Buyers Guide to Vintages September 12th Release

“All in On Ontario Wine?” And a New VQA Sparkler Called Fracette

By David Lawrason with notes from Megha Jandhyala and Sara d’Amato

The first Vintages release of September naturally coincides with the beginning of harvest at Ontario wineries. The current issue of the Vintages release magazine is headlined All in for Ontario Wine. An LCBO media campaign airing now uses the same slogan. And of course we all know this an opportune political moment to be backing local, Ontario and Canada. Which is all great, but I have to ask the LCBO, How all in is all in?

Of the 82 products in this Vintages release, 20 are local. Isn’t that more like 25% in? What if Vintages did a 100% Ontario release? Now would have been the moment, but the LCBO operates on months-out schedules of acquisition, shipping, processing, and marketing. Who would have known a year ago that Trump would be renaming Lake Ontario here in September 2026? Only Trump himself perhaps.

One cannot blame the LCBO for being globally focused, given its former mandate for 75 years to be all things to all people as the sole retailer of wine. But in an opening retail market that includes supermarkets, convenience stores, and bottle-shop specialists, it can be argued that the LCBO — as a government agency — should be even more focused on Ontario wine than it is. As in planning now for a 100% Ontario release in September 2027.

To its credit, Vintages has quietly been accommodating more Ontario wine than you might expect. It is not widely known that Ontario wineries can direct ship to certain LCBO stores without going through a listing process. My local store at Bloor and Royal York in Toronto has a large selection of premium Ontario wines that are shipped direct. The store’s product consultant simply has to pick up the phone and call the winery.

And there are other ways to buy Ontario as well. Most Ontario wineries are shipping direct to consumer (DTC) throughout the province and beyond, and if you live in the GTHA you can also drive to either Niagara or Prince Edward County within about two or three hours to taste, buy and fill your trunk. What a great outing — sort of like apple picking with the kids. There is no longer any excuse for not buying Ontario.

And if you do go to wine country this month you will land in the middle of harvest. It’s been a very wet summer in Niagara after biblical rainfalls in July and August, and there is concern about rot in the vineyard. With about three to four weeks of harvest remaining (we hope), I am not going to prognosticate yet on the quality of the grapes that do make it into the tanks, but there have been more optimistic vintages.

New Sparkling VQA Fracette

A subtext of this release is a larger selection of sparkling wines, several from Ontario. This is partially driven by the introduction of a new category of sparkling wine category called Fracette. Developed in Ontario and VQA-sanctioned, it tweaks the production process by using icewine as the catalyst for the second fermentation. The French call this the liqueur d’expedition, a sugar-base mixed with yeast, but in the case of Fracette the sugar is icewine. It is added to the base wine and off goes that second fermentation to create the bubbles captured inside the bottle, or a pressurized tank. The process was created by Kew Vineyard (owned by Arterra Wines Canada), but an Inniskillin Fracette has also been produced, by Arterra. And I assume other wineries will be joining in.

In tasting Fracette for the first time I was curious to see if I could readily ascertain any difference due to the use of icewine. One instinctively assumes the wine might be sweeter but that is false logic because the icewine sugars are fermented out, leaving the wine dry. In the Kew Vineyard Fracette I noticed a somewhat tropical fruit flavour that made me think of vidal icewine, which was used as the liqueur, but the wine was dry, and its fruitiness could simply be the result of the grapes used. At any rate, it was very well balanced, pleasant and enjoyable, if not highly complex.

Two other traditional method Kew Vineyard wines are also presented on the release and are recommended below. Since being purchased by Arterra in 2023, the tiny, hidden-away but absolutely charming Kew Vineyard, which has some of the oldest vines on the Beamsville Bench, has come out of the shadows. Sparkling wine is its forte, and the prices are excellent. It has an adorable tasting room, and a picnic on its treed lawn beside the vineyard is idyllic.

So on to our recommendations for this release, which naturally contain some Ontario picks, but a few other pleasant surprises as well, with a fine international selection of mid-priced whites. Both John and Michael were travelling last week so the number of selections is down a bit. Please read on with our picks arranged in ascending price order.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages September 12: Sparkling Wines

Kew Barrel Aged Blanc De Blanc 2019, Ontario, Canada
$32.95, Arterra Wines Canada
Megha Jandhyala – This blanc de blancs was barrel aged for five months before it underwent a secondary fermentation in bottle and was subsequently aged on its lees for five years. The result is a sparkling wine of complexity, richness, and elegance.
David Lawrason – There is a lovely core of classic apple/pear chardonnay fruit in the blanc de blancs that stays focused nose to finish. There are also creamy, almond and pastry aromas providing complexity. It is light to mid-weight, soft yet lively, with fine acidity and alcohol balance. Excellent length.
Sara d’Amato – A top-value sparkler, Kew Blanc de Blancs draws from some very old chardonnay vines, with a short spell in barrel adding extra intrigue. Generously aromatic, with toasted pine nut, almond, and lees-driven complexity, it delivers fine, voluminous mousse and impressive poise. Serious bubbles, very unserious price.

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There are 13 other Vintages recommendations this week that are only available to our premium members. This complete article will be free and visible to all members 60 days after publication. We invite you to subscribe today to unlock our top picks and other Premium benefits

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And that is a wrap for the edition. We return to cover the September 26 release, which promises to take us Beyond Cabernet.
– David

Use these quick links for access to all of our September 12th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 60 days prior.

Lawrason’s Take – September 12th
Megha’s Picks – September 12th
Sara’s Selections – September 12th

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