Pinot Blanc for a Moody Day

I don't mind the rain. I prefer the overcast sometimes. The black, slick streets, the green leaves and white sky reflecting off the roads, that damp verdant smell of wet soil and shower-kissed lawns. There is a pensive aura in the atmosphere which can often be balanced not by a boisterous, black-pepper Shiraz or red currant cab but something lovely, lively, and interesting. 

Something different...

A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK

In the world of Pinot Noir, there have been many mutations. Pinot Gris is an ancient mutation of Noir and in the 19th century the lighter-berried Gris gave birth to a whiter version. 

Pinot Blanc, hence, was born.

And I should emphasize, mutations are not bad things. Not really. It is simply a spontaneous and unforeseen change to the vine's genetic material, occurring during cell division. And when we look at the world of vitis vinifera (the European vine family making up more than 90% of the world's quality wine), there have been numerous mutations. How else to explain the wide range of varieties available today?

Not only Pinot Noir but also popular Spanish Grenache and French Carignan have been prone to mutations. 

BLANC, WEISBURGUNDER and BIANCO

Like Pinot Gris, Blanc find its familial home in Alsace. Though it may be a member of the Noble Pinot Noir clan, Blanc is sadly used and abused as the workhorse grape in northeastern France (often called Clevner) and less popular than Riesling or Silvaner. ('Pinot Blanc' in Alsace is not so much a varietal as a blend of Blanc and Auxerrois)

Thankfully the German-speaking nations give it more respect. 

As Weissburgunder, it is Germany's sixth most planted white variety, grown in Baden, the Pfalz, and along the banks of the Nahe as well as the Mosel and its tributaries. From the full and  generously rich to the delicate, the variety can take on many different guises. 

Across the border, in eastern Austria, Weissburgunder makes up about 6% of the country's total vineyards and can be made into a varietal with a floral-almond scent or botrytized Trockenbeerenauslese (i.e. late-late-late harvested grapes of super-sweet character), either stand alone or blended with Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. 

In Northern Italy, the grape is well-received as Pinot Bianco in Alto Adige. Though less popular than Pinot Grigio, the variety shows potential when harvested from low-yielding vineyards and oak-aged.

NEW WORLD PINOT BLANC

Chardonnay is king (or queen) of the hill in the world of white grapes (ironically enough, Pinot Blanc was often mistaken for Chardonnay in French vineyards) and many New World winemakers put their  big money behind him (or her). 

But you'll find respectable if not incredible Pinot Blanc in the Pacific Northwest. It is grown in California, Oregon and British Columbia. Chalone Vineyards in the Salinas Valley produces oak-aged Pinot Blanc, left on the lees (taking cues from the Northern Italians) while Willakenzie Estate of the Willamette Valley opts for the older-neutral-barrel-stainless-steel approach, making a Pinot Blanc closer to Viognier with its honeydew-apricot character. 

The same could be said of Peller Estates Okanagan Pinot Blanc. 

ONTARIO PINOT BLANC

In my Dionysian travels, I rarely see Pinot Blanc here in the Niagara region. But two wineries do spring to mind: Konzelmann in the Lakeshore Sub-Appellation of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Henry of Pelham on the Short Hills Bench in West St.Catharines.

Konzelmann Pinot Blanc is typically off-dry (a one on the sweetness code). It is a must for summer decks, docks and other places of sunlit distraction. There is a pear-apple-citrus tango going on in the glass but still, a hint of white flower. 

Henry of Pelham 2010 Pinot Blanc is another strong offering. I love how it says on the back label "restrained peach" in the description. Nope, I shake my head because the Peach here feels like a focused sucker-punch to the palate. The wine is truly lively and lovely and according to my father, "deadly" because it goes down far too easy. 

Ontario wines like these can make it easy for the trendy wine consumer to forget his (typically her) Pinot Grigio.

And on a damp, moody day, something bright and peach-like can make looking out on rain-drizzled street all the more balanced and pleasurable. 

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Alsace in Ontario - Jackson Triggs' Gewürztraminer

In a previous blog I recommended a notable Pinot Blanc from Konzelmann. I also mentioned the grape variety hales from Alsace in North-Eastern France on the German border.

Considering we're on the "border" of summer with spring still dragging its feet, I feel it's time to be prepared for the warmer weather and get to know some of the greater white wines of the Niagara Region. 

ONTARIO AND ALSACE: A COMPARISON

For those beginner wine lovers in southern Ontario, it's essential to note that despite the humid months of July and August, we live in what's considered a cool climate viticultural area. If you look at a map of the world, the majority of wine growing countries fall between 50 degrees and 30 degrees North and 30 degrees and 50 degrees South latitude.

Ontario's three main viticultural areas (Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara Peninsula and Prince Edward County - just outside of Toronto) all fall in between 41 and 44 degrees North latitude (the Okanagan Valley  in B.C. is just shy of 50 degrees). 

Alsace in France is also considered a cooler climate lying between 47 and 49 degrees North latitude. 

Here in the Niagara Peninsula we have the Escarpment acting as a buffer for the on-shore winds from Lake Ontario. This green, southern series of bluffs creates a circular air flow which helps to blow away fog and mist and reduce the threat of damaging frost in the early spring.

In Alsace, the Vosges mountain range protects the region from westerly, rain-bearing winds. While Alsace is one of the driest wine regions of France, along with Roussillon (just north of the Pyrennes), Loraine, which lies west of the Vosges is the wettest. 

The soil in Ontario's vineyards range from Glacial till (mix of clay, silt, sand, gravel), Clay Loam, Sandy Loam (found near Lake Ontario) to Silty Clay (mostly around the Escarpment benches).

The vineyards of Alsace have been described as a 'checkerboard of soil types' including chalk (mixed with clay), limestone, granite, schist, volcanic rock sediment and sandston along with Alsace's pinkish-coloured sandstone which has become known as grès de Vosges (often used as a building material for local cathedrals).

Despite all the technical stuff, the two regions have some nice things in common, namely their easy to read labels and aromatic whites.

GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Pinot Blanc or Weisburgunder, Pinot Gris or Grauburgunder, Riesling, Muscat and Gewürztraminer are perhaps the most famous white varieties of Alsace (the latter four considered the four 'noble' varieties suitable for making the Grand Cru wines of the region).

Of the five mentioned, Gewürztraminer (ge-VURZ-trah-MEAN-er) is the tongue twister, the one  the majority of wine lovers have the most trouble pronouncing. 

Gewürz is actually a German word (big surprise, right?) for spice. Traminer or Tramin, a town in Alto Adige in Northern Italy and is thought to be the place where the grape first originated. So really, the name means "spicy grape from Tramin". 

In parts of Germany and Austria the variety is known as Clevner (which is easier to pronounce, if you ask me).

Styles of Gewürz (the abbreviated form is understood and used quite often) range from light and floral to viscous and rich. Italian Gewurztraminer - mainly known as Traminer - is traditionally closer to Pinot Grigio in body with notes of strawberry and white flowers. In Alsace, you typically find lychee, pink grapefruit and rose water. 

In Ontario, so far many of the wineries I've seen with Gewürztraminer vines are aiming to produce the French style. Some are successful but I find most fall just a tad short of the mark. 

I can highly recommend Featherstone out in Vineland for an excellent rosewater/lychee Gewürztraminer.

For those looking for the lush Alsatian style, Jackson Trigg's two Gewürztraminer offerings. 

WHAT DO YOU PREFER - PINK OR WHITE GRAPEFRUIT?

While visiting the winery today, the young trainee behind the tasting bar, Laura said she really enjoyed the Grand Proprietor's Reserve 2007 Gewürztraminer. I have to say, I first tried the 2007 Riesling (a nice apple petrol touch) and 2008 Chardonnay (buttery with notes of toffee and apple pie), then went on to try Laura's recommendation. 

I was very impressed. For just about nineteen dollars, you can enjoy the lychees, the grapefruit and roses with an additional round, plump honey melon element. The acidity could be a bit brighter but that's just it, Gewürztraminer is not traditionally known for its zesty quality - unlike Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. The viscous body, however, makes the wine so seductive and exotic. An excellent value and comparable to the offerings of Alsace. 

I can also recommend the Delaine Vineyard 2007 Gewürztraminer which has more of a white grapefruit, orange rind, rose and floral feel. It's also gorgeous but it all comes down to your palate and your preferences.

Both wines would be perfectly paired with spicy dishes - Indian, Thai and Vietnamese. Tonight, I had my Grand Proprietor's Reserve with Pad Thai.

Excellent wines but the only thing is I have a hard time recommending the winery namely because of Jackson Triggs' Cellared in Canada (CIC) wines. 

Nonetheless, for a corporate winery, they make some nice higher-end wines. If you love Alsatian Gewürz, these are a must-see and drink

Bibliography

Clark, Oz, 2009 Pocket Wine Guide. Harcourt Publishing, Orlando, 2008.

Fielden, Christopher, Exploring the World of Wine and Spirits. WSET: London, 2005.

 MacNeil, Karen, The Wine Bible. Workman Publishing Company Inc. New York, 2001

Wine Council of Ontario, The Wine Regions of Ontario: An Introductory Course for Ontario Colleges and Ontario Wineries, Second Edition

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