By Joseph Temple

With the Gulf War over and Canadians struggling through a sharp and painful recession, representatives from the Inniskillin Winery crossed the pond in June of 1991 to enter one of their best vintages at VinExpo in Bordeaux, France. Competing against more than 4,000 wines that year, a diverse group of 400 judges went through every single entry over a grueling period of five days. And when it was all said and done, this small upstart from Niagara-on-the-Lake and its 1989 Icewine shocked the world by winning the prestigious Citadelle d’Oro Grand Prix d’Honneur. “This has really put Canada on the international wine map,” said Tony Aspler, wine columnist for The Toronto Star. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say Inniskillin’s entry was the underground hit of the show.”

Fifteen years after the Judgment of Paris, it was now time for America’s neighbor to soak in the spotlight after years of ridicule!

Sharing many parallels with California’s vino-evolution, the province of Ontario also suffered from a reputation of producing wines that were high in alcohol and consumed mainly by individuals looking for a cheap buzz. While the Golden State became infamous for Thunderbird, Canadians of the baby boom era had their own notorious libation known as Baby Duck. But more importantly, just as Napa and Sonoma had turned the corner by making some outstanding wines, Ontario vintners saw a huge opportunity to produce a high quality niche product that would be consumed by oenophiles across the world—Icewine.

Given the first license to create an estate winery since prohibition, Inniskillin blazed the trail in the mid-1970s by planting popular vinifera varieties along the Niagara Peninsula. With some grapes developing a higher concentration of sugar, Icewine, which is picked when temperatures drop to -8°C or below for a sustained period of time, quickly became the region’s unique and hidden gem. Unfortunately, just as many thought at the time that California didn’t stand a chance against Bordeaux and Burgundy, conventional wisdom at the time dictated that German Eiswein was the undisputed champion.

Described as a wine with “a taste reminiscent of tropical fruits and honey,” Inniskillin’s 1989 vintage clearly proved the skeptics wrong. With the undivided attention of 50,000 wine buyers and journalists in Bordeaux, Sylvia Kaiser, the winery’s co-founder’s wife said after winning the Grand Prix d’Honneur, “It’s like winning the film festival at Cannes and walking away with an Oscar in Hollywood.” Echoing this excitement, one French buyer at VinExpo told The Globe and Mail: “Ontario icewine is unbelievable; I’ve never tasted anything like it … It’s so fruity it makes my nose sweat—wonderful.”

Back in Canada, as people read this front-page story, they were disappointed to learn that it would be very difficult to get their hands on this award-winning bottle. With Inniskillin producing only 400 cases of Icewine annually, liquor stores at the time rarely had any bottles for sale; the vast majority was available at only four shops owned by the winery. However, with this whirlwind of free publicity, a gigantic shift in consumer behavior was about to happen.

Following this game-changing victory, production and distribution of Icewine in Ontario skyrocketed from 2,000 cases in 1990 to more than 10,000 cases by 1994 as other Niagara-based wineries got in on this rising market. By the early 2000s, approximately 21,000 cases were being produced, making the region an epicenter for this unique product. Icewine had become a proud symbol of the country’s burgeoning wine industry, being purchased across the globe from New York to Tokyo. And when looking back at the key turning point, Inniskillin’s victory served as an important catalyst, making it worthy of a Canadian Heritage Minute!

Sources:

Cattell, Hudson. Wines of Eastern North America: From Prohibition to the Present—A History and Desk Reference. New York: Cornell University Press, 2013.
Lawrason, David. (1991, June 24). Ontario icewine wins prestigious award. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.
van Rijn, Nicolaas. (1991, June 23). Cheers! Ontario wine is the toast of France. The Toronto Star. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.

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Question: I hear at wine tastings a lot of different French forest names being used for the oak barrels. Find it a bit confusing including a new one to me called Jupiles. Sid would help clarify all this for me?

Answer: Excellent question because oak is confusing. Oak for wine barrels is now not only coming from France but many other regions around the world. However, the French forests have produced a variety of top quality oak for a long time. Most of them are in Central France but the key to know is the tightness of the grain. Tight grains equal less porous wood and a slower release of the wood tannins. Many other factors influence the impression you get in the wine though including air drying, toasting, new vs used etc. Complicated.

My short list of the main areas would be the following – by generally tightest to looser grain order:

TRONCAIS – central France, Very tight grain
ALLIER – central France
NEVERS – central France, Medium tightness
JUPILLES – most north western forest (Loire Valley) giving a floral character to chardonnay & a favourite of Lucien Le Moine in Burgundy.
VOSGES – most north eastern forest (Germany/Alsace border) releases more tannin.
LIMOUSIN – near Limoges, More loose grain

Hope this helps.

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Vancouver’s “Group of Eight” events are always well orchestrated by knowledgeable wine collector Ian Mottershead with our latest two being exciting dinner/tastings showing a total of 20 top wines from the controversial 1986 vintage now approaching 30 years of age. A big crop from hot dry drought summer conditions followed by rainy storms in September resulted in a grape harvest of inconsistent quality. Earlier picked merlot fared less well than later ripening in October cabernet sauvignon especially successful in the Left Bank appellations of St. Julien and Pauillac. The wines certainly were not charming or consumer friendly early on due to their harder tannins requiring patience. Which wines have matured best with good fruit still left?

Part I on April 5, 2016:

LA LAGUNE Ludon – Open with green herbs, expected more, simpler, drying out, drink up

TALBOT St. Julien – Palest rim of first 3, full impressive textbook AC fruit, lovely cedar-cigar-tobacco notes

VIEUX CHATEAU CERTAN Pomerol – Dark, quality young ripe plums, balanced, big rich & powerful

LYNCH BAGES Pauillac – Solid, rich, less hard tannins now, coming together, not the charm of 85

MONTROSE St. Estephe – Earthy, full, exciting with more charm than expected, textured mid-palate

DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU St. Julien – Stylish, lighter, breeding, acid balance, clean no brett, elegant

LEOVILLE POYFERRE  St. Julien – Very dark, excellent fruit but spoiled by TCA corky bottle

LEOVILLE BARTON St. Julien – Cab sauv statement with typical iodine note, powerful, still developing

LEOVILLE LAS CASES St. Julien – Classy pure complex bouquet, outstanding, integrated tannins, superb

RAYMOND-LAFON Sauternes – Excellent botrytis with ripe juicy pineapple, beautiful creamy honey

Good first evening with the Leoville Las Cases outclassing a stellar field. All 3 Leovilles are approaching a wonderful drinking plateau with impressive fruit to match those tannins but no rush. Second trio of reds also showed very well with more charm than the first trio. Montrose a surprise with wonderful texture.

Part II on May 17, 2016:

BRANAIRE DUCRU St. Julien – Aged rim, herbal mushrooms, mature, softer, forwardly, delicious taste

GRUAUD LAROSE St. Julien – Cloudy, cedar, harder fruit, more backward, still promising, no rush, age

COS D’ESTOURNEL St. Estephe – Red young look, good intense fruit, coarse tannins, lacks charm

RAUZAN SEGLA Margaux – Less power, elegant, very Margaux perfumes, structure, silky textures, ready

MARGAUX Margaux – Shows that classic cab sauv, stylish, big, atypical, still bit closed but what potential

HAUT BRION Pessac-Leognan – Exquisite, refined, perfect balance, elegant, stylish, charm, fruit purity

MOUTON BARONNE PHILIPPE Pauillac – Really a surprise with complex open stylish cedar bouquet

PICHON BARON Pauillac – Solid & drinking well, Lalande has denser 1986, smooth & supple drinking now

MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac – So concentrated, cedar, cigar, length, very special success, classic!

CLIMENS Barsac –  Bigger & sweeter than normal, marmalade, excellent botrytis of 86

Last red trio of Pauillacs showed the riper cab sauv contributing to overall quality. First Growths shone through this evening led by Mouton, Margaux & Haut Brion. Lafite can also be outstanding while not the best vintage for Latour. Sweet wines are top class in 1986.

Conclusion: Though some wines show that diluted merlot and others are too tannic nonetheless there are some really outstanding wines from Bordeaux made in 1986. Some are still improving and are true classics.

Have you tried a 1986 Bordeaux recently?

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By Joseph Temple

This past Sunday in Geneva, a highly sought-after collection of rare wine bottles including several grand crus from the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti estate went up on the auction block. Owned by an anonymous individual and allegedly stored for 15 years at the Geneva Freeports customs-free zone, Michael Ganne of the Baghera Wines auction house told journalists that this particular auction was “the most important one over the past two decades in continental Europe.”

Then all hell broke loose!

Just days before this supposed treasure trove went under the gavel, a lengthy posting by lawyer Don Cornwell was made on Wineberserkers.com titled “AN URGENT WARNING ABOUT THE WINE AUCTION AT BAGHERA WINE AUCTIONS IN GENEVA ON MAY 22, 2016.” Listing many inconsistencies along with photographic comparisons to substantiate his claims, Cornwell declared, “On very rare occasions, we run into problems so overwhelming, or the conduct is so obviously fraudulent, that I’m forced to warn the public about a problem involving counterfeit wines or wine fraud. Sadly, this is one of those occasions.”

The first lots placed under the microscope contained 1978 Romanée Conti, which Cornwell claims are counterfeit because of the embossed glass—a feature that was only used for the 1974 vintage. Other examples include a 1952 DRC Romanée Conti with a wax capsule (it shouldn’t have one) and a 1961 Petrus Magnum with a falsified label that is clear as day. However, two bottles of 1919 Rousseau Grand Chambertin Vieux Plants didn’t require you to be Sherlock Holmes; a simple Google search would suffice. “Rousseau did not own any vines in Chambertin until 1920,” writes Cornwell. “This is directly stated on Rousseau’s website.”

After these charges went viral, Baghera quickly responded by removing six lots while promising to cancel the sales of any bottles that were suspect. And despite this dark cloud hanging over Geneva, the collection was still able to raise £4.3m according to The Independent. But have these revelations tainted future auctions? Are lingering doubts surrounding authenticity the new norm?

Given the history of wine counterfeiting and the windfall profits that criminals stand to gain, it was almost inevitable that something like this would happen—and will continue to happen. One high-profile case over the past few years was the trial of Rudy Kurniawan. In 2013, this infamous counterfeiter was sentenced to ten years in prison for making millions off blends that were all created in his kitchen sink and labeled with print outs from his computer. Then there were the bottles allegedly owned by President Thomas Jefferson that were auctioned off in 1985, only to be discovered later on that the engraving “Th. J.” was the result of an electric power tool. The entire ordeal surrounding the Jefferson fraud became the subject of author Benjamin Wallace’s 2008 book The Billionaire’s Vinegar, which is slated to become a major motion picture starring Matthew McConaughey.

An important question that remains is what happens to a bottle that is proven to be a forgery? In 2015, the United States Marshals Service created a well-publicized spectacle by destroying over 500 counterfeit bottles belonging to Kurniawan. But is this standard operating procedure for private brokers and retailers? According to Cornwell’s posting, he found one lot containing a 1969 Rousseau Charmes Chambertin that had Rudy’s fingerprints all over it, including an off-center neck label and incorrect numerals. So are plenty of fake vintages still for sale to unsuspecting buyers? Maureen Downey, a fine wine authenticator who responded on Wineberserkers believes so. “Has any vendor ever made a public spectacle of standing up for the good of the consumer, or the market and destroying counterfeits? NO, you haven’t. Because they don’t,” writes Downey. “All these counterfeits are out there, and being sold and resold. And again- it is mostly by brokers, and shady retailers! At least people are monitoring auctions. There is no way to monitor the grey market.”

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Question: As you enjoy drinking top quality aged chardonnay I would like to know the best older one from Canada that you have tasted so far in 2016?

Answer: Tough question. Generally drink my New World chardonnay younger than Burgundy (though pre-mox issues are now a concern for cellaring). Quite a few candidates on the ballot. However, I will vote for 2008 Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars (www.bluemountainwinery.com) Estate Bottled from Okanagan Falls in British Columbia. The pioneering Mavety family has farmed the fertile bench overlooking Vaseaux Lake there from 1971 and founded the winery in 1991. They also make fantastic pinot noir that ages magnificently! In 2008 they fermented and aged their chardonnay 50% in French oak barrels for 8 months and the other 50% in stainless steel. Magical combination for the fruit as drinking it in 2016 showed the rich complex smooth nutty flavours from the oak yet balanced fresh finishing lift from the stainless. Lovely complexity and no heat at only 13 alcohol. A very well done aged Canadian chardonnay on a beautiful drinking plateau. Congrats!

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