2012 Reif Estate Vidal (Ontario VQA)

The 2012 Reif Vidal pours with a very light, pale greenish straw colour. Initially shy on the nose, the wine showed more of a bouquet a day after being opened and kept in the fridge.

After it warmed up and upon being swirled in the glass, the Vidal revealed clean, light pineapple aromas and a hint of pine needles. The entry is clean, crisp and light; some tangerine rind (common to Vidal table wines) shows up on the fore-palate. Very crisp and dry on the finish, with some warmth rounding it out (12% alc./vol.). Apparently, this wine has 10 g/L of residual sugar (as per the LCBO product description), but it tastes drier.

Overall, this is a light-bodied Vidal. It works really well as an aperitif, but also with any main course calling for a light, dry white wine.

Purchased for $9.95 on general list at the LCBO.

I like to think of Vidal being to Ontario what Grüner Veltliner is to Austria: a regionally recognizable grape that may not be one of the "mainstream" varieties, but that can be counted on to produce quality table wine with a defined character. 

Vidal is, in fact, a very versatile grape: it produces everything from icewines to late-harvest wines, off-dry table wines - and dry crisp wines, like this one. It's well worth checking out.