Canadian Wino(s)

Don’t miss our Annual Canada Day BBQ!

Celebrate the holiday with us at the winery and enjoy wines aged in the very patriotic Canadian Oak as well as local pork and sausage and of course, s’mores cooked over some of our “decommissioned” barrels.

Remember tickets are just $10 per person but reservations are required.

To purchase your ticketsphone 905.468.0503 or email christine@laileyvineyard.com.

To order the wines of this vertical and tasting dinner go to: http://www.vintages.com/vmail/bertani.html

Wine tastings generally fall within two categories: vertical and horizontal.  Horizontal tastings are most common with wines of a similar vintage but from different wineries, vineyards, regions, etc.  A vertical tasting consists of several different vintages of the same wine.  Although there may be a small vertical opportunity (2 or 3 vintages) at many tastings, extensive vertical tastings are rare.  When they do take place, a vertical tasting can provide great insight into the difference between individual vintages and how a given wine develops as it ages over time.

Amarone is a big, full bodied wine that is typically capable of significant aging.  Even though some modern styled Amarone may drink well young, many really start to shine after about 10 years.

On May 25 I attended the Bertani structured tasting and dinner with some friends at Mitsura.  The central focus was a tasting of a 14 vintages of the Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico dating from 1962 to 2001 prior to dinner.  There was not enough time to taste, compare, and make notes for all of the wines in the vertical.  However some years stood out, and we were able to get a good sense of how this great wine ages over time.

Unfortunately, we did not have time to taste all the wines in the vertical as thoroughly as we would have preferred.  A couple did stand out, especially the 1962.  At close to 50 years old, one could be skeptical as to how much fruit and flavour would be left.  We did not have the 62 until dinner after the vertical tasting.  We started the vertical with the 1964 and 1967.  The 64 was softer on the nose, with the 1967 jumping out on the nose:

1964: Soft on the nose, more elegant than the 1967.  Licorice, tar, smooth, light on palate, plum.

1967: Jumps out on the nose.  Go with this if you like a bigger wine.  Does taste old – madeirized, oxidized.  More powerful than the 64.  Bitter orange peel –Seville orange, plume and prune.

I preferred the 64 while a good friend who was with us preferred the 67.

Due to time limitations we raced through the rest of the vertical.  The limited notes are due to time, not to anything lacking in the wines. By now we were just picking out highlights or how they differed from one year to the next.

1972: Bitter orange – the better of the two from the 70s.

1975: More bitter

1980: More balanced and smooth – very good.

1981: Bill’s mid age favorite.  Very good.

1986: Bitter with green herb

1998: More fruit, less dark ageing character.

1998 seemed to be the turning point for ageing.  1998 and younger had more young fruit while wines older than this showed less of the youthful fruit character and more darker signs of ageing (and smoothened out).  This fits with my other experiences with Amarone and a general conclusion that most really start to hit their stride at about 10 years.  After that a combination of style (modern vs. traditional), length of barrel ageing, and vintage will determine how well and how long they will age.

Dinner:

We were served several wines throughout the dinner:

2006 Bertani Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC: Very good, light and bright, sharper than the Rosso but more structure.  Great with the gnocchi.

Bertani Catullo Rosso 2006 IGT: Smoother than the Ripasso, but less structure.  More of an easy drinker, a high quality easy drinker.  Smooth and elegant.  Drink now.  This red blend is a step up from $15 quaffers

2005 Amarone Villa Arvedi della Valpolicella DOC:  This is Bertani’s modern styled Amarone, getting about 3 years barrel ageing vs. the 6 years that the Classico gets.  This is an excellent modern styled Amarone and will benefit from short term cellaring (another 3-5 years or more).

1962 Amarone Classico:  BEST OF THE NIGHT! The 62 has the darker older tones of age but also has retained some of its original fruit and character.  This is a beautiful old wine that still shows some of what it had in youth.  It was delightful with our main entrée.  If you are looking for a very old bottle and only want to buy one vintage – buy this one.  This still has a few years to go.  I would love to open a bottle in 2012 when it is 50 years old!

2001 Amarone Classico:  With 6 years of barrel ageing and 1 year of bottle ageing this is the youngest of the Classico Amarone that is available.  It was very good but we could tell that it needs time.  While this could start drinking well at 10-12 years, the evening’s tasting demonstrated that this can be cellared much longer.

2006 Recioto Della Valpolicella Valpantena DOC:  Valpantena is the area, Recioto is the style.  Recioto is the sweet dessert wine from Valpolicella.  The grapes are dried on mats for about 3 months as with Amarone to concentrate the flavour and sugar.  Fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is converted into alcohol.  The result is a wine that is sweeter with less alcohol than Amarone, but with the big fruit flavours.  Not as sweet as Icewine, Recioto is great with berry or chocolate desserts.  We had it with an Italian biscuit that was like an almond shortbread.  The combination was simple but wonderful.  The biscuit/cookie complimented the Recioto beautifully.  The 2006 was great.  I don’t see the need to age Recioto.  It drinks well young and there will be more produced next year.  Order some and enjoy!

CONCLUSIONS:  My thoughts of Amarone hitting its stride at about 10 years were confirmed.  The difference between modern and traditional Amarone is that the modern ones may be at their best from 10-15 years or 10-20 years while the traditional ones may cellar much longer depending on the vintage. I found that once the Classico got to be about 20 years old, the difference seemed to be more due to vintage influences than age.  This wine evolves slowly.  With the very old wines, it was vintage influence plus age to create 3 quite different wines all from the 1960’s and all good.

Bittersweet: Lorenzo Boscaini, Export Manager for Bertani, was on hand to talk about Bertani and its wines.  He described Amarone as both bitter and sweet.  Amarone starts of a very big and intense wine then softens and mellows with age.  The sweetness is an implied sweetness, not from actual sugar content.  The 1962 was the best example of this with hints of sweetness similar to dried fruit or candied fruit.  As the big fruit of youth diminished with age the bitter flavours, like the Seville orange peel of the 1967, show on the palate first.  Then they may be followed with a subtle sweet tone, depending on the age and vintage.

If you are looking for an anniversary bottle for someone’s birth year, this is your best shot at getting something good.  On the other hand, if you would simply like to try something much older – here is your chance.  Pick a year that fits your budget and go for it!

Cheers,   Ross

On Tuesday June 16, the Sip and Savour Ontario tasting was held at the Distillery.  About 30 Ontario wineries showcased their wines including many of this year’s award winners.  The evening is a fun night out for most and an opportunity to sample the very wide range of wines and styles available from Ontario producers.

Every few tables there would be food stations set up by local restaurants to showcase their culinary talents and present some Ontario food/wine pairings.  Many of the pairings were very good.  The food offerings were tiny but tasty.  One memorable pairing was a smoked Georgian Bay whitefish with a Gewurztraminer, mmmm.  Another was an upside down apricot cake with a Sparkling Vidal Icewine (any dessert with apricot, peaches, or mango is likely to be a good match for Vidal).

Here are some highlights and themes I discovered at the tasting:

Whites:     With limited time to cover the large number of wineries and wines, I focused mainly on the reds, and sweet wines.  I tried a few of the whites and listened to the comments of the friends I was with and others at the tasting.  Ontario continues to be good for white wine.  ‘Riesling’ was on the lips of many – both figuratively and literally.  The 2006 Le Clos Jordanne Reserve Chardonnay ($30) was very good.  Unfortunately Peninsula Ridge, which won the gold medal for Chardonnay, was not there.  The best Ontario Chardonnay I recall tasting was an earlier vintage from Peninsula Ridge.  Call Peninsula Ridge sales manager Jonathon Kuhling at 905-563-0900 x 22 or email at jkuhling@peninsularidge.com to see about ordering straight from the winery.

Pinot Noir:    The biggest change I have noticed since going to this tasting starting in 2006 is the improvement in the Pinot Noir.  First of all, I should state my point of reference for Pinot Noir: Burgundy.  In my view, Burgundy produces the best Pinot in the world and is the benchmark against which all others should be measured.  Unfortunately Burgundy is very difficult to navigate as the ownership is so fractionalized, terroir changes from village to village.  Pinot Noir is susceptible to vintage variation.  In Burgundy, terroir can be different in different parts of a single vineyard.  So, if we can find a few good Pinots closer to home, and support local wineries too, that is a good thing.

Many new world Pinots, including those from New Zealand, tend to be bigger and fuller than what I would expect from Pinot but lack the elegance, and smoothness of a very good Burgundy.  Many just come off as big and rough FrankenPinot (wines that have been manipulated to target some new world vision of what the universal palate demands – bad and boring).  Even last year and the year before, I found this with some of the Ontario Pinots, and Gamay Noir.

The good news is that this year the Pinots were much more varietally correct in character:  bright cherry and strawberry with earthy undertones, medium bodied, and smooth.  This was true even for Pinots under $20.  Perhaps we can thank Le Clos Jordanne who actually teamed up with the French to produce Pinot Noir (and Chardonnay) here in Ontario that shows what one would expect from the French counterparts.  The 2004 Claystone Terrace showed signs of this character but was a bit thin (vines were very young).  It is now developing into a very good Pinot Noir.  Other winemakers seem to have followed suit and let the grape show what it can do.

If you have not tried an Ontario Pinot Noir recently, try one at the price level you are used to spending for other wines.

Sweet Wines:    Sweet wines remain the category that Ontario really excels at.  The hidden gems here are the Late Harvest, and a few Icewines.
Late Harvest wine is made by leaving the grapes on the vine past the regular harvest, but not as long as Icewine.  The grapes lose moisture and concentrate but to a lesser degree.  The result are wines with concentrated fruit that can jump out of the glass on the nose, but are not as sweet as Icewine and 1/3 or ¼ the price!  The big discovery here was the 2007 Caroline Cellars Momentum Series Late Harvest Vidal at $18.95 500ml. (See below for notes).

In the Icewine category there are many that are good but do come across as overly sweet or syrupy.  A really great Icewine has an abundance of fruit flavour balanced with acidity that creates intense aromas and flavour without tasting overly sweet.  Royal de Maria, the Icewine specialist www.royaldemaria.com , does this the best.  Others hit the mark from time to time.  The 2007 Riverview Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine was one such wine (see below for notes).  It won the gold medal, deservedly.  Dan Ackroyd had a very good Gewurztraminer Icewine but at $65 for 200ml it was too pricey for what it was.

Wines of Note:

2007 Black Prince Winery Cabernet Franc, Prince Edward County, $15.75

www.blackprincewinery.com Good Value
Soft and good with dark berry fruit.  Easy drinking.  Would pair well with a chocolate dessert as well as usual Cab Franc pairings.

2006 Caroline Cellars Winery Baco Noir, Niagara on the Lake, $10.20

Silver Medal www.carolinecellars.com Excellent Value Direct order only
Deep dark colour, smooth and medium bodied – good easy drinker.

2006 Caroline Cellars Winery Momentum Series Late Harvest Vidal, $18 500ml

www.carolinecellars.com Best Value
Excellent for $18.  Peach and apricot aromas jump out of the glass.  People who didn’t like Icewine liked this wine.  Friends who had just tried the Ackroyd Gewürztraminer Icewine which, was no doubt a great wine, tried this Late Harvest.  They were amazed.  This won out though for value for the money.  Pair with apple pie, or crisp, peach cobbler, or apple/mango crisp with some ginger, lemon, coconut, mmmm.

2007 Inniskillin Wines Sparkling Vidal Icewine, Niagara on the Lake, $59.75

www.inniskillin.com Good Value
Had this with the upside down apricot cake.  It was a great match.  The sparkling Vidal was a nice change.  It is pricey, but not compared to a good Vidal Icewine.

2008 Jackson Triggs Estate Winery Proprietors Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, $13.95

Niagara on the Lake         Excellent Value
www.jacksontriggswinery.com
This was one of the few whites I tried and I was glad that I did.  This was a very aromatic Sauvignon Blanc with peach notes on the nose, smooth on the palate, balanced with good acidity.

2007 Mike Weir Cabernet Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, $18.95

Niagara on the Lake         Good Value
www.mikeweirwine.com
Very good with nice tannic grip.  Flavours of dark berries.  Lived up to expectation after very good 2006.

2009 Pelee Island Winery Pinot Noir Reserve, $14.95

Bronze Medal         Good Value
www.peleeisland.com
Good, light and smooth.  Cherries on the nose.

2009 Pelee Island Winery Monarch Red, $14.95

Silver Medal         Excellent Value
www.peleeisland.com
Marchel Foch, Baco Noir, and Zweigelt…what a combo!  This doesn’t have the tannic structure to age, but for $10 this is a great value and one that should be tried.  Look for the big Monarch butterfly on the label and try some.  Should be a great BBQ wine.

2007 Riverview Cellars Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine, Niagara, $59.95

Gold Medal         Excellent Value    Special order from winery (min 3 bottles)
www.riverviewcellars.com
This Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine stood out from the rest.  The big strawberry nose was followed by strawberry and honey on the palate.  Nice big bright fruit without tasting too sweet.  Pair with cranberry biscotti, or chocolate and berry desserts.  This came at the end of the evening and was a great way to finish. winery@riverviewcellars.com  to order.  This drinks great now and will probably be at its best over the next 3-4 years.  Riverview Cellars is owned by Sam Pillitteri (brother of Gary Pillitteri of Pillitteri Estates Winery) and his wife Lina.   .  As Pillitteri has produced some very good Vidal Icewine and Cab Franc Late Harvest, it is not surprising that Riverview is excelling at the production of dessert wines.  Good dessert wines must run in this family!

Cheers,   Ross

Visit the Summerhill LCBO this Saturday, June 20th from 11:30-3:30 to sample Angus the Bull Cab with Weber BBQ’d steaks! The perfect match!

Historically, Malbec is one of the 6 grape varieties used in the blends of Bordeaux. It is also grown in Cahors in South West France, and a few other places. In Bordeaux it is a minor grape, and more prominent in the lesser known wines of Cahors (blended with the Tannat grape). Argentina, particularly in the Mendoza Valley, is where Malbec has gained popularity in recent years. It is a tannic grape yielding deep purple colour, and big dark plumy or red berry fruit flavors. As a single varietal it tends to be tannic but smooth; sometimes with chewy tannins, always deep colour with big fruit- red fruit, plum, or spice. It can range from jammy quaffers to big full bodied and complex wines. Vintages presents Malbec as a good barbeque wine. I agree. It is big enough to stand up to the big flavours of barbequed fare and many fit a barbeque budget.

Argentina – Malbec

2008 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec 2008, Mendoza, $13.95

Drink now
Grapes: Malbec
87 James Molesworth – WS
Mendoza Malbec can be a source of value wines well under the $20 mark.  This one gets a good review from James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator. -RM
‘Ripe, with raspberry and boysenberry fruit laced with mocha and fruitcake…fleshy and round…’ – JM (WS) 640490

2007 Domino del Plata Susana Balbo Signature Malbec, Mendoza, $27.95

Drink now
Grapes: Malbec
90 James Molesworth – WS
Here is a wine that should be a step up the quality ladder from the Altos Las Hormigas.  It gets a similar taste profile in Molesworth’s review.  The difference should be in evident in additional complexity and length.-RM
‘…mocha and spice filled nose, along with creamy raspberry and boysenberry fruit…lengthy pure finish…’ – JM (WS) 079798

Ontario – Viognier    Excellent Value

2007 Peninsula Ridge Viognier, VQA Niagara Peninsula, $14.95

Drink now
Grapes: Viognier
Peninsula Ridge has great whites.  Their wine maker is from Chablis; perhaps this is a factor. I tasted the 2006 Peninsula Ridge Viognier in 2007 and was very impressed: The Viognier was light with crisp acidity and floral notes on the nose.  This would be a good summer sipper.  Very nicely balanced, this stood up to what I would expect from a more expensive Viognier from Southern France (Midi) or Australia, a very good value. -RM
‘…Pale lemon gold colour…aromas of white flowers and apricots…Flavours of apricots and ripe citrus…hint of peach…silky textured..lively tangy acidity…’’ – Vintages 662601

Ontario – Cab/Merlot

2007 Mike Weir Estate Cabernet Merlot, VQA Niagara Peninsula, $18.95

Drink now
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
The Mike Weir Estate wines tend to be good values for ‘buy and drink wines’.  This is a ‘Vintages Essentials’ item so if you enjoy it you can go back for more. -RM
‘…aromas of blackberries, black cherry, roasted bell pepper, Portobello mushrooms, vanilla…medium bodied…velvety smooth black fruit flavors’ – Vintages 000109

Ontario Dessert Wine – Cab Franc Icewine

Lakeview Cellars Cabernet Franc Icewine, VQA Niagara Peninsula, $29.95 200ml

Drink now -2012
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc, a Bordeaux varietal, is typically used in blends.  It is rather rare to see really good Cab Franc as a single varietal – except when it comes to Late Harvest or Icewine.  Then Cab Franc seems to shine with bright strawberry/raspberry flavours, great with berry or chocolate desserts.  Aromas explode from a good one but they can be expensive.  Try this with a special dinner. -RM
‘…aromas of strawberry and ripe cherry leap from the glass…nicely in balance by a seam of bright acidity.  Sip this Icewine well chilled with fresh fruit tarts, strawberry rhubarb pie… Vintages 053397

Chile – Carmenère

2007 Perez Cruz Reserva Limited Edition Carmenère, Maipo Valley, $24.95

Drink now -2013
Grapes: Carmenère
Carmenère is yet another ex-pat wine of Bordeaux that has done well elsewhere.  It is widely planted in Chile but tends to be young drinking (quaffers) generally.  Perez Cruz makes some very good value wines at the $15 level.  They also have a premium line of single varietals at the $25 level.  Try this for an example of a better Carmenère.  -RM
‘Deep purple colour…intensely concentrated…aromas of plum, leather, smoke, rhubarb, and mineral notes.  Dry and full bodied…plush black fruit…grippy tannins…’ Vintages 670539

Australia – Shiraz

2004 Evans & Tate Shiraz, Margaret River, Western Australia, $19.95

Drink now – 2014
Grapes: Shiraz
88 Harvey Steiman (WS)
Margaret River Shiraz tends to be a bit smoother and more elegant compared to the big Shiraz of Southern Australia.  At 5 years, this should be drinking nicely now.  Harvey Steiman suggests that it has the structure to last a few more years in your cellar.  -RM
‘Velvety in texture…mint tinged blackberry and roasted meat flavours…mildly chewy tannins on the long finish…’ – HS (WS) 606905

South Africa

2008 Porcupine Ridge Syrah, WO Coastal Region, $15.00

Drink now
Grapes: Syrah

If you like the smooth, big fruit Shiraz of hot climates this popular South African one could be for you. Previous vintages have been big and spicy with blueberry and notes of black pepper and spice. – RM 595280

Value Bordeaux

This release contains no less than 8 Bordeaux from the stellar 2005 vintage.  Of the 8 offered this time 6 are from lesser prominent AOCs such as Haut Medoc, Cotes de Bourg, Montagne St. Émilion and Cotes de Blaye.  These less prominent AOCs can be the source of good value as they don’t command the premium pricing of the top AOCs such as Pomerol and St. Émilion on the Right Bank and St. Julien, Margaux, Pauillac, and Ste. Estephe on the Left.  Also, many of these wines drink well when young.  Most will be good now or suitable for short term cellaring (another 3-5 years).  Although these are probably save bets, try one bottle and go back for more if you like it.  Here are a couple of Merlot’s.

2005 Chateau Faizeau Vieilles Vignes, AC Montagne St-Emilion, $19.95

Drink now – 2012
Grapes: 100% Merlot
90 Robert Parker (Wine Advocate)

While most Bordeaux wine is blended, there are a few Right Bank wines that are 100% Merlot.  Some of the most expensive, like Petrus, are all Merlot.  At $19.95 this is worth a try for anyone who likes Merlot. – RM
‘…deep ruby/purple…lovely nose of kirsch, licorice, and pain grille.  Full bodied, ripe…….’ RP (WA) 501882

2005 Chateau Gigault Cuvée Viva, AC Premières Cotes de Blaye, $30.00

Drink now – 2015
Grapes: 95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
91 James Suckling (Wine Spectator)

Here is another from the Right Bank that is nearly all Merlot.  James Suckling, who is very reliable on Bordeaux, has rated this Chateau most years since 1998.  It would be very interesting to taste these two side by side and compare. – RM
‘Ripe cherry and berry…fresh herbs, olive, and a hint of coffee and chocolate on the nose… Medium to full-bodied, intense and silky, with loads of fruit pushing through the long finish.’ JS (WS) 500819

Burgundy – 2006

There is no doubt that 2005 is the biggest and most consistent vintage we have seen for Burgundy for some time.  Even moderately priced Bourgogne and Village wines in the $20-25 range from 2005 have been great.  It is a tough act to follow.  For my own cellar, most of those low end 2005s are gone, and I now wait for the better examples to age.  So, while the 2006s may not have the depth and concentration of the 2005s, many will be approachable young, providing some good drinking while waiting for the better 2005s to be ready.  This is the scenario for many regions when a big vintage is followed by a lighter one.  In the case of 2006 I suggest sampling before loading up.  2006 has some good lighter but very elegant and tasty wines with good character, but also some that may be simply a bit thin. Try one bottle first!

2006 Domaine Pouleau Pere & Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir, AC, $21.95

Drink now – 2010
Grapes: Pinot Noir

Bourgogne is made from grapes from around the region.  In great vintages they present an opportunity to enjoy the vintage at a lower cost.  In vintages that are a bit more variable they reduce the risk of getting a single vineyard or village that didn’t do as well.  At $21 this is a good opportunity to get an impression of the moderately priced 2006 Burgundies that will be suitable for drinking now and over the next year or two.
‘…lovely red fruit, floral nettle and leesy aromas that carry over beautifully onto the palate…’ – Vintages 110270

Italy -Veneto – Ripasso

2006 Terre di Verona Ripasso Valpolicella DOC, $17.95

Drink now – 2011
Grapes: Valpolicella blend

If you are looking for a wine with big flavour, complexity and depth at a moderate price try Ripasso.  Valpolicella is passed over the left over grapes after the making of Amarone.  This one got a Silver Medal from the Decanter World Wine Awards.  Dark fruit and cherry are typical flavour components. – RM
‘Nose open, chocolate, quite rich, dark dried fruits. Balanced, very nice tannins, elegant, good fruits and length’ Silver Medal – Decanter World Wine Awards, 2008 117127

Switzerland – Gamay/Pinot/local varietal blend

2007 Cave de la Cote Morges AOC Grand Viin de la Cotes Vaudoise, $18.95

Drink now – 2011
Grapes: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Gamaret, Garanoir (Gamay and Reichensteiner crosses)

The cool climate and vineyards on hillsides facing the sun produces some very good light and elegant Pinots.  Most stay in Switzerland.  This blend is a rare chance to try what could be very enjoyable.  Vintages recommends it with Salmon.  Chicken dishes would match well too. – RM
‘A sweet-centered wine featuring aromas of red berries, plum, black cherry and citrus.  Dry, fruity, lightly spicy with a good refreshing core of acidity’ – Vintages 123414
Cheers,   Ross

Lifford Wine Agency, in partnership with Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and Prostate Cancer Canada, is pleased to host the third annual Boys’ Night Out event. Proceeds will benefit prostate cancer research at PMH.

It’s a celebration of guy’s stuff cleverly disguised as a sophisticated wine tasting.

Hot cars, boats, golf, fine wine, steaks, live entertainment, oysters, motorcycles, music, celebs, bbq, auctions, and much, much more – this is the stuff of Boys’ Night Out!

Fermenting Cellar,
Distillery District
Thursday, July 9th,
7 pm to 10 pm
Tickets are $100.

The Great

(good just doesn’t cut it)

• The weather – Saturday was great, wish I could have made it that day too – Sunday the rain held off, and the sky was clear – good view of Toronto from Thirty Bench.
• The Wine – Lovely whites, roses, and even reds that impressed me.
  • Peninsula Ridge – I enjoyed and bought the 2006 McNally Vineyards Syrah Rose, and 2007 Wismer Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc(very smooth, nice citrus flavors), tried the Chardonnay but wasn’t quite buttery enough for my tastes.
  • Thirty Bench – Walked out of there with 2007 Thirty Bench Red, and 2008 Riesling(really could see myself drinking this one weekly), and many reasons to go back.
  • Angel’s Gate – I probably would have bought their Riesling if I hadn’t discovered the one at Thirty, and there were too many wines, and too little time, that I didn’t want to rush through them, will have to return to this one later this summer.
• The Food – Great selection, very tasty, would have loved to have a little from each winery – perhaps a day tasters pass next year.
• The Music – Nice variety
• The Crowds – every winery I went to, people were asking about the graze the bench event, seems like it was a success
• The Audis – R8 and A5…

The Bad

• The hours – it was so much fun, wish it would have started earlier, and ended later.. only had time to enjoy 3 wineries – was hoping to do at least five and ideally all 8. And with some of the wineries shutting down the food/music at 4, left me with no choice other then to go to Copcabana, near the falls.
• The lack of kid friendly food, saw quite a few children running around, and wasted a good half hour making a wendy’s run for some chicken nuggets, would have been nice to have some hotdogs, or corn on the cob, or chicken and fruit…
• Probably would have been a good idea to receive a tasting sheet when you received your glass at the start of the day, to see what each winery was offering and base your day off the type of wines you mind find interesting.

The Ugly

• Wineries charging 8$/glass – 5$ would have been more reasonable.
  You could go inside and taste for free or pretty close to it…
  Or you could buy a glass for 10$ which included a Riedel glass.
  Didn’t seem to make any sense to pay 8$ for just the wine.
  The way we go through wine glasses – it made more sense to just get a new Riedel glass each time, and start a collection.

All in all, looking forward to next year.

Thanks Beamsville!

I’ll list them – promote them, and try to attend them..

The culmination of the New Vintage Festival is the New Vintage Grille on Saturday, June 20th! Held at the scenic Niagara Culinary Institute, Niagara’s finest wineries will pair their new vintages with local culinary creations. This year featuring three of Food Network Canada’s most celebrated celebrity chefs: Anna Olson of “Fresh with Anna Olson”, Roger Mooking of “Everyday Exotic” and Anthony Sedlak of “The Main”. We look forward to presenting you with local tastes to savour and celebrate as we join together to officially open summer! Catch “Fresh with Anna Olson” Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm ET on Food Network. Call 905-688-0212 ext. 22 to order your tickets now for just $90. A limited number of tickets are available. We recommend placing your order soon.

Exploring the wines of Beamsville Bench & Vineland

Kick off summer 09 with a one-of-a-kind, exclusive VIP wine tour! This unique tour will be exploring one of Ontario’s most renowned and beautiful wine regions: Niagara’s Beamsville Bench, known to locals as “The Bench.”
(Plus two of our favourite wineries right alongside the bench:
Flat Rock Cellars + lunch at Featherstone Winery)

Join Ange & Pax, your Hosts and Expert Tour Guides for the day, and a bunch of other wine enthusiasts as we explore a fantastic selection of Beamsville’s distinctive and award-winning wineries.

We invite you to escape the city and come along for the tour of a lifetime! You’ll experience world-class wines, breathtaking surroundings, memorable views, and a relaxing feeling unlike anything you have ever felt in the city. You have to come on a tour to know what we mean!

BONUS! This is tour also includes a gourmet wine country lunch at Featherstone winery! We hope you can make it!