Welcome to Lifford Wine Agency
As one of the top wine importers in the province of Ontario, Lifford Wine Agency has the privilege of representing some of the world's finest wineries. And we can bring these treasures right to your door!
Lifford has been serving private consumers and the hospitality industry for more than 25 years. With more than 300 wines available, many of them exclusively available directly from Lifford, you really don't want to miss out.
Now you can purchase your wine directly from our website.
Why should I buy my wine from Lifford?
Though Lifford usually has a few wines available at the LCBO, the majority of our wines are part of the consignment program.
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Three Pinots at Three Prices
Thanks for all the support on these emails I have been writing. In the last couple of weeks I have been asked for two things. Firstly, I was asked for more Pinot Noir. Secondly, I was asked to write about something good and under $20. Let us travel first to Argentina and then to New Zealand’s South island.
Humberto Canale Pinot Noir 2008
$15.99 per bottle in cases of 12
Guillermo Barzi Canale is the fourth generation of this family to have owned and managed these vines in the Rio Negro Valley of Patagonia. This very Southerly part of the world enjoys a marginal climate offset by the river itself. It is perfect for elegant Pinot Noir and one of Lifford’s great bargains.
What is it?
The grapes are handpicked. The concentration is ensured through the pruning to create low yields. The resulting wine is matured in 15% new French oak. The wine was aged for a total of 10 months.
What does it taste like?
It is ruby red colour with typical varietal fragrance. There are aromas of fresh raspberries and cherries, with a subtle hint of aromatic herbs and vanilla. It is both smooth and creamy in the mouth and offers far more than the price suggest. This is very rare for Pinot Noir.
Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 2008
$34.95 per bottle in cases of 6 
At the grand finale Gala Dinner of New Zealand’s Pinot Noir 2010 event held recently in Wellington, a new honour was bestowed upon two of New Zealand’s best known Pinot Noir producers, Ata Rangi in Martinborough and Felton Road in Central Otago. Each were each given the title of
“Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa”
(Grand Cru of New Zealand)
This is the greatest of all possible honours and is well born out in the wines of Ata Rangi.
What is it?
Crimson is their young vine Central Otago Pinot Noir designed for ready drinking. Sales support Project Crimson, a charitable conservation trust established in 1990 for the protection of New Zealand’s iconic native red-flowering trees – Pohutukawa.
What does it taste like?
Crimson Pinot Noir 2008 shows dark cherry blended with new season raspberry and wild mulberries. Clove and spice season the sweet red plum and black cherry on the palate. Very fine, supple tannins carry evenly right to the finish. This wine has richness, weight and power.
Staete Landt Pinot Noir 2007
43.95 per bottle in cases of 6
Staete Landt’s approach is to produce single vineyard estate grown wines only. The old riverbed gravels of the Wairau have proven to be excellent for grape growing. These form the soils in their home of Rapaura, Marlborough. Ruud and Dorien have an absolute commitment to quality. I love these people and their wines.
What is it?
Only handpicked grapes from twelve separate parcels of estate grown fruit were used for this wine. It was racked to undergo malo-lactic fermentation in a mixture of 25% new French oak and 75% older French oak barrels. The wine was aged in these barrels for a total of 18 months.
What does it taste like?
The Pinot Noir 2007 is elegant and multi-layered. Strawberry and ripe black cherries dominate the aromas with violets and an earthy complexity. It is full-bodied for a Pinot Noir with an elegant tannin structure and a lingering finish of spices like bay leaves. You could cellar this for 5 or so years.
