Cool Chardonnay

ABC. Not only are these the first three letters in the English alphabet, these three letters also signify  a horrible acronym meaning "Anything but chardonnay". It's time to rid the wine world of this "ABC" attitude and change it to mean "All about chardonnay". Wait, wouldn't that be AAC?

Why has chardonnay gotten such a bad rap? Well, I think it's because the market has been saturated with so much bad chardonnay that it's given the grape a bad name. Lots of overly oaked, flabby wine has deceived the public that this is the only style of wine that this grape can make. Totally not true! I myself am a HUGE lover of chardonnay.   Like our friendly grape - Riesling, Chardonnay can really show off it's "terroir" - that is, it's sense of place...where it comes from....it's expression of the land. It's such a versatile grape that can be made into many different styles.

"It’s time for the re-birth of Cool…"  - www.coolchardonnay.org

"Not all chardonnay is created equal. Add in a bit of cool – cool by altitude, by latitude, by marine influence or by climatic conditions – and you have an entirely different experience. Chardonnay vines that are grown in cool climates and encouraged to allow asense of place to shine through can produce a wine that is balanced, refreshing, complex and elegant. And when done right…cool climate chardonnay can be a magical wine. " -  www.coolchardonnay.org

The weekend of July 22-24, Niagara wine country is having a Cool Climate Chardonnay celebration and we're all invited! For three days, many of the wineries are going to have various events from parties, lunches to tastings. Sunday July 24, in Toronto, LCBO Vintages will be hosting a large tasting at Roy Thompson Hall. For three hours you can walk around and taste cool climate chardonnays from all over the world.  It's expensive at $95 per ticket, but it should be a great tasting. See my "hint" at the end of this post to get cheaper tickets.

"Thirty Ontario wineries started the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Association – a not-for-profit group devoted to reinstating the dignity of chardonnay. The i4c is a “coming together” of the finest examples of cool climate chardonnay in the world – a casual but in-depth weekend celebration of wine, food and learning, with an eye to reinvigorating a seriously cool wine." -  www.coolchardonnay.org

If you want to go to the tasting at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, visit this site to purchase cheaper tickets:
www.coolchardonnay.org/content/blend-your-own-chardonnay-celebration

Grape Growers of Ontario

The Grape Growers of Ontario association is launching a campaign to introduce the grape growers to us, the consumer. The passion and dedication of these growers is helping fuel our growing wine industry. It's important to know who they are and what they do. We should be proud of our wines and the people behind them. When I tell people from other countries that Canada makes wine, their eyes open wide and they ask "Really? Canada makes wine?".  I eagerly respond, "We do and it's delicious!".

Yes our winters here in Ontario are harsh but what makes successful wine production possible is the proximity of the vineyards to large bodies of water - the great lakes. The wine growing areas of Ontario are near Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The lake acts as a temperature regulator.

This is Debra Marshall. Her and her husband, Thomas, grow Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir grapes on 10 acres of land in Prince Edward County. They own and run Robert Thomas Estate Vineyards and Winery Inc. in Cherry Valley, Ontario. The farm has been in Debra's family for four generations. In the video she says that her favourite wine to drink is pinot noir. That's one of mine too. I love her quote: "I figured if I planted what I loved to drink myself, I would take very good care of it".

Thomas and Debra Marshall, grape growers

Prince Edward County  ("The County"), is Ontario's newest wine growing region. It was officially established as a wine appellation in 2007. Only 2.5 hours from Toronto, it's a beautiful picturesque, rustic destination.  If you've been to the Niagara wine region, The County is quite different. The region is the most northerly wine growing area in Ontario. The wines show the minerality from all that limestone in the soil.  I highly recommend visiting and of course, sampling the wines.  Prince Edward County specializes in cool climate grape growing. Common varietals are chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet franc.

Grape Growers of Ontario:
www.grapegrowersofontario.com

"Like" The Grape Growers of Ontario on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Grapegrowersofontario

Prince Edward County Wine Region, including information about the wineries:
www.thecountywines.com

For more information about the Prince Edward County Appellation:
www.vqaontario.ca/Appellations/PrinceEdwardCounty

A great site about the Ontario wine regions:
www.winecountryontario.ca

Do I pick bad wines?!

http://www.corksandcaftans.com
I just love this pic.

I was at the tasting bar at Summerhill last week (aka. my hangout) and a young man walked in wanting to try some wines that were available for sampling. He was looking for some whites. I offered up my opinion in what whites I enjoyed. I was really excited about two that I urged him to try. One was a Vouvray and the other was a Pinot Gris from Alsace. I was convinced that he would love them as well! Why wouldn't he right? It turns out that he hated the Pinot Gris that I suggested and was "undecided" about the Vouvray. I think  his exact words were "I need to think about that one". Gasp! How could I have absolutely loved these wines and this person not! Well, I decided not to beat myself over it. This is the nature of wine. Every person is different. Doesn't make one's taste any better or worse. Of course, the more you try different wines, the more you get a sense of what you may or may not like and what styles of wine you prefer. Have you ever bought a wine based on high score given by a wine critic, only to take it home and hate it? I have. This is what makes wine so versatile. There is a wine for every discerning taste. I've heard people say "I hate Chardonnay" or "Do you like red or white wine". I find these statements quite funny because it's like saying "I hate comedies" or "Do you like creme brule or chocolate mouse".  How can you choose? There are great examples grape varieties and blends and wine styles from every region on the planet. You can't blacklist an entire variety or limit yourself to just one colour of wine.  Maybe you don't like overly oaked Chardonnay...maybe you prefer a Chablis. It's the same grape just made in a different style. It took me a few moments to get over this one guy not liking my wine picks. I was redeemed when lots of other people loved those sames wines. Whew! :)
I don't know how critics do it!