BigNose

Field Blend - a unique approach to winemaking

2010-03-06T07:52:00.013-05:00

I've been learning about Field Blends, a style of wine that's rare and unusual, and can make wonderful products.

In a Field Blend, grapes of different varietals are grown together in a single vineyard, then harvested and pressed in the same vat. This approach is distinct from most blends, where the varietals are vinified separately and blended according to the whim and expertise of the winemaker.

While field blends can be occasionally found in California and elsewhere, they are a specialty of one wine region - the vineyards within the city limits of Vienna, Austria. Vienna itself is unusual because it has over 600 hectares planted to the vine, the most within any urban centre in the world. The Nussberg hill is famous for the quality of its wines.

The Viennese (and their Roman and Celtic predecessors) have been making wine for over two and a half centuries. Wine is an important part of the culture and economy of the city, which is abundant with wine bars and "Heurigers", the buffet/banquets offered by city wineries (though limited by a peculiar law that permits each Heuriger to open only two weeks each month).In Vienna, field blends are called Gemischter Satz, and may be made from as few as two to as many as twenty varietals. They are often based on Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and Chardonnay, the most common grapes in the area.

My interest in Gemischter Satz comes from my meeting with Austrian winemaker Alexander Skoff from Zehal Wine in Vienna. His 2008 Gemischter Satz Nussberg is a perfect summer sipper - light and fruity, with a crisp finish that won't quit. It's made from Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, harvested from 25 year old vines that grow on the Nussberg hillside next to the Danube River. Doesn't that sound lovely?

And it is. I've ordered two cases for ZenKitchen, along with some gorgeous Grüner Veltliner, and hope to have it on the list by the time the patio opens.

I can hardly wait.

How much Shochu?

2010-03-05T12:54:00.005-05:00

After a lot of searching, I've found a Canadian importer of a variety of Shochus, as well as sake. That's the good news.

Shochu, for the all-too-many uninitiated, is a Japanese spirit. It's similar to vodka, but with more flavour. Each region of Japan (and Korea, where it's called Sochu) make their own version, using different starch sources as their base.

For instance, in Kumamoto, they use rice. Barley is used in Nagasaki, and potato in Kagoshima and Kyushu. Other starches include sweet rice, sweet potato, and buckwheat.

Some shochu, like Awamori, is exposed to a mould called Koji. This changes the flavour of the spirit, much like botrytis affects grapes and the wine that's made from them.

The problem - and it's a big one - is that the importer will only ship me cases of 12. That's a lot of shochu, especially when I want to carry a variety of them - maybe even offer shochu pairings or flights. And, no, no split cases.

One answer is to try to promote shochu locally - perhaps a tasting with wine and food writers, or the Sommelier Guild. Another is to build some shochu cocktails, to increase the consumption and knowledge of the product.

I'm open to ideas.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

2010-03-03T23:13:00.008-05:00

What could be nicer than driving around Niagara on the Lake tasting wine? It really is a lovely area, and many of the wineries are close together.

I was particularly happy to visit Frogpond Farm, Ontario's first certified organic winery. I've been buying from them for 3 years now, but hadn't been down to meet owners Jens and Heike. It was a pleasure to see them.

The other highlight for me was to visit Southbrook Winery, Ontario's only Demeter-certified biodynamic winery. Elena Galey-Pride, Director of Customer Experience, joined me for an incredible tasting that included some 10 year old Chardonnay (stunning!) and a few wines only available to restaurants.

Here are my top picks from the wineries I visited:

Southbrook
09 Fresh White
The big shock here - it's 100% Vidal. Fresh is the right word - fruit forward, with lemon and vanilla.

07 Triomphe Chardonnay
Honey, lychee, light citrus. The palate shows restrained oak with a nice acidity. Really yum.

05 Triomphe Cabernet Merlot
This is restricted to licensee only - no LCBO or even winery sales.
ripe dark cherries, smoke and smooth tannins with a coffee finish. One of the best full-bodied Ontario reds I've tasted.

Palatine Hills
I didn't love anything, but liked a couple:

08 Fume Blanc - well balanced vegetal and acidity

07 Cab Merlot - avbl only in 1.5 litres. Good balance, but not outstanding flavour

07 Merlot - soft tannins, rich plum and raisin notes. Low acidity. My favourite Palatine product.

Stonechurch
07 Pinot Noir Reserve
Big tannins, lots of dark fruit. Reminds me of the Chilensis.

07 "Quintet" - Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc, other stuff. Black pepper and big tannins, with a lot of spice on the finish.

Strewn
07 Chardonnay
Butter and sweet apples, minerality. Toast on the palate is offset by the acidity. Very, very nice.
07 Cab Sauv
Candied red fruit, smoke and leather. Full tannins and good acidity, if a bit light on fruit on the palate. At $12 a bottle, though...

Also, watch for the 07 Sauvignon Blanc, not yet in the bottle.

Stratus
Lots of lovely wine, but it`s all very pricey.

07 Gamay (includes 15% Cab Sauv)
Rich red fruit and leather. Subtle and complex.

Frogpond Farm
08 Cabernet Merlot
Delicate, gentle tannins, red fruit and good acidity.

08 Vidal
Tart, bright fruity, spicy finish. Not as good as Southbrook's, but it`s only $12.

Lailey
07 Gamay-Zweigelt
A pretty colour with ripe fruit and tobacco on the nose. In the mouth, fresh red fruit, medium tannins and a nice acidity. Serve chilled.

07 Cab Franc
Chewy tannins and ripe fruit and smoke to the long finish.

Inniskillin
07 Shiraz-Cab
Lots of red fruit, cigar box. Big, rounded tannins. For the Australian Shiraz lovers.

Niagara Escarpment

2010-03-03T23:07:00.003-05:00

I just got back from 2 days in Niagara. I visted 14 wineries and tasted over 100 wines. I won't post notes on all of them, but here are the ones I loved.

I hope to see many of them appear on the ZenKitchen wine list soon!

13th Street
08 Funk Riesling
Despite the unfortunate name, this is crisp with lots of dry lime flavour - really austere.

07 Gamay Noir
Candied fruit, strong smooth tannins and low acidity - nice for the patio.

08 Rose
Cab Franc and Cab Sauv blend, it's off-dry with a lot of dried fruit flavour.

13 Bellow
Basically a late harvest riesling, it's honey-scented with good acidity.

Cave Spring
Lots of nice wine, but most of it is LCBO general list. The exception:

07 Riesling CSV ($30)
Classic Riesling nose of petrol and lime
Dry, but with a hint of residual sugar
Long lime finish. Stunning, and worth every cent.

Vineland Estates
A lot of excellent product here, too.

07 Sauvignon Blanc
Real NZ style - canned peas, citrus. Beautiful.

08 Pinot Grigio
Will be released in a few weeks.
Grigio with flavour! Melon, minerals, crisp finish. Loved it. Loved. It.

08 Chenin Blanc
Lots of fruit, honeysuckle, crisp finish.
I think this is the Chenin we've been looking for.

Malivoire
08 Old Vines Foch
Tannic, with dark fruit and well-balanced acidity. I like Sandbanks' better, though.

09 Ladybug Rose
Currently at Vintages
Dry, good acidity, lots of fruit. Cheap, too.

Gewurztraminer Icewine
Gorgeous honey and floral flavours with a light acidity to balance.
On sale, but still expensive.

Right, I'm back.

2010-03-03T23:00:00.002-05:00

OK, I know this blog has been dormant for a long time. I got kind of busy: opened a restaurant, changed jobs, did a TV series. I continued to taste wine, though, and it's time to restart the blog.

Sorry it took so long.

Wine quote of the week

2008-09-24T08:52:00.002-04:00

Wine is bottled poetry.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Flatrock Cellars

2008-09-22T18:03:00.016-04:00

Just a few minutes drive from Cave Spring, the winery and tasting room for Flatrock Cellars rises above the vineyards just on the edge of a hill.

That hill is important, as it separates the upper vineyard, which has limestone soil and good drainage, from the lower sandy, loam-ier soil below. The temperatures in the two tend to vary a bit, as well, with frosts affecting one more than the other, depending on conditions.

Flatrock boasts an enormous gravity-feed winery surrounded by walkways for visitors to see the process. And the tasting room has windows on all sides, with a spectacular view of the vineyards.

All these things - and the important fact that Flatrock makes some renowned Rieslings - makes this a popular destination for wine tourists. I arrived to find the tasting room full, a couple of vans having got there before me. I was lucky, though - they were mostly heading off on a tour, which I happily skipped so that I could focus on the products.

Luckier still, a Greyhound bus arrived in the parking lot - just as I left.

Flatrock Cellars Nadja's Riesling 2007
Nadja's vineyard is at the top of the hill - drier, limestone soil. It produces fruit with more acidity and more flavour.

This is pale yellow, with a nice nose of minerals, petrol and secondary apple characteristics.
Green apple dominates the flavours, though, with grapefruit for a tart, fruity and mouthwatering mouthfeel. This is extra dry and light bodied, and has a long Granny Smith apple finish.
The balance is good, if slightly high in acidity given the flavours.
It should be fine to cellar 3-5 years. I bought two bottles.

Flatrock Cellars Estate Riesling 2007
From the lower, sandier vineyard, this has a pale, watery yellow colour. It has steely grapefruit, vanilla and cinnamon notes and offers a good complexity. But it's sweet for my taste - typical of the lower vineyard products, I was told. With only medium acidity, it's off-dry. The balance is good if you like off-dry Rieslings, and it would go nicely with Thai curries or other hot-sweet-creamy foods. The flavours of fruit, peaches and pears are interesting - almost more Gewurztraminer than Riesling. I think it has limited ageability, because the limited acidity will decrease further.

Flatrock Cellars Unplugged Chardonnay 2007
Stainless steel fermented, this unoaked Chard surprised me with some vanilla and toasty notes. Confusing. It has a lovely medium straw colour and peach, pear, honey and mineral notes on the nose. But I found only apple, vanilla and toast on the palette, and a great deal of harsh acidity. Not well balanced, it might improve with age.

Flatrock Cellars Gravity Pinot Noir 2006
Very light, clear cherry colour, this has sweet stewed fruit, smoke and cherry scents. The flavours of of cherries, leather and toast. It's extremely light bodied with mouthwatering acidity. The balance is good, though the flavours are very light. I don't expect it to improve with age.

Interestingly, the tasting room manager told me that the 2006 was a poor year for their Pinots, but that the 2007 product, which has just been bottled and is waiting for release in the next few weeks, is expected to be excellent.

Flatrock Cellars Red Twisted 2006
Flatrock's "Twisted" series denotes their blends. In this case, the winery won't reveal the blend. Here's what they have to say about the wine:
"The components of this wine were vinified and aged separately in 10% new French oak barrels and the rest older,then blended to create a wine with a serious twist. The wine then underwent further bottle maturation for 9 months prior to its release in May 2008."

I was a bit disappointed. Like the Pinot, this had a very light cherry colour and a nose of leather, and mild cherries. It has medium acidity, low tannins and plum flavours. The balance - little flavour and little acidity - wasn't great.

Cave Spring Cellars

2008-09-22T15:39:00.012-04:00

The Village of Jordan is a quiet little grouping of houses along a winding country road. It's a bit of a surprise, then, when you suddenly enter the commercial district that's grown up around the Cave Springs winery - shops, restaurants, and a large parking lot, all developed to serve visitors to one of Niagara's premier wine areas.

In fact, attached to the same building as Cave Spring is one of the best Niagara hotels: Inn on the Twenty. It's renowned for well-presented rooms and a superb restaurant and wine list.

I arrived at the winery's tasting room (built over top the winery itself) just as the doors opened at 10:00 a.m. That's my favourite time to taste - my palette is fresh and awake, and I don't have to compete with wine tour buses or limos, especially right now while the Niagara Wine Festival is on.

Cave Spring's tasting room is large, with a long bar and displays of bottles, clothing, books and wine-related merchandise. A full complement of staff are available to serve tasters.

While I was there mainly to try the Cabernet Franc that my class had sampled, I certainly wasn't about to miss the opportunity to try other products. Here goes:

Cave Spring Riesling Estate 2006
This wine is made from fruit from one of the oldest vineyards in Canada, 135 acres near Beamsville. I was told that the vineyard is heavily thinned each year, with 30-35% of the clusters dropped.

A very pale, almost watery yellow in colour, this has good green apple, herbaceous and very light fruit notes. In the mouth it's very tart, and light-bodied, with some mild apple flavour. Extra-dry, it has a long, tart apple finish. The fruit could be stronger given the acidity. I believe it's ready to drink now and won't improve with age.

Cave Spring Sauvignon Blanc Estate 2006
20% of the juice is fermented in oak, the remainder in stainless steel. Like the Riesling, it has a very pale yellow colour, with a nose of vegetal, green apple and grapefruit notes. It's very light bodied, with a minerally, green apple flavour and is XD. The fruit, alcohol and acid balance nicely. With a medium-length tart finish, this should be good to age 2-3 years.

Cave Spring Chardonnay Musqué Estate 2007
Musqué is a variant of the Chardonnay grape that's been officially recognized in French classifications. Known for its intense floral bouquet, it's being grown by a few vineyards in Niagara, include Malivoire and Cave Springs. This Chard is made in stainless steel and no malolactic process is used.
A pale, watery yellow, it has steely, light apple notes with dried pineapple secondary aromas. It's medium bodied, with a medium acidity and smooth mouthfeel. Tasting of peaches, pears and green apples, it has a long fruit finish. The balance is excellent, and one would expect it to age well for 5-7 years. However, Musqué is known to lose its fruit-flavours over time, so this may be best opened soon.

Cave Spring Cabernet Franc 2006
This vintage ripened late, and was allowed to hang until November. It had a Brix of 24.4 when it was picked. It was aged in older oak barrels, and is 14.4 % alcohol by volume.
This has a deep cherry colour with brick hues. It smells of candied cherries, alcohol cigar box and black pepper.
In the mouth, it was lightly tart, with lots of round tannins. Flavour of chocolate, coffee and tobacco finish with cherries and tannins. The balance is very good, the soft tannins and fruit forward flavours working well together. It should age well, too, 5 plus years. I bought two bottles to take home.

Cave Spring Cabernet Merlot 2002
The tasting manager surprised me with this one, which wasn't on the menu. Blended from $0% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with ha an opaque cherry colour. Rich coffee and cherries on the nose, with a hint of black pepper. The well rounded tannins and medium acidity lead to a sour cherry flavour and full body. The finish is long, cherries and high tannins. It has an OK balance, with the tannins overpowering the flavours to some extent. It could age up to 2 more years.

Some wines for class

2008-09-22T13:49:00.003-04:00

Here are my notes on some wines my New World Wines class has tasted:

Henry of Pelham Riesling 2006
Pale yellow with a straw hue.
Nose of petrol, green apple, herbaceous and very light tropical fruit.
Light bodied, high acid - extra dry. A very sour mouthfeel, and a mild green apple flavour.
A long tart finish.
Not very balanced, due to too much acidity and too little fruit.
Ageability: drink now.

Lailey Sauvingon Blanc 2006
Light yellow with a green hue.
Nose of green pepper, and a hint of green apple.
Flavours of bitter apple. The mouthfeel is sour and bitter, too. It's light bodied, extra dry, with a long tart finish and little flavour.
Poor balance - not enough flavour given the acidity.
Ageability: none.

Penninsula Ridge estates Winery, A.J. Lepp Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Light straw colour.
Nose of sweet summer fruit (peaches), green apple.
Dry and light bodied.
Flavours of peaches, apples, pineapple.
a short to medium dry finish.
Nicely balanced fruit vs acidity.
Ageability of 3-5 years.

Back to school

2008-09-21T18:35:00.003-04:00

As the next step toward my Sommelier Certificate at Algonquin College, I've started taking the New World Wine course with instructor Denise Dompierre. That's the good part.

The bad part is that I'm not, in fact, in Ottawa to take the course. I managed to get home to take the first class, but I'll miss the next four. In fact, the next one I attend will be the mid-term exam.

That's not great. I discussed this with Denise and she said that she'd post the notes, including the wines that the class is tasting, to Blackboard, Algonquin's online resource for students and instructors to share materials.

I missed last week's class, on Ontario wines, and downloaded the info the next day. The class had tasted six Ontario wines, and it was my mission to secure bottles for my own private tasting.

The nearest LCBO carried two of them, and found a third at another nearby store. The rest are simply unavailable.

But there was another solution. Cave Springs, which produces the Cabernet Franc on Denise' list, is actually not far from where I am. Even better, it's only a few minutes from Flat Rock Cellars, a winery I had already planned on visiting this weekend. So I made an early Sunday morning run to the Jordan area of the Beamsville Bench to take in two wineries - one specifically so I could taste a wine on my list.

I'm still two tastings short, and I'm afraid I'll just have to live with that. Hopefully, next week's California wines will be easier to buy and I won't be forced to fly to Napa for a tasting...

By the way, Denise wants us to do very technical notes on our tastings, including notes on balance and ageability - two areas that I'm only beginning to learn. So I'll reproduce those here, just so you get to read the kind of stuff we learn in wine school.

Cheers,
Dave

Wine quote of the week

2008-09-15T21:37:00.003-04:00

If a life of wine, women and song becomes too much,
give up the singing.
Anonymous

The Billionaire's Vinegar

2008-09-14T08:44:00.007-04:00

I just finished Benjamin Wallace's recounting of the sale of a 1787 Chateau Lafite, which bore the initials of Thomas Jefferson.

The record-making sale ($156,000 USD) and subsequent investigations into the bottle's authenticity are just jumping-off points for Wallace, however. He uses the opportunity to bring us into the world of rare old-world wines, their buyers, sellers, tasters and critics.

Meticulously well-researched - Wallace was apparently given access to the private papers of almost everyone involved, not to mention a wealth of interviews with people who would have been better off hiding their involvement in shame - almost no-one in the rare wine business is spared.

Wallace's writing is excellent, and he tells the tale by following the story of each of its players. I often laughed out loud with his descriptions, and was shocked at some of the antics of the world's wealthiest and best known wine personalities.

I was particularly surprised at just how involved some top wine writers are in critiquing and promoting wines with questionable provenance - people who write the text books I'm using in my studies, for whom I've had the highest regard. Clearly, there is an all too cosy relationship between dealers and writers.

Therefore, let me make this clear: any dealers, winemakers, or auctioneers who think that they may buy my favourable reportage with a weekend of tasting 150-200 year old wines should immediately contact me at the address listed on my profile page. Looking forward to it!

Green Wine

2008-09-10T19:28:00.003-04:00

The City of Hamilton has a downtown shopping district called Jamesville. It has a variety of small, independent stores but the main feature is that this is the heart of Hamilton's Little Portugal, with markets and restaurants in abundance. I stopped in to the Wild Orchid restaurant for dinner, an establishment that has received the "Best Portuguese Restaurant" award for a number of years in a row.

The wine list's "by the glass" offerings are limited to one red and one white, both from Peller Estates. But what interested me was the availability of something I haven't tried before: Portuguese green wine.

The glass I ordered came full to the brim (making swirling impossible) and ice cold. It was difficult to discern any scent, so I was forced to start drinking. The colour is really a pale yellow with a green hue, reminding me of early sour apples. And that's how it tastes, too: sour apples and minerals, with a dry, short tart finish. As I reach the bottom of the glass, I was able to get some nose from it: green apple, minerals, vegetal and especially asparagus. The wine is slightly spritzy, too, which gave it a pleasant, light mouthfeel. Lovely!

For the record, the wine I tried is made by Aveleda in the Fonte DOC region.

Thirty Bench Winery

2008-09-10T19:15:00.005-04:00

I had read about Thirty Bench Winery's award-winning Rieslings in Vines Magazine recently. Vines, whose senior editor is Master of Wine John Szabo, considers the Thirty Bench Riesling 2006 one of the top wines released this year.

Located outside of Beamsville, along the Beamsville Bench stretch of the Niagara Escarpment, Thirty Bench has soil of clay loam, which slopes gently up towards the Escarpment. This slope gives the vineyards excellent drainage - it rained hard when I arrived, a few weeks before harvest, but nobody was concerned. Along with the draining soil, the even climate tempered by nearby Lake Ontario helps make for predictable harvests.

Thirty Bench has a lovely new tasting room, with separate bars for each taster and their guide. Surrounding windows look out onto each vineyard, which are divided into small lots, each named for a geographic feature and all of them growing 25 year old vines.

As a result, you see three different Rieslings, each from a different vineyard, plus a fourth, blended from all the others. And what a difference! Despite being only a few feet apart, each lot produces wines unique in its own way. Of them all, I liked the blend best - it manages to incorporate the best features of each growth.

I happened to visit on the day that Thirty Bench was releasing two wines: a Merlot 2007 and a Cabernet Franc 2007. Thirty Bench is a small producer, so they routinely sell out of their products, often before they are released. None of their wines is carried by the LCBO.

The tasting rep I met with was unable to tell me about the fining process of the wines, so I don't know whether they are vegan. I intend to contact winemaker Natalie Reynolds and ask her, so I hope for an answer in the future.

Thirty Bench Winemaker's Riesling 2007
This has a delicious, complex nose, with notes of steel and lemon followed by some vegetal notes. On the palate, the grapefruit is tempered with medium acidity.

Thirty Bench Small Lot "Triangle Vineyard" Riesling 2007
With a light golden hue, this smells like hay and limes - very surprising! It's extremely tart, with a long lemon-lime finish.

Thirty Bench Small Lot "Steel Post Vineyard" Riesling 2007
This is a nice, Alsatian-style Riesling with notes of lemon, petrol and steel, especially on the finish.

Thirty Bench Small Lot "Wood Post Vineyard"
I had difficulty finding the nose on this (it was served very cold), but eventually found minerals, petrol and st aw. It has a high acidity and a long steel finish.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Pinot Gris 2007
With warm sweet melon, spice, honey and cinnamon, I expected this to be off-dry. But it's not, and the rich melon and dry pear flavours, and full body contribute to a lovely experience. I bought some bottles of this one.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Gewurztraminer 2007
Aged in American oak for 12 months, this has a classic Gewurz nose of big floral and fruit notes. But the palate is something else: honeydew melon, with medium acidity and a dry mouthfeel.

Thirty Bench Winemaker's Red 2006
Blended from 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc, the winemaker suggests this be cellared a couple of more years, but drank by 2012. It's very interesting, with a strong Merlot nose (plums, raisins, figs, and a secondary note of chocolate) but a Cabernet Franc palate of coffee, chocolate and dark forest berries.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Merlot 2006
Just released, this had 18 months in French oak. It has a lot of texture, but the rough tannins and high acidity point to the need to be cellared for another 3-5 years before drinking. The plum and raisin notes are highlighted with a touch of cedar, and it's mouthwateringly tart, with rough, chewy tannins.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Cabernet Franc 2006
Similarly, this needs to be cellared before drinking. It has a nice cigar-box, dark fruit and coffee-chocolate nose, but is quite sour before you get to the chocolate-espresso bean finish.

Going, going...

2008-09-04T21:49:00.003-04:00

I'm going to be away from home on a special work project over the next few weeks, so my ability to blog will be a bit restricted. However, I intend to continue recording my occasional tastings, and I'm hoping to make a few visits to some of the wineries in the Beamsville area. I'll definitely post about those!

So please forgive me if my updates are less regular. I'll be back about the middle of October, and will work hard to catch up on my drinking.

Cheers,
Dave

Bonny Doon Vineyard Albariño Ca' del Solo 2003

2008-09-03T10:38:00.005-04:00

Bonny Doon, the famous winery established by groundbreaking California winemaker Randall Grahm, is focusing on biodynamically grown grapes and lesser-known varietals. This Albarino, from the Monterey area, proves that the approach is working.

We ordered this while having a fabulous dinner at the Wellington Gastropub last night. It's light-bodied and refreshingly tart, with steely lemon-lime notes and a long acidic finish. Everybody loved it, and it paired easily with the vegetarian and fish dishes around the table.

Sensi Winery Mantello 2003, Tuscany

2008-09-01T21:44:00.009-04:00

The 1970s and 80s were tough times for the Italian wine industry. Characterized by cheap Chiani in wicker baskets, Italian wines faced tough competition from the New World as Australia, Chile and California presented popular alternatives.

Some Italian winemakers decided to challenge the traditional methods and introduce new grapes and new blends. Thus, the "Super Tuscans" were born.

Sensi's Mantello is a great example. Blended from 70% Sangiovese and 30% Syrah, this is a full-bodied, deep red wine with complex black cherry, vanilla, cassis and tobacco flavours. It has a medium acidity and full, soft tannins. It went perfectly with the fresh agnoletti and tomato fresco sauce that Caroline made for dinner tonight.

Bringing it home

2008-09-01T18:53:00.005-04:00

During our trip to California, I bought bottles at many of the wineries we visited. One here, two there, it added up to a fair number (less the ones we drank, of course). At the end of the trip, we had 10 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of Gewurz juice.

How to bring them back to Canada?

Luckily, I had read an article on the National Capital Sommelier site called "Bringing it back". While slightly out of date, it has a lot of good info, including how to pack wines for the flight.

While we were visiting Navarro Vineyards, Caroline noticed that they shipped a lot of wine via their wine-club. She asked whether they sold shipping packs. Yes, was the answer, for $10 for a 12-pack. But they also had some used ones in excellent condition, and offered to give us one.

Great! A shipping pack is a two-piece styrofoam cube with wine bottle-shaped holes. It fits tightly inside a cardboard carton, which can be sealed and labelled for shipping. Filled with bottles, it weighs about 40 lbs. Here's a pic:

We counted it as one of our two "checked" pieces of luggage. The airline rep asked about the contents, and when I said "wine", made me sign a waiver indemnifying the airline in case of breakage. There's service for you! But, to be fair, they labelled it "fragile" and put it on the "oversized and fragile" conveyer belt.

The new Canadian customs form no longer asks how much alcohol (or tobacco) you're bringing in - there's just a checkbox if you're exceeding the pre-duty "exempted" amount - 2 bottles each, in our case. I checked yes, I'm over that amount.

Customs inquired about our trip, including food that we were bringing back ("Sea vegetables? You mean seaweed?") but didn't inquire about the alcohol. I picked up my box and left.

This is my typical experience with Customs. The important thing is to CLAIM what you're bringing in and expect to pay duty on it. Sometimes you get lucky and don't have to, sometimes you pay your obliged amount.

And the bottles? Nothing broken and everything is on the rack ready for my corkscrew.

Cheers,

Dave

Inniskillin Pinot Noir 2006

2008-09-01T18:29:00.005-04:00

A good, refreshing Pinot, it's light bodied with rich flavours of sweet and sour cherries, a lot of smooth tannins and medium acidity.

One Stop Tasting

2008-08-30T10:00:00.008-04:00

Just down the road from Schug, there's a complex put together buy the "Carneros Family Wineries". It has a café, some shops, and four tasting rooms representing a large number of very small wineries, mostly from Sonoma and Napa. While you don't get to see the wineries, it's an excellent opportunity to taste wines from many producers at one stop.

Artesa Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Held for 14 months in oak, it has asparagus, vanilla and toast notes, which dominate the flavours, too. It's very smooth, but lacks the tart crispness that I prefer in the varietal.

Artesa Chardonnay 2007
Aged 8 months in oak, it has complex aromas of green apple, pear and minerals. The flavours are of apples and peaches, and the toasty oak is subtle on the finish. LCBO has just started carrying the 2005 vintage.

Artesa Pinot Noir 2006
Also aged 8 months in oak, it has aromas and flavours of sweet cherries, smoke, and a chocolatey finish.

Artesa "Ridgeline" label Merlot 2004
Artesa's Ridgeline wines come from the Alexander Valley. Aromas of plums and raisins and alcohol (14.8%!), the alcohol dominates the flavours, which also include cherries and plums. Soft tannins and a long finish.

Artesa Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Ripe dark fruit and coffee aromas come through on the tongue, with a dark coffee finish.

Larson Family Winery Gewurztraminer 2006
Good floral, peach and pear aromas, but the dry mouthfeel is a bit sour.

Larson Family Winery Pinot Noir Rosé 2005
Here's an unusual wine, Pinot turned rosé by taking it off the skins early. The tasting room rep swore that it was the only one we'd come across - certainly, we didn't see any others.
The aromas oforange, candy and sweet cherries were interesting, and came through in the mouth, too. Light bodied, naturally, it's just semi-dry with 1.5% residual sugar. It would work as a light summer dessert wine, paired with a fruit dish or light pastry.

Larson Family Winery Pinot Noir 2005
Red cherries and smoke, it's oaked with light tannins and a toasty finish.

Larson Family Winery Zinfandel 2005
Lots of dark fruit and leather, and the tannins are soft and well-rounded. It has a short tannic finish.

Larson Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
The Larson product I liked best, it has rich red berries and cigar box on the nose, and tastes of dark fruit, cedar and a chocolate finish.

Carica "Kick Ranch" Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Light asparagus and citrus notes, with some residual sugar in the mouth. Flavours of pineapple, and it still manages a mouthwatering finish.

Harrington "Wild Horse" Pinot Noir 2006
From Napa fruit, this has sweet cherry and leather notes, and tastes of sweet and sour cherries mixed, with medium tannins and leather on the finish.

Schug Carneros Estate

2008-08-30T09:51:00.005-04:00

The Carneros Valley, which shoots off of Sonoma at an angle, is a beautiful, rugged terrain with a number of tiny wineries. Schug isn't tiny, and is located at the top of a steep ridge just off the highway. They distinguish their wines as "Sonoma Coast", which denotes little to no oak; and Carneros, meaning oaked.

The tasting room manager, David, told me that the white wines are vegan, the reds are not.

Schug Carneros Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2007
The complex nose of green pepper, asparagus and grapefruit is matched by the tart green apple mouthfeel, with more grapefruit on the finish. Yum.

Schug Carneros Estate Chardonnay 2006 Carneros
Peach and green apple aromas, and flavours of vanilla, butter, and summer fruit. It has a long toast finish.

Schug Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2006
Just beautiful. Complex nose of sweet red fruit, black pepper, sweet spices and vanilla. The tastes are smoky, sour cherry and it has a long, medium tannic finish.

Schug Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Carneros 2006
Sweet cherry and alcohol aromas, with flavours of smoky cherry and light toast on the finish.

Schug Carneros Estate Merlot 2005
Blended with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, I liked this one a whole lot, too. The aromas are plummy, with some leather and red berries. And the tannins are smooth and well-rounded, with light cherry and plum, and a bit of raisin, flavours.

Schug Carneros Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Lots of ripe red fruit and cigar box aromas, it's slightly tart with some cigar box and sour cherry flavour. The high, smooth tannins are great.

Schug Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Carneros Heritage Reserve 2006
With light cherry and leather aromas, it has sour cherry and lots of tannins, with vanilla and toast on the finish.

In the Valley of the Moon

2008-08-30T09:45:00.004-04:00

The Sonoma Valley has been home to a number of interesting historical figures: Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz; horticulturalist R Burbank, whose work at the turn of the century provided the foundation for farming and gardening throughout California; and author Jack London, who's book "Valley of the Moon" took its title from the English translation of the Aboriginal word "Sonoma".

Driving through Sonoma, the challenge is to decide which wineries to hit, which to miss. The wineries know that, and many have taken to offering entertainment beyond wine tasting: a castle, complete with torture chamber and moats; shops and cafés; and other products to complement the wines.

B.R. Cohn Estates
Here's what I mean. What brought us to B.R. Cohn? Besides the fact that the wines have a good reputation, we were hooked by the promise of an olive oil tasting room, too. Olive oil is the other gourmet product produced in Napa and Sonoma, and travelling with a chef, well, there's room for compromise in every relationship...

It just got better after we arrived. First, Caroline fell in love with Moose, the 10 year old lab-bulldog cross whose main job is to lie in the middle of the tasting room and have his belly rubbed.

Second, the history of the winery. Owner B.R. Cohn made his fortune as manager of the Doobie Brothers. While still young, in the early 70's, he bought some vineyards and sold fruit to other wineries. The property's vines had a great reputation, and Cohn eventually made the decision to start making his own wines. He converted the family house to offices and tasting room, hired a winemaker, and launched his label.

B.R. Cohn Woody White
A multi-vintage wine blended from Symphony and Chardonnay, it has a pineapple and green apple nose, but tastes of sweet apples and tropical fruit. It has a long fruity finish. It's very slightly off-dry.

B.R. Cohn Chardonnay 2007
With pear, apple and creamy vanilla aromas, it has a very light toasty finish and a crisp, mouthfeel.

B.R. Cohn "Silver Label" Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
A full-flavoured Cab, it has lots of dark cherry and black berry aromas, with tobacco and black pepper. Richly flavoured and full-bodied, it offers tastes of dark berries and a cigar box finish. I liked it, but found it almost too much Cab, and commented that I thought it would be even better used in a Bordeaux-style blend. The tasting room manager, Frank, brought out...

Doobie Red 2006
Produced mainly for an upcoming charity concert by the Doobie Brothers, it doesn't have a B.R. Cohn label. But it's great! Produced with the same Cab as above, it's blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc from the same vintage. Aromas of alcohol, plum, and ripe red cherries, it has complex black cherry and sour cherry flavours, along with tobacco and a coffee finish. I suggested that the winery re-brand it after the concert and offer it as a serious label.

B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2005
The "flagship wine", this has ripe cherry, blackberry and alcohol aromas. It has a rich blackberry and smoke flavour, with high tannins and a long, long finish.

B.R. Cohn Pinot Noir "Russian River Valley" 2005
Made from fruit grown on an estate-owned vineyard in Mendocino, it has a nice raspberry and sweet cherry nose, and a spicy cherry flavour with just a bit of toast on the finish.

Husch Estates

2008-08-30T09:42:00.002-04:00

Just across the road from Roederer, Husch Estates is a pretty property where they produce about 40,000 cases of wine every year from 100% estate fruit. The tasting room is tiny but quaint, a former farm building converted to a new use. Husch is in the midst of building a new facility, with wheelchair-accessible washrooms.

Husch Estates Sauvignon Blanc 2007
A hint of green pepper and asparagus is matched with some slightly sweet citrus. The mouthfeel is crisp, with green apple and sweet spice.

Husch Estates Special Reserve Chardonnay 2006
The very definition of a California Chard: peach, vanilla and toast. It's dry, with a toasty fruit finish.

Husch Estates Gewurztraminer 2006
With good honey, peach and floral aromas, this is complex in the mouth: peach and pear, white pepper and honey. The finish, very floral, is just medium-length.

Husch Estates Pinot Noir 2006
Fermented for 10 months in new French oak, it has an alcohol, black cherry nose. The flavours are of slightly sour cherry and leather, with a short cherry finish.

Husch Estates "Knoll" Pinot Noir 2006

The Knoll is a small estate vineyard planted in 1968, and this wine is made exclusively from the fruit that grows there. 50% of the wine is fermented in new French oak.It has surprising black cherry and cola aromas, and the flavours of of big fruit, too. With a long, slightly tart cherry finish and good, rounded tannins, it's a lovely.

Husch Estates Cabernet Sauvignon "Reserve" 2004
Blackberries, leather and cigar box, the aromas are complex and perfect. But the taste is lightly tart, with full, well-rounded tannins and menthol on the finish.

Husch Estates Chenin Blanc 2007
A gentle dessert wine, it smells and tastes of sweet peaches, apples and honey.

Husch Estates Muscat Canelli 2007
Sweet ripe tropical fruit, especially pineapple, give this dessert wine a nice complexity.

Husch Estates Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2007
With 12% residual sugar, it's very sweet, with good floral, pear and peach notes.

Roederer Estates

2008-08-28T10:48:00.009-04:00

I haven't had the opportunity to tour a sparkling wine maker. The process is different from "flat" wines, and I want to see it all - the riddling, the dégorgement, all of the steps of the méthode traditional.

And I'm still waiting. My e-mail requests for a tour at Roederer - one of the world's top Champagne makers - went unanswered. Even if they had been, a tour would be unlikely. Roederer started harvesting this week (sparkling wine grapes are harvested earlier than flat wine grapes), and that ties up the whole team.

To be honest, I haven't developed a passion for sparkling wines, though I do like the dry, rich Crémants of Alsace. Nobody has offered me a free tasting of the expensive stuff, either, so my knowledge of Champagnes is limited to the under $50 products.

In general, I found the Roederer products disappointing. Blended from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they lacked the aromas and flavours of the grapes.

Roederer Estates Brut MV (multi-vintage)
60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, this is an extra dry wine, with lots of citrus, green apple and steel notes.

Roederer Estates Brut MV Magnum
This is the same blend, but because of the larger size bottle it has to be aged in the bottle an extra year. Supposedly, this makes it creamier, though I couldn't detect the difference.

Roederer Estates Rosé MV
55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay, this fruity, dry wine is the one we liked the best.

Roederer Estates L'ermitage 2000
The tasting room rep kept calling this "the special one", based on its price, I think. Fermented sur lees for four and a half years, it has a nice mousse, and is dry and fruity, too. We still liked the Rosé better.

Roederer Estates Extra Dry MV
It's, um, dry and fruity.

Roederer also offers two flat wines:

Roederer Estates Chardonnay 2007
Steely, with peach and mineral notes, it has a light vanilla and toast quality and is off-dry.

Roederer Estates Pinot Noir 2005
More bitter than sour, this is very dry and lacking much fruit character.

Navarro Vineyards, Anderson Valley

2008-08-28T09:40:00.006-04:00

Stretched along the Navarro River in western Mendocino County, the Anderson Valley has become one of the most exciting new appellations in California. Certainly, it contains beautiful vistas of steep rugged hills covered with pine and scrub. The Anderson is known for its Alsation-style wines but also for its Pinot Noirs.

And it offers two sparkling wine makers, too: top Champagne maker Roederer opened a winery here, as has Scharffenberger Cellars. More about Roederer later.

The wineries here are densely packed together - one after another, on both sides of Hwy 128. The only question is, which ones to try?

I had made an appointment at Navarro Vineyards, because they have both wines and juices on the menu at Millennium and Caroline had recommended them.

Navarro is one of the oldest wineries in the region, and offers both estate and non-estate wines. They have about 100 acres of vineyard, not nearly enough to supply their production.

According to Rose, the tasting room rep, Navarro uses egg whites in many of its wines; they aren't vegan.

Navarro also produces two varieties of juice, bottled just like wine. They include a Pinot Noir, which tastes a lot like regular grape juice, and a Gewurztraminer, which is absolutely beautiful. It has all of the floral and fruit character of the wine, but you can still drive afterward. We bought a couple of bottles to bring home.

Navarro Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Aromas of grapefruit, asparagus and minerals offer a lot of promise. It's very tart, with a clean finish and more of that grapefruit flavour.

Navarro Vineyards Pinot Gris 2006
Even more tart than the Sauv, this is steely with melon and green apple notes. It has a disappointing short finish.

Navarro Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2006
This is a dry Gewurztraminer, done right. The floral aromas, with honey and green apple lead into flavours of melon and pineapple. But it's honestly dry and very complex - lovely, and we bought some to take home.

Navarro Vineyards Muscat Blanc 2006
More honey, melon and floral aromas, this is dry, too. But I found some unwelcome bitterness on the long finish. It's good, but the Gewurz is better.

Navarro Vineyards White Riesling 2006
Classic Riesling nose: petroleum, steel, peach. It's there on the tongue, too, with the ripe peach and minerals coming through. This has a long grapefruit finish.

Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir 2006
Beautiful aromas of sweet cherry and smoke, it's fruity on the palette, with just a hint of toast and vanilla on the finish.

Navarro Vineyards Zinfandel 2005
Sweet aromas of strawberry jam, plums and orange, but it's actually very dry, though the plums and strawberries extend into the long finish.

Navarro Vineyards Unfiltered Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2007
Not yet bottled, we were given a taste of this anyway. It had strawberry and red cherry notes, along with some orange and sweet spice. I found it too toasty on the finish, but some time in the bottle may help reduce that.

Navarro Vineyards Syrah 2005
Highly tannic and with a long finish, this has aromas of tobacco and dark red fruit.

Navarro Vineyards Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2006
Botrytis-affected and with 11% residual sugar, this dessert wine is very floral, with sweet spice, honey and orange notes.

Pacific Star Winery, Fort Bragg, CA

2008-08-28T01:20:00.009-04:00

While Caroline was taking a day-long course at the Living Light Institute in Fort Bragg, I was left to my own devices. Though Fort Bragg offers some cool beaches and the famous Skunk Train, I can't say either of these held my attention for long. Happily, I came across the tasting room for the Pacific Star Winery, which is located a few miles up the highway.

Being on the chilly, windswept coast, Pacific Star doesn't grow its own grapes, but buys them from the Redwood and Anderson Valleys.

Tasting room manager Robert Zimmer, who's ex-wife is the winemaker at PSW, told me that they don't fine any of their products - all Pacific Star wines are vegan.

Here's what I had:

Pacific Star Winery Viognier 2007
A nice, simple example of the varietal, it smells like grapefruit and pineapple, with some minerality from the steel tank fermentation. It's mouthwateringly tart and steely, with a slightly bitter finish.

Pacific Star Winery Chardonnay 2003
PSW's only barrel-fermented wine, it shows nice peach and pear notes, with hints of orange and vanilla. The taste is of toasty orange, too, with a tart finish.

Pacific Star Winery Pinot Noir 2004
A good Pinot, it has sweet cherry, white pepper and light citrus aromas, but a lightly sour cherry taste. With medium tannins, the finish shows a bit of dark tobacco, too.

Pacific Star Winery Charbono 2005
Charbono is a varietal I hadn't tried before, so I was interested to see what it offered. It's quite interesting, with raspberry jam, orange and a mild smokiness. The raspberry is present in the taste, too, along with some sour cherry and light tannins.

Pacific Star Winery "It's My Fault"
A multi-vintage blend of Syrah, Charbono and Carignane, it smells and tastes of raspberries and tea, with lots of smooth tannins and a medium-length finish.

Pacific Star Winery "Dad's Daily Red 2002"
Here's another blend, this time with Carignane, Petite Sirah, Charbono and Zinfandel. It has a very complex nose of raspberries and plums, along with cigar box. The berries, with some sour cherries, come through in the mouth, too.

Pacific Star Winery Charbera 2003
A blend of Charbono and Barbera, it smells like sweet red fruit and leather. The taste is complex: rich red cherries, tobacco, and white pepper. It has medium tannins.

Pacific Star Winery Syrah 2001
A full-bodied Syrah, it has lots of chewy tannins, with dark berries, leather and black pepper.

Pacific Star WineryPetite Sirah 2005
I didn't care much for this: sour cherries and harsh tannins.

Pacific Star Winery Coro Mendocino 2005
Coro Mendocino is a group project made by a collective of area wineries. Each producer is responsible for its own style, and it must be tested twice by the group prior to bottling.
This blend is made up of 40% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah, 15% Carignane, 10% Charbono and 10% Barbera. It has earthy, candied aromas, with red fruit and a chocolate-coffee finish. It has medium acids and low tannins.

Pacific Star Winery Pinot Noir Reserve 2003
With red cherries, warm spices and black pepper, this reserve, mostly sold out, is a winner.

BARRA of Mendocino

2008-08-26T14:00:00.011-04:00

In 1926, Antonio and Marie Barra left Piedmont, Italy to settle in the New World of Calpella, California. Antonio and Marie both came from wine-making families, so it was natural that they would grow grapes and make wines here, too.

Their son, Charlie, recently celebrated his 63rd grape harvest, and is still actively running the vineyards while his wife Martha manages the tasting room and the marketing operations.

Winemaker Dan Kopache, who has worked at Benziger, Kendall-Jackson and Fetzer, joined the business in time for the 2007 vintage.

We met Charlie, Martha and Dan at the tasting room for a comprehensive sampling of their products. The tasting room is gorgeous, built for a previous owner, a sparkling wine producer. It's shaped like a champagne glass, but in a tasteful way.

BARRA's vineyards are certified organic, but because they use some sulphites their wines are labelled as "using organic grapes" but aren't certified products themselves.

Almost all BARRA products are vegan, though some of their Cabernet Sauvignons have used egg whites to reduce the tannins. Dan told me that other fining agents, such as diatomaceous earth and bentonite, can help clarify a wine but won't reduce tannins.

Martha said that BARRA has recently introduced a second label, Girasole. BARRA will remain the premium label, with Girasole offering less expensive wines. For instance, Girasole wines won't have time in new French oak barrels.

These guys make a great team. From Dan's technical knowledge and easy-going manner to Charlie's rich stories and jokes ("Know why I've never missed a harvest? Because when you get a paycheque only once a year, you'd better show up!") to Martha's generosity and gentle management, we left feeling like members of the BARRA family.

In the interest of full disclosure: Team BARRA took us to lunch. We had a great time!

We also had a whole lot of wine - 16 in all, including both BARRA and Girasole products.

BARRA of Mendocino Pinot Grigio 2006
This is a great example of a Grigio - minerally, steely, with lemon and oak aromas. It's very slightly off-dry, with a lot of citrus and floral flavours. Perfect hot summer day drinking wine.

BARRA of Mendocino Pinot Blanc 2006
Pinot Blanc, a variety grown mainly in Alsace, isn't one I've tried before. According to Charlie, this comes from 50-year old vines. It has aromas of melon and pineapple, and tastes of steel and citrus. Simple but flavourful, it has a long citrus and slightly bitter finish. We liked it, and bought a couple of bottles for "further analysis".

Girasole Chardonnay 2007
Here's another nice Redwood Valley Chard - aromas of orange, minerals and flora, it's very dry with just a hint of vanilla. Unoaked, it allows the flavours of the grape and the terroir to shine.

BARRA of Mendocino Chardonnay 2005
As opposed to the Girasole above, I found this oaked Chard a bit overdone. Rich, with lots of vanilla and toast, it's for traditional California Chardonnay drinkers who like big, oaky wines.

Girasole Pinot Noir 2006
Nice cherry and alcohol aromas are met with a very light sour cherry flavour, along with rich red fruits and medium tannins. Well balanced, simple Pinot.

BARRA of Mendocino Pinot Noir 2006
Again, I found this full of rich cherry and vanilla aromas, but with the toasty notes from the oak aging. And again, I preferred the Girasole.

Girasole Sangiovese 2006
I made a mistake with this one - I didn't buy any to take home. Plums and ripe red berries, it has high acidity and high tannins, with flavours of tobacco and chocolate and a long, complex finish. Good now, another couple of years in the bottle with make it shine.

BARRA of Mendocino Sangiovese 2004
Yum. Blackberries, plums, raisins and figs, this is a rich, complex and well balanced wine ready to drink right now. OK, I should have bought THIS one, too!

Girasole Zinfandel 2006
Also from 50-year old vines, this has ripe red fruit and black pepper notes. The mouthfeel is smooth, with medium tannins and red fruit. Another nice summer drinking wine.

BARRA of Mendocino Zinfandel 2003
Raisins and cassis on the nose, coffee, chocolate and blackberries in the mouth, this really shines.

BARRA of Mendocino "59th Harvest" Pinot Noir 2004
Produced to celebrate Charlie's 59 years in the vineyard, this is a premium (now sold out, I believe) wine with a lot of subtle, complex flavours. Sweet red fruit, leather and alcohol aromas, it adds some rich chocolate notes in the mouth.

Girasole Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
The blackberry and black pepper aromas come through on the tongue, too. It's highly tannic, with a long finish.

BARRA of Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Another winner, this has aromas of cassis, ripe red fruit and black pepper. It all comes through in the mouth, with lots of chewy tannins.

BARRA of Mendocino "59th Harvest" Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Rich chocolate and raspberry notes, this also offers earthy aromas. Very complex, very good.

BARRA of Mendocino Petite Sirah 2003
Smooth, rich jammy notes, it has very high tannins, but still a smooth, fruity finish.

BARRA of Mendocino Muscat Canelli 2006
BARRA's only dessert wine, this variation of Muscat is subtle and not too sweet, made very much in the European style. Aromas and flavours of pineapple, apple and sweet spice, it would perfectly compliment fruity-based desserts.

Frey Vineyards

2008-08-26T12:55:00.014-04:00

"Do you know the Frey story?"

Isabelle Frey was chatting with us while she opened a number of wines for us to taste. Frey doesn't have a tasting room, but instead offers a long, pine table and benches in the midst of the winery's buildings and gardens. Houses, offices, fermenting tanks, bottling operation, vineyards, everything you would need for a family-run winery.

And it's a big family. Frey's founders had 12 children. They've grown up and married and added another 30 grand-kids and 2 great grand-kids. Isabelle, who came from Ecuador to study sustainable farming practices, ended up marrying the youngest Frey son and now works in the winery with everybody else in the Frey Army.

"Frey Vineyards was the first certified organic winery in the United States," continued Isabelle. "That doesn't just mean how we grow our grapes, but also how we make our wine. We do not use any sulphites, and that's stated on every label."

Sulphites play multiple roles in wine-making. They kill the wild yeasts that are on all grapes, and they help stabilize and preserve the wine. However, many people have a sensitivity to sulphites, leading to allergic reactions or headaches. And some wineries over-use them, which affects the aromas.

Not using sulphites opens a new, if niche, market to Frey. But avoiding sulphites also means certain compromises.

Isabelle told me that Frey's reds will last only 6-8 years in the bottle. They whites will last only 4-6 years (though they've had wines last longer than these averages). Appropriately, Frey's wines are produced to be consumed soon after bottling.

As well, sulphite-free wines can't be aged in barrels, which contain too many possible contaminants. Isabelle said that they use oak chips to a limited extent in some wines.

But there's no compromise on flavour. Almost all of the wines we sampled were full-flavoured and complex.

All Frey Vineyard wines are vegan, too.

Frey Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2007
With a very complex nose (green pepper, asparagus, and citrus), it offers more of the asparagus and only a medium acidity on the tongue. A slightly bitter, but very long and dry finish.

Frey Vineyards Chardonnay 2007
This has a beautiful golden honey colour. The aromas of honey, vanilla, orange and cinnamon follow through in the flavours. But it's surprisingly, happily very dry, with only a light toasty orange flavour in the finish. This wine is steel barrel fermented, but with a limited inclusion of oak chips.

Frey Vineyards Pinot Noir 2006
In your face notes of strawberry jam, leather and black pepper clash a bit with the highly acidic sour cherry flavours and medium tannins. It has a long tart finish.

Frey Vineyards Zinfandel 2007
Good now, this will really round out in the bottle in a year or two. It has raspberry, plum and cassis aromas, and is very high in tannins, but with medium acidity and lots of plummy flavour leading into the finish.

Frey Vineyards Merlot 2007
Bottled only a few days before we opened it, I suggested this wine might be suffering some bottle shock, a fairly common condition where a wine loses much of it's aroma for a month or so after it's bottled. Giving it a bit of time will allow it to open up.
For now, I just noted a lot of jammy alcohol aroma, with high tannins and a rough mouthfeel. I regret not buying a bottle to try again in a month's time.

Frey Vineyards Sangiovese 2005
This offers lots of ripe red fruit and light leather on the nose, extending into the highly tannic mouthfeel. The taste is complex, cigar box meets ripe raspberries.

Frey Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
I liked this one a lot, with blackberries, cassis and leather aromas. In the mouth it offers tobacco, lots of tannins, coffee and chocolate.

Leaving Harbin

2008-08-23T14:42:00.004-04:00

Today is our last day at the lovely and peaceful Harbin Hot Springs, where we've spent hours and hours soaking in warm water, swimming, laying in the sun and enjoying massages and great food.

We also did an afternoon trip to Calistoga, and had a wonderful beer - Third Street Aleworks IPA, brewed in Sonoma. Rich, creamy, bitter and with a long finish, it did a good job combatting the dry heat of the town.

Monday, I have appointments at a number of wineries in the Redwood Valley - there will be much to taste, much to learn, much to blog.

Cheers,
Dave

Signs

2008-08-23T14:38:00.003-04:00

Signs in a Napa store:
"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy." Benjamin Franklin

"Do you know the way to Chardonnay?"

Going to California with a thirsting in my heart

2008-08-15T17:26:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow morning, I'm flying to California to join Caroline, who has been staging there at two top vegetarian restaurants - Millennium and Greens - for the past month.

We'll be in San Fran for the first night, then driving to Harbin Hot Springs, a beautiful, peaceful, but sadly alcohol-free retreat where we'll spend a week lying in the sun - when we aren't getting massages or Watsu treatments. Life is good. It's also free of Internet, so it may be a few days before I post again.

We'll drive through the Napa Valley on the way to Harbin. I hope to make a stop or two at wineries, and will duly report in.

The week after Harbin, we'll head to Mendocino, then Sonoma for a few days of wine tasting. I've arranged a number of appointments for private winery tours, and I'll post the results here.

How to match wine and food...

2008-08-14T22:34:00.000-04:00

Another day, another Pinot Noir

2008-08-14T20:16:00.003-04:00

Here's a nice one: Chanson Pere et fils Pinot Noir 2006, Burgundy.

The Burgundy region of France is so closely tied with Pinot Noir that the wines made with this variety have long been called, simply, Burgundies. It's a varietal that's especially loved by winemakers and oenophiles alike, because the grape is so challenging to grow, and - in a good year - produces subtle, complex wines with little interference from the vintners.

Just south of the city of Dijon, the vineyards of Chanson Pere et fils were founded in 1750, though they've changed hands a number of times and are currently owned by a wine making consortium.

The 2006 Pinot Noir, made from grapes grown in a number of vineyards in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits, is a lovely, affordable wine. The first aromas are of cigar box and raspberries, followed by white pepper and alcohol. It's a wonderful, complex nose. The taste is just as nice: cherries, with a balance of high tannins and medium acidity.

Here's a Pinot made the way it should be - oaked, but so subtly that the wood just adds another dimension, it doesn't overpower the fruit. And here's the best part: it's only $20.

This wine is perfect for dishes with mushrooms or dark sauces. Or by itself - my recommended method!

Is it vegan? I don't know. But standard Burgundy wine making practice is to not fine, so there's a pretty good chance.

Cheers,
Dave

Weekly Wine Quote

2008-08-14T20:15:00.000-04:00

"When there is plenty of wine, sorrow and worry take wing."

Ovid, "The Art of Love"

Rodney Strong Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006

2008-08-11T21:27:00.003-04:00

Rodney Strong Estates is one of Sonoma's longest-established vineyards, growing Pinot since 1968 according to their website.

It's a site a like a lot, with a great deal of information about the growing conditions of each wine. Isn't it nice to know that this Pinot Noir suffered a rainy spring but, thanks to a hot July, it didn't finish being picked until October?

I bought this wine for a couple of reasons. I expect to be in that part of Sonoma in a couple of weeks, and let my eagerness to taste some of their wines get the best of me. And the LCBO notes caught my eye, too, as did the fact that this wine won multiple awards.

I'm not convinced. Despite the winery's stated commitment to allow "grapes from each vineyard and growing region to express their intrinsic character", I found that the grape was overwhelmed by the new French oak barrels.

Here's what I mean:

This Pinot has a lovely light raspberry juice colour. It smelled of raspberries, too, and smoke. More inhaling brought notes of vanilla and toast.

Vanilla and toast. They're the scents not of the grape but of the barrel, common in many of the Chardonnays that have begun to go out of style. The new oak barrels are charred on the inside and these aromas come from the blackened wood.

And when I tasted the wine, that's what I got - lots of toasty flavour, with a hit of sour cherry to follow. The toast stayed right to the finish.

After I finished my tasting note, I poured a glass, then another. With each sip, the toast and vanilla became more pronounced, overwhelming the wine. Those poor grapes, which had survived rain and heat, were finally undone by being left too long in too new a barrel.

I'd still like to stop by Rodney Strong Estates. Perhaps I can find some wine that expresses the grape, too.

This monkey don't shine

2008-08-09T17:55:00.003-04:00

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007

A small tag on the neck of this Marlborough, New Zealand bottle tells the story that, in the 19th century, a monkey was seen frolicking in the bay. Hence the name.

I'm glad the monkey had fun, because somebody deserves to. Sadly, that doesn't include drinkers of this rather watery Sauvignon Blanc.

Very promising on the nose, the wine has an immediate hit of asparagus and lemon - a very good start. But there's nothing but citrus and water in the mouth, with a fairly short citric finish.

Goes to show: just because there's a frolicky monkey on the label, doesn't mean there's a frolicky wine inside.

Cheers,
Dave

Trapiche Reserve Malbec 2006

2008-08-06T19:13:00.004-04:00

Auxerrois is the name of a thin-skinned, heat-loving grape that at one time was commonly used in Bordeaux blends. French wine growers largely lost patience with it in 1956, when a severe frost killed most of the year's crop. Smooth, mellow Merlot has since replaced Auxerrois in most Bordeaux.

Fast-forward to the 1990s, and wine-lovers rediscovered Auxerrois. But it was the grapes grown in Argentina, now, and under their Spanish name of Malbec, that caught the wine world's attention.

Argentina, and particularly the Mendoza region, is perfect for Auxerrois/Malbec, and the region is famous for this grape, just as Australia is famous for Shiraz and New Zealand for its Sauvignon Blanc.

Trapiche is considered one of the top producers of Malbec, and this Reserve shows why. With rich aromas of raisins, cigar box and red fruit, a sip floods the mouth with tannins and ripeness. The tannins sustain through the long finish, with just a hint of coffee at the end. Superb.

This is a full-bodied wine and it demands a full-flavoured food to match it. I tried it with grilled seitan in a mushroom broth, and the hearty seitan easily stood up to the Malbec. I could also see it with smoked tempeh stews or other dark or mushroomy foods.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to determine the fining agents used by Trapiche. But if I had to hazard a guess, I doubt this wine is vegan.

Cheers,
Dave

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007

2008-08-05T21:14:00.004-04:00

This has been one of my favourites all summer. Crisp, clean and flavourful, it begs to be sipped sitting on the deck on a warm August night. I believe it's vegan, though I haven't yet confirmed this.

New Zealand's Marlborough region is charmed with hot sunny days and cool nights. Lots of fresh water and fertile soil, combined with winemakers who are happy to let nature take its course, has led to the development of some of the best Sauvs in the world.

This one is typical of the NZ style: aromas of asparagus, lemon, minerals and grass give a good hint of the crispness to come. And it comes through. Mouthwatering and intense, there's a lovely light sweetness toward the finish, like a slightly tart orange. Delicious!

Against all advice, I prefer to serve this one well chilled. I find it's aromas and flavours still come through, and the chilly crispness makes it very refreshing.

Bottle Shock - the trailer

2008-08-05T21:07:00.005-04:00

Wine enthusiasts are excited about the upcoming release of Bottle Shock, the comedy about the 1976 Judgement of Paris, where a California wine beat French wines in a blind tasting. The film, starring Alan Rickman, opens this week.

WineNews: Vintner terrorists!

2008-08-04T21:49:00.002-04:00

This from Time Magazine. Here's an excerpt:

JÉrÔme SoulÈre's lawyer, Jean-Marie Bourland, doesn't justify his client's avowed acts of destruction, but sympathizes with his client's predicament. "We're in a country where, alas, our leaders don't pay attention to well-behaved, and listen to those who leave them no choice," says Bourland. "Many of these people are agonizing and dying a slow death," he says. "For some, I suppose, posing a bomb is their attempt to pose a question."

Beringer "Founders' Estate" Merlot 2004

2008-07-30T19:27:00.006-04:00

Established in 1876, Beringer is the oldest continuous winery in Napa, according to their literature. Their wines, for the most part, almost define New World products - fruit forward, full bodied and ripe.

The "Founders' Estate" Merlot is no exception. Rich, jammy notes of plums and raisins are balanced with a very light leathery tone. The mouthfeel is very dry, with chewy tannins and low acidity. It's tastes of ripe summer fruit.

This is a very nice wine with food, but it's excellent all by itself (though unfortunately, it's not vegan). Enjoy!

Cheers,
Dave

Barnivore - your source for vegan booze

2008-07-30T18:35:00.004-04:00

I'm going to be sharing my research on vegan wine with Barnivore, the Toronto-based directory to vegetarian and vegan wine, beer, and liquor. It's an excellent resource if you want your drink free of fish bladders, egg whites, bovine hooves, milk or blood - any of which are used by some producers as "fining" agents, to remove unwanted tannins or other proteins from their drinks.

Cheers,
Dave

Long Dog Vineyard and Winery

2008-07-24T21:17:00.005-04:00

We had some trouble finding out the exact location of Long Dog Winery, named for the pair of longhaired daschunds, Bella and Fanny, who rule the property. We had almost decided not to go, but during supper at the Merill Inn Restaurant, Inn owner Edward Shubert was shocked to hear that we might miss it. He insisted that we take the time to visit before we left the next morning, and he was absolutely right.

The tasting room doesn't open until noon, but with a quick phone call we easily set up a 10:00 a.m. appointment. Greeted by co-owner Victoria Rose (she owns it with her husband, winemaker James Lahti and with Toronto lawyer Steven Rapkin), we settled in a pretty barnboard tasting room with a prominent but tasteful daschund motif. After a day of torrential rains, the vineyards were mud, and James was covered to his knees in his terroir.

But the wines! With one exception, we fell in love with them all. Delicate, subtle, complex are accurate descriptions for each one. We also had the privilege of tasting the 2007 Chardonnay and 2007 Pinot Noir from their barrels - both promise great things, especially the Chard.

By the way, while one of the early Pinot Noir vintages (no longer available) was fined with egg white, Long Dog no longer fines any of its wines. They are suitable for vegans.

Long Dog Pinot Gris 2006
While its very light on the nose, with only hints of citrus, veg and green pepper, the Gris really comes through on the palette: rich melon tastes and subtle, rounded citrus flavours. The finish could be longer, and the winery agrees - they're recommending another month in the bottle.

Long Dog Pinot Gris 2007
Left on the skins a couple of extra days this one has a very light and pretty pink hue. But its steely aromas and melon and pineapple flavours are already providing a long, long, and complex finish. Beautiful!

Long Dog Chardonnay "Bella" 2006
Very lightly oaked, the aromas show pineapple and a bare hint of toast. Flavours include toasty almond and green apple, with some medium acid up front, replaced by a long toasty finish. This is a winner, dry, complex and lightly oaked. We bought a case for ZenKitchen dinners.

Long Dog Tumbling Stone VQA 2007
This blend, comprised of 50-50 Gamay and Pinot Noir, offers sweet red fruit and light smoke aromas. In the mouth, it's crisp with sour cherry and some green apple. A it too tart for me, it would nonetheless be a good food wine.

Long Dog Pinot Noir Barrel Select VQA 2006
A complex aroma of warm red fruit and alcohol, this has a dry, mouthwatering feel. Medium tannins, approaching high, and very mild vanilla notes on the finish.

County Premium Cider

2008-07-24T21:13:00.002-04:00

Finally, for today at least, we moved down the road to one of Prince Edward County's best-loved beverage manufacturers: County Premium Cider. I won't go into details (they all tasted a lot like apple), but we loved the Waupoos Premium Cider and plan to bring it to a future ZenKitchen dinner. It's really, very appley.

The Cider company also offers a couple of interesting wines:

County Indian Point Apple Wine, made from Northern Spy. It's, well, kind of like dry, flat cider.

County Premium Cider Pinot Noir 2006
Made from grapes grown in the nearby Roberto Lorenzoni vineyard and oaked for 8 months in French barrels, this is an OK Pinot. Very high tannins and a long tannic finish, it may round out in the future.

County Premium Cider Prince Edward County Ice Cider
Made from a blend of Russet, Ida Red and Northern Spy apples, it tastes of cinnamon and apples - like apple pie in a glass! Lovely, and it may well make its way to the ZenKitchen list, too.

Waupoos Estates Winery

2008-07-24T21:06:00.004-04:00

Following a brief interlude wandering Picton's main street (called, I think, Main Street), we took off to the west end for Waupoos Estates.

This is a pretty, little building suffering under a heavy rain that set in as we arrived. We were greeted by a young fellow who set up our first glass while we gazed out the windows to the vineyard. I have to say, though, that this was the end of our idyllic visit. Almost immediately, Ed, the owner/curmudgeon, noticed that I was taking notes and decided he'd better involve himself. His grumpy demeanour only distracted from his product.

Despite this, we made it through a few vintages, and even found one or two we liked.

Waupoos Pinot Gris 2007
The overripe-melon, apple and mineral aromas held a lot of promise, but the mouthfeel was overwhelmed by the acidity and the medium sour finish.

Waupoos Seyval Blanc 2005
Hard to find any aromas at all in this, it had a green apple flavour.

Waupoos Unoaked Chardonnay 2006
Light pear and apple aromas; sour apple taste.

(Can you tell I was maybe a little distracted?)

Waupoos Geisenheim 2006
Finally, a County Geisenheim worth drinking. Clean melon, apple and mineral aromas, with a lot of sweet apple and melon flavours. The wine is quite dry, with just enough hint of citrus.

Waupoos Pearl Noir 2007
Actually a blend of Baco Noir and Gamay, it has heavy tobacco, chocolate and sweet red fruit aromas, with a secondary aroma of coffee. And the taste? Just like a chocolate-covered espresso bean. A good coffee-cherry finish. Very complex and interesting, this should mellow out in the bottle.

Waupoos Honeysuckle 2006
A blend of Chardonnay, Vidal and Seyval (the owner adamantly refused to tell me the per centages, in case I leaked them on the Internet or something), it has a light mineral and melon aroma and a taste of grapefruit and peach with a long tart finish. His secret is safe.

Waupoos Baco Noir 2007
A simpler version of the Pearl Noir, this still has the dark coffee and leather aromas, along with some dark red cherries. It tastes lightly of chocolate and coffee, without the boldness of the Pearl Noir.

Waupoos Winter White 2006
100% Vidal, harvested after the berries have frozen, Waupoos is unable to call this an Icewine because it was picked before they achieved their appellation status. Still, that's what it is. With a nice honey, floral and apple aroma set, it has a surprising if slight tart mouthfeel and lots of honeyed apple flavour. A very nice take on a not-to-be-called Icewine.

Black Prince Winery

2008-07-24T21:01:00.002-04:00

After a nice lunch in Bloomfield, we continued down the highway to the Black Prince Winery. Regretfully decorated with medieval symbols - suits of armour, crests, fake swords and the like - the tasting room provides an outlet for local artisans, some good, some less so.

Black Prince also allows a few other wineries - start-ups who can't manage their own tasting rooms yet - to sell their wines out of the tasting room. This is a noble and princely gesture and - sorry, I've been taken a bit overwhelmed by the place.

One such winery is Bella Vigne. Their founder works at Black Prince, though he's apparently heading out on his own soon. He's experimenting with some interesting if not necessarily great varieties. Black Prince also sells some Harwood Estates wines. Here's the tasting record:

Bella Vigne Geisenheim 2006
A nice, complex nose of melon, pineapple, and mineral, the only taste is a strong sour apple. So far, I'm not impressed with the Geisenheims I've tried.

Bella Vigne Leon Millot/Foch 2007
Another obscure grape, this time tempered by Marechal Foch. Candied red fruit and leather on the nose, but sour, sour grapes in the mouth. Now I know why it's obscure.

Harwood Estates Gewurztraminer 2007
Typical Gewurz aromas of lychee, citrus and honey. The taste is slightly bitter, with little acidity or sugar. The bitterness takes over the long finish.

Harwood Estates Pinot Gris VQA 2007
Minerality, grapefruity and a grassy quality on the nose, with much the same present in the flavours. Medium acid, it has a long citric finish. Not bad at all.

Black Prince Unoaked Chardonnay 2007
This has a nice set of aromas: melon, and ripe summer fruit. The melon, along with some residual sugar, continue in the tasting, along with a secondary flavour of citrus. Medium acid, it has a medium citric finish.

Black Prince Black Series Cabernet Franc VQA 2007
This award winner has plummy, leather and black pepper notes, with some sour cherry and leather in the mouth. But I found the long finish, focused on the sourness, a bit too much.

Black Prince Vidal Icewine VQA 2006
We realized too late that this vintage is pretty much sold out. I bought the second to last bottle. It has some nice sweet spice and peach aromas, followed by flavours of honey and sweet summer fruit. Their best product.

By Chadsey's Cairns

2008-07-24T20:46:00.001-04:00

Down the road to By Chadsey's Cairns, one of the original wineries in the area. It's a small but very pretty winery with rich clay loam. Co-owner Richard (his wife is the winemaker), was busy with some customers making a number of purchases, giving us time to fuss the dog and sit on the porch overlooking the vines. Life is good.

By Chadsey's Cairns Riesling 2007
The Riesling has a very light, watery colour but has good peach, pear and citrus aromas. Dry in the mouth, the peach, mineral and grapefruit flavour are well-balanced, leading to a long citrus finish. This will be one to try again after it's had some months in the bottle.

By Chadsey's Cairns Gewurztraminer 2007
Also surprisingly light and watery to the eye, it has a light, floral and sweet spice aroma. But the citrus and peach flavours even it out, and it has a medium citrus finish. Not great, but pleasant.

By Chadsey's Cairns Gamay Noir 2007
The aromas of leather, ripe red fruit and sour cherries don't all come through in the tasting. Sour cherries and tobacco dominate the flavours, and the long finish.

By Chadsey's Cairns Pinot Noir 2006
The tobacco and sweet red fruit are repeated in the mouth. There are good tannins here, even if it's a bit on the tart side. There's a long tart cherry finish. Unfined (and therefore suitable to vegans), this wine is offered in very convenient half bottles.

By Chadsey's Cairns Merlot-Cabernet Franc 2006
This blend comes from a partnership with Lailey Winery in Niagara, which provided the Merlot that makes up 55% of the wine. The remaining 45% Cab Franc is Estate. According to Richard, their attempt at growing Merlot - natural, given the soil - failed due to the severe cold. Plumy, jammy, with some leather, this blend really works. The tannins are high but smooth and the acidity low. Extra dry, it has a too-short tannic finish.

By Chadsey's Cairns Chardonnay 2006
Another blend, this time with Lailey Chard (65%) and Estate Chard (35%). A complex nose of citrus, peach, per and minerals doesn't quite make it to the taste, though the citrus and pear do. The finish is short. The wine is fined with egg whites.

Sandbanks Estate

2008-07-24T20:43:00.001-04:00

Sandbanks Estate Winery has an excellent location right on the highway. The only problem with this, of course, is that it tends to be a bit crowded with tourists who aren't bothering with wineries off the beaten path.

Still, the tasting room is well staffed and we didn't have to wait long. Our one significant complaint: the lack of a proper bathroom - they sent us out to a portable toilet in the parking lot.

Sandbanks Estate Pinot Grigio VQA 2007
The Pinot Grigio offers aromas of melon and pear with a good minerality. The melon continues in the mouth, along with green apple and some residual sugar.

Sandbanks Estate Riesling VQA 2007
Steely, with citrus and petrol notes, this Riesling has a mouthwatering green apple flavour that persists to a long finish. More time in the bottle may bring out a lovely wine.

Sandbanks Estate Dunes Vidal VQA 2007
This shows lots of tropical fruit and peach aromas and tastes of pineapple, grapefruit and sweet spice. Off-dry, it has a medium grapefruit finish, and makes a pretty good light summer wine. We bought a bottle.

Sandbanks Estate Rosé 2007
Made with Geisenheim - a hybrid so obscure even Oz doesn't list it - and a very tiny amount of Cabernet Franc for colour, this offers strawberry peach and citrus aromas and flavours. The long citric finish counters the candy-like taste, but not enough.

Sandbanks Estate Cabernet Franc VQA 2006
This has lots of tobacco and ripe red fruit, and is unsurprisingly high in tannins. It tastes initially of rich, ripe cherries and secondly of strawberries. But the finish is all tobacco, chocolate and coffee. A good, complex Cab Franc for those who like big, bold wines.

Sandbanks Estate Baco Noir VQA 2007
I had a hard time getting a handle on this one. Dark fruit and cassis, yes,
but with something else that I eventually identified as a big hit of alcohol. It tastes of very sour cherries and has a tannic mouthfeel with a long sour finish. I didn't like it.

Sandbanks Estate Marechal Foch Reserve VQA 2006
With strawberry aromas and a taste of sour cherries and tobacco, this Foch has medium tannins and a short finish.

Sandbanks Estate Winter Harvest Vidal 2005
Pale straw yellow, this light dessert wine has honey, mild citrus and strawberry aromas. With a rich peach flavour and short finish, it would definitely go well with a fruit-based dessert.

The Grange, or Trumpour's Mill

2008-07-24T20:27:00.002-04:00

Following an excellent breakfast of berries, yogurt, scrambled eggs and toast, provided by our B&B host Peter, we headed down to the other end of the peninsula to a winery we inexplicably missed yesterday: The Grange.

Now, I have one wee bone to pick with this place. While it's called The Grange, after the Granger father and daughter who founded it, all of their wines are called "Trumpour's Mill", after the Trumpour family who owned the farmland before the winery. So, every wine is The Grange: Trumpour's Mill or Trumpour's Mill by The Grange Winery or some other combination. Guys, pick a name, please?

That minor peeve out of the way, this is certainly one of the prettiest wineries and tasting rooms we visited. The parking area is slotted between the vineyards, so it's easy to see why The Grange is proud of its incredible terroir: the soil is as much limestone rock as dirt, every farmer's nightmare. Unless he or she is raising grapes, of course.

And the wines show it. We were overwhelmed with the selection and quality, and a quick chat with Operations Manager Mike Pettleson confirmed that the winery uses only bentonite for fining; all Grange products are vegan.

Trumpour's Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Citrus, grapefruit, vegetal and asparagus on the nose, this is a classic New World Sauv. The asparagus and grapefruit persist in the mouth, where a medium-high acidity makes it crisp and mouthwatering. Very nice! I bought two bottles for personal consumption.

Trumpour's Mill Riesling 2007
I was going to skip this Riesling, because I hadn't yet had a good one in The County. But the senior customer service rep ordered me to try it, and she was right. With an immediate floral perfume, there are good secondary characteristics of vegetal and citrus. The veg and citrus continue in the taste. The winery calls this off-dry with a 0.5 sugar level, but the citrus made it seem dry to me. We liked this one so much, we bought a case for lucky ZenKitchen diners.

Trumpour's Mill Pinot Gris 2006
With a surprising deep golden hue, the result of a "later" harvesting and being left to sit on the skins a while, this Gris tastes of sweet summer fruit, cinammon and honey. Off-dry, it still managed a tart mouthfeel, with some grapefruit and vegetal notes and a little residual sugar.

Trumpour's Mill Chardonnay Reserve 2004
This light bodied oaked Chard offers the expected vanilla and peach aromas, continuing on into the mouth. But it's a dry vanilla, and there's some grapefruit in the long finish. Unusual, but well worth trying.

Trumpour's Mill Gamay Noir 2006
The aromas offer plum, tobacco and sweet red fruit and the strong tobacco flavour is followed by red fruit in the mouth. With medium tannins and medium acidity, this light bodied, cherry coloured Gamay is well rounded, ending with a long sour cherry finish.

Trumpour's Mill Assemblage 2005
Blended from Gamay (80%), Cab Franc and Zweigelt (the server thought each of the latter split the difference), the sweet cherry and leather aromas are overtaken by the very tannic mouthfeel. There's a long citrus finish.

Trumpour's Mill Cabernet Merlot 2006
Here's a well-rounded, complex blend. The aromas of red fruit and leather lead to flavours of tart cherries, tobacco and vegetal, with a medium sour cherry finish. Excellent for BBQs and winter stews, we bought a bottle for further appreciation.

Eating, sleeping, and one more wine

2008-07-24T20:05:00.001-04:00

Finally, on to our B&B and dinner. We stayed at the lovely Bayside Bed & Breakfast, aptly named as it fronts a perfect stretch of shore, where you can swim off the dock in the company of labs Sam and Chaser. Host Peter Jamieson is welcoming, warm and informative, and makes great French toast. pjamieson@reach.net or (613) 476-8931.

Dinner was at Harvest, a beautiful three year old Picton restaurant founded by Karin and Michael Potters, former Toronto restaurateurs and chef. They focus on local and seasonal products and a French-style cuisine.

We both had wonderful meals (though we ate too much of the hearty whole-grain bread). And we drank a half-litre of:

The Grange "Trumpour's Mill" Pinot Noir VQA 2006
Dark Cherry, tobacco aromas lead to a complex palette of dark fruit, cassis, and leather. With a long tannic finish, it perfectly complimented my meal of mushrooms and mixed grains.

And that's the end of Day 1 in The County!

Norman Hardie Winery

2008-07-24T19:57:00.004-04:00

Back down the road and we're at the Norman Hardie Winery. Owner and winemaker Norman Hardie worked a few vintages in Burgundy, in addition to his time in Niagara. His experience shows - wines that are complex yet subtle. He was away when we dropped by, but we spoke with Johannes Norman, the Manager of Operations, who told us that Norman tries to "leave his wines alone", meaning that he doesn't complicate the natural flavours through fining or other processes. That's good news for our vegan diners - no egg whites in Norman Hardie wines.

By the way, many for the wines are made from Niagara grapes, where Hardie manages a number of vineyards.

In addition to the five wines we tasted, ... drew a sample of the 2007 Pinot Noir from the barrel. It will be bottled in a few weeks, and this wine has it all going on. Looking forward to it!

Norman Hardie Winery Chardonnnay sans barriques 2006
This unoaked chard is spicy and vegetal while light on fruit flavours. The tart mouthfeel has lots of sweet spice, though, and a long tart finish.

Norman Hardie Winery Riesling 2007
Like every other 2007 Riesling I tried today, I found a good set of aromas (gasoline, green apples) but a less complex palette - grapefruit dominated. It's a little spritzy, too, which I liked. Highly acidic, it has a long sharp finish.

Norman Hardie Winery Chardonnay 2006
Oaked in French barrels, there's a lot of vanilla and sweet spice along with the tropical fruit. The vanilla persists in the mouth, along with secondary characteristics of melon and citrus.

Norman Hardie Winery Pinot Noir 2006
Like the upcoming 2007, the 2006 vintage has a complex sour cherry and vegetal aroma. The mouthfeel is highly tannic with a lot of acid and green pepper flavours. The tannins stay to the lengthy finish. Very nice, it could use a little more time in the bottle.

Rosehall Run

2008-07-24T19:54:00.003-04:00

One minute down the country road and we're at Rosehall Run, a pair of modern buildings with a tasting room on the second floor of the nearest. Caroline had met owner and winemaker Dan Sullivan at the Ontario Wine Fair the year before, and he made a point of coming out to greet us.

Even better, Dan took us on a private tour of his new facility, which is not quite finished. He has a series of stainless steel fermenting tanks on the ground floor, along with what he described as "the biggest walk-in fridge you've ever seen". Below ground, rows of French oak barrels hold the Chardonnays of the future (he makes unoaked Chards, too). Dan drew tastes of two of his upcoming wines (always a true privilege to sample from the barrel!). It would be unfair to describe a wine before its time - suffice to say that there are some good things coming from Rosehall Run.

I asked Dan how he fines his wines. Fining is a technique in which a winemaker pours in a substance that certain unwanted proteins cling to. The substance falls to the bottom of the tank, where it, and the proteins, can be easily removed. Common fining products include egg whites and and a fish bladder derivative called isinglass - both of which make some wines unsuitable for vegans. There are non-animal alternatives, such as bentonite, a type of clay.

Dan said that he tries not to fine at all, but has been known to use bentonite in some of his Pinot Noirs. He has also used egg whites to clarify his Chardonnays. He said that bentonite and egg whites don't simply replace each other. Some proteins are best removed by the clay, others are better removed by egg white. Dan's a former chemist, so I'll trust his word!

Rosehall Run Unoaked Chardonnay 2006
The Chardonnay is brought in from the Beamsville Bench and blended with some Muscat. It's highly perfumed, with lots of ripe summer fruit. I also caught a hint of butter from the malo-lactic process. The palette is surprisingly crisp, with the summer fruit tempered by grapefruit flavours and a good acidity. The wine has a disappointingly short finish, but I wouldn't mind trying again.

Rosehall Run Pinot Noir 2006
Raspberries, smoke, sour cherries - this lovely, light-bodied Pinot has it all. The aromas come through on the palette, too, and there's a long tart finish. Perfect for our wild mushroom dishes, we bought a case for ZenKitchen diners to enjoy.

I tasted a couple of others, but, immersed in conversation with Dan, I took crappy notes. Sorry!

Carmela Estates

2008-07-24T19:40:00.001-04:00

Having spent a long morning and part of the afternoon in our research, Caroline and I were both feeling a bit peckish. So we were glad to find that our next winery, Carmela Estates, has a café attached. While it lacked any vegetarian menu items (and seemed to put "crispy pancetta" on every second dish), the kitchen was happy to make some adjustments for us and we ate a simple lunch of salad and pizza.

I made a mistake here, though. Feeling a little tired, I took advantage of the offer to have a tasting flight delivered to the table. I was halfway through when the food arrived, and the scent of freshly sautéed onions overwhelmed the aromas of the wines. I had to turn my back on the food - looking more than a little ridiculous to the other diners, I'm sure - in order to finish my tasting notes.

The other disadvantagesof tasting at the table instead of at the tasting bar, is that I missed the usual in-depth descriptions of the wines: where the grapes were grown, the winemaker's philosophy and method. Lesson learned - taste first, eat later.

And the wines? I didn't find much to love here, with the flavours often too flat and lacking complexity.

Carmela Estates Riesling 2006
The classic Riesling nose of mineral, petrol and green apple is let down a bit by the extremely tart mouthfeel, where the green apple takes over. Highly acidic, it has a the long sour finish.

Carmela Estates Pinot Gris 2007
Fruit-forward, with pineapple and sweet spice dominating, this Pinot Gris has a nice melon-citrus taste. But the presence of some residual sugar and a short finish make it a bit light and sweet for my tastes.

Carmela Estates Gewurztraminer 2007
I had hopes for this wine based on the complex aromas of pear, peach, and grapefruit. But the dryness lacking in the Pinot Gris was here instead, providing a tart green apple mouthfeel.

Carmela Estates Cabernet Franc Estate 2007
With aromas of dark fruit, leather and black pepper, this Franc fulfills its promise on the palette. Highly tannic, the leather persists along with chocolate and coffee flavours. The coffee sticks around for a long finish that can only be described as robust. Hard to pair with food right now, some time in the bottle should mellow out the rougher flavours and produce a very nice, balance wine in the next couple of years.

Closson Chase Vineyards

2008-07-24T19:31:00.001-04:00

Closson Chase, one of The County's premier wineries, was founded by a group of film and TV veterans. They were smart in hiring a very good viticulturalist, Deborah Paskus. She wisely disciplines herself to two varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - and she does them very well.

The company also turned a lovely old barn into a lovelier new winery and tasting room, where we sampled:

Closson Chase CCV Sans Chene Chardonnay 2007
Lots of tropical fruit and green apple, the low acidity and hint of residual sugar marred an otherwise nice Chard.

Closson Chase 2006 Chardonnay VQA
The fruit here comes from the Beamsville Bench in Niagara, and is resplendent in honeydew, honey and vanilla. The vanilla dominates the taste, along with ripe tropical fruit and sweet spice. Too much oak for my taste, it will give a lot of pleasure to those who enjoy their Chardonnay rich and ripe.

Closson Chase CCV Pinot Noir 2006
I believe the technical word is "yummy". A complex nose of sour cherries and earthiness, it comes through on the palette. Medium acid, medium tannin and a too-brief sour cherry finish. A winner. We took a bottle home.

Closson Chase Pinot Noir Assemblage
Blended from two different vintages (2005 and 2006), this lovely Pinot also offered the earthy, cherry goodness of the straight-up 2006. So what did the 2005 contribute? A longer more complex finish - just what the bottle needed.

So why did we buy the 2006 instead of the Assemblage? Price. At $35, the 2006 was already much more than we usually pay for a bottle of wine. The $45 Assemblage was a little better, but not that much better.

Sugarbush Winery

2008-07-24T19:19:00.004-04:00

Following such a successful start, we headed down the road to our next destination. But we got sidetracked, a little, by a sign for a winery not on our list. Sugarbush is a new start-up, only two years old and operated out of the basement of its hardworking owners. Generally, we sympathize with someone so bold as to enter one of the world's most challenging industries, and happily gave their products a try. The Sugarbush wines aren't quite at the point yet that we'd serve them to our clients, but there are certainly some worth drinking. That said, Caroline and I both noted a predominant sulphur aroma for every wine.

Sugarbush Gamay VQA 2007
While the initial nose was of yeast and sulphite, aromas of plum and red cherry are also present. Very sour on the palette, there's some nice tobacco, too.

Sugarbush Almost Red 2007
This aptly named rosé is 90% Cabernet Franc, 10% Chardonnay. Unfortunately, it was served right out of a bar fridge and the low temp put a chill on the aromas and tastes. Eventually, I found some raspberry and sour cherry on this light but innocuous product.

Sugarbush Gewurztraminer 2007
The winner among the lot, this Gewurz shows lots of fruit and sweet spice. Sweet apple, pear and peach round out the flavours, with the pear dominating the finish. Off-dry, it shows a lot of promise. So much so, we purchased a bottle for future consideration.

Sugarbush Riesling 2007
Light grapefruit and mineral aromas entice, but the tastes are overly dominated by the citric acidity, which extends into the long grapefruit finish. It might be nice with soda.

Sugarbush The Other Red 2006
Interesting for the fact that it is 100% Zweigelt, picked at the nearby Robert Thomas Vineyards. Oz Clarke tells me (don't you always travel with a volume of Oz Clarke?) that Zweigelt is Austria's most planted red grape, capable of high yields and an interesting peppery wine. Rather than pepper, this Zweigelt gives me sweet red fruit and a hint of leather. With medium tannins and high acidity, it's a mouthwatering curiosity that would be easily toned down by food, and bears keeping an eye on.

Huff Estates

2008-07-24T19:02:00.002-04:00

We arrived at Huff Estates - the largest and best established winery in the appellation - a little later than planned (damn you Google maps!), but happily so, because the brief, hourly, tour had just begun. We caught up to find the group looking at a room full of French oak barriques, filled mostly with the 2007 Pinot Noir and 2007 Chardonnay. A series of racks to one side held bottles of sparkling wine with their funny pop-bottle caps - these will be removed following the riddling stage, when the real corks will be introduced. The sparkler is expected to be Huff's future claim to fame: our tour guide told us that samples had been sent to a wine tester in France, who was unable, based on bubble count (!), chemical analysis and taste, to tell the Huff product from Champagne. A tale worth telling, as long the product doesn't let the story down...

We were led upstairs to the primary fermentation area, the made-in-Quebec stainless steel tanks carefully controlling pressure and temperature. Then, back to the tasting room - my favourite part of any tour. (As an aside, I'd be willing to visit a lot more museums if they ended the tour at a tasting room. Curators, take note!)

Here's what we found:

Huff Estates VQA Pinot Gris 2007
Light bodied, with aromas of melon, tropical fruit and grapefruit, if has a tart, mouthwatering crispness that's balanced with that tropical fruit coming back in the second taste. That citrus finish doesn't let go, and that's a good thing. The wine is made from 100% Huff Estate grapes. And we liked it, so much, that we bought a case to serve to our diners in the future.Huff Estates

VQA Lighthall Chardonnay 2006
This is an interesting blend of oaked and unoaked Chardonnays. There's still a hint of vanilla and menthol from the French barrels, along with some sweet spice. The taste is of butter, citrus and green apple. It's light bodied, dry and highly acidic. A nice summer patio wine, especially for those who like the Chards a little less oaky.

Huff Estates VQA Merlot 2007
The dark ruby colour gives a hint of the expected aromas, and they're certainly present: dark cherries, tobacco, black pepper and cassis. But the wine is let down by its taste - overwhelming sour cherry and a long sour finish. Give this baby a couple of years to grow up, and it may round out nicely.

Huff Estates South Bay Chardonnay 2006
This typical Chardonnay is oaked and the aromas and taste match exactly, with lots of vanilla and apple. It has a long, slightly tart apple finish, which nicely balances the oak.

Huff Estates VQA Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
This well-aged Cab smells great - tobacco, dark cherries and even plum. On the palette, its VERY tannic and has a lot of acidity, with a mix of dark and sour cherries and even a hint of chocolate. Extra dry, it has a long tannic finish. It's rich and challenging even for a lover of full-bodied reds.

Prince Edward County - Day 1

2008-07-24T18:59:00.006-04:00

Canada's newest wine appellation is on a pennisula (I think it's a peninsula - Grade 7 geography was a LONG time ago.) stretching across the Bay of Quinte just west, and a bit south, of Kingston to Trenton. A mere two hours from my home in Ottawa (Google Maps says three, but what does it know?), Caroline and I drove down on a cloudy, cool day.Prince Edward County, or The County as it's known locally, is renowned for its abundant farm land, picturesque villages full of pottery studios, bookstores and antique shops, and the beautiful warm water playground afforded by the Bay.
Oh, and there's some wine here, too.
An even dozen wineries, in fact, taking advantage of the protective waters of the Bay and the limestone and clay soil - reputed to be a close match to Bordeaux's famed terroir.

When researching our trip, I had difficulty finding a comprehensive, non-advertorial guide to The County's wineries or, in fact, their wines. Over the next dozen entries, I hope to offer a starter's guide to the wines of Prince Edward County, from the perspective of my own limited palette. Perhaps, if others do the same, future visitors will have some idea of what to expect, and where to expect it.

Cheers,
Dave

Enough teasers, let's have a drink!

2008-07-20T23:08:00.000-04:00

LINDEMAN'S BIN 85 PINOT GRIGIO
LCBO 668947
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 12.00
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 1
Made in: South Australia, AustraliaBy: Southcorp Wines

LUNGAROTTI PINOT GRIGIO
LCBO 19018
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 14.50
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 1
Made in: Umbria, Italy by: Cantine Dr. G. Lungarotti & Co

Pinot Grigio has become one of the most popular white wine varieties among consumers. In Italy, it's best known from the North-Eastern region of Fruili-Venizia Gulia.

Not having tasted much of it myself, I decided to buy a couple, one Old World, one New World, just to compare. The Italian I bought is from the region of Umbria, best known for its Sangiovese, not Pinot Grigio - an interesting comparison.

And what a difference! The Italian Grigio smells like melon and citrus, and has a crisp, tart mouthfeel, tasting of green apples and lemons. Its long, citrus finish is slightly bitter but clean. A lovely summer wine!

The Australian, on the other hand, is much less distinctive. It noses apricot, apple and a slight vegetal scent, but falls flat in the mouth, barely registering its acidity and offering a bit of residual sugar in its short finish instead. Not a winner, in my opinion.

The story so far...

2008-07-20T22:18:00.001-04:00

I've always enjoyed wine, along with beer, whisky, vodka, shochu, various liqueurs, saké, and pretty much whatever else was available. But in the past year, I've developed a more professional interest in wine, leading to some formal wine education (woohoo!) and a lot of tastings (woohoo double!!).

Life changed - a lot - when Caroline and I created our new business, ZenKitchen. You can get all the details about how that happened from Caroline's blog, but here are the Cole's notes: Caroline wanted a change of careers, went to chef school in NYC, graduated, and ZenKitchen was born. We do small function catering, monthly gourmet vegan dinners and cooking classes, all focused on vegetarian, local and healthy foods.

It didn't take long to realize that with good food goes good wine, and we needed to learn how to provide good options for our patrons, including wines that would go with our unique foods.

A good friend of ours, Marc, introduced us to the National Capital Sommelier Guild, an amazing group of people with wine expertise varying from highly sophisticated to, well, me. Getting to know Guild folk, in turn, led us to the Algonquin College Sommelier Program. That's where I am now, midway through a two year, part-time course toward a Sommelier Certificate. We sit in a college classroom with our glasses lined up in front of us, do a little learning, a little tasting, a little learning, a little tasting. Life is good.

In the mean time, I attend a lot of blind tastings, go to wine fairs, read wine books (there are a LOT of wine books!) and visit wineries. I've learned to love some varieties I had never tried before, I've learned to trust my palate, and I've learned that there's one wine company in the world hated, and I mean hated, by oenophiles everywhere. But I'm saving that story for later...

Cheers,
Dave

Cheers!

2008-07-18T15:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to BigNose, a journal of wine learning, wine tasting, and wine appreciation.

While I've always enjoyed a nice glass of plonk, I've become a serious drinker, um, taster, of wines over the past year.

Coming up: a brief history of my vine affair and visits to Prince Edward County and Mendocino. Yum!