The Date and Time: Monday, October 24, 2016 1:30PM – 5 PM
The Event: Discover the Somewhereness Wines of Ontario
The Venue: St. James Cathedral Centre
The Target Audience: wine media and trade
The Availability/Catalogue: all wines are available through the LCBO or at the winery.
The Quote/Background: There are now 12 members of Somewhereness, mostly in Niagara, and they subscribe to a sense of place (the Lake Ontario effect), the ancient soils, the quality of the premium wines, and a sens of stewardship towards the conditioning of the earth. They grow site-specific wines in small lots. All the wineries are family owned. It began in 2007 with five wineries. John Szabo led a seminar of some 12 Niagara wines, a mix of contemporary and older vintages for Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir. These have been folded in below.
The Wines: I did not taste all the wines. All prices are retail; all wines are VQA.
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Bachelder Niagara Wismer Wingfield #1 Chardonnay Twenty Mile Bench 2013, $44.95
-Bachelder Niagara Wismer Foxcroft #2 Chardonnay Twenty Mile Bench 2013, $44.95
-Cave Spring Cellars Blanc de Blancs CSV 2008 Beamsville Bench, $39.95
-Cave Spring Cellars Riesling CSV 2014 Beamsville Bench, $29.95
-Cave Spring Cellars Riesling CSV 2010 Beamsville Bench [Winery Library]
-Charles Baker Riesling Picone Vineyard 2013 Vinemount Ridge, $35
-Domaine Queylus Pinot Noir Reserve 2013 Niagara Peninsula, $45
-Domaine Queylus Pinot Noir La Grande Reserve 2013 Niagara Peninsula, $60
-Flat Rock Nadja's Vineyard Riesling Twenty Mile Bench 2009 [Winery library]
-Flat Rock Riddled Traditional Method Sparkling Twenty Mile Bench 2010, $29.95
-Flat Rock The Rusty Shed Chardonnay Twenty Mile Bench 2012, $24.95
-Hidden Bench Estate Chardonnay Beamsville Bench 2013, $29.75
-Hidden Bench Estate Nuit Blanche Beamsville Bench 2014, $40
-Malivoire Bisous NV Brut Beamsville Bench, $29.95
-Norman Hardie Cuvee de Roche 2014 VQA Ontario [blend of Niagara and PEC] Winery
-Norman Hardie Chardonnay Niagara Peninsula 2009 [winery library]
-Southbrook Estate Grown Small Lot Wild Ferment Chardonnay Four Mile Creek 2012, $34.95
-Southbrook Poetica Chardonnay Four Mile Creek 2013, $49.95
-Southbrook Poetica Chardonnay Four Mile Creek 2009, [winery library]
-Southbrook Estate Grown Small Lot Witness Block Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc Four Mile Creek 2013, $39.95
-Stratus White NOTL 2013, $38
-Stratus Red NOTL 2012, $44
-Tawse Quarry Road Vineyard Riesling Vinemount Ridge 2014, $23.95
-Tawse Limestone Ridge Sparkling Riesling 2014 Twenty Mile Bench, $19.95
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-13th Street Winery Cuvee Rose NV Niagara, $27.95
-13th Street Winery Viognier 2015 Niagara, $19.95
-Bachelder Niagara Chardonnay Mineralite 2013, $44.95
-Bachelder Niagara Lowrey Pinot Noir St. David's Bench 2013, $44.95
-Bachelder Niagara Wismer Parke Pinot Noir Twenty Mile Bench 2014, $34.95
-Bachelder Niagara Parfum Pinot Noir 2014, $26.10
-Cave Spring Cellars Chardonnay CSV 2013 Beamsville Bench, $29.95
-Cave Spring Cellars Pinot Noir Estate 2014 Beamsville Bench, $39.95
-Charles Baker Riesling Ivan Vineyard 2015 Twenty Mile Bench, $27
-Domaine Queylus Merlot Cabernet Franc La Grande Reserve 2012 Niagara Peninsula, $49.95
-Flat Rock Gravity Pinot Noir Twenty Mile Bench 2012, $29.95
-Malivoire Mottiar Pinot Noir Beamsville Bench 2013, $34.95
-Malivoire Small Lot Pinot Noir Beamsville Bench 2014, $29.95
-Norman Hardie Chardonnay Niagara Peninsula 2014, $39
The Food: three dense cheeses from Monforte (cow and goat), a variety of local cheeses from the Cheese Boutique, terrific sliced salmon from the Fat Chance Cold Smoked Salmon Company, sliced bread from de le terrs bakery, and wonderful salumi from Paganelli (boar sausage, local prosciutto, etc.)
The Downside: the seminar went on too long (it ran over by an hour) and I had to leave early to catch the trade show.
The Upside: great to keep in touch with some of the leading wines of Ontario.
The Contact Person: trisha@dorianandassociates.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 93.
Chimo! www.deantudor.com
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