A group of a dozen Ontario wineries have banded together into a group they call Somewhereness. The name is meant to invoke the idea of the special qualities attributable to terroir and the wineries in the group pride themselves on their stewardship and quality. The wineries in the group are: 13th Street Winery, Bachelder, Charles Baker, Cave Spring Cellars, Flat Rock Cellars, Hidden Bench, Hinterland, Malivoire Wine, Norman Hardie, Southbrook Vineyards, Stratus, and Tawse. The group has done a good job of promoting to restaurants and if you notice one of them on a wine list, it’s likely you’ll see other Somewhereness wines on the list too.
The group had a trade tasting in Toronto recently and, in addition to many of their best known wines, there were a few surprises.
Most Unusual
The most unusual offering was a new wine produced by Southbrook Vineyards called: 2014 Small Lots Estate Grown Orange Wine. Nope, that’s not a typo. The wine, which is to be released in May, is, in fact, a light orange colour with a distinct un-filtered haze. (It looks more like a very light beer than a wine.) It’s made of 100% Vidal and it is made with whole clusters of grapes. Rather than try to describe it, here’s a video of Paul DeCampo, Southbrook’s Director of Marketing and Sales, explaining how it was made.
Other Delightful Finds
In terms of premium-priced wines, my favourite was the 2012 Bachelder Wismer Chardonnay ($44.95).
One of the biggest surprises for me was Cave Spring Cellars’ 2012 Pinot Noir Estate ($34.95). Cave Spring Cellars is so well known for its whites, it’s easy to overlook their reds. Don’t. If you’re a fan of Pinot Noir, give this a try.
The 13th Street 2012 Pinot Gris ($19.95) was very nice – well balanced and crisp.
I love bubbly and I was wowed by Tawse’s 2103 Spark Limestone Ridge Riesling both in terms of taste and price ($19.95 and available at Vintages). It’s made using the traditional method and it’s definitely something that fans of sparkling will enjoy.
And finally, an Ontario wine tasting wouldn’t be complete without a dessert wine. The biggest discovery at the dessert wine table was 13th Street Winery’s 2013 13 Below Zero Riesling. It’s a blend of 40% Riesling icewine and 60% off-dry Riesling. At $19.95 for 375 ml. it’s a bargain!