Page 23 - IWSCReport2017

CANADIAN WINE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR TROPHY:
REIF ESTATE WINERY
The story of Reif Estate begins not in Ontario but Germany’s Rhineland, where in 1937 the founder was born into a long- established family of winemakers.
Ewald Reif eventually set out from Germany to Canada in 1977 and, on arriving, he swiftly bought Riverscourt Farm near Niagara and planted it with vines – some of the first vitis vinifera vines in Canada. Before long he was supplying grapes to the equally new and now famous Inniskillin winery.
In 1982 Ewald decided to begin vinifying and bottling his own wine. He refurbished the old coach house on the estate to be his winery and his brother, Gunther, helped supply steel tanks and German barrels. The winery opened the following year.
In 1985 Gunther’s son, Klaus, visited Canada and immediately fell in love with the country and Niagara in particular. Completing his studies at Geisenheim in 1987, he swiftly returned to take
up a position in the company and completed his first Icewine harvest in 1988.
Since then the winery has picked up awards for its Meritage blend (1997) and Icewine (2002) at the IWSC, with 2002 also marking the occasion when the winery was first named Canadian Winery of the Year at the competition.
Still run by Klaus, the winery today boasts 125 acres in the Niagara-on-the-lake sub-appellation – the warmest area in Ontario. As well as its much-awarded Icewine the estate produces Riesling, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc among others.
CHAMPAGNE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR TROPHY, SPONSORED BY THE LONDON WINE FAIR: CHAMPAGNE PIPER-HEIDSIECK
Piper-Heidsieck started life as a cloth- and wine-trading company called Heidsieck & Co in 1785. Founded by Reims- based draper Florens-Louis Heidsieck, who was keen to
make “a cuvée worthy of a queen”, the house quickly gained a reputation for its distinctive Champagne, which won favour at the French court.
Following his death in 1828, Heidsieck’s nephew, Christian, joined forces with entrepreneur Henri-Guillaume Piper to continue the business, with their fizz becoming the official Champagne of 14 royal and imperial courts.
In 1988 the house was taken over by the Hériard Dubreuil family which consolidated the international development of the maison, now owned by EPI, with cellar master Régis Camus (pictured) having been at the helm since 1994.
Known for its full-bodied nature, Piper focuses on Pinot Noir in its brut non-vintage, traditionally using around 60% in the blend along with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier from Grande and Petite Montagne de Reims. The Piper range includes a brut non- vintage, brut vintage, Rosé Sauvage, Cuvée Sublime and prestige cuvée Rare. Last October Piper launched a rosé expression of Rare, debuting with the 2007 vintage. This is a blend of 56% Chardonnay and 44% Pinot Noir, aged on its lees for eight years.
“I’ve been thinking about making a Rare rosé expression since 2002 but had to wait for the right vintage, which was 2007. Colour is very important with rosé – I wanted it to look like sunlight through stained glass,” said Camus.
This year the house announced that it was moving to brown glass bottles for its brut non- vintage to protect its sparklers from UV light. Its latest release is Essentiel – an extra-aged, lower-dosage expression. The house has been the official pour at the Cannes Film Festival since 1993.
Canadian Wine Producer shortlist
 Andrew Peller Estates
 Inniskillin Niagara Estate (Constellation Brands Quebec)
 Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate (Constellation Brands
Quebec)
 Reif Estate Winery Inc
Champagne Producer shortlist
 Champagne de Saint Gall
 Champagne Pannier
 Champagne Piper-Heidsieck  Champagne Henri Abelé
22 winners’ guide 2017