Among the assembled throng of tasters were Ontario Wine Society members, sommeliers, restaurateurs, winery principals and wine writers. The idea was to see if we could discern which reds were from Canada and which from Bordeaux.
All of the wines were sculpted from the major grapes that go into Bordeaux-style blends — that is, mainly cabernet sauvignon and merlot, with a smattering of cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot.
The Bordelais like to make these blends because Mother Nature is fickle in that zone of France, and the grapes perform differently each year. Blending the best-performing varieties of each vintage enables Bordeaux winemakers to build the best wines despite varying weather and ripeness.
Regions in the New World, including Ontario and B.C., have long made similar Bordeaux-style blends, sometimes dubbed meritage. The question of the evening was not only whether we could tell them apart, but how would they perform on our taste buds. Which country's wines would win out?
Such blind competitions have been going on for 30 years globally. The first famous one unfolded in Paris in 1976 when U.K. wine agent Steven Spurrier embarrassed French wine judges, who blindly picked California whites and reds over their own beloved Chateaux. Outrage and indignation ensued.
In Ontario, Larry Paterson, a.k.a. The Little Fat Wino, has pitted our wines against Bordeaux in 16 tastings since 1996. The Canadian wines have performed splendidly time after time. For those results, go to http://www.littlefatwino.com.
For this tasting, guest speaker Tony Aspler noted wryly after trying the 10 wines that the theory of "continental drift" seemed to have come to life. Indeed, the 10 wines were uncannily similar to our taste buds. It was more like a continental convergence of aromas and flavours.
Lurking among the 10 wines was a "ringer" — a wine from an unknown country. As things turned out, that wine, Newton Forrest 2002 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Malbec ($42.75) from New Zealand won the day once the 140 votes were tabulated.
To ferret out Bordeaux wines, Aspler looks for "acid and tannins" as the hallmark. Personally, I look for a certain astringency and a rubbery aroma that characterizes French Bordeaux. Plus, there's a certain earthiness lurking in slightly unripe fruit, often masked by layers of slightly bitter oak tannins.
Finishing second was Stoney Ridge 2002 Founders Cabernet Merlot Signature ($34.95, Ontario). Third was Sumac Ridge 2001 Pinnacle ($50, B.C.). Fourth was Colio 2002 CEV Reserve Merlot ($24.95, Ontario). Fifth was Southbrook 1999 Triomphe ($39.95, Ontario). Sixth was Mission Hill 2001 Oculus ($50, B.C.). Seventh was 2002 Chateau l'Hôpital Veyret Latour ($27.95, Bordeaux). Eighth was 2000 Chateau Segonzac ($32.95, Bordeaux). Ninth was Lakeview Cellars 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon ($25, Ontario). Last was 2003 Chateau Puyfromage ($13.95, Bordeaux).
In the room of 140, only three tasters were able to correctly pick out the Bordeaux. I was fortunate enough to be one of them. The other two winners were legal secretary Darlene Sexton and marketing expert Cameron Hourd. Cam had an edge — he used to take wine lovers on corporate tours of Bordeaux wine country. The palate does not forget!
I also found the Lakeview Cellars cab and the Mission Hill Oculus to possess very Bordeaux-like traits. My personal favourites of the evening were the Colio Merlot, followed closely by the Chateau Segonzac and Lakeview Cellars. It was a bit unfair to stick the Puyfromage, an entry-level Bordeaux with no great pretensions, into this tasting of pricey reds.
New World Canadian wine regions, still very young, again outperformed centuries-old winemaking prowess from the Old World. And a fun learning experience was had by all.