VQA means the fruit is Ontario-grown. Cellared in Canada does not.
Cabernet Franc is the red that settled the argument about whether Niagara could ripen anything serious. It ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, holds acid in a cool autumn, and tastes like the place instead of like the barrel.
What to expect in the glass
Red fruit rather than black, a green-herb edge that reads as savoury when the fruit is ripe, moderate alcohol, and tannin that arrives late. It is a food wine in a country that mostly drinks with dinner.
Sub-appellations worth learning
Beamsville Bench, Twenty Mile Bench, Four Mile Creek, and Niagara Lakeshore behave differently enough that the sub-appellation on the label is more useful than the vintage.
Reading the label
VQA means the fruit is Ontario-grown. Cellared in Canada does not. That single distinction explains most disappointing bottles.
Serving
Sixteen degrees, not room temperature. Warm Cabernet Franc turns the herbal note into something stemmy.