It came up, as it often does, when having dinner with a few international wine writers during my recent time in Italy. It usually goes something like this: “I really haven’t had the chance to try many Canadian wines, but I recently tasted some Rieslings and Chardonnays from Tawse, and I was quite impressed. Is it mainly limestone soils in their vineyards?”

“Oh, awesome,” I’ll typically respond. “But, yeah, I actually don’t know. I’m based in Vancouver, and we really don’t see Ontario wine in British Columbia.”

An incredulous reaction is usually what follows.

There are numerous reasons why Ontario wine has virtually no presence in our market, aside from the tiniest smattering of selections. Out of more than 3,300 wines available at B.C. Liquor Stores, there are only four listed as hailing from Niagara. There’s an abundance of excellent wine being made back east, so there’s certainly no issue when it comes to quality. Of course, we are remarkably supportive of our homegrown British Columbian product, but that dedication isn’t the culprit either.

I’ve had some recent chats with local importers and wasn’t surprised to hear that it really comes down to taxation, red tape, and an often insurmountable level of logistics necessary for Ontario wines to break into our market.

First off, Ontario wines are taxed akin to imported wines, which can make the shelf price unrealistic for most local wine enthusiasts, especially for wines with which they may be unfamiliar. The greater issue, though, is that—unlike international wines being brought into our market—wines from Ontario must be presold (to restaurants and retailers) before they even land, which involves a lot of footwork, paperwork, and, in some cases, blind faith. Convincing a restaurant to commit to eight cases of a wine untested in our market can be a tall order. It’s easy to see why most wineries wouldn’t want to bother, given these obstacles.

It’s because of all of this that I found my recent trip to Ontario to be both illuminating and maddening. I was in Niagara-on-the-Lake for i4C, the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration. The annual three-day conference is for both wine consumers and the wine trade, and it’s chock-full of seminars, tastings, dinners, and more. Should you find yourself in the neighbourhood next July, I’d recommend pencilling it in on your calendar.

While winemakers everywhere from Champagne to West Australia were on hand to share their bottlings, it was the Ontario wines I was looking forward to the most, as they’re the wines I’ve had the least experience with.

The weekend started out with a keynote address by Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, who provided a mini dissertation on the state of Chardonnay in today’s market. Much of the talk was about balance, which is key in any wine, and how we’ve seemed to move on from those overoaked and overripe Chardonnays that were wildly popular not too long ago.

Those heavier styles of Chardonnay, yes, provide a big mouthful of flavour, but lovely nuances of freshness, acidity, and minerality are lost in the process. It was while on the tail of the subject that MacNeil offered a great quote, by famed American importer Kermit Lynch: “Music isn’t better because you play it louder.”

I encountered some very worthy wines during my time in Ontario, and for those willing to pull out their credit card, one way of enjoying them around here is to order winery-direct. This week, a flight of three favourites:

Tawse Unoaked Chardonnay 2015

($20.15; online)

Winemaker Paul Pender has been at the helm of Tawse for almost a dozen years now, and his stewardship brings us quality, pristine wines from certified organic and biodynamic vineyards. This Chardonnay, grown in red-clay soil, is very dry and crisp, with lime zest, lemon curd, and chalky notes, but nicely fleshed out with tropical fruit and a hint of marzipan in the middle, due to its time in tank spent on the lees. (Also, I’m happy to report that Tawse has cleared many of the obstacles mentioned above and we can look forward to some of their wines appearing around town in coming months.)

Pearl Morissette 2013 Cuvée Dix-Neuvième Chardonnay

($38; online)

Most of the cool-kid sommeliers in Toronto adore the wines of François Morissette, and it’s easy to see why. His wild-fermented, unfined, unfiltered, natural wines are in the driver’s seat from vineyard to bottle, his hand barely touching them along the way. A touch of old oak frames everything well here, including young almond, hazelnut, hibiscus, key lime, and nougat. Wonderful complexity and integration.

Hinterland Wine Company Sacrament 2011

($55; online)

Hinterland is a small-batch sparkling house, and after tasting through many of its wines, I have to say that this 2011 field blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is easily the star of the show. Five years on lees before disgorgement brings plenty of fresh-baked sourdough, which is then topped with grapefruit marmalade, lemon peel, and a sprig of mint. It’s drinking well now but will only get better with a few years of age.