Fielding Estate Winery

This contemporary winery executed in glass and cedar has the feeling of a country lodge nestled into the hillside on the Beamsville Bench, its 20 acres of vineyards sloping down towards the lake. Owners Ken and Marg Fielding have a further 40 acres on the Lakeshore. Probably because of its finicky nature, Gewurztraminer is not a variety that has been exploited in Niagara although the climate would suggest that it should be a variety that would do well here.

Ray Cornell, formerly winemaker at Hernder Estates, is a dab hand at Gewurz, as well as Riesling, especially in an off-dry style. This particular wine won the gold medal at the 2007 Ontario Wine Awards for Gewurztraminer. Cornell makes a regular Gewurz which is a blend of three different vineyards but the Reserve comes from an acre site on the estate called Fawnsbrook Block. The acre yielded 3 tonnes of fruit in this vintage. The wine received 30 hours of skin contact before light pressing and fermenting to dryness. ‘A touch of Riesling Sussreserve’ was added to give it a little residual sweetness and the wine was acidified. Pale straw in colour, the nose offers a tantalizing bouquet of rose petals, raspberry candy and lychee nuts. Full on the palate with a spicy opulence, off-dry and elegant with good length. Only 250 cases were made.

Reviewed July 15, 2007 by Tony Aspler.