Cab Franc Challenge Update - Night 3 - Nov. 20

Night 3 (Blend/Meritage) saw yet another disqualification ... a well known winery submitted a non-VQA, non-Cab Franc dominated blend into the mix. Sadly it won the night, but due to the rules we could not keep it on the list.

For the Blends and Reserve nights the scorecard was changed to better reflect the moods of our tasters - instead of just asking for an overall impression of the wine we went a little more high tech and asked for a score for both nose and taste, then with some fancy mathematics these scores were combined to give us the overall impression of the wine. Because the Regular Francs had already begun when this change occurred they will continue to be judged on a single overall mark.

Not surprising with this value conscious bunch, the best tasting wine and the one they would most likely buy, was also the most expensive wine on the table ... this caused the wine to drop from what should have been an inevitable first place finish to its final resting place in sixth based on its price tag.

Congratulations goes out to Joseph, who was able to pick out both the most expensive bottle on the table and the least expensive bottle.

There will be more news to come after Tuesday November 27, as we start to pour the reserves.

Cab Franc Challenge Update - Night 2 - Wednesday Nov. 14

Night two saw a smaller crowd (than night 1 - by 2 people) gather to rate another 12 Cabernet Francs in the regular category ... while we did not have a controversy over labeling like last time - we did have some trouble with a couple of bottles; be it corked, bret or other forms of faults. These two wineries battled it out for last place with two faulty bottles each ... this is truly a shame because I had tried both wines over the summer and neither showed signs of any kind of fault at that time.

On a more positive note ... Night 2's winner inched out Night 1's winner by a mere .02 ... making it the overall leader, for the time being; we have another 8 Regular Cab Francs to judge at our Icewine evening, which has now been set for December 11.

More news as it unfolds from Night 3 (Tuesday November 20) when we try the blends.

Cab Franc Challenge Update - Night 1 - Thursday November 8, 2007

Game on! As we used to say playing hockey in the streets, it was then the sticks started swinging and the ball started rolling. The gloves are off (let's call them capsules and corks) and the ball is rolling at this the first ever Cabernet Franc Challenge. We opened and tried our first 12 wines this Thursday evening. Each major wine region was represented including one that had no designed region at all. Our first night's winning wine had to be disqualified because of faulty labeling practices by the winery. VQA regulations state that a single varietal wine (ie: Cabernet Franc) has to contain a minimum of 85% of that particular grape to be consider a straight varietal ... for example you could put 10% Syrah into a Cabernet Sauvignon and still label it as "Cabernet Sauvignon" on the label without making mention of the syrah. Upon reading the notes from theii winery during the Challenge it was noted that the wine was 80% Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, so the wine shuld have been labeled as a Cabernet, Cabernets or some blend derivative name. Granted the winery in question doesn't fall under the purview of the VQA (though they do use 100% Ontario grapes). So the first night's "best tasting" wine was a blend ... the good news is this makes me excited for blend/Meritage night on the 20th. Stay tuned for more news after the tasting on the 14th.

Announcing the OntarioWineReview Cabernet Franc Challenge

To order your tickets Click here

What:

It’s time to be Franc … or at least pick the best. Join the Grape Guy, Michael Pinkus, over the course of five nights in November and into December (Nov. 8, 14, 20, 27 & Dec. 6), as we try to figure out who is making the best Cabernet Franc in Ontario.

We’ll convene at The Fine Wine Reserve in downtown Toronto, where over the course of 5 nights we’ll taste over 62 different Cabernet Francs from some 38 Ontario wineries. The wines will be broken down into 3 categories: Cabernet Franc, Franc Blends, and Franc Reserves; and each night we’ll sample between 7 and 10 different wines. Tasting will be done blind (you’ll know the category but not the producer). Then, each taster will decide, based on a scale from 1 to 10, the following criteria: 1) do you like it; 2) would you buy it and 3) is it good value. There will also be a brief talk about Cabernet Franc, it's history and future in Ontario.

This is not a reviewers challenge, it is a people's challenge - your votes and feedback will determine Ontario's Best Cabernet Franc.

Afterward we’ll mix and mingle for coffee and dessert … featuring some special bottles of wine from area fruit wineries, Balderson cheese, some sweet treats and coffees from Raymond Emes & Co. There will also be door prizes from The Original Grape Shirt Company.

When:

Thursday November 8 - Regular Cabernet Franc ... Night 1
Wednesday November 14 - Regular Cabernet Franc ... Night 2
Tuesday November 20 - Cabernet Franc Blends (Meritage)
Tuesday November 27 - Cabernet Franc Reserve ... Night 1
Thursday December 6 - Cabernet Franc Reserve ... Night 2

Please Note: Different wines in each category are poured each night
Come to one or come to them all … we’d love to have your opinion.

To book a date by credit card just click the date you want; or see below for cheque or phone order options.

Time: 7:00 - 10:00pm
Wine and Cheese Reception – 7:00pm
Tasting 7:30pm …
After Party 9:00 - 10pm

Where:

The Fine Wine Reserve
King Street West, Toronto – between Bathurst and Spadina
Click here to see map to location

Tours of this amazing facility will also be available both before and after the tasting.

Cost:

Tickets are $40 per night
Bonus: purchase any 3 nights and get an invite to the exclusive, invitation only Cabernet Franc Icewine Tasting.

Get Your Tickets Today:
Payment can be made by Cheque, Visa, Mastercard or American Express.

Pay by Credit Card - Visit Local Wine Events or Call the Grape Line 416-346-2223 and leave a message with the best time to call you back - Michael will get back to you within 24 hours to take your ticket order.

Pay by cheque - Print the registration form by clicking here. Complete the registration form and send it along with your cheque to the address indicated on the form.

There is a limit of 24 people per night. Pre-registration is a must.

Questions:

For those who prefer to speak to a live human being, to get more detail please call me 416-385-9400 – if you get the machine, please leave a message and I will get back to you ... promise. Or you can email me at michael@ontariowinereview.com.

Contact Info ...

For all inquiries, ticket purchases or questions contact Michael Pinkus - Grape Guy:
Home - 416-385-9400
Grape Line - 416-346-2223
Email - michael@ontariowinereview.com


The Cab Franc Challenge features wines from these participating wineries*:

Angels Gate; Black Prince; Caroline Cellars; Cattail Creek; Cave Spring; Chateau des Charmes; Colchester Ridge; Colio Estate; Coyote’s Run; D’Angelo Estate; EastDell Estates; Erie Shore Vineyard; Frog Pond Farm; Henry of Pelham; Hernder; Hillebrand; Huff Estates; Jackson-Triggs; Joseph’s Estate; Kacaba Vineyards; Lailey Vineyard; Lakeview Cellars; Legends Estates; Mastronardi Wines; Mountain Road; Niagara Vintners (20 Bees); Oak Heights; Pelee Island Winery; Pillitteri Estates; Puddicombe Estates; Reif Estate; Riverview Cellars; Sandbanks Winery; Sprucewood Shores; Stoney Ridge; Thirty Bench; Viewpointe Estate; Vineland; Willow Heights and Willow Springs.

*not all wineries featured each night.

Purchasing Tickets for the OntarioWineReview Cabernet Franc Challange

It's just this easy ...

Pick your Date(s):

Thursday November 8 – Regular Cabernet Franc ... Night 1
Wednesday November 14 – Regular Cabernet Franc ... Night 2
Tuesday November 20 – Cabernet Franc Blends
Tuesday November 27 – Cab Franc Reserve ... Night 1
Thursday December 6 – Cab Franc Reserve ... Night 2

Pick your method of payment:

By Cheque -
Click here to print the order form - fill it out and send your cheque to the address indicated on the form.

By Visa/Mastercard/Amex - Two Ways ...

One ... Call the Grape Line - 416-346-2223
(leave a message and we'll get back to you within 24 hours)

Two ... Secure Online payment thru LocalWinesEvents.com
(just click on the date you want to attend below, it will take you to LocalWineEvents.com - click on the "Reserve Your Tickets Now" line ... follow the instructions given)

Thursday November 8 – Regular Cabernet Franc ... Night 1
Wednesday November 14 – Regular Cabernet Franc ... Night 2
Tuesday November 20 – Cabernet Franc Blends
Tuesday November 27 – Cab Franc Reserve ... Night 1
Thursday December 6 – Cab Franc Reserve ... Night 2

And you're done ...
We look forward to seeing you at the Fine Wine Reserve

For any other information please feel free to contact Michael Pinkus at 416-385-9400 or by email michael@ontariowinereview.com