Excellent article de Caveman sur la région:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/foo ... story.html
A region to taste just next door
Prince Edward County wines benefit from the soil and climate
BY BILL ZACHARKIW, THE GAZETTE AUGUST 30, 2010
I first heard of Prince Edward County, Ont., three years ago when a wine writer friend, David Lawrason, a resident of Belleville, suggested I check it out. I had heard of this peninsula, an hour drive west from Kingston, but mostly because of the white sand beaches of Sandbanks Provincial Park. The wines, he told me, were "right up my alley, wines with a Burgundian influence." Thousand Islands wine? The name seemed better for salad dressing, but for fine wine I must admit it didn't fill me with confidence.
While I was in Toronto last summer judging the Canadian Wine Awards, I met Caroline Granger at a "meet the winemakers dinner." Granger owns winery The Grange of Prince Edward. I tried her pinot noir, and after having tasted so many overworked or underripe pinot noirs during the competition, her wine was a revelation. It was light, fruity, a pleasure to drink, and only $18. A wine without pretence.
During the final rounds of the awards, Lawrason would say of a few of the wines that I was pushing to win a medal, "that's Prince Edward."
A couple of these wines ended up placing in the top 25 in the country, and even more were on my own personal list. This is impressive when you consider how unknown and relatively small the place is compared with the Niagara Region and British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
My passing interest had turned into full-on intrigue. It was time for a visit, and that's what I did two weeks ago.
I only had two days to visit, but given that Prince Edward County is less than a four-hour drive from Montreal, that was easily enough time to get a sense of what's going on. I visited four wineries with my first being Keint-He Vineyards, where I had a long chat with winemaker Geoff Heinricks. He is considered to be one of the authorities on the region and has been around since the first wave of planting there, between 1999 and 2001.
I asked him how Prince Edward County, so close to Montreal, can produce wines made with pinot noir, chardonnay, Riesling and other vinifera varietals that we can't imagine growing here in Quebec. Like in all great wine regions, the answers can be found under your feet, and in the climate.
IDEAL CONDITIONS
With regard to soil, Prince Edward County has what many grape growers and winemakers dream of: limestone. This subsoil, what many see as the secret behind the success of pinot noir and chardonnay in Burgundy, lies under a mix of sand, clay and shale. This mix allows for great drainage and allows the roots of the vines to penetrate deep into the earth. The result: vines that are naturally low yielding, and that often show that most elusive and sought-after quality: minerality.
As for the climate, Lake Ontario has a moderating effect on the temperature of the island, acting as a cooling influence during the summer and, most important, allowing for an extended frost-free autumn so the grapes can ripen. This is especially important for pinot noir, cabernet franc, chardonnay and Riesling, as they are at their best when they have a long, slow ride to ripeness. And with cooler autumnal temperatures and good day-night temperature differentials, Prince Edward County is ideally suited for these cool-climate grapes.
But as in Burgundy, this same cool climate that is so ideal during the summer and fall can cause havoc during the spring. Spring frosts can be deadly, and most wineries have wind machines and/ or are forced to to burn fires to prevent the vines from suffering damage during bud burst. They do the same thing in Champagne. What is different is that winters in Champagne are much different from ours, and wineries on the island are forced to bury the vines during winter as vinifera vines like pinot noir and chardonnay can't handle temperatures under minus-10 degrees Celsius.
I was really impressed with what I tasted during my stay, and coming from a prematurely surly wine critic like myself, that is saying a lot. The style is indeed very European with bright acidities and lower alcohol levels.
And what I appreciated even more was the approach most of the wineries have taken. As the majority of the vines are under 10 years of age, and many much younger, there is always the danger of winemakers overdoing it, trying to make monumental wines before the vines are old enough to produce fruit able to handle such things as extended time in oak barrels. While I did taste some more expensive wines that warranted their price, it's not a surprise that my favourite ones were those that did not try to be anything more than good, easy-drinking wines.
Because yields tend to be low, and there are costs associated with burying the vines, growing grapes in Prince Edward County is an expensive proposition. Many wineries will supplement their wine portfolios by buying grapes from growers in the Niagara Region. To learn where the grapes in your wine are grown, there are two levels of VQA, which means Vintners Quality Assurance and is similar to the European appellation system. VQA Ontario means that over 20 per cent of the grapes used in making the wine are from off the island, while VQA Prince Edward County means that at least 80 per cent of the fruit is sourced from the county. The best wines that I tried during my visit were 100 per cent Prince Edward County grown.
Visiting Prince Edward County is at most a four-hour drive from Montreal. The infrastructure is excellent, and the wineries I visited all had tasting rooms, some with the owners behind the counter.
But you don't have to just go there for wine. Aside from the beautiful beaches of Sandbanks, where you can camp, there are several small country inns. I stayed at the Devonshire Inn, a beautiful little eight-room inn right on the lake.
The island is also interesting on a gastronomic level. While I was there, I visited an artisanal cheese producer, Fifth Town Cheese, ate an inspired dinner at Harvest and a lunch of locally produced sausages at Buddha Dog. What I liked was that the ingredients come from somewhere local; knowing that they were local reinforced a sense of place.
That also was what I loved about the wines and what gives me so much hope for Prince Edward County: while the climate and soil seem to be ideal, the winemakers were intent on maximizing what Prince Edward County had to offer.
The greatest compliment I can give is that a wine feels authentic, and I found more than a few of those during my brief stay.
For more detailed information, go to the Prince Edward County website at
http://www.tastetrail.ca.
THIS WEEK'S SUGGESTIONS: HIGHLIGHTS OF PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY
Here are some of my favourite wines that I tasted during my winery visits, along with a short description of the winery.
Because of space limitations, I can only list two wines from each, but there are plenty more. All of the following wines are designated VQA Prince Edward County, and made 100 per cent with county grown grapes.
The Grange of Prince Edward County and Trumpour's Mill
Riesling 2008, Trumpour's Mill, Canada white, $11.75, available at the vineyard. Nothing close to this quality at the price available here in Quebec. Just the finest hint of sweetness to balance of the acidity. A mouthful of limes. Drink now. Food pairing: Aperitif, shrimp stir fry with hot chile.
Pinot Noir 2007, Trumpour's Mill, Canada red, $19.75, available at the vineyard. Easy and playful, but without being overly simple. Fresh red field berries, a nice earthy component and very little oak. Young vines allowed to show what they can do. Drink now-2011. Food pairing: Aperitif, grilled salmon.
The Grange series cabernet franc as well as the Trumpour's Mill unoaked chardonnay were also exceptional.
Huff Estates
Rose 2009, Huff Estates, Canada rose, $17.95, available at the vineyard. One of the most interesting roses that I have tried all summer. A cabernet franc based blend that offers a mix of sweet garden herbs, red fruit and pink grapefruit. Excellent. Drink now-2011. Food pairing: Aperitif.
Merlot/Cabernet 2007, Huff Estates, Canada red, $29.95, available at the vineyard. Black cherry and a soft red fruits. Tannins might lack a touch of grit but if you prefer a softer, more international styled wine, this is really interesting. Drink now. Food pairing: Magret de Canard.
Rosehall Run
Pinot Noir 2007, Estate, Rosehall Run, Canada red, $37.75, available at the vineyard. Very elegant pinot noir that shows great depth, balance, and a very judicious use of oak. A mix of fresh cherry, red field fruits and a hint of spice on the finish. Impressive. Drink now-2014. Food pairing: Aperitif, veal.
Chardonnay 2007, Cuvee County, Rosehall Run, Canada white, $17.95, available at the vineyard. Remarkable little chardonnay that highlights the disitinctive fruit of the island. Clean and refreshing with nectarine and other citrus notes wrapped around a superb mineral core. Drink now. Food pairing: Aperitif, Grilled shrimp and scallops.
Keint-He
Very small production and most of the wines are sold out, though I did a number of barrel samples and this winery is very much worth a visit. Both the 2009 chardonnay and pinot noir were exceptional.
St. Laurent 2007, Foxtail, Keint-He, Canada red, $42, available at the vineyard. Sold out, as apparently is much of the 2008, but one of the more unique wines I have tasted recently. Dark fruit, a touch of gameyness with a smokey, oak driven finish. Organic. Drink now. Food pairing: Stronger meats like deer.
Pinot Noir 2007, Little Creek, Keint-He, Canada red, $45, available at the vineyard. Pretty and interesting. Delicate and fresh with an amazing spice component that is apparently grape derived. Cool, and made with vines that are but 7 years old. Imagine in 10 more. Organic. Drink now-2014. Food pairing: Veal with really earthy mushrooms.