Liquid Gold

From ruby to garnet, salmon to pink, and lemon-lime to butter, wines can paint your glass with a kaleidoscopic of colour. But tucked into the end of this vino-inspired rainbow is a special pot where the drinks are seemingly gilded—these are wines you may not even know existed in such rich, honeyed, guilded hues. While these bottles may require some footwork to find, their deep tones, substantial weight and rich, spiced flavours make them the perfect pairing as that first autumnal leaf touches to the ground. —Laura Starr

domaine aux moines savennieres la roche aux moines. Hailing from Loire, France, this 100 per cent Chenin Blanc is how you always want Savennieres to drink. Rich and golden in colour, with the aroma of a freshly baked apple crumble, roasted nuts and wet stones, to sip it is full-bodied and waxy, with soft, unobtrusive acidity, ripe fruit, nutty spice and earthy minerality. Current vintages drink beautifully, but the 1999 will show you just how well a Chenin can age.

tinhorn creek innovation series white pinot noir. From our very own Okanagan Valley, Tinhorn’s Innovation Series’ 2016 white (yes, you read correctly) Pinot Noir proves the versatility of this grape to breach the barriers of red, rosé and white wine. Copper in tone and elegant in nature, this wine brings to mind white peaches and soft vanilla spice, with the sensual allure of silk sheets.

donkey and goat stone crusher skin ferment roussanne. Made in Cali, here’s a 2015 orange wine by design that’s actually a rich amber in colour. Stone Crusher offers a pungent whirlwind of aromas, from dried fruits and spiced honeycomb to wildflowers and wet stones in the summer. This wine is a conversation; it has huge body but a delicate, mineral finish. The fruit is powerful but the spices warm it up and round it out. And the story behind the name is worth a Google.

chambar x laughing stock viognier roussanne. If you’re feeling adventurous, but don’t want to commit to a bottle, Chambar’s sommeliers collaborated with Laughing Stock Vineyards to create, in 2016, a deliciously robust, rich and spicy orange wine, which is available by the glass (with limited supplies!). Come chat with the restaurant’s wine team and see what orange wine is all about.