CANADA. Wine Enthusiast Magazine has chosen Inniskillin as the New World Winery of the Year, citing the efforts of co-founders Karl Kaiser and Donald Ziraldo as the innovators and leaders of Canada’s growing wine industry, despite working in one of the world’s more extreme climates.
The winemaker celebrated by giving away a fabulous mixed case of wine to a lucky reader of The Moodie Report. All entrants had to do was to answer three simple questions (see details below). The competition attracted entries from all over the globe. Most had the correct answers but the winning entrant was James McLean, Manager Operations Analysis & Yield Management, Abu Dhabi Airport Catering & Duty Free.
The award is especially gratifying to Kaiser and Ziraldo who, when they began to fulfil their vision of creating world-class premium wines in 1975, were in a local industry that was virtually unknown outside of Canada.
Publisher of New York-based Wine Enthusiast Adam Strum said the selection committee felt that it was time to recognise the quality of Canadian wines. “Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser of Inniskillin are pioneers of Canadian wine industry who have led the way in the production of premium Canadian wines,” said Strum.
The producers of Inniskillin offered a fabulous mixed case of wine (pictured) to the lucky winner, shipped direct to the winner. The mixed case of Inniskillin Icewine features a sample of the range of Icewines produced by Inniskillin: Vidal, Oak Aged Vidal (Gold), Riesling, Cabernet Franc & Sparkling, providing a unique ‘horizontal’ tasting opportunity of Canada’s flagship Icewine.
Here are the answers:
Question 1:
Inniskillin Ice Wine is produced in:
a) Canada
b) Iceland
c) Greenland
d) Ireland
ANSWER: CANADA
Question 2:
Canada’s national symbol is:
a) A mountie
b) A maple leaf
c) Inniskillin Ice Wine
d) A hockey player
ANSWER: A MAPLE LEAF
Question 3:
What is Inniskillin’s winery called? (clue: visit www.Inniskillin.com and click on ‘winery’)
a) The Brae Burn Estate
b) Chateau Inniskillin
c) Toronto Maple Leaf Winery
d) Niagara Falls Estate
ANSWER: THE BRAE BURN ESTATE
Background: In the 1980s, while Donald Ziraldo was working to organise Canada’s appellation system, the Vintner’s Quality Assurance (VQA), Karl Kaiser began experimenting with grapes frozen naturally on the vine to create the ice wine revered in his native Austria. He found that not only did the Niagara Peninsula provide the optimal climate in which to make table wines, but the guaranteed winter cold would allow for the production of ice wine.
Then it was Inniskillin’s ice wine that grabbed world attention in 1991 at VinExpo Bordeaux where their 1989 Vidal Icewine was awarded the Grand Prix d’Honneur. Even at that time, many wine lovers were unaware of wines from Canada until the introduction of Inniskillin Icewines to the US market and around the world. Packaging was upgraded and more styles of ice wine were added.
Ziraldo said: “Karl and I knew that the soil and climate in the Niagara Peninsula were theoretically ideal to produce stellar fruit and our first table wines were an early indication that we could achieve our goal, and our initiatives with ice wine followed.”
In addition to the collection of ice wines – vidal, oak-aged vidal, riesling, cabernet franc and sparkling ice wine still made by co-founder Kaiser – Inniskillin produces pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot grigio, and riesling table wines under the direction of winemaker Philip Dowell, who assumed responsibility for Inniskillin’s table wines in 1999 allowing Kaiser to focus entirely on ice wine.
Today Inniskillin produces between 110-130,000 cases per year of 100% VQA-designated wines. Only a small fraction are super-premium ice wines, for example 2,000 six-bottle cases in a late year such as 2001 and 15,000 six-bottle cases in 2002. The brand has enjoyed stunning success in duty free through US-based duty free representative, Imagination Unlimited International.
