Vidal is not just for Icewine. Most people know Vidal for the rich honeyed icewines that are made from the juice of this grape. When it is vinified into table wine you end up with wines that are bright and crisp. It holds onto a lot of the floral qualities that you would find in an icewine but you will also find layers of lemon and lime. Now for the true verdict … are these the best white wines in Ontario? definitely not. But, are they great value? absolutely! This is a true Canadian seafood wine that will pair well with freshly shucked Oysters, Mussels with Herbes to Provence, Cod, Haddock, Halibut … I could go on and on… the bottom line is the racy acidity in these wines and the slight floral quality make them very food friendly.
I had a chance to taste these wines with with Krista Lamb (http://kristalamb.blogspot.ca/), Jason Solanki (http://vintagewinepicks.blogspot.ca/) and the team at the iYellow Wine Cave (http://www.iyellowwineclub.com). I organized a blind tasting (so full disclosure: I knew which wines were being poured ahead of time).
2011 Lailey Vidal – Winery Only – $12.20 – ***1/2+ – Nose and aroma of apple and honey. This is a great balance of acid and just a touch of sweetness on the finish. Very affordable wine from a very skilled winemaker this will make a great addition to your patio as we get on with the spring thaw.
2011 Sue-Ann Staff Vidal – Winery Only – $13.95 – ***1/2 – This was interesting. There was a slight funkiness on the nose that took a few minutes in glass to blow off. The funk was not unpleasant … just funky. This is reminiscent of some of the fine Rieslings made by Sue-Ann. You have white flower and melon on the nose. The wine is a off-dry with lower acidity than the Lailey we tasted first. Fruit flavours lean towards peach and melon.
2012 Reif Estates Vidal – Winery Only – $10.95 – I am not going to write a score for this wine because it tasted like it was completely oxidated. Something didn’t seem right with the screwcap that was used to seal the bottle. I am going to say that I have had past vintages of this wine and it is always easy drinking and affordable.
2012 Pelee Island Monarch Vidal – LCBO 393405 – $10.95 (Magnum $17.95) – ***1/2+ – The cheapest wine of the bunch was also one of my favorites. The nose and flavours in this wine are White Flower, Honey, Lemon and Lime. You can taste the bit of sweetness in this wine, but it is definitely well balanced with acidity.
2013 Lailey Vidal – (Pre-Released) – $12.20 – ***1/2 – It would appear funk made a second appearance with this yet to be released Vidal from Lailey. Flavours in this wine skew citrus with pink grapefruit leading the charge. This very dry offering has snappy acidity on the finish with lingering pink grapefruit cocktail that hangs around in the mouth.
2013 Sandbanks Dunes Vidal – LCBO 110031 – $12.95 – ***1/2 – Off-dry with Melon, Apple and Peach. Simply put this wine from Sandbanks is straightforward, unpretentious and easy drinking. Everything in this wine is a little softer and a little easier drinking than the other wines listed.
Check out what Krista had to say about these wines (http://kristalamb.blogspot.ca/2015/03/ontario-vidal.html) and Jason (http://vintagewinepicks.blogspot.ca/2015/03/vidal-wine-tasting.html)
