After five years of free beer in the dressing room you get tired of it. So the logical step (obviously) is to move to Grand Cru Bordeaux. This is what Jim Cuddy told me when I recently connected with him to talk about his new wines released through Tawse. In a time where Grand Cru Bordeaux was fifty dollars a bottle Jim would get into the bottles on the back of the tour bus and absorb all the reviews and notes. The stemware of choice on the blue rodeo bus — plastic cups. But not the red ones, they had to be clear so he could see the colours and viscosity of the wines.
Now this move to Grand Cru Bordeaux was taking place in the early 90’s. How do you make the move from the most expensive and sought after wines in the world to Canadian wine? I mean this would be less than twenty years after Inniskillin had started and the industry as a whole would be in its infancy. The charismatic founder of Inniskillin Donald Ziraldo showed Jim the potential in Canadian wines. (note: I interviewed Donald Ziraldo earlier this year you can listen to it by clicking here)
Fast-Forward to the present. In 2015 Jim was one of the judges to help select the winning wines for the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Ontario Wines. There were a lot of wines tasted and he was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the entries overall. The competition picks 8-12 winners, in 2015 there were 305 wines entered in the competiton. Jim said easily eighty percent of the wines were good.
Now, in 2016 we have had a lot of Canadian celebrities put their names on a bottle of wine. Many have been very good including Icewine by Patrick Chan (from Flat Rock) and Meritage by the Tragically Hip (from Stoney Ridge). I have always been curious how involved the named celebrity on the bottle is with the winemaking. It turns out that Jim was quite involved. The final blend for the Red was done by Jim and winemaker Paul Pender. I was especially curious about the Cuddy wines because there is a little more Oak on the Cab-Merlot than I was expecting from Tawse which definitely was a style decision. The Chardonnay is perfectly balanced. It’s nice and fruity with apple and citrus but nice spice and subtle oak notes. These wines are very good, and well priced.
What does the future hold for Cuddy wines? We should enjoy these wines while they are on the shelves, but keep our eyes open for a Sparkling that may be on the horizon. Regardless of what it is, the first release of Cuddy wines is something we should be excited about. Having a well known Canadian Music icon with his name and face on a couple of good bottles of wine are going to convince some people to try Ontario wines.
2013 Cuddy by Tawse Chardonnay – Vintages 469023 (Sep 17) – $24.95 – **** -Crowd pleasing and balanced. The aromas on this wine bring a lot of Apple and Lemon but buried under all the fruit are hints of vanilla. On the palate this brings exactly what you find from the nose with a perfect balance of fruit and flavours from the barrel. The finish is crisp and clean with hints of spice that linger. The clean finish makes this a very food friendly Chardonnay and a great match to grilled Chicken or Fish.
2013 Cuddy by Tawse Cabernet-Merlot – Vintages 469031 (Sep 17) – $24.95 – **** – This wine tastes a little more barrel driven than what I was expecting from Tawse. The nose is heavy with lots of Vanilla and Cocoa notes layered over Raspberries and Blackberries. The flavours are smooth and drink very easy. The flavours of Raspberry, Blackberry, Currant are definitely in the backseat with Vanilla and Smoke driving this wine. The finish is soft and velvet with nice cocoa lingering on the palate. This wine needs no time in a cellar the tannin is already soft and approachable but if you insist on aging don’t hold onto this bottle for more than 2-4 years. Enjoy it now with grilled red meat.
2014 Tawse Spark – Vintages 384966 – $24.95 – **** – This wine is made with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. This is another bottle that in my house is part of the hallowed “Just Because” sparkling wine club. At this price there is no excuse to save this bottle for a special occasion even though it is definitely worthy of being shared with your milestones. The thing about sparkling that we often forget (except at Christmas and Thanksgiving) is that it will pair with virtually any food you can pair with it, and that doesn’t take away from the fact that it tastes just as good sans food pairings. Citrus and Rising bread are what you will find on the nose. Bright crisp acidity washes over granny smith apple and lime flavours keeping the palate refreshed.
2014 Tawse Quarry Road Riesling – Vintages 198853 – $23.95 – ****+ – This is easily one of the best Rieslings from 2014 coming from Niagara. I want to add that this may be the best Riesling I have tasted from Tawse. The nose is Macintosh Apples with Lime and a loud and pronounced mineral note. The announcement from the nose is that this is serious wine. The important thing with Riesling is balance with acidity and this bottle could write the textbook on this topic. The fruit flavours of Apples, Peaches and bright Citrus caress your palate with a nice sweetness. Make sure you don’t gulp this wine down so you can savour the fresh fruit because as soon as you swallow you’re left with mineral and crisp clean acidity. This wine is definitely off-dry but the acidity will make you forget all about the sweetness. All you will want is your next sip to revisit that orchard.
