HELP! Ontario Tasting

Paul's recent postings on Konzelmann Vidal reminds me that it's time to get going on an Ontario tasting I'll be doing for our AWS in a few months. The format is 4 whites and 4 reds with an average price of $15. When I appealed here not long ago for help with a similar Austrian tasting some said it would be impossible at that price, but the suggestions of others helped make it a great success. I'm asking for the same kind of help again and am close enough to Ontario to be able to drive there to pick up if need be. Konzelmann will be #1 on my list for a Vidal. What else should I be looking for?

Flat Rock Cellars - Chardonnay; Pinot Noir
Chateau Des Charmes - Gamay Droit
Organized Crime - Viognier
Vineland - Riesling, Chenin Blanc
Cave Spring - Riesling, Chardonnay
Inniskillen - Pinot Noir, Cab Franc
There are lots of other highly recommended wines, but many of the better ones would be above your budget.

my wine tasting group really enjoyed the Hinterbrook Sauv Blanc I brought back. way toward the pouilly fume style rather than the NZ style. very subtle and classy. for convenience sake, you should be able to find enough wines in the NOTL area rather than try to go up beyond st. chatherines as well. if that is what you decide, i'd also stop at Coyote's Run and Ravine. But don't overlook the Niagara College Winery tasting room. the students there do some really good stuff. hell, spend the night - take in a play - maybe the one with my name in it.

logistics are important as you could easily spend an hour or more each way at the border. if you have an iphone, put the border wait times website on your screen and check it as you approach the border. there are at least two possibilities and while the one in Niagara Falls is less convenient to get to than Lewiston, it rarely has a wait; while Lewiston frequently has a huge wait.

I would like to add Cave Spring Riesling!

Hi Dan,

I would like to add Flatrock Cellar's riesling. There 2010 riesling is quite tasty but I think it will be about $19, not $15. A good website with ratings and tasting notes for Ontario wines is: http://ontariowinereview.com/ I think that you may want to stretch your budget to $20 for a bottle or two to get better wine. Although there are occasional wines $15 and below that are very good, they tend to be the exception, in my opinion. Avoid 2009 reds like the plague unless you have a tasting note. Most are unripe and not worth drinking. Try to get 2007 or 2010 wines as both these vintages were very good. Other than pinot noir, getting good reds in off vintage years is a real crap shoot. That's why its best to check out some tasting notes on websites. You might also want to check out Natalie MacLean's website, although most of her tasting notes are not available to browsers who don't subscribe to her tasting service, some are.

Here are two tasting notes from Wine Access on Ontario wines that meet your criteria:

88 POINTS Inniskillin 2009 Niagara Series Pinot Noir
Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
This wine has good pinot noir character and shows the potential for this variety in Niagara. The nose has delicate cherry and cranberry fruit, with beet and spice notes. It is fresh, clean and fruity, with good balance. Good to very good length, with modest tannin. Best 2011 to 2014.
Tasted By: Steve Thurlow

BC: $16 SK: $15 ON: $15 QC: $17 NB: $15

88 POINTS Pelee Island 2009 Cabernet Franc
Ontario, Canada
An excellent, well-priced Ontario cabernet franc. It's midweight and lively, with the bright fruit balanced by mature tannin and lemon acidity. The nose shows some delicate raspberry and cherry fruit, with earthy and jammy tones. It is very vibrant on the palate; it has an almost Italian feel, with the berry fruit persisting well on the finish. Very good length. Best 2011 to 2014.
Tasted By: Steve Thurlow

AB: $12 MB: $13 ON: $12 NB: $13

Good luck,

88 POINTS Pelee Island 2009 Cabernet Franc
Ontario, Canada
An excellent, well-priced Ontario cabernet franc. It's midweight and lively, with the bright fruit balanced by mature tannin and lemon acidity. The nose shows some delicate raspberry and cherry fruit, with earthy and jammy tones. It is very vibrant on the palate; it has an almost Italian feel, with the berry fruit persisting well on the finish. Very good length. Best 2011 to 2014.
Tasted By: Steve Thurlow

Tom,

I find this to be the case with so many of our Ontario reds: they consistently approximate northern Italy in style - and this runs true across the varietal gamut. Crisp acidity, cherry-berry flavours, and a cleansing finish.

Paul's recent postings on Konzelmann Vidal reminds me that it's time to get going on an Ontario tasting I'll be doing for our AWS in a few months. [...] What else should I be looking for?

Dan,

I would also highly recommend Pelee Island's "Monarch" Vidal (they have a regular Vidal and a late-harvest version for just a few bucks more - both are easily available at any LCBO). Excellent example of Vidal table wine in a slightly off-dry, and medium-dry style, respectively.

Best of luck!

Thanks everyone. You've made my job a lot easier. I'll report on the wines and results after the tasting. I'm getting into Ontario wine making myself. Last week Howie picked up some Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc juice for me from Watson's at Niagara-on-the-Lake. It's bubbling away contentedly.

The vagaries of border crossings have made us avoid going through Canada altogether now on our trips to Michigan. The clincher was once being stopped in traffic so far from the Blue Water Bridge that we couldn't even see it. After not moving for 45 minutes we turned around and went down to Windsor. It was probably longer but more soothing for my spirit.

Here are the Ontario wines that were tasted at our AWS meeting the other night.

'07 Vineland Chenin Blanc
'08 Vineland Chardonnay Musqué
'09 Flat Rock Riesling
'08 Konzelmann Golden Vintage Vidal

'09 Flat Rock Pinot Noir
'10 Pelee Island Cabernet Franc
'08 Lailey Zweigelt
'08 Chateau Des Charmes Gamay Noir

The reds were decanted about an hour beforehand. The favorite white was the Chenin Blanc and the favorite red was the Cabernet Franc, both by a long shot. My own favorites were the Chardonnay Musqué and the Gamay Noir. Originally we'd intended to have CDC's '08 Gamay Noir Droit, but the regular Gamay Noir was unanimously preferred to it at a pretasting. The Droit just didn't have much going for it. The larger group found the Flat Rock Riesling unusual, perhaps because it was more in the German style. All in all, the wines were a big hit and raised the Ontario profile substantially. Thanks again to all who made suggestions.

Sounds like something our local AWS chapter should do.

I think Vineland is turning out some fine wines right now. Looking at CT, notes on the Flat Rock seem all over the place?

If fruit source is a problem for you, check the labels carefully. Many Ontario wines I've found have fruit from afar, even other countries.

We didn't intend to buy Flat Rock’s ‘09 Riesling. The one we wanted was less expensive, but I'd left my list in the car and picked up 2 bottles of the only Riesling I saw. At checkout I discovered that I had the $25 version, one the clerk said had been brought back for the holidays. What the heck I said, I’ll take them. Easily the most expensive wine at the tasting, it was not much liked. The Flat Rock Pinot Noir didn't do well either. My notes said it tasted of strong young tannins, very unlike what I expect from a Pinot Noir. I'm not a sophisticated taster, but some people in our group are pretty good, and no one voted for this as favorite red.