$12.95 at the LCBO, on general list in the VQA section; screwcap closure; 13% alc./vol.
Beautiful cherry-garnet hue; lovely saturation and medium coloration. Big cherry/spicy nose; Gamay-like cherry exuberance, coupled with northern-Syrah-like pepperiness and structure. Spicy, grippy, tart yet balanced texture right from the get-go. Tasty, peppery spice (proper to this Austrian vinifera grape); lots of black-cherry fruit in the background, surrounding the spicy flavours. This is a mouthfilling wine with excellent balance and structure, and it's from a lacklustre vintage, no less! A spicy, tasty, warm finish. I'm very impressed.
This wine is a barrel-aged Zweigelt and hails from Niagara on the Lake. Konzelmann used to bottle this under the Zweigelt varietal name, but my understanding is that sales only took off once they changed the name to "Canada Red". Too bad there continues to be a prejudice against lesser-known Germanic grape names (Riesling clearly doesn't share the same fate).
I've reported in the past on this wine, as well as Pelee Island's novel, and very workable Gamay / Zweigelt blend. Again, we see that Zweigelt is a vinifera variety that is actually well suited to Ontario: no greenness, no underripeness here. It reliably makes a very appetizing, pleasing wine with fine structure, ripeness, and flavour balance.