Niagara Wine Auction Preview @ Jump. April 29
One of Niagara's most glamorous events will be held over the weekend of June 13-15 at a number of locations offering winemakers' dinners, tastings etc. The auction itself will be held on Saturday the 14th in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The Black Tie Gala on Saturday night will be hosted by singer Jan Arden and restaurateur Michael Bonacini, and entertainment will be provided by 70s stalwarts The Temptations and disco-trio the Pointer Sisters (whose publicity pics suggest they haven't aged a day...)
For more information, visit the Niagara Wine Auction website.
At the smart preview at Jump Cafe in Commerce Court at the end of April, I spoke with Tom Green, Winemaker for Diamond Estates. He makes the wines of East Dell and Birchwood.
There's nothing like a hot summer to get Niagara winemakers keyed up and, without even mentioning that he meant reds, Green said 2007 is looking like a great vintage: "Some of the wines are so big we're going to have to sit on them a bit longer". He says this is great news for the merlots and cabernets, and that the pinot noirs are definitely going to be darker and fuller bodied. So yet another winemaker, who ought to know, says that Niagara's 2007 reds are going to be blockbusters.
Big Red Auction
If you're feeling flush and generous and would like to help Sick Kids', bid on one barrel's worth of wine (225L) from any of these three "big reds" from Niagara:
Thirty Bench Benchmark
I liked this one better than the last time I tried it back in January at the Cuvee Awards. This is the Cuvee Gold Medal winner, and it is definitely the crowd pleaser of the three wines on offer.
There's a rich and bold nose of dark red berry fruit. Rich, smooth and full on the palate, though with somewhat over-extracted fruit that skirts the edge of cough candy. Tannins still very powerful and it'd be nice to see some more secondary notes, but these should develop with time - which whoever wins the bidding on the lot (a barrel's worth of wine!) will certainly have. 88 points.
Delaine Vineyards Cabernet Merlot
Rich nose with great minty and herbal notes and brighter dark red fruit on this more Old World style Bordeaux blend. Smooth on the palate, this is more medium bodied and not as fruity, though red fruit is there. Acidity and tannins are both high and there's enough fruit that it should continue to age well. Nice finish. 87/88 points.
Dan Aykroyd Cabernet Sauvignon
Very rich and powerful nose with great secondary notes of dried herbs and mint. Acidity and tannins are both high and there is some dark berry fruit that could be a little more to the fore. Slightly thin in the middle, but nice finish. 87 points.
All of these will improve with age and indeed this is a marvellous opportunity to track the development of decent quality Niagara reds over time - especially as you'll have, like, five cases of whichever one you get...
