20 November 2009
Of all the wonderful wines that are crafted in Niagara, riesling stands taller than all the others. It is the one grape that thrives year after year in the soils and climate of Niagara’s unpredictable growing season. Seldom does a vintage pass by without yielding a bevy of beautiful rieslings. Whether it’s a hot season such as 2007, with its voluptuous and fleshy wines, or a cooler season such as 2008, with gorgeous flavours and mouth-watering acidity, riesling seems to be the one constant when the quality of other varieties can vary vintage to vintage. It is arguably Niagara’s most important varietal, and when it’s made right, nothing beats a glass of crisp Niagara riesling. We polled local wine lovers on twitter to ask what their favourite rieslings are. Here are the long debated results..
Norman Hardie Riesling, VQA Prince Edward County ($21)
While the chardonnays and pinots are the main focus - and claim to fame - of Prince Edward County, riesling can also do wonderfully on the area's limestone soils. Norman Hardie vinifies his riesling in large horizontal stainless steel tanks that maximize lees contact and give the wine extra depth and character. Fresh, with bright acidity and nice touches of citrus, it is structured by a beautiful set of mineral aromas and flavors (yes, the petrol thing) that make it truly distinctive and excellent with shellfish and oysters.
Cave Spring Riesling CSV VQA CSV ($29,95)
Cave Spring's Rieslings have been consistent performers for years and years, at all quality levels, and in both dry and off-dry styles that show beautiful fruit and great length. The CSV is the most solid of the lot, thanks to the use of the vineyard's two oldest patches of riesling (30 and 34 years old, respectively). With a pH below 3.0 and residual sugars at 15.4 g/l, to give all the geeky details, the wine has freshness and sweetness aplenty, and all a wine needs to age long and gracefully.
Ravine Riesling ($28)
Located on an incredibly diverse soil (a former riverbed of the Niagara River, thousands of years ago), the brand new Ravine winery creates wines of remarkable finesse and diversity, well-adapted to each patch of soil, grape variety and vintage. The riesling is a case in point. Planted in a cooler area of the vineyard, susceptible to frost, it gives low-alcohol, germanic-styled wines that are fragrant, round and easy-drinking. The 2007 had a bit of botrytis and low brix, when picked, resulting in a wine with 7.3% alcohol that just drinks itself and brings a smile to your face with its gorgeous aromas of honey, beeswax, white fruit and a touch of botrytis you'd find in an alsatian late harvest. Yummy and different.
Remy Charest
Twitter > @remycharest
Megalomaniac 2007 Narcissist Riesling, Edra's Vineayrd, Niagara Peninsula, ($17.95)
Starts with the friendly scent of ripe tree fruit, with just a tease of pepper on the nose. This fruit follows on the palate, accompanied by a metallic accent like swigging Allen’s apple juice straight from the can, which gives it a pleasant complexity. The aftertaste of salt & vinnegar chips on the finish keeps you coming back for more. It is not as structured as some Rieslings, notably those from cooler years, but the softness makes it approachable on a patio or at the brunch table. In fact the experience seems to improve when tasted outside, mixed with crisp air, the smell of dead leaves, and cold pavement.
10.9% alcohol
www.megalomaniacwine.com
Henry of Pelham 2007 Speck Family Reserve Riesling, Short Hills Bench ($30)
Made exclusively with low yielding (less than 2 tonnes per acre) older vines on the Pelham estate, this riesling is all about restrained intensity. I get classic lime and citrus fruit, with some dusty peppery notes, and a touch of talcum powder on the nose. Comes together nicely on the palate, with steely power, yet poised with finesse and balance, and a voluptuous oily mouthfeel, with a long after taste.
www.henryofpelham.com
James Malin
Twitter > @jmwine
www.spotlighttoronto.com
Riesling is the queen of white wine and long before the oceans of insipid Pinot Grigio and over oaked Chardonnays crashed upon our shores like a Tsunami of banality, Riesling reigned supreme. Prior to temperature controlled fermentations it was difficult to make quality white wines in warm climates. Riesling alone, due to its ability to achieve a balance of ripeness and acidity, shone in cool climates and was the favourite of the cognoscenti. Up until 1980, even in warm climates like Australia, there was more Riesling planted than Chardonnay.With food Riesling is very versatile; its penetrating, cleansing acidity is well suited for a multitude of dishes from classic European cuisine to the spice and heat of the East.
I tasted four VQA blind with Nick (the voice of Lifford) and the Petite Fromage. The following is our consensus. All were available at my local LCBO at Yonge & Davisville.
Inniskillin 08 LCBO # 083790 ($12.45)
I was prepared not to like this wine being from the world’s largest wine producer, but it turned out to be very good. A little shy on the nose, there was however a note of a crisp Granny Smith apple that followed through on the palate. The wine is well balanced and finished with a slight bitterness which is not uncommon in Riesling. Certainly the best value in the lot. One of the Petite Fromage’s favourites. Also shows that even in cool, wet vintages Ontario can make a very credible Riesling. BEST VALUE!
www.inniskillin.com
Cave Spring Estate 07 LCBO # 286377 (Vintages) ($17.95)
A blast in the glass. For Nick and I intoxicating aromas of peaches and apricots Too much so for the Petite Fromage who found traces of petrol (considered by many to be a fault in young Riesling) Certainly the most viscous wine of the bunch which resulted in a persistent, long finish. Nick + I placed it first in the group.
www.cavespringcellars.com
Stratus 07 LCBO # 131011 (Vintages) ($35.20)
The most expensive of the group and the Petite Fromage’s favourite and my second choice. Nick was less of a fan perhaps because he owns some and really liked the Cave Springs at half the price. Classic green apple aroma, slightly sweet on the palate yet finishes with a beautiful dry persistency. I do have to question the price though.
www.stratuswines.com
Steven Campbell
Twitter >@liffordwine
www.liffordwine.com
There are more than a few reasons to love Ontario Riesling: it is an easy-drinking and refreshing varietal, that pairs remarkable well with a variety of foods and is just as easily consumed on its own as a summer sipper. But for the budget-conscious local-focused wine consumer, perhaps the best feature about the breadth of Ontario’s great Rieslings is the number that can be found for under $20 at your local LCBO. Here are a few favourites:
Thirty Bench 2008 Riesling, Vintages 24133 ($19)
Say nothing about Thirty Bench’s single-lot Rieslings, which continue to win awards and delight palates, this wine displays citrus notes and a particularly long finish and mouthfeel, that make it well worth hunting down.
www.thirtybench.com
Cave Spring Riesling Dry 2007, LCBO 233635 ($14.25)
Few Rieslings delight as consistently as those from Cave Springs. A great summer wine with crisp citrus notes, perhaps some peaches and plums as well, with just enough sweetness to stand on its own, this wine is my first choice for any summer backyard event.
$14.25, LCBO 233635
www.cavespringcellars.com
CHATEAU DES CHARMES RIESLING 2007 VQA, LCBO 61499, ($12.45)
A sugar code of 0 makes this a citrusy, lemon-laden Riesling with a crisp, dry finish and floral undertones. Not one of the regions sweeter Rieslings, this wine pairs best with Asian cuisine.
www.chateaudescharmes.com
VINELAND ESTATES SEMI DRY RIESLING VQA, LCBO 232033 ($13.95)
This is one of the LCBO’s best deals for Riesling. A balanced wine with floral notes forward and grapefruit on the finish, this wine shows the Riesling grape’s potential flexibility with additional hints of peach and apple.
www.vinelandestates.com
Lauren Simmons
Twitter >@laurendorphin
www.spotlighttoronto.com
Here are three of my favourite Niagara rieslings:
Quintessential Riesling — Cave Spring Cellars rises to the top of most tasters' lists. It is what this Jordan winery does best with an intense Riesling program that represent all that is good about this variety in Niagara.
Cave Spring Cellars CSV Riesling 2007 ($30, winery, Vintages) — A fabulous riesling and a benchmark for this varietal in Niagara. It’s just now starting to open up with notes of honeysuckle, citrus, stoney mineral and white peach on the nose. It really shows its pedigree on the palate. A core of summer peach followed by grapefruit and a touch of sweetness that is balanced by moderate acidity.
www.cavespringcellars.com
New Kid on the Block — Riesling is a grape winemakers love to craft. It can be so personable and unique from winery to winery. This relatively new wine shows the creative side of riesling.
Charles Baker Riesling 2007 ($35, available at Stratus) — Riesling purists love the minerality this grape can show and Vinemount Ridge, where these grapes were harvested, is always loaded with minerals that show from the opening sniff. What follows are nice lemon-citrus scents with a hint of diesel. The palate reveals grapefruit, peach and lemon-lime all in broad strokes. It’s a fleshy wine that gives generously.
www.charlesbaker.ca
Single-vineyard riesling — It is my opinion that riesling is best expressed when picked in a single vineyard that shows unique personality. Here's one of my favourites.
Creekside Butler’s Grant Riesling 2007 ($16, winery) — From a nice little vineyard on the Twenty Mile Bench, this is a unique expression of riesling. The aromas range from grapefruit, honey and subtle petrol notes to ginger and peach. It reveals more citrus acidity than other ’07s, with gushing grapefruit and peach flavours and a balanced, playful interaction between sweet and tart.
www.creeksidewine.com
Twitter > @rickwine
www.stcatharinesstandard.ca
Being a firm believer in visiting wineries because the winery is the best place to get your wine, and the best wines are at the winery, here is a list of winery exclusive Rieslings that you’ll be able to pick up next time you visit Niagara.
Fielding Estate 2008 Riesling, ($16.00)
It seems that each week I try another ’08 Riesling that has a great combination of aromatics and delicious flavours, 2008 just seems to have been a beauty of a vintage for the whites. The jury is still out on the reds, but so far I have heard good things from a number of sources. Speaking of good thing, winemaker Richie Roberts has brought Fielding back to their former Riesling glory. This wine absolutely explodes in the nasal passages with aromatics like honeydew, pear, guava and jolly rancher green apple candy. That candied aroma follows on the tongue along with melon, mineral (wet-stone-like), and great fruit flavour, but still has a nice tart aspect to it, doling out lovely balancing acidity that keeps you going back to the well, colloquially known as ‘the glass’ for more. This one’s tart yet fruity and has everything you’re looking for in a great Riesling, including a long finish and great bottom line.
www.fieldingwines.com
Featherstone 2008 Old Vines Riesling, ($18.95)
Year-in and year-out Featherstone continues to make awesome Rieslings at affordable prices. Who would have thought you could still get a 30+ year old vined Riesling for under 20-bucks … well you can, and you should kiss (on the cheek) owners Dave and Louise each time you do for keeping it that way. The nose on this wine is rich with juicy peach, wet stone, touch of citrus and apple blossom. But it’s the palate that does some real showing off here, with refreshing mineral, green apple tartness and crisp citrus blast, which lasts all the way through to that lemon-mineral finish. Another shining example of good quality Riesling at an excellent price.
www.featherstonewinery.ca
Flat Rock Cellars 2008 Riesling, ($16.95)
In their short history Flat Rock has been a consistent producer of good Riesling. Year-after-year it rivals some of the best and more established producers, and, in fact, has come out on top in quite a few competitions. The 2008 version follows in a more traditional style than the 2007 or 2005, which were hot vintages that were not as kind to the cool-weather loving Riesling grape, especially for those of us who like to lie them down for a spell and want our petrol to come on gradually. This 08 has a peachy and apple driven nose with a nice mineral backbone; the flavors follow suit with a slight titch of sweetness.
www.flatrockcellars.com
www.ontariowinereview.com
