Wine Tasting in Niagara

Hello Niagara Wineries,

We're headed your way to learn more about the fantastic wines of the Niagara Peninsula. Our goal is to significantly increase our Ontario/Niagara content on our main IconWines.ca site as well as our wine review site Icon Scores. We've scheduled two days of wine tasting and then will be heading up to cottage country to relax and enjoy many fabulous Ontario wines. Our schedule thus far:

Sunday, August 1st:
Coyote's Run Estate Winery
Lailey Vineyards
Stratus Vineyards
Hillebrand Winery
Niagara College Teaching Winery

Tuesday, August 3rd:
Chateau Des Charmes
Fielding Estate Winery
Thirty Bench
Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery
Kacaba Vineyards
Vineland Estates Winery
and hopefully more if time permits

To contact us to book an appointment please email Liam at iconwines@shaw.ca We look forward to meeting you and trying your wines.

Best of BC: Cabernet

In a 2009 summary of their annual wine awards, Wine Access Magazine pondered if Cabernet Sauvignon should be grown in Canada suggesting that producer's efforts could be better spent elsewhere. In some cases they may be right. Cabernet Sauvignon is notoriously hard to ripen and many examples in Canada exhibit a green tannin character that no amount of aging with mellow or ripen. However, to say that we can't grow Cabernet Sauvignon at all is simply wrong. Producers are working hard to discover the best plots in their regions where the right clones of Cabernet Sauvignon will ripen beautifully producing fantastic wines. Below are some of our favourite examples from BC.

In an acknowledgement that the list of high quality Cabernet Sauvignons in BC is short, we've combined this list with our favourite Cabernet Francs.

Cabernet Franc is red grape that, along with Syrah, may prove to be one of BC's signature grapes in the near future. Producers are discovering that when properly ripened, the Cabernet Franc grape can produce charming and unique wines on its own without the need of blending (or much blending).

$20 and below:

Tinhorn Creek 2007 Cabernet Franc - $18
Intense developing aromas of cassis, pungent cheese, plums, caramilk and cigar box notes on the nose. On the palate this deep garnet coloured wine offers flavours of cherries, nutmeg, pepper and cloves. A full-bodied wine with medium acid and tannins and a well-balanced long finish. Where to buy: BCLDB, VQA stores and direct from winery.
Full Review

$30 and below:

Road 13 Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - $25
Like many BC Cab Sauvs, green aromas and flavours have crept into the mix here, but the wine has a lot going for it with a silky-smooth texture, solid fruit flavours, fine tannins and a long, balanced finish. Where to buy: BCLDB, VQA stores and direct from winery.
Full Review

Hillside Estate Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc - $25
Cab Franc is gaining popularity with Canadian producers and they are becoming quite adept at creating full bodied and round wines with amazing aromas. The 2007 CF had notes of currant, chocolate with a touch of spice. Well balanced and built to age for a few years. Very nice and a good price. Where to buy: Direct from winery.

Nichol Vineyard 2006 Cabernet Franc - $27
The small boutique winery on Naramata bench makes some great wines including a lovely Pinot Noir, but  the Cabernet Franc steals the show. The fruit is expressed beautifully wrapped nicely in round, ripe tannins. The winery is currently sold-out, but the 2007 vintage should be ready soon. Where to buy: Sold out.

La Frenz Winery 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon - $27
Big winner at the 2010 All Canadian Wine Competition winning the "Best Cabernet Sauvignon over $25" category. We recommend cellaring this beauty for two years before opening it. however, if you can't wait, you'll get ripe, round tannins and big dark berry flavours. Where to buy: Direct from winery. Select restaurants.

Poplar Grove 2006 Cabernet Franc - $35
The nose is subtle and elegant with notes of plums, milk chocolate, pungent cheese and cigar box. The palate offers flavours of finely-ground pepper, chocolate covered cherries and Christmas spice. This medium-plus bodied wine has good acidity with strong but well-structured tannins and a long finish. Approachable now, but will improve with 1-2 years of aging. Where to buy: BCLDB, VQA stores and direct from winery.
Full Review

$40 and below:

Fairview Cellars 2007 Premier Series Cabernet Sauvignon - $40
Grape grower and winemaker Bill Eggert's home vineyard is one of the best plots in BC to fully ripen both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. His Premier Series Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerhouse red wine that should be laid down for two years plus to be enjoyed fully. year in, year out, its one of the Province's best. Where to buy: Direct from winery and select private wine shops.
Full Review - coming soon

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - $40
Sadly, this recent Lieutenant Governor's Award of Excellence winner is sold out at the winery and VQA stores. Some select restaurants may have it in stock. The 2008 vintage should be released in the fall of 2010. Where to buy: Sold out.

Rollingdale Winery 2007 "La Gauche" Cabernet Sauvignon - $40
Intense aromas of mocha espresso, cherry nibs, dark berries, cassis and licorice on the nose are followed by meaty flavours of leather, oak, earthy minerality and vanilla with a touch of dark fruits on the palate. Moderate alcohol, high acidity and integrated tannins contribute to a medium-bodied palate. Where to buy: Direct from winery.
Full Review

IconWines.ca Turns 1 Year Old

Yeah us! July 17th will mark the date that IconWines.ca went live one year ago. To mark the occasion we're celebrating by diving into our cellars and pulling out a couple special wines.

We have a lot to celebrate. In our first year we managed to establish some excellent relationships in the Canadian wine industry and are well on our way to becoming a solid brand for honest, impartial and informative critique of the wines we review. Building a household brand name is the goal and we are miles from that, but we're very proud of the ground we covered in our first year. We will quietly raise a glass to our successes and plot the future we will strive to achieve. Cheers!

A few stats:

250+ wine reviews, 100+ blog posts, 4 wine regions visited, 4500 Facebook friends, 2900 Twitter tweeps, 13,000+ unique visitors and 25,000+ page views.

Liam's wine: Joseph Drouhin 2001 Beaune Premier Cru
Region: Burgundy
Notes: A blend of the negociant's Premier Cru vineyards in the sub-appellation of Beaune on the Cote d'Or. Barnyard, cigar box, mint, oak and raspberry aromas form the base of the explosive bouquet that filled the room. Great concentration of raspberry and earthy flavours on the silky palate. The nose evolves to reveal more fruit over time. 93pts http://www.drouhin.com/

Hugh's wine: Bergström Wines 2007 Cumberland Reserve Pinot Noir
Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Notes: A blend of 15 contract vineyard holdings (70% Shea Vineyard). Terroir shines through in the form or steely, metallic earthy notes on the nose with youthful aromas of orange zest, vanilla, raspberry, pine and baking spice. Great continuity from the nose to the palate with added flavours of blueberry, fruit leather, minerals and oak spice. Young with room to develop. Contrasted beautifully with the Old World Beaune. 91+pts http://www.bergstromwines.com/home.html

Thank you to everyone who have visited our site over the past year. We hope you will continue to use Icon Wines and Icon Scores as your reference for all wines made and sold in Canada (and tell your friends). Keep an eye out for an iPhone/Android app sometime this year.

Best regards,
Liam Carrier and Hugh Carter