trillyum

2011-08-19T07:36:00.006-04:00

Of Branding and Blending: Vincor's Vintage Ink Wines

Recently I, along with many other bloggers, was invited to the introduction party for Vincor's new line of Vintage Ink wines. The first thing that strikes you about the wines is the branding. There's no château, no critter and no Canadiana on the labels. Instead it's exactly what you'd think given the line's name and the tag line “indelible wines.” If I had to guess the tattoo-centric branding ,which emphasizes brand first, grape second and then origin and vintage after that, is targeted at the Millennial Generation a.k.a. Generation Y. This is something Vincor's parent Constellation has already has experience with south of the border under brands like Primal Roots. It's a smart group to target because it's young, engaged and has the desire and disposable income to spend money on food and wine.

From VIntage Ink

What you have with the Vintage Ink line are bottles priced at $17-18. That's not really expensive for a bottle of VQA wine which tends to start at about $12-13 because the taxes and distribution costs mean that's where wineries begin to see some profit. That puts the line in the medium price category—just outside the LCBO's highest volume sweet spot of $12-15 making it a reasonable splurge for many. It also doesn't break the $20 psychological barrier which helps if you want to be a volume seller like Vincor does with this line. But whether people will shell out the extra couple of dollars remains to be seen.

In the last handful of years VQA sales at the LCBO have seen double digit growth (from a low of 11.8% to a high of 19%) over the previous year at the LCBO. Where growth has been more modest is in Vintages where for example growth was 17% in 2009-10, two percent lower than VQA products did overall in the LCBO that year and about half of the growth VQA experienced in Vintages the previous year. If you want to get more consumers into a higher priced category as the both the LCBO and any winery would like to do, Vintages is a key part of making that goal a reality. That's why both Vincor and the LCBO would like to see the Vintage Ink line succeed. Although the locavore movement has exploded over the past few years Canadian-made wine still has a relatively low 42% percent of its own market. A far cry from the Americans' 80 percent share of their market or France's and Italy's even larger share. That's changing but you have to remember change like that takes time and aside from the few visionary pioneers Ontario as whole really only began making premium vinifera-based wine for about the past 20 years.

From VIntage Ink

All this is great but the key to growth is getting people to buy more than once and that ultimately comes down to what the juice inside the bottle tastes like. The white is Chardonnay. That makes a lot of sense as the most widely planted grape in Ontario and amongst consumers as the most easily recognisable premium white wine grape. On the nose it's a little floral and tropical with just a hint of vanilla and spice to give away the five month average of oak barrel aging. On the palate there's pineapple, peach, a bit of green apple, pear, citrus, vanilla and oak spice. It has a medium plus round feel but lacks the punch of the mouth watering food-friendly Ontario acidity—it's more like a medium-minus level. Part of that could be stylistic but the Chardonnay also came from the much warmer 2010 vintage so that might explain the why it's closer to a rich round style than the lithe crisp and mineral-acid driven Chardonnay that's an Ontario signature. It's available in Vintages beginning August 20th.

The red, available in Vintages on Sept. 10th is a Merlot-Cabernet blend with ¾ Merlot, 1/5th Cab Franc and the reminder Cabernet Sauvignon. It's wise decision because there's a lot of Merlot grown in Ontario and if you want a supple drink-now crowd-pleaser of a blend Merlot's your grape. When you put your nose to the glass you notice red and black fruit with the Cabernet Franc providing an alluring cedar, herbal and tobacco edge. On the palate there's red and black plum, a bit of cassis and some vanilla on the finish. The tannins are at the medium-minus level. It's an easy drinking red that I imagine will please when it's likely to be opened within the typical 48 hours of purchase. The acid, at the medium minus level, is higher than the Chardonnay, but that's perhaps owing to the cooler wetter 2009 vintage for the Merlot-Cabernet and the hotter 2010 vintage for the Chardonnay.

From VIntage Ink

Of the two I would gravitate to the Merlot-Cab with its higher acid which is always a good food match. I would probably pair it with something like a middle eastern spiced lamb kofta if you're feeling exotic or a classic steak sandwich if you aren't.

Interestingly both wines contain grapes from some premium properties in the Vincor Family. For instance the Chardonnay has grapes that come from Jackson-Triggs' famed Delaine vineyard in the Niagara River sub-appellation—responsible for many of its top of the line single vineyard bottlings. Grapes are also sourced from Inniskillin's Montague in Four Mile Creek and Heron Pond Bench on the Beamsville Bench of Inniskillin's Three Vineyard series. As winemaker Keith Brown said the quality of the grapes is still the biggest factor in winemaking—there's no substitute for good vineyard management. But at the same time wine isn't entirely made in the vineyard either. You only have to attend a single blending session to become a believer that blending can be used to bring different characteristics to a wine in both a single variety and multi-variety blend. It's that the whole is greater than sum of the parts philosophy. When you have a variable climate in a regional that grows just about all the world's major vinifera varieties it's not a bad idea not to rely on a single grape type from a particular vineyard plot year-after-year. Blending allows that kind flexibility. After all as much as consumers crave consistency when they find something that they love, it's also tends to be human habit to be a little curious about the next big thing.

From VIntage Ink

The Vintage Ink line is not exactly the kind of sexy thing oenophiles and terroir-ist gravitate to but that really doesn't matter. Most people in those groups like something a little more idiosyncratic in the taste profile than these wines provide. This is about creating a ready-to-drink quality sub-$20 wine that's a step-up in character from the basic entry level $12-13 wine. In that context they're both solid wines. I'm curious to see how the Vintage Ink brand is received and where it might be heading in subsequent vintages.

2011-07-25T21:51:00.004-04:00

TasteCamp Day 3: Niagara, U.S.A. Population Potential

If you're a Canadian and ever wondered what it might have been like to visit Ontario wine country in the early days I'd suggest taking a trip across the boarder to visit the Niagara, New York wine route. Sharing the ancient glacial-shaped soils of Niagara, Ontario and its climate this is essentially one continuous region. But even if you've only ever done a day-trip to Niagara, Ontario's wine region it doesn't take long to realise things across the border are remarkably different. From talking to some of the winemakers, winery owners and wine workers at Tastecamp it comes down to this—Niagara, New York is at a much earlier stage in its development.

For all the issues Niagara, Ontario wineries face like laws limiting how and where they can sell or high taxes and costs making it virtually impossible to sell a quality wine under $12 a bottle there are many advantages to growing grapes in Ontario. Many of those advantages are hard-fought ones that Niagara, Ontario wineries have earned over the past three decades. The real key to it all is without a doubt VQA. Reading Linda Bramble's book you get the impression that wineries were both scared and motivated to improve quality as the talk of free trade via NAFTA and unfettered access for California and other foreign wine superpowers became a real possibility. Quality producers knew great wine could be made in Ontario but they also knew that the industry as whole needed time to establish itself as a quality producer and explore where its particular strengths might lie. One of the ways this was done was fighting for government incentive programs to pull out old labruscas and then hybrids for quality vinifera grapes which take at least three years before they begin to produce commercially. This never happened on the American side so the cost of a pull-out is entirely on the individual. Naturally there are still prime sites full of lubruscas there to this day. For these growers more money can be made growing these hardy prolific native grapes best suited for juices, jellies and eating than growing vinifera best suited wine. So without incentives or a unified body showing an alternative unless an individual has a passion for quality wine and money to burn there's not much of a reason for change. There are certainly a few passionate individuals leading the way but it will take some time, effort, money and likely a little heartbreak before things develop to the same level as Ontario.

From TasteCamp

On such winery was Arrowhead Springs Growing vinifera on a modified Scott Henry trellis system, using rye and clover cover crops and fertilising with local horse manure as needed Duncan and Robin Ross have a focus on growing the best grapes they can. They also aren't afraid to experiment. They've barrel fermented some reds in local oak from from Key Stone Cooperage for instance. That's not a common practice given the difficulty of removing skins before barrel aging. After all barrels are meant to keep all but a bit of air out, let alone people, or else the wine inside would oxidise and ruin very quickly. One of Duncan Ross' favourite grapes to work with is Cabernet Franc for its hardiness against winter cold and disease pressure as well as its good yield. His 2008 was full of toasty oak-spice flavours as well as raspberry and some smoky tobacco notes.

Another memorable winery stop was Freedom Run. If you haven't heard of the Lockport winery you probably will soon because a recent purchase of 45 additional acres of pinot noir means the winery has five and half times the production than when it began. The fact that it is all pinot noir is also exceptional given that the persnickety grape is thin-skinned, prone to disease pressure and can turn on you if you so much as look at it funny. The sheer number is also significant considering that the terroir and pinot and chardonnay obsessed Le Clos Jordanne, co-owned by industry giants Constellation and Boisset, has 121 acres split between chardonnay and pinot noir. Six different 2010 pinot noir barrel samples were poured and all had an amazingly deep purple-ruby colour and a distinct bretty note that should be instantly recognisable to those who've have a Flemish sour ale. My favourite was probably the mixed vineyard blend which harmonized the characteristics of the single vineyard wines. It was full of black plum, raspberry and black cherry with medium plus acidity and a strong finish of bretty sour ale. Like a few wineries in Niagara, Ontario, most notably Foreign Affair the winery is also experimenting using the appassimento process of drying grapes to highlight and concentrate flavours.

From TasteCamp

One winery to look out for is Leonard Oakes. The Medina, NY winery is one of the furthest east in the region and they are growing a mix of hardier hybrids and vinifera trying to figure what works best in the their corner of it. The winery's winemaker Jonathan Oakes graduated from the viticulture program at Niagara College and trained under Brian Schmidt at Vineland. That experience shows in this reserve riesling. With flavours and aromas of juicy lime, smoky gun flint and crushed rock it's a classic cool climate riesling from Niagara. It's also perfectly balanced down the middle when it comes to sweetness, mouthfeel and acidity letting the flavours shine through. It would be really interesting to see what he could do with some Weis 21B clone riesling which he'd love to plant if he could get his hands on some vines. His vidal icewine shows his Canadian training as well. It's classic Niagara with the sweet flavours of honeyed apricots, peach and pineapple flavours and aromas. What's makes it exceptional is it possesses the balancing acidity which can often be lacking in vidal icewine.

From TasteCamp

One of the curious things common throughout the Niagara, New York reds was deep colour almost always at the medium plus level of intensity even in thinner skin varieties known to be fairly light in colour like pinot noir. In some cases producers are using enzymes like Color pro to aid in the extraction. The reason is that local market prefers its wine deeply coloured. What's a bit odd with this is that on the whole the body of the wines was lighter than the colour would lead you to believe—almost always a medium minus intensity even in cabernets, malbecs and syrahs. It was an interesting dichotomy that I would be be interested to see again if it changes in a few years as the vines get a bit more age. The other thing to keep an eye out for in Niagara, New York is the creation of a body made of industry producers to promote and push the industry forward. Both the VQA and Wine Council of Ontario have been instrumental in creating the framework for quality standards as well as tireless promoters to both the public and government. There's talk of trying to set something up like the VQA with formal but voluntary quality-focused rules providing a base standard which will ideally push things forward on the American side. If the same holds as it did in Ontario the sooner this happens the better. So with land being very cheap, the industry in its early years and a climate shared with Niagara, Ontario its American counterpart is a region to keep a close eye on over the next decade. I know I'll be making my next visit sooner rather than later.

From TasteCamp

2011-07-20T21:27:00.001-04:00

TasteCamp Day 2: up on the Bench Where it's Crisp

The focus of day two of TasteCamp was the Bench. The Bench is a colloquial term used locally to describe the wineries east of St. Catharines that are located along the escarpment. Higher-up, with vines on slopes and deep limestone-rich clay soils it really is a remarkably different growing area than Niagara-on-the-Lake.

From TasteCamp

The first stop was Tawse. In its ten years Tawse has made a name for itself as a quality-focused producer. Its big coming out party was winning the Canadian Wine Awards Winery of the Year in 2010 under Paul Pender who was also recently recognised as winemaker of the year in 2010 at the Ontario Wine Awards. Pender is as passionate as he is humble. He's a firm believer that good wine begins in the vineyard and as such he has led Tawse through its organic and biodynamic certifications. The most likely spot you'll probably find him is amongst the vines so it was fitting that he led the group on an abbreviated version of a vineyard tour that he took bloggers on last year. After a tour through the gravity flow facility Pender poured a blind tasting of Tawse's two flagship Chardonnays. One was Robyn's Block from the home Cherry Ave. vineyard and the other the eponymous chardonnay from the Quarry Road vineyard. The Quarry Road Chardonnay is more linear with a tight focused minerality. The Robyn's Block is also an elegant taught chardonnay but it had a roundness and depth of flavour to go along with the pear, citrus and mineral-rich core. The wines taste quite different. Given that the winemaker and winemaking is identical it's a strong argument that terroir matters. But it's also an argument that vine age matters. Entering into its fourth decade Robyn's block is one of the oldest chardonnay plantings in Niagara. If you've followed Tawse for some time you know that Robyn's Block has evolved over time depending on who was making the wine at the time, but the current style with just enough oak to give it structure has been winning critical and consumer praise with elegance.

From TasteCamp

Post-Tawse it was a visit to the house that Weis built—Vineland estates Winery. Under the care of the Schmidt family this Twenty Mile bench winery, located high-up on the escarpment on Moyer Rd., has a well deserved reputation for making some world class riesling. Winemaker Brian Schmidt believes that the St. Urban vineyard, where the Hermann Weis planted his Mosel Riesling clone, is a perfect place on the bench for the grape. The choice grape of Germany is a bit strong willed. As Schmidt explained when he was younger he tried tweaks to force the vines to do things he thought would make a better wine. For example, thinning down drastically to concentrate flavours. The vines just ended-up doing as they pleased anyway by doing things like growing bigger berries to compensate for the thinning. Over the years Schmidt has come to terms with fact that he's merely the caretaker for the vines and that the vineyard is truly the winemaker of the St. Urban Riesling. Now riesling is certainly a terroir-driven grape but it still doesn't make itself. One of the key areas where a winemaker shows his or her skill with riesling is in the blend. Schmidt showed this by isolating a 2010 riesling sample from a portion of the St. Urban vineyard called Field D. This sample came from fruit that was left on the vines until mid-October and had some botrytis. Made in an off-dry style it had ripe peach, apricot and tangerine flavours. The ripe flavours were balanced by mouth-watering acidity. Although this wine was brilliant on its own when it was added to the grapefruit, orange blossom, lime and minerality of the blended sample it really was on a whole other level. If you've ever done a blending session of a single variety wine the layering of flavours and complexity you can get simply by blending fruit from different blocks and sites is truly remarkable.

From TasteCamp

Next was a trip to Flat Rock and blends were also the name of the game. The Jordan winery has always thought a little differently from passionately embracing the screw cap across its entire line (even changing the VQA rules to do so in the case of its recent sparkling) to being one of the first to promote a crisp, aromatic white blend like its Twisted. It's also taken the attitude that wine doesn't need to be pretentious as proprietor Ed Madronich likes to say. It just needs to be good. Since rain kept us out the vineyard staff did a great job with a retooled itinerary of various activities. One of the most engaging was trying to guess the blend of Twisted by tasting all the individual components. As humbling as blind tasting is guessing the composition of blend is even more. It might seem easy since you know precisely what makes it up but nailing down the proportion of the Riesling, chardonnay and gewüztraminer isn't easy.

The finish of the evening was a TasteCamp tradition—the bring your own bottle dinner. This is a chance for the group to share a special wine and stories with their fellow attendees. This year's was at Treadwell Farm to Table Cuisine. Service was attentive while allowing this large group the freedom to mingle and chat. The standout dish of the meal was a cold mint and pea soup with a perfectly seared scallop. It was done well enough that the caramelisation brought out the natural sweetness of the mollusc but rare enough that it was still tender. The fresh bright flavours the of peas and mint also really complimented the scallop's inherit creaminess and the light briny ocean flavours. Between the food, the conversation and the special bottles from all over the world being shared it really is a one-of-kind experience that any oenophile would be lucky to attend.

From TasteCamp

2011-07-15T14:22:00.000-04:00

TasteCamp Day 1: the Place Where it all Started

With all due respect to Cooksville and growers on the Beamsville Bench the birth of the modern Niagara wine industry began about 35 years ago on the St. Davids Bench when Bosc family planted the first 100% vinifera vineyard in Canada. With the experts saying the decision was foolish at best and that the vines would all die come winter to say it was a big risk is an understatement. But the Boscs weren't worried. Any risk they take is a calculated one and with a lifetime of experience as a fifth generation winegrower patriarch Paul Bosc Sr. knew that the vines could not only survive but they could thrive with plenty of hard work. So it was only appropriate that the Niagara edition of TasteCamp began at Château des Charmes. A pay-your-own-way wine blogger conference with some meals free or highly subsidised, TasteCamp was created by Lenn Thompson of the New York Cork Report as a way to completely immerse writers in a region that they know little or nothing about. By the end of the tastings, the vineyard tours, the winemaker talks and dinners, attendees have a solid grasp on what the region is all about.

As anyone who has ever spoken to him knows Paul Bosc. Jr. delivered an all encompassing overview of his corner of Niagara—the St. Davids Bench. His passion and knowledge of the region is undeniable. Part history, part geology and part viticulture Bosc went a basic overview of how the melting of a glacier during the world's last glacial period shaped the soil and landscape of Niagara. As it receded and water pooled into the forebearer of Lake Ontario, plateaus along the edge of the escarpment were created. One of them is the St. Davids Bench. The term was coined by Bosc after he heard early Beamsville wineries and growers talk about the Beamsville Bench area compare to flatter land that makes up much of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Up against the escarpment the St. Davids Bench, which takes its name from the nearby town, has similar characteristics. But that's not the only thing that separates the St. Davids Bench from the rest of the region. It happens to be one of the areas of Niagara that enjoys a little more growing degree days than the average, some of the highest elevations, protection from some of the cooler winds and deep clay soils and underground rivers that ensure the vines get the needed moisture even in a drought year. As Bosc explained the differences were first fleshed out by Brock University professor Simon J. Haynes. His research along with further work by fellow professor Anthony Shaw formed the basis for the VQA sub-appellations.

From TasteCamp

St. Davids Bench is also an area steeped in history. As Bosc explained the town of St. Davids took its name from Major David Secord—a solider and politician in the late 18th and early 19th century when the country was still being settled and there were regular battles for bordering land with the Americans. You may also be familiar with his sister-in-law Laura whose bravery during the War of 1812 is the stuff of legend. Although knowing this isn't critical to enjoying the wine geography is. The g-word is so inextricably tied to and shaped by history that knowing it adds to the enjoyment of anything tied to the land to the extent that wine is. After all if it added nothing to the conversation you'd simply buy the wine online or pick-it-up off the store shelf and never feel the desire to visit the winery.

Another one of Bosc's key points is that there's human intervention and hard work to bring out the natural terroir. Yes, I realise that may sound like a contradiction but the vast majority of vitis viniferia vines all over the world are either a non-native species grafted on native root stock (North America) or either a native species planted on non-native root stock (Europe). For the most part all over the world vines are cultivated, trained to grow in a trellis, thinned, pruned and all around babied to grow the best possible fruit. When you consider this there's a strong argument that there's a significant human intervention element to what we call terroir. Bosc stressed you can't be dumb and you can't be lazy about if you want the fruit to show its best. That's why at Château des Charmes the vines are trained very low and the space between the rows is left bare. This allows the fruit to get more reflective heat from the ground. It's also why vine cuttings are mulched back into the soil returning the nutrients.

From TasteCamp

Post vineyard talk the Boscs hosted a lunch cooked by the team at Spencer's at the Waterfront. Seasonal, fresh and bright, the light yet substantial lunch was a true wine country fare. The star was an Asian salad featuring shoots, cilantro, cucumber, carrots, mango puree and sesame seeds. A little crunchy, a little spicy, a little salty and a little sweet it was really everything you'd want in a salad. The pairing worked remarkably well too. It was the preview of the 2010 Château des Charmes Paul Bosc vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. It was full of bright citrus, passion fruit and gooseberry flavours and aromas with a hint of grassiness. The wine had the mouth watering acidity and a medium plus roundness on the palate that perfectly compliment the dressing and mango puree respectively. It also brought out the natural bright flavours in the fresh greens and the umami of the fish sauce used in the dressing.

From TasteCamp

Sauvignon Blanc was also a focus of the next stop Hillebrand. Winemaker Craig McDonald took over last year after Darryl Brooker departed for the Okanagan. McDonald was one half of the winemaking team at Creekside, a winery that has built an argument for those skeptical of Sauvignon Blanc's place in Niagara. So when McDonald had a chance to let us in on one of his experiments it was no surprise it was a Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine in both glasses he poured was from 2010 vintage. The one on the left could be described as nothing short of a topical fruit bomb with starfruit, gooseberry and some grass just under the surface, but what really stood out was the passion fruit. This was probably the closest I've come across in Niagara to a clean, ripe, tropical New Zealand-style Sauvignon Blanc. For fans of that distinct style this Trius is one to pick-up.

But it was the glass on the right that truly intrigued. It had a slight golden colour and aromas more on the citrus side of things. This is wine that preferred the whispering method of seduction. Full of lemon zest, pineapple, spice and hints of vanilla this one was more Sancerre than Marlborough. The oak treatment it had seen provided a richness and roundness that was lacking in the first wine but it was by no means flabby. There was a lingering minerality and spicy funkiness on the finish that gave this wine complexity and an intriguing spark that wasn't in the first wine. This one was the 2010 Showcase Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc. McDonald whole bunch pressed to maintain the freshness and put a carboy of juice out in the vineyard. When the yeast took-off and it checked-out clean that was used to kick-start the rest of the juice fermenting in barrel.

From TasteCamp

Yeast is one of the most underrated factors affecting a wine's flavour. People tend to love the romanticism of terroir, the geeky nature of clones and even the nuisances provided by different barrels but yeast often gets forgotten. I'm glad it's something that's being embraced in Niagara. As McDonald explained the reason he's so keen on wild fermentation is that when you taste really great flavours from the grapes out in the vineyard “you want to capture that in the bottle.” And in his experience those native yeasts really pick-up on what's in the soil. He isn't the only terroir-focused winery with the same opinon of what native yeast brings either. Hidden Bench and Le Clos Jordanne are exclusively natural fermentation for the same reason.

Post-tour with McDonald there was a tasting at Hillebrand with some local wineries. One stand-out was the Lailey 2009 Old Vines Pinot Noir. Winemaker Derek Barnett has crafted a pinot lovers pinot. It's full of roses, sour cherry and mineral tension that lasts on the finish. With the medium plus acid and tannin to match I think this will be one to watch develop over the next few years. Some of my other favourites were a trio of cabernet francs from Thirty Bench (the sister Beamsville winery under the same ownership as Hillebrand). Although Thirty Bench gets much of its well deserved recognition for it riesling, the cabernet franc has been quietly becoming a star first under the care of Yorgos Papageorgiou, then Natalie Reynolds and now Emma Garner. Although the ripe rich bramble and dark cocoa on the 2005 was beautifully balanced with some strong minerality what really got me excited was the 2006 and 2008 vintages. The spicy herbal tobacco edge in these cooler vintage wines added an intriguing dimension to that dark chocolate and ripe red fruit flavours.

The evening was capped with a dinner at Ravine and talk by Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling. I've always gotten the feeling talking to either of these winemakers that they've probably forgot more about wine than I'll ever know. But there are a lot of passionate and knowledgeable people in the wine world. What sets them apart is their willingness to share both that passion and knowledge with you in as much detail as you'd like. You really do learn something new and valuable each time you speak to them so it was a pleasure to hear them speak about biodynamic and organic growing once again. If you look at it from a scientific perspective some of the cosmic aspects of biodynamics might illicit a raided eye brow. But the important aspect is that being lazy in the vineyard and practicing biodynamics in a climate like Niagara just isn't compatible. So whatever the reason behind the techniques anything that has you out in the vineyards as much as possible growing the best grapes you can is a very good thing. The other great argument Sperling made for organics and biodynamics was that with winery workers out in the vineyard so often and for extended periods of time anything you can do to reduce the spraying of herbicides or pesticides that require wearing protection can't be a bad thing. It's not to say that spraying happens very often in a conventional vineyard especially on the small-scale ones that make-up much of Niagara—the cost is prohibitive. The difference between convectional and organic or biodynamic growing is more like the divide between preventative and reactive. If you can set yourself up to be in a situation where you're healthy with rest, a good diet, and exercise you're not likely to be sick. But should you get seriously ill it's nice to know there's the option for a conventionally accepted medical treatment. That's why even biodynamics allows the use of a copper-sulfur Bordeaux spray when there's very serious trouble in the vineyard.

From TasteCamp

Some of the stand out wines during dinner were the 2008 Whimsy! Cabernet Franc. Although the juicy brambly ripeness of the 2007 is fantastic the tobacco undertone and the ripe red raspberry and cocoa make this the wine I'd reach for first. The high acid and medium tannins went beautifully with the roast suckling pig and crispest cracklings I've ever had. The 2007 Ravine Reserve Merlot was also a standout. Gamble isn't interested in making big showy wines, he prefers a little restraint and elegance—that's what you'll find in this wine. With black plum, black raspberry and violet flavours. With good acid structure and silky tannins it's drinking well now, but you get the feeling that it's holding back a bit and will really blossom with some time in the cellar. My favourite wine of the day was the 2005 Poetica Chardonnay poured from a magnum. It was everything you could want in an aged chardonnay. Lemon, peach, a bit of oak spice, funk and a caramel note that bordered on fudgy. It was round and beautiful but had the acid and minerality to keep it from being flabby. It won't appeal to those that prefer their whites steely and lean but it's a good example of how chardonnay can deliver something special in the hands of a good winemaker, the right oak and a bit of age. To me that's always a great way to end an evening.

2011-06-05T16:08:00.005-04:00

There's a World of Great Wine: Thoughts about Lifford's 2011 Grand Tasting

The world of wine is a big one and it's only getting bigger as more unconventional wine countries like China, India and Thailand develop further and increase production. To complicate matters if you look at the terroir, people, winemaking and the grapes each region has something unique and special about it. Which if your a wine lover makes the whole journey of finding that special bottle that much more exciting and rewarding. But even for the dedicated oenophile staying on top of a region let alone a world of wine is a bit of a daunting task. That's why having the opportunity to taste a wide range of wine carefully selected from around the world is the perfect opportunity to get some insight into what's happening in the world of wine. One such event is the Lifford Grand Tasting. This year's tasting featured 51 wineries from Lifford's award winning portfolio of international wineries. The proceeds also go to Delisle Youth Services which works with youth and their families so that that they can learn grow and thrive.

One of the standouts from the tasting was from right here in Canada: Painted Rock. Located on shores overlooking the stunning Skaha Lake this winery is on the former property of the largest apricot orchard in the British Commonwealth. As far as tender fruits go apricots tend to be the most finicky so clearly this is a great piece of land. Despite only purchasing the land in 2004 and planting a year later, the winery has quickly made a name for itself as a top quality producer. The focus is on the five Bordeaux grapes (Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petite Verdot. The flagship 2008 Red Icon is a meritage blend of 20% Merlot, a quarter each Malbec and Cabernet Franc with the remainder being Petite Verdot. That's right none of that other Cabernet grape. This wine had beautiful aromas and flavours of cassis, black plums and blackberries. Joining the fruit were flavours of cocoa, vanilla and oak spice. Underlying that was a savoury cigar box element that balanced nicely and gave it a dimension beyond the ripe fruit. It possessed the strong acidity and tannic structure to suggest it will develop and drink well over the next few years. The wine that really intrigued me was the 2008 Syrah. The Skinner family, which owns the winery, fell in love with wine touring the south of France where Syrah is behind some of the region's best wines. The wine is full of lush black cherry, bramble, white pepper, vanilla and oak spice. But what really drew me me in were the seductive leather and gamey notes. It was lush and juicy without being over the top and had the tannins and acid structure that made me want to revisit it in a few years.

Another outstanding producer was Kiwi producer Craggy Range. If you've ever tried a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and thought 'I like it but I would love it' if it didn't try so hard for attention the this is the one for you. Over the past forty years the Kiwi take on Sauvignon Blanc with vibrant grassy and tropical flavours has become a world benchmark. Sometimes that style can lack a bit of finesse but not with the 2010 Te Muna Road Vineyard from Craggy Range. It has aromas and flavours of gooseberry, passionfruit, citrus and herbal grassiness that cannot be mistaken for anything but New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. But it manages to do so with an elegance and subtlety that you don't often come across in the Kiwi take on this grape. The majority of fruit is de-stemmed rather than whole bunch pressed and fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak barriques and stainless steel. The result is a wine that retains balanced acidity with a slightly rounder and fuller mouthfeel than the average Sauvignon Blanc. Another favourite was the 2009 Gimblett Gravels (Block 14) Syrah. This was more food-friendly cool climate Syrah than inky jammy warmer climate Shiraz. Blueberries, black current, black plum are rounded out with rose petals before the perfumed kick of Tellicherry black peppercorns on the finish. It's a well balanced wine with a medium mouthfeel, acidity and just enough grippy tannins to pair well with heartier meat dishes.

The last outstanding wine was the 2006 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato. If you've never had a top quality of Barolo this was a wonderful chance. Barolo is the enigma of the wine world and the grape of romance. Barolo is 100% Nebbiolo, the notoriously fickle grape, that's carefully tended to by small family run estates in the fog covered hills of Piedmont, Italy. It has the power and finesse of a thoroughbred horse and only really begins to reveal it's mysteries and true potential after years of careful finishing. It looks relatively innocuous and light with a bricking garnet red colour but make no mistake this is a serious wine. There were aromas and flavours of dried black cherries, berries, tar, earthy truffles and oak spice and they concentrated without being heavy. To open this wine now is a bit of shame because it's simply nowhere close to its peak. Yes, acidity is strong and food friendly and food would help to tame some of the strong tannins that slowly build and take over as you taste. But for those with patience, years of cellaring will help tame those tannins and allow the wine to reveal its secrets and nuisances.

2011-06-05T15:48:00.003-04:00

NZ isn't all SB: Thoughts from Toronto's 2011 New Zealand Fair

Over the past four decades New Zealand has quickly built a reputation as a premium wine region capable of producing consistently great wines that stand-up amongst the world's best. They've largely done so on the back of a fresh, distinctively grassy and tropical style of Sauvignon Blanc. It makes plenty of sense. The country has the potential to grow the grape well year-after-year, the style is distinct and much more highly aromatic than the known benchmark of Sancerre from the Loire Valley, it doesn't require long aging time at the winery or in the cellar to be its best and the country focused its export efforts on the key taste-making market of the U.K. to build a premium reputation. But that's not a complete strategy. New Zealand is a country with grape growing regions that span over 1600 km through latitudes from 34˚ to 47˚. Simply put that means not every region is suited not does it want to focus on Sauvignon Blanc. Plus as a relatively young wine producing nation without the benefit of a long and storied reputation it helps to have a bit of diversity should a key variety fall out of favour with your market. The question is aside from Sauvignon Blanc what should New Zealand's variety or varieties be? A red would probably be nice to cater to those that for whatever reason don't drink whites.

In the Southern most region Central Otago with its hotter dryer continental climate and higher elevation vineyards the focus has been on Pinot Noir. Burgundy's favourite grape is a bit of a prodigy. Temperamental to grow and vinify you never really know if it will delivery on all its promise and brilliance. When it does winemakers and wine geeks rejoice at its complexity and the elusive balance it has between power and finesse that very few wines manage to achieve. But when it doesn't it's a bust that scorns like no other. Although I didn't get the chance to taste from all of the producers at Toronto's 2011 New Zealand Wine Fair the I found that Pinot Noir from Central Otago had a common flavour profile that leaned towards ripe concentrated berry and black fruit with surprisingly heavier weight, tannins and less acidity than you come to expect from Pinot Noir. Although delicious on their own I'm not sure this bigger style works as well with some lighter dishes that Pinot pairs well with like salmon, squab, rabbit and roast chicken. If you're a lover of cooler climate Pinot Noir with its sour cherry, rose petals, minerality, high acidity, earthy funk and the versatility that it brings to food pairing then Central Otago Pinot is almost unrecognisable. But that makes sense with hot dry summers, mica and schist soils and a need for irrigation on the steeply sloped vineyards it has much less in common with Pinot's classic cool climate home in Burgundy than you might have assumed. One of the surprise Pinots was the 2009 Konrad Pinot Noir, from the cooler Marlborough region. A medium ruby colour this wine was full of fragrant red cherry, red berry and floral notes. On the palate there was strawberries, red cherries and a bit spice from the 10 months spent in Burgundian made oak barrels. The Tannins were silky and medium minus level and it had medium mouthfeel and medium acidity.

There was also a push to exhibit Syrah as the next big thing. Producers poured plenty of young, deeply concentrated and brambly Syrah that was tight with high tannins. The best had meaty and gamey notes which added an extra dimension on top of the fruit. Without much experience tasting older examples it's hard to know whether those tannins will dissipate and integrate nicely over time. My favourite was the Elephant Hill from the Hawke's Bay region. The wine was full of black cherry, raspberry and the characteristic pepper kick you get in a cooler climate Syrah. Tannins and body were nicely balanced at medium level and the acidity was at the medium plus level which should make it a nice compliment to a richer meal like a juicy steak.

But my favourite wine was neither from the newer stars Pinot Noir and Syrah nor from the country's flagship grape Sauvignon Blanc. It was a Chardonnay from Staete Landt. The vineyards are on a former apple and cherry orchard in one of the oldest grape growing areas of Marlborough. The Chardonnay comes from two clones planted in clay over stoney soils —it was a former river bed. The 2009 vintage is a rich Chardonnay that was barrel-fermented in new French oak. The nose and palate are reminiscent of ripe peach, golden apples with a nutty spiciness. The most intrigue aspect is the savoury peach-pit kernel note that emerges towards the finish. Even with the rich full flavour and medium plus mouthfeel the Chardonnay retained great minerality and medium acidity which balances. I was also lucky enough to taste the 2004 vintage at the Lifford Grand Tasting and it was aging beautifully, gaining complexity with toasted hazelnuts and tertiary honey notes.

What did i come away with? There's more to New Zealand than Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. It's a really diverse wine producer with dramatically different climates that are capable of producing a range of wine styles even growing the same grape. I'm not convinced there should be a focus on particular grapes quite yet. Yes, the push for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was critical to developing the country's reputation aboard. But there's plenty of regions outside Marlborough that are just as capable of producing great wine. Over time I can see a focus emerging in each of the regions from Northland to Central Otago. But in the mean time I'm happy to taste the results as growers, wineries and consumers all figure out what each area believes it does best.

2011-01-12T07:13:00.004-05:00

Viopalooza: Vio the Rhône-born Divo Shows What it can do when it Goes to Ontario & BC Finishing School

After the success of the #Tastegris Twitter tasting a group of oenophiles recently came together to taste the best of Ontario Viognier. Yes, the favoured and sometimes only white grape permitted in certain regions of France's Northern Rhône has slowly found some traction in Niagara—enough to provide a solid line-up for #Viopalooza. As is the nature of these Twitter tastings the line-up is announced ahead of time and people are encouraged to taste along and share their thoughts with the tasters and those tasting vicariously on Twitter using the above hash tag. Naturally that makes blind tasting virtually impossible but if you want to build a community the social interaction of allowing everyone to participate is far more important than trying to isolate any bias.

Regardless of Viognier's exact origins it seems to have found a home in the Northern Rhône, in particular Condrieu where south facing slopes on heat retaining granite soils combine with hot summers and cool wet winters to produce world renown wines. But even in the grape's home producing a fine wine is a challenge. The crop sizes are dubious. Yields must be kept low to maintain varietal character. And there is a very tight window after the grapes reach the right sugar level and then develop the flavour & volatile aroma compounds that are intrinsic to good Viognier. So given the relatively short and humid summer growing seasons and cold winters in Niagara it almost seems like madness to try grow this diva/divo of a grape. But when it's done right the combination of that ethereal floral bouquet and rich without being heavy mouth-feel is really unparalleled.

From VIopalooza

Chåteau des Charmes has a long history of experimentation whether it be different trellising systems, planting viniferia in the early years or being one of the first to use wind machines to protect tender spring buds against frost damage. So it should come as no surprise that the winery has allocated a relatively small block (one acre) to Viognier since the early 1990s. According to Michelle Bosc the key to producing good Viognier in Niagara is aggressive thinning (40-60% of the bunches are dropped every year to promote ripening). And on the winemaking side it's all about being as gentle as possible limiting the movement of the wine and keeping it in stainless steel. This opinion was echoed by Jay Johnson and Marlize Beyers winemaker at Hidden Bench. Johnson, who assists with winemaking and can often be seen out in the vineyards tending to the vines, says the winery inherited some when it purchased the Locust Lane Vineyard. Given the naturally low yields of Viognier and the very low yields Hidden Bench commits itself to there are plans to grow more. For Beyers the key to making Viognier is to minimise movement using gravity wherever possible because she believes that any movement even necessary ones like tank to bottle only results in a loss of more of the aromatics that are key to variety's identity. Richie Roberts, the winemaker at Fielding first encountered Viognier when he was working as the assistant winemaker at Stratus. Although he uses stainless steel at Fielding he feels there is a place for neutral oak especially if the goal is to impart some nuttiness or leesy character. Similarly Bosc says some malolactic conversion/fermentation can add to the mouthfeel but given Viognier's naturally low acid and high sugar you need to be careful when using it. So how did the wines taste?

Overall it was was a good showing with the Canadian wines exhibiting the variety's distinctive floral character. The 2008 Chåteau des Charmes was a favourite. It had aromas of peach and rose petal as well as a full mouthfeel—all classic characteristics of Viognier. Another favourite was the 2009 Fielding with aromas and flavours of juicy peach and orange blossom that really shone through. Only 10% of the fruit came from the estate vines which were recently pulled because Roberts felt they weren't performing well in that location. The other 90% comes from a Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyard where Roberts has established a long term relationship and the Fielding crew performs the vineyard work.

From VIopalooza

Given that parts of BC's Okanagan are a virtual desert the climate has the potential to get closer to the Rhône than Niagara. And the wines didn't disappoint with the tasting's most praised wine coming from the Okanagan. Selling between $15-20 the Jackson Triggs' 2008 Silver Series was fresh containing ripe peach and orange blossom flavours. The mouthfeel was full with good weight. It hit all the points you expect from a Viognier and did so at a great price point. It was also interesting to taste the 2008 Sandhill Small Lots Program Viognier one year removed from being awarded white wine of the year at the Canadian Wine Awards. Full of peach aromas with floral blossoms the best feature of the wine was the full rich mouth feel. If there was a criticism it was that the wine which was picked late and fermented dry was really quite hot and tasted as if it had more alcohol than the 14% listed. But the mouth feel alone which was rich without being heavy much like a good soufflé, could make you understand the accolades the wine received. However my favourite Okanagan wine and one that received considerable praise around the table was a 2008 83% Viognier 17% Marsanne blend from Rhône specialist Stag's Hollow. Surprisingly this wine's mouthfeel exceed even the Sandhill in its richness. The nose was full of beautiful aromas like walking through an orchard in bloom just after a late afternoon sun shower. There was also a honeyed note which complemented the the slightly off-dry finish—kept in balance by good acidity. Interestingly it was barrel fermented in new oak and aged for eight months. It was nice to see that the practice added structure to the wine and did nothing to hinder the aromatics.

Another interesting observation that sparked a discussion at the tasting was that Viognier seemed to be wine that you want to drink upon release/purchase or shortly there after (before the next vintage is released). The wine that started this discussion was a 2006 Fielding. The colour had moved from the pale lemons of the fresh Viogniers to a medium-gold honeyed colour. Although there were still some floral elements the dominat aroma was that of burnt sugar which as Del Rollo pointed out is something that is immediately identifiable to someone who has made creme brulée before. Although a touch oxidised and slightly golden the 2006 Hidden Bench was much fresher in comparison with honeyed peach flavours. The acid seemed to be dropping in relation to newer vintages but it still continued to provide a refreshing balance. The 2007 vintage with 13.4% alcohol felt a little hot in comparison. It possessed strong floral aromatics but it had a background of barrel notes. Although all Hidden Bench Viogniers are barrel fermented and aged in neutral oak, the barrel character showed through the most on the 2007. The 2008 showed a little more in the way of floral aromatics with juicy peach and orange blossoms and a slight spicy character. The 2009 was a little less expressive in its aromatics showing a light perfumed note. What made this standout was the high acidity. Much higher than any of the other examples, it was closer to the acid levels of a cold climate Sauvignon blanc than the other Viogniers. Whether you liked the style or not is a separate issue, but it was certainly interesting to taste vintage variation. Hidden Bench uses natural ferments and it barrel fermented these Viogniers in neutral oak through all vintages so with vinification being largely the same you could really taste the differences a growing season can impart on a variety.

From VIopalooza

The last example was a Malleval, Condrieu grown on those famous heat retaining granite slopes from Pierre Gaillard. This wine was a bit of an enigma with many hard to describe flavours and aromas. It was surprisingly far from the most aromatic. However being the last wine poured, it had been open for more than two hours and other tasters had mentioned that the aromatics had dissipated a bit since opening. That said it did possess a wide range of interesting flavours and aromas. Mint, pickles and lactic acid nuances joined floral and burnt sugar flavours and aromas. The mouthfeel had strength and presence while defying heaviness much like a ballerina mid-leap. The vinfication notes on the page write about a controlled barrel fermentation and aging in tightly grained French oak with only 10% being new. Although oak really played no prominent role in the flavour profile it no doubt added something to the wine's feel.

It seems that the richness and complexity of the Condrieu exceeded anything from Niagara or the Okanagan. When the question was asked why this might be happening, Bosc chimed in with a simple but complex answer: vine age. The consensus is that Viognier vines are late bloomers really only showing what they are truly capable of after 20 years. Given that a life span of 30 years is considered quite good in Niagara due to harsher winters it seems that it's an uphill battle to be able to compete on the same level as those Rhône wines. That being said Viognier here shows beautiful aromatics that are a hallmark of the variety but the style is lighter and crispier than those wines. This situation of contrasting styles exists throughout the wine world. I would argue that a Grand Cru Chablis from Domaine Christian Moreau is neither inferior nor superior to Chateau Montelena when it comes to Chardonnay. Sure many will prefer one over the other but if you really analyse a well made old world example versus a new world example a wine lover will probably find them just as appealing but in a different way.

From VIopalooza

The other interesting element which may also help explain the difference between Condrieu and the Niagara and Okanagan Viogniers is clones. It seems that growers in Condrieu say the clone of Viognier used in their vineyards is thought to be different than the one used in the southern Rhône and everywhere else Viognier is grown. The propagation of this clone (642), which came at time when the variety was near extinction, is popular in the new word and it is believed to be a relatively high producer with larger berries but contains less of the distinctive aromatics in comparison to the one used in Condrieu. It's tough to say exactly what clone everyone is growing but Hidden Bench, Chåteau des Charmes and Fielding all use 642. Given Canada's strict importation laws designed to minimise the risk of foreign viruses the clone availability is usually very limited so it's very possible that most if not all of the Viognier found Niagara and BC is 642. Without a direct virtually side-by-side planting it's tough to say whether the clones are as different as the Condrieu growers & producers say. After all in the terroir obsessed world of French wine anything you can do to make your wine as unique as possible is a huge advantage. That said even if you can set aside the climatic and terroir conditions between Condrieu, Niagara and the Okanagan, the clone could be another interesting layer in the differences between the Viogniers. Until and likely even after science definitively sorts it out I'll be more than happy to to give my feedback on the debate through sensory evaluation of what's in the glass.

2011-01-06T00:52:00.002-05:00

2002: An Ontario Wine Retrospective

Before 2010 usurped 2007 as Ontario's best vintage ever* there was 2005, 1998 and 2002. When 1998's hot and dry grape growing season arrived the VQA act was still a year away, Brock's Cool Climate Oenology Viticulture Institute was still a couple years away from producing its first graduates and the growth spurred from Inniskillin receiving the first new license since prohibition had only begun to reach critical mass. In other words even a lot of the pioneers were still getting a handle on exactly what their sites could produce. By the time the similar growing season of 2005 rolled in the wineries had that much more experience. But that was tempered by a severe winter which caused an extremely low crop (enough to temporarily change Cellared in Canada rules to allow 99% foreign grape content). So that really leaves 2002 as one of the first hot and dry growing seasons where education, experience and industry growth had reached a point where there was a wide range of good quality wines from Bordeaux varieties produced. Thanks to Twitter a group of industry professionals and wine enthusiast came together to taste just how that vintage is developing as we began closing in on its tin anniversary.

The genesis of the tasting was a critical assessment of the 2002 Legends Reserve Cabernet Merlot which was surprisingly released in Vintages late this summer. It's not often you see an aged VQA wine released in Vintages. As is the nature with Twitter a dialogue quickly started with many parties chiming in and within minutes plans had been laid to have a tasting of 2002 Ontario Cabernet Merlot blends. In keeping with the communal spirit of Twitter people contributed bottles from their private cellars or from winery libraries and we all met-up at Canoe on a Saturday afternoon.

From #Ontario02

The restaurant's sommelier Will Predhomme kept things objective by arranging things so it was blind for tasters which included wine writers, enthusiasts, winemakers and industry professionals. After the dizzying experience of tasting 35 wines in two hours I was struck that there seemed to be more differences amongst the wines than similarities. The range of flavours that were produced from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot really speaks not only to the versatility of Bordeaux blends but it also to impact winemakers can have on how a wine develops after a little time in the cellar.

After the wines were revealed and the group had some time to discuss their tasting notes the general consensus was that some wines were probably past their prime. Some were showing quite nicely and are likely in the sweet spot showing their fresher flavours well right now. Still others could probably benefit from further aging. So what does that mean? Just like any vintage in order to make exceptional wine you need to start with the best fruit. But after that it really is left in the winemaker's hands to draw on experience and knowledge to do the little things he/she thinks are needed to make the best wine reflective of the vintage.

From #Ontario02

So it was certainly interesting to hear Craig McDonald formerly winemaker at Creekside and now of Hillebrand give his assessment of the wines. For McDonald the tasting added further evidence to his belief that 2002 was a solid vintage with some wines that have peaked and are in their decline, some that are drinking well right now and could go further and some where it could go either way. In his experience the danger of a hot vintage is there is a temptation to press a little harder in order to extract more flavour and juice. In other words trying to get as much as you can of a good thing. There's a fine line between maximising flavour and extraction and going a bit too far into over-extraction at the expense of balance and structure. One of the things that caught the transplanted Australian by surprise is how hot and quick a fermentation can develop here in hotter vintages. He prefers to work in smaller batches which can make it easier to monitor the fermentation temperature so it doesn't get out of control. It also allows him to more easily assess the extraction.

From #Ontario02

One thing that was surprising to learn was some of the bottles poured were the only examples remaining outside of those that may be aging in private cellars. That's something that I hope changes. Given that it takes at least three years to get a grape crop from fallow land and about a year and a half of aging before a big red is ready I understand why you would want to sell all of the production. Especially considering we haven't even factored in the cost of building the actual winery. The problem with selling everything is that there's nothing to revisit. If you want to gauge how the vines are maturing, if you want to evaluate what a certain vineyard practice or techniques brought to the wines, if you want to assess just how certain wines developed in similar vintage conditions a fairly well stocked library is essential. Plus it doesn't hurt to be able to draw from a well stocked library to give wine club members and regular customers a chance to restock on a favourite wine or to purchase something special.

From #Ontario02

Here are tasting notes from some of my favourites:

My favourite wine of the evening was lucky number thriteen the Southbrook 2002 Poetica Cabernet Merlot Still a vibriant ruby with a little aging showing at the edges the nose is full of violets, raspberry and cassis. It fills the mouth with juicy dark blackberries, raspberries and cassis. There's some added complexity with well integrated barrel spice and even a touch of barnyard perhaps from Brettanomyces. With nicely softened tannins and strong food friendly acidity it's a wine that is drinking beautifully right now. And I bet it would do so for some time.

From #Ontario02

Lailey's 2002 Cabernet Merlot wasn't as fruit forwards as some of the other wines. Blackberry and raspberry flavours were present but not in the forefront. Instead there were interesting nuances of smoke, earthiness and minerality which complimented some herbal flavours that I tasted in the wine. This is definately one of the wines that I wish I had previous notes for to see how it may have developed over time.

My other two favourite Cabernet Merlot blends came from wineries on the bench. The 2002 Vineland Cabernet Merlot Reserve had primarily aromas and flavours of cocoa, raspberries and a touch of vanilla barrel spice. There was also great complexity with addtional flavours of liquorice blackberries and cola. The tannins were well integrated with acid at a medium plus.

In a word the 2002 Cave Spring Reserve Cabernet Merlot was layered. It had a little dark chocloate, blackberry, raspberries, butterscotch barrel spice, herbs and even some barnyard flavours (maybe some Brettanomyces was a play here too). If there was a shortcoming it was on the finish which was a little shorter than expected a medium length. But don't get me wrong I'd certainly pay handsomely for a bottle.

The tasting wasn't purely Cabernet Merlot blends. There was a 2002 Nigara Syrah and Pinot Noir thrown in to keep us honest (both of which I was thankfully able to identify). The was also a Bordeaux example from St. Émillion—its always nice to have an old world benchmark for comparison. The were also numerous single varietal Cabernets and Merlots in the tasting. Of the single varieties two of my favourites were Cabernet Francs with the remaining being a Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Caberent Saugnion in question was the 2002 Rief First Growth which was dark chocolate personified. Joining the dark chocolate were aromas of tobbaco and earth with juicy blackberries on the palate. There was a little bit of a reprieve on the mid palate before the chocolate returned on the finish. The first of the Cabernet Francs, the 2002 Pillitteri Family Reserve, tasted very youthful. A bright ruby with juicy blackberry and cassis it had a lingering fruit finish with strong acid and tannin. It appears there is still some of this award winning wine made by Sue-Ann Staff available in in magnums. My favourite single varietal was the Thirty Bench Benchmark Cabernet Franc, made by one of the founders Yorgos Papageorgiou who handled much of the winemaking of the reserve reds in the winery's early days. This Cabernet Franc had a nose of fresh raspberries and blackberries. There was also intriguing minty, menthol and plum components. A slight chocolate note joins these flavours on the long finish. Still a little tight I would love to have a couple of these in my cellar to see how they might develop over the next few years.

From #Ontario02

The two wines I contributed a 2002 Marynissen Caberent Merlot and the 2002 Kacaba Proprietor's Reserve Meritage were a bit of a contrast. Unfortunately the bottle from Marynissen had a bit of a stewed fruit quality which may have meant that this particular bottle likely wasn't at its best—possibly as a result of storage. But underneath there was still a dusty tannic structure that made me want to revisit it. I've been told by staff that this very wine should see a re-release from the library soon. Given that the late John Marynissen planted Canada's first Cabernet Sauvignon vines in 1978 and the 2007 Cabernet Merlot was chosen as the house red for the Ontario Legislative Assembly last year I'm really curious to revisit a winery cellared 2002 bottle.

Kacaba has built its reputation on making small batch full-bodied wines especially big reds. The Proprietor's Reserve Mertiage is no exception. Made from 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and a quarter Cabernet Franc and Merlot harvested between mid-October and November it spent a full five years aging in new French oak before its release. Yes, five years of barrel aging! This wine is full of ripe cocoa dusted blackberries, raspberries and cassis that last long into the finish. Underneath the big fruit was some butterscotch perhaps owing to the extended barrel aging. The tannins were still strong as was the acid. What it lacked in finesse it did make up for in ripe juicy fruits. For those that like a big fruit forward style it would certainly be something to inquire about at the winery (some bottles were still available late last year). But the limitrf production and extended barrel aging do come with the steep price of $120 a bottle.

From #Ontario02

If there was one thing I took way from the tasting it was that I would certainly like to buy even more Niagara Cabernets, Merlots and their blends from 2007 and I've got a lot in the cellar. Tasting how these 2002 wines are drinking I plan to open them up gradually and taste how they develop over the next decade. As good as they are in their youth I'm confident that the best of them will be even better in a few years. The other great insight I took away from the tasting was that I was able to taste the proof of some sage advice. If you want to lay down a wine in a cellar your patience will be rewarded especially if you can find a winery and winemaker who has a style that's in sync with your palate. Even in the best vintages its sometimes the little things that can make the difference between a good wine and a great wine. If you're lucky the proof comes in the taste as the primary flavours develop into tertiary flavours and the tannins being to diminish and integrate into that mature bottle of red wine you've hidden in your cellar.

You can read what other at the tasting said via Tweets under the #Ontario02 tag here.

From #Ontario02

*Please note that calling any particular vintage good, better, best, (insert you favourite superlative here) in Ontario is at best a gross oversimplification and at worst dangerously misleading. There's probably no other wine region in the world that grows such a wide variety of grapes and has a harvest period so long that it can often be measured in months rather than days or weeks. In other words a hotter and drier vintage that favours late ripening big bold Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon makes for a challenging growing season for the earlier ripening varieties like Riesling which thrives in cooler conditions. For those that like to know the minutia of a growing season it does make distilling an assessment down to a sentence a little more challenging for Ontario. But it's a good excuse to make frequent visits for research purposes (a.k.a. tastings).

2010-12-18T08:50:00.005-05:00

Tawse Comes of Age

As Paul Pender is talking to a group of bloggers amongst the vines about the difference he's seen in Tawse's recent move toward organic and biodynamic practices you get the feeling that the near decade old winery is coming into its own under his stewardship

For Pender it really is all about what happens out in the vineyards. The few times I've spoken to him he's always been in a flannel shirt, jeans and boots amongst the vines where he passionately and eloquently explains that what is happening in the vineyard determines the quality in the bottle. Today he starts off with a quick five minute crash course in biodynamics (see my Spotlight article for more detail on the subject) for the group, which includes some unfamiliar with the concept. He touches on all the key points: the preparations, Steiner's philosophy, the integrated self-sustaining farm and all without glossing over the more controversial cosmic aspects. The key step to unlocking terroir (see this post for a more in depth look at the subject) for Pender is the soil. “You're not getting a sense of terrior when the soil is dead”, he says. Since coming aboard in 2004 Pender has worked to convert the exisitng vines over to biodynmaic farming methods. I say methods becuase having only received organic certification this year it will be another year until the wines can be biodynamically certified.

From Tawse camp

The biodynamic concept of having an integrated self-sustaining farm is something that appeals to Pender and it is something that Tawse has really begun to embrace. This year Pender has started using a horse in place of a tractor. The decrease in production (seven compared to nine acres a day) is more than a fair trade-off for less compaction of the top soil, he says. The vineyard's sheep are just tall enough to eat the leaves keeping the vine's fruiting zone exposed to the sun for ripening and good air flow. Plus they provide manure for the vineyard as they do at Southbrook. The chickens fertilise and provide pest management as they roam amongst the vines. They also provide a bonus of free-run of eggs which are sold at the winery. The small Shetland sheep go to slaughter in the fall and generally end-up on a plate at a local restaurant. But given the cost to raise them nether is a money maker for the winery. It's more about keeping with the biodynamic spirit of creating a self-sustaining integrated farm.

From Tawse camp

Although not a required biodynamic practice clover is planted as a cover crop between the rows a—common practice in almost all of Ontario's vineyards. Cover crops are known to provide numerous benefits. Reduced soil erosion, stability for people and/or tractors between the rows (especially in wetter conditions), weed suppression, a habitat for beneficial insects, a home to discourage harmful bugs from the moving on to the vines, organic material, nitrogen and lastly soil structure improvement via drainage. But maintaining cover crops costs money and they can compete with vines for resources as well as attract pests. In Tawse's case the sheep are a solution to these issues happily keeping the cover crop and pests in check as they greedily clear whole blocks in a matter of hours.

From Tawse camp

Pender believes that with its thick tap root oil seed radish (another cover crop sometimes used) can cause soil compaction. He prefers clover because in his experience the finer root system leads to better drainage. With a heavier clay soil at the home Cherry Avenue property good drainage through the top layers is key. A heavy compacted clay can have a tendency to allow water to sit near the surface and drain slowly—a problem you want to absolutely avoid if possible. Overall Pender has noticed that since implementing the biodynamic practices the health and caliber of the estate fruit has maintained top quality even in challenging vintages.

From Tawse camp

Another strategy being employed at Tawse in the pursuit of better grapes is the use of tighter spacing on the Burgundian model.
The theory is that with the vines tightly planted the root systems dig deep and fiercely compete for nutrients leading to less fruit per vine but higher yields overall per acre/hectare. Furthermore with more canopy and fewer bunches to ripen you should end-up with high-quality, small and intensely flavoured grapes that express a sense of place. Although it sounds good in theory tight planting is not a light undertaking. With the extra roots in close proximity good soil structure is essential for them to remain healthy. The tight spacing also means that good canopy management like shoot positioning and leaf stripping is essential not only for ripening but also to help with disease pressure. The Cherry Avenue vineyard seems to have good air flow which helps keep things dry and thus far it means there's not been a need for wind machines (to reduce frost risk) according to Pender. Some of the vines on Cherry Avenue are quite old for Niagara (Robyn's Block of 29-year-old Chardonnay and Carly's block of 34-year-old Riesling) so ripping out before the vines have reached the end of their life-span just to try tight planting would be a shame. Nobody is planning to rip vines out prematurely but if the trails work well and older blocks need replacing you would have to believe tighter spacing would be seriously considered. Tawse's tight planting trails use five foot row spacing (most Niagara planting is eight-nine foot between rows which fits the locally available tractors) but this requires all hand labour until a special tractor from Burgundy arrives next year.

From Tawse camp

For Pender Niagara has reached a maturing point where the winemaking technique and knowledge is very solid, so gains to be made there aren't dramatic. With Brock's Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute approaching its 15th year and Niagara College Teaching Winery closing in on a decade of operation there is certainly a lot more people educated in winemaking and viticulture than there was in Niagara just a short decades ago. Thus it's only logical that the focus be on the vines. “The biggest advances will come from the vineyard. We need to pay attention to what the vineyards are telling us. If we don't pay attention to that we won't get anywhere,” Pender say.

From Tawse camp

Part of that focus is growing fewer varieties. Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc are what should be grown in Niagara according to Pender. Gamay could also work but the lower price point works against it in the business sense. Trying to grow everything and being everything to everyone doesn't work in the cool climate of Niagara according to Pender. He cites Oregon as a great example of a region that despite some recent troubles has been able to position itself as a premium region by focusing on one grape: Pinot Noir. In a bit of an ironic twist Pender has inherited a couple of mixed vineyards as Tawse begins to expand. The Hillside vineyard purchase from Lakeview Cellars last year has 23-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines as well as 13-year-old Pinot Gris and 11-year-old Syrah. The Thomas & Vaughn vineyard purchased late last year has the same three varieties as well as Merlot. Talking to Pender you get the feeling he's a bit conflicted growing varieties that he feels aren't suited to the climate year-in-and-out—he mentioned in passing that 2010 might but be the one year in a decade that Syrah fully ripens. At the same time ripping out 23-year-old vines when a life expectancy of 30 years is considered very good is something that pains every winemaker especially in a good vintage. It seems that right now the plan is to carefully monitor the vines. If there's damage and/or the fruit isn't up to quality the inevitable replanting will come sooner rather than later.

From Tawse camp

What will be intriguing to watch is what these additional vineyards mean for Tawse. After starting as a small producer focusing on premium-priced Burgundian-styled Chardonnay Tawse began to branch out a bit with the Echos line primarily focused on giving the restaurant market something at a lower price point. Echos became a restaurant only line with Sketches of Niagara, which is bottled at the Hillside vineyard, being the retail/consumer version of it. After acquiring the Lakeview and Thomas and Vaughn properties plus the Quarry Road and Tintern Road vineyards Tawse's combined the potential is for about 115 acres of grapes. That production has it moving away from small producer status towards at least a large mid-sized producer. What remains to be seen is where that new grape production will go. If the fruit proves distinctive enough small batch single vineyard bottlings are a possibility. But there is a high likelihood that much of the fruit will, at least initially, end-up in the Sketches of Niagara line unless it shows the distinction to warrant a single vineyard bottling like Quarry Road began to a few years ago in 2006. Even if it does show distinction it may continue to see part of production declassified like Quarry Road because it could be too much volume for a single vineyard bottling.

From Tawse camp

The Quarry Road vineyard is just starting to move towards full production. Located on a former Quarry site owner Moray Tawse bought it simply because he thought it would be a good investment says Pender. And Tawse would know a good real estate investment being responsible for mortgage investments at First National Financial. Being on the northern edge of the Niagara's grape growing region in the Vinemount Ridge the grapes can struggle a bit ripen in tough years, but the old adage is that the extra work pays off in the bottle. What Quarry Road gives up in some heat ripening to the Twenty Mile Bench site on Cherry Avenue, it possesses in other characteristics. It has an ideal slope, good drainage and a consistent breeze that really helps keep the vines dry in a wet season. The retired Quarry site sits on lighter soil that's rich in limestone compared to the heavier clay with moderate limestone of the home Cherry Avenue vineyard. At first Pender wasn't really convinced of the site's potential to produce quality fruit to the level of the Cherry Avenue vineyard but he says the organic and biodynamic methods have started to make a difference.

From Tawse camp

Pender brought up the topic of clones in terroir after giving an overview of Tawse's six-level gravity-fed facility on Cherry Avenue. Harvest starts at the top of the winery where the standard premium practices of hand-sorting and destemming are done before fermentation. In some cases the wine moves into large oak fermentors before eventually moving down to the barrel cellar in the case of Chardonnays and red wines. He poured Riesling samples straight from the tank. One was from the widely established premium Weis 21B clone and the other from a less common Alsatian clone: 49. Pender has used clone 49 in the Quarry Road plantings as he prefers the flavours it achieves. Finished wines from clone 49 are more complete and complex, he says. But interestingly he has no desire to start bottling by separate clone. To him getting caught-up and focusing too much different clonal selections does a bit of a disservice to the wine. An example he cited was famed Burgundian producer Domaine de la Romanée-Conti where the highly mutative Pinot Noir grape has developed 50-60 different clones in a single vineyard. Pender's point is that when the wines of that producer are spoken of what the individual clone is bringing to that bottle is not brought-up. Rather the focus is on the impact of the terroir that the particular vineyard brings to that bottle. But as Pender says “there's not just one way to do terroir.”

From Tawse camp

To illustrate the concept of terroir Pender lead the group through a bit of a blind tasting exercise. In Burgundian fashion we started with Pinot Noir. Both samples were 2009s. One from the Cherry Avenue vineyard and the other from Quarry Road. We were asked to guess which one was from what vineyard. We did the same with Chardonnay and finally we did it with the finished 2008 versions of Robyn's Block Chardonnay from the Cherry Avenue vineyard and the 2008 Quarry Road bottling. The differences were very apparent on my palate, especially the unfinished wines. The finished wines were a little more difficult to tell (both Chardonnays are vinified identically according to Pender). As Pender had said earlier the wines from the Cherry Avenue vineyard tend to be more masculine with the heavy clay soil over moderate limestone imparting richer complex flavors. Quarry Road on the other hand with its lighter soil rich in limestone tends to be tight and focused with strong minerality. With that in mind I was able to correctly identify the samples. The answer to the second part of the challenge which one we preferred put me in the Cherry Avenue camp. Its Pinot Noir had earthy elements that added an extra layer of complexity to the Quarry Road's fragrant cherries and minerals. With its citrus, pineapple and vanilla notes as well as a rounder-softer mouth feel, the Robyn's Block was victorious on my palate to the linear focus of the more austere minerality and razor sharp acidity of Quarry Road. Although a bit away form the terroir focus of the day an equally interesting exercise might have been to taste through a vertical of Robyn's Block. I'm confident that the variation of Niagara's different vintages would be apparent in the glass. But also the development of the vines and the different stylistic approaches of the various winemakers from the initial winemaker Deborah Paskus to Paul Pender would certainly be at least as drastic as the difference in terroir.

From Tawse camp

Given the theme of the day it was a curious decision for owner Moray Tawse the pour some 2005 99/1 to go with the five course lunch from The Only On King. Made from 99 percent Pinot Noir imported from nine barrels of Morey St Denis 1er Cru Burgundy and one percent Tawse Pinot Noir, the wine was protest to the 2005 rule exception when non-VQA wines were only required to have one percent Ontario grapes. The exceptionally cold winter left many vines dead or damaged from severe winter temperatures and so there was a significantly reduced crop from the vines that survived. The rule exemption was created to encourage the Ontario crop to end-up in VQA wines, but Tawse a long time critic of the blending of foreign juice and Ontario wine would have preferred the industry just made wine that year from what mother nature had given them. Tawse pulled out the Pinot Noir for lunch because he had recently tried some from the cellar and felt it was drinking very nicely. Full of rose petals, tar and earth I concur with the assessment. It was also pointed out to me by one of the other bloggers that although there is nothing wrong with selling only to the local market and tasting from it, if you don't export or taste against the rest of the world you'll never be talked about amongst the world's best. So it was certainly a treat to be able to taste a world benchmark in a 1er Cru Burgundy nearly back-to-back with some fine examples of Niagara Pinot Noir.

From Tawse camp

On the verge of the trip Tawse won Canadian Winery of the Year at the Canadian Wine Awards In the ten year history of the awards that honour has always gone to a B.C. winery making this win particularly special for Tawse. The Vineland winery also took White Wine of the Year for the 2008 Robyn's Block, which in another first, received the highest score ever at the awards for a table wine. Although Tawse and Robyn's Block have received recognition in the past it would seem that at least in the case of the Canadian Wine Awards the conversion to the biodynamic methods that Pender spoke about has made the difference in the judge's glasses as well. As Pender says “Terroir is a great concept. But until you can taste it's not really real.”

From Tawse camp

2010-12-18T08:49:00.003-05:00

Mid-Atlantic Wines: Thoughts on the 2008 Le Clos
Line-up

Hearing and seeing the interest from the crowd throughout the kick-off party for the 2008 Le Clos Jordanne line-up, it's hard to believe that winery almost never released a bottle. The winery's launch in the fall of 2006 came a few months before Constellation Brands had ended its half-year long hostile take overbid with a successful purchase of Vincor. You see Constellation Brands is more famous for being in the business of buying wineries than building them. On the other hand Vincor which more or less began in the pioneering days of the Canadian wine industry with the Niagara Falls Wine Company (later T.G. Bright & Co) was built through the consolation of some the biggest, most successful and innovative wineries in Canada. Quite a contrast. But luckily for everyone the ambitious Le Clos Jordanne project was given a chance. It certainly helped that the initial critical praise resonated with consumers who overnight practically snatched-up the entire inaugural vintage when it was released through the LCBO's Vintages.

From Le Clos

At the time that the Le Clos Jordanne project began in 1999 many Ontario grape growers and wineries that are now known for a focus on quality Pinot Noir like Flat Rock, Malivoire and Norman Hardie had started to join early pioneers like Château de Charms, Inniskillin and Five Rows Craft Wine of Lowrey Vineyards in the exploration of producing great wine from this grape. The joint venture between Canada's largest wine company Vincor and the largest Burgundian producer Boisset came with deep pockets and technical as well as practical knowledge. Cuttings were selected from Burgundy and planted on premium land purchased on the Jordan Bench. The grapes were grown organically with tight spacing like in Burgundy with an eye on creating competition amongst the vines so fewer bunches could coax that much more character from the site. The now common premium practices of: shoot positioning, leaf removal, careful hand-harvesting and sorting were used before the grapes were allowed to ferment on their natural yeast and age in premium French oak barrels. All of the above were all proven and long established in Europe with many Ontario wineries now using all or at least some of these techniques. But Le Clos Jordanne was really the first to bring them all together and apply them with the focus of producing the best possible Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In a fitting mirror to the Franco-Canadian partnership of the venture the vines were initially under the watchful eye of Montreal-born Burgundy-trained Pascal Marchand. The winemaking duties were then passed on to Montreal born, Burgundy-trained Thomas Bachelder who has been face of Le Clos Jordanne through its rise to prominence, including many of its recent accolades. Most notably the 2005 Claystone Terrace Chardonnay winning the Judgement of Montreal and Bachelder taking Winemaker of the Year honours at the 2009 Ontario Wine Awardsfor his work at the winery. But starting with the 2010 vintage the winemaking duties have been entrusted to Sébastien Jacquey. The Burgundian has “a degree in terroir—I can't believe that exists,” according Vincor's National Hospitality Director Del Rollo. After his schooling he got experience at key cool climate French regions like the Loire valley, Bordeaux and Burgundy before spending the last three years learning the intricacies of the Le Clos Jordanne's vineyards as Bachelder's assistant. Although Bachelder will be staying on as a consultant he's very confident that the wines will be in good hands under Jacquey. “It's not a force fit. He's Burgundian born with the Burgundian thought,” Bachelder said addressing the topic of his successor. You got the feeling the transition was complete when Jacquey was given the task of speaking about the wines and the conditions in the 2008 vintage.

At best the 2008 vintage has been spoken of with trepidation or qualified optimism and at worst it's been maligned after following 2007–the dry and hot previously declared the 'vintage of the decade'. So it was interesting to hear Jacquey's thoughts. Overall his philosophy is to “identify the vintage and show that character in the wines.” He pointed out that Pinot Noir doesn't like to be overripe. So 2008 in Niagara was arguably a year that was more suited to the variety than 2007 which was so dry and hot that it caused vines in vineyards throughout Niagara to shut down and stop the ripening process at the peak of summer —they like many of us just couldn't take the heat. He also added that the grapes in 2008 had enough acidity to allow the wines to “hold and reveal fruit”.

From Le Clos

But that didn't mean 2008 was easy. In fact it was far from it. With the rain and colder than usual temperatures 2008 was probably the winery's most challenging vintage just behind 2006. Regardless of site specifics or growing methods all Ontario growers/winemakers who were in the vineyards daily as harvest approached and were on top of critical quality practices like leaf stripping, shoot positioning and cluster thinning are seeing the dividends in the bottle right now. Given its thin-skinned and tight disease prone clusters it seems counterintuitive that growing Pinot Noir organically (Le Clos Jordanne was certified in time for the 2005 vintage) could be an asset in a wet year like 2008. But not having the option to spray with a synthetic herbicide, fungicide and insecticide that targets a problem forces you to be vigilant about the leaf stripping, shoot positioning and cluster thinning if you want to keep the largest amount of fruit as ripe and healthy as possible. Of course having the resources of two large wine companies certainly helps make that labour intensive task easier over Le Clos Jordanne's 138 acres. But even with all those quality focused vineayrd practices when it came time to harvest there was sorting and resorting of the the fruit to eek out the best quality results in a tough vintage. Hand harvesting, hand sorting, hand-labour and organic farming practices are certainly not the only way to achieve quality grapes but Boisset and Vincor believe these practices are key to producing the best quality grapes that express the terroir of Le Clos Jordanne's vineyards.

For those who have never tasted a wine from Le Clos Jordanne Bachelder sums up its wines as "mid-atlantic". By that he means they are an amalgam possessing some new world flavours but also the old-world style of terroir derived flavours that got Boisset so excited about growing on the Niagara Peninsula.

Overall I found the entire 2008 line-up of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir tight with the wines drinking well right now but many certainly not reaching the maturity needed to begin to show everything they have to offer. When you're looking to taste the impact and subtitles that the different vineyards bring it is much easier when wines are clearly showing their true character. When asked staff acknowledge that the wines are tight and that begs the question why not wait a little longer before releasing the wines? As Rollo explains Le Clos Jordanne likes to release the wines in late fall as it gives their customers a regularly timed event to try the wines in their youth. Many, who were taking notes while tasting, could compare to previous vintages when they first tasted them and compare the single vineyard ones with more mature vintages to get an idea of how they might develop. Production isn't as scare as it was when the project started but it also allows long time customer to purchase what they would like before widespread sale begins.

The 2008 tasting was organised with each of the bottlings given their own separate tables (manned by Le Clos Jordanne staff who were happy to answer questions) throughout the room the room guests were free to sample and mingle at their leisure amongst themselves or Bachelder and Jacquey who welcomed questions. Mini bites like steak tartare, canopies, were offered by staff which circulated throughout Panorama.

From Le Clos

The more resilient Chardonnay grape is a little easier to work with than Pinot Noir. Acid is the key to good Chardonnay says Jacquey. He describes the 2008 Chardonnays as elegant with the wines achieving good acid levels and balance—something that was challenging for many a year earlier when sugar levels quickly soared with the heat at the expense of acid.

The Village Reserve Chardonnay was the wine drinking best that night. Made from the wine that didn't quite make the cut for the single vineyard bottlings this blend of vineyards has flavours and aromas of yellow apple, a little peach and butterscotch and vanilla notes from the barrel. The finish lingers with strong acidity and a nice warming sensation. By contrast the 2008 Talon Ridge was a little tighter with the barrel notes primarily showing through citrus and green fruit aromas and falvours. Where wine distinguished itself was in its fuller mouthfeel. It was the high-lauded Claystone Terrace where things really started to get interesting. Despite being just east of the Le Clos Jordanne vineyard the site is on a darker heavier soil and is known to produce more masculine wines. Overall well integrated with a good bit of golden apple and melon there was also some intriguing minerality and complexity with the slightest spice and sweat notes. Still tight it exhibited nice strong mouth-watering acid and a superbly rich mouth-filling texture without feeling overly heavy. It's amazing to think that the flagship Le Clos Jordanne vineyard used to be a hay and corn field. But that's the beauty of Niagara there's still plenty of prime parcels of land just waiting to be discovered by someone with a sharp eye. Leading first with a mineral zing, apples and slight bit of licorice follow with some warm barrel notes revealing themselves next. Although the finish isn't quite as long and pronounced as the Claystone Terrace it shows a restrained elegance. Finally the Le Grand Clos. Made only from the best sections of the Le Clos Jordanne vineyard this is a wine that has bit of poker face wanting to give away as little as possible on the nose right now. Very tightly wound I could only get the the merest hints of barrel, apple and peach aromas. But in the mouth these layers of beautiful crisp apple, juicy peach, and barrel spice all fill the palate. The mouthfeel is full and elegantly balanced by the mouth-watering acidity. The finish just lasts teasing you as you contemplate another sip. If there's a single way to sum the wine it is how well each element is seamlessly integrated at this point. I can only imagine how it will develop over time.

From Le Clos

Showing well at this stage despite being a little tight with tannins—the line-up of 2008 Pinot Noir from Le Clos Jordanne was just as the grape should be light in colour but deep in flavours and aromas. The Village Reserve Pinot Noir had a nose rich with the Niagara Pinot hallmark of cherries as well as a little rose and a bit of tar. The relatively small seven and half acres of the La Petite Vineyard with a sandy loam soil is without a Chardonnay counterpart. This singe vineyard Pinot Noir was fragrant with cranberries and cherries. More tannic than the Village it had a good length on the finish and strong acidity. Talon Ridge is the youngest vineyard with this being only the second vintage released. The largest vineyard in terms of acreage it provides the majority of the fruit that goes into the Village Reserve. Compared to the La Petite the depth and concentration of cherry flavours and aromas was fuller and it had a stronger sense of minerality. Hints of vanilla and cranberries also showed through. The Claystone Terrace sitting on heavier soil has even more depth. Flavours of cherries and the minerality show well but what stands at this point is the the satisfying rich mouthfeel. My favorite Pinot Noir of the night came from the Le Clos Jordanne vineyard. The layers of aromas and flavours start with cranberry and black cherries then it builds with hints of vanilla, minerality, tar and the slightest meaty animal note. With the strongest tannins and acidity of the 2008 line-up this wine should be one to lay down and revisit in a couple of years. Lastly Le Grand Clos which in word is all about balance. Although not showing as well as the Le Clos Jordanne vineyard at this point, it has an intriguing minerality with funk and tar notes beginning to peak through. Just like the Chardonnay you get the feeling that its holding back right now. Its best asset is its silky feel on the palate.

From Le Clos

Bachelder describes the vintage overall as similar to 2006 but stronger. With an extra two years for the vines to mature and a better overall growing season he believes the wines are showing even better than the 2006 vintage did at the same point in their lives. In three-five years the wines should be even better. Ideally for him you would test this recommendation by brining a bottle with you to share with friends, family or business associates abroad—especially if you're visiting Europe. Awards and the critical recognition is wonderful but nothing quite turns heads and makes new fans like a person sharing his/her favourite wine and surprising skeptical company. "You're our ambassadors" he said.

2010-12-17T19:44:00.006-05:00

Terr-What: attempting to Understand what terroir means

A recent blogger trip to Tawse got me thinking if I had to define terroir what would that definition be? Here goes…

Terrior is a prickly concept that is either just a factor or of absolute precedence in the flavours of a wine depending on who you ask. For proponents of terroir it is all about capturing the essence of a particular place. So above all else it really comes down to the vineyard. And by vineyard I mean everything that makes the site. Grape vines just like all other plants need sunlight, heat, water and nutrients to grow. Provide all of the above and you should get grapes. Provide all of the above in the right amounts and combination and you should get great grapes. Since grapes aren't grown in a lab but on a piece of land it's the elusive combination of the above that gets proponents of terroir so passionate about a particular site.

From Terroir

Despite being derived from the French word for land the dirt itself is merely an aspect of terroir. According to James Halliday & Hugh Johnson's The Art and the Science of Wine, there isn't a single identified soil make-up that produces the same good quality wine world round. In other words even if you're on the same latitude with a similar climate and plant the same variety on the same soil type and use the same vineyard practices there's no guarantee that your wine will resemble the wine of a world renown vineyard in another country. Furthermore Halliday and Johnson explain that thus far scientific experiments have been unable to to show that minerals or substances from the soil have a direct impact on the flavour of the grape. Jamie Goode's research in The Science of Wine more or less concurs. Although mineral ions and water are what's taken-up by the roots, there's no science that confirms that minerals in the soil end-up directly as flavors in the glass. So I guess that means that mineral-rich soil isn't directly responsible for that minerality in my glass of Riesling. But this doesn't mean that what's in the dirt isn't important. Assistant Professor of Geology at Bryn Mawr College Chris Oze and students studied two Syrah vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA with similar climates but different soil compositions. When they took apart the roots, stems and grapes looking for trace metals and chemical compounds they found that the two were “very different.” Early research yes, but perhaps this is the beginning of proving that there's something to what's in the dirt after-all. If there's one aspect of soil that science seems have made a definitive link regarding grape quality it is how well the dirt can hold or release water. Being of dessert origin Vitis vinifera doesn't like sitting in wet ground. In particular it's the root structure that doesn't like too much moisture.

From Terroir

Although dirt seems to be what people like to talk about the other major aspect of terroir: the climate is much more well documented. You'll find grape growing in regions throughout the world between 30-50˚latitude in the North and South Hemispheres. The reason? They are warm enough with a growing season that is long enough to ripen grapes but cold enough for a dormant season which allows the vines to sleep and recover. Amongst those latitudes there's a wide range of climates but what all premium regions seem to have in common is the influence of a body of water. For Niagara that body of water is Lake Ontario which absorbs heat over summer and gently releases it over winter. This is key to keeping vines alive and relatively damage-free over the winter in a region which is colder during the dormant season than most other wine growing regions. It also explains why vineyards aren't all over southern Ontario and that in Niagara itself the number of vineyards is generally less concentrated as you get towards the top of the escarpment where the lake's influence diminishes.

Now at 43˚ latitude north Niagara is firmly in the cooler climate grape growing zone. There are various ways to calculate growing degree days (a measure that helps predict when a crop will mature) but the figures put Ontario more or less on edge of viticulture with the ability to ripen cooler climate varieties like Chardonnay, Gamay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Riesling consistently and without issue. Techniques like cluster thinning, leaf stripping, etc. can help stretch-out things to allow the growing of grapes which need more heat like the Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A vineyard with a special characteristic like a south facing slope to maximise sun exposure in a sub-appellation like Niagara River or St. David's Bench which have more growing degree days than other areas of Niagara also helps. But those are a bit of a rarity in Niagara where many vineyards slope north. The other side of the climate equation: water isn't an issue.

Ontario gets much more than enough rain to grow grapes and it actually comes fairly evenly throughout the season which believe it or not isn't ideal. For most viniferia you would want rain early in the season to get the canopy of leaves well developed which will provide the surface area for ripening. After that sunny and clear days with cooler nights and a light sprinkling of rain now and then is ideal. Having a bone dry harvest season is a luxury. So in a particularly wet year if you have a vineyard with well draining soil or one that doesn't absorb much it can be an advantage.

From Terroir

But the land and climate alone doesn't grow the grapes. Although it seems at odds with the whole concept of terroir ruling out the human element of wine—the viticulture and winemaking—seems short sighted. Vitis vinifera vines of Eurasian heritage are not native to North America. Thanks to curiosity in the mid 19th century the vine destroying phylloxera hitched a ride to Europe on the resistant North American Lubrusca vines decimating the vineyards there in the process. The result is that with a few exceptions in very isolated places in South America, effectively no vinifera vines grow on their own rootstock. How many plants can you think of that don't grow on their own roots? It's hard to imagine a non-native plant achieving natural balance and producing ripe fruit. If you ever get the chance to talk to a vineyard manager out amongst the vines about what he/she does you might be surprised at the intricacies of what's involved to get the best grapes. Even on two adjoining properties you can get vastly different approaches from viticulturist who have different philosophies on how to coax the best grapes from their vines.

But even the best grapes don't make wine on their own. Without human intervention there is no wine. My old nemesis Pinot Gris is a good example of the role vineyard practices and winemaking play in shaping a wine. In general thinned less and picked earlier the Northern Italians have developed a style from the Pinot Gris grape that is dry, light, with high acidity that tastes largely of citrus—they call Pinot Grigio. The Alsatians on the other hand tend to pick later, thin more and produce a fuller bodied, spicier aromatic wine that leans towards stone fruit flavours. They call it Pinot Gris. Now the climate and soils of both Friuli and Alsace differ. So that likely has an impact on the style that can be consistently produced from the grape in each region. But the philosophical winemaking decisions has an equally direct impact on producing these two vastly different styles from the same grape.

From Terroir

Sean Thackrey who makes Orion from the Rossi vineyard in St. Helena California is not a proponent of terroir. As he explains in this video it's not that he doesn't believe the site has an impact on the quality of the wine that can be made. But the focus and obsession on sub-soils in terroir overemphasises the importance of a vineyard site at the expense of everything else in the winemaking process. He believes the motivation behind this is largely to improve the value of the vineyard for inheritance purposes. That being said he doesn't disagree that certain vineyards bring unique characteristics to a wine. Underlying his position is the argument that the vineyard in and of itself is not responsible for producing the wine. Watching the video and hearing him talk about minimal intervention in the cellar and the intimate relationship he has with the vines that make Orion seems very disconnected from someone who criticises terroir. In fact the grape varieties on the Rossi vineyard, planted in 1905, have yet to be definitively identified by DNA tests. So promoting the concept of terroir could certainly be in his best interests. But for him at the end of the day the winemaking decisions are just as important if not more important than vineyard site selection is to the winemaking process. As he explains the Rossi vineyard used to supply Gallo before he sourced the grapes for Orion. Before that Orion was made from Schmidt vineyard Syrah which was sold in the early 1990s to Clarke Swanson of frozen dinners fame. Even amongst the transition the wine is still very well regarded and although different they are said to have common characteristics.

From Terroir

So where does this leave us in trying to define terroir. If you're too inclusive you risk making a definition that is all but meaningless. If too limited you risk leaving something critical out. For me terroir is the coming together of everything that allows the site's special sense of place to come through in the glass. That includes the microclimate, soil, special site attributes (like slope, a breeze, a cooling fog) which impact the the quality of the fruit. But all of this doesn't matter without the right stewardship. If you plant too far apart, carry too heavy a crop, grow the wrong varieties, etc. than the character of the terroir won't translate into the finished wine. So does that mean that the vineyard practices should be included in the definition of terroir? I'm not convinced so because that begins to encroach upon an all encompassing definition. But any vineyard practices or lack there of just like any steps in the winemaking process must be talked about when we speak of terroir. The process that takes grapes on a vine to a finished bottle of wine is so interconnected that taking one aspect and isolating it above all others is an injustice. Each aspect feeds-off of the other to express the site's special sense of place or lack there of. So just like how engine design, transmission choice and body aerodynamics aren't mentioned in the basic definition of an automobile when you really want to talk about what separates one car from another you need to talk about how all those factors and more come together and make one distinct from the other.

The debate on the importance of terroir to the finished wine and even what it includes will likely be debated even long past when science is able to unravel some of the mysteries and secrets behind great wine. But if there's one thing we can agree on it is that you can't make great distinctive wine without the best quality fruit. But even the best quality fruit alone doesn't equate to the best wines. It's up to the winemaker to take that quality fruit and figure out the best way to translate its essence into the bottle.

From Terroir

2010-11-10T13:59:00.008-05:00

30 Days Round-up

From Misc

Over the past couple of months I've been lucky enough to be writing content for Spotlight Toronto's 30 Days of Local Wine. Publisher Suresh Doss and all the staff on the site pride themselves on providing more locally focused food, wine and cultural content than anywhere else. The 30 Days of Local Wine focus, which covered not only the wines of our three major regions: Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara and Prince Edward County but the personalities behind the wines, was a great example. If you haven't already explored the 30 Days of Local Wine focus please do so because there is a great breadth of stories from some very talented writers. Even though the 30 Days of Local Wine focus is over look for continued local wine content at Spotlight Toronto because there is a steady flow of great wine produced in Ontario and more stories to tell throughout the year.

Below is what I wrote collected in one place.

A piece on our two local Ontario coopers and some long time Canadian Oak supporters: Lailey & Black Prince.

A story on using natural/wild/indegenious yeast for feremntation and couple of Niagara wineries (Rosewood & Hillebrand) who are currently marketing some of their wines under wild/natural fermentation labels.

An event that paired Buster Rhino's Southern Barbecue and 13th Street wines.

Coverage of the launch of Malivoire's Guilty Men wines hosted by the iYellow Wine Club.

A story on Rosewood Estate's 2008 Merlot line-up.

Talking to the winemakers at Southbrook & Ravine about their Biodynamic & organic vineyard practices.

The story of the Foreign Affair Winery and its unique wines.

Taking you into Flat Rock's hands-on In the Winemaker's Boots sessions.

A recent dinner that Norm Hardie held at the classic French uptown restaurant Didier.

2010-10-03T00:59:00.003-04:00

Pinot Gris, It's not you it's me

I don't hate Pinot Gris. I just wanted to get that out there because people seemed to have the impression that I do. I love wine too much to hate any grape. For me what makes wine so exciting is the possibilities. Between the grape, the viticultural practices, the fermentation and the wine making techniques there's enough potential to cause the indecisive to have a nervous breakdown. Then when you throw in the variation that a cool climate blesses Ontario with you really have limitless possibilities. All of that conspires together in this little thing that drives any wine lover. I'm talking about the search for that one perfect wine from that one perfect vintage that suits you perfectly. You might not ever attain that perfection because as your tastes develop and as you learn more it can become a bit of a moving target. But if you've got the bug (if you're reading this you do) you're going to get damn close tasting a lot of great wines made by some passionate and amazing people. And you'll have lot of fun along the way doing it.

From Taste Gris

For me I'm not sure that one 'perfect' wine will ever come from the Pinot Gris grape. Although I haven't been privileged enough to visit the Alsace, which arguably produces the finest examples of Pinot Gris in the world, I have been lucky enough to visit Oregon's Willamette Valley home of the world's largest producer focused on top-quality Pinot Gris and BC's Okanagan Valley where it only trails the citizen-of-the-world that is Chardonnay in tonnage and value.I didn't fall in love with Pinot Gris during my visits there. The many wines I tried had lovely aromatics, but didn't really give me a whole lot more. That's what frustrates me about Pinot Gris. When I give it a swirl and lean into my the glass I get a wonderful nose full of flowers, pears and melon that sweetly entice me into to taking a sip. Once I take one that promise is almost never fulfilled. Although I love a wine that can beguile me a little it can only get by on its charming nose for so long before it has to deliver in other ways. Instead of doing that Pinot Gris just makes me long for aromatic varieties like Riesling, Viognier, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir where I get an experience that satisfies on my tongue just as much as it on the nose.

I'm glad I wrote the initial tweet which inspired the whole #TasteGris event if for no other reason than it brought friends beyond the virtual community of Twitter into one room where we could share, discuss and taste together. That being said it really was a great learning experience for me. There were some very good wines, but more importantly there was a breadth of flavours and styles that prove it would be foolish to outright dismiss the grape entirely.

From Taste Gris

Some of my favourites of the afternoon were the 2009 Fielding Estate Rock Pile Pinot Gris with its peach, pear and the smallest hint of barrel spiciness. The partial barrel fermentation provided a beautifully rich mouth feel but there was also a nice lively acidity. In a single word: balanced. The Stoney Ridge Excellence from 2009 also had a a beautiful floral nose and delivered with peach and pear on the palate. It was interesting to experience the vintage variation between the 2009 and 2007 Thirty Bench Pinot Gris. According to the technical notes both wines were more or less made the same and yet the oak influence seemed to come through much more clearly on the 2009. The 2007 has a bit of pink easer on the nose before giving way to the pear, peach and melon. The mouth feel was quite rich on both making a strong argument for barrel fermentation. So was the difference primarily from vintage variation between the hot and dry 2007 and the cooler and wetter 2009 vintage? Or is it mainly the extra two years of bottle aging that the 2007 has over the 2009?

From Taste Gris

Lastly the 1992 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Clos Saint Urbain Rangen de Thann Grand Cru Tokay Pinot Gris really was something special. The beautiful golden colour, the botrytis influence of apricot and peach, the slight spiciness, the rich oily mouth feel and balancing acidity all added up to one magnificent wine. It was a bit of a revelation for me. Enough to make me a Pinot Gris lover? No, but certainly more than enough keep Pinot Gris in running to be the 'one' wine for me.

From Taste Gris

P.S. A big thank you goes out to Sandra Oldfield for organising the BC contingent of the our Pinot Gris line-up. We don't often get to taste BC's wines here in Ontario so it was privilege to get a taste of the Okanagan for this event. An extra special thanks goes out to Rick VanSickle for organising this even in my honour. Not only is he a true gentleman but he's a true ambassador for Canadian wine and Niagara wines in particular.

2010-08-12T07:30:00.001-04:00

The Curious Controversy of Scarpetta Toronto

Would you eat at restaurant that featured no Ontario wines on its list? That question is at the heart of a debate over the newly opened restaurant at the boutique hotel Thompson Toronto.

Last week a tweet went out from a Niagara wine rep. looking to sell some his wines at the Toronto outpost of Scarpetta . It read " 'I have no North American wines on my list and never will.' sommelier of Scarpetta."

That's a bold statement for any business that relies on pleasing people, let alone a newly opened restaurant in a luxury hotel where the average room rate is around $300 per night. Curiously it was proceeded by an open letter praising Niagara farmers, purveyors and chefs—it even mentioned the quality of the wines. As you can imagine the initial responses were swift and passionate on Tuesday. Things got even more heated after Friday's retweet.

Now if I can digress for a moment, Twitter is unparalleled in its instantaneous ability to share our experiences and create an environment for a lively conversation. We're certainly all the richer for it. Unfortunately the 140 character limit means there's often no room for context, tone or anything beyond the barest of ideas. It also means that sometimes consequences aren't fully considered and information can move faster than it can be verified.

Given the bold statement and the reactions I decided to phone the restaurant and find out for myself. It was confirmed that there were no North American wines carried. The wine list was primarily focused on Italy with some Old World (read other European countries represented). The chef thought the Italian wines fit best with the food, I was told. When I pointed out that no Ontario options was an odd disconnect, given the praise for them in the open letter, the response I got was an agreement that it was a little confusing. I wasn't speaking to the sommelier, manager or anyone who had input into the list's creation, so the staff member's ability to speak to the matter was limited. But I was told that the position could change and the young restaurant is looking into improvements based on customer feedback. Although these were fair answers I decided to contact chef Scott Contant. After all as the author of the letter and the executive chef he is probably the authority best suited to speak on the matter.

Excutive Chef Scott Contant was polite, professional and responsive throughout our email exchange. He certainly had no obligation to speak to me especially given that I haven't spent a penny at his restaurant.

Regarding the tweet about North American wines Contant wrote "I can assure you that quote was never uttered from someone on my team. I take pride in being inclusive as opposed to ex-clusive."

I have no intention on getting into a debate over exactly what was said. I wasn't there but the parties involved know what was said. An Ontario wine representative has nothing to gain by potentially alienating restauranteurs in the province's biggest market. Similarly in a business where reputation is everything and there is a high first year failure rate, a newly opened high-end restaurant has nothing to gain by potentially turning-off pro-local customers.

Conant went on to stress that all suggestions and the criticism are key to helping him remain relevant to his customers. Contant also wrote that staff are considering and exploring many things to improve the restaurant, including expanding the wine list with local options, particularly those made with Italian varietals. If Scarpetta does do this in the future the options might include Pillitteri wines from the newly planted Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara (these were the first of their kind planted in Canada). There's also Alvento's Nebbiolo or Ridgepoint's. And the wines of Foreign Affair are made using the appassimento method.

The larger part of the debate that occurred in wake of the tweet was whether a diner should expect a local option at a restaurant, especially an ethnic one. I talked to Conant about what I saw on his menu. It largely draws on the cusines of Piemonte and Alto Adige with hints of Emilia–Romagna.

It's important to recognise that Italy is still very much a regional country with people being unable to understand the other's regional dialect. Where, this really expresses itself is in the cuisines. People the next region over not only don't, but won't eat the same dishes because their food is 'best'. So naturally it makes sense to feature the wines of a region with its cuisine. The aforementioned regions have a long history of hundreds of years where the cuisine and wine developed and evolved side-by-side and naturally are crafted to complement and enhance one another.

Interestingly the Northern Italian regions of Piemonte and Alto Adige are as much if not more influenced by boarding Swizterland and Austria as they are by the rest of Italy. So they grow and drink Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris & Pinot Blanc. There are plenty of great Ontario examples of those varieties.

A restaurant is certainly free to stock whatever it feels matches best with it cuisine & what will sell. Like a menu, a particular focus to a wine list is always best, but it does help to have some breadth to cover a range of tastes and preferences—otherwise you risk losing sales. Still it certainly can be interpreted as bit of a snub to open-up a high-end restaurant in Toronto and not list any Ontario wines. Granted Niagara is a very young wine region, but if a similar restaurant opened in San Francisco and did not list any Napa-Sonoma wines there would likely be some controversy.

Despite the email exchange I never got a reason why Conant writes "I don't think I need to tell you how great the [local Ontario] wines are, either." in the open letter, yet Scarpetta carries no local (or North American) wines on its list. It certainly seems like a contradiction given the praise for the Niagara farmers & local suppliers in the letter and the use of them.

If this is a non-issue by all means make a reservation and enjoy Scarpetta. If the responsiveness I've received is indicative of the level of service you're in for a wonderful meal. But if this bothers you don't merely vote with your dollars. Let the staff of Sacrpetta know that the lack of Ontario wine options is what's preventing you from trying the food.

2010-07-26T18:57:00.002-04:00

What the truck or you can get Good Food in Wine Country Without all the Pretense?

What do you think of when you think food in wine country? At its best it makes use of the fresh seasonal local crop. It's set amongst the idyllic backdrop of the vines. And naturally it pairs well with the local wine. But does it always need to be rooted in classic French technique, amuse bouches, and tasting menus served on white table cloths?

Adam Hynam-Smith and Tamara Jensen are doing all the former out of a truck without all the latter because sometimes you just want tasty seasonal food without all the formality.

Hynam-Smith, a passionate and adventurous Aussie, has some serious cooking chops. He learned under Michelin-starred Jacques Raymond at his eponymous Melbourne restaurant. He also worked under Cath Claringbold at the well-regarded Mecca. It was there that he developed a love for Middle Eastern and North African flavours that he would expand upon in a trip to Morocco. That lead to traveling and working throughout Europe where he met Canadian Tamara Jensen. After further culinary travels in North America, the Caribbean and South-East Asia the couple settled in St. Catherines unable to resist the beauty and bounty of Niagara. They now run Peapod Cuisine.

From El Gastro

But he's all very modest about his cooking accomplishments and is much more interested in where I learned about the food of the Middle East and North Africa and what I thought of his food than talking about himself.

The idea for El Gastrónomo Vagabundo took shape at a local wine event where after enthusiastically enjoying some of Niagara's best Hynam-Smith talked to Ed Madronich. After an expensive catering quote proposing an uninspired menu, Madronich had Peapod cater Flat Rock's fifth anniversary party. The menu was essentially the essence of El Gastrónomo Vagabundo. The concept was such a hit that Madronich insisted the truck be parked at winery on weekends for the rest of summer.

Things are just getting started for El Gastrónomo Vagabundo serving at Flat Rock for the past two weekends. Staff at the winery's tasting bar enthusiastically invite you to stay for a bite comparing the concept to LA based gourmet taco trucks. The description is mostly correct, if a bit simplistic.

From El Gastro

The location of the truck reminds me of the affectionately named roach coaches (named so because they come out at night) that I came across in Sonoma which feed migrant vineyard workers & savvy tourist looking for break from wine country cuisine. The execution is more like Kolgi where traditional Korean BBQ tastes are delivered via taco and other easily handled Mexican street food. All out of truck which has its menu and location distributed via the Web and Twitter.

Unlike Kolgi the ethnic flavours are more global, reflecting Hynam-Smith training and travels. Thankfully it isn't fusion food because more often than not fusion tends to be a compromise between two ethnic foods that does a disservice to the respective cuisines. There's also a focus placed on local sourcing and minimising the environmental impact.

The set-up is a little strange with liquor laws requiring you to go through the winery and on to green roof patio. But tasting room staff will be happy to lead the way where Jensen and Hynam-Smith will make you feel welcome at picnic tables that overlook the vines and rolling bench landscape.

Given the Middle Eastern theme of the day's menu I thought a garden salad (picked from Hynam-Smith and Flat Rock's gardens) featured sumac for some colour and tart earthy, citrus flavours. It turns out it was beet dust—Aussie's love beets. But Hynam-Smith plans to make use of the sumac trees at Flat Rock to spice items later in the season.

From El Gastro

For me the the highlight was the Fez with lamb seasoned in Ras el hanout. It's sauced in a homemade harissa with a sneaking spice that's hot enough to raise your temperature but not so much that it obliterates the palette. Although the taco is good, it really comes together in bites featuring lemon zest, it's just missing that one elevating touch. When I ask Hynam-Smith about preserved lemons he mentioned that he's making some at home to provide the salty-citrus tang that will get the Fez tasting exactly to his liking. When they're ready I plan to try it again as it should be the missing ingredient that will bring everything together and elevate the layered spicing of the lamb taco.

From El Gastro

Given the hot day and the need for a wine deft enough to go between the different cuisines of the salad, Don Caprese and Fez tacos I ignore the Fez's suggested '08 Gravity Pinot Noir pairing in favour of the mineral and citrus forward '09 Naja's Vineyard Riesling. It gets a little lost in the harissa but the lemon and lime flavours highlight the zest and the acidity cuts through some of the lamb's richness.

Beyond weekends at Flat Rock this summer Hynam-Smith and Jensen hope to take El Gastrónomo Vagabundo to events and private parties. If you're touring the Twenty Mile bench this summer and looking for something different stop at Flat Rock for the duo's evolving menu (which you can get a peak at by following them on Twitter) of seasonal local produce and global cuisines. It's all very much an apt metaphor for the nomadic Aussie whose worldly experience has him exploring and interpreting the flavours of the globe for where he calls home.

From El Gastro

2010-07-10T01:02:00.003-04:00

They Grow-up So Fast

So while we wait for our next work ticket I took the opportunity to look at the progress of our My Wine vines. I have to say what a difference a week makes. After the last post we had a week of rainy weather. As you can see the early start to the season and the water have the vines growing well. Although you can spot a bit of difference in the shoot height and the density of the canopy, you can definitely see it in the berry size. It's getting tough to see any of the stalk in there!

From My Wine

This week we're in the midst of a heat wave not since seen in these parts since 2005 & 2007 . If you're familiar with Niagara vintages those two are known for hot and dry conditions. Now that probably doesn't benefit our Riesling as much as Bordeaux varieties commonly grown in Niagara like Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. Hot, dry growing conditions can sometimes lead to a petrol note that's usually associated with more aged Riesling earlier in the wine's life. But if this is any indication we're in good hands should you not care for a hint of fossilised-dino-car-go-juice early in your Riesling's life.

With lush and thick canopy growth like this I have a feeling we're in for a bit of trimming sooner rather than later.

From My Wine

2010-06-25T08:44:00.000-04:00

Lookin' Good There, Good Lookin'

Given the early start to cherry season (what's good for tender fruit is generally good for grapes), I thought I would check out our My Wine, My Way vines. Please click the link here to view an album or look below to see a slideshow of how our vines are progressing. Brian Schmidt told me our vines are about six weeks earlier than normal with their vegetative growth (leaves, canes, etc.) and about two weeks ahead of schedule on grape growth progress. Things are definitely looking promising. I'm looking forward to our next ticket, which should be coming soon.

2010-06-23T22:37:00.000-04:00

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait:

My Wine's First Ticket

It's our first opportunity to make a decision for My Wine, My Way. We're being asked to crop thin now or in August. If we crop thin now it should increase the possibility of more uniformly ripe grapes come harvest time. So if we want to help our chances of making the best possible wine this year it's really a no-brainer decision. Time to get in the vineyard with the shears and get cutting—not so fast.

Coincidentally I've been taking a general viticulture course this summer and the one thing that's stuck above everything else is the underlying theme that it isn't easy or straightforward growing wine grapes in Niagara. Without getting into too much detail, Niagara has a short, humid, wet (especially at harvest) growing season followed by a harsh winter for a grape growing region. So what does this mean for Vitis vinifera, a plant of desert origins? It means certain varieties can be a struggle to ripen fully here. With little to no tricks or intervention cool climate varieties like Riesling need about 1700 growing degree days to fully ripen. Moderate climate Cabernet Sauvignon requires 1900 and the heat loving Grenache demands 2100. Niagara's weather fluctuates yearly affecting the quality of the growing season but it's a cool climate growing region, which is generally considered to be in the range of 1500-1700 growing degree days. The growing conditions in Niagara also mean grapes are susceptible to potentially crop-ruining fungal diseases and the grapes can become water logged or even burst when nearing harvest time. About 550 mm – 850 mm of precipitation per year is ideal for most Vitis vinifera. Niagara usually hits that target before the end of summer and exceeds it by year's end. If the grapes mange to get through all of that unscathed there's still the potential of vine-killing cold and frost severely damaging the buds in spring. Anywhere with winters below -23°C more than once every 20 years is considered unprofitable for viticulture—completely replanting can put you out of production for 3-5 years. Ideally the coldest winter month should average above -1°C. Plus most Vitis vinifera will die if the temperature falls below -15°C to -25°C (depending on the cold hardiness of the variety and clone). Niagara fails everyone of those criteria. It kind makes me glad that the vines our only our's until the Riesling gets made for the My Wine, My Way project.

So what does all this have to do with the decision to crop thin now or in August? As the My Wine, My Wine site explains, if we crop thin now we essentially lighten the vines' loads. The remaining grapes have to fight less for their share of sun, nutrients and other resources—thus more even ripeness. But unfortunately it's not just the grapes that get more of that good stuff. By lightening the load the canes stretch, grower thicker and you don't make wine out of canes. Unfortunately, these suddenly thicker canes have a tougher time getting ready for winter. As you know from the above anything we can do to help the vines prepare for winter is a good first step towards making a great wine next year.

Also if we crop thin now and (knock on wood) something should happen that puts the vines at risk, it would make it very difficult to produce a good wine in decent quantities. Even though the season started off warmer and earlier than usual, the recent moisture and humidity can be dangerous to this year's young grapes. In fact, just the other day there was a risk of severe thunderstorms and hail. I don't know about you but the risks outweigh the potential reward of grapes at harvest that are slightly more ripe vine-to-vine. Besides I'm sure there are some other upcoming wine making decisions that will allow us to help aid the potential ripeness of the grapes without risking next year's crop.

2010-06-21T21:01:00.000-04:00

What's Cooler than an idea who's time has come?

This changes everything. You've heard it before but how many times when referring to the Ontario wine Industry?

Vineland Estates, a producer of some of the best Riesling in Niagara (and Niagara makes cellars packed with Melchiors worth of good examples) has an idea so simple and compelling you would swear Steve Jobs had started a winery. Vineland wants to make a Riesling for you and not only do they want you to help make it, but they want you to make it your way.

For any wine lover who always wanted to know more or get involved in the winemaking process in some capacity My Wine, My Way is your chance. Sure you could take a wine making course at your local community college, buy some local grapes come harvest time and then make and bottle your own wine. But this is more than that.

Talk to any passionate winemaker (Brian Schmidt is amongst the most passionate in Niagara) and he/she will tell you that good wines, especially those that come from one particular site, start in the vineyard. No good grapes means no good wine. This community based project will allow wine lovers to participate in all sorts of decisions that will help shape the colour, taste and aroma of the finished wine. Based on a brief explanation of the task at hand and its possible consequences you'll be asked to make decisions about shoot positioning, crop thinning, the harvest date and more.

Brian Schmidt & Vineland's staff will then apply your decisions for you. There may even be the possibility to apply some of these decisions yourself with some hands-on participation in vineyard should you desire.

But why bother going through the trouble of inviting the public in on the wine making process? I could tell you that the alcoholic beverage market is growing in Canada and wine's share of it is too. I could also tell you that Millennials (18-29 year olds) splurge more of their spending dollars on food and wine than any other group. They are epicureans and their worldly exiperience has their tastes ahead of previous generations. They are constantly connected to the internet, enjoy social media but growing-up with the technology they are both savvy and weary of businesses using them. Still they love being able to opt-in to participate in something genuine, useful, informative, engaging and unique.

But none of the above paragraph is the motivation behind My Wine, My Way. I'll repeat it. None of the above paragraph is the motivation behind My Wine, My Way. When I spoke to Schmidt about the idea behind My Wine, My Way he talked about how he saw it as a unique opportunity to interact with customers on another level and to learn from each other.

You simply have to have one conversion with Schmidt about Niagara wine on Twitter to know he and the staff at Vineland are doing this because they genuinely care about their customers and want to share some of their passion through this unique experience. Brain Schmidt is a tireless champion of Niagara wines promoting the great products of fellow winemakers before his own. He's also a great steward of the wine region taking the time to share his knowledge and passion at every opportunity. I've benefited from this on more than one occasion and always come away impressed, engaged and learning something useful. I believe this is one way he gives back for all the knowlege that he has said he has benefited from via the past and fellow winemakers of the region.

I will most certainly fully take part in My Wine, My Way documenting and adding what I can here. I encourage all Ontario wine lovers to do the same by participating on the website and joining in the conversation on the My Wine Twitter feed . With ideas like this one the present and future of Ontario's wine industry looks bright. This project certainly has potential to spark the passion that I know is driving Ontario's growing wine culture.

2010-06-20T19:54:00.000-04:00

Sharp Chards: of ink & in the glass

If you read the Financial Times or more aptly follow a certain British wine critic who writes in the well regarded publication you might have the impression that Ontario wine industry is at its nadir.

I can't imagine that's what Bill Redelmeier was hoping for when he began genesis of what would become Seriously Cool Chardonnay.

The proprietor of Southbrook was inspired by an interview he heard with Thomas Bachelder on CBC. After besting French and Californian competition at a blind tasting in Montreal the Clos Jordanne winemaker said he felt that there are many Ontario wineries that could have had the same success.

Redelmeier spent the past year calling on Ontario's wineries to submit their best Chardonnays and spearheading a plan to showcase the best of the best to the world. The culmination was a tasting in London on May 17, 2010. The idea was much like a past New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc tasting which begat a world-class reputation for the Kiwi take on the varietal.

By all accounts it was a good showing for the 40 wines (although this still shows 39) from 22 wineries. Like all settings where scoring and judging is involved some distinguished themselves as top performers. Still even the lowest scoring wine was deemed good, decent but unremarkable. Although this wasn't exactly an affirming declaration of quality fit for a Hollywood movie, given that these critics taste the world it is a very respectable result.

Despite this the focus became a continuation of the Cellared In Canada debate, which began last year and spilled into this one. As Rick VanSickle pointed out, not only was it disrespectful to the spirit of the tasting, but focusing on something unrelated to the tasting certainly leaves readers with the implication that Canada's world-class Chardonnay is secondary news.

Another curious thing about the post-tasting coverage was the highlighting of Prince Edward County Chardonnay as "distinctive". Although it was encouraging to see two Prince Edward County producers receiving top scores, seven of the top eight scores awarded were for wines made with Niagara fruit. With all due respect to the passionate and inventive producers of Prince Edward County, Niagara has a good 15 years more experience to draw-on. It also seems at odds to me to write that Prince Edward County's colder climate results in a Burgundian elegance when it comes to Chardonnay yet describe the top scored wine using county fruit as big, bold and Californian in style.

Even though the event went very well, it certainly could have gone better. The scores only began trickling in almost two weeks later. That's a generation ago in today's news cycles. Still that would not have seemed so long had there been any hint of a word on when to expect news to begin coming in. Also now that the scores have come there doesn't seem to be much of an indication of whether the initiative continues and if so where does it go from here.

Still you can't argue with the assement that our best can hold their own in a competition with world's best. It isn't just chardonnay either Hidden Bench certainly showed that in 2010 Decanter World Wine awards. Now if we could just make the focus the positives and highlight the best of the Ontario Wine industry with it's VQA wines both the industry and the consumer will benefit.