Focal Pointe and Zweigelt

Stephanie and I opened up a bottle of Viewpointe 2002 Focal Pointe Cabernet Franc the other night with dinner. I like what John is doing with his wines, and there is a definite consistency with his reds. The Focal Pointe has a deep dark color with a tempting smokey cedar nose. The luscious deep black fruit caresses the palate with balanced tannins and hints of chocolate. The wine is maturing nicely and I would suggest drinking it over the next 5 years with a big juicy steak.

Another older wine Stephanie and I enjoyed was the 2002 Pelee Island Reserve Zweigelt. Typical of many local wines there is abundant earthiness when it is first opened. Subtle honey aromas with mushroom and barnyard fill the glass and hints of cranberry and tobacco develop as the wines open. The tannins are round and beautiful with a lingering finish. This wine definitely reminds me of an Italian Amarone with its earthy flavors. Enjoy this with food that features mushrooms and or truffles.

Pelee's Blanc de Blanc

Continuing on my quest to taste and write about all the local award winning wines from the 2008 ACWC, Stephanie and I opened up Pelee Island’s 2007 Blanc de Blanc. As I understand this wine, it is Pelee’s value wine selling for about $9 at the LCBO (it is also the biggest selling white wine at the LCBO). The wine is a blend of Vidal and Seyal Blanc, but the Vidal really shines through. There are very pleasant flavors of peaches and pineapple with just a hint of steeliness to add complexity. There is a hint of residual sweetness and the acidity is in check. This is another solid table wine that is best suited to cocktail parties and lazing around the pool. Just as a side note, I made some madras curry pork with cucumber raita and some fresh picked asparagus. The sweetness in the wine stood up to the spiciness of the curry.

The Ontario Wine Awards

This week the results of the 13th annual Ontario Wine Awards were announced with a number of local wines bringing home awards. Colchester Ridge pulled home a gold medal for their Chardonnay and Pelee Island won two silver medals for their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Shiraz. Right on the heals of the Pelee Shiraz was the yet to be released 2006 “Watercress Creek” Syrah from Smith & Wilson which won a bronze.

Bronze medals were also handed out to Colio for their 2005 CEV Merlot Reserve and to Smith & Wilson for the 2006 Viognier.

Five medals for our wineries s a really good showing at this event. I am excited for all the local wines as the annual All Canadian Wine Championship is to be held in two weeks time. Last year 20 wines from Lake Erie North Shore brought home hardware.

Cuvee 2008

Cuvee 2008

So this past weekend I was down in Niagara for the 20th Annual Cuvee festival. It is a charity event Wine Council of Ontario to benefit the Niagara Community Foundation. On the Friday night there was a Gala held at the Fallsview Casino that included a tasting of a number of wines from Niagara and a few from Prince Edward County and Lake Erie North Shore, as well as an awards ceremony.

21 wines were awarded medals from different wine styles. The wines, submitted by 55 wineries from across the province, were judged by the winemakers themselves giving the Cuvee Gala an “Academy Awards” feel to it (the wine industry recognizing itself). The big winner of the night was Creekside Estate Winery who pulled home four different awards, but I think the surprise of the night was when the award for best Cabernet Sauvignon went to Pelee Island for their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. This wine is the only wine recognized with an award that was not from the Niagara Peninsula. I was please to Congratulate Winemaker Martin Janz after the awards presentation and enjoy a glass of the Cabernet with him. The wine is drinking very well right now with luscious red fruit, hints of mint and leather and a touch of blood orange citrus. The wine is well structured with strong but integrated tannins. It is a very well made wine and very deserving of the Cuvee award. Congratulations to Martin and all the folks at Pelee Island Winery. Below is a list of the other winners of the night.

Best Red Wine: Thirty Bench Winemakers Benchmark Red 2005
Limited Edition Red: Creekside Estates Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
White Wine: Cave Springs Gewurztraminer 2006
Limited Edition White: Featherstone Estate Bottled Gewurztraminer 2007
LCBO General List Red: Hillebrand Artist Series Meritage 2005
LCBO General List White: Hillebrand Trius Riesling 2006
Sparkling Wine: Peller Estates Signature Series Ice Cuvee Rose NV
Sweet Wine: Reif Vidal Icewine 2005
Limited Edition Sweet Wine: Cattail Creek Barrel Fermented Vidal Icewine 2006
Meritage: Creekside Reserve Meritage 2004
Cabernet Sauvignon: Pelee Island Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005
Cabernet Franc: Cave Springs Cabernet Franc Estate 2005
Merlot: Hernder Winery Merlot 2004
Syrah/Shiraz: Creekside Broken Press Shiraz 2005
Red Assemblage: Mike Weir Cabernet Shiraz 2005
Riesling: Thirty Bench Small Lot Riesling “Triangle Vineyard” 2006
Sauvignon Blanc: Jackson-Triggs Niagara Grand Reserve White Meritage 2006
Chardonnay: Niagara College Teaching Winery Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2006
White Assemblage: Hillebrand Trius White 2006
Gold Award: Henry of Pelham Reserve Riesling 2006
Gold Award: Stonechurch Riesling Dry 2006

On the subject of Pelee Island, I opened up their Premium Select Chardonnay 2006. This is another impressive wine. It has a creamy, almost caramel and tropical fruit nose. It is a pleasantly warm and luscious with good green apple acidity. I can imagine sitting down with a nice plate of brie and smoked salmon and being in heaven. I am really impressed with what Pelee Island is doing with their wines. It seems like as soon as you pay $14.95 or above for one of their wines the quality and value increases tremendously.