Wednesday, November 11, 2026 white wine review is a delicious, vegan-friendly, and certified sustainable off-dry Riesling from Niagara that is part of the VINTAGES Essentials Collection and is available year-round in the VINTAGES section at LCBO outlets across Ontario, as well as online at LCBO.com.
It is produced by Featherstone Estate Winery, an eco-friendly winery situated in the prestigious Twenty Mile Bench appellation in Niagara. The highly successful and award-winning winery was established in 1999 by Louise Engel and her winemaker husband, David Johnson. After successfully running the business for 25 years, Featherstone underwent a transformative change in ownership and was acquired by philanthropist Rayla Myhal and businessman George Myhal in February 2024.
The history of the Featherstone vineyard begins in the 1970s, when the first vines were planted. Until 1999, the grapes were sold to a large wine conglomerate, when the first Featherstone wines were produced. Featherstone has thriving older vines, including Riesling vines planted in 1978 that are among the region's oldest, as well as Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc vines planted in 1986. The winery has 23 acres of rolling hills on the prestigious upper Twenty Mile Bench along the Niagara Escarpment in the Twenty Valley wine region of Niagara.
Featherstone is considered a pioneer in Niagara for its insecticide-free and eco-friendly farming practices, which have been in place since its founding. Today, the winery continues to farm naturally, without the use of insecticides, while embracing sustainable winegrowing practices. By encouraging biodiversity and maintaining a healthy, unique vineyard environment, Featherstone believes that this individuality is reflected in its wines. In 2023, Featherstone received its Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario (SWO) certification, assuring wine drinkers that the complete grape-to-glass cycle is sustainable. Philanthropy is also integral to Featherstone's values, with a stated goal of giving back 10% of all profits to local charities and initiatives in order to uplift the community. In its first year under the new ownership, the winery exceeded this commitment by giving back 20% of profits to the local community.
The Black Sheep Riesling has been produced by Featherstone for many years and is a longstanding part of the winery's identity. It gets its name from the flock of sheep employed annually in the vineyards to naturally trim lower vine foliage, improving sunlight exposure and airflow around the grape clusters. To craft this Riesling, all the grapes were handpicked and arrived at the winery intact. The fruit was gently whole-cluster pressed, yielding 600 litres of juice per tonne, before being transferred into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. It underwent arrested fermentation at 13°C to retain its natural sugars and was aged on its lees until the end of January 2024.
The 2023 growing season in Niagara ultimately produced a very good vintage, thanks to a warm, dry autumn that provided relief from the wet, dreary, and smoke-filled summer. For white grape varieties such as Riesling, the favourable conditions allowed the fruit to develop vibrancy and juicy acidity, aided by warm days and cool nights leading up to harvest. While harvest was up to three weeks behind schedule in most parts of the region, the crop was bountiful. Overall, it was a very good vintage for Riesling, with acidity levels that should allow the wines to age gracefully for years to come. Let's see how this 2023 Riesling from Niagara is tasting tonight...
Enclosed by Stelvin screw cap, this has a fragrant, medium-high intensity nose that offers lovely lemon oil, lime citrus, and white floral aromas accented with hints of white peach, petrol, melon, and green apple, plus a touch of honeysuckle and beeswax. The concentrated, medium-full bodied palate has delicous, off-dry, lemon-lime citrus, floral, white peach, and green apple flavours joined by touches of melon, and leesy minerals. Acids are juicy and succulent, while the tangy mid-palate leads to lemon-lime citrus, peach, and melon notes that taper to leesy minerals and a touch of petrol on the finish, with very good length. Chill well and enjoy this recommended buy! Score: 89 pts
Many other delicious wines by Featherstone are available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered direct from the winery in Niagara.
It is produced by Featherstone Estate Winery, an eco-friendly winery situated in the prestigious Twenty Mile Bench appellation in Niagara. The highly successful and award-winning winery was established in 1999 by Louise Engel and her winemaker husband, David Johnson. After successfully running the business for 25 years, Featherstone underwent a transformative change in ownership and was acquired by philanthropist Rayla Myhal and businessman George Myhal in February 2024.
The history of the Featherstone vineyard begins in the 1970s, when the first vines were planted. Until 1999, the grapes were sold to a large wine conglomerate, when the first Featherstone wines were produced. Featherstone has thriving older vines, including Riesling vines planted in 1978 that are among the region's oldest, as well as Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc vines planted in 1986. The winery has 23 acres of rolling hills on the prestigious upper Twenty Mile Bench along the Niagara Escarpment in the Twenty Valley wine region of Niagara.
Featherstone is considered a pioneer in Niagara for its insecticide-free and eco-friendly farming practices, which have been in place since its founding. Today, the winery continues to farm naturally, without the use of insecticides, while embracing sustainable winegrowing practices. By encouraging biodiversity and maintaining a healthy, unique vineyard environment, Featherstone believes that this individuality is reflected in its wines. In 2023, Featherstone received its Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario (SWO) certification, assuring wine drinkers that the complete grape-to-glass cycle is sustainable. Philanthropy is also integral to Featherstone's values, with a stated goal of giving back 10% of all profits to local charities and initiatives in order to uplift the community. In its first year under the new ownership, the winery exceeded this commitment by giving back 20% of profits to the local community.
The Black Sheep Riesling has been produced by Featherstone for many years and is a longstanding part of the winery's identity. It gets its name from the flock of sheep employed annually in the vineyards to naturally trim lower vine foliage, improving sunlight exposure and airflow around the grape clusters. To craft this Riesling, all the grapes were handpicked and arrived at the winery intact. The fruit was gently whole-cluster pressed, yielding 600 litres of juice per tonne, before being transferred into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. It underwent arrested fermentation at 13°C to retain its natural sugars and was aged on its lees until the end of January 2024.
The 2023 growing season in Niagara ultimately produced a very good vintage, thanks to a warm, dry autumn that provided relief from the wet, dreary, and smoke-filled summer. For white grape varieties such as Riesling, the favourable conditions allowed the fruit to develop vibrancy and juicy acidity, aided by warm days and cool nights leading up to harvest. While harvest was up to three weeks behind schedule in most parts of the region, the crop was bountiful. Overall, it was a very good vintage for Riesling, with acidity levels that should allow the wines to age gracefully for years to come. Let's see how this 2023 Riesling from Niagara is tasting tonight...
Tasting Note:
FEATHERSTONE BLACK SHEEP RIESLING 2023 - Vegan, Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#80234) (M) - $19.95Enclosed by Stelvin screw cap, this has a fragrant, medium-high intensity nose that offers lovely lemon oil, lime citrus, and white floral aromas accented with hints of white peach, petrol, melon, and green apple, plus a touch of honeysuckle and beeswax. The concentrated, medium-full bodied palate has delicous, off-dry, lemon-lime citrus, floral, white peach, and green apple flavours joined by touches of melon, and leesy minerals. Acids are juicy and succulent, while the tangy mid-palate leads to lemon-lime citrus, peach, and melon notes that taper to leesy minerals and a touch of petrol on the finish, with very good length. Chill well and enjoy this recommended buy! Score: 89 pts
Many other delicious wines by Featherstone are available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered direct from the winery in Niagara.
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