Tawse Winery 2010 Quarry Road Vineyard Gewürztraminer, Vinemount Ridge VQA

One of our favorite places is Tawse Winery in Vineland, Ontario. The vibe is just right from the striking architecture of the building to the upscale tasting room with a majestic view of the tank room.
Of course the main delight is the outstanding wine. During our last visit there (during TasteCamp North) we were treated to a special tour and tasting with winemaker Paul Pender.
The wines were superb and the best of the bunch, was the 2010 Quarry Road Vineyard Gewürztraminer.
Gewurztraminer is on of my favorite wines. Green Dragon, a former Gewurz lover, recently decided she didn’t like it any
more because of too much rose petal flavor.
This Gewurz is quite different in approach with an accent of minerality and lychee. There is also a dash of spice and lemon zest.
We uncorked this bottle around the fire pit and Jazzman commented that he was ready to dig into some spicy hot wings from BW3.
This wine is also biodynamic and organic, something in which Pender and Tawse take great pride. Uncorking this bottle for me also uncorked the sights and smells of the vineyard as we strode around in the morning fog while Paul explained subtleties of the terroir and the quirks of biodynamic winemaking.
Soul, depth and character sum up this outstanding Gewurztraminer – one of the best I’ve ever had!
Rated ***** out of *****.

Related articles

• 2008 Tawse Estate Spark (canadianwineguy.com)
• Sheldrake Point Vineyard 2008 Gewurztraminer (lenndevours.com)
• Meet Gewürztraminer - The Diva (rveroniquefitzgerald.blogspot.com)

Prejean Dry Gewurztraminer 2006

The Prejean Winery is a favorite stop in the Finger Lakes. Their whites are crisp and tasty. During the Thanksgiving holiday we opened a bottle of their Dry Gewurztraminer.

Gewurztraminer is a spicy, acidic white that pairs very well with turkey and Asian food. This bottle was creamy with a floral nose and fruit flavors. It is bone dry.

The wine is barrel fermented and made with 100 percent estate grown vines. This is a winner and a good choice for discerning lovers of white wine.

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Thanksgiving Wines: Our Experts Help You Pick The Perfect Wine

Thanksgiving is approaching and you still don't know what wine to serve with your holiday meal? No worries. Toledo Wines and Vines has consulted a panel of experts (Austin Beeman, Mike Gregg, Steve Parks and Matt Snyder) and we can tell you what to buy, how much it costs and where to get it. What more can you ask? So baste your turkey, uncork some of these great wines and enjoy.

Many of these wines are being presented at wine tastings Friday and Saturday (Nov. 20-21), so be sure to check our listing of weekly wine tastings listed elsewhere on this blog.

Without further ado, our distinguished panel and their suggestions...

Austin Beeman, wine department manager at Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000. Churchill's offers many wines suitable for your Thanksgiving feast. Here are Austin's picks and he is available to recommend specific wines at the store:

Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 $9.99-$14.99

Good German Rieslings $14.99- ?

Red Zinfandels from Rosenblum $11.99-$49.99

Mike Gregg, wine department manager at Corks Wine and Liquor,Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800.  Mike's picks:

 
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut. One of the greatest sparklers in the store, and what a price! Perfect for the holidays and perfect with holiday meals. This wine is fantastic on its own, but has the ability to slice right through turkey, tofu, potatoes, and even pumpkin pie with elegance and grace. Its lively apple and creamy, spicy flavors just earned it a spot on Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2009 list. $19.99.

Handley Gewurztraminer. Buck the traditional chardonnays and reislings, and give this spicy gewurz a go. Done in a dry, Alsatian style, this wine shows off huge lychee and bright, clean fruit. The rich spice and light acidity on the palate make this a winning partner with traditional Thanksgiving fare, not to mention Thai, Indian, or any other spice-driven cuisine. $12.99.

MooBuzz Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is one of those 'go to' wines for the holiday season. Take this one home for Thanksgiving and you'll see why. Beautiful raspberry and cherry flavors, tongue-dancing acidity, and the softest touch of velvety vanilla make this wine an attractive crowd pleaser. $14.99.

Las Rocas Garnacha Vielles Vignes. This recent addition has set the store on fire! Everytime someone tastes it at our wine bar, they end up going home with a bottle or two. Right now it delivers one of the greatest Quality Price Ratios in the market, as is the case with so many Spanish wines. Bright berry, firm spice, hot mineral, and a strong streak of acidity make this beautiful wine a must-have at your Thanksgiving meal. $16.99.

Steve Parks, owner of Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). Steve's picks:

2006 Bethel Heights Chardonnay. Straw to light yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of wet stones, pears and citrus fruits. Flavors of pears, limes and minerals. Light acidity and body. Crisp and clean on the palate. $26.99.

2006 Pierre Sparr Reserve Gewurztraminer. Light straw color. Rich aroma, lots of the lychee fruit character that's a standard descriptor for Gewurz, with a heady floral backdrop of roses. Unctuous, good acidity; communicates itself to me as rather sweet, but the illusion seems to come from richness, not sugar: Sparr says it contains only 1.3 percent residual sugar. $22.99.

2007 DE-FIN-I-TIVE Pinot Noir. A *DYNAMITE* Pinot Noir for under $20. Deep and dark, aromas of blackberry, subtle earthy aromas waft from the glass before juicy black cherries and a silky feel come across the palate. $18.99.

2006 Page Cellars 3 Doves Merlot. On the nose there are notes of cherry, plum and vanilla. The palate is full of red cherry and plum with touches of chocolate, fig and a hint of smoke. The tannins are soft and the finish is slightly sweet. $19.99.

Matt Snyder, owner of the Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. Matt's picks:

2008 Covington Cellars Viognier, Yakima Valley, WA. Finished in stainless steel tanks. 100% Viognier. Excellent for Thanksgiving due to its versatility. Goes well with turkey and salty gravy. Also very nice with spicy food and seafood. 13% alcohol. $19.99.

2008 Gilbert Cellars Estate Gewürztraminer,  Columbia Valley, WA. Flavors of lychee berry and refreshing acidity. Also good with brunch and is quiche and casserole friendly. $12.4% alcohol. $14.99.

2007 Argyle Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR. 100% Pinot Noir with a nice silky texture. No big tannins. This is double macerated to add excellent layers of flavor. 14% alcohol. $24.99.

2007 Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, CA. A mellow Cabernet that is not hot with tannins. Good spiciness at a great price point. 13.5% alcohol. $13.99.

There you have it. Fifteen fantastic suggestions for perfect Thanksgiving pours. Have a great holiday!

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Photo by Adam Baker

Anatomy of a Wine Tasting Disaster

FINGER LAKES REPORT – As we continued on in our wine tasting travels on the west side of Seneca Lake, the afternoon was winding down. This is bad news for wine tasters, because Finger Lakes wineries typically end their tastings at 5 p.m.

We were running out of time and knew we wouldn’t reach some of our planned destinations at the south end of the lake. However, as luck would have it, we were very close to the Shaw Vineyard tasting room. I thought this would be a great opportunity. I had tried a Shaw Pinot Noir with my meal at the Village Tavern the day before as a flight of Pinots. It was great. Shaw has a reputation for hand crafting some wonderful Pinot Noirs.

Little did I know what was in store.

We rolled in to the gravel parking lot and walked inside the very unassuming and small tasting room. Really. it was more like a storage shed. However, I thought, this could be very cool – being right in the midst of a small production wine operation. Wine barrels were all around and there could be a very interesting story here.

How wrong I was.

There are three components to a great wine tasting: 1. Great locale/facility, 2. Great staff, and 3. Great wines. The location wasn’t much, but perhaps the staff would change first impressions. Uhh… no.
Our server very quickly volunteered that he didn’t know much about wine. He then said he went “to a wine tasting once and didn't like it.” Hmmm. A great way to warm up the crowd (which was only the four of us). We continued the banter to be friendly. He next offered up that this was his first day on the job and it became obvious that he had no knowledge about Shaw wines.

This was apparently going to be our last tasting of the day – it was almost five – so we overcame our impulse to rush out the door. We paid the $3 fee and planned on enjoying some nice tastes. This led to one of the crazier parts of the tasting. I asked to try the Gewürztraminer, and the server asked me to show him which bottle it was! He was standing behind the bottles and apparently couldn’t be bothered to turn the bottle around to read the label.

It was a long day of tasting, so Green Dragon and I had been sharing tastings at some of the last wineries (somebody’s got to be able to drive). At most wineries, you get a 2 ounce tasting portion. Most will gladly pour you another taste of your favorite, because you’ll probably buy a bottle.

Our host again was full of surprises. The tasting was so miniscule that I probably inhaled more than I was able to swallow. If it was 1/2 ounce, I would be shocked. I’d like to be able to describe the layers of flavors to you – but the amount was insufficient.

This was just a disappointing experience and if repeated with other customers could really dampen the winery’s reputation.

 I tasted four wines. The Gewürztraminer was not as spicy as I like. The Dry Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc I rated as OK. I was looking forward to the  Keuka Hill Reserve. I was only able to rate this as OK, because I didn’t have enough of a sample to be able to tell.

Hopefully this was just an off day (way off) because Shaw produces some nice wines. Steve Shaw has been growing grapes for the finest wineries in the Finger Lakes for more than 25 years. He has an artisan winemaking approach and all wine is cellar aged.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Gewurtztraminer 2007 Columbia Valley

We enjoyed this spicy wine in the backyard around the firepit as our evening of tasting was wrapping up. In general, the offerings from Chateau St. Michelle are consistently good. The Columbia Valley Gewurtz is very crisp with a spicy character. This is a great food wine and plays very well with Asian or spicy Indian food. Gewurtztraminer is a nice break from a Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Riesling. Walt and Patty, thanks for sharing. Try ordering it next time you are eating out. It has a bright, refreshing character. Nice in the backyard too!