Canadian Wines From Pelee Island In The Middle Of Lake Erie

Canadian Wines From Pelee Island In The Middle Of Lake Erie – Episode #429

March 24, 2008

Gary Vaynerchuk still thinks that Canada is one of the hot up and coming areas in the world and puts a few wines to the test from a pretty cool area!

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Comments on this episode(264) Leave a comment ›

“Pelee makes some incredible wines – their Merlot and Pinot Noir are bo…” by Robert
“Funny enough, my wife just started a wine blog about Canadian Wines an…” by Ray Slakinski
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2006 Pelee Island Gewurztraminer Reserve
2005 Pelee Island Shiraz
2006 Pelee Island Cabernet Franc

Links mentioned in todays episode.

264 Responses

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March 25, 2008

Achilleas in Cyprus
Good show for wine, bad show for Canada, but as Gary says, you can’t just judge all wines from somewhere by just tasting 1.

QOTD – The Rose from Tsangarides Winery in Lemona, Paphos changed the way I look at rose wines as I was a red wine only drinker.
March 25, 2008

ChiChefBrandon
QOTD: L Mawby Blanc de Blanc Brut – Leelenaw Peninsula, MI
Guaranteed this will make you think of Champagne.. in Michigan! My home! Just take away the sexy of Champagne, add a little fun, some character and you got Mawby. This is also not far from the area in todays show… which brings a good point: What about Michigan wines Gary? Its basically Canada there anyway!
March 25, 2008

J Crazy
OOOOO Yeah, good episode. I was recently in a similar situation of taking task to someone who made a ludicrocity statement like “‘Wine’ equals France and I hate California wines.” Similar response to the same question of how much Cali wine have you had. The guy said, “I’ve had Mondavi.” !!H!H!H!A What?!?!
So I rapped to him about how you can’t say stuff like that and he called me a wine snob?! WTF?

Anyways, had excellent Xeres/Sherry at Foodex a few weeks ago. ALVEAR Pedro Ximenez Anada, Pedro Ximenez Solera, Cosecha, and Reserva, Fino. You name it. Totally changed my image and mindset about sherries.
March 25, 2008

Dan C.
Great show gary! Thanks bro!
March 25, 2008

David L
Definitely Alsace. I have had many Rieslings from that region and was never impressed. We did a Weinbach tasting and the Pinot Gris and gewÃ¼rztraminer were awesome. Do not drink these wines before they are at LEAST ten years old. The 1995 Saint Katherine Cuvee Pinot Gris was great. These wines can be expensive though.
March 25, 2008

KVolk
QOTD: Haven’t found that wine yet…….

GV I think you really did a good job expounding (like that) on the fact that you need to taste many wines to find the ones you like and when you do don’t stop trying things……it’s a journey not a destination……
March 25, 2008

Corrado
QOTD: 1998 Vin de Constance
http://www.kleinconstantia.com/vdc98.htm
March 25, 2008

C-BusWineMofo
Great show, I agree Canada is getting more respect these days. Dan Akroid spent like 500,000 bucks to boost wines from our friends to the north. Pelee island was not the best place to start.

QOTD: I had a Waugh Cellars Zin and Chard and just when you thought all Cali Zins and Chards were the same. Both wines are great and true, no over oak and ML, these wines are great examples of what can be happen if you make honest wine in a very un-honest location.
March 25, 2008

Rob Csenar
QOTD: A 2006 St. Supery Moscato changed my thinking on dessert wines. I was never a fan, but that wine blew me away. Since last September, I’ve tried several Reisling’s, Muscats, and many other dessert type wines.
March 25, 2008

Rhonda
QOTD: I had tried Riesling many years ago and remembered it as being sugarfied and syrupy. I tried it again recently and I really enjoyed it. It was complex and NOT too sweet.

I enjoyed all the video from this past weekend on qik.com!
March 25, 2008

C-Lo
Hey GV happy Monday. QOTD: Oliver Winery 2006 Shiraz changed my mind about Indiana wines. I always poked fun at Indiana wines for being too much like sweet fruit juice, but this Shiraz didn’t do half bad! Keep it real.
March 25, 2008

Chris in Tulsa
QOTD: Caves Des Vignerons Reserve Des Vigerones Saumur 2005. This was the first French Cab Franc that really brought the thunder and showed me why you appreciate Cab Franc so much!
March 24, 2008

brorjace
Sorry to see the wines do so poorly, although the only real canadian wine i’ve had is ice wine.

I totally hate the over fruit Napa Cab Sauv, so when I had the Girls in the Vineyard Cab Sauv from Lake County (not Napa obviously), I was pleased that it combined a nice level of fruit with a Bordeaux like greeness and tobacco.
March 24, 2008

Sergio
For me I had a eureka moment when I went wine tasting in Sonoma. I was a no white type of guy but I went to a small winery called Gundlach Bundschu and was “forced” by a good friend to try their 2002 GewÃ¼rztraminer. Reluctantly I tried it but it totally was a wine moment for me. The nose just blew me away and the taste was just a piece of heaven. I completely opened up to whites and now seek them out. Also, we had a cote du rhone in Hawaii on vacation. My girlfriend didnt “like” Rhone style wines until that moment. Now I cant buy anything else but Rhone style wines. Hey at least I have a free ticket to buy wines from the Rhone Valley.
March 24, 2008

Vinsant
A 2005 Cedarman Zin from Turley completely changed my mind about Cali Zins
March 24, 2008

Stefan T
Good idea Moselman.

Perhaps I could bring the grand reserve to the table next time and one up my old man. Maybe I could shame him into expanding his palate and going for something better.
March 24, 2008

Peter
Gary,

Thanks for pushing winemakers here in Ontario to do better. Shiraz here is probably not going to work. For instance. They should know better. Sure it gets hot here, but not like the Okanagan, which is essentially a desert, just like Cali.

On the other hand, if you had tried some of the reserve level wines from Lake Erie north shore (vs the Pelee – yup, that’s Pee-lee Island wines you chose) especially the Cab-Francs (Colio CEV) you might have had a whole different story. We don’t have a lot of good $10-15 wines (yet?). We have quite a few really good wines one price bracket up.

QOTD? Sticking with the home team, Le Clos Jordannes from Niagara blew me away this past easter weekend. JV between Vincor/Jackson Triggs (now owned by Constellation) and Boiset.

PS trip to Pelee island is fun. The wines are what they are (the Gewurz HAS had some good years). Better yet, visit Niagara and Brock University http://www.brocku.ca/ and http://www.brocku.ca/ccovi/ (Lecture: Sparkling wine and Generation Y). Great area to visit.
March 24, 2008

Tim
QOTD: Rhones, never tried them until I tried the Rhone Rebel – it wasn’t my favorite but opened my eyes to the potential for the region …

Yikes! You totally hated on the wines today, sorry the show didn’t pan out the way you hoped. Never tried a Canadian wine, but did have a wine from the Port Clinton (Ohio) region, Mon Ami has a 2004 Cab that really rocked my socks!
March 24, 2008

Scott
Great show, even though the wines were weak!

QOTD: I recently had a Chilean Merlot that changed my idea of Merlot. Getting into wine post-Sideways, I had a negative idea of it but this bottle (my first Merlot) blew me away! Definitely going to be getting more into that category.
March 24, 2008

RnD
QOTD: Some recent South African wines have opened my eyes to this new up and coming region. Great Show!!
March 24, 2008

espressokev
ha! Fun stuff! Next time just pour’em out on the table so they’ll REALLY have something to talk about.
March 24, 2008

Moselman
Thanks, Stefan, that might lead to a similar epiphany for me. A while ago at a social function, I bought a pricey glass of J-T Merlot, and loved it â€“ complex and delicious. Not long after, bought home a bottle of J-T Proprietor’s Reserve Merlot, and was quite disappointed. It wasn’t ‘bad’, but certainly _meh_. So now I see there’s a Jâ€“T Grand Reserve at $10 more, so I’m guessing that was the wine I bought by the glass. I guess my next taste-off will feature the two ‘classes’.
March 24, 2008

Rani Haykal
Great Show!!!

QOTD: On Saturday night I was able to taste a bunch of wines from the Becca Valley (sp?) in Lebanon. I was most surprised by the Chateau Musar, because Ive had wines from around there before from Kefraya and have mildly enjoyed them but the Musar just blew me away. It was extremely old world, both on the nose and palate.

–RH
March 24, 2008

Alaska Sommelier
Wow sorry to hear about the Canada wines. I have to admit I have only had Ice wines from there and there are great. Any way.

QTD: Just had my first Argentinian wine. Was a 2003 Malbec from Pedernal Valley. I was very surprised, it had the old world and the new world going on. I am a zin fan but this was nice I will need to try more.
March 24, 2008

Stefan T
As a die hard Canuck (that’s Canadian for those who aren’t down with the lingo) the show was disappointing. As Gary said, there are much better wines from the Niagara region in Ontario. I’d be very interesting in knowing his opinion on some specific, higher quality wines.

QOTD: My house wine (not by choice) is Jackson Triggs Merlot. Since we drink it every day, I started to think I hated Merlot (it had little to do with Sideways). I tried the 2005 Christian Moueix Merlot, and realized that it might be the Triggs, not the varietal.