Uncork The Knowledge

Practice Makes Perfect

My dear friend Claudia a fellow Master Wine Taster and I have been invited to a Bordeaux/Meritage tasting. I don't have a lot of experience with bordeaux's ,so what better reason to get together and share a few bottles,mind you not all were bordeaux's!!

Our first bottle was a 2006 right bank bordeaux from Chateau Fongaban. It was 90% merlot and 10% cab sauv. The wine was a deep garnet red in colour with thin fast legs.(13%) The nose was meaty with some eartiness and maybe even a little brett. ( I like that in a wine!) The tannins were gentle and there was some acidity. This light to meduim bodied wine had a nice lasting mocha finish.
 We thought it would be interesting to leave this wine and come back to it - so we did about an hour later. The wine had opened up nicely with some dark fruits on the palate.

The next one we tried was a 2008 cab/merlot blend from Ridgepoint,20 mile bench in Vineland. The wine was light ruby in colour with reluctant legs hanging on the glass.(12.5%) The nose had a subtle earthiness to it with black currant and delicate oak. I found the tannins firm with a fruity cherry finish.Not much complexity in this wine,a simple quaffer if you will.

Our final wine for the night was a 2006 cab sauv from Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington State. I was very excited to try this wine as Washington puts out some great cabs!!  The colour was a rich dark plum, opaque and very concentrated  with crazy legs.(14.4%)The nose had plum and some mellow barnyard. The palate showed jammy with nice acidity and great tannins and a little minerality.The finish was long with lots of plum. We didn't detect a lot of oak in this wine. For such a big wine we thought it was very soft in nose,palate and finish.

It was a nice comfortable evening spent with a great friend and some interesting wines. But then we always have a great time and the wine is always interesting!!

 

Wines of the World

What a great event!!

I had never attended or worked this event, so when asked if I would pour for Colio,I jumped at the chance! When I walked thru the doors and into the  room at the Fogular Furlan I was "wowed"! The large round tables were covered in linens and elegantly set for 10. A large glass hurricane was glowing with candle light in the middle of each casting a warm glo throughout the large room.

I arrived early and walked around the room meeting and talking with the other vendors. There were numerous local restaurants each cooking and sampling their best menu fare! There was something for everyone!

There were 6 local wineries in attendance along with "wines from around the world" all pouring some of their finest vintages!  The wines from around the world were a great contrast to the local wineries,and I for one am glad that I was there to experience the evening.

I hope to see you there next year!!

A Few Bottles of Wine

 I absolutely love it when a friend shows up at my front door with a bottle of wine. It was the middle of the week and the perfect way to spend a rainy night. After checking out the cellar and deciding what else we would enjoy throughout the evening - we sat down and opened the first of a many!! The Montepulciano is a light bodied wine with some cherry and red raspberry notes, the tannins were gentle and the finish was light. We thought a little chill added to this wine made it brighter and brought the fruit forward.

Deciding to bake some brie and topping with some wine jelly with a little jalapeno we opened a 2006 Lake Erie North Shore (LENS) Syrah. It was deep plum in colour with long steady legs. Dark berries and black pepper with a hint of chocolate on the nose. Tannins were firm but not overwhelming with a long steady finish of black pepper and plums.

A glass of 2000 Ferreira Port was poured next and enjoyed with a some dried cranberries and nuts. The nose was full of baked raisin and fig and coffee undertones but we felt the finish was short and left us hanging..

The conversation was in full throttle now and we didn't want the night to end so I opened up a 2008 Gamay Noir again from the LENS region. This is one of my favourite wines produced at Colio Winery and is available at the winery as I write this.

It is a medium bodied wine with a pretty medium garnet colour. The  nose shows plums,cherries and dark raspberries. Firm tannins and a long steady finish with a sneak attack of white pepper and spice. I love this wine!!!!

It was getting late - 3:oo am late but there was one more bottle that was asking to be opened.. a beauty of a bottle.  My favourite varietal cabernet sauvignon. This was a 2004 from California but vinified here in LENS.

I opened and poured 2 glasses - the aroma filled the kitchen!! What a big wine - it made my mouth water! The nose was a cigar box! It had leather ,cedar, chocolate, pipe tobacco and oak - whoa  lots of oak!!!  The finish was long lasting with dark plums and tobacco.  If I had to come up with a descriptor for this wine-- Sex in a glass!!

It was time to wash the glasses and say good night ! A few bottles of wine and great conversation was a great way to spend the night. And to think it all started over a couple of stella glasses!!

Thank you my friend - Let me know when the next few bottles are to be opened!

All Canadian Wine Championships

  Last Thursday night marked the 4th year of the All Canadian Wine Championships ( ACWC ). I have attended 3 of the 4 years with each one bigger than the last!!

 This year I was lucky enough to be asked to help out with some behind the scenes volunteer work! I was very excited and jumped at the opportunity! Our day started at 8am - the judges were arriving at 9 -  we made sure the tables were set - the glasses were clean and the wine was uncorked and ready for judging! 

 It was a thrill to meet the judges and watch their experience as they swirled,sniffed,sipped and spit!  There were 2 days of judging - the scores were added up and the winners decided.

The Charity event was held at the Caboto Club and is open to the public.It is a great way to taste the wines that are entered into the competition and meet some of the winemakers,winery personal and thank the many volunteers for pouring the wines.

I am proud to say that our local wineries did very well. All in all they claimed 18 medals including 4 double gold and 4 gold, Congratulations to everyone involved and to Bev Carnahan for all her hard work and dedication. And to Bev's 1er Crew for a job well done!!!

The wineries that won a medal are as follows..

Pelee Island Winery - 7       Black Bear Estate Winery - 3   Aleksander Estate Winery - 2   Sanson Estate Winery - 1

Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery - 2    D'Angelo Winery - 1     Mastronardi Estate Winery - 1     Muscedere - 1

Congratulations to all!!!

A German Gem...

 It was a sunny Sunday and it was Mother's Day! I wanted something different to pour into my glass this afternoon as we chatted on the patio. Looking thru my chiller, I found an interesting wine that I had purchased during the holidays and thought it would fit the bill!!

So I opened the 2004 Studert - Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese from my favourite region Mosel - Saar - Ruwer.

From the moment I opened the bottle I knew it was going to be a beautiful bottle of wine...It was deep medium blonde in colour , clear and brilliant almost sparkling in the sunshine!

The nose showed petrol and flint with peach and apricot undertones - the wine was like velvet in my mouth , nice balanced acidity and minerality with citrus on the long elegant finish!!

I found this to be a balanced complex wine and it paired nicely with the bbq'ed shrimp and chipotle salsa!!

A Table Of Four!

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 It was a tasting very different than what we are used too! There were only 4 of us tasting tonight and we  anxious to get started on our selections!

 Claudia started the evening with a Gewurztraminer Reserve 2007 from Alsace. It had a very pretty almost elegant nose with mango's and lychee's, great acidity and a long intense finish! No wonder this is one of her favourite wines!!

 Next opened was an unusal wine from the Beamsville Bench in Niagara. It was a 2009 Musque Spritz from Malivore Winery. The tiny bubbles add fun to the beautiful nose of melon and peach. A great wine to be shared amoung friends any time of the day or night!

 Sarah brought a 2004 Pinot D'Alsace from Marcel Deiss Vineyards.The nose was ripe fruit and honey with some minerality,peach peel and great acidity on the palate. This wine is a blend of 3 grape varietals and is produced biodynamically,expressing the terrior of the land and the vine.

 Claudia brought a 2007  Seyval Blanc from Nova Scotia's Gaspereau Vineyards. The nose was full of green apple,pear and peach with some grassy undertones. The palate followed with nice acidity and a long finish, it paired wonderfully with the blue cheese I was serving!

 Next on the table were 2 reds that I had laying down for a few years. The first was a 2005 Carmenere Grand Reserve from the Rapel Valley Chile. We found notes of cherry,honey and vanilla maybe even a hint of barnyard. The tannins were evident,but very gentle with a long smooth finish! I thought this was a very sexy wine in my glass!

 Last but not least was my favourite producer Graham Beck - "The William" a 2003 blend of Cab Sauv,Pinotage and Cab Franc. The wine was very dark almost opaque in the glass. The nose had plums and brett with a spiceness which followed to the palate.The finish was long and graceful. Both of these wines evolved wonderfully in the bottle and aged with class and character!

 Gary brought 3 rieslings - 1 from Sanson's a winery from the LENS region and 2 from Konzelmann's a Niagara winery.Two of the same wines from different vintages. Regretably we didn't get to them. They are in my chiller awaiting the next tasting, I am anxious to see the difference a year makes!

 I think I preferred our table of 4 - the discussion was of wine speak and my notes on each wine actually made sense!

 I want to thank everyone for their wines and their company - it was a fun night and I am looking forward to the next tasting.

 

A Girls Night Out!

 It was five women sitting around my kitchen table - we had gotten together to wish Jenn well on her time on the road. There was laughter,  there were tears, there was wine ( of course ) and yummy food!

We started the evening with Segura Viudas Cava ( Spain ) and a personal favourite of mine! Next we opened Wild Rock Elevation - a Sauv Blanc from New Zealand. It was not at all what I expected!! The grapefruit was over powering and took away from the beauty of the wine!

 Diane's own wine - a favourite of hers from Lanoue Vineyards!! It is a sweet wine full of exotic fruits and will be wonderful enjoyed on ice on a hot day out on the patio.

Jenn had brought a "Girls Night Out " Chardonnay - The label attracted her attention!!! We all thought the wine was missing something - not a typical chardonnay!!

The reds came out next - Castillo de Almansa from Spain and Sebuka a cabernet/pinotage out of South Africa. Both wines were a great representation of their origin!

It was a great evening spent with friends and we have decided there needs to be more nights like this one!! Possibly the next time Jenn is home! Thanks girls it was a great GIRLS NIGHT OUT!!

 

In My Opinion......

 This past weekend I attended the Southern Ontario Food and Wine Festival - I have to say I was less than impressed! Since I had attended last year's show, I knew what to expect and was looking forward to tasting our local wines and maybe a new release or two from our local talent! I have never been more wrong! Tickets had to be purchased and then they were exchanged for a glass of wine. 1 ticket= $5.50,4 tickets = $22.00 , a bottle of wine 5 tickets = $27.50!!

Upon walking into the venue - I could feel the disappointment settling in. We seen 3 local wineries grouped together - "3" there are 14 in our area. Seeing no familiar faces I knew this was not going to be a great experience. One of my favourite wineries was there and I was looking forward to talking to the owners and their staff about some of their new releases,but I was told the wineries were not representing themselves and that hired hands from the property management group would be pouring for the weekend! I didn't think it could get any worse! -  But when I asked what wines I could chose from  her reply was a red and a white!!! Shaking our heads we continued around the room seeing booths for Italy,California,and Chile.. ( I thought we were at a Southern Ontario event! ) Ohhh and a beer pavillion. It really reminded me more of Epicure than a wine and food event!

Stopping at the California booth and engaging in conversation with the girl - she noticed we were not happy and asked us why? We told her we were expecting local wineries to be here - she looked us straight in the eye and said " what makes you think this is a local event?" I was dumbfounded!!

I am very proud to say I live in the Lake Erie North Shore (LENS ) wine region and I support our local wineries all the time! We have great wines and very talented winemakers in this area. These events are a great way to taste the wines of our region and meet the people that make them!  Not pay ridiculous amounts of money for a half glass of wine that I can buy at the LCBO! And I certainly don't want to pay $27.50 for a $8.00 bottle of Sutter Home Rose!!!

I recently attended the Harrow Wine and Food Show and there were 12 of the 14 wineries in attendence and they were pouring their own wine!! It was by far the better event!! I look forward to returning to Harrow next year and enjoying the wines of our area!!

I am very upset that our wineries did not get the proper support and representation that they deserve and I can honestly say that I will not be returning next year. I am very happy that I had a free ticket given to me because if I would have had to pay admission, it would have been an even bigger disappointment!!!

A RAINY DAY AND PINOT NOIR....

It is a lazy Sunday and after 12 noon - what a better time to have a glass of Niagara's wine country! So I poured a glass and curled up with my laptop!!

I looks very pretty in my pinot glass - the colour is very close to a byng cherry with nice legs coating the glass.The nose is cherry,raspberry maybe even a little floral in there with very little wood. The palate showed  sour cherry and raspberries and just a tad of earthiness with nice acidity and gentle tannins with a finish that lingered for a time.

I very much enjoyed this wine at our tasting and tour in Feburary and am sad to say that I am finishing my last bottle of this wine. I guess a trip back to see Ed and his staff are on the agenda for this summer!!

 I had it last night with pan seared basa - I thought it paired wonderfully.. and am enjoying it alone just as nicely on this rainy Sunday afternoon!!

Cheers!!!

 

A Pinotage Blend!??

 I was browsing the aisles at one of our LCBO's looking for something new and exciting to wet my palate! With the labels so artistically eye catching these days - it is hard to mamke a decision. When one of my go to guys from the lickbo suggested a cab/pinotage blend - I shock my head in disbelief!

But being a South Africa fan and I do have a taste for Pinotage I figured for $10.95 - what did I really have to lose?!

The wine is dark berry in colour,with long slow legs showing off the 14% alcohol level.The nose is full of dark berries,coffee and definitely some barnyard (yummy) typical of pinotage.The palate was lively with acidity and dark cherries,earthiness and gentle tannins.There was raspberry and milk chocolate on the long enjoyable finish.

I made homemande pizza for dinner -  this wine paired wonderfully with the older cheeses which stood up to the Cabernet and the cremini mushrooms and bacon which intensified the barnyard,smokey traits of the Pinotage.

The next time you are looking for something different pick  up a bottle of SEBEKA ! It will surprise and delight you!!