Buyers Guide to Vintages October 10th Release

Giving and Thanking, and Looking at Ontario’s Wacky 2026 Vintage

By David Lawrason with notes from John Szabo, Megha Jandhyala, Sara d’Amato, Michael Godel

On this release, Vintages lands its annual Gift Collection omnibus of over-packaged, over-priced and sometimes over-sized wines for Christmas. We critics do not get to sample and review these wines, which is fine by me. Historically they are not all that interesting. They are designed to appeal to those who care more about the performance of giving than the contents of the gift. And besides, it is way too early to be contemplating Christmas.

We have just cleared Thanksgiving for Pete’s sake! Look what we still have to get through before then: the Alberta referendum (Oct. 19), municipal elections in Toronto (Oct. 26), Hallowe’en (Oct. 31), Touissant Day (All Saints Day) and the release of Bachelder’s 2024 Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays (Nov. 1), the U.S. mid-term elections (Nov. 3), Remembrance Day (Nov. 11), the maybe arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau (Nov. 19), and Black Friday (Nov. 27). After that… fill your boots with Christmas!

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I would much rather talk now about the one holiday of the year that is centered on food and wine and hospitality. There is no religious or political underpinning to Thanksgiving. It is purely a focus on being thankful for what our farmers have just harvested. On preparing it and sharing it, and being comforted by the naturalness and humanity of it all. Plus, turkey sandwiches for the rest of the week.

My thanks go to the grape growers and winemakers who, alas, rarely get to enjoy Thanksgiving weekend celebrations. They are busy picking, sorting, fermenting, pumping over and punching down. Many do not even sleep. And Thanksgiving came later this year, at a critical juncture: most of the early to mid-ripening varieties (pinot noir, chardonnay, gamay) will have been picked, while winemakers would be deciding whether to hold off for the later-ripening bunch (Bordeaux reds, riesling). To make decisions even more white-knuckle, along came an unnecessary day of drizzle in the remnants of Hurricane Isaias, followed by two more humid days of temperatures in the 20s.

In Ontario 2026 has been a wacky vintage, with a cool “late” spring threatening to provide a shorter runway into fall ripeness. June and July were pretty much on track with one almost 40C catch-up heat bath over the Canada Day week. In the third week of July who can forget the three days of orange/grey, sun-blocking haze over the northeast from wildfires in northwestern Ontario. I can’t remember if Trump did impose tariffs on Canada in revenge.

But there was more to come. On July 28 more than 120 millimetres of rain flooded Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines, then six days later another soaking hit the same area. Vineyards became lakes. One Instagram video showed a chap waterskiing along a flooded ditch, being pulled by a pick-up truck. It was worse closer to Lake Ontario (which has survived Trumps renaming) as all the water ran downhill toward the shoreline.

This spelled big trouble. Niagara, parked between two great lakes, is a humid place. But the two monster rains, followed by on-and-off pours through August created significant disease pressure. The onset of mildew necessitated vigorous spraying of fungicides, organic and synthetic, but this was hampered by the inability to get tractors into vineyards. By late August there was speculation the vintage would be a wash.

But from Labour Day weekend through most of September and right into Thanksgiving, the weather was essentially high and dry. I personally can’t remember a more lovely, bright, warm and pleasant September in southern Ontario. Growers heaved a sigh of relief, and in early October posts of happy harvesters started to flood social media.

Climatologists are crediting the onset of the super El Nino that is supposed to provide above average mildness through the rest of the fall and winter in the northeast. And the long-range forecast for the rest of the month is pretty good. There is always the risk of frost that will halt ripening, but there are fewer grapes to be harvested now. Thanksgiving was the hump, and there is reason to be thankful.

Ontario has had a good run of vintages so far this decade. The 2020 Covid vintage was extraordinarily good and healthy. The 2021 vintage was wet and difficult but not unripe; 2022 was a small crop due to winter events, but quite ripe and rich; 2023 had a spotty summer but terrific autumn (like 2026) and I am finding certain firmness and intensity that is impressive. The 2024 vintage was healthy and ripe but maintained good acidity with wines showing purity and crispness, while 2025 was also ripe and warm, with most aged whites and reds still to be revealed.

So, let’s give thanks to all this, and perhaps pick and choose from the many good Ontario wines on this October 10 release. As well as some other rather good buys from elsewhere. Our full corps of critics was able to taste this release so there are many choices. They are arranged in ascending price order within style groupings.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages October 10th: White & Sparkling Wines

Tasca D’Almerita Regaleali Bianco 2025, Sicily, Italy
$18.95, Vin Passion (The Case For Wine)
Sara d’Amato – In its classic Rhine-style bottle, this Sicilian white is now in its 64th vintage and should prove a welcome change of pace for your white wine roster. A hillside-grown blend of local inzolia, grecanico and catarratto, with a splash of chardonnay, it’s tropical and generous, with ripe mango, passion fruit and a refreshing mineral note of sea-spray. Lush but lively, uncomplicated but far from dull.
Michael Godel – The omnipresent lemon drop and citrus pith mark the character of a consistent Tasca wine gifted at an impossible price.
David Lawrason – Vintage after vintage this impresses, especially at the price. The nose is nicely lifted and pure with peach, pineapple, lemon and some leesy and honeyed character. It is medium weight, grippy and lively with a juicy acidity and a sense of poise.
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There are 17 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’s a wrap for this edition. We will be back to review the October 24 release, which continues the gift giving theme — and there are hockey wines too. Wonder how Vintages will stickhandle that one? – David

Use these quick links for access to all of our October 10th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 60 days prior.

Lawrason’s Take – October 10th
John’s Top Picks – October 10th
Megha’s Picks – October 10th
Michael’s Mix – October 10th
Sara’s Selections – October 10th

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