TASTING Feb 3, 2010: Ontario Wines being shown at Cuvee Feb 19, 2010

The Time and Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2010  10:30 AM – 2:30 PM

The Event: The Wine Council of Ontario and Cuvee presented the top scoring wine submitted to Cuvee from each participating winery.

The Venue: Bank of Montreal, 100 King St West, 68^th Floor.

The Target Audience: wine press and wine sommeliers.

The Availability/Catalogue: all wines are available at the respective winery, but only a mere handful are at LCBO or Vintages.

The Quote/Background: The wines are representative of the best wines from each winery that will be poured at Cuvee, but do not necessarily represent the award winning wines, which were announced at the Gala on Friday, February 19, 2010. 56 wines were presented, but I did write any notes on the 11 icewines, nor on the three sparklers. For some reason, there were no late harvest wines or other off-sweet wines. There was lots of impressive fruit from the warm 2007 vintage.

The Wines: prices are retail.

 

**** Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-20 Bees Cabernet Merlot 2007, $9.95 – a decent VQA wine under $10

-Alvento Elige 2006 (Cab-Merlot), $23.95

-Angels Gate Winery Old Vines Chardonnay 2008, $23.95

-Colchester Ridge Estate Winery Meritage 2007, $19.80

-Creekside Estate Winery Reserve Viognier 2008, $28.95

-Flat Rock Cellars Reserve Chardonnay 2007, $35

-Harvest Estates Winery Gewurztraminer 2007, $11.95

-Hernder Estates Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, $14.95

-Inniskillin Wines Reserve Series Cabernet Franc 2007, $18.95

-Peller Estates Winery Signature Series Merlot 2007, $35

-Rosewood Estates Winery Semillion 2008, $18

-Southbrook Vineyards Poetica Cabernet Merlot 2007, $60

-Thirty Bench Wine Makers Small Lot Benchmark Red 2007, $60

-Vineland Estates Winery Cabernet Franc Reserve 2005, $40.20

 

***1/2 Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Cave Spring Cellars Pinot Noir Estate 2007, $39.95

-Closson Chase Vineyards Chardonnay S. Kocsis Vineyard 2007, $44.95

-Featherstone Winery Onyx 2007, $29.95

-Five Rows Craft Wine of Lowrey Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2008, $25

-Frogpond Farm Organic Winery Cabernet Franc 2007, $16.80

-Jackson Triggs Niagara Estate Winery Proprietor's Grand Reserve Syrah 2007, $32.95

-Lailey Vineyard Impromptu 2007 (Syrah, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cab Sauv), $45

-Mountain Road Wine Company Reserve Chardonnay 2006, $25.95

-Niagara College Teaching Winery Dean's List Pinot Noir Canadian Oak Project 2007, $38.95

-Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery Reserve Chardonnay 2007, $24.95

-Stonechurch Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2007, price N/A

-Stoney Ridge Estate Winery Warren Classic Pinot Noir 2006, $15

-Twenty Twenty-Seven Cellars Featherstone Vineyard Riesling 2008, $24.95.

 

*** Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-13^th Street Wine Sandstone Vineyard Old Vines Gamay Noir 2007, $26

-Calamus Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, $23.20

-Cattail Creek Estate Winery Merlot Reserve 2007, $40

-D'Angelo Vineyards Estate Winery Baco Noir 2007, $15

-DeSousa Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2006, $21.95

-Fielding Estate Winery Syrah 2007, $39.95

-Grange of Prince Edward Estate Winery Dianna Block Pinot Noir 2007, $34.80

-Kacaba Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, $44.95

-Lakeview Cellars Estate Winery Merlot Reserve 2006, $22.95

-Legends Estates Winery Diva 2008 (Semillon, Sauv Blanc), $14.95

-Mike Weir Wine Cabernet Merlot 2007, $18.95

-Nyarai Cellars Chardonnay 2007, $16.20

-Strewn Winery Chardonnay Barrel Fermented Amalgam 2007, $23.95

-Tawse 17^th St Pinot Noir 2007, $58

-Wayne Gretzky Estates Estate Series Shiraz/Cabernet 2007, $22.95.

 

The Food: sandwiches and wraps, salads, fresh fruit and baked goods, coffee, milk, fruit juices and pop.

The Downside: I ALWAYS get lost finding this place's location, so I allow for plenty of time. This year I was 15 minutes early.

The Upside: a great way to taste through really significant Ontario VQA wines.

The Contact Person: erin@mitchellwestlake.com

The Marketing Effectiveness (numerical grade): 89.

 

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