Deep purple colour; a nose of blueberries and blackberries, plums, smoky and a touch of vanilla oak. Dry, full-bodied, full and round with juicy acidity and velvety tannins, wonderfully ripe and clean fruit aspect here coupled with good structure and overall balance. This wine is drinking well now, although it will also reward holding for two to four years.

Food match: lamb chops; veal

13th Street Merlot 2012, Ontario, $17.95. Vintages #270504

Post City Magazines’ wine columnist, Tony Aspler, has written 14 books on wine and food. Tony also created the Ontario Wine Awards and has been inducted into the New York Media Wine Writers’ Hall of Fame. He can be heard on 680News.