Vintages New Release Collection – April 11, 2026

HIDDEN BENCH RIESLING 2022 6 VQA Beamsville Bench,

Niagara Escarpment, Ontario “It’s a blend of all three of our vineyards, fermented with indigenous yeast. It has a little bit of residual sugar but it’s not cloying at all. It has really nice freshness. This is a great pairing with Asian food across the board – curries, even some spicy Thai, Chinese food – but one of my favourites is what I call the All-Canadian Pairing: scallops from the Bay of Fundy.” Harald Thiel 90 points (Decanter World

At LCBO, we’re focused on building a more sustainable future through our Spirit of Sustainability initiative, which celebrates trade partners who work to promote diversity and inclusion, community investment and sound environmental practices. Learn more at LCBO.com/sustainability .

When Vintages caught up with Harald Thiel, vigneron/proprietor of Hidden Bench Estate Winery, he was fresh from the Tasting Climate Change conference in Montreal. This is where experts from all over the world gather to discuss climate change’s effects on wine and identify sustainable solutions. “We probably have about 13 or 14 ideas that we got from the conference that we’re going to sit down next week and evaluate,” says Thiel. But for a winery that’s been certified organic since 2013 and using organic practices since 2010, much of the knowledge shared was “a confirmation that the path we’re on is a really good path. “We make our own compost. We try to reduce the amount of tractor work in the vineyard. We have animals on the vineyard,” says Thiel. “We monitor how much water we use. The average winery uses something like nine litres of water per litre of wine. I think we’re under five, just by using water more efficiently and making sure we don’t waste water.” Hidden Bench use geothermal energy for heating and cooling their buildings and winemaking operations, and they installed a 105-panel, 23.5kW solar array in 2007. These systems provide clean energy while reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption. “There’s the Japanese concept of kaizen . We’re always continually trying to improve on our environmental practices. It never stops,” says Thiel. “Being organic makes you work more in the vineyard, because you don’t have the same silver bullets to spray [synthetic insecticides and fungicides]. So you really need the focus on better agriculture within the vineyard, and by doing that, we’re able to produce better wines.”

Wine Awards, 2022) Aromatic & Flavourful 183491 (D) $26.95 2 4 Organic product

750 ml

HIDDEN BENCH GAMAY 2023 6 VQA West Niagara, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, sustainable, unfiltered

“We decided to grow Gamay because we think it’s really well suited to the Ontario climate. This wine is made in a classic Burgundian style, with a little bit of whole cluster in the fermentation to give it additional freshness and complexity. It goes well with barbecue, short ribs. Personally, I like it with lamb burgers.” Harald Thiel 92 points (Rick VanSickle,

winesinniagara.com) Light-bodied & Fruity 20422 (XD) 750 ml $29.95 2 4 Organic product

FOR COMPLETE TASTING NOTES, SEE PAGE 29.