Brilliant Idea

Ever bought a bottle of Riesling and been surprised that the wine is sweeter than you expected? Or not as sweet? Me too. I can’t think of another varietal that winemakers produce in so many different styles. Some regions, like Germany, have their own classification systems to guide the consumer (although knowledge of German helps). Still, much confusion and disappointment reigns.

Back in 2008, the International Riesling Foundation (yeah, I didn’t know it existed either) launched the “Riesling Taste Profile”. The IRF designed the Tasting Profile to help consumers anticipate the taste of a particular bottle of Riesling. The Riesling Taste Profile consists of “voluntary technical guidelines for wine makers and winery owners in describing their wines for consumers and that may be used on a back label, point-of-sale materials, and elsewhere”. The technical guidelines have benchmarks for residual sugar, acid, and pH. All three elements affect the taste profile of Riesling, which is why relying on only one element, such as the LCBO’s sugar content ratings, can lead you astray. For example, a Riesling with more residual sugar but high acid may well taste drier than one with less sugar and low acid. Measurements for these three elements determine how a winemaker classifies its Riesling on a continuum from Dry to Medium Dry to Medium Sweet to Sweet. Despite the benchmarks, however, a winemaker may still use judgement in how the label describes the wine.

The IRF has members in North America (including Cave Spring Cellars), Europe, South Africa, and Australia. Decanter reports that 12 million cases of US-produced Rieslings now use the Taste Profile.

It’s not perfect, but anything that reduces consumer misperceptions and confusion has my support. Let’s hope more Riesling producers get on board.

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My Picks: Vintages Release -- September 18

This week’s release features “Ontario’s Signature Styles” as the main event, with wines from Douro (Portugal) as the undercard. But (it pains me to say this) it’s the Douro wines that are the more interesting, with only one of the Ontario wines worth your consideration in this release.


Coincidentally, nothing over 14% ABV.

 Organic

AGRIVERDE NATUM 2008, DOC Montepulciano D'Abruzzo (Abruzzo, Italy); #180224; Price: $ 12.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Montepulciano; it’s in Abruzzo where this varietal variety is most widely planted. (And not to be confused with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Tuscany; they make that one mostly from Sangiovese.) Fermented in steel and aged 24 months in the bottle before release. A great match for pasta with a tomato-based sauce.

Off the Beaten Track

Whites

CAVE SPRING CSV CAVE SPRING VINEYARD RIESLING 2008, VQA Beamsville Bench (Ontario); #566026; Price: $29.95; 11.0% ABV
Top of the line from Cave Springs, as the price shows. Made from low-yielding old vines (old for Niagara, that is). Fermented in stainless steel for 4 weeks with cultured yeasts; then aged for 3 months on the spent yeast. Can be drunk now or aged for 10 years. Refreshingly light-bodied. Regular readers know that I prefer very dry Rieslings. Rated Medium Dry on the International Riesling Foundation’s scale, but it’s a worthy exception.

TBILVINO TSINANDALI DRY WHITE, Kakheti (Georgia); #26658; Price: $12.95; 13.0% ABV
A blend of the Georgian varietals varieties, Rkatsiteli and Kakhetian Mtsvane. Widely planted across Eastern Europe, winemakers use Rkatsiteli for its spicy and floral aromas and its acidity. Mtsvane brings the fruit aromas. Formerly one of the key producers in the Soviet Union, the winery lost its biggest market in 2006 with the Russian embargo and turned to other markets (like ours). Far, far off the beaten track. At this price, worth a try.

ROBERT OATLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009, Pemberton (Western Australia); #186106; Price: $17.95; 12.2% ABV
Western Australia has a cool Maritime climate, perfect conditions for growing Sauvignon Blanc down under. Cool fermentation, no oak.

KAMANTERENA XYNISTERI 2008, Paphos (Cyprus); #179911; Price: $11.95; 12.4% ABV
100% Xynisteri, native to Cyprus. Look for citrus and green apple flavours. Drink ASAP. Produced by a cooperative formed in 1947, uniting 10,000 family producers from 144 villages!

FONTANAFREDDA GAVI DEL COMUNE DI GAVI 2009, DOCG Gavi (Piedmont, Italy); #75440; Price: $15.95; 12.5% ABV
100% Cortese, native to northwest Italy. Gavi makes the best wines from Cortese. Cool fermentation, aged 4 months in stainless steel. Look for citrus and floral aromas. Drink now.

Reds

Two selections from the Douro wines, followed by a good choice from the other side of Iberia:

QUINTA DO CRASTO OLD VINES RESERVA 2007, DOC Douro (Portugal); #990572; Price: $34.95; 13.4% ABV
A blend of 25 different varietals varieties (!) all from vines that are over 70 years old. Hand picked. Aged 16 months in 85% French oak and 15% American oak.

QUINTA DOS ACIPRESTES RESERVA 2007, DOC Douro (Portugal); #167627; Price: $21.95; 14.0% ABV
A blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa, both varietals varieties used traditionally in making Port (also from the Douro region). 14 months of aging in French, American and Eastern European oak.

DESCENDIENTES DE J. PALACIOS PÉTALOS 2008, DO Bierzo (Spain); #675207; Price: $21.95; 13.5% ABV
From a region (Beirzo in northwest Spain) and a varietal variety (Mencia) that have come out of nowhere in the last few years. Palacios is a top producer. Get it.

FROGMORE CREEK PINOT NOIR 2006, Tasmania (Australia); #182972; Price: $26.95; 14.0% ABV
We don’t see too many wines from Tasmania; a shame because it’s a great cool climate wine region, perfect for Pinot Noir. Handpicked. 48-hour cold soak on skins, followed by fermentation in stainless steel, Malolactic fermentation in oak, then aging 10 months in 30% new and 70% seasoned French oak. Frogmore Creek’s winemaker is from the Loire Valley and trained at Dijon University.

PIETRO RINALDI MADONNA DI COMO 2008; DOC Dolcetto D'Alba (Piedmont, Italy); #182261; Price: $16.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Dolcetto (little sweet one). Alba is home to the best producers. Fermented in stainless steel, followed by Malolactic fermentation, then aged in stainless steel for six months. Known for high acidity and soft tannins, red and black fruit aromas. Meant to be drunk young.

Sparkling

L. VITTEAUT-ALBERTI BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT, AC CREMANT DE BOURGOGNE (France); #180018; Price: $18.95; 12.0% ABV
A blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Aligote, made in the traditional method, as in Champagne. Great bargain.

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You Say Good-Bye But I Say Hello

Local long-time restaurant reviewer Anne DesBrisay announced last week that she and The Citizen have parted ways.  As she described it in her blog, she “received an email from my publisher explaining his decision to provide Citizen readers with a new voice and perspective on Ottawa’s dining out scene. He felt it was time.”  The Citizen is a business and Postmedia pays its publisher to make these decisions.  But if he fired Ms DesBrisay, a Citizen writer for 20 years, by email then he should be ashamed.

I’m not a regular (or even occasional) reader of The Citizen.   But I did make made a point of reading Anne DesBrisay’s columns, which were entertaining, informative, and free of snobbism.  She’s a graduate of LaVarenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris and always brought that foundation of skills to her commentary.  Hers is the only food-specific blog that I recommend here.

In fact, she was the only bright light in the food and wine section of The Citizen, with its anti-wine Food editor and the increasingly cranky wine writer.  Whoever takes over the restaurant reviews at The Citizen has big shoes to fill.

But the good news is that Anne DesBrisay intends to keep on reviewing and writing.  Let’s hope that, free of The Citizen’s shackles, she’ll bring us many more years of interesting observations on the restaurant scene in Ottawa.

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How Sweet It Is…or Isn’t

There’s a certain rhythm to the year for us winos.

Sure, there’s the viticultural year…dormancy, budbreak, flowering, green harvest, veraison, harvest, pruning.

There are the familiar labels that show up in the Vintages release at the same time every year.

Even some issues seem to pop up at the same time, one year to the next. Here’s one of my favourites.

Decanter reports that Olivier Humbrecht, the boss of Zind-Humbrecht, one of the top producers in Alsace and Biodynamic to boot, is calling for a “sweetness code” on the labels of Alsatian wines.

Certainly one of the biggest challenges that both Alsatian and German wines (particularly Rieslings) have is that consumers are never quite sure how sweet a particular wine is. Vinification styles vary widely.

My strong preference is for bone-dry white wines, and I’ve been disappointed with some wines (including from Zind-Humbrecht) that are sweeter (perceived or actual) than I prefer. I know that many other Riesling fans out there have the opposite preference, and have been equally disappointed when an Alsatian or German white wine doesn’t meet their expectations.

Sure, in Ontario, we have the sweetness ratings provided by Vintages/LCBO, but I’ve found that system has its drawbacks, largely because there are other factors (pH levels, acidity) that affect the perception of sweetness in a wine.

So, when I posted about the International Riesling Foundation’s Taste Profile at this time last year, I said that I liked the solution of having the winemaker put a Taste Profile right on the label. Still do. Good for the consumer, good of the producer. An idea whose time has come?













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Feeling PECish ─ Part 2

(Read Part 1 here)

PEC wineries devote their efforts primarily to two varieties:  the notoriously difficult Pinot Noir and the wine world’s workhorse, Chardonnay.  Some of the Pinot Noirs that I tasted in PEC (especially around Hillier) were thin, tart, overly acidic, and occasionally under-ripe, all of which are risks in a cool climate.  The weather in 2010 was warmer, allowing for fuller ripening, and the expectations for that vintage (not yet available) are high.  Who knows, perhaps global warming will be a boon to PEC.    

As for the Chardonnays, they often saw too much new oak, although that’s more of a personal preference than a flaw. 

We tasted some good Pinot Gris and, based on those samples, the region shows great promise for that grape variety.  More PEC vintners should try it.  But everybody buys Chardonnay…

Another winery – Hinterland – devotes all its efforts to sparkling wines and I think that they’re on to something.  With PEC’s cool climate and limestone foundation, the region may be ideal for sparkling wine.  And most vintners are already growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, 2 of the 3 varieties that also can go into making Champagne, where tart and acidic wine is a boon.

I only have eyes for ewe

Compared to the slicker Niagara region, PEC has a bucolic charm.  Translation:  they roll up the sidewalks at night (and don't necessarily unroll them in the morning) and cell service is very spotty.  The region seems torn between wanting tourism dollars but not the tourists who come with it.  There are relatively few hotels, so a last-minute getaway in the summer is nearly impossible.  

Hot Diggity!

Ommm

Although the selection of restaurants is good, many are closed more than one night a week in high season. Restaurants are well spread out among the many little towns, making walking to them impossible; a designated driver is a necessity.  We had dinner at Angeline’s in Bloomfield and Blumen Bistro in Picton.  Both are good but we give the edge to Blumen for its good food, moderate prices, great service, and ambience.  And getting down for lunch at Buddha Dog in Picton, with its locally sourced products, is good fun but it’s very small and busy. 

Sweet Cheeses!

It’s out of the way but if you love excellent cheese made from goat, sheep, or cows’ milk, make the time to visit Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, which is at the east end of the County.  Great selection!       

We visited 10 wineries over 2 days.  You can find the better wineries concentrated in 2 districts.  In my next 2 posts, I’ll give you my impression of the wineries around Hiller and Marysburgh.

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