Review: Chateau des Charmes Aligoté

If memory doesn’t fail me at this point, I believe a Chateau des Charmes Chenin Blanc was the first Ontario wine I purchased. I think I was also underage at the time.

They’re certainly one of the oldest estates in Niagara and since 2010 have seen some changes in winemaking and this Aligoté is a good example of a healthy trajectory.

Aligoté is the second most widely planted white grape in Burgundy after Chardonnay. It produces more fruit and has a reputation as the base wine used for making Kir, a combination of black currant liqueur (Cassis) and wine. If you’re new to this drink, I recommend you try it before the year is out. It’s a good way of introducing a delicious new thing in 2026.

The Chateau des Charmes version (an uncommon grape for Ontario) is rather dry and I felt it would have benefited from a little more residual sugar to draw out more of the fruit. The LCBO site states it has 2g/l of sugar, while the winery site indicates only 0.5 g/l. From experience, I say go with the latter.

It’s a cleanly made wine with no excessive sulphur notes and bright yellow fruit such as pear, yellow plum, with a finish of green apple and strident minerality. There’s also a whisper of sweet chervil for that herbaceous facet. It’s an almost blank canvas so perfect for a Kir.

It’s an uncomplicated and fresh wine suitable for an appetizer of oysters and a cold seafood salad with fennel.