Discovering Catawba

© Paul Bulas

For a long time, I had a real desire to get to know the varietal characteristics of Catawba, a pink-skinned grape with native American parentage. It wasn't an easy task though, as varietal Catawba was nowhere to be seen on wine shelves. Then, while on a visit to Thomas & Vaughan Vintners in Beamsville, I discovered an interesting find: The winery's Old Gold late harvest dessert wine -- made entirely from Catawba.

Opening the dark olive-brown 375 ml Burgundy-style bottle, I poured some of the wine into a tasting glass and got to work. The wine had a golden-straw colour at the centre, which faded to pale, light clear-straw at the edges. The nose was complex, with estery tropical-fruit, fruit-cocktail and candied-strawberry aromas. On the palate, there was very forward acidity that spread across the palate and was balanced by a commensurate sweetness. The finish, which was very long, could be likened to the flavour of ripe Bartlett pears.

While the sweetness of a dessert style builds body into the wine, the underlying textural profile of Catawba wine is one of zingy acidity. To my taste, Catawba could very well be made in a lighter-bodied dry table wine style, and still provide some real aromatic interest for anyone wishing to experience the "native American flavour".

October 2001

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