Tawse Riesling 2020

Overview

The Tawse Riesling 2020 is a fresh, mineral white wine from the Niagara Peninsula vineyards. It combines intense, complex aromas with lively acidity, offering a balanced and versatile profile. The 2020 vintage provided ideal conditions for slow grape ripening and elegant aromatic development. Ready to drink young, yet with excellent aging potential. Contains sulfites.

History of the Wine

Tawse Riesling was created to highlight the unique qualities of the Niagara Peninsula terroir, with calcareous soils and significant day-night temperature swings. The 2020 vintage brought perfect ripeness, vibrant acidity, and balanced fruit. Careful selection of the best clusters produced a wine that is expressive, consistent, and representative of Riesling’s identity in this region, both elegant and versatile.

Vineyard Philosophy

The grapes are sustainably farmed, without herbicides or pesticides, with careful attention to soil health and biodiversity. Canopy management and hand harvesting ensure high-quality, balanced grapes rich in natural aromatics. This approach guarantees that the 2020 Riesling fully expresses varietal character, freshness, minerality, and delicate floral notes that make each sip pleasurable and long-lasting.

Winemaking Approach

Winemaking is gentle, focused on preserving the fruit: cold-controlled stainless steel fermentation maintains aromas and natural acidity, with brief maturation in neutral barrels to enhance freshness and purity. No aromatic wood is used, highlighting minerality and tension. The wine is elegant, harmonious, ready to enjoy young, with potential to evolve gracefully over time.

Tasting Notes and Pairings

The colour is bright straw yellow with green highlights. On the nose, white peach, green apple, citrus, and delicate white flowers emerge, with a mineral undertone. On the palate, it is crisp, fresh, and balanced, with lively acidity, juicy fruit, and a persistent finish. Ideal with seafood appetizers, sushi, shellfish, summer salads, or fresh cheeses.

Tech Sheet

• Variety: 100% Riesling

• Vintage: 2020

• Aging: stainless steel

• Alcohol: 12%

• Serving temperature: 8–10°C

• Allergens: contains sulfites

The history of Tawse Winery

Founded in 2001 by Canadian entrepreneur Moray Tawse, the winery stands on the slopes of the Twenty Mile Bench, one of the most prestigious areas of the Niagara Peninsula. From the outset, the goal was to craft Canadian wines capable of standing alongside top international labels, combining technical precision with deep respect for the land. Over the years Tawse has earned major accolades, including multiple awards as Canada’s Winery of the Year, establishing it as a leading force in Ontario’s wine scene. Despite its growth, the winery remains faithful to its founding values: authenticity, discipline and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Vineyard philosophy

Tawse Winery cultivates vineyards on limestone-based, well-drained soils ideal for Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. The agricultural approach is strictly organic and biodynamic, fully certified and implemented with daily commitment. Biodynamic preparations, compost made on-site, biodiversity and adherence to natural rhythms form the core of the philosophy, aimed at maintaining living, healthy soils. Manual work is essential—from pruning to harvesting—ensuring careful control of each parcel and precise grape selection. The cool climate of Ontario encourages slow ripening and remarkable aromatic purity.

Winemaking

In the cellar Tawse blends technical expertise with artisanal precision. The gravity-flow underground facility allows gentle handling of the grapes, minimizing mechanical intervention and preserving freshness. Fermentations rely on both indigenous yeasts and controlled techniques depending on style and varietal. Ageing takes place in stainless steel, concrete, French oak barrels and foudres, with a focus on micro-oxygenation and varietal clarity. The goal is to create wines that reflect the Niagara Peninsula’s identity through tension, mineral drive and clean, expressive aromatics.

Distinctive character

Tawse Winery excels in harmonizing nature, technique and discipline, producing wines of purity, elegance and unmistakable terroir expression. A benchmark for biodynamic viticulture in cool climates, the estate continues to invest in sustainability, research and precision farming. Each bottle captures a rare balance between European tradition and Canadian spirit, offering an authentic and contemporary wine experience. Tawse stands today as one of the most dynamic and influential wineries in North America.