REPORT ON DARE TO COMPARE TASTING OF PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY CHARDONNAYS AND PINOT NOIRS, plus a small trade show walkaround...June 2, 2025 1 - 5 PM
The Date and Time: June 2, 2025 1 - 5 PM
The Event: a seminar on comparing PEC chardonnays and pinot noirs to non-Canadian PN&C wines.
The Venue: Peter Pan
The Target Audience: sommeliers, wine trade guests, wine media.
The Availability/Catalogue: some wines are at the LCBO, others are at the winery.
The Quote/Background: PEC has about 40 wineries producing a variety of wines from different grapes. But chardonnays and pinot noirs are the best varieties made into wines in PEC. The seminar/masterclass attracted about 30; there were 10 wines poured, 5 chardonnays and 5 pinot noirs. Three of each were from PEC. The attempt was not to see which wine was best or better, but rather to compare the present status of PEC and non-PEC wines. Sommelier Jay Whiteley, who had moved to PEC in 2018, led the tasting which went on for about 2 hours and was well-presented. The Chardonnays came from Trail Estate, Rosehall Run, and Three Dog in PEC. The two outliers were La Chablisienne 2023 and Church Road Grand Reserve Hawkes Bay New Zealand 2021. The PEC Pinot Noirs came from Stanners, Broken Stone, and Keint-he. The comparison was made to Pech a Mama 2022 from Australia and Cape of Good Hope Sneeuwkans 2019 from South Africa.
The Wines: The wine show had more than just chardonnays and pinot noirs; I did not taste everything - just the chards and pinots. I also decided to add the PEC wines I tasted from the very recent Taste Ontario trade show within my ratings.
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Broken Stone Winery County Grown Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2023 13.5% ABV LCBO +668269 $29.95
-Closson Chase Vineyards Churchside Pinot Noir Prince Edward County 2022 12.5% ABV $50
-Closson Chase Vineyards South Clos Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2022 12.5% ABV $50
-Huff Estates Winery Cuveé Peter Huff Prince EdwardCounty 2021 12.5%ABV LCBO +198754 $40
-Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard County Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2021 11.5% ABV LCBO+381715 $59.20
-Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard Cuvée L Pinot Noir VQA Ontario 2022 12.5% LCBO+36826 $99.20
-Trail Estate Winery Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2023 $50
-Huff Estates Winery Catharine's Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2022 12.5% LCBO+88955 $35
-Stanners Chardonnay PEC 2018 & 2019
-Keint-He Winery Portage Chardonnay PEC 2018 11.9% ABV $22.95
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (86 – 89 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Broken Stone Winery Pinot Noir "The One" Prince Edward County 2023 12% $39.95
-Casa-Dea Estates Winery Pecorino Prince Edward County 2023 12.7% $34.95
-Casa-Dea Estates Winery Sparkling Rose Prince Edward County 2023 13% $24.95
-Rosehall Run Vineyards Stardust Tradtional Method Prince Edward County 2014 12% $65
-Rosehall Run Vineyards Chardonnay Musqué Prince Edward County 2024 12.5% $26
-The Grange Of Prince Edward Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc Prince Edward County 2024 12.5% $29.95
-The Grange Of Prince Edward Aurelia Series Cabernet Franc Prince Edward County 2023 13% $73.65
-Trail Estate Winery Chardonnay Prince Edward County (new oak) 2022 11.4% $48
-Huff Chardonnay Unoaked 2023
-Keint-He Little Creek Chardonnay Benway Block PEC 2021 $41.22 licensee
-Keint-He Greer Road Chardonnay PEC 2021 $36.95
The Food: none
The Downside: I was very late in arriving due to the slow TTC and street construction, but I got to taste the 10 wines in the seminar.
The Upside:a rare opportunity to taste PEC wines in Toronto.
The Contact Person: admin@pecwines.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 88
The Date and Time: June 2, 2025 1 - 5 PM
The Event: a seminar on comparing PEC chardonnays and pinot noirs to non-Canadian PN&C wines.
The Venue: Peter Pan
The Target Audience: sommeliers, wine trade guests, wine media.
The Availability/Catalogue: some wines are at the LCBO, others are at the winery.
The Quote/Background: PEC has about 40 wineries producing a variety of wines from different grapes. But chardonnays and pinot noirs are the best varieties made into wines in PEC. The seminar/masterclass attracted about 30; there were 10 wines poured, 5 chardonnays and 5 pinot noirs. Three of each were from PEC. The attempt was not to see which wine was best or better, but rather to compare the present status of PEC and non-PEC wines. Sommelier Jay Whiteley, who had moved to PEC in 2018, led the tasting which went on for about 2 hours and was well-presented. The Chardonnays came from Trail Estate, Rosehall Run, and Three Dog in PEC. The two outliers were La Chablisienne 2023 and Church Road Grand Reserve Hawkes Bay New Zealand 2021. The PEC Pinot Noirs came from Stanners, Broken Stone, and Keint-he. The comparison was made to Pech a Mama 2022 from Australia and Cape of Good Hope Sneeuwkans 2019 from South Africa.
The Wines: The wine show had more than just chardonnays and pinot noirs; I did not taste everything - just the chards and pinots. I also decided to add the PEC wines I tasted from the very recent Taste Ontario trade show within my ratings.
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Broken Stone Winery County Grown Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2023 13.5% ABV LCBO +668269 $29.95
-Closson Chase Vineyards Churchside Pinot Noir Prince Edward County 2022 12.5% ABV $50
-Closson Chase Vineyards South Clos Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2022 12.5% ABV $50
-Huff Estates Winery Cuveé Peter Huff Prince EdwardCounty 2021 12.5%ABV LCBO +198754 $40
-Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard County Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2021 11.5% ABV LCBO+381715 $59.20
-Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard Cuvée L Pinot Noir VQA Ontario 2022 12.5% LCBO+36826 $99.20
-Trail Estate Winery Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2023 $50
-Huff Estates Winery Catharine's Chardonnay Prince Edward County 2022 12.5% LCBO+88955 $35
-Stanners Chardonnay PEC 2018 & 2019
-Keint-He Winery Portage Chardonnay PEC 2018 11.9% ABV $22.95
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (86 – 89 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Broken Stone Winery Pinot Noir "The One" Prince Edward County 2023 12% $39.95
-Casa-Dea Estates Winery Pecorino Prince Edward County 2023 12.7% $34.95
-Casa-Dea Estates Winery Sparkling Rose Prince Edward County 2023 13% $24.95
-Rosehall Run Vineyards Stardust Tradtional Method Prince Edward County 2014 12% $65
-Rosehall Run Vineyards Chardonnay Musqué Prince Edward County 2024 12.5% $26
-The Grange Of Prince Edward Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc Prince Edward County 2024 12.5% $29.95
-The Grange Of Prince Edward Aurelia Series Cabernet Franc Prince Edward County 2023 13% $73.65
-Trail Estate Winery Chardonnay Prince Edward County (new oak) 2022 11.4% $48
-Huff Chardonnay Unoaked 2023
-Keint-He Little Creek Chardonnay Benway Block PEC 2021 $41.22 licensee
-Keint-He Greer Road Chardonnay PEC 2021 $36.95
The Food: none
The Downside: I was very late in arriving due to the slow TTC and street construction, but I got to taste the 10 wines in the seminar.
The Upside:a rare opportunity to taste PEC wines in Toronto.
The Contact Person: admin@pecwines.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 88
Dean Tudor, Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism
Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.comhttp://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures
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