Jancis comes to Canada
Good Drink, January 19, 2007
NB Telegraph Journal
by Craig Pinhey
Jancis Robinson Helps Soothe Canadian Wine's Inferiority Complex
Why is it human nature to worry so much about what others think of us? This happens in the wine world too, as up and coming regions look for endorsement, not just from consumers, but also from the heavy hitters in the industry. There are only a handful of world famous wine celebrities whose positive review of a wine, even if it’s a mere mention, can send sales skyrocketing, and thus prices and profit for the winery.
One is busy British wine journalist Jancis Robinson, best known, perhaps, as the author of the Oxford Companion to Wine.
The Canadian wine industry is currently abuzz due to a Jan 13, 2007 article in the Financial Times, and reviews posted on Jancis's "Purple Pages" (you must pay to read those), that dealt 100% with Canadian wines.
"Canadian wine? Accept with curiosity" was the title of the published article, and, as a legion of Canadian winemakers breathed a sigh of relief, her assessment was largely complimentary. In fact she concluded that Canada is capable of making world-class wines, and not just icewine, and that alone is music to the ears of our industry leaders.
If you are already a fan of Canadian wine, like me, you probably don’t care what some Brit has to say, but believe me, the wineries care. And it's not because they are expecting huge exports of Canadian wine. We don’t make nearly enough quality wine to supply our own market. But widely published positive reviews of a winery's top wines helps sell their less expensive wines, which generates profit.
Not everything Jancis said about our industry-induced pride, however, and I agree with most of it. She lambasted us for allowing wineries to sell faux-Canadian wines (made mainly from non-Canadian grapes) alongside those made from 100% homegrown grapes.
Writes Jancis, "I was rather horrified, however, to see in the LCBO’s flagship store in Toronto how many of these blends were displayed on shelves all mixed up with VQA wines under the large banner “Ontario”. No Canadian I showed these bottles to realised that they contained anything other than their own wine."
This is not just the fault of the wineries, although all the big ones do it (Jackson-Triggs and Mission Hill being the most common culprits in New Brunswick, with their non-VQA house wines). The rules allow them to do this, so it is the regulations that must be changed, to force them to put the origin of the grapes on the label prominently, so that there is no confusing the consumer.
Jancis tasted over 70 good quality wines, from coast to coast, but of course most were from Ontario and BC. Like me and most other Canadian writers, she raved about the Le Clos Jordanne Pinot Noir wines from Niagara, and quickly recognized the excellence of the Osoyoos Larose Bordeaux-style blend from the Okanagan. She also name checked a Daniel Lenko Syrah from Ontario as being "…so delicious that I felt it was truly outstanding."
But the highlight, based on her article and detailed notes, was Riesling, which she compared favourably to good versions from Germany. This was no surprise to me, having lived for a dozen years just a short drive from the Beamsville Bench in Ontario, home to many of our best Rieslings. I wish more New Brunswickers would clue in to just how great our Rieslings are, so that the ANBL could justify selling more of them here. Her favourite Riesling was from Tantalus, in BC, which I have not tried, but there are many excellent examples they could have set before her that would have impressed.
So, can New Brunswickers buy any of the wines she reviewed? Yes! One of my personal picks that she loved was a 2003 Sumac Ridge White Meritage from BC, which she scored 16.5/20, a very high score for Jancis. We can buy the 2004 (600240, $19.99), which is a nice, rich but balanced blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with some oak treatment. It is reminiscent of premium white Bordeaux.
You can buy the aforementioned Osoyoos Larose, for $39.76, a good price for fine red wine capable of aging. There are around 500 bottles at ANBL. It's a yummy cross between new world and classic Bordeaux flavours.
She also liked a few of the Henry Of Pelham and Cave Spring wines; we don't get these specific wines, but there are several offerings from these Ontario wineries available in New Brunswick.
A quick trip over the border to Nova Scotia will score you some Jost Vineyards, Eagle Tree Muscat 2004, which Jancis scored 13.5/20, a decent score, saying it had "Gingerbread flavours." It's definitely a spicy wine. There's the odd bottle of Jost's Ortega Icewine at ANBL, which she scored 15.5/20, but you can always secure that, or one of their other, arguably better icewines, at the winery in Malagash, along the Northumberland Straight.
Regardless of how we feel about our local wines, whether we love them or they are completely off our radar, there's no doubt that positive press from a writer of Robinson's pedigree bodes well for the future of our relatively fledgling industry. Someday, more sooner than later, our wines will be so good that ordinary Canadians will have the confidence to not care what others think.
Craig
Çraig Pinhey
"Atlantic Canada's Wine, Beer & Spirits Writer"
Sommelier, wine consultant and educator, booze & pop culture columnist
www.frogspad.ca
frogspad@nb.aibn.com
506 647 8466