Smith’s Vidal:

Stephanie and I sat down for dinner tonight and opened up a bottle of Smith & Wilson’s Smith’s Vidal 2006. This wine brought home a silver medal at the All Canadian Wine Championships a few weeks ago. The wine has developed very well over the last year into a beautifully wine. The nectarine aromas fill the glass with a very well balanced acidity to compliment the fruit. We enjoyed it over a plate of chicken curry that went very well. The stone fruit really molded with the curry to create a harmonious union.

The other night we enjoyed another medal winning wine. Last year Aleksander’s cassis brought home the best in category medal from the ACWC and we opened up our last bottle of it on the weekend. I remember drinking it last summer and being blown away by it, but now I must say that I was disappointed with the way the wine has developed. It has lots of acidity left and you can tell it is black current, but it has lost its balance. It was harsh and acidic. This leaves me to speculate that fruit wines are not meant to age the same way grape wines do, but of course the only way to prove this is to sit some down and try them a year or two from now. The question is, Can I wait?

ACWC Results

I promised you last week to publish the results of the 2008 All Canadian Wine Championships. Below is a list of the trophy wines and To highlight some local winners, Double Gold Medals went to Muscedere for their Pinot Noir and also to Aleksander for their Chambourcin. I highly recommend popping down to Ruthven to pick up the Chambourcin. It is a phenomenal value at just $10.95 per bottle. Kudos also go to Smith and Wilson for three silver medals for their Syrah, Chardonnay and Vidal.

The quality of Riesling in his area in Lake Erie North Shore is improving as Gold and Silver medals went to Rieslings from Viewpoint and Sanson Estates. Colchester Ridge Continues to shine with their wines as their Merlot and Cabernet Merlot both brought home medals.


All Canadian Wine Championships
2008 Results

Trophy Winners

Best Red Wine of the Year
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan, BC 2005 SunRock Meritage

Best White Wine of the Year
Wild Goose Vineyard, BC 2007 Mystic River Gewurztraminer

Best Sparkling Wine of the Year
Henry of Pelham Winery, ON Cuvee Catharine Rose Brut

Best Dessert Wine of the Year
Hernder Estate Winery, ON 2007 Vidal Icewine

Best Fruit Wine of the Year
Rossignol Estate Winery, PEI 2006 Blackberry Mead

Double Gold Best in Category

Pinot Noir
Muscedere Vineyards, ON 2006 Pinot Noir
Other Single Hybrid Reds
Aleksander Estate Winery, ON 2006 Chambourcin

Medals of Merit
Other Medal Winners
Gold: Viewpointe Estate Winery, 2006 Riesling
Gold: Colchester Ridge Estate Winery, ON 2006 Merlot
Gold: D’Angelo Vineyards 2002 Pinot Noir
Silver:Smith and Wilson Estate Wines,2007 C-K Chardonnay
Silver: Smith and Wilson Estate Wines, 2006 Smith’s Vidal
Silver: Pelee Island Winery, ON 2007 Blanc de Blanc
Silver: Sprucewood Shores ON 2007 Pinot Gris $14.95
Silver: Smith & Wilson Estate Wines, ON 2006 Syrah
Silver: Sanson Estate Winery, ON 2006 Baco Noir
Bronze:Sanson Estate Winery, 2007 Riesling
Bronze: Pelee Island Winery, 2007 Late Harvest Vidal
Bronze: Sprucewood Shores, 2005 LENS Pinot Noir
Bronze: D’Angelo Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Franc
Bronze: Colchester Ridge 2005 Cabernet-Merlot
Bronze: D'Angelo Vineyards 2005 Baco
Bronze: Colio Estate Wines, 2006 Late Harvest Vidal
Bronze: Muscedere , 2006 Cabernet Franc Icewine

Aleksander Cabernet Sauvignon

I was down at Aleksander Estate winery the other day and they have released their new Cabernet Sauvignon. Now I have always liked Izabela and the Bembin family for what they have done with their family winery. The history of the winery is very interesting, how her father Alex was working at a winery in Austria before coming over to help at Pelee Island Winery before buying 5 acres and planting vineyards himself. As it happens with family businesses, what started out as a vineyard to supply other wineries with grapes turned into a winery itself.

Izabela and Alex are both great winemakers and their wines are very well made, but in a simple grass roots of winemaking style. They do not have the room in their current winery, nor are they in the position to barrel age their wines or experiment with their wine. The wines they produce are clean, fruit forward with an individually Aleksander stamp on them. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon follows their style to a ‘T’ as it is clean and bright with ripe raspberries and a good acidic backbone. I would suggest sitting down with this wine and some grilled pork for a decadent food and wine experience.

Que Syrah, Syrah!

That is what Mary Jane from Smith & Wilson wanted to call the second wine in their Watercress Creek Release line. Last Christmas Smith & Wilson released a 2005 Cabernet Franc under the Watercress Creek label and promptly took it off their shelves in January. Their goal was to create a Christmas limited release wine with the best fruit of each year’s crop. From the 2006 vintage they chose to bottle a Syrah. The plan was not to release it until December, but they did give everyone at last week’s Parade of Chefs sneak peak of what is to come. For those who don’t know, the Parade of Chefs is a fundraiser for the Chatham-Kent Hospital foundation featuring dinner prepared by seven of the areas Chefs. Each of the chefs prepares a different course which is paired with a wine from local wineries including Smith & Wilson, Aleksander Estate, Pelee Island Winery and Colio Estates.

Stargazers pushed the envelope this year by preparing a salad and pairing it with a red wine (salads are hard to pair with any wine and hardest to pair with a red). Chef Ian composed the salad of purple leaf lettuces tossed in a blueberry, balsamic and beetroot vinaigrette and we paired it with Smith & Wilson’s 2005 Chambourcin. Now after having more than two years in the bottle, the chambourcin is developing a lot of blueberry flavors and we kept the acidity of the dressing low as not to interfere with the wine.

The main course was a marinated leg of lamb that was paired with the Syrah. The lamb was good as it was marinated in Asian flavors and the wine was very impressive. The wine smells of ripe plums and when it hits your palate a celebration of blackberries and black pepper begins. There is a juicy acidity gets your taste buds fired up ready for any rare red meat that you can throw at it. There is a lot more going on in this wine that will do nothing but develop further before it is released at the winery just in time for Christmas.

For the last few years I have become quite a fan of Smith & Wilson’s wines. Every year their wines are solid and very well made. They do not try over doing their wines, but just taking what fruit Mother Nature has blessed them with and allowing the natural flavors to shine through. I have made sure that I am on the waiting list for one of the first cases of Syrah to be released in December I would certainly encourage you to do the same.