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