Canadian Wino(s)

Enjoy a beautiful wintery day in Niagara Wine country! Treat your taste buds to an amazing selection of wine, enjoy great giveaways (including signed copies of Donald Ziraldo’s “Icewine: Extreme Winemaking” book), Mix and mingle with other wine club members and lavish in not having to drive or plan a day out of the city! And let’s not forget our amazing iYellow Tour Guides who know how to create a fun and memorable wine experience! This is a great way to spend a Saturday out of the city and in a relaxing winter wonderland!
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Itinerary
Saturday January 30th

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9:30am
Depart Downtown Toronto for Niagara Wine Country
(p/u at the Vineyards Estate Wine Store @ 228 Queens Quay)
Start your day off with a glass of Peller Estates Ice Cuvee, a sparkling wine made with a dosage of Icewine

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11am
VINELAND ESTATES WINERY
Taste 2 of Vineland’s amazing table wines, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine and VICE
and Indulge while enjoying a crisp baguette served with thyme chevre and black-date walnut chutney.

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12:30pm
Free time in Jordan Village
Enjoy Free Time & lunch in Jordan (We recommend the Jordan House)
Stroll the wintery streets and enjoy the peaceful country side.

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2:30pm
FLAT ROCK CELLARS
Experience a customized Flat Rock private tasting and enjoy great Flat Rock table wines as well as the 2007 Sweet Revenge Vidal Icewine while warming up by the open fire, where you can also taste freshly made Icewine marshmallows.

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4:15pm
EASTDELL ESTATES WINERY
Warm up beside EastDell Estates’ two-storey escarpment stone fireplace while sampling spicy vegetable chowder alongside EastDell’s Cabernet Franc Icewine. Then cool off with a taste of refreshing Riesling Icewine presented with a light lemon mousse

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6:30pm
Sparkle & shop
Arrive back at Vineyards Estates Wines Store on Queen’s Quay in Toronto
receive a 25% iYellow discount on all wine accessories
SEATING IS LIMITED
$140 per person or $270 per couple*

Having recently attended the Ontario Wine Awards tasting at the Distillery, I had to think about devoting the time to attend another Ontario Tasting.  This one was hosted by Vintages and was at the AGO.  After only a few minutes I was glad that I attended.  The AGO is not the best venue that Vintages uses, in my view:  no coat check, lighting was inadequate for judging the colour of wines easily.  This is a contrast to the near ideal setting at venues frequented by Vintages tastings such as the Arcadia Room, the King Eddie, and Carlu.

What Vintages seems to always do well at is putting a good tasting book together, grouping of wineries, and food.  All were a step up from the Distillery experience.  Wineries were grouped according to region: Niagara Escarpment, Niagara on the Lake, Prince Edward County, and Lake Erie North Shore.  The tasting book gave some good background (including maps) on the various regions and their distinct qualities, and as usually allowed plenty of room to make notes.  Touring the room in sequence gave an opportunity for people to taste wines by region and find out for themselves what differences there may be in the wines.  Unfortunately I was held up and arrived late.  This meant picking only a few wineries to taste, and missing the opportunity to explore regional differences.

Overall, I continue to be impressed with what is going on here in Ontario.  This tasting showcased wines that were in the $18 – $45 range for the most part, with a couple exceeding that price range.

Trends:

2007 was the most prominent vintage and clearly is a winner.  Hot and dry conditions made the grapes work to grow, leading to some nice concentration and structure.  Do not hesitate to try anything – red or white from 2007.

Cab Franc Blends:    Red blends with Cab Franc, either as the dominant or as a secondary variety, are good.  Some are reminiscent of wines of some of Bordeaux’s Right Bank satellite appellations such as Lalande de Pomerol, Canon Fronsac, Fronsac, etc.  The Cab Franc seems to bring good dark fruit notes and complexity to blends with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  This contrasts the experience with many single varietal Cab Francs which often seem to have something missing (Cab Sauv/Merlot component).

Pinot Noir continues rise in quality – but check the price point:    Normally I expect to find some good Bordeaux styled blends, some good whites, and some interesting single varietals (Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, etc.) at an Ontario tasting.  Pinot Noir stood out as a variety that more people are doing well.  Many showed good varietal character: smooth medium bodied with cherry fruit and earthy tones.  Some though seem to have priced themselves a bit high.  Still there were some good values to be had.  This price/value theme played out with other varieties as well.  Many of the higher priced wines were from vines that are 6-8 years old – very young.  They show the potential of things to come but I have trouble justifying the current high price on many.  If you like very light Pinot, then you may love some of these.  For me, there was just not enough going on in these wines to justify the prices – but then some of my favorite wines are good Burgundies, a hard act to compete with

Many of the wines were offered as event exclusives.  Some will be released in the coming months, and a few are in stores.  If there are some you would like, they are often available direct from the vineyard.  Call or email the vineyard to find out the arrangements.  Many will deliver (with a minimum number of bottles).

Scoring Wines at a tasting: A good friend developed a scale to account for value as well as taste.  I have found it very helpful at tastings, especially when deciding which wines to buy at the end of the tasting event:

1.0    ‘Can’t drink it’
2.0    ‘Can drink it but wouldn’t buy it’ (or ‘one glass is enough’)
3.0    ‘Good, but not at that price’
3.5    ‘Good value’ Starting point for buying if no 4.0s or 5.0s are available
4.0    ‘Very good value at the price’
5.0    ‘This is so good I’d buy it regardless of the price’

3.0’s from tonight:

2007 Tawse Winery 17th Street Pinot Noir $58.20:  Good but not that good.  Nice complexity but very light.  3.0

2006 Stratus Petit Verdot $42.20: Deep garnet colour, big soft fruit and soft tannins (but a bit hollow on mid palate and not much finish).  Petit Verdot is difficult to do on its own.  It shows up traditionally in small amounts in some Bordeaux wines (adds fruit and colour).  Pirramimma (Australia) does a nice one for under $30.

2006 Stratus Red $44.00: Good but not at that price says it for me.

2007 Closson Chase Vineyards Pinot Noir (Prince Edward County); $39.95:  Prince Edward County seems to be an up and coming region for Pinot Noir.  This one had deep colour, nice extraction, but was a bit light on the palate, but the vines are only 6 years old.  This is a case of good things to come in the future but I don’t see $40 of value now.

At the Burgundy tasting earlier this year at the King Eddie there was a 2006 Fixin (Burgundy) from the at $35 a bottle that seems like a better value to me and a 2006 Fleurie (Beaujolais) for $22 that both seemed like better value for the dollar than some of the higher priced Ontario Pinots offered at the AGO.

4.0’s from tonight

2007 Thirty Bench Red $24.20:  55% Cab Franc, 40% Cab Sauvignon, 5% Merlot  Bright colour, nice dark fruit flavours from the Cab Franc.  The Cabernet Sauvignon and splash of Merlot round the Cab Franc out nicely.  This is a creative blend and very good value.  Drink now- 2012.  This is available in Vintages now. 4.0

2007 Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Cabernet/Merlot $18.95:  Bright colour with good fruit, soft tannins on finish.  Excellent value at the price point.  Winemaker Craig MacDonald is one of the innovative winemakers shaping Niagara, a region that is still discovering what works.  Craig also makes the wines of Creekside and does some very good whites.  Drink now – 2011.  This is available in Vintages now 4.0

2007 Coyote’s Run Estate Winery Red Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir $24.95: Very good – medium-light ruby colour, great varietal character, cherry, earthy, medium bodied and smooth.  This was a definite hit with people placing orders for this one.  Coyote’s Run also has Black Paw Pinot from another vineyard.  The names come from the colour of the clay.  It is good to see winemakers making Pinot Noir with expression of distinct Terroir (a hallmark of Burgundy).

2007 Peninsula Ridge Meritage $22.95: Equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc and Merlot.  Deep garnet colour, good fruit on palate and chewy tannins on the finish.  Drink now -2013

3.5 ? Worth considering

3.5 can be a tough call.  It really wants to be a 4.0 but you’re not quite sure.  Maybe another taste would decide, or if you could taste it beside another wine you like at the price.  Some 3.5’s can turn out to be great later when opening.

2007 Coyote’s Run Black Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir $49.95: If any Pinot was going to get the nod at this price level it was this one.  The colour was deep ruby garnet indicating a bigger wine than the lighter fare I was becoming accustomed to.  Earthy cherry and even smoke on the nose.  This wine had good depth that carried through to a good finish.  It was reminiscent of a higher quality Bourgogne.  I would need to try it beside some of the very good Burgundies I have sampled in the last while in the $35 – $50 range.  At $35 or $40 this would be a 4.0.  At $50, might have to try a bottle to see.  On taste alone – Best Pinot of the evening.

2005 Colio Estate Cabernet Franc Reserve, Lake Erie North Shore $20.95:  This could be a 3.5 or 4.0.  While Cab Franc is hard to do well on its own, this one does it.  Garnet colour with soft chewy tannins, starts soft, then dark fruit on the palate, and finishes with nice length.  Ok, 4.0 at $21.

Conclusion:

I hope Vintages hosts this tasting again, but at one of their better venues.

The 2007 Ontario Vintage does seem worth trying.  Some seem over priced compared to what is routinely available from other parts of the world BUT there are lots that are great values in the $18 – $25 range, and a few that warrant higher prices (e.g. Ch. Des Charmes Equuleus, Coyote’s Run Black Paw).  Look for Ontario, VQA, and 2007 and give your favorite style/variety a try.

Cheers,   Ross

Can’t say it better then Kathryn at Decanted.ca – http://decanted.ca/?p=71

Thanks again to all the organizers, speakers and sponsors.

www.homezilla.org

www.winealign.com

www.winerytohome.com

www.finewinereserve.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

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!

On Apr 23 I attended a tasting at the Fine Wine Reserve.  Artisanal Wine Imports, 416-238-6634, presented a selection of their wines.  There were some good Pinots  and a nice Cab Franc from Prince Edward County.

The highlight was several Lucien Le Moine Burgundies from 2006.  This made me re-evaluate my impression of 2006 Burgundy.  Le Moines wines were a cut above those offered at the recent 2006/07 Burg tasting at the King Eddie.  They ranged from $50 for Bourgogne’s to over $400, with many in the $100-$150 range.  They have brought in about 25 Lucien Le Moine 2006 Burgundies.  Most are Premier or Grand Cru.  We tasted about 4 whites and about 6 reds.  Of the reds at the tasting, the Grand Cru Clos Vougeot, was the best – over the top.  This wine had everything – fruit, complexity, depth, smoothness, structure.  My pick of the Premier Cru reds was the Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes.  Other guests preferred the Morey St. Denis; it is a matter of preference.

The whites were equally impressive, even the Bourgogne!  The Chassagne Montrachet Embrazees was the favorite here.

These are low production (50-70 barrels each) wines of high quality that won’t see store shelves.  They are available only in 6 pack cases.  The Clos Vougeot is available in the May Classics catalogue.

If you are a serious fan of Burgundy or Burgundy collector, give the gentleman at Artisanal a call to see if they still have any cases of Le Moine Burgundies available.

Cheers,

Ross

Ontario Tasting: June 16 6:30 at the Distillery.  http://www.vintages.com/events/sip-ontario-wines_en.html  Here’s your chance to support the local economy by finding out which local wines you prefer.

Drove down to Niagara on the Lake for Lailey‘s event… Tried a little bit of everything.

• 2007 Cabernet Franc (bronze medal winner at Ontario Wine Awards) 30$
• 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon $30
• 2007 Meritage $30
• 2006 Zweigelt $14
• 2007 Counterpoint  $25
• 2008 Chardonnay, Unoaked $16
• 2006 Chardonnay, Niagara River  $25
• 2008 Vidal  $14
• 2007 Vidal Icewine $28

After tasting some more in the tasting room, I ended up buying the 2007 riesling icewine(another ontario wine award winner),  2 bottles of the 2007 Syrah that I had tried at Winecamp Toronto, 1 bottle of 2006 Pinot Noir, 1 bottle of 2007 Pinot noir, and 1 bottle of 2007 Pinot Noir – canadian oak.  Probably should have picked up a couple bottles of the Vidal for 14$ for visitors this summer or for the bbq I’m planning in a couple weeks.

Anyhow..ttyl

P.S. The directions on the web site aren’t as clear as they should be… once you take exit 38b, turn left at the hilton, then right at the first intersection (airport rd), follow that to HWY 55, then their instructions are great from there on.