Your December MW Subscription Is Here

Hey Everyone,

It’s Marty!

December is one of my favourite months of the year. After all of the hard work, the vineyard slows down, the cellar picks up but more importantly the table fills up.

It’s the time for opening bottles a little earlier in the day and the real "work" becomes enjoying them with people you actually have time to sit with.

This month’s box is built exactly for that. Easy drinking, a bit of depth, a little celebration, and a lot of food on the table. Wines that feel right at home over the holidays.

Let’s get into it.

✨ NV Brut – Charmat Chardonnay: Orchard Fruit & Easy Afternoons

Charmat is different than traditional method made sparklings. Instead of long aging on lees in bottle, the carbonation happens in tank before bottling. The payoff? You get way more of that fresh Niagara Chardonnay character like apple, pear, orchard fruit. Clean and lifted.

Once we feel like the wine is ready, it heads to Prince Edward County to see our good friends Jonas and Vicky at Hinterland Winery. They’ve got all the equipment and experience to handle the process properly. When the wine comes back to us, it’s bottled and ready to go.

This is the bottle I’ll be drinking over the holidays, usually late morning or around lunch, with our good friends Mike and Allison and, of course, Rachel. It’s a no-stress sparkler.

Pop it, pour it, enjoy it.

And if you don’t want a full bottle open, we’ve also got half-bottle four-packs available. Great for travel, gifting, or just a smaller pour when that’s all you need.

🍐 2023 Pinot Grigio: Time in A Bottle

You’ll still find the classic pear and orchard fruit, but the wine has put on a bit more weight and texture. We’re moving into more mineral notes now, a bit of straw and hay, and a nice floral lift with white flowers that remind me of early spring.

There’s also a subtle waxy note building on the finish. Not heavy, just enough to make you stop and wonder what that last flavour was. This is a great middle-of-the-table wine right now. Pasta, Italian food, simple seafood, roast chicken.

This vintage is a personal one for me, too. My good friend Travis Saunders was a big part of the 2023 season, and he’s also the guy who built The Shed from the ground up. Every time I open a ’23, I think of him, Colleen, and their family.

🍷 2022 Cabernet Franc: Holiday Depth, Spice & Family Roots

You’ll see mature red fruit, but what excites me most is what time in barrel and bottle is doing here with the baking spice, nutmeg, and that warm, savoury edge that plays so well with big plates of food. There’s still a fair bit of oak structure too, which tells me this wine has another five years in it easily.

It’s labeled Niagara-on-the-Lake, but specifically, all the fruit actually comes from my in-laws’ place on Warner Road in St. David’s. We pull about four to five tons a year from that vineyard. The vines went into the ground in 2017, and now we’re really starting to see that maturity come through in the glass.

If you feel like getting nerdy, the 2023 is also on the shelf right now. Side-by-side is always encouraged.

Either way, if you’re cracking this on Christmas Day? You’re doing it right.

Recap: Why These Wines?

This box is all about highlighting the moments where we can come together.

The Brut is about brightness and celebration.

The Pinot Grigio reminds us that even the freshest wines can grow into something more layered and soulful with patience.

The Cab Franc brings depth and warmth to winter meals.

Different grapes, always the same philosophy: guide gently, trust the vineyard, and let the wines become what they want to be.

Looking for more of the good stuff?

Did you know that as a wine subscription member, you get exclusive access to your back vintage faves? These are in limited quanitities, so grab 'em before they're gone!

Whether you’re picking up at The Shed or unboxing at home, I’d love to know which MW wines you are drinking this holiday season.

Tag us or reply to this email!

Here’s to clean fruit, calm cellars, and great wines.

Cheers,

Marty

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