Waupoos Estates Winery

Waupoos Estates was the first commercial vineyard planted (1993) and winery opened (2001) in Prince Edward County, and they are going strong, with over 20 wines on offer as of 2008 and a beautiful on-site tasting room and restaurant.

This medium-dry white blend is one of Waupoos' most popular wines in terms of winery sales, so there was good demand from restaurants seeking the wine for their lists. In order to sell to restaurants, though, Waupoos had to modify Honeysuckle to meet VQA (Vintner's Quality Alliance) grape rules, which require that only wines made from a prescribed list of varieties can be used in VQA labeled wines. A non-VQA accepted Geisenheim variety had to be replaced with Chardonnay, which required the skills of their winemaker Amy Mumby to keep the character of the blend intact. Chardonnay is not exactly similar to the Geisenheim variety it replaced, but it melds with the Vidal and Seyval to produce a clean white with white floral notes and peachy fruit, light-medium body and a balanced palate, in terms of acid to sugar. It is a great value aromatic white. It makes a great aperitif, and will pair well with spicy cuisine such as Thai or East Indian.

Reviewed July 25, 2008 by Craig Pinhey.