WTN: Megalomaniac Homegrown Riesling 2006

John Howard Cellars
Niagara Peninsula
Vineyard 4379

100 per cent Riesling with 10 per cent of that comprised of Riesling icewine.

Light yellow in the glass.

Spicy, lime on the nose.

Medium bodied, crisp, apple, lemon, lime, good acidity, quie spicy, some RS, light petrol.

Very mouthwatering on the finish, with lime and tangy citrus rind.

Very nice.

Screwcap closure.

Purchased at $13.00 (Canadian).

I'm not familiar with this one. I'll have to look them up the next time I cross the river.

I'm not familiar with this one. I'll have to look them up the next time I cross the river.

Hi Howie.

Please note that I have now fixed the name of the wine. I had forgotten to add the Megalomaniac part. You should know that while the wine is a Riesling, that isn't stated anywhere on the front or back labels on the bottle. Strange.

Thanks for the review, Bruce. I'm a huge fan of Riesling myself, so I might check this wine out.

I've never seen a Riesling, though, in which icewine was mixed with regular Riesling. When you tasted the wine, did it feel like the icewine portion was coming through at all? What did it really contribute to the whole?

It's definitely an interesting concept, regardless.

Thanks for the review, Bruce. I'm a huge fan of Riesling myself, so I might check this wine out.

I've never seen a Riesling, though, in which icewine was mixed with regular Riesling. When you tasted the wine, did it feel like the icewine portion was coming through at all? What did it really contribute to the whole?

It's definitely an interesting concept, regardless.

Hi Edmund.

I did not think the icewine component added much, if anything. I did notice a bit of sweetness at the front, but no more than I have experiened in other Riesling.

Indeed, it is a novel but unintuitive concept, to sweeten a Riesling with icewine. I would think such a method to be rather cost prohibitive - especially since back-sweetening with reserve juice is so common and easy. Unless, perhaps, the fact that icewine was used is deliberate, to garner some marketing cachet.

Off-topic, but when I was making sparkling hard cider last year, I didn't add table sugar for the carbonation (as so many instructions seem to suggest): I added a portion of the same juice I had obtained from the apples. Not a grain of cane sugar went into my sparkling hard cider

Indeed, it is a novel but unintuitive concept, to sweeten a Riesling with icewine. I would think such a method to be rather cost prohibitive - especially since back-sweetening with reserve juice is so common and easy. Unless, perhaps, the fact that icewine was used is deliberate, to garner some marketing cachet.

Off-topic, but when I was making sparkling hard cider last year, I didn't add table sugar for the carbonation (as so many instructions seem to suggest): I added a portion of the same juice I had obtained from the apples. Not a grain of cane sugar went into my sparkling hard cider

Hey Paul.

Good to see you again.

I agree, I think the icewine thing is simply a marketing gimmick.