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Monday, May 17, 2010

April 27, 2010: Austrian/Ontario Wine Tasting (OntWineSociety)

The Time and Date:  Tuesday, April 27, 2010   6PM to 9PM
The Event: "An Austrian/Ontario Wine Experience" meeting of the Ontario
Wine Society.
The Venue: University of Toronto Faculty Club
The Target Audience: members and guests of the Ontario Wine Society
The Availability/Catalogue: all the Ontario wines are available, and
most of the Austrian wines also.
The Quote/Background: The OWS wanted to taste and compare similar wine
varieties from Austria and Ontario. With the co-operation of the
Austrian Trade Commission (Toronto) and Inniskillin/Jackson-Triggs, we
all had samples of Weingut Rabl (repped by David Thompson in Ontario)
and the Vincor wines. The guest speakers were Karl Kaiser, who retired
from Inniskillin in 2006 (and who was originally from Austria), and
Rudolf Rabl, winemaker at his family's winery. We were not told which
wine was which, and we were asked to identify them. It could be a
fairly simple exercise, based on common points of colour and length. I
was at an expert's table, and of course we were able to spot which
wines were which. Tasted were riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir,
merlot, and ice wine. Rabl generously offered two kinds of Gruner
Veltliner as a reception wine and as an après tasting wine.
The Wines:
 
**** Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Inniskillin Riesling Legacy 2008 VQA, $39.95
-Rabl Merlot Vinum Optimum 2006, $55-60
 
***1/2 Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Rabl Gruner Veltliner Spiegel 2009, $17.95
-Rabl Gruner Veltliner "G" 2008, $27.95
-Rabl Sauvignon Blanc Limited Vinum Optimum 2008, $25
-Rabl Pinot Noir Vinum Optimum 2006, $55-60
-Inniskillin Merlot Two Vineyards 2007 VQA, $22.95
-Inniskillin Pinot Noir Three Vineyards 2007, $22.95
-Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine Commemorative Oak Aged 2006, $59.95 375mL
 
*** Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Rabl Riesling Steinhaus 2009, $22.95
-Jackson-Triggs Sauvignon Blanc Delaine Vineyard 2008, $23.95
-Rabl Gruner Veltliner Eiswein 2006, $47.95 375mL
 
The Food: with the white wines, we were served charcuterie, greens and
breads. With the red wines, we had potato salad, wiener schnitzel, and
sausage. With dessert, there was dutch apple pie.
The Downside: I thought we'd have apple strudel, not the dutch apple
pie.
The Upside: it was great to have the winemakers talk about their wines
and their styles.
The Contact Person: www.ontariowinesociety.com or sdarby@rogers.com
The Marketing Effectiveness (numerical grade): 89.
 
 

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