Hinterland ‘Whitecap’ Prince Edward County 2019
Background
We knew we wanted to feature a fun sparkling wine in this pack, and Vicki and Jonas at Hinterland had a few cases left of these bubbles, so we snapped them up. We love Hinterland (we’ve featured them at least once or twice), and as much as we are familiar with their Champagne method, this bottle, produced using the Charmat Method, was new to us.
If you remember back to our Sparkling Pack, the Charmat Method, also called ‘tank method’ is the same technique used in making Prosecco. Unlike the Ancestral Method or Pet-Nat, Charmat uses a double-ferment (like Champagne), but instead of the second ferment occurring in bottle, the still base-wine is fermented in a large pressurized tank. This style of sparkling is usually more fruit-forward because it spends much less time in contact with the lees (dead yeast cells). It also takes up less space, which is nice because even though they just added a building to their property, Hinterland still does most of their work out of an old converted barn.
Tasting Notes
Riesling and Pinot Gris are familiar grapes, but Vidal may be new to you. It’s a French crossing of Ugni Blanc (the grape used for Cognac production) and a grape called Seibel. You won't find much Vidal in France, as it was bred to be productive in very cold climates. It was one of the first grapes planted in Ontario and is used mostly for Ice Wine (but don’t hold that against it!). Basically, it’s hearty, productive and keeps it’s acidity late into the fall, but is fairly neutral in terms of flavour. In this application, it provides the body and structure of the wine, while the Riesling and Pinot Gris provide the character.
This wine is very citrus forward, with lots of tropical fruit aromas, and an exotic herbal element. Hinterland’s wines are all great by themselves, as aperitifs before the meal. But don’t let that stop you from popping this bottle with a full meal.
Food Pairing
Caesar Salad - A creamy Caesar dressing (heavy on the anchovies please!) is great with light bubbles like this. That umami combo of bacon and anchovy will bring out a little bit of that classic PEC limestone minerality.
Fries & Mayo - Sparkling wine and french fries are great. Period. We think the little bit of extra body from the Pinot Gris could handle mayo-based dipping sauce. Opting for mayo over ketchup will provide the neutrality to highlight the tropical flavours in the wine.
Cilantro - Always a divisive herb. We feel like this wine would be really nice with ‘sweet/green/grassy’ herbs, and we think cilantro fits that bill. You could also go heavy on the chives, dill or tarragon.
Interested in getting to know some delicious wines a little bit better? Subscribe to our newsletter and get access to great offers on carefully curated wines as well as live, in-person seminars. All wine packages come with a small booklet containing not just tasting notes but also cool factoids about wine producers, regions and food pairings.