The Toronto Vintners Club Inc. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home • About • Events • FAQs • Join • Links • Wine Educ • Contact | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DownloadsEvent DetailsDate: Tues. March 13, 2007Time: 6 PMLocation: The Ontario Club, 5th Fl, Commerce Court South, Toronto (corner of Bay & Wellington St.)Fees:
|
A Roster of RieslingsGuest Speaker: Craig McDonald, Winemaker - Creekside Estate Winery, Niagara OntarioThe Wines We'll Be Tasting Today we are witness to a Riesling-resurgence, particularly in the new world. Even traditional, hot-climate areas such as Australia and California are becoming fanatical about Rieslings. In New Zealand where a decade ago everyone was ripping up their Riesling grapes to make space for the muscled Chardonnays and Cabernets, they are returning to Riesling, perhaps because the winemakers see the grape as the ultimate challenge. Riesling is becoming one of the most produced varietals in Canada, which like Germany, has a cooler climate well suited to this grape. How many other grape varietals can you think of that produce such diversity – delicate wines with 7% alcohol or double that strength –and yet remain always refreshing with a spectrum of flavours and bouquets from pear to peach to citrus to mineral, bone-dry, off dry, blushingly sweet or even sparkling? Racy and crisp; a rapier aroma described as steely, flowery, honeyed? Welcome to Rieslings! Riesling grapes originated from Germany, where they have been cultivated since the early 1400s. Other names for true Riesling are Johannisberg Riesling, White Riesling, and Rhine Riesling. Rieslings are well known for two characteristics. The first is their cellar longevity. In 1961, a 420 year old bottle of Riesling was tasted and had not yet perished. Secondly, Riesling is a very versatile wine with food, because of its balance of sugar and acid and its relatively low acidity. Harry Peterson-Nedry of Oregon's Chehalem Vineyards goes absolutely primate in his description of the grape: "Riesling is a dancer, a Mia Hamm, a lithely elegant Audrey Hepburn or firmly aristocratic Katherine Hepburn," says Peterson-Nedry. Like the world of grace, manners, reserve and contemplation, Riesling has been neglected, deferred to a competition of wines made in macho proportions, wines on steroids like oak and alcohol and extract." According to former sommelier and wine writer Randal Caproso, “the finest Rieslings are the direct opposite of "steroid" pumped Chardonnays and Cabernets. The best are light, delicate, wickedly sleek, often cuttingly dry and just as often meltingly sweet, yet almost always brightly acidic, even nervy. A tale of two Hepburns, as it were . . . Balance of acidity, lightness, and food versatility are not the only qualities of classic Rieslings. The perpetually lush, peaches-and-cream fruitiness of Riesling is as fresh and soft to the palate as a proverbial spring day. In other words, Riesling is as much a wine for all times and all tastes as for all kinds of foods.” To pique your interest, we have selected an international roster of 9 drier–style Rieslings for our formal tasting. (Rieslings tend to be lower in alcohol so 9 wines shouldn’t push you over the limit.) The traditional Riesling-areas of Alsace, Germany and Austria will be featured in addition to the new world of New Zealand and Ontario. Our guest speaker is winemaker Craig McDonald of Creekside Estate Winery of Niagara whose career has spanned 17 vintages at 9 different wineries around the globe, including Penfold’s and Coldstream Hills in Australia. He has also worked in New Zealand and Oregon, and had three vintages in Niagara prior to joining Creekside as Cellarmaster. Join us for an entertaining tasting. The Wines1. Zind Humbrecht 2004 Riesling Gueberschwihr (Alsace) $33 A stunning Riesling, ripe, rich (just under 9 grams R.S. here) and very expressive of site. Though open, with spearmint, floral and tropical fruit notes, it's also deep, with a fiery mineral character. It's vibrant, and resonates on the long finish. This really sings today and is even better than I recalled from the earlier tasting. WineSpectator (93). "Few wines in the world reach the heights that Zind-Humbrecht's Rieslings, Gewürztraminers, and Pinot Tokay Gris attain. With a producer as accomplished as this, it is almost impossible to pick out the greatest wines." (Robert Parker). 2. Salomon Undhof Kogl Riesling 2004 (Austria) $21 "Lime and tangerine aromas introduce a juicy, spicy, citric and white pepper-dusted palate with underlying nut oil character. Relatively austere in flavor, but with a lovely suggestion of creaminess of texture, long with citrus oils, fruit pits, and white pepper, as you work this up it shows plenty of nuances, nooks and crannies to hold the interest of even the most jaded taster." David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate. 3. Muller Catoir Mussbacher Eselshaut Riesling Kabinett 2004 (Germany) $25 This is their "entry" level Riesling. Displays a beautifully pure aroma of melon and purple plum. In the mouth, that amazing balance of brightness and subtle creaminess of 2004 is brought off to an uncanny degree. You couldn¹t ask for more succulence of orchard and citrus fruits in the mouth at this level of ripeness, nor for more clarity, and accents of almond, brown spices, and wood smoke add more than enough complexity. Muller-Catoir's aromatic wines are undoubtedly super-ripe and multi-dimensional, as well as exceptionally complex. 4. Neudorf Brightwater Riesling 2004 (New Zealand) $23 Aromatic and floral on the nose. Dry and minerally in the palate, a strong undercurrent to the pure steely fruit with hints of lime and grapefruit with hints of lime and grapefruit emerging. Lean, focused, with a long fine finish, the floral notes return to linger. Today this small family owned winery has an international reputation for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. 5. Cave Springs 2004 CVS Riesling Reserve (Ontario, Niagara VQA) $30 On par with solid kabinett from Germany’s best estate producers. Look for ripe pear-peach fruit, citrus and mineral complexity. Mid-weight, juicy, fresh yet rich. Very good to excellent length. (Toronto Life) On the nose this wine offers elegant aromas of pear and mineral with more subtle notes of grapefruit, lime and apricot. It slides across the palate, smooth and medium-bodied with excellent concentration of soft fruit flavours and just enough acidity. Finishes off-dry with very good length and a lingering mineral aftertaste. This is a quality wine from start to finish. 6. Flat Rock Riesling, ‘Nadja’s Vineyard’ 2005 (Ontario, Niagara VQA) $20 Flat Rock is the darling of owner Ed Madronich and winemaker Daryl Brooker, who trained in the Barossa Valley in Australia and at Villa Maria winery in NZ. Gravity flow winery. Riesling grapes hand picked on Oct 2/05; cool fermentation for 4 weeks; bottled in March/06. 250 cases only. Winemaker’s notes: “Clean, fruit-driven wine with a good acidic backbone. Crisp, lemon, citrus aromas; mineral, petrol notes on the palate. Well-balanced, lean with a long clean finish.” 7. 30 Bench Riesling, ‘Steel Post Vineyard’ 2005 (Ontario, Niagara VQA) $28 Small lot production with hand picking and sorting. 242 cases. Winemaker’s notes: "Pale lemon colour with aromas of tropical fruit, peach and mineral. A medium-bodied white wine with fresh, clean flavours of summer Niagara peaches and apricots. A great balance between sweetness and acidity for a terrific mouth-feel. Pink grapefruit flavours linger through on the finish. Drink now to 2010." 8. Creekside 2006 'Butlers Grant Vineyard' Riesling (Ontario, Niagara VQA) $16 Grapes sourced from Twenty Mile Bench in Vineland. Winemaker's notes: " ...nose displays subtle nuances of floral perfume and spice with hints of green apple, citrus and pear. The palate embraces a fine balance between austerity and texture. Crisp and clean lime acidity frames delicate white peach and finishes with tight minerality." 350 cases; available Apr 1/07. 9. Norman Hardie Riesling 2004 (Ontario) Although the label says Prince Edward County, the grapes were sourced from Niagara. Norm Hardie is a former sommlier at Truffles Restaurant (Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto). Norm's winemaking career started at Evesham Wood in Oregon & went on to help with winemaking in Burgundy at Domaine de La Vougeraie and Domaine de la Pousse D'or, in South Africa at Bouchard Finlayson, in California at Au Bon Climat and Qupe and in New Zealand at Central Otaga Wine Company. How The Wines Scored
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Toronto Vintners Club Inc. © 2008 |
Home • About • Events • FAQs • Join • Links • Wine Educ • Contact | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
or tel: 416-209-1442 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||