The Wine Bloggers’ Conference 2013 (WBC13) focused on the wines of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada. In addition though, a number of wine groups from around the world brought their wines for us to taste. They were presented at group tastings, individual sessions, luncheons and receptions.
These groups are important to mention for at least two reasons. First, their sponsorship helps keep the cost of Conference registration very affordable, which is great for us “citizen bloggers” who are not sponsored by the industry. Secondly, it gives us the opportunity to taste a wide selection of wines we would otherwise not be able to taste. Then, we all write about our experience which is good for the wine groups and us. Oh, that sounds like three things. Well anyway, it’s a win-win kind of thing. Here is a summary of the wines we had the opportunity to taste.
Wine Country Ontario sponsored a lunch and presented five of their wines for us to taste. Located across Canada from British Columbia, this wine region has four primary appellations: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore, Pelee Island and Prince Edward County. Ten sub-appellations with distinct growing areas have been identified. Our buffet lunch was accompanied by:
2009 Mike Weir Chardonnay – a bit smoky on the nose, tart citrus flavors with crisp acidity.
2009 Rosehall Vineyard Pinot Noir – berries and earthy flavors and scents combine with smooth tannins. Light in the mouth with plenty of flavor.
2009 Henry of Pelam Reserve Riesling – obvious Riesling nose, typical petrol flavors with citrus backnotes and good acidity. Clean finish.
2010 Kacaba Reserve Cabernet Franc – dark fruit with vegetal back notes on the nose. A brilliant combination of berries, plums and vegetal flavors with smooth tannins. This wine is a standout!
2011 Lakeview Cellars Vidal Icewine – viscous, sweet, tropical fruit flavors, adequate acidity.
Uruguay means “river of birds” in their indigenous language. Located in South America, across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires, it is a small country, with more cattle and sheep than people. Vines were first introduced in the mid-1800s and wineries are small and family owned. The combination of science and tradition produce very high quality wines.
If you have had a Uruguayan wine at all, it was probably a Tannat. It is the grape variety most closely associated with Uruguay and we tasted several fine examples. Merlot is successfully grown in the warm weather and sandy soils as is Albariño.
We are fans of Uruguayan Tannat. We look for them in every wine shop and on every wine list, so were very excited to taste these Wines of Uruguay. In addition to sponsoring a luncheon, Wines of Uruguay was a participant of Wines of The World trade tasting. Here are some of our favorites.
2012 Bouza Albariño – all of the crisp acidity and citrus flavors you would expect.
2011 Artesana Tannat – rich dark fruit flavors with significant, grippy tannins that give this grape variety its name. Please pass the steak!
2011 Artesana Tannat-Merlot – fruit flavors are influenced by the Merlot, tannin structure still there. Best of two grape varieties.
2008 Pisano RPF Tannat – complex dark fruit flavors, good acid and big grippy tannins. Another great wine to accompany a steak.
Inniskillin Icewine
Icewine is made from very ripe grapes that have been frozen on the vine. This happens at about -10 degrees C. Harvest does not take place until the grapes reach between 39 and 42 Brix. They are crushed while still frozen. This produces a concentrated, very sweet and flavorful wine. Icewine is produced from Riesling, Vidal Blanc and Cabernet Franc by Inniskillin.
2011 Okanagan Riesling Icewine – viscous, sweet and extremely flavorful. Dessert in a glass!
A Pre-Dinner Reception with New Wines of Greece gave us an opportunity to taste a large selection of Greek wines. The selection covered six tables. Thankfully, we received spreadsheets, organized by table which included the winery name, wine, and grape variety so we could make tasting notes. The list was 38 wines long! Yikes, that’s a lot of wine.
White grape varieties:
Moschofilero were generally floral with good acidity. Across the group they were consistent in quality. Rather Viognier-like.
Assyrtiko were more variable as a group. Flavors included, floral, citrus, pear, tar and minerals. A very diverse group.
Red grape varieties:
Xinomavro in general produced a lighter red wine with good tannins and adequate acid. It is a good food wine and the wines in this group were consistent enough to order from a wine list with confidence.
Agiorgitiko Rosé had pleasant berry fruit flavors and good acidity. The red wines had good fruit flavors, a bit of tar in some and adequate tannins. Interesting flavors.
Wines of South Africa was not only a participant of Wines of The World trade tasting at WBC13, it provided wines for a session entitled The Secrets of Chenin Blanc. Wines of South Africa represents all South African producers who export their wines, more than 500. Chenin Blanc, called Steen in South Africa, is one of their premier grape varieties. South African wines are of particular interest to us because we will be traveling to South Africa next year to taste wines. Pete sat in on The Secrets of Chenin Blanc session. It was a diverse group of Chenin Blanc.
2011 DeMorgenzon Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc – very complex stone fruit, citrus flavors with great acidity. Did I mention it’s very complex?
2012 Ken Forrester Vineyards Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc – complex flavors including spice notes that grow on you as it spends time in the glass.
2012 FMC (Forester Meinert Chenin) -tropical fruit flavors, good acidity, complex. Different flavors than the rest.
2010 Ken Forester T Noble Late Harvest – botrytis flavors with a clean finish. Lighter weight in the mouth than Sauternes. Very nice. Chenin Blanc vines are 40 – 43 years old!
D.O. Rueda (Denomination of Origin Rueda)
The Rueda appellation gained official status in January 1980 in order to protect its indigenous grape variety, Verdejo. This Spanish appellation also makes rosé and red wines which have been officially recognized since 2008. This tasting was comprised of Verdejo exclusively, with nearly 30 wines in the selection.
As a group these wines were crisp with great acidity. Flavors ranged from slightly floral to citrusy. A few had a bit of an herbal nose, but flavors were consistently slightly floral to citrusy. All were served very cold and had lots of flavor. These are perfect summertime wines.
Most had no wood treatment, but there were several that did. These wines had flavors distinct from the rest. Once again the quality was very consistent and we gained enough experience with Rueda Verdejo to be able to order it confidently from a wine list.
Thank you to each wine group for providing us with the opportunity to taste your wines.
Cheers!
Nancy, many thanks for the attention you bring to Uruguay and its signature varietal Tannat. It was a pleasure for the Wines of Uruguay to present our wines at the Wine Bloggers Conference. So nice to see Artesana as some of your favorites! As you mention, Uruguay is producing outstanding and award-winning wines that are starting to get some traction here in the states. Hope your readers will put Uruguay/Tannat on their radar and keep an eye out for these exciting wines.
It was our pleasure, Leslie.