30 Days of Local Wine – Day Five: Pelee Island Winery, 2008 Pelee Girl’s Cabernet Merlot (VQA)

Hugh Johnson, author of The Vintner’s Art: How Great Wines are Made, described the distinguishing feature of a full-bodied Cabernet Merlot as the authority it has on the finish.

Pelee Island Winery‘s Cabernet Merlot not only has a smooth, lingering finish, dominated by wild cherry and spice flavours. This wine has a well-structured tannin, which gives this good ageing potential.

The grapes were harvested in late September to mid-October when they had reached 20.2 degrees brix. It then matures for 9 months in French oak barrels and then 7 to 14 days in the temperature-controlled rotor fermenter. The grape composition is 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 10% Zweigelt

When young, it is best matched with robust red meat dishes. As it ages, this wine becomes a superb accompaniment to roasts and steaks, and also a compliment to many kinds of cheeses.

Pelee Island Winery asks everyone to ‘Step up to the Plate” and purchase the Pelee Girl’s Cabernet Merlot as 10% of the sales proceeds from this locally produced wine will be donated to the Ontario Association of Food Banks to help your neighbours facing hunger.

Every month, over 320,000 Ontarians are served by food banks, and forty percent are children. Buy local, Share local is a campaign in support of our neighbours, our local producers, our environment and our economy.

Related posts:

1. 30 Days of Local Wine – Day Twenty-three: Pelee Island Winery, 2008 Cabernet Franc (VQA)
2. 30 Days of Local Wine – Day Eleven: Pelee Island Winery, 2008 Monarch Red (VQA)
3. 30 Days of Local Wine – Day Seventeen: Pelee Island Winery, 2008 Pinot Grigio (VQA)
4. 30 Days of Local Wine – Day Twenty Nine: Pelee Island Winery, 2005 Barrique Chardonnay (VQA)
5. 30 Days of Local Wine – Day Twenty Eight: Mastronardi Estate Winery, 2007 Merlot (VQA)