A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 948: Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Wine

Monday, October 28^th: Took the train into Toronto again, with Deborah, for the launch of a new alcohol-free sparkling wine called frizero. It’s produced by the Amarone producer Fumanelli, in both white and rosé. Armando Fumanelli, the 28^th generation of the wine-producing family, was on hand to speak about the products. He informed the gathering that frizero contains 75% less calories than wine with alcohol. In addition to the two sparklers, there were mocktails – Bellinis and Aperos.

While I am not a great fan of non-alcoholic “wines,” these sparklers had good mouth-feel, which I find missing in most alcohol-free products.

Saturday, November 2^nd: Deborah and I went to Southbrook winery for a tasting of its older wines, conducted by Bill Redelmeier, with small-plate accompanying food, prepared by Chef J-P Chalet.

Bill started off by saying, “Wine is the only thing we buy to age.”

There were seven wines served. The first, which turned out to be my favourite of the tasting, was Southbrook Poetica 2012 (a blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 26% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot). This was a stunning wine in St. Emilion style – that is, an old-world wine, made in New Worls soil. If I were I scoring the wines, I would have given it 94 points.

Then came Southbrook Merlot 2019 (in magnum) served with gougères, followed by Petit Verdot 2019, Merlot 2017, Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Petit Verdot 2016 (served with braised beef rib) and finally (with crab cake) Southbrook Chardonnay 2016. And as a final treat, Southbrook Whimsy The Anniversary – a fortified oxidized Chardonnay made in Madeira style.

Bill Redelmeier showed us with this tasting that Ontario reds can age gracefully and can be compared without a blush against their French counterparts.

Inspired, I came home and cooked a cheese soufflé.

Other wines tasted this week: Five Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Thirty Bench Small Lot “Wild Cask” Riesling 2019.