CBC Radio wine commentator Konrad Ejbich brought along a nice surprise to the tasting. He produced a completely covered and taped up bottle, which became “Wine #5” . It was edging towards brick coloured and, to be honest, it smelled like sewage. "I don’t know about the nose on number five," the sommelier next to me said ruefully. Konrad told us we weren’t understanding old wine.

Getting past the nose – which would’ve been easier had we decanted – yielded a very pleasant surprise on the palate. The wine was very smooth and rich, with a complex array of flavours, mainly secondary notes, and there was still some fruit. After tasting it, the nose became more bearable. It tasted fine and expensive and nobody could guess what it was.

It turned out to be Inniskillin Cabernet Franc from 1991, the $9.95 price tag still on it. According to the Bank of Canada Inflation Calculator, that’s just $13.44 in today’s dollars.

While the nose was definitely problematic, decanting and strong cheese would surely help. But this pleasant surprise also bolstered two theories I subscribe to: 1) sit on the right inexpensive red for 10-15 years and it’ll turn into a fine wine and 2) cab franc really is Ontario’s best bet for reds.