours.” Michael, in uncharacteristic parataxis, states simply: “You need to try this.” David demands “oysters, please.”

Other Fizz Guide regulars from Ontario reappearing this year include the inescapable Speck boys at Henry of Pelham, the OGs of top-notch traditional method sparkling in Ontario. The Cuvée Catharine Rosé Brut (reg price: $29.95, on LTO until Jan 5 for $26.95, LCBO# 217505) unsurprisingly scored triple alignment, having also snagged a rare Platinum at the 2024 NWACs. Something new this year however from the Speck family is a very respectable Charmat/Tank method bubbly, called simply “Sparkling” VQA Ontario ($17.95, LCBO# 37965). It’s modelled after Prosecco, so if you’re into the style, might as well support local, as it’s every bit as good as any spumante in the same price band.

See also the buyer’s guide below for sharp values from Cave Spring, Malivoire, Rosehall Run, Leaning Post and Hidden Bench, among other locals.

Rethink Cava

Outside of Ontario, triple alignment was earned by Cellar Kripta’s Trepat Brut Reserva Cava Rosat 2021, DO Cava, Penedès, Spain ($30.00, Consignment, TWC Imports).

Spain sits in third spot in LCBO sales, just ahead of France, driven by the Cava giants Freixenet and Segura Viudas. But if your exposure to Cava has been limited to these names, I urge you to give this a try, a very definite qualitative trade up. Kripta (formerly known as Agustí Torelló Mata), has crafted a rosé to be reckoned from what’s clearly a special part of planet wine, born of “mountain viticulture,” from Mediona at 550 metres elevation in Northeastern Spain. There’s so much wine here for $30.

A New Star Discovered

Still in the Traditional Method category, one of the most unexpected but thoroughly delicious wines we came across this year for the first time hails from Croatia, a country very much on a qualitative upswing even if Croatian sparkling wine sales don’t even merit a footnote in LCBO stats. Coronica’s Co Due Extra Brut ($47.95, Consignment, Croatia Unpacked) is a prime example of the versatility of the indigenous white-skinned malvazija variety (aka malvasia Istriana, not related to any of the many other grapes called malvasia throughout Italy and beyond) made by local hero Moreno Coronica. I had the pleasure of visiting Coronica a couple of years ago and was captivated by his excellent dry and still malvazijas grown in the strikingly red soils of Istria, but this bubbly version is a revelation. And as Megha points out: “This… promises to be a memorable contribution to holiday parties as it is likely to pique people’s curiosity.” You’ve got your icebreaker.

If Champagne it Must Be ….

While I would strongly council you to try one of the aforementioned Ontario traditional method bubblies, which will stretch your dollars far further, sometimes only champagne will do. And if brand name champagne it must be, Laurent Perrier has one of the best deals going in the category: La Cuvée Brut Champagne ($81.55, LCBO# 25068) is a gently toasty-biscuity example, a comfortable middle-of-the-road style relative to other Grandes Marques. Megha loved “its array of delicate flavours and its toasty, creamy, yet balanced and refined palate.”

Bandwagon Jumpers

Tastings Charmat or tank method products was admittedly a brutally punishing experience this year. With the colossal success of Prosecco over the last decade, it seems everyone from everywhere else is looking to jump on the bandwagon and make a fast-and-easy bubbly. The result is a mediocre sea of sameness. Making good quality sparkling wine is a very technical endeavor, one which requires genuine expertise and experience, not just a sales agent who demands a sparkling in the portfolio, and a harvest crew sent out to pick unripe grapes.

As one of our Crü, who shall remain anonymous under the critic’s protection program, cried out in exasperation during the tasting: “Does this shit just sell no matter what? They all taste the same. It would seem people will buy anything with bubbles in it.”

High quality examples of Prosecco (they exist) were sadly absent from the submissions. Wines from the more restricted, hilly regions of Valddobiadene and Conegliano, Asolo and Treviso, are invariably more interesting than those churned out in industrial quantities from the flat plains of the Veneto under the massively expanded DOC Prosecco, the origins of much of what we tasted.

Nonetheless, two wines from the thriving and prosperous Bottega empire make the list: Il Vino Dei Poeti Brut Millesimato 2023, DOC Treviso ($18.00, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.) gets the nod from Michael for its “next-level character as compared to many others in the [Bottega] portfolio.” I had time for the pink version: Il Vino Dei Poeti Brut Rosé Millesimato 2023, DOC Venezia ($15.95, LCBO# 277202), a simple but engaging and actually quite dry (brut) rosé. Bottega does make fantastically blingy bottles of Prosecco as well, but at twice the price, you’re paying mostly for packaging. Also be sure you’re grabbing the right wine as the Bottega range is bewilderingly large and one gets easily confused between all of the different bottlings — match up the LCBO number.

Wherefore Art Thou, Pét-Nat?

Pétillants Natural, or ancestral method sparklings, were submitted in large numbers in years past. This year there was less than a handful. No one at WineAlign was terribly upset. It has always struck me as odd that someone would pay the same, or more, for these half-finished, cloudy, fizzy, often funky wines compared to fully fledged traditional method sparkling. Perhaps they’re selling so well in Dundas West bottle shops and restaurants that there was no point in sending them in for review. Or maybe the market has caught on to the ruse. Whatever the case, there are only six products currently under the pét-nat heading on LCBO.com.

One worth mentioning here that makes the list is Stratus’s Field Blend Ancestral 2023, VQA Niagara On The Lake, Ontario, Canada ($35.00, Stratus Vineyards). It’s a wine of immediate and joyful fruit, and, as prices of most other wines have crept up while this ancestrale has remained the same, it looks like a relative bargain.

Bub Light

There’s no slowing the no/low alcohol, movement by now well past fad and trend stage and into a bonafide category of its own. And you might just want a few bottles around for those nights when the RIDE program is out in force (every night).

The good news for sparkling wine drinkers is that the style is undoubtedly the best suited to making low-alcohol wines. I mean, for one, sparkling wines are already made from grapes at the edge of ripeness, so there’s less alcohol to remove in the first place. Secondly, carbon dioxide goes a long way to carry aromas and flavours to the fore, while also providing the textural intrigue so often lacking in still low/no alcohol wines. And lastly, high acids coupled with CO2 neatly mask the pinch of sugar that is frequently added to fill in the gaps left when alcohol is removed. Still no/low wines are much more obviously sweet, or bitter, thin and flavourless without any sugar.

A solid local low alcohol option is the aptly named Mindful Sparkling, VQA Ontario, from Lakeview Cellars ($17.95 LCBO# 32190). It strikes a nice balance between dryness and roundness, low alcohol but good flavour intensity. And, as a bonus, it’s not overpriced, as so many non-alcoholic versions are. 110 calories per 188 ml/6 oz serving, 8% ABV, 5 grams sugar/liter.

And with that, on to the Buyer’s Guide. A happy and safe holiday and best wishes to all from the Crü at WineAlign.

Buyer’s Guide

Traditional Method White & Blancs de Blancs (including Canadian Sparkling, Champagne, Crémant, Cava and Others)

Cave Spring Estate Blanc De Blancs, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario
$32.95, Cave Spring Cellars
Megha Jandhyala – If you are looking for a well-priced, stalwart traditional method sparkling wine with which to stock your holiday bar, Cave Spring’s non-vintage blanc de blancs is the wine for you. It is dry, lively, and balanced, with a subtle and complex flavour profile that is sure to please a range of palates.

Malivoire Bisous Brut, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario,
$34.95, Malivoire Wine Company
David Lawrason – This luxurious chardonnay and pinot noir is aged 36 months on lees. The nose shows apple custard with mild brioche, honey and almond complexity. It is rich, a touch sweet with fine acidity and mousse. An easy sipper but the sweet edge suggests it will work chilled with spicy, Asian appetizers/canapes.

Rosehall Run Ceremony Estate Grown And Bottled Blanc De Blancs 2019, VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario
$39.00, Rosehall Run
John Szabo – Taut and tight, this is an appealingly leaner style to be sure at 11.5% alcohol declared and little dosage to report, driving irresistible saliva through the long finish. A terrific wine from a terrific chardonnay vintage all in all, showcasing fine, cool PEC limestone character, a perfect oyster wine.

Creekside Queenston Mile Vineyard Blanc de Blancs Reserve 2018, VQA St. David’s Bench, Ontario
$45.00, Creekside Estate Winery
David Lawrason –Creekside rises up with this 100% chardonnay on its lees for 48 months, pouring mature pale gold. The nose is soft with ripe apple, brioche and vague honey notes. The same creamy feel follows on the palate with gentle almost custardy texture yet good energy. Excellent length.

Liquidity Reserve Sparkling Brut, BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
$45.00, Liquidity Wines
Michael Godel – Five months has actually brought a settling to the autolysis and yet with no loss of complexity in this unheralded, needs-to-be-discovered Okanagan Valley sparkling wine. Oh, what joy! Tannins and fruit, acidity at the peak and full pleasure guaranteed.

Coronica Co Due Extra Brut, Croatia
$47.95, Croatia Unpacked
John Szabo – This gets my vote for the finest discovery during the tasting for this year’s Fizz Guide, a pure malvazija (malvasia Istriana) from the deep red soils of Istria, made by local hero Moreno Coronica in the traditional method and aged 36 months on lees. It’s a subtle wine that you’ll have to go searching for, but patience will be rewarded. I love the salinity on the palate — there’s a real saltiness here, and you’ll be drawn back for another sip. Well worth a detour into a lovely and crunchy, dry quality sparkling wine.
Megha Jandhyala – This delightful bubbly from Croatia promises to be a memorable contribution to holiday parties as it is likely to pique people’s curiosity. Made with malvazija, this off-the-beaten-track wine is drawn in the image of classic traditional-method sparkling wines yet displays its own character and identity.

Hidden Bench Natur Zero Dosage 2017, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario
$47.20, Hidden Bench Estate Winery
David Lawrason –A standout for its complexity and depth, aged six years on lees, which accounts for its aged, golden colour. It has a lovely almost creamy nose with complex hazelnut, peanut brittle and dried fruit. It is lean yet elegant and dry (no dosage) with impressive flavour intensity and length. Will carry with even richer meals.
Megha Jandhyala – This strikingly golden, gracefully ageing, bone-dry blanc de blancs from Hidden Bench is rich and steely, layered with deep, reverberating tones of honey-drizzled croissants, strawberry and cherry preserve, caramelized lemons, dried apples, and toasted hazelnuts. In short, it is delicious and captivating! I would pair it with buttery lobster or a selection of sharp cheeses, given its concentration and brightness.

Last House Joie de Vivre Blanc de Blanc 2021, VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario
$48.00, Last House Vineyard
David Lawrason – From new Last House on the shore of Lake Ontario in Wellington, comes a 100% chardonnay with zero dosage — in other words, bone dry. The nose is rich, leesy and honeyed with peachy fruit, peanut brittle. It is light, tight, intense and mineral with excellent to outstanding length. Oysters, please.
Michael Godel – No dosage, categorically brut zero sparkling wine of leesy significance and gentlest positive oxidation. Full orchard and citrus fruit flavours on a sturdy frame backed by bedrock as backbone PEC limestone intensity. You need to try this – it represents a significant style and profound bottle of sparkling wine.
Megha Jandhyala – This bone-dry, chardonnay-based traditional method sparkling wine beguiled me with its dense, honeyed, and taut palate and its complex flavours of fresh and dried fruit, nuts, and toasted brioche. It is ready to drink now but can also be cellared to be enjoyed in a few years. I plan to buy a few bottles of it to serve as an aperitif alongside appetizers like gougères or salmon canapés.

Cave Spring Csv Blanc De Blancs Natural Brut 2017, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario
$49.95, Cave Spring Cellars
Michael Godel – The 2017 takes a turn for the toasty and excitable, into tart and scintillant territory for B de B of a singular style. Even for the most consistent sparkling wine house of them all but, all things being equal, this Beamsville Bench bubble creates a new fashion all its own.

Leaning Post Blanc De Blanc Traditional Method Sparkling 2019, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario
$55.00, Leaning Post Wines
Michael Godel – The sugar is not quite zero but, to be honest, nine-plus grams of acidity renders three g/L of RS essentially obsolete. Packed with aromas and flavours, as far from severe as B de B will be, instead generous and celebratory. Unexpected and mind-blowing in many ways. What sorcery is this pray tell, Senchuk and Senchuk?

Tawse Spark David’s Block Blanc de Blancs 2010, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Ontario, Canada 
$55.15, Tawse Winery
John Szabo – Yes, you’re reading that correctly, a 2010, which spent a remarkable 12 years on the lees, equivalent to only the top prestige cuvée champagnes. The lees have preserved remarkable life and vibrancy: it pours a pale straw colour — observing it, it could be a 2022 chardonnay. But on the palate is where you’ll find the magical development of autolysis flavours, curry and fenugreek, maple syrup and more in the sotolone family of molecules. Marvellously creamy, a textural masterpiece, with acids so comfortable and sugars by now consumed, leaving a gently foamy mousse in their long, long wake. Truly remarkable. Only $55?

Divergence Hughes Vineyard Blanc de Blancs 2020, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Ontario,
$66.00, Divergence Wines
David Lawrason –From a new kid on the block, this is in lovely condition, showing fine, pure apple and lemon fruit amid subtle fresh pastry notes. It strikes a nice balance of energy and elegance with firm acidity, modest alcohol and just a wisp of sweetness.  The focus and length are excellent. Versatile.

Laurent Perrier La Cuvée Brut Champagne, Champagne, France
$81.55, LCBO# 25068 & Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
John Szabo, MS – If brand name champagne it must be, LP has one of the best deals going in the price category and is widely available. It’s a gently toasty-biscuity example — LP doesn’t seem to be seeking heavy autolysis even if it’s more pronounced relative to some other Grandes Marques, a comfortable middle of the road. Length and depth are excellent.
Megha Jandhyala – Some occasions call for a classic, so when you need to either serve or bring a bottle of champagne, I recommend Laurent Perrier’s La Cuvée Brut. I love its array of delicate flavours and its toasty, creamy, yet balanced and refined palate. Ideally, I would serve this as an aperitif or alongside lobster puffs, gougères or caviar.

Traditional Method Rosé

Henry Of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Rosé Brut, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Reg price: $29.95, on LTO until Jan 5 for $26.95, LCBO# 217505, & Henry of Pelham & Family Wine Merchants
John Szabo – Properly fragrant and gently autolytic, Henry of Pelham’s classic Cuvée Catharine rosé brut was a deserving NWAC Platinum winner this year. Unbeatable complexity-pleasure-price combination.
Michael Godel – Crisp, fresh, not notably autolytic but, yes, spiced and seasoned for character and purpose. Begs the question why would anyone choose to spend $30 on Charmat method Ontario bubbles with Henry Of Pelham Brut Rosé readily available?
Megha Jandhyala – Henry of Pelham’s Cuvée Catherine Rosé offers flavour, nuance, and balance at a very good price. I like the subtle tones of glazed brioche accompanying bright notes of crunchy berries and perfectly ripe cherries. Elegant, yet immediately and broadly appealing, this rosé should work well served as an aperitif at holiday parties or alongside seafood at the dinner table.

Westcott Brilliant Traditional Method Sparkling Rose 2021, VQA Vinemount Ridge, Ontario
$ 40.00, VINTAGES#: 38733 & Westcott Vineyards
John Szabo – Something a little different: a spicy, woodsy, cranberry and tart cherry-flavoured bubbly, very much in the pinot noir idiom, with formidable complexity and an oxidative leaning. A serious and gastronomic rosé all in all.

Cellar Kripta Trepat Brut Reserva Rosat 2021, DO Cava, Penedès, Spain 
$30.00, TWC Imports
John Szabo – Cellar Kripta, known as Agustí Torelló Mata until early 2024, has crafted a rosé to be reckoned with. I really like the action on the palate — such life and zest; this is clearly from a special part of planet wine, born of “mountain viticulture,” from Mediona at 550 metres elevation, contributing to the vibrancy and tension on display. Ageing is extended to a minimum of 3 years on the lees. Lovely value — so much for $30.
Michael Godel – A unique Penedès Cava made with only Trepat, a red Catalan variety that ampelographers believe is likely indigenous to the Northeastern Iberian Peninsula. Clean, fruity and marching on with high acidity for a fresh and spirited result. Really well made, refreshing and worth the detour.
Megha Jandhyala – This is a colourful rosé cava, open and appealing, with bright flavours of tart cherries, pomegranate and blood orange, alongside a hint of salinity. Its fresh and flavourful palate suggests to me that it will pair well with a range of foods at holiday dinners where more than one cuisine is represented.

Charmat/Cuve Close/Martinotti/Tank Method White (including Prosecco)

Henry Of Pelham Sparkling, V.Q.A. Ontario, Canada 
$17.95, LCBO# 37965 & Henry Of Pelham
John Szabo – This is a new (to me, at least) Charmat method sparkling from the Speck brothers, pioneers of excellent traditional method sparkling with their Cuvée Catharine range. The company’s expertise shows through here with the balance of sugars and acids, off-dry in style, modelled after prosecco and its worldwide success. If you’re into the style, might as well support local.

Bottega Il Vino Dei Poeti Brut Millesimato 2023, D.O.C. Prosecco Treviso
$18.00, LCBO# 897702 & Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Michael Godel – Herbal and subtly lactic from the feeling of hard salty cheese which means a bit of added complexity for the Bottega Il Vino Dei Poeti Brut Millesimato. Puts us in a positive position to receive a sparkling wine with next level character as compared to many others in the portfolio. The sweetness may be there, but we feel less, especially on the palate.

Cooper’s Hawk North Block Sparkling Charmat Method 2022, VQA Ontario, Canada
$25.15, Coopers Hawk Vineyards
Megha Jandhyala – Crunchy, juicy, and cheerful, this Charmat-method bubbly has an unassuming charm that makes it a great choice for those looking to add an affordably priced, broadly-appealing bubbly to their holiday bar as a “house wine.”

Charmat/Cuve Close/Martinotti/Tank Method Rosé

Bottega Il Vino Dei Poeti Brut Rosé Millesimato 2023, DOC Venezia, Italy 
$15.95, LCBO# 277202 & Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
John Szabo – Clean and fresh, simple and engaging, and actually quite dry (Brut) for the prosecco category; I like the fresh green apple flavours, the hard pear, the red cherry. Length and depth are modest, but this ticks all the right boxes, including price.

Sweet Sparkling

Vieni Estates Rosso Sparkling, VQA Vinemount Ridge, Ontario
$19.95, Vieni Estates Wines & Spirits
John Szabo – A sparkling red from Niagara made from chambourcin and cabernet franc, this is a sort of Lambrusco equivalent, although off-dry in style, with lots of earthy, resinous, piney black fruit flavours. Could be a fun Christmas turkey wine with the cranberry sauce and all of the fixings.

Vieni Sparkling Moscato Sweet 2021, VQA Ontario, Canada
$19.95, Vieni Estates Wines & Spirits
Michael Godel – Classic Asti style, of moscato the grape and in mimic of the Moscato d’Asti. Vieni’s take follows the linalool effect and peachy fruit of the original. Not too sweet, ultra crisp, fresh and clean. That’s the point. More flavour, less alcohol. Far superior than in trying to imitate Prosecco.
Megha Jandhyala – This sweet, yet appealingly refreshing sparkling wine from Ontario is made in the Moscato d’Asti style. At under $20, it is a reliable option for those who are hosting friends and family over the holidays as it is easy to enjoy by itself whilst also coupling harmoniously with a range of foods. It ought to pair especially well with baked brie, a selection of rich creamy cheeses, desserts, and even spicy cuisine.

Pét-Nat (including Ancestrale)

Stratus Field Blend Ancestral 2023, VQA Niagara On The Lake, Ontario
$35.00, Stratus Vineyards
John Szabo – The latest Stratus “Field Blend” (not technically a field blend, but a blend of all of the white varieties from the field/estate, which allows winemaker Dean Stoyka to state the precision of 41% riesling, 30% chardonnay, 18% sauvignon, and 11% semillon) is  bottled on lees as usual, so expect cloudiness, also lots of juicy-fruity-peach-apricot flavours. I like the immediacy and the succulent fruit, the upfront joy. As prices of most other wines have crept up and the ancestrale has remained the same, the quality/price ratio of this wine has increased.

Low Alcohol (<8% ABV)

Lakeview Cellars Estate Winery Mindful Sparkling, VQA Ontario, Canada 
$17.95, LCBO# 32190
John Szabo – Strikes a nice balance between dryness and roundness, low alcohol but good flavour intensity, offering a fine alternative for those seeking less alcohol but a decent amount of flavour. And, as a bonus, it’s not overpriced as many non-alcoholic versions are. 110 calories per 188 ml/60 oz serving, 8% ABV, 5 grams sugar/liter.

Half Bottles

Tawse Spark 2021, (375 ml) VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
$16.05, VINTAGES# 404558 & Tawse Winery
John Szabo – Perfect, pre-dinner aperitif for two in the 375 ml format; fresh and lively on the nose, with citrus fruit mingling with apples, apple blossoms, and wildflower honey. Dry, well-balanced.

Divergence Wines Riesling Brut 2021, Ontario, Canada
$20.00, Divergence Wines
John Szabo – A traditional method sparkling riesling with attractive, yeasty/toasty notes in the autolytic style, yet retaining a good amount of crab apple fruit and floral notes. Dry, lively palate, brisk and racy, 11.5%; 10 g/L RS.

That’s all for this report, see you ’round the next bottle. 

 John Szabo, MS