Ice Wines and Beyond: Vineyards North of the Border... Eh?

Posted 07/24/2008 at 07:42 PM by Cathy

By Gabriela Cordeiro Antunes

Last night at the Boston Wine School, Jonathon Alsop criss-crossed provinces and territories to share – and in many cases to introduce – varietals and wines pressed from the Canadian tundra, er, terroir. From British Columbia to Québec, from Syrah to cider, Alsop demonstrated some of the excellent expressions of wine that Canada has to offer.

The 2004 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir Reserve St. Catharines from Ontario, for example, owes its heritage to the hybridizer François Baco who, back in the 1890s, crossed Vitis Riparia with Folle Blanche, a native Canadian varietal.

In theory the Baco Noir grape produces rich, deeply pigmented wines with pronounced acidity.

In practice, at least in my glass of Baco Noir, the wine was like dark purple ink, rich and complex on the outside and smooth and savory on the inside. Surprisingly lighter in body, the wine featured bright notes of licorice and smoky yeast on the palate.

Some wines tonight craved a food pairing, like the 2002 Mission Hill "S.L.C" Syrah from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Alsop paired the Syrah with Canadian prosciutto: the Syrah's full body, anise and spice notes complemented the prosciutto's salty backbone and funky, briny (and oddly appealing!) aroma.

There's no leaving an evening of Canadian wines without a sample of icewine, and Alsop gave us two: the 2006 Jackson-Triggs Vidal Icewine from the Niagara Peninsula, and the 2004 Mission Hill Riesling Icewine Reserve from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

Normally icewines are produced using Riesling or, less often, Vidal Blanc grapes. The Jackson-Triggs Vidal Icewine screamed for a Portuguese Flamengo, a soft salty cheese from the Azores, or even salty goat's milk Gouda. The more traditional Mission Hill Riesling Icewine provided hints of a smoky Palo Cortado sherry and orange brine. It was phenomenal on it's own; no pairing required.

The star of the show, however, may have been the last pour of the night, the Hidden Face of Apple "Snow" Ice Cider from Hemmingford, Québec. A cider, not a wine per se, this "fruit wine" is made from apples rather than grapes and, even for someone tasting fruit wine for the first time, it was delicious. The apple tones were not overbearing, and it had nice acidity and body.

The place to start with wines from Canada is probably icewines, but ice cider may well be the place to finish. Just don't forget everything – like Baco Noir and Syrah – in between.

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