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Necessity is the mother of (re-)invention. An inflatable bladder on our little old basket press popped midway through pressing a small quantity of very ripe Viognier, leaving us with half-pressed high-quality skins. After a bit of head-scratching and gnashing of teeth, we recalled that the great Shiraz-based wines of the northern Rhône valley often contain small amounts of Viognier. So we bucketed Viognier must into some Shiraz ferments and were amazed at the resulting impact on wine aromatics. 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier from our St. David’s vineyard, fermented in small batches and aged 19 months in French oak. At best from 2007-2012.

Ruby red verging on purple in colour. The nose is an aromatic blend of intense red berry fruits such a cherry and currant accented by cedar and oak spice in the background. The palate is rich and full with jammy red-berry fruit and hints of cassis and leather spice. Well-rounded palate with excellent length. Drinking well now with optimum aging between 2007 – 2010

This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot has a colour that is ruby red verging on purple. On the nose, a complex bouquet plum, blackberry and cassis with underlying smoky notes from oak ageing. A dense, full-bodied palate showcasing juicy fruit flavours including black currant, plum and cassis. A rich, full palate with a firm, elegant structure. Drinking well now with optimum aging between 2008

Fruit for our 2002 reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from two vineyards on the St. David’s Bench and a third site in Niagara-on-the-Lake, harvested in late October at 22.1ºBrix. Fruit lots were vinified separately in small 800-kg batches, utilizing the traditional method of punch-down of the cap. Four different yeast strains were used. After a short post-ferment maceration, wines were pressed off into a mixture of French and American oak barriques. Malolactic fermentation in barrel. Aged in oak for 23 months. Of the 12 barrels that are in the final cuveé, there were eight French and four American barriques; five of the barrels were new oak.

An extremely crisp and aromatic styled Chardonnay, this wine delivers upfront fruit on the bouquet including citrus rind, green apple and tropical fruit. The palate is clean and refreshing, slightly rounded with creamy oak notes and ending in a crisp citrus finish. This versatile wine is great on its own or with light foods. Drinking well now but will hold until 2008.

This intriguing blend was a combination of unique varietals containing Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a touch of Viognier. The result is a tropical, exotic nose of peach, honeysuckle and grapefruit with nuances of vanilla and apple spice. The palate is an attention-grabber: brisk, grassy and lemon rind notes with a crisp undercurrent of acidity mingled with subtle creamy oak notes and flavours of tangerine and pear. Overall a crisp, refreshing white with surprising depth and complexity. Available on-line at www.creeksidewine.com or in the winery retail store. wine was created with 48% barrel fermented and aged Sauvignon Blanc, 48% Stainless Steel Chardonnay and 4% Viogner. 175 cases produced. All oaked component of the wine was in 100% French oak barrels 50% of it being new oak and the remainder 1 year old. Batonnage method was employed during the time in barrel for added mouth feel and complexity

Medium depth cherry red in colour, showing high viscosity (“great legs”).On the nose, the wine displays intense cherry perfume fruit framed by complexities of chocolate/cocoa, pencil shavings, leather, and wood spice.In the mouth, the wine has a creamy, rounded texture, highlighted by a pure black cherry/cassis fruit core in harmony with balanced acidity and moderate tannic structure. Overall, an elegant medium-to-full bodied wine in a style which combines old-world finesse with new-world fruit intensity. Drinking well now, will reward medium-term cellaring.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and Shiraz exact quantities unknown, but listed to from the largest proportion of the blend to the smallest. All were sourced from Niagara-On-The-Lake. When racking red wine barrels, we routinely combine the lees (the yeast and grape solids which collect on the bottoms of the barrels) from them. A barrel typically has 4-5L of cloudy wine left in the bottom after racking – this wine is tipped into a bucket and transferred to another barrel along with all other “tippings” from the racking. The “tippings” barrels are (7 full ones in 2002) resettled and racked to clarify the wine repeatedly over a period of years. All barrels used in this final racking process were French oak. This process is repeated as the lees are repeatedly racked off until there are three remaining barrels of superb red wine. The total process takes 38 months. The wine was bottled directly from barrel with no filtration on February 2 2006.

This Meritage is a blend of 20% Cabernet Franc, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot from top vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula. The ‘dripper’ technique was employed on 20% of the wine. The ‘dripper’ is a method employed at harvest where left over caps (Un-pressed skins and grape pulp) from fermentation are left out for 24 hours. Gravity naturally presses this material extracting wine rich and soft tannin which is funneled directly into barrel. This adds to the structure, polish and fullness of the wine. Aging for this wine was almost a three year process: Aged in new oak for 11 months followed by further refining in older oak barrels for another 11 months and then bottle ageing for another 11 months. The result is a highly refined, elegant and complex red. Recommended Decanting as of 2006: 4 hours: Recommended ageing: 2008-2011.

Fruit for our 2002 reserve Merlot was sourced from two old-vine vineyards (vine average age >15 years) near Lake Ontario in Niagara-on-the-Lake, harvested mid-October at 21.9 ºBrix. Fruit lots were vinified separately in small 800-kg batches, utilizing the traditional method of punch-down of the cap. Three different yeast strains were used. After a short post-ferment maceration, wines were pressed off into a mixture of French and American oak barriques. Malolactic fermentation in barrel. Aged in oak for 23 months. Of the 12 barrels that are in the final cuveé, there were six French and six American barriques; four of the barrels were new oak.

Due to severe low temperatures in the winter of 2005, Pinot Grigio crops were much smaller than previous years. In response to this significant shortage, the Creekside winemaking team searched international vineyards to acquire Pinot Grigio that reflected the style and flavour profile that best matched our award winning Niagara style. The resulting blend consisted of 12% domestic wine with the remainder as a careful blend of international vineyards. The wine was fermented and then cold stabilized in stainless steel. Bottled April 2006.

“One of the best Pinot Gris yet from Ontario, with a hint of the pearl grey ‘gris’ coloration and typical aromas of peach, bread crust and citrus. It has a weighty, plush Alsace feel, braced by refreshing acidity. Good fruit and complexity in a variety often too lean in Niagara.” David Lawrason, Wine Access Magazine, April 2006

Elegant, complex Pinot showing dried cherry, beet root, and leathery, rich undertones, with a hint of peppery spice and green tea on the nose. The palate has sweet, dense flavours of plum, cherry, and hints of coffee, caramel, and vanilla spice. This wine was the end result of 7 chosen barrels all combining to create a wine of excellent character. Drink 2006 – 2011.

This Riesling was harvested early in the season on September 23 entirely from the Butler’s Grant vineyard on the Beamsville Bench in Vineland. The grapes were clean and disease-free, harvested at 19.3 Brix. The wine underwent temperature controlled cool ferment in 80% stainless steel helped to preserve delicate tree fruit character with the remaining 20% in 5 year old French oak for added complexity and mouth feel. The fermentation was stopped at 11.5% alcohol, leaving some natural residual sweetness. Bottled April 26 2006.

This delightfully refreshing rosé wine is ruby salmon in colour with crystal red hues. The bouquet has upfront strawberry jam, violets raspberries and fresh cream. The palate is medium bodied and soft with a refreshing citrus acidity in the finish. Perfect in warmer weather.

Pale straw in colour with a hint of green. This intensely aromatic wine has great concentrated aromas of mango, passion fruit, lemon peel and gooseberry with clean grassy notes. In the mouth, the wine’s rounded mouth feel is balanced by zesty citrus acidity. Subtle hints of tropical fruit linger through a lively crisp finish.

“Nicely Ripened Sauvignon Blanc from 5 different vineyards in Niagara was fermented in French Oak barrels and stainless steel tanks before being blended to create this stunning Reserve white. The oak influence adds some smoke and spicy elements to the wine, which is instantly recognizable as Sauvignon Blanc by virtue of its mix of tropical fruit, citrus and grassy aromas and flavours. Creekside’s portfolio is one of the strongest around, and is one of the true gems.” 4 ½ out of 5 Stars. Christopher Waters, St.Catharines Standard, February 25, 2006

This select late harvest Vidal has a golden, viscous appearance. The bouquet is a mix of orange peel, pears and peaches with underlying nutty complexity. The palate is intensely flavoured, with a sweet rich mouth feel and a long creamy finish accented by a balancing acidity.

Deep ruby to purple in colour. Deep aromatic nose of dense berry fruit and cedar – spice notes. The palate is rich and full with jammy red-berry fruit and hints of cassis and leather spice. Well-rounded palate with excellent length. Drinking well now with optimum aging between 2007 –

Deep ruby purple. The bouquet mixes cassis, tobacco leaf, mocha chocolate, oregano, and spicy oak. Soft and mouth filling on the palate, with youthful structure already unfolding to reveal a sweet blackcurrant fruit core. Good varietal typicity, moderate tannins and a long finish. A mid-weight vintage for Niagara cabernet: drinking very well now, and will improve and mellow for 5-6 years.

A wonderful level of complexity can be found in this Icewine. White tree fruit such as pear, apple and white peach dominate the nose, but hints of honeysuckle and caramel are also evident. The subtle creamy texture from barrel fermentation is balanced by refreshing citrus acidity and oak tannin adding structure to the palate. Flavours include concentrated peach, apple, pear and apricot with oak spice and crème brulé on the finish. A fine example of the balancing act of sweetness, crisp acidity and soft oak. Enjoy now or age for added complexity until 2014.