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Fielding, Peller, Creekside, Greenlane and Palatine Hills all multiple winners at Cuvee 2012

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Big winners at Cuvee, Fielding Estate's Curtis Fielding and winemaker Richie Roberts. The Beamsville Bench winery won three awards, more than any other winery.

The annual Cuvee awards, that celebrate the best in Ontario wines, were handed out in Niagara Falls last night to an industry-heavy crowd at the Fallsview Casino.

The big winner of the night was Fielding Estate, a Beamsville Bench winery, taking away three first place prizes for Viognier, Cabernet Franc and its signature Pinot Gris. Owner Curtis Fielding and winemaker Richie Roberts basked in the glow of victory following the awards in the grand hall where winemakers poured their winning wines.

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The glittery gals from Colaneri, Betty and Tara.
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Kevin Panagapka pours his Pinot from 2027 Cellars for guests.
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2027 Cellars award for its Chardonnay.
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Hernder Winemaker Lydia Tomek.
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Food, glorious food, to match all the great wines poured at Cuvee.
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Bottles of 2027 Cellars chilling at Cuvee.

Peller Estates and its sister wineries also did well at the gala celebration, picking up top prizes for Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Hillebrand’s Trius brand winning for top LCBO White wine with its Sauvignon Blanc.

The Cuvée Wine Awards are the only awards in Canada where the winning wines are chosen by the winemakers.  The judging process upholds strict criteria for the award winners and the wines selected for pouring at the Gala. This year, 51 winemakers tasted over 264 wines from 64 wineries to determine the winners.

Each participating winery enters four outstanding wines into the competition and can also present two wines distributed through the LCBO to compete in the Best LCBO Red Wine and Best LCBO White Wine categories.

Wineries sell the award winning wines at their winery boutiques over the Cuvée weekend, where they traditionally sell out within a matter of days.  Consumers can shop for these wines and experience special tastings during Cuvée en Route, the weekend passport program that takes place at participating wineries through Sunday, March 4. Passports can be purchased for $30.00 at participating wineries this weekend.

Proceeds from Cuvée Weekend go to the Niagara Community Foundation and are used in its work with community groups across the region.

Picking up double awards were Palatine Hills Estate Winery (for Red Wine winner, and top Merlot), Angels Gate (Limited Red and Pinot Noir), Greenlane (Top White Wine and Riesling), and Creekside (LCBO Red Wine and Shiraz).

Also congratulations go to Ron Giesbrecht, the winemaker at Henry of Pelham, for earning the Tony Aspler Award for consistently producing fine wines across Henry of Pelham’s portfolio for 22 years.

The awards were handed out in what organizers consistently describe as “Oscar-style” in a room adjacent to the hall where the wine and food is served. If the Cuvee Awards are going to grow in stature it simply has to change its delivery of the awards portion of the event, which can be painful in many respects for the audience and not at all like the Oscars.

Why don’t the winners get to say something after they’ve won? It has to better than sponsors and the emcee doing all the talking.

Cuvee is in dire need of an seasoned speaker as its emcee (chosen not because they are a sponsor of the event, but because they can do the job), who can be entertaining and inject some life into the nearly hour-long presentation. And choosing those who pay for the privilege of presenting each category (again, the sponsors of the event) just has to change in favour of those who actually work in the wine industry and know a thing or two about the wine.

Maybe for the 25th anniversary of Cuvee organizers will take the opportunity to actually put some “Oscar” into their “Oscars.”

Here’s a list of the winners, with previously written reviews from the files at Wines In Niagara (note, not all wines have been reviewed).

NOTE: Mike Lowe will be posting a story on the food served at Cuvee here soon.

Cuvée Awards 2012

Red Wine / WINNER

Palatine Hills Estate Winery Proprietor’s Reserve Merlot 2007

Limited Edition Red Wine / WINNER

Angels Gate Winery Mountainview Pinot Noir 2009

Angels Gate Pinot Noir 2009 ($24, 89 points) — From the Mountainview Vineyard at the estate’s Beamsville Bench property, this is another Pinot with excellent value. Lovely ripe nose of red cherry, raspberry, light toast and spice. Lovely mouthfeel with smooth tannins, cedar, red fruits and spice.

White Wine / WINNER

GreenLane Estate Winery Riesling 2010

GreenLane Estate Riesling 2010 ($22, winery, 86 points) — A fragrant nose of summer peach, melon and apple. It’s made in an off-dry style, perhaps a touch unbalanced with the hot vintage cutting down the acidity in relation to the residual sugar level, but still shows appealing, fleshy orchard fruits and subtle minerality.

Limited Edition White Wine / WINNER

2027 Cellars 19th Street Chardonnay 2010

2027 Cellars 19th Street Chardonnay 2010 ($30, was not released when reviewed, not rated) – This Chardonnay had not yet finished its development in bottle when I tasted it and therefore is unfair to rate at this point. But I did enjoy a bottle, the first one that Kevin Panagapka has opened for critics, so can offer some initial notes. It has a gorgeous nose of soft oak and generous notes of pear and tropical fruit with underlying minerality. It’s supple on the palate with flinty minerality, quince, smoky vanilla and deft oak stylings. It has lovely depth of fruit and leaning toward a balanced approach. Can’t wait for to see this in six months or so.

LCBO Red Wine / WINNER

Creekside Estate Winery Shiraz 2009

LCBO White Wine / WINNER

Hillebrand Winery Trius Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Trius Sauvignon Blanc 2010 ($14, 90 points) — Not even considering the price of this stellar SB, McDonald has crafted one amazing wine. Such a wonderful nose of gooseberry, melon, lemon-citrus, herbs, tropical fruits and just a hint of spice from a touch of oak barrel age. It’s fleshy and fruity in the mouth, a by-product of the hot vintage, but maintains its balance. Some garden herbs and kiwi fruit on the edges.

Dessert Wine / WINNER

G. Marquis Vineyards Riesling Icewine 2009

Limited Edition Dessert Wine / WINNER

Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery Riesling Icewine 2007

Sparkling Wine / WINNER

Tawse Winery Spark Rosé 2009

Tawse Spark Rose 2009 ($35, 90 points) — Made from 100% Pinot Noir from the Laundry Vineyard, this delicious rose is aged two years on the lees and made in the traditional method. Lovely brioche notes to start with meaty, yet soft, red fruits on the nose. I love the vigorous mousse on the palate with a basket of fresh red fruits and finesse on the with toast and vanilla through the finish. All with gorgeous acidity to refresh the palate sip after sip.

Chardonnay / Winner

Stoney Ridge Cellars Excellence Chardonnay 2009

Stoney Ridge Excellence Chardonnay 2009 ($32, 88 points) — This Chardy is barrel fermented and French-oak aged. It’s youthful and tight at the moment and needs to open up. The nose reveals creamy vanilla and spice notes to go with pear and citrus fruit. The oak comes forward on the palate (time will balance it out) with hazelnut, vanilla cream, and fruit flavours underneath. I like the aging potential of this wine.Riesling / WINNER

GreenLane Estate Winery Riesling 2010

Gewürztraminer / WINNER

Konzelmann Estate Winery Gewürztraminer Late Harvest 2010

Sauvignon Blanc / WINNER

Peller Estates Winery Private Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010

White Blend / WINNER

Stonechurch Vineyards Riesling Gewürztraminer 2009

Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris / WINNER

Fielding Estate Winery Estate Bottled Pinot Gris 2010

Fielding Estate Pinot Gris 2010 ($22, 90 points) — Estate Pinot Gris from younger vines in the Jack Rabbit Flats Vineyards. A nose of musk, melon, pear, coconut and some minerality. It’s rich and ripe on the palate with lovely texture, balanced spice and length through the finish. Medium acid, partially barrel fermented fruit.

Viognier / WINNER

Fielding Estate Winery Viognier 2010

Fielding Estate Viognier 2010 ($31, 91 points) — Viognier in Niagara continues to impress me, especially the top examples such as this one from Fielding. The grapes were sourced from Niagara-on-the-Lake, picked to Roberts’ specifications. It is always the last white grape to come in for processing after being picked on Oct. 1. From there it’s sorted by hand, fermented in stainless steel and kept on the lees for three months. Such a gorgeous and intense nose of peach, apple, pear compote and smothered in creamy honey notes. It’s a ripe, juicy, layered and textural beauty in the mouth with peach, pear and hints of exotic white pepper, Christmas nutmeg-clove spice and persistence on the finish. It doesn’t show its 14% alcohol on the palate and Roberts says it’s built to show well through 2014.

Cabernet Sauvignon / WINNER

Peller Estates Winery Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Cabernet Franc / WINNER

Fielding Estate Winery Cabernet Franc 2010

Meritage / WINNER

Kacaba Vineyards Reserve Meritage 2007

Pinot Noir/ WINNER

Angels Gate Winery Mountainview Pinot Noir 2009

Merlot / WINNER

Palatine Hills Estate Winery Proprietor’s Reserve Merlot 2007

Gamay Noir / WINNER

13th Street Winery Gamay Noir Sandstone Old Vines 2010

Red Blend / WINNER

Colaneri Estate Winery Insieme 2009

Syrah / Shiraz / WINNER

Creekside Estate Winery Broken Press Syrah 2008

Tony Aspler Cuvée Award of Excellence, sponsored by Tony Aspler

Ron Giesbrecht, Winemaker, Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery: For consistently producing fine wines across Henry of Pelham’s portfolio for 22 years.

Cuvée Award of Excellence in Viticulture / WINNER, sponsored by BASF Canada Inc.

Duarte Oliveira Sr., Oliveira Vineyards