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No.99 Wine and Cocktail Club magazine and myWineLife is published 4 times a year by Andrew Peller Limited.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We’re looking forward to a beautiful Spring and Summer in Niagara Wine Country! If you’re planning a peaceful retreat to Niagara-on-the-Lake, our members save 10% off on overnight stays Sunday through Thursday at Riverbend Inn & Vineyard. Situated on the Niagara Parkway just outside of the historic downtown, it’s set amongst wineries, restaurants, historic sites, shopping and the Shaw Festival theatres.
Our members can also enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbly when dining at our restaurants: The Winery Restaurant at Peller Estates, Oaklands at Riverbend Inn, and MICHELIN Guide recommended Trius Winery Restaurant. Reservations are recommended. Call our Wine Country Concierge at 1-888-510-5537 to plan your weekend itinerary.
In January, our Distiller Tim Wilson headed out to Vancouver for the Canadian Whisky Awards. We’re thrilled to report that he came back to Ontario with a handful of awards! We chatted with Tim, and Mark Evangelista, our Maturation and Blending Assistant, about the Wayne Gretzky Estates cooperage. We’re lucky enough to have the resources to prepare barrels in-house at our facility in Grimsby. You can find our interview on pages 8-10.
Sincerely,
Riley McGilvray
PS. Drop us a line! We love hearing your feedback and hope that you’ll share your comments and suggestions with us, helping us make this exclusive wine club magazine even better.
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Riverbend Inn & Vineyard
Members can enjoy special pricing on overnight stays Sunday through Thursday, year-round. Join us at Oaklands for Breakfast daily 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. Lunch and dinner are offered from May to September. Visit riverbendinn.ca for more details.
Join us this spring in Niagara Wine Country for a seated tasting experience, winery tour or a meal at the Whisky Bar Patio. Visit myWineCountry.com to reserve your experiences in advance. Don’t forget to tag us in your photos on social media @GretzkyEstates
WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES FOUNDERS SERIES RIESLING
SWEETNESS LEVEL: Off-dry 14.0 g/L
ON THE NOSE: Tangerine, Meyer lemon, white peach, mineral
ON THE PALATE: Juicy tangerine, grapefruit, white currant, starfruit
PAIR WITH: Citrus or Cajun chicken, sausage on a bun with sauerkraut, sushi, spiced fish cakes, fish and chips, BBQ pork ribs, marmalade glazed baked ham
WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES FOUNDERS SERIES SAUVIGNON BLANC
SWEETNESS LEVEL: Dry 3.6 g/L
ON THE NOSE: White peach, yellow apple, tropical fruit, gooseberry
ON THE PALATE: Yellow apple, citrus, tropical fruit, grapefruit, white currant
PAIR WITH: Asparagus and goat cheese pizza, basil pesto on grilled chicken and pasta, lemon herb chicken skewers, pan-fried fish fillets with fresh herbs, spring pea risotto
WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES FOUNDERS SERIES ROSÉ
SWEETNESS LEVEL: Dry 4.5 g/L
BLEND: 79% Pinot Noir, 17.5% Merlot and 3.4% Pinot Meunier
ON THE NOSE: Rainier cherry, wild strawberry, rose petal, white peach, pink grapefruit
ON THE PALATE: Red berries, crab apple, red currant, pomegranate, red berry tea
ON THE NOSE: Ripe apples, toasty oak, spice, buttery biscuit
ON THE PALATE: Orchard fruits, spicy oak, red apple, pineapple, vanilla bean
PAIR WITH: Smoky cheeses, smoked chicken in a cream sauce over pasta, turkey pot pies, rich lobster rolls, mushroom risotto, smoked salmon quiche, buttered corn on the cob
Wine & Spirit ALLOCATION
WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES
SPARKLING BRUT
750 mL | $15.99 | 12% ABV
VQA Ontario
Effervescent and refreshing
Dry 10.3 g/L Sugar
FLAVOUR PROFILE
Tiny dancing bubbles rise through a straw yellow coloured backdrop. Aromas of yellow apples, pear, melon, and spring blossoms escape from the glass. This is a light-bodied sparkling wine with a lively mousse. Look for flavours of bright citrus, green apple, and white currant which linger on the finish.
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
Our Charmat method sparkling wine is made up of 66% Vidal, 31.5% Riesling and 2.5% Muscat Ottonel. The wines are blended to create a distinctive cuvée blend. The wine is then fermented for a second time in a closed tank to produce the bubbles. The wine is clarified, a dosage is added, then bottled under pressure to preserve the bubbles.
BEST SERVED
Serve at a cool 8 to 10°C. Enjoy while dining alfresco, for everyday refreshment, and when friends gather. Serve with poached salmon, pan fried filets of fish, roasted chicken and fish burgers. Drink while young and fresh.
WAYNE
GRETZKY ESTATES
FOUNDERS SERIES PINOT GRIGIO
750 mL | $14.99 | 12% ABV
VQA Ontario
Light-bodied and dry
Dry 6.0 g/L Sugar
FLAVOUR PROFILE
Clear and bright with a clean aroma of Bartlett pear, red apple, white peach and apricot. The Great One’s personal favourite wine is light, refreshing and dry with lovely fruit flavours of citrus and tropical fruits on the palate.
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
Harvested from vineyards within the Niagara Peninsula, the grapes were selected for their varietal character and pure fruit flavours. The Pinot Grigio grapes receive a gentle pressing, then cool fermentation and aging in stainless steel tanks to enhance the pure fruit characteristics.
BEST SERVED
Serve chilled at 10 to 12ºC to enhance the refreshing acidity of this wine or serve slightly warmer at 13 to 15ºC to allow for rich fruit development and a softer mouthfeel. Serve with hummus and pita chips, seafood, cold pasta salads, roasted chicken, and grilled pork chops. Drink while young and fresh.
Loved it & NEED MORE?
We can deliver more of your favourites right to your door. Call the Wine Club team at 1.866.440.4383 to re-order, and remember, members always get FREE DELIVERY on any additional 6+ bottles.
WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES FOUNDERS SERIES BACO NOIR
750 mL | $14.99 | 12.5% ABV
VQA Ontario
Medium-bodied and fruit-forward Dry 14.0 g/L Sugar
FLAVOUR PROFILE
Deep purple black with a bouquet of baked blue plum, muddled blackberry, black cherry, and a touch of sweet spice. This is a smooth and easy-drinking Baco Noir with food-friendly acidity, and juicy dark fruit flavours. Look for flavours of ripe tangy dark fruits with a touch of sweet spice on the palate.
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
Harvested from the vineyards of the Niagara Peninsula. Through traditional red wine making, subtle oak integration, and a full malolactic fermentation, we have created a fruit-forward easy-drinking red wine.
BEST SERVED
Serve at a cool room temperature of 15 to 17°C. This food-friendly wine is terrific with pulled pork on a bun, beef brisket, barbecued red meats with your favourite marinades and sauces, and saucy barbecued ribs. Serve while young and fresh.
WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES SIGNATURE SERIES CABERNET SAUVIGNON
750 mL | $29.00 | 12.9% ABV
VQA Niagara Peninsula
Full-bodied and structured
Dry 2.8 g/L Sugar
FLAVOUR PROFILE
Deep garnet in colour with a lovely bouquet of ripe black currant and blackberry fruit accented by smoky oak, black pepper and vanilla bean. A medium to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with firm drying tannins and great structure. Look for flavours of ripe black currant, blackberry, spice, vanilla and oak mingling together on the palate.
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
Harvested from vineyards within the Niagara Peninsula. Individual Cabernet Sauvignon lots were aged for 12 months in 65% French and 35% American oak barrels, before the final assemblage was created. A full malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel.
BEST SERVED
Serve at a cool room temperature of 17 to 18°C. Serve with two-yearold aged cheddar, grilled medium-rare cuts of beef, rack of lamb, wild game meats, sautéed mushrooms or 70% dark chocolate. Decant if drinking through 2025 or hold until 2030.
Rusty SKATE
2 oz Wayne Gretzky Estates Four Grain Whisky
½ oz Honey Orange Blossom Syrup
3 dashes Ginger bitters
½ oz Orange zest
COCKTAIL
To create the Rusty Skate, combine all ingredients in a pitcher with ice and stir until all ingredients are chilled. Serve in a rocks glass with a large ice cube and garnish with an orange zest.
Serves 1
WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES CRAFTSMAN SERIES
FOUR GRAIN WHISKY
375 mL | $53.00 | 50% ABV Full-bodied and structured
DISTILLER’S NOTES
Our 3rd Craftsmanship Series release, Wayne Gretzky Four Grain whisky, is a harmonious blend of Rye, Wheat, Barley & Oats. This 5-year aged whisky is a beautiful marriage of malted whiskies that are meticulously blended to take the best of each grain and create an orchestra of unique flavors, and aromas that are then aged in American virgin oak and once used American bourbon casks.
“The next release in the craftsmanship series is the Four Grain Whisky! On the back of our Rye and Oats releases last year (Oats winning gold and best alternative grain whisky at the 2025 Canadian Whisky Awards) both of these components are featured in the blend, with the balance being made of wheat and rye. Expect a sweet, grain forward, full bodied whisky with some elevated fruit notes and bottled at 50% ABV. She’s a beauty!”
Tim Wilson, HEAD DISTILLER
The Wayne Gretzky Estates COOPERAGE
A crucial part of the distilling process is aging the liquid in wooden barrels. We spoke to Distiller, Tim Wilson, and Blending and Maturation Assistant, Mark Evangelista, to learn more about our in-house cooperage. Located in Grimsby, the cooperage is where Mark prepares each barrel before they’re filled with spirit.
When did we purchase the cooperage business?
The process of toasting and recharring wine casks is something we’ve always done, but it was outsourced for the first 4 to 5 years of the brand. In 2020 we bought a small recouping business and Mark trained to be a cooper.
What’s the importance or advantages of having the business in house?
Having it in house allows us to control the quality and process. It also gives us the ability to try a wide range of toasting and char levels. Each toasting and char level provides a variety of aroma and flavour profiles, which gives us more blending options for our whiskies.
What is the process of preparing barrels for whisky aging?
The first step is to partially take apart the wine cask. This process requires us to remove the hoops and take both heads off the cask. Once the heads are removed the bilge and head hoops are hammered back in place.
From here, the cask is loaded onto our custom-built cask planner where we remove 2mm of neutral oak. This step is very important because it removes the plugged pores of the wood. By opening the pores, it will allow the spirit to penetrate deeper into the wood to extract the desired flavours and aromas.
Now the casks are ready to be toasted. We begin by making a fire in a cresset, which is a round container with holes, that will be placed inside the cask. Once the desired temperature is achieved, we will toast the cask to a medium plus profile. This toast level will take about 20 minutes at a temperature between 180 to 200°. When the toasting process is complete, we remove the cask from the fire and place it on rack. Using a propane torch we ignite the inside of the cask to begin the charring process.
After 30 seconds of burn time and the consistent squaring of the char is achieved, the flames are extinguished. Once the cask has cooled down, we can reassemble the cask by installing both heads and tightening all the hoops to ensure it will not leak.
What are the levels of char and how do you decide which level to use? How does char infl uence the whisky aging process?
There are 4 char levels, char 1 to 4. Each char level requires a different amount of burn time. The times can range from 15 seconds to 45 seconds. Having done some trials with different char levels with our whiskies, we decided on a char 3.
Charring opens the wood up, making it easier for the spirit to extract flavours. The charred wood also acts as a filter. As the whisky ages, the surrounding temperature in the rickhouse changes from hot to cold and the spirit moves in and out of the wood, passing through the charred layer each time. The charring changes or eliminates various compounds in the spirit, which give whisky most of its flavours and aromas.
The charred layer will also add a deep smoke flavour to the whisky and deepen its colour to bronze or caramel. This is why you see bourbons with rich deep colour as they are aged in brand new oak, giving them access to all that colour. It is a lot of trial and error. Every whisky is different and can hold oak in a different way within its profile. So, ensuring you end up with a balanced whisky is key. Some of that comes from experience and some of it comes from trials.
Can you brie y explain what a cooperage is?
A cooperage is a facility where coopers make and repair wooden casks that are essential for making whisky. For us, the emphasis isn’t on building casks from brand new staves but repurposing old casks and regenerating them into a profile that fits a new cask. We work with old wine barrels from within the company; planning off the old wood, then toasting and recharring.
CANADIAN WHISKY AWARDS 2025
Congratulations to our Distillery and Brand Team for their success!
Grain Whisky of the Year
Wayne Gretzky Distillery
Craftsmanship Series Single Grain Oats
Cream Whisky of the Year
Wayne Gretzky Distillery
Salted Caramel Cream
Gold Medal Winners
Craftsmanship Series Single Grain Oats
Salted Caramel Cream
Maple Cask Whisky
99 Proof Whisky
Business & Media Awards
Award of Excellence in Branding
Rest Dine Explore Meet
Inn guests receive a complimentary wine tasting at Peller Estates!
Delight in the comfort of an intimate 21-room Georgian mansion surrounded by 17 acres of vineyards. Our on-site restaurant, Oaklands, takes it culinary cues from Niagara’s ingredient driven cuisine and French influence.
