A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 682: Niagara Icewine Gala

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Gigantic ice sculpture at the entrance to the Gala

Sunday, January 7th: A White Bordeaux dinner with members of the Port Dalhousie Underground at Hans’s house around the corner from us. Before we sat down to a magnificent meal cooked by David Bergen, we sampled three sparkling wines: Jackson-Triggs Entourage Sparkling Sauvigon Blanc, Hush Heath Estate Balfour 1503 Classic Cuveé Dry (from England) and Champagne Robert Monquit. Fifteen of us at table.

Truffle Pizza: 4 wines:

  • Château Argadens 2014: 65% Sauvignon Blanc; 35% Semillon; $17
  • Hidden Bench “Nuit Blanche” 2015: 94% Sauvignon Blanc, 6% Semillon; $45
  • Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2012: 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris, 5% Semillon; $134
  • Tyrrell’s Wines “Vat 1” Hunter Valley 2010: Semillon; $57

Sushi: 2 wines

  • Hidden Bench “Nuit Blanche” 2013: 94% Sauvignon Blanc, 6% Semillon; $40
  • Château Malartic Lagravière 2006: $119

Mussels Max: 2 wines

  • Clarendelle, Bordeaux 2014: 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sémillon, 5% Muscadelle; $23.95
  • Creekside Iconoclast Sauvignon Semillon 2015: $18

Provençale fish soup: 2 wines

  • Château Malartic Lagravière 2006
  • Château Brown Blanc 2012: 64% Sauvignon Blanc, 36% Semillon; $60
  • (plus my ringer: Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner 2015)

Roast geese (2) stuffed with prunes stuffed with pâté

  • Pavilion Blanc, Château Margaux 2012: Sauvignon Blanc $225.85
  • Mount Pleasant “Lovedale” Hunter Valley Semillon 2007: $59

A cheese course: leftover whites and Alheit Cartology Bush Vines 2015 (Chenin Blanc and Semillon) and Château Bellevue 2009 (the only red of the meal)

Dessert: Crème brulée with a couple of Sauternes: Château de Fargues 2005 and Château de Ricard Loupiac 2006.

A magnificent evening of fine wine and food!

Monday, January 8th: Drove into Toronto for a dental appointment and on my return I wrote up my wines for my 680 broadcasts.

Tuesday, January 9th: Began selecting wineries I’d like our group to visit in the Loire on our May trip. And also for a tour of Champagne and Burgundy in October.

Wednesday, January 10th: Deborah and I drove into Toronto so that I could record my 680 NEWS wine reviews. She picked up a roast chicken and we had lunch at her sister Suzanne’s condo before returning home. John and Laurie Nadeau came over for dinner (chicken again). I opened the following wines: Culmina Dilemma Chardonnay 2015, Torres Altos Ibericos Rioja 2012 and Palacios Remondo La Vendimia 2015.

Thursday, January 11th: Spent most of the day on the Internet researching wineries. For dinner, with pasta, with a bottle of Kilian Hunn Pinot Noir 2014 from Baden.

Friday, January 12th: Deborah’s birthday. She took the megabus into Toronto to have her hair cut and lunch with a girlfriend.  A rainy day (11 degrees here and rainy – all the snow has been washed away but the temperature is dropping and snow is threatened). Tonight is the Niagara Icewine Gala with 32 wineries participating. Mercifully, WMAO had arranged a car to pick Deborah and me up at our house and drive us through the snow storm to the Fallsview Casino for the event (and to pick us up when it was time to leave to leave). Great food tables and a spectacular dessert booth to complement the Icewines. A five-minute brush with the casino slot machines. Might as well have just left $20 on the floor and walked out.

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There were table wines there too!

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Poutine

 

2018 Icewine Gala Pouring Stations
station Winery Icewines VQA Wines
1  Ravine 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
non-Vintage Sparkling Brut
2 Konzelmann 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine
2016 Vidal Icewine
2015 Chardonnay Reserve
2015 Merlot Reserve
3 13th Street 2015 Riesling Icewine
2015 13 Below Zero Riesling Icweine
2016 Gamay
NV Cuvée Rosé
4 Pondview 2013 Vidal Icewine
2016 Riesling Icewine
2016 Sparkling Vidal
2013 Cabernet Franc
5 Fielding 2016 Riesling Icewine 2016 Estate Bottled Chardonnay
2015 Estate Bottled Cabernet Franc
6 Marynissen 2013 Vidal Icewine
2013 Cabernet Franc Icewine
2014 Chardonnay
2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
7 Creekside 2015 Vidal Icewine 2015 Iconoclast Syrah
2016 Iconolast Semillon-Sauvignon
8 Vineland Estates 2016 Cab Franc Icewine
2015 Vidal Icewine
2016 Elevation St. Urban
2016 Elevation St. Urban Riesling
2016 Cabernet Merlot
9 Niagara College Teaching Winery 2013 Dean’s List Savant Icewine
2013 Dean’s List Prodigy Icewine
2012 Dean’s List Meritage
2013 Balance Brut
 10 Vieni 2011 Vidal Icewine 2013 Red Trillium Ripasso
Momenti Sparkling N/V
 11 The Lakeview Wine Co. 2016 Lakeview Cellars Vidal Icewine
2013 Lakeview Shiraz Icewine
2016 Viognier
2015 Lakeview Cellars Syrah
 12 Colaneri 2014 “Dolcezza D’Oro” Vidal Icewine
2016 “Profondo Paese” Chardonnay Icewine
2014 “Cavallone” Pinot Grigio
2014 “Coraggioso Amarioso” Cabernet Sauvignon
 13 Tawse 2013 Chardonnay Icewine
2013 Riesling Icewine
2013 Chardonnay
2013 Cab Franc
 14  Redstone 2010 Cabernet Franc Icewine 2011 Meritage
2013 Chardonnay
 15  Pillitteri 2015 Cabernet Franc Icewine
2013 Riesling Icewine
2013 Merlot
2016 Gewurztraminer Riesling
 16  Stoney Ridge 2011 Barrel Fermented Gewurztraminer Icewine 2016 Pinot Grigio
2016 Pinot Noir
 17  Hernder 2013 Cab Franc Icewine VQA Fortified Wine Caluruso
2012 Reserve Cab Franc
 18  Coyote’s Run 2016 Vidal Icewine 2016 Estate Chardonnay
2015 Aria
 19  Reif Estates 2011 Riesling Icewine
2014 Cabernet Icewine
NV Sparkling Chardonnay
2016 Shiraz Reserve
 20  Jackson Triggs 2015 Cabernet Franc Icewine
2016 Gewurztraminer Icewine
2016 Grand Reserve White Meritage
2015 Grand Reserve Red Meritage
 21  Inniskillin 2015 Sparkling Vidal Icewine
2016 Cabernet Franc Icewine
2015 Klose Vineyard Chardonnay
2015 Montague Vineyard Merlot
 22  Hare Wine Co. 2013 Cabernet Franc Icewine
2014 Vidal Icewine
2013 Noble (Appassimento Blend)
 23  Megalomaniac Cold Hearted Riesling Icewine My Way Chardonnay
2015 Frank Cabernet Franc
 24  Peller 2015 Andrew Peller Signature Series Oak Aged Vidal Icewine
Andrew Peller Signatgure Series Cabernet Franc Icewine
Ice Cuvée
2015 Private Reserve Gamay Noir
 25  Trius 2015 Showcase Cabernet Franc Icewine
Showcase Riesling Icewine
Trius Brut NV
2015 Trius Red
 26  Wayne Gretzky 2015 Cab Franc Icewine
2016 Vidal Icewine
2015 Estate Series Shiraz Cabernet
2016 Estate Series White
 27
 28  G. Marquis 2014 Vidal (Silver Line) Icewine
2013 Riesling (Silver Line) Icewine
2016 Pinot Grigio (Red Line)
2016 Pinot Noir (Silver Line)
 29  Magnotta  2015 Vidal Sparkling Icewine Merrit Road LE VQA
2016 Cabernet Franc Icewine Niagara Peninsula LE VQA
Chardonnay Limited Edition VQA
Meritage Limited Edition VQA
 30  Kacaba 2013 Cabernet Franc Icewine 2016 Pinot Gris
2016 Cabernet/Syrah
 31  Riverview 2016 Riesling Icewine
2016 Cabernet Franc Icewine
2015 Angelina’s Reserve Gewurztraminer
2013 Salvatore’s Reserve Syrah
 32  Strewn 2012 Vidal Icewine
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine
2016 Sparkler
2015 Cabernet Franc Terroir
 33  Legends 2016 Vidal Icewine 2012 Malbec Reserve
2012 Shiraz Reserve

 

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