Margaret Swaine’s Wine Picks: Lucious locals

The LCBO launches its biggest ever “Go Local” campaign starting Sept. 16, and more than 90 restaurants in the province will feature a special menu pairing locavore dishes with Ontario wine. Find these via WineAlign.com/MargaretsPicks.

Tawse Quarry Road Chardonnay 2010
$34.95 (93 points)
This organically and biodynamically farmed Vinemount Ridge (silty-clay soil over limestone) white is aged a year in French oak, showing well in the toasty bouquet and nicely integrated on the palate. Firm, elegant fruit makes it flavourful with admirable structure and length.

Kacaba Cabernet Merlot 2009
$16.95 (89 points)
This red blend aged for 16 months in a combo of French and American oak is a tad lighter with savoury, herbal Bordeaux-style flavours overlaid with ripe berry. Smooth with a clear uplift of acidity and a touch of spice, it’s a good match for lamb or duck.

Henry of Pelham Reserve Baco Noir 2010
$24.95 (89 points)
Henry of Pelham knows how to make the best of a hybrid grape. From low-yielding vines planted in 1984 on Short Hills Bench, aged 18 months in oak, this dark purple wine is flavourful and meaty with juicy blackberry and smoky vanilla notes, as well as a touch of bacon. A brooding bruiser with attitude, it’s a match for venison and wild boar.