Much of what I am about to say probably won’t win me many friends at Tawse, though I must say right from the outset I love this wine. Last year I visited Tawse Winery and walked away less than impressed … mainly about the wine. As everybody who reads my reviews knows, I am always looking for a good value to pass along: a Riesling for $12; a Cabernet Franc at $14.95 – wines that perform not only in the glass but are also a good bargain for the pocketbook. Tawse left me flat with $42 Chardonnay, $28 Franc and overpriced Pinot (I could find comparable or better for less money) . Tawse also seems to be a winery in constant flux – there’s always construction and it never seems to end. With all that said, I have reason to believe they are going to become one of the showcase wineries of Ontario … once 3 things happen: they have a few more years under their belt, they are fully landscaped, and they decide to lower the price of their wines to a point where price meets quality (and they are no longer cashing in on winemaker Deborah Paskus’ name). If you haven’t been to visit Tawse it’s definitely a “must see”: a fully open concept gravity flow winery, stunning in both architecture and décor – wood, glass and steel – and those huge wooden cellar doors are something not to be missed when visiting Niagara. But let’s get back to the wine. This 2004 Dry Riesling was the star of my tasting show, and retails for a relatively reasonable $18. How, on God’s green earth, the more expensive 2005 ($22) outsells this baby I have no idea? The Tawse 2005 is the first 2005 Riesling that has totally underwhelmed me … flat, no nose and disappointing taste: fat flabby slightly sweet – there’s nothing there; doctor get the paddles because this one has flatlined. Ontario, and Tawse, make much better (witness the ’04) … so enough about the bad and the ugly, let’s focus our attention on the good. The 2004 Dry Riesling, is truly a stellar bottle of wine, and I am told, they have plenty in stock so this is good news – but once word gets out it won’t be around for long. I must have tried this wine last year during my visit but it was going through bottle shock and it’s flavours were muted to me. A year later, this wine shows a nose of exotic fruit (pineapple and mango), minerality, melon and hints of apple – there is also the beginning of that classic Riesling aroma, petrol, which appears on both the nose and the taste. And speaking of taste, it is much drier than the nose projects with good acidity, apple and lemon zest flavours and a tart finish. This wine’s best years are still ahead and will lay down for 2-5 plus years with even better results along the way. Leave the $22 sweetie alone, save the four bucks and put it towards a few bottles of this bargain. Lie one down and you will be able to watch it develop complexity over time. As for Tawse, keep your eye on them – I have a feeling we will be seeing mucho changes, for the better. Cheers.