April MW Subscription Is Here - Spring has sprung!

Hey Everyone,

It’s Marty!

Spring always feels like a bit of a reset doesn't it?

In our case, the vineyard starts waking up again, the cellar gets busier, and suddenly you realize how much you missed those first warm afternoons where a glass of wine just feels right again.

This month’s box is a bit of a snapshot of where things are right now. A mix of experimentation and patience that really speak to what Niagara does well.

Before we get into the wines, thank you again for being part of the subscription.

The winter months are always a little quieter around here, and your support genuinely helps keep things moving in the vineyard and cellar while everything else is still waking up.

Boxes (and online orders) are ready for pickup every Saturday between 10–4 at the Northern Wine Merchants office beside the Shed. When you pull into the parking lot, it’s the first door on your left, closest to the road.

Now, let’s get into it.

🌸 2024 Rosé - A Niagara afternoon wine

This rosé is made primarily from Syrah, which is still fairly uncommon for rosé in Niagara.

We started working with Syrah because it gives the wine something a little different : a subtle eucalyptus note that adds freshness and makes the wine incredibly food-friendly.

If I were opening this bottle, it wouldn’t be at night.

This is an afternoon wine.

Think a warm day, something light from the garden, maybe a big salad or a table full of small dishes outside.

That’s exactly the kind of moment this wine was made for.

🍒 2023 Gamay: Fruity & Funky

During fermentation we used some carbonic maceration to bring out those classic Gamay notes like cherries, raspberries, and that little bit of bubble-gum character.

After that, the wine spent time in very old barrels, which add a bit of that earthy complexity on the back end.

The other interesting part of this vintage is how long the fruit hung on the vine.

In 2023 we kept seeing ripening increase well into October, so we pushed harvest later than I normally would. Now, tasting it in bottle two and a half years later, I think that decision paid off.

There’s a little more density here than we normally see in Niagara Gamay, which I’m really enjoying.

One of the things I love about Gamay is that it works for almost everyone.

For people just getting into wine, the fruit makes it really approachable.

For people who’ve been drinking wine a long time, it’s refreshing to come back to something lighter after years of big, heavy reds.

🪵2023 MW Chardonnay - A shift in the cellar

This year we moved to 225-litre barrels, which allow a little more evolution while the wine is resting in oak.

It’s a small change on paper, but it opens the wine up in a really interesting way.

Chardonnay is one of those varieties that can be expressed in a thousand different directions depending on how you handle it. Everyone has their own interpretation, and the nice thing is there’s really no right or wrong way to make it.

What I hope people notice most with this wine is simply that it tastes like Niagara Chardonnay.

That’s always the goal.

One quick note: this is the very last of the 2023 Chardonnay. We’ve pretty much cleaned out the cellar at this point. For the tasting videos we filmed for this box we actually had to use an unlabeled bottle because everything else was already spoken for.

So if you enjoyed this one, you’re officially drinking the last of it.

Recap: Why These Wines?

This box is really about the shift from winter into spring.

The Chardonnay reflects a small evolution in the cellar and a continued focus on showing Niagara fruit clearly.

The Gamay shows how patience in the vineyard can add depth to a grape that’s often treated as simple.

And the Rosé is our signal that warmer afternoons are finally on the horizon.

If you’re opening one this weekend, I’d probably start with the rosé and something fresh from the kitchen.

Around my table lately it’s been simple salads, grilled vegetables, and anything that lets the wine stay the star of the show.

As always, I’d love to hear what you think.

Reply to this email or tag us on your socials! I always enjoy seeing where these bottles end up.

Cheers,

Marty

P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for day-to-day updates, harvest photos, and more! We have some fun stuff coming your way!