A Visit to Quai du Vin Estate Winery

© Paul Bulas

On the last weekend of October, I was able to visit Quai du Vin Estate Winery located just southeast of the town of St. Thomas, in Elgin County, Ontario. This is about a half-hour's drive south of the city of London. The winery is located atop a plateau, from which it is possible to see the glistening waters of Lake Erie to the south. The winery opened its doors in 1990, but vineyards were first planted on the property as far back as 1970.

Part of my enthusiasm for visiting this winery lay in the knowledge that it is the only winery left in Ontario that offers such a wide range of native American Vitis labrusca varietal wines in addition to the usual selection of white hybrid and even white and red vinifera wines. Really, the selection of wines is quite diverse.

My focus on this trip was essentially to taste the winery's American hybrid and labrusca offerings. I was able to taste the whole bunch, and am delighted to report on my findings. The particular grape varieties were: Dutchess, Elvira, Niagara and Concord. The lady at the tasting counter explained to me that the labrusca wines had a very loyal following in the region. It greatly pleased me to hear this, as I myself have always been a proponent of local specialties.

Onto the wines.

Dutchess, an American hybrid grape, is a variety that I had hitherto only read about but never tasted. What a shame! Especially since it makes such a crisp, food-friendly and aromatically pleasant white wine.

2000 Quai du Vin Dutchess
Brilliant, clear straw colour. Bright, lemony freshness on the nose, with some mildly floral "foxy" hints. Very intriguing, eclectic mix of aromas. Invigorating, no-nonsense acidity on the entry, with a crisp, acid-driven texture. Very food-friendly, and a pleasant change from the usual varieties.

Elvira is a native American variety about which I had only heard, and never experienced prior to this visit. Unlike Niagara, with its unmistakable and monolithic aromas, Elvira has only light hints of foxiness. Overall, its aromatic traits are far more subdued and delicate than those of Niagara.

2000 Quai du Vin Elvira
Brilliant pale straw colour with some C0
2 effervescence. Vibrant, lemony acidity is evident right from the nose. Pleasant lemon-skin aromas with light "foxy" whiffs. Mouthfillingly tart and alive; in fact, very tart and cleansing. Just a hint of sweetness in the finish. An elegant wine with labrusca parentage.

The following is the first Ontario-produced quality varietal Niagara wine that I have ever tried. As the winery's own notes explain, it is meant to be a social, rather than a table, wine.

1999 Quai du Vin Niagara
Clear, light golden-straw colour with a viscous-looking texture. Full-forward, sweet, "foxy" grape jelly and fresh grape aroma, with typical gamey undertones. Good acidity on the entry is rapidly tempered by a sweet palate-feel and a rather thick, sweet, flavourful finish. Otherwise, very aromatically pure and delightfully fragrant. I would have preferred it dry, or at least near-dry, however.

Next, we come to Concord. Yes, Quai du Vin does make a varietal Concord wine (and it is labelled as such). This, like the Niagara, is made to be a social rather than table wine.

1999 Quai du Vin Concord
Light ruby colour, with a viscous-looking texture similar to that of the Niagara. Very forward, fruity nose of strawberry compote and sweet-tart boysenberries. The texture, rather than being acid-defined, is essentially a balance of acidity and sweetness. I enjoyed the Concord flavours, but would have preferred the wine if it were made dry (it makes a big difference in the finish, in my opinion).

Adding a French hybrid red to the mix, I ended up tasting the De Chaunac. If I had to summarize my impressions with only three letters, I think I'd say "w-o-w". I do not know how old the De Chaunac vines are here, but there's some real -- dare I say it -- "Old World earthiness" in this wine! If I did not know it was a De Chaunac from north of Lake Erie, I would have certainly guessed this wine to be French. Tasting this wine was a revelation, and the experience has solidified my high opinion of De Chaunac as a quality wine grape.

1998 Quai du Vin De Chaunac
Medium/dark ruby-garnet core; garnet-pink at the edges. Earthy, cherry nose backed up by hints of vanillin oak -- just enough oak to add complexity. Pleasantly dry on the entry, with a mouthfilling, dry tart black-cherry earthiness. Lovely acid/tannin structure down the middle creates a sense of firmness. Cleansing, earthy black cherry finish. This De Chaunac is almost vinifera-like!

There were other wines, namely: Chardonnay (two versions: one oaked, another off-dry and unoaked); a Traminer, a dry and off-dry Vidal, a Seyval, and a proprietary blend of various grapes. There was also a Baco Noir, a varietal Cab and a Merlot. These, I did not try. But I will be eager to do so at some point in the future.

If you are in the area, I definitely recommend a visit to Quai du Vin!

Directions to the winery can be obtained from the winery's website.

October 2001

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