Zinfandel personifies the culture and traditions of Paso Robles Wine Country. - www.pasowine.com
I saw this video today and it just made me laugh! It reminds me of those Old Spice Commercials. The video worked because it put Paso Robles back on my radar. It's definitely on my list of regions to visit - and soon. My work allows me on occasion to go to Santa Monica, California. Once there, I usually head to the Santa Barbara wine region (featured in the movie Sideways) since it's only a couple of hours away. I think it's time to set some time aside on my next trip and drive up to Paso Robles.
Where is Paso Robles?
Located in the Central Coast region, Paso Robles is between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
What's it knows for?
I always associate Paso Robles with Zinfandel, however the region also produces a lot of the same grapes you'd find in Spain, Bordeaux, Rhone and Italy. Paso Robles grows more than 40 grape varieties!
What's Zinfandel?
Also knows as "zin" for short. In general, I haven't particularly warmed up to this grape variety although I have tasted some delicious examples. They're just a little more hard to come by. We probably don't get a lot of the good stuff imported here to Ontario. I'd love to go to the annual Zinfandel festival in Paso Robles. It's held every March. It would be a great opportunity see what can be done with this grape.
Highlights of this grape include deep, rich ripe berry fruit that can sometimes lean to the jammy side, red licorice, dark chocolate and spice such as black pepper. Zinfandel thrives on heat. It can be a big, bold wine. It's not for the faint of heart!
In this current release of Vintages, there's a Zinfandel by McManis Family Vineyards. At $18.95, it's a basic, easy-drinking example. A good introduction to this grape.
Tasting Note
This bright and fruity wine, with its aromas of raspberry, plum, dark chocolate and red licorice, shows why California is the go-to place for Zinfandel. Dry, very fruity and also quite fresh. Soft tannins give this crowd-pleaser a nice touch of structure. This fruit-forward dynamo is ideal for gourmet hamburgers, sausages or meat pies. (VINTAGES panel, Oct. 2011)
Each November I look forward to the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo. The Expo is a large showcase of everything food and drink. I attended the opening VIP night on Thursday and then back on the most popular evening - Saturday. I really didn't mind battling the crowds and endless choices of wine. It was all in the name of research right? It was fantastic to see many Ontario wineries featured this year.
Always a great time!
The annual Gourmet Food & Wine Expo is held in November at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building. Each year the Expo offers 38,000 guests an unparalleled opportunity to sample over 1,500 fine wines, spirits and beers from around the globe. www.foodandwineexpo.ca
The energy of the show was great! Everyone was in a good mood, relaxed and looking to have a great time. Don't come to the event to save money. Splurge a little and indulge your taste buds. Give yourself a budget and stay within in...or around it. Samples are purchased with tickets. How many tickets something will cost will vary, depending on what exactly you're trying. One sheet of 20 tickets will run you $20. The expo is a great way to sample a wide array of food and to tour the world of wine under one roof. Sometimes you'll be lucky and meet the actual people behind the wine from winemakers to the winery owners. There was a photo booth in the center of the pavilion that you could go in and take candid photos. That was a great idea...take some before and after shots. ;)
David Lawrason & Bryan McCaw
www.winealign.com
Another highlight of the event each year is the Tutored Tastings. These are 22 seminars during the course of the show. The seminars for this show included: Taste like a Pro Vitners' Barrel Tasting, Blind Value, Awesome Argentina. Special guest speakers guide you through the tastings. Saturday evening is usually the night of the Gourmet Gala (extra cost):
The Gourmet Gala will give you the opportunity to taste gold medal sparkling wines and six exquisite courses of chefs’ finest creations, each paired with two top rated International wines. www.foodandwineexpo.ca
Other features of the event included: Celebrity Chef Spotlight Connoisseur's Corner Food Network Stage Fine Wine Tasting Lounge All You Need is Cheese stage
My highlights:
* Discovery Burning Kiln Winery www.burningkilnwinery.ca
* Wines of Georgia pavilion
* Talking with the Colaneri's of Colaneri Estate Winery
* Discovering some gems at the Vintages booth
* Running into friends and just talking with people!
I learned so much about the wines of Georgia. It's definitely on my list of places to visit. One of my favourite wines of the show was the Bagrationi 1882 Reserve Brut sparkling wine. Wow. I also enjoyed the various wines from Kindzmarauli Marani (Kindzmarauli Wine Cellar). I'm still practicing how to pronounce this. There are so many indigenous grape varieties in Georgia that I've never heard of! I urge you to look up the Georgian alphabet. I'm now fascinated with this country.
In Georgia's most famous wine making region, Kakheti, there is a small place, Kindzmareuli, which the renowned Georgian wine derived its name from. Its situation at the foot of the Caucasian mountains, in the Alazani Valley... www.gwineimports.com
Jolene Aiello &
Erin Nicholson
Thanks for pouring Jo!
Wines of Georgia!
Dos and Don'ts:
* Do go out of your comfort zone: seek out new regions or unexplored grape varieties!
* Do buy more than 1 sheet of tickets at a time so you don't have to wait in those long lines. * Do purchase tickets to the show in advance. You can purchase tickets online!
* Do dress light. It gets quite warm with so many people in the pavilion.
* Do spit the wine: you'll be able to try a lot more and maybe even remember what you've tried.
* Do drink plenty of water.
* Don't drive!!
* Don't wear parfume. It distracts from the wine aroma.
* Don't come to the event looking to get your drink on. Everyone is always on pretty good behaviour but you do have the odd person that didn't really monitor how much they were drinking.
