What's New at MHW?NEW! Cellar Craft 2012 Limited Release Wine Kits
We are excited to announce the latest Limited Release wine kits from Cellar Craft.
Limited Release kits are exclusive and available in limited quantities. This line-up looks fantastic, and with Cellar Craft quality they are sure to be memorable, special wines. Details below.
See in store, call us or email us to reserve yours!
Bella Sonoma Vineyard PINOT NOIR – Sonoma Coast, California
18 liter format with Sonoma Coast, virgin, crushed grapes
January 2012 Release
The Sonoma Coast is California’s “hottest” Pinot Noir region because it is California’s coolest temperature wine region where soils are generally demanding with high rock, gravel and clay content. These conditions result in low crop yields and wines which are concentrated, complex and elegant with ageing and attracting a rush of new plantings within the region.
The Bella Sonoma Vineyard in the south-west part of the region has rocky, shallow soil and was planted 15-16 years ago with a variety of Dijon clones. It is heavily influenced by marine fogs which flow freely inland though the Petaluma Gap keeping temperatures low for ideal flavour development.
This bright ruby-hued wine is medium-bodied with classic aromatics dominated by bright cherry, fresh raspberry, elegant spice and subtle notes from medium toast Hungarian oak introduced post-fermentation.
The palate shows more cherry, a suggestion of black fruits and licorice with a balance of vibrant coastal acidity and fine tannins.
Sensory refinement and elegance will begin to develop after 12 months and should continue through the third or forth years of cellaring to become a very special Pinot.
With moderate tannins and bright coastal acidity the wine will compliment a wide range of foods – from white fish to beef steaks and most dishes in between. Classic pairings include coq au vin, duck, pheasant, rabbit, salmon, shellfish, and smoked foods. Of course, it is also the first choice as a red, social sipper for your special guests.
Don’t fuss it – just serve it!
Erickson Farm NEBBIOLO – Madera, Calif.
The Barolo varietal with a 2 liter, virgin crushed grape pack
February 2012 Release
The Nebbiolo grape is most famous for being the primary varietal in Italian Barolo and Barbaresco wines. It has also been slowly making inroads in California vineyards.
We have been running trials with Nebbiolo grapes from Erickson Farm in Madera, California for nearly a year and are pleased to now offer you the chance to discover Nebbiolo in our take on an American-style Barolo in this year’s Limited Release program.
The wine that we present captures the classic profile of Barolo and Barbaresco. It is indeed a very BIG wine with deep, brooding red colour, dense and traditional in style with highly extracted ripe fruit, dark spice, tobacco notes, high alcohol and very pointed tannins that give a sense of power and majesty.
The secret that enabled us to achieve this lofty profile was found when we introduced some rich Syrah juice from Rattlesnake Valley Vineyard in Yakima Valley, Washington into the main bladder and blended Yakima Syrah skins with the Nebbiolo skins into the crushed grape pack. Fermentation on robust crushed grapes seems to be essential to make this blend achieve the levels of intensity that is found in Barolos.
The assertive tannins do demand that this wine be aged at least a year (most Italian Barolo or Barbaresco wines require 5-10 or more years before they are considered approachable) but the rewards for patience are high.
After a year the cherry fruit aromas and flavours begin to show balanced integration with the spice notes, the 2- stage Hungarian oaks, the maturing tannins and the elevated alcohol level. Further ageing will pay further rewards but the wine does retain its signature chewy, dry texture.
This BIG wine demands big foods as pairings. Think game meats (venison, duck, and pheasant), braised beef and lamb, cured meats, truffles and mushrooms, heavy tomato-sauced pasta, rich risottos or break the bank and serve with foiegras. Appropriate cheeses would include Pecorino Romano and a favourite blue cheese.
Lake County, Calif. , Yakima Valley, Wash. SAUVIGNON BLANC / SEMILLON / CHARDONNAY – A New World Take On French Standards
March 2012 Release
This wine without borders looks to 3 grapes originally from 3 French areas – Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Loire Valley and uniquely blends them together in a new world fashion. The result is fabulous wine that still cannot be produced in their most important French Homelands.
Our exclusive blend is 37% Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County California; 35% California Semillon and 28% Chardonnay from California and Yakima Valley, Wash.
Sauvignon Blanc from cooler climate Lake County establishes a base with gooseberry, citrus and grassy notes amid a bright framework.
Semillon adds lushness, softness and fullness to the mouth feel.
Chardonnay contributes apple, pear, melon and more structure.
A flavour Reserve of Chenin Blanc is included for recommended, but optional, use.
American toasted oak is included and is optional based upon personal preference. Our panel was evenly split.
This wine drinks well after 2 or 3 months and is best enjoyed with 18 months.
The wine is a great social sipper and cries out for goat cheese as appetizers or in salads. Pairs nicely with fish, scallop, chicken, pork, veal, pasta and vegetable dishes.
Serve lightly chilled.
Sunset Ridge Vineyard RED MOUNTAIN TRIO – (Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot)
With 2 liter virgin Red Mountain crushed grape pack
April 2012 Release
Each of these Red Mountain varieties has been offered in prior Limited Release offerings to great acclaim. Red Mountain Cabernet has been awarded more gold medals than any other Cabernet in recent competitions and both the Syrah and Merlot have shown similar success.
While Red Mountain Cabs, Syrahs and Merlots continue to receive acclaim as single varietal wines, Red Mountain has been developing an identity and solid reputation for unique blends combing all three, as we are doing with this offering.
This offering has been styled by our Washington supplier to mimic his most successful blend: 65% Cabernet; 35% Syrah and 15% Merlot… Both juices and skins will share these proportions.
Of particular note, the Syrah stock will include a combination of Cote Rotie and Hermitage clones which have proven to be particularly well suited to Red Mountain. The wine will be truly special and unique on several levels!
The wine will be of the highest quality stock available anywhere. The power of RM Cab with its black currant, unique notes of orange essence and notable minerality and chalk will drive the blend. Syrah will add brightness, black fruit and peppery spice while Merlot helps integrate and soften the whole for earlier approachability.
Two-stage Hungarian oak treatment will add its distinctive nuances and provide the structure upon which the fruit will be built.
To say that we are excited to be able to offer this wine is an understatement.
Cellar at least a year and up to 3 or 4.
Food pairings include your favourite beef, lamb, game and pork dishes as well as hearty pastas, fowl, pizza or wherever you would be reaching for a red wine but want to make the meal more special.
Now up and running, this easy to use storage/serving concept gives you the equivalent of 30 bottles of wine in 3 easy to handle bladders. Simply place the bladder in the convenient plastic holder and presto! Your wine on tap! Price at $19.95, the system comes with a sturdy plastic container and three bags with convenient taps. Bags are reusable. Just rinse well and store in your freezer until you are ready to bottle your next batch. Bring them with you and we will sterilize each and you are ready to fill.
These popular 6 bottle carriers/holders make loading and unloading your wine so much easier. Stackable, heavy duty black polyethylene, 
If you buy filtered water we now offer this refill service at our store. Water goes through reverse osmosis, fine filtering and finally a UV process. This is NOT distilled water, which has been showing up in supermarkets in larger sizes recently. 
Our CrushPack has been an overwhelming success. Whether added to whites to produce a great blush or to our great reds, this inexpensive addition to your wine is well worth the cost in improved taste and nose. Pack contains hand sorted California Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.
Heritage Cellar wine kits are our own, in-house brand. Produced exclusively for Markham Heritage wines by our associate in California, these wines have met with overwhelming approval. Heritage Cellar kits are priced in the Reserva range at $122.00 complete.
We have also installed a bag-in-box machine which will allow customers to take home their wines in convenient 4 liter boxes. Very convenient and great for picnics or around the pool. Packages come complete with bag, box and spout. Once poured, the bag collapses inside the box so that there is never any contact with oxygen. Bags and boxes available at the store. Bags are reusable if properly sterilized after use.
TASTE THE POWER OF THE GRAPE! Only at Markham Heritage Wines 
6 months in 3 weeks!
As mentioned in our last newsletter, any current customer bringing in a new customer (sorry, no spouses) will receive a free kit equal to the kit in value purchased by your friend. The only charge will be for the U-Vint handling, which is $51.00. And remember… your friend receives free bottles on their first purchase.
How it Works:
Markham Heritage Wines Newsletter
purchase your next red wine batch. We will add the CrushPack during the fermentation which will greatly enhance every aspect of the wine’s varietal character while maximizing tannin structure, volatile aromatics and flavour compounds as well as providing more body, richness and colour. Take your red wine to the next level – try the CrushPack – Only $6.99 till Christmas.
length. Now, we can add a small amount of Biolees and produce the same result of six months aging on the lees in about 3 weeks. Biolees is a natural product made from yeast cell walls and forms a sediment that is removed from the wine at filtering. Our tests at the winery have been very positive. This is a great product for red wines and some whites, particularly Chardonnay. Biolees is used by many very high end wineries for their premium wines. We can advise you on which wines Biolees works best and if you wish, we will add it to your wine, no charge.
Two fine ladies, Patricia Conlon and Linda Signorell were in last week bottling their wines and asked if we had any used wine bottles they could have. Seems they take all they can get to the beer or liquor store and any money they receive goes to supporting an orphanage in Bouda, which is 20 miles outside of Kathmandu, Nepal. These orphanages take abandoned children off the street and need all the support they can get, so if any of you have extra bottles you would like to donate to the cause please bring them in and we will act as a depot for Patricia and Linda. Well done!
High-performance device – $5.99 each
