IVSA New Products Salon - Wines of Note

Today was the Import Vintners & Spirits Association (IVSA) New Product Salon tasting to the wine Trade in Vancouver, BC. It was a very full event with at least 50 tables from what I could see through the crowds. And consider that at each table, they would be pouring at least 6 different NEW wines, there was at least 300 wines to sample today! Some of the wines are wines that are already in the store, but what is new is the vintage, e.g. a 2008 sauvignon blanc coming out.

I always enjoy attending the IVSA, in part to meet other Trade people, I tweet with, but also to find new and interesting wines. So for the rest of this week's blog, I'd like to list a few white and red wines that I enjoyed. The wines come from all different price ranges.

Some nice whites:
- Rudolf Muller Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett 2008 (Germany). This riesling had a light lime nose. Medium sweet but good acidity to balance it and a red apple flavour. $16.99
- Sacred Hill Pinot Gris 2008 (Marlborough - New Zealand). Light lemon in colour, with lychee and pear aromas. Round mouthfeel. Off dry with lychee and apple flavours $19.99 (spec)
- Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Marlborough - New Zealand). I was told that this winery is a joint venture with Antinori from Italy. The wine had a light herbal nose. Halepeno pepper and herbal flavours. Medium acidity. Restrained. Quite nice. $28.99 (spec)
- Torresella Pinot Grigio Veneto IGT (Italy). This pinot grigio had light peach, apricot and mineral aromas. Light effervescense. Apricot and apple flavours. $14.99 (spec)
- Miner Family Vineyards "Napa Valley" Chardonnay 2007 (California). Vanilla and pineapple on the nose. Toasty oak, pineapple and spice on the palate. Round mouthfeel. $39.95 (spec)

Some nice reds:
- Ata Rangi 'Crimson' Pinot Noir 2008 (Waiparapa - New Zealand). Light cherry colour. Raspberry aroma. Red cherry and raspberry flavours. Soft tannins. Very elegant. $27.99 (spec)
- Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir (Burgundy - France). Light cherry and vanilla on the nose. Cherry flavour builds in your mouth with a bit of aeration. Also some flowers and apple flavours. $21.99 (spec)
- Belle Gios Meiomi 2007 (California). This one is a pinot noir. Light garnet in colour. Light red currant and chocolate aromas. Nice cherry, raspberry and vanilla flavours, and balanced tannins. $33.99 (spec)
- Row Eleven Santa Maria Pinot Noir 2005 (California). Medium garnet colour. Cherry and smoke on the nose. Cherry, vanilla and raspberry flavours. Dry tannins with a long finish. A premium wine! $46.99
- Kenwood Vineyards Yulupa Old Vine Zinfandel 2007 (California). Medium garnet in colour. Nice raspberry jammy nose. Lots of raspberry fruit flavour. Medium tannins. A deal. $19.49
- Kenwood Vineyards Jack London Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (California). Deep purple in the glass. Capsicum and cherry aromas. Tar and cherry on the palate, with firm tannins. $34.99
- Farnese Vini Primitivo Puglia 2007 (Italy). Primitivo and Zinfandel are the same grape variety, if you didn't know. This one had nice reddish purple colour in the glass. Light violet and red fruit on the nose. Full ripe red fruit flavours, with soft-medium tannins. Easy to drink and an exceptional price. $9.99 (spec)

An unexpected red wine was the L.A. Cetto Private Reserve Nebbiolo 2003 from the Baja part of California in Mexico! I never knew the Nebbiolo was grown in Mexico. This one had delicious ripe berry flavours, ripe but restrained, and firm tannins, but not to the extent that you would get from an Italian Nebbiolo. Drinkable right now. Sorry I didn't get the price but I believe it is in the $20 range.

Enjoy!

La Deutsche Vita

What's new in German wines? That was the question on May 7/09, in Vancouver. The Wines of Germany hosted a Trade event to reintroduce the wine trade to Riesling as well as the less commonly known varietals that make it out to Canada, such as Pinot Noir. We were given an overview by Dr. Steffen Maus, wine writer from Germany, about the main wine regions, some background on the latest vintages and where Germany fits into the global wine scene.

While most people think of sweeter style Rieslings, I found out that more than half of Germany's wine production is dry white wines. Pinot Noir is a major red varietal in Germany, and is the 3rd largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world. Quite an achievement. Germany produces 3-4 times more Pinot Noir than New Zealand.

As for vintages, 2007 is viewed as the best vintage in the past 15 years. For Reisling, it produced luscious ripe fruit with good acidity. These wines can stand cellar aging. If you prefer a fresher, greener fruit type of Reisling, one to drink now, try the 2008 vintage.

So what were some wines I quite enjoyed?
- Bischofliche Weinguter, 2007 Riesling Spatlese. This wine was pale lemon, some stone fruit and peach aroma. Sweet on the palate but still dry.
- Weingut Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler, 2007 Riesling. Some rieslings as they age pick up a petrol aroma and flavour. This one had a bit of petrol and flowers on the nose. Round mouthfeel, with petrol citrus and apple flavour. LOTS happening in this glass.
- Moselland 2007 Riesling Spatlese. This one had a sweet, lemony, spicy nose. Quite sweet on the palate, but good acid to balance it. Full bodied, with apple and flowery flavours.
- Weingut Pfeffingen 2008 Gewurztraminer Spatlese. Gewurztraimer means spicy grape from the town of Traminer in Germany. This one was pale lemon coloured, with a pine needle aroma. Medium sweetness, pine needle flavour, with a lychee finish.
- Valckenberg 2007 Gewurztraminer. This gewurztraminer was very aromatic. Lots of lychee aroma. In the mouth it was very round, with spicy, roses, and lychee flavour.

Enjoy!