Cedar Creek Winery Vidal
Say hello to the Sui Generis February Wine of the Month, Cedar Creek's Vidal. It's the one on the left of the photo, absolutely encrusted in awards. We tasted it on the cellar tour and I was very impressed. I looked it up in my Oxford Companion to Wine, for reassurance that I was not being misinformed, and verified that Vidal is a real grape. In fact, its hardy nature makes it well-suited to the climate in Wisconsin and it is used for making ice wines in Canada. Somewhat ironic, then, that their grapes are actually grown in New York and then shipped to Wisconsin for production.
Cedar Creek may not grow the grapes, but winemaker Philippe Coquard certainly knows how to use the grapes to make a top-drawer white wine. Back in New York, he was named "Winemaker of the Year!" I first heard of this winery when I drank their Settlement Gold, a slightly effervescent dessert wine that tasted of tropical fruit. We were so impressed with it that we made a three hour round trip to visit the winery and see what else they had to offer!
The Vidal dials down the sweetness of the Settlement Gold and increases the sophistication, making it a great semi-dry table wine. I couldn't identify any of the tastes ("pears and apricots" claims the website), but I did know that there were a lot of crisp, citrusy flavors dancing in my mouth and the overall effect was delicious. At $8.50 a bottle, it's an excellent value... if you can find it. A shining example of what can be done with an unusal grape in an unexpected place. Visit the winery if it's at all possible, but otherwise this wine is worth a little effort to track down.
1 comment:
I just had some Vidal Canadian Ice Wine that I picked up from the duty free. Very tasty indeed! the bottle was too small andn we finished it very quickly.
>^..^<
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