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The
newest summery whites of Ontario
Sauvignon
Blanc est arrivée ©
©
Michael Vaughan 2001
National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits
Columnist
Saturday,
August 25, 2001
It’s
Sunday afternoon and I’m dining al fresco overlooking the vineyards
surrounded by the soothing sounds of jazz on the patio of Hillebrand’s
Vineyard Café just outside Niagara-on-the-Lake. My glass of
sparkling Trius
Brut, a genuine VQA blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes
(available on the LCBO General List at $19.95) is the quintessential
summer thirst quencher; it even cuts the mustard with a shared foie gras
appetizer. (www.winecountryathome.com)
My
young niece sips her bubbly and admires the refined tiny streams of
bubbles that rush towards the surface. It’s amazing to think that when I
was her age, wines such as this were not even dreamt of in Ontario.
Indeed, it was illegal to consume wine outside, even in your own backyard.
And, of course, being Sunday, restaurants were not allowed to serve a drop
of alcohol.
Things
have sure changed and it’s hard to keep ups with all that’s happening
in Ontario. I’ve made three forays into the Niagara Peninsula in just
five weeks. One might think I was looking to buy a vineyard.
Unfortunately, that window of opportunity has long disappeared - prices
have exploded.
“We’re
talking about $15,000 to $65,000 an acre,” says Donald
Triggs, President of the Toronto based Vincor conglomerate. Mr. Triggs
and his wife Elaine have planted some 85 acres overlooking the beautiful
Niagara Parkway. Their vineyard is only a short drive to the newly opened
Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate winery, a state-of-the-art facility
producing serious wines under the guidance of Australian winemaker Rob
Scapin.
In
particular, I was impressed by the just released Jackson-Triggs
1999 Grand Reserve Chardonnay, fine value at $15.95. Rich and
mouthfilling, the peachy-ripe lemon-pear flavours are buffered with the
fine toasty notes from French barrique aging. Keep in mind that it’s
currently available only at the new winery and should not be confused with
either of their less-expensive General List Proprietors’ Reserve
Chardonnay or non-VQA Jackson-Triggs Chardonnay labels. For availability
call winery store at (905) 468-4637.
(http://jacksontriggswinery.com)
Three
weeks ago, the Ontario Wine Council, for the first time, invited some 34
key sommeliers from Toronto and New York City to experience the best of
Ontario. Squeezing a lot of wine tastings and visits into a small window
is always challenging but the results were fruitful.
Highlights
included a detailed tasting of Henry of Pelham’s extensive collection of
award-winning wines. Of particular note were two ancient whites served at
sublime luncheon prepared by St. Catherines’ Wellington Court Restaurant chef, Erik
Peacock (see http://www.vaxxine.com/wellington/).
There’s
a certain theatricality associated with tasting old wines. I admire the
courage it takes to present such older wines because all too often they
have lost their appeal. Not so with these two ~ the Henry of Pelham 1994 Riesling Reserve along
with the Henry
of Pelham 1994 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay were not just good,
they were fantastic – still fresh, lively and extremely flavourful.
I
asked winemaker Ron Giesbrecht
how he made such an amazing Riesling. The answer was ripe fruit and lower
yield, along keeping with some skins in the fermentation process. The
latter added a touch of bitterness and complexity, which acted, along with
the high acidity enabled this wine to get better as it aged.
Ironically,
some of the best value in Ontario is Riesling. And I don’t necessarily
mean expensive the expensive stuff. We are sitting at a special sommelier
dinner, with great culinary creations by chef Ned Bell, in Inniskillin’s loft when someone suggested that,
instead of Chardonnay, Riesling might be a better match. Lo and behold,
this inexpensive, very racy, bright Inniskillin
2000 Riesling (General List $9.95) fit the fare (Atlantic
lobster and Qualicam Bay scallop "benny" double smoked bacon,
quail egg, baby watercress lobster foam and watercress oil) like a glove.
Versatile and tasty, it’s an insider’s best buy. (www.inniskillin.com)
At
the afternoon Grand Tasting session the sommeliers were able to attack
some 108 wines, no easy feat for the two hours allocated. I simply focus
on whites and can honestly say that Sauvignon Blanc est arrivée in Ontario!
Many
are unaware of the tremendous recent surge in Sauvignon Blanc production.
This grape was at one time was almost exclusively bred in the Loire.
Sancerre and/or Pouilly Fumé, along with perfunctory chévre cheese, were
the foodies’ French pitstop of choice.
Now
it’s everywhere re, especially New Zealand, but certainly Canada. At the
Canadian Wine Awards judging
this week, there were a staggering 27 Sauvignon Blanc submitted. Some were
thin and unmercifully vegetal (bitter herbaceousness gone wild), while
others were quite charming.
Although 2000 was a challenging vintage, visiting sommeliers had a chance to taste some noteworthy efforts. Henry of Pelham 2000 Sauvignon Blanc had very bright, tangy, gooseberry-ruby grapefruit flavours - good value at $12.95. (www.henryofpelham.com) Some 30% was barrel fermented to give it some additional structure. The very crisp, dry, bright, grapefruit-gooseberry flavours of Cave Spring Cellars 2000 Sauvignon Blanc at $12.95 are perfect for those last hot days of summer. (www.cavespringcellars.com) Ditto for the excellent Creekside 2000 Sauvignon Blanc at $15.20 with its crispy, tart, peachy flavours. Both of these wines can be ordered directly from the respective wineries. Unfortunately, as only older vintages appear on their websites, you might email the winery for updated information. (www.creeksideestatewinery.com)
Of
course, you can just wander into Vintages and pick up a just-released bottle of the attractive, dry,
grassy, green Anjou pear flavoured Peninsula
Ridge 2000 Sauvignon Blanc at $18.95.
(http://www.peninsularidge.com)
Last but not least is the lovely Cilento
2000 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve at
$18.95. (www.cilento.com)
This Toronto Wine & Cheese Show gold-medal winner (to view
the medal-winner see
http://www.vintageassessments.com/w&cshow.html)
is one of my favourites and can be sourced at the winery just north of
Toronto in Woodbridge.
One
final note of concern regards some Ontario winery websites, which do
not contain an updated list of wines currently available. Complete lists
are still not available for Cilento or Hillebrand (sparkling wine is not listed as a
search choice), while
Jackson-Triggs and Peninsula Ridge are still under construction.
Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada
2004
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
(electronic or other wise) and or quotation.
Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net