I've had mixed feelings about Colio Estates.

On one hand, it's counterintuive for Ontario wine -- creating a little excitement for an area near Lake Erie that's been ignored. This also reminds me of the fact that there are a lot of wineries just on the other side of the lake, in Pennsylvania. It's a little known fact that there are wineries in every state in the US, and even more surprising is that PA ranks somewhere around fourth overall due to the favorable climate & soil around the shores of Lake Erie. As I recall, the order is something like: California, Oregon, New York, Pennsylvania. Pretty cool!

So, I like things that surprise me (and other people).

That being said, Colio Estates has exaggerated the virtues of some of its product, and has overpriced some of it relative to equally-good Ontario competitors. And they're showing up on too many shelves in the Vintages area of the liquor store if you ask me. Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves.

To the bottle we go: 12.4% alcohol. A note on the label about an unusually cool summer and warm fall, or something like that. A late harvest offering interesting flavors.

This wine has a magnificent color & bouquet. It lives up to what it's supposed to do, providing a dry, light companion to food. Good with salmon, the experts say. I found the bite a little too bitey though. The complex fruit flavor (hints of caramel, apple) has a bit of a bitter acidic finish, making you respect this wine even more, however I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be enjoying that slightly metallic note. 8.5 and definitely a keeper. Sure to delight guests.