Let's Go Local

A few days ago someone said to me: "Ontario makes wine? I didn't know that."

Enjoying a glass local flavour in the
Jackson Triggs vineyard.

Go Local everyone!

I'm used to people from other countries being surprised when I tell them that Canada has a flourishing wine industry. The common statement I hear is "Isn't Canada too cold to make wine?" Bless their hearts. They also think that Vancouver is a short car ride from Toronto, failing to realize how vast and diverse this country actually is that we live in.  I suddenly became very excited to introduce this person to our wonderful wine industry.  I'm sure that they weren't prepared for my long detailed information session. It's a good thing we were in a small confined space. :)

iYellow supports Ontario wine!

I'm very pleased that the LCBO is doing the Go Local campaign. Ontario wines have had a stigma associated with them for a long time, as not being very good. This is so not true! Fortunately this misconception is disappearing from public opinion. We're lucky to have so many wines from around the world available to us but even luckier knowing that we too make world class wine right here in Ontario. Finally there's a much needed push to promote and support our local talent. From grape growers to wine makers. If you go to California, you're encouraged to drink Californian wine. If you go to France, you will no doubt have mostly French wines available to you. Yes, the wine industry here in Canada, specifically in Ontario, is extremely young at just over 30 years. In a very short amount of time, we've risen to create some fabulous examples of what can be done here with local grapes. Our wines can stand proudly on the international stage, many with the medals to prove it!

The talented Andrzej Lipinski!

Ontario has four appellations, or grape growing regions:

Niagara Peninsula

The most well known and established grape growing region in the province.  This region is further subdivided into 10 sub-appellations each with a unique characteristic that comes out in the finished wine.

Prince Edward County

Ontario's newest appellation. Cool climate with a foundation of rich limestone.

Lake Erie North Shore

With so much sunshine, it has ideal ripening conditions to make full bodied wine.

Pelee Island
Canada's most southerly grape growing region and enjoys a long growing season.

Winter scene at Legends.

Although mostly known around the world for our icewine, we also produce some delicious still and sparkling wine. Wines from Ontario vary from elegant and complex to fruit forward and fun. Our wines showcase the location where the grapes were grown...our "terroir".  That's what wine is supposed to do -  represent the land it is from.

Harvest season.

What is terroir?
"The combination of location, soil, topography and climate - as having direct influence on both the character and quality of wine grapes" - www.vqaontario.com

Living in Toronto, I'm fortunate to be very close to the Niagara region. What makes this area so wonderful for grape growing is really two-fold: Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment.  The lake gathers warmth throughout the summer months. The breezes coming off the lake provide a constant flow of warmer air from the lakeshore to the base of the Escarpment. In the fall and going into winter, this warm air raises the land temperature. The growing season is extended and the vines don't freeze during the cold months of winter. Did you know that the Escarpment was formed during the regions glacial history? This same glacial history is also what gives the region its complex soil compositions.

Thirty Bench.

 Grapes at Inniskillin.

Because of this unique growing area, certain grape varieties do very well here: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and Cabernet Franc.

These past two weekends I had the chance to partake in the iYellow Wine Club tours into one of the Ontario wine regions - Niagara. I usually go on my own but this was a great way to taste *a lot* of wines in one day. It's harvest time and wine country is at its busiest! This is always the most exciting time for me. I wonder what harvest 2011 will bring? While the world anxiously awaits the delivery of the much talked about Bordeaux 2010 wines, I'm excited that the 2010 Ontario wines are starting to hit the shelves.

Ed from Flat Rock Cellars.

Chateau des Charmes.

It's so important that we support our local producers to continue the growth of our industry. Did you know that Ontario has over 125 wineries? That number will only continue to grow. From larger production facilities to small boutique operations, we have many diverse wineries and wines.  I've met many passionate people in all aspects of the wine industry. From wine makers to wine agents. All of them have one thing to say - Ontario wine is only getting better each year!

Daniel Speck from  Henry of Pelham.

With the creation of, COVI (Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute) at Brock University, Ontario is recognized around the world for its research and development of cool climate wine making.

When you're in the store searching for a new local Ontario wine to try, or reaching for your favourite, make sure that VQA is listed on the bottle. VQA stands for Vintners Quality Alliance and it ensures that 100% of the fruit in the wine that you're buying is grown in Ontario and that it meets stringent quality standards. It ensures that what's on the label is what's in the bottle. Many bottles also now have a sticker on their neck that says "100% Grown by Grape Growers of Ontario".

 I highly recommend making a trip out to one of our wine growing regions and discovering for yourself what makes Ontario wines so great! You won't be disappointed!

www.winecountryontario.ca

http://www.lcbogolocal.com

Bordeaux after work @ Eight Wine Bar

The third Bordeaux After Work Party took place this past Tuesday September 20th at Eight Wine Bar. What a civilized way to finish an otherwise boring workday.

The Bordeaux Wine Council has a goal: to spread the joy of Bordeaux wine. These events are co-hosted with the popular iYellow Wine Club and aim to showcase the diverse wines that the region has to offer. Bordeaux wines are not only for the wealthy collectors who spend thousands of dollars for coveted bottles of cru classes. There is a Bordeaux wine for every budget and every taste.

The Bordeaux After Work Party is a series of 4 events. Once a month a downtown venue is chosen for 2 hours of tasting and socializing. This past evening,  the first 100 people to arrive received a free glass from the list of featured wines. Additional glasses were $5.  For yummy wine, that's a deal.

Sommelier station

the menu a la carte

This event had a new concept of a sommelier station. The sommelier du jour was Svetlana.  She was there to give you a small sample of the wines. You could then decide what you wanted to start with at the bar.

Fantastic idea!

Angela Aiello

The evening had a great vibe. The after work crowd sipped away the evening listening to funky beats, socializing inside this cozy venue.  I snapped a picture of iYellow Wine Club founder, Angela Aiello.  She looks like she's having fun! For more information on her events and for future Bordeaux After Work events, go to: www.iyellowwineclub.com

www.cosmotoronto.com/Eight-Wine-Bar

There were 5 wines to try throughout the evening: 3 reds, 1 white and a dessert wine.
All the wines are available at the LCBO. My picks for the night:

Eight Wine Bar

mmm wine

White
Chateau Ferran Blanc 2007 $21.00

A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. Dry white wine showing some oak with orchard fruit flavours. Well balanced and enjoyable. Nice wine for the money.

Red
Chateau de Panigon 2005 $16.95

A solid dry, red wine for under $20.
This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 2005 is considered to be a wonderful vintage in Bordeaux. This wine had good fruit, tannin and a medium finish. Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Dessert
Chateau Liot 2007 $19.00

A delicious sweet white wine with elements of honey and dried apricot while maintaing nice acidity. Best served cool. The wonderful thing about sweet wines coming from Bordeaux is that many of them are affected with what's called Botrytis or "noble rot". Don't be fooled from the name. This "rot" is a good thing. It shrivels up the berries so the flavours are super concentrated. The Chateau Liot is a nice introduction to these wines of Sauternes and Barsac.

Wine menus

Like 2005, the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux was spectacular. From the reports coming, the wine world is now buzzing about 2010.  While these wines are silently sitting in barrels in France, eager wine drinkers all over the world are awaiting their arrival to the marketplace.

Nicolas from Tannin Fine Wine

Nicholas from Tannin Fine Wine is a Bordeaux expert. I've heard him speak French fluently with the most beautiful accent. Oui, c'est vrai. He was pouring a wine not featured on the list:
Chateau Desvin-Bel Air 2003 $19.95





I'm having a lot of fun at these events! Now how about an After Work Week Party! Or, a Before Work Party...ok ok, just any excuse to have a party. :)

For more information on future events:
www.facebook.com/bordeauxwine

Grape Growers of Ontario - The Watsons

It's harvest time in Ontario! I spent the day in wine country this past weekend and seeing the vines full of ripe fruit made me so excited. What will the vintage of 2011 bring?  This is the time of year where everyone holds their breath, hoping that mother nature cooperates. Hopefully as harvest approaches, we will have that warm, dry weather that's needed to bring this vintage to a close. Fingers and toes crossed.

My next post for the Grape Growers of Ontario series features Kevin Watson.  He runs K.J Watson Farms LTD in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  As a second generation grape grower, Kevin and his wife, Cathy, now have 80 acres with over 13 different vinifera (the most common wine vine) varieties. In the latest video, Kevin discusses what makes a good wine grape and how to tell when a grape is ripe. These are fitting topics as we head into the 2011 harvest season.

This video is filmed during the period called "veraison". This is when the grapes start to turn colour as they mature and ripen. Did you notice in the video that Kevin was taking away the extra leaves off the vines? This is so that the grapes can get that much needed sunlight. If the vines have too much foliage, they don't turn the energy to ripening the berries. If at veraison, certain clusters are lagging behind the rest, those clusters can be dropped to the ground so the vine can turn its energy into ripening the remaining clusters.  This is called "green harvest".  Unripe berries can lead to unripe flavours in the finished wine. Sure, you'll get a smaller crop in the end, but more flavourful fruit. Wine grapes are meant to be small. You don't want big, fat and juicy grapes. Leave those for table grapes. Good wine comes from small berries. Good things do indeed come in small packages!

We all know that the main difference between red and white wine is of course, the skin. Red wine gets its colour from the the skins of the grapes. You can certainly make a white wine from red/purple/black grapes...just leave out the skins during the winemaking process. The grape skins can include a lot of the flavours that you might find in that particular varietal wine. If you pick a Syrah (Shiraz) grape off the vine, for example, the skin itself can exhibit black pepper flavours whereas Gewürztraminer grape skins can be spicy. Neat!

Kevin Watson, 2007 "Grape King"
Each year the Grape Growers of Ontario award a grower as being the Grape King.
This recognition is for the best grape grower of the year.

As harvest approaches, how does a grower tell when to pick the grapes? Kevin talks about how he assesses the grape seed colour, texture and firmness. Ultimately, it's the act of tasting the grapes that is usually the final indicator of when to pick. So now is the time when growers and winemakers walk between the vines, tasting the berries. When they call to pick, it's a mad dash to get those grapes off the vines and into the winery to perform the magic!

Meet the growers and see the care that goes into growing the grapes that produce the Ontario wines you love at: www.facebook.com/grapegrowersofontario

It's all about the blend bien sûr!

This past Saturday I took a trip out to wine country with my favourite social wine club in Toronto: iYellow Wine Club. We had such a wonderful day tasting and learning. The common theme for the day was the art of blending and how winemakers are taking this traditional "old world" method and applying it to their wine. Here in the new world (ie. Canada, USA, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Argentina etc), the focus has been more on showcasing the single varietals. Walking through the wine shop, I'm sure you see many bottles with just the grape names on the label such as "Merlot" or "Chardonnay". Throughout the day, people were always refering to the Bordeaux region as a wonderful example of blended wine.

This week is the third in the four part Bordeaux After Work party series. This series is to demonstrate the great diversity of the Bordeaux wine region. This event is a great way to taste various examples of wine coming from the region at excellent price point values. The www.enjoybordeaux.com is a great resource of information. It has everything you need to learn about the region, people and of course, the wine.




Youmna Asseily, vineyard owner from Chateau Biac from Bordeaux Wine on Vimeo.


Bordeaux wine is all about the blend. The philosophy is that the sum is greater than all the parts individually. Kind of like a great night in a club - it's better when there are more people on the dancefloor. Who wants to have a party by themselves? Well, it depends I suppose...on what wine is to be opened!

The last few Vintages publications released by the LCBO talked a lot about Bordeaux. Usually when people say "Bordeaux blend", they're talking about the three major grapes in the finished wine - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (sometimes Malbec and Petit Verdot are added as more junior partners). For white wine, the blends are mostly made with the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

So why blend?
Sometimes the single variety on its own is too much one way (too ripe? not ripe enough?). You can add other varieties to round off the wine so it's balanced and/or more interesting. Each year, the percentages of what varieties are used to make up the final blend are different so you don't get the same wine. It's really an art form...and a bit of mad science!

"Cabernet Sauvignon may make a popular full-bodied wine, but needs fresh fruit to round out the whole. Merlot is softwer and lighter, but unlike Cab Sauvignon, it has a full and generous middle. The result is a wine with greater balance and, from top producers, impressive ageing potential" - Vintages (Sept 3 2011 release)

Come out to the next event at Eight Wine Bar on September 20th. There's a new concept where the wines are $5 by the glass (great deal!) and gourmet food platters are $10.

Sign up for the event on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=260757010607336