No spirits coming in this month. On the other hand there is a nice tawny 20 year old port from Warre's. Warre's is one of the oldest Portuguese exportation houses still running. Established in 1670 to export goods such as wines, fruits and olive oil and import dried cod and wool from England. Over time the name changed, but the goods did not. Still a large exporter of fine port to the world now, they are renowned for their superb quality and style.
The Otima lineup was a revelation to the port community; and is still widely acknowledged as the most successful new development in Port for over 25 years. Otima shows Port's versatility as an all year round liqueur (20% constitutes a liqueur here), bringing a modern touch to a classic drink. Its often described as being a lush soft Port. Featuring nutty aromas and hints of coffee, caramel and orange peel. A pretty reasonable deal for $40. Can be cellared up to 3 or 4 years for that special occasion, or consumed today. Check you local LCBO for ordering [SKU #682716]. Take note that the 10 year old is also available from the LCBO [SKU #566174].In other news; I have survived my trip to the Spirit of Toronto show. It was an excellent time with many a new spirit showcased. There are a few that still stand out to this day in my mind, but this is for another post. I am still compiling my pictures and notes, but will get to this some day soon I hope. You can check my twitter history HERE for a preview.
Our first stop was to Chateau des Charmes (a Niagara on the Lake favorite of mine), and directed to the VIP tasting bar. We headed the winding staircase to a room overlooking the rear vineyards. A bottle of Brut was cracked in our favor to cleanse our palates from the long hard drive. Many things were sampled, but the Old Vines Riesling stuck out to myself as well as a patented 2008 Varietal called Gamay 'Droit'. Check out their website 
Through our whirlwind tour of Niagara on the Lake, we stopped into Ravine Vineyards. I was urged to try the Reisling by our cohorts (Myself a being a white drinker mainly), as it was touted as one of the best she'd ever had. We settled down and tried the wine and herb pairing (an excellent pork terrine with sweet woodruff paired with a 2009 Chardonnay Musqué), and then wandered over to the tasting bar. I was introduced to Alex Harber, owner and self-confessed cellar-rat. Alex, in turn, introduced us to a 2009 Chardonnay that was yet to be listed (fantastic fresh fruits flavours and a delicious butterscotch finish no less), and manly Rosé that had been barrel matured. Both were fantastic expressions of why the Niagara region is one of Canada's best wine regions, but back to that Rosé for a moment. A rosé is usually light and fruity, never defined as manly, but this one had lost some of that character. What it had been replaced with was delicious oak and wonderful warm butter notes. This is one to keep an eye out for (Ravine 2009 Barrel Aged Rosé). After the initial taste, we then proceeded to be introduced to a selection of their finest wines. Let me tell you, that Riesling is no slouch! There is also a fantastic white called York road (a white meritage of Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc), and a red to match called the Redcoat (Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon). This has become a new favorite winery for myself. To steer away from the blends they also have an excellent Gewürztraminer, fantastic Merlot and an awesome Reserve Cabernet Franc. Excellent flavours are to be found in all bottles, but definitely order some of that Riesling (she a real cracker!). Check out Ravine's website 