Wine Writers' Circle of Canada Annual Fortified Wines Tasting, Sept 27/13

The Date and Time: Friday, September 27, 2013  10:30 AM – 1:30 PM

The Event: Annual tasting of Fortified Wines by the Wine Writers' Circle of Canada

The Venue: LCBO Scrivener Square

The Target Audience: WWCC members

The Availability/Catalogue: most items are at the LCBO or Vintages, some are at the winery, others are special orders or samples.

The Quote/Background: There were only 16 ports plus 24 other fortified wines. The tasting was done by 10 wine writers.

The Wines: I did not taste every wine. The following scores are mine alone and NOT a total of the writers at the tasting.

 

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

-Sogevinus Fine Wines Dacosta 10 Year Old Port  $23.95 +332312

-Warre's Otima 10 yrs   $22.95 +566174 500 mL LCBO                     

-Fonseca    2011  Vintage     $129.95 750mL Family Wine Merchants

-Alvear Fino Montilla $12.10 +112771

-Bod. Rey Fernando de Castilla Manzanilla, 15% ABV, The Vine

-Bod. Rey Fernando de Castilla Pedro Ximenez, 17% ABV, The Vine

-Taylor Fladgate  10 Year Old Tawny Porto $35   +121749 Vintages Ess

 

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

-Seasons by Diamond Estates Tawny Port $39.95 De Sousa Wine Cellars

-Lakeview Cellars 2006  Orion's Belt $22.95 500ml

-UNION 2007 FORTE $16.95     +361758 500 mL Vintages Nov

-Dangelo Dolce Vita 375 mL [fortified vidal]

-Barros Port Sampler    $17.00 5 x 50 mL +348706

-Quinta do Noval  Fine Tawny Port   $17.70 +309765

-Taylor Fladgate  2008  Late Bottled Vintage Porto    $18.45 +46946

-Burmester        10 yr old tawny                          

-Roxo 2008  California $28  375 mL   Glen Ward                   

-NMAU "MASSANDRA" 2009  Muscat Rose (Massandra) $17.95 +73155 Ukraine

-Justino's  10 year old Madeira Malvasia  $39.95      +349373

-GONZALEZ BYASS   TIO PEPE    $15.65      +231829     SPAIN JEREZ

-Alvear Amontillado Med Dry $11.80 +112789

 

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

-Southbrook Whimsy! The Anniversary [fortified chardonnay from 2001/2], $34.95

-Peninsula Ridge Estates 2006 Ratafia $29.95 Beamsville Bench 500 ml

-Sogevinus Kopke Full Rich Ruby Port $14.90 +35766

-Fonseca Bin 27   $15.95 +325506

-Fonseca White    $15.95 +276816

-Sandeman   2000  VAU Vintage      $19.95 +251090                     

-Sandeman         Ruby  $15.45 +23366

-Sandeman   2008  LBV   $16.95  +195974

-Taylor Fladgate  First Estate Porto      $16.45      +309401

-Ferreira Dona Antonia Reserva Port $18.95      +157586

-Pedroncelli      2006  California Dry Creek Four Grapes

-Vineland         Vice $34.95 500 mL +158212  ice wine + vodka

-GONZALEZ BYASS   CROFT ORIGINAL    $15.45      +73452      SPAIN JEREZ

-Osborne    Santa Maria Cream Sherry $12.05 +31120

 

The Downside: we were disappointed in the low turnout of sherries and other fortifieds.

The Upside: some great ports and even a few sherries.

The Contact Person: deantudor@deantudor.com

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 90.

Chimo!  www.deantudor.com