Megalomaniac 2012 Homegrown Riesling Cellar 4379, Niagara Peninsula VQA

John Howard is an egoist – that is, a man with an outsized image of himself. His friends thought he was full of himself when he decided to name his winery John Howard’s Cellars of Distinction. That’s how his wine brand came to be dubbed Megalomaniac.
We had the opportunity to visit his winery in the Niagara Peninsula a few years ago and had an excellent tasting in his underground cellar. With names light Bigmouth Merlot, Bravado Cabernet and Narcissist Riesling, it was a lighthearted experience. The wines, though, were not lightweight.
During a recent trip to Point Pelee in Ontario, I breezed into an LCBO store. Due to restrictive laws north of the border, we hardly see any Canadian wines in the US. I scooped up a few bottles and was checking out when I saw this one on display near the register.
Homegrown is 100% Ontario wine, which the bottle proudly proclaims. For us, that is great news. Without a doubt, the Niagara region is ideal for Riesling. Howard is also quite proud of the location for his vineyard, latitude 43 and longitude 79.
This is a quality Riesling for a very palatable cost, only $13 Canadian. This offers the full spectrum of Riesling flavors with a rush of peach and citrus and some honeyed sweetness. The sweetness is somewhat kept in check by the acidity, but this is sweeter than we typically drink.
The time to bring out the man with the bowler hat (that graces the Homegrown label) is when you have a casual get-together or need something to cool down a spicy dish. Or maybe when you need to send a subtle message to your egotistical friend.
Rating: 2.5 of 5  Value: 3.5 of 5

Technorati Tags: Canadian wine,Riesling,Niagara,wine

Henry of Pelham 2007 Cabernet-Merlot Meritage, Niagara Peninsula VQA

This wine is an unusual purchase for us. We visited the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario a couple years ago and loved the area. The wineries were fantastic and the wine enchanting.
We were racing along the back roads as the afternoon turned into evening. We had to make it to our hotel in Niagara Falls, but were trying to hit every winery along the way. Henry of Pelham is a highly rated winery we hoped to stop at, but just couldn’t locate.
In the end we gave up and regretted the missed opportunity. However, as we stopped at the duty free store at the border in Windsor on the way home I spied this bottle of Henry of Pelham Meritage. Soon it was crossing the border into a new country.
This wine is medium in body with blackberry and chocolate flavors. As it opened up the flavors of earth and dark fruit were more pronounced.
I was hoping that this wine would indeed be very special, but it fell short of the mark. The flavor profile was nice indeed and the wine had some character to it – but didn’t have the complexity that makes a superior wine. The flavor you got on the front end was pretty much the same until the finish faded away.
In the Niagara Peninsula, Cabernet Franc not Cabernet Sauvignon is king. This blend is an enjoyable armchair sipper, but did not change my opinion.
Rating: 2.5 of 5  Value: 3 of 5 (based on $14US)

Technorati Tags: wine,Niagara Peninsula,Canadian wine

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Riverview Cellars 2008 Bianco, Niagara River VQA

This tasty Ontario white was received during our TasteCamp North trip a couple years ago. The wineries of the Niagara Peninsula and Niagara-on-the-Lake area are spectacular and gushing with quality wines.
Riverview Cellars is a family winery just a stone’s throw from the Niagara River and on the scenic route between Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. So this wine is from the Niagara River VQA (VQA being the Canadian label for appellations).
I fooled the Green Dragon with this one. Although an early fan of Gewürztraminer, she lately has claimed some nonsense about it being “too floral” for her taste.
The Riverview Bianco is a thirst-quenching blend of Riesling and Gewürztraminer in just the right proportions. This is a self-proclaimed semi-dry wine, but the sweetness of the Riesling is brought under rein by the Gerwurz.  Likewise the floral tendencies of the Gerwurz, to my way of thinking, was likewise curtailed by the Riesling.
Did it work on the Dragon? Her response was, “What is this? It tastes a little bit floral.” Hmmm… I was unable to slip it past her. However, we both agreed that this is a tasty wine. I had suspected that this might be a sweeter wine. After all the semi-dry label gives a winemaker license to explore a large range on the sweetness scale.
I was pleasantly surprised to find this just a notch or two above “off dry” and with a good balance between sweetness and acidity. There are indeed floral aromas (which is good in my book!), some nice apple and pear flavor notes with a slight spice from our friend Gerwurz.
As the weather heats up, this is a nice bottle to enjoy while relaxing on the patio (or maybe overlooking a scenic river). The cost is $13.95 Canadian – a great bargain indeed.
Rating: 2.5 of 5  Value: 3.5

 

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• Chateau des Charmes - Niagara (CA) (eastcoastwineries.blogspot.com)

Hillebrand 2008 Trius Red, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Hillebrand is a big and beautiful winery in Ontario. They are well known for their Trius blends, most notably the red.

A couple years ago we took a trip to Niagara and visited the winery. I must claim momentary insanity, because I didn’t pick up a magnum of their awe-inspiring Trius Red. I figured I’d be able to pick it up at many LCBO locations.

Wrong! The wine is so popular that it often sells out. We ended up heading across the border with no Trius.
As luck would have it, we soon travelled back to Ontario for TasteCamp North. This time I took no chances and scored a magnum of the 2008 Trius.

One of the things that appealed to me is the svelte bottle. This isn’t just a clunky container for two bottles-worth of wine – no. The Trius magnum looks like it is ready to take flight, piercing the clouds before dispensing a refreshing rain of grape goodness.

We gave this as a gift to Glorious T and Ace of Bass and they surprised us by popping it open recently.

The 2008 Trius Red is a blend of Merlot (46%), Cabernet Franc (31%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Malbec (3%). The Malbec is a new addition for the 2008 vintage.

Trius displays a refreshing red berry wash that is lush with flavor. The approach is smooth yet rippling with strength underneath the surface. Red fruit flavors mingle with chocolate. The Cab Franc provides a spicy accent note. The wine then decrescendos with a long, enjoyable finish.

Hillebrand first offered Trius in 1989. Within three years it won a wine competition in London recognizing it as the world’s best red. This sells for about $20 Canadian for the 750ml bottle. It certainly overdelivers at that price point.

Highly recommended for quaffing with friends or sharing at a barbeque.

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Finger Lakes, Ontario, Michigan and Germany Face Off In Blind Riesling Tasting

May is Riesling Month and for Toledo Wines and Vines, it is a festive time. We love Riesling – and any excuse to raise a glass of this wonderful wine is quite welcome.

The wineries of the Finger Lakes are hosting the Riesling Hour Twitter tasting tonight (May 31) from 6:00 to 9:00 PM EDT. (Pop open a bottle of Riesling and use #FLXwine to tweet.) Unfortunately this year a conflict with a league tennis match means I can’t  participate

(bummer!).

Have no fear – the TWAV tasting team got an early start and did a blind Riesling tasting to celebrate the wine we love – plus, it’s cool!

The wines were bagged in as blind a fashion as we could and our tasting team quickly assembled to enjoy the hospitality of Wine Chick and Sax Man. Eric and Linda (PsychDoc) joined Green Dragon and me to round out the tasting team.

The blind tasting bags have the letters “WINES” on them and so we began with the letter “W.” The wines were not revealed until all five had been tasted.

W – Light gold in color with a medium body. Starts with a burst of peach and citrus with a pinch of sweetness. Great balance. I would have been satisfied if this were the only wine I drank that evening. (Hermann J. Weimer 2009 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes)

I – Light yellow in color with a massive fruit and floral bouquet with a hint of petrol. This wine has a full body and an unexpected sweetness. When I purchased this online, it called it an off-dry Riesling. Not hardly. But a sumptuous wine with the right food. Needs Gouda or some spicy food. (S.A. Prüm 2006 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese, Mosel)

N – Very pale in color, especially after “I,” and was pleasingly dry. A nice interplay of minerality and acidity. Citrus dominated the nose and flavor notes, but in an elegant way. (Ravines Vineyard 2009 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes)

E – This wine was dancing on our tongues. The aroma was zesty, but it was closed on the palate. A smoother, lighter wine than the first three with the emphasis on minerality versus fruit. (Inniskillin 2009 Two Vineyards Dry Riesling, Niagara Penninsula, Ontario)

S – Lemon-lime swirls around this wine, which had lower acidity than the previous four. Tart and satisfying, but less complex than its alphabet brethren. (Lakewood Vineyards 2008 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes)

Bonus Wine – Ever eager to be comprehensive in our wine tasting so we can share this knowledge with our readers, we delved into the back-up stock of wine and brought out a J Trees Cellars 2008 Dry Riesling, Michigan. We’ve lauded this as the best within 150 miles of Toledo. It was enjoyable, but on this night fell short of the distinguished competitors (which were all outside that 150-mile radius).

And the winner is… First of all, props for Sax Man, who was able to correctly identify all the wines before they were revealed.

The favorite of all six of the tasting crew was... the Hermann J. Weimer 2009 Dry Riesling. This really is what great Riesling is all about, nuanced flavors, crisp acidity and perfect balance wrapped into a glorious package. Bravo!

Pulling into second place was another Finger Lakes favorite, Ravines Vineyard, with its 2009 Dry Riesling.

The S.A. Prum Auslese was the least favorite, but that’s because it was a sweeter Riesling against an array of crisp dry wines. This is a proud German vino that should be served as an aperitif or with a properly spicy dish.

Happy Riesling Hour and Riesling Month from the Tasting Team at TWAV.

Technorati Tags: Riesling Hour,Riesling,wine

Kacaba 2007 Reserve Cab Franc, Niagara Escarpment VQA

Wine Review by Dr. J
This past weekend, Casey and I opened a bottle we brought back from Canada last April. The 2007 Kacaba Reserve Cab Franc is the first and most expensive wine I purchased in the Niagara Escarpment VQA. I believe this was a $50 bottle. I normally don't buy too many bottles like this, but it was early in the trip, and boy am I glad I did!
We were told that they had just recently won an award for the best Cab Franc in Canada. I now concur. This is quite possibly the best I've had within 1,500 miles of Ohio! The wine is single vineyard and estate grown.
On the nose is tobacco, black current, spices, and toasty oak. On the palate is intense cherry, mint, and even chocolate. At 14.2%, it still did not come across as hot. This would be great with many dishes, but we chose to drink it on its own. I was very pleased, giving it 4 out of 5 overall and 5 stars for east of the Rockies!
Rating: 4 out of 5

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Niagara Gets Back to Nature With Wild Fermentation

Hillebrand Wines

A report from TasteCamp North, a special Niagara wine event on both sides of the border for wine writers.

Without fermentation, you have no wine – just an expensive tank of murky grape juice. And yeast is the catalyst that transforms the fruit of the vine into the elixir so dear to our hearts.

During our recent trip to visit wineries in Niagara, we discovered that innovative winemakers there are experimenting with the use of wild fermentation techniques in place of commercial yeast cultures.

Hillebrand Wines and Southbrook are two wineries experimenting with the technique. Hillebrand winemaker Craig McDonald led the TasteCamp group through a tasting of their wild ferment Sauvignon Blanc.

Most wines use commercial yeast and the selection of particular strains can contribute to the finish of wines, enhancing aromas of wood or berries, for example.Wild fermentation means that a winemaker didn’t add commercial yeast, but that the wine started fermenting naturally from wild yeasts in the air and living on grape skins.

It is very much in line with the emphasis on terroir I observed in Niagara. Winemakers there are trying to create wines that taste like Niagara, not Napa or Italy. Wild fermentation zooms in, even more, allowing the wine to taste like the particular vineyard from which it sprang.

With the standard fermentation, a foil package of yeast culture is sprinkled into the crush and within 15 minutes the process has begun. Wild fermentation is much more mysterious and, according to McDonald, much riskier. The winemaker must crush the grapes and wait for them to ferment on their own. You don’t know what you’re going to get. Ideally, you’ll get a more complex wine that layers that express the terroir of the vineyard.

In the tastings we had a Hillebrand, the native ferment Sauvignon Blanc had a more mineral, earthy flavor. Interesting indeed, but side by side with Sauv Blanc fermented the standard (commercial yeast) way, my nod went to the “tame” fermentation. While the wild ferment may have best expressed the terroir, it wasn’t the best expression of the varietal.

It may be thus when you are pushing the envelope. All the variables with wild ferment are not in your control – but when you dial it in, the reward is an incredibly unique artisan wine.

Technorati Tags: wine,TasteCamp North

Niagara’s Search for Cool Climate Chardonnay Mastery

A report from TasteCamp North, a special Niagara wine event on both sides of the border for wine writers.

When I think of the Niagara Peninsula, I dream of peppery Cabernet Franc, crisp Riesling, and spicy Gewürztraminer. Of course, the region is well known for its icewine and Baco Noir is in plentiful supply. But winemakers in the region refuse to be content with the status quo, experimenting with new techniques suitable for their cool climate.

Back in March 31 Canadian wineries participated in the “Seriously Cool Chardonnay” event in New York City to spotlight their success with cool climate Chard to a group of NYC wine critics. “What impressed them,” said Canadian wine writer Tony Aspler, “was the minerality and fine acidity they discovered in the wines – a refreshing change from fruit-driven California Chards.”

Chardonnay is the most widely produced VQA (Vintner Quality Alliance) wine in Ontario. Indeed, Ontario will be hosting I4C (International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration) next month with educational events, lunches, and wine tastings.

I must admit that Chardonnay is probably my third or fourth favorite white wine, lagging well behind Dry Riesling. My Chardonnay taste runs more to Chablis and I’m averse to overly oaked, buttery Chards.

That being said, we did taste some very intriguing Chardonnays during the trip. Two top-shelf Chards for me were:

• 2007 Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard VQA St. David’s Bench. Niagara wine legend and CDC founder Paul Bosc doesn’t attach his name to a so-so wine. Aged sur lie with the right balance of fruit and oak.
• 2005 Southbrook Poetica Chardonnay. A touch of vanilla with plenty of minerality.

Other Chards worth noting are:

• 2008 Malivoire Moira Chardonnay
• 2008 Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Terrace Chardonnay
• 2009 Tawse Estate Chardonnay

I’m not sure that Chardonnay will ever supplant some of my Niagara favorites, but the world is thirsty for Chard. Niagara has a chance to develop its own identity here – foregoing the California profile. That might mean I’ll have a few extra bottles in my trunk as I cross the border for home.

Technorati Tags: wine,Niagara Peninsula,TasteCamp North

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A Wine From Canada… Really? Niagara Winemakers Seek Respect on the World Stage

 The first of our reports from TasteCamp North, a special Niagara wine event on both sides of the border for international wine writers.

I can’t be the only person who is more familiar with the wines from France, Chile, Spain, Italy and Australia than with the wines of our northern neighbor. It’s simply much easier to stroll into a wine shop and bag a wine from the Loire, let’s say, than find a Chardonnay from the Niagara Peninsula, which is thousands of miles closer.

It’s a crying shame. The wine industry in Ontario has grown and matured for nearly 200 years. The fruits are now apparent in glorious wines that cover a wide spectrum, world class wineries and skilled winemakers that are trekking to this up-and-comer on the world stage. Oh yeah, the Americans are also taking advantage of the spectacular terroir with the growth of the Niagara USA wine region.



Chateau Des Charmes Vineyard

Ontario wineries take advantage of a temperate climate, enhanced by the diversity of glacial soils and the moderating effect of the Great Lakes, to produce mature fruit and complex wines. Ontario wine country is located similar in latitude to southern France. The daily temperatures fluctuate providing conditions for balance between acidity and fruitiness.

Some observations.

• The Niagara wineries offer an outstanding variety, not just ice wines. Get ready for some outstanding Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Meritage blends in addition to great Cab Franc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.
• Many of the wineries are huge operations but unknown to us since the wines aren't widely distributed in the U.S.
• Some of the winery buildings are architectural masterpieces with a tendency toward clean, modern lines. The winery tasting rooms range from wine country casual to world class showrooms.



No one went hungry at TasteCamp

• You will enjoy a top shelf wine tasting experience. Forget cheap industrial glasses or (gasp) plastic. Most wineries we visited served samples in high end crystal stemware including Reidel.
• Much of the wine is pricey with costs of $35 to $45 Canadian very common. Sixty-nine percent of a wine’s price in Canada is taxes. It is one way the country funds its health care system.
• The quality wines are just the “cherry on top” of a great wine country experience that includes superb scenery, cultural events and top tier restaurants and dining.

More TasteCamp reports will follow. In the meanwhile,these two links will serve to whet your appetite.
Wine Country Ontario
Niagara Wine Trail USA


Special cellar tasting at Vineland

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First Annual Niagara Food & Wine Expo Uncorks In Niagara Falls

  For the first time, wine enthusiasts will be able to enjoy not just local wine, spirits and beer but also gourmet culinary offerings all under one roof at the Niagara Food & Wine Expo in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

“The Niagara region is known for so much more than just its world class wines and at the Niagara Food & Wine Expo we want to showcase not just the wine but also all of the fantastic cuisine from around the area,” said Jennifer Campbell, Show Manager. “Located in the newly opened Scotiabank Convention Centre, the Expo will be an amazingly fresh experience with top notch exhibitors and wine, beer and spirit educators.”

Kicking off on May 27th, the Expo will attract wine enthusiasts from near and far to come to taste international stars alongside Niagara’s own treasured varietals. The best local and international beers and spirits will also have their time to shine, as these craftsmen showcase their labour of love.

Visitors can take advantage of a rare opportunity to learn from the best through the popular Tutored Tastings Program; a series of wine classes featuring incredible local and international wines, paired with first-rate education led by professional wine experts. The Tasting Stage on the show floor will offer guests casual education on wines, spirits and beers in ongoing 40 minute sessions.

“In addition to all of the great tastings, we’re also really excited about our Chef Stage at the Expo,” said Campbell. “Local and celebrity chefs will host ongoing cooking demonstrations that are the perfect combination of cooking lesson and quality entertainment. Many of the region’s finest restaurants will be onsite preparing sample-sized creations of their famous signature dishes for our visitors to enjoy.”

With the Grand Opening of the Scotiabank Convention Centre a few days away, this stunning facility will be fully operational when the international tasting event takes the stage on May 27th. The doors open at 2:00 PM and the formal opening ceremonies will commence at 3:00 PM. Leading the opening ceremony will be resident wine expert, Christopher Waters of VINES Magazine, Mayor of Niagara Falls Jim Diodati and several other special guests. This one-of-a-kind celebration is open to media, trade and consumers.

Situated in the heart of the internationally renowned tourism destination of Niagara Falls, this cutting edge facility is the first of its kind in Ontario. This facility is LEED Silver designated; an accreditation earned for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. From green housekeeping to naturally lighted working spaces to field-to-table menus, no environmentally sensitive initiative has been overlooked in the creation and care of this facility.

The Niagara Food & Wine Expo is sponsored by the producers of the highly acclaimed Gourmet Food & Wine Expo, InterVin International Wine Awards and VINES Magazine.

Hours for the Wine Expo are: Friday, May 27 - 2 PM - 10 PM, Saturday, May 28 - 12 PM – 10 PM, Sunday, May 29 - 12 PM – 6 PM. General Admission are $12. You must be over 19 years old to attend.
http://www.niagarafoodandwine.ca/


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Rockway Glen Estate Winery Fergie Jenkins Hall of Fame Collection 2007 Vidal

Although originally developed by a Frenchman seeking vines for Cognac, Vidal Blanc has found a home in Canada and the northeastern part of the US. It’s winter-hardy and so grows quite well in Ohio and Michigan and wineries in our area produce some great versions. Quarry Hill in Ohio and Sandhill Crane Vineyards in Michigan are two Vidals worth checking out.
The thick skin of Vidal Blanc also makes it a popular grape for the production of icewine. The wine produced tends to be fruity with grapefruit or pineapple flavors. Most of the Vidals I’ve tried have had a touch of sweetness.

During our visit to Niagara Peninsula wineries, we sampled the Rockway Glen Estate Winery Fergie Jenkins Vidal Blanc and liked it enough to bring a bottle back across the border. We recently popped it open and found it to be a hit. To learn more about Rockway Glen, you should read our recent story. Fergie Jenkins was a Canadian and a Hall of Fame pitcher with the Chicago Cubs. He runs a charity golf tournament at the Rockway Glen golf course and so is also tied in with the winery.

This was a crisp, acidic wine and rather refreshing. It had the tropical fruit flavor notes, but what I found interesting was that it wasn’t as sweet as other Vidals I’ve sampled. The wine, like a lot of Vidal Blancs, wasn’t tremendously complex – but it certainly gets high grades for value and drinkability. With the baseball tie-in, the wine might be a good conversation starter.
The cost was just $10 at the winery with $1 going to charity. The flavor and price make a nice double-play that Fergie Jenkins would welcome!

Technorati Tags: wine

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Niagara Peninsula Winery Visit: Rockway Glen Golf Course & Estate Winery

Another in our series of Niagara Peninsula winery reports.

Golf, baseball and… wine? It’s an odd combination, but we found it works during our visit to Rockway Glen Golf Course & Estate Winery.

We had been visiting wineries in the Ontario communities of Beamsville and Vineland. The day was winding down and we decided it was time to head toward Niagara Falls, where we would stay the night. We thought we might be able to slip in another winery on the way, but street signs were in short supply. We took wrong turns as each tasting team member gave their theory about where we were. We knew we were headed east and that would eventually get us to the Falls.

We had pretty much given up on the idea of visiting another winery when we saw a sign for Rockway Glen appear out of the mist (OK, there actually wasn’t any mist – that would have caused us to be even more lost). A nice thing about Rockway Glen is that their tasting room is open until 7 PM during peak season. So that extra hour would be golden for us.

There was a bit of puzzlement as we drove up and then walked into what appeared to be a country club with a golf course. A wedding rehearsal dinner or some other event was going on in the dining room and we had the awkward feeling of non-Canadian fish out of water.

We inquired of an employee and soon the metal gate in front of the tasting boutique was rolled up and we rolled in. This seemed to be a golf club that dabbled in wine, so our expectations were not high. The wines, however, were a nice surprise. Our tasting room host was a talkative guy and was happy to fill us in on a big question: What was Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins doing on their wine labels?

Fergie Jenkins played major league baseball for 18 seasons, most of them with the Cubs. He played with some great Cubs including Ron Santo and Billy Williams. The Cubs, however, are loveable losers and for many seasons Ferguson Jenkins was the only bright spot on the team. Fergie is the only Canadian in the Baseball Hall of Fame and holds an annual golf tournament to benefit area charities at Rockway Glen each year.

I sampled the Fergie Jenkins Vidal Blanc and found it to be an easy-drinking, casual sipper with citrus notes and not as much sweetness as I expected. The Cabernet Franc had a nice bite of pepper with blackberry. Very good but not the pick of the day. During the trip, I had been discovering that Ontario does a beautiful job with Baco Noir, an uncommon grape that can render some delicious wine.

The Reserve Baco Noir rocked with tastes of fig and oak mingled with dark berries. The prices rocked as well – just $10 for the Fergie Jenkins Hall of Fame Vidal Blanc ($1 goes to charity) and $18 for the super Baco.

A winery/golf course may sound a little “screwball.” But Rockway is more like Fergie Jenkins in his prime – a vintage performer.

Technorati Tags: wine,ontario wine,niagara Peninsula

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Niagara Peninsula Winery Visit: Featherstone Winery & Vineyard

Another in our series of reports on Niagara, Ontario, wineries.



Featherstone is known for its eco-friendly habits.

Featherstone Winery & Vineyard is an eco-friendly estate in the Twenty Mile Bench appellation in the Niagara Peninsula area of Ontario.

The winery first came to my attention when they announced they would be doing a red-tailed hawk release at the property along with the release of one of their wines. We featured the story on the blog and there was a lot of interest in it. I wanted to be sure we visited Featherstone during our whirlwind tour of the Niagara area.

Another appealing aspect of the wine is that it controls its vineyard from soil to air. Flocks of birds and resident birds can cause damage to a crop, which can lead to other problems (insects and rot). To help control this, co-owner Louise Engel, a licensed falconer, flies a Harris Hawk in the vineyard.



Scenic grounds of Featherstone

We had a long day of travel from Ohio and were wrapping up an extended string of winery visits, causing us to arrive about 15 minutes before the tasting room closed. The grounds were beautiful with the focal point being the large white house with a spacious wrap-around veranda that hosts meals and wine events.

The tasting team scooted inside the compact tasting room bar. Unfortunately, the arrival of our group at the 11th hour didn’t light up the face of the tasting room attendant. Perhaps she had an important engagement elsewhere, but it seemed like we were more of an inconvenience than welcome development.

Nevertheless, we began sampling the goods. I started with the Estate Series 2007 Pinot Noir from the St. David’s Bench appellation. This was a light Pinot with mild tannins and a bit of tanginess. I rated it as OK, but not stellar.

The 2008 Red Tailed Merlot was a bit better with a smooth and dry fruitiness. Also sampled was the 2009 Cabernet Franc. This had a bit of smokiness to it. The wines didn’t seem inspired, but we may have been suffering from palate fatigue and high expectations.

This was the last winery in the Niagara Escarpment area we planned to visit before traveling to Niagara Falls and then a visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The tasting room attendant was watching the clock and didn’t seem likely to pull out a special bottle and spin entertaining yarns, so we headed to our car.

Featherstone is doing some interesting things. On this day we weren’t knocked out by the wines – but that could have been due to our later arrival and our long day. This is a unique winery we plan to visit again when we can spend more time. 

Technorati Tags: wine,Niagara Peninsula,Ontario

Niagara Peninsula Winery Visit: Kacaba Vineyards and Winery

Another in our series of reports on Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, winery visits.

We really packed things in during our recent visit to Ontario’s wineries in the Niagara Peninsula. Kacaba Vineyards and Winery was the 11th winery we visited on this day. Wow. But sometimes you have to travel down the road a ways before you reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The weather, which was overcast and drizzling, had cleared up and we were ready for an amazing wine experience.

Kacaba produces ultra-premium wines and is a leader in sustainable agriculture practices. The vineyards are meticulously tended with roses accenting each row. (Roses are more sensitive to disease than the grapes and so serve as an early warning system for the vines.)

The winery has beautiful grounds and by the time you have strolled into the Neo-Victorian tasting room, you are in a great mood – even before you’ve sampled any of Kacaba’s goods.

We started with the 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay. This had a hint of minerality with a bit of peach and light fruit. We rated it as just OK. We knew that the main attraction was the reds for which the winery has garnered a gaggle of medals.

We asked our server to pour something that would really knock us out. We started with the 2007 Merlot Reserve. This has spicy, herb flavor notes and is full-bodied. This is a big Merlot with black cherry and toasted oak. A bottle retails for $42.95.

Glorious T and Ace of Bass went for the 2007 Meritage Reserve. This was a beautifully balanced wine. It is a ble

nd of 42% Cabernet Franc, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot. The flavors danced in complex layers. Espresso and dried fruit aromas lead to flavors of blackberry and black pepper. This is worth the drive to Ontario! Priced at $44.95.

The 2007 Cabernet Franc Reserve was dark and chewy. This had tobacco leaf and black currant flavors. This was very tasty but needed additional time to come into its own.

The 2007 Proprietor’s Reserve Syrah was perhaps the best wine we sampled during the day where we visited an even dozen wineries. Kacaba was the first winery in the area to plant Syrah, and they have produced a masterful wine. Our tasting team termed it “completely awesome.” The wine is rich and complex with a smoky aroma and full body. The flavor has caramel and vanilla wafted with black fruit. The wine brought smiles to our faces as we savored hanging out in a great Niagara winery on a beautiful day with great wine. You can buy a case of the Proprietor’s Reserve for a mere $840 or a bottle for $70. Totally worth it.

This wine was named Wine of the Year in Canada and is made from one of the oldest plantings in Canada. It is the first red wine from Ontario to take the honor.

Kacaba is one of the brightest stars in the Niagara wine scene.

Technorati Tags: wine,Niagara Peninsula,Ontario wine

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Niagara Peninsula Winery Visit: Wayne Gretzky Estate Winery



Another in our series of reports on Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, wineries.

Wayne Gretzky is acknowledged as the greatest hockey player of all time. When he retired he held forty regular-season NHL records and fifteen playoff records. And when you are in Canada, as we were for our Ontario wine tasting trip, there is no bigger celebrity than “The Great One.” He sure knows how to blast a slap shot – but can he make a quality wine?

We were about to find out as our itinerary brought us to the winery of the famous No.”99."

Wayne Gretzky Estate Winery was established to raise money for the Wayne Gretzky Foundation, which supports numerous charities, including minor hockey programs for less fortunate kids. The winery, in Vineland, is a great destination for hockey fans and wine lovers alike. 

All the Gretzky wines are designated as Niagara Peninsula VQA (the Canadian designation for a wine-growing appellation). The winery features its Grille restaurant with a great outdoor seating area. The tasting room, which is one of the smaller ones we visited, is nicely decorated and has the added appeal of plentiful Gretzky memorabilia on display. The winery gift shop is also a dynamite location if you have a friend or family member that is a sports fan – especially someone who follows hockey.

In 2009 the winery launched its Estate Series and we sampled a couple of bottles. Leading off was the 2007 Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc. I found this to be a unique twist on Sauvignon Blanc, less zingy than a New Zealand Sauv Blanc with decidedly grassy flavor notes mixed with tropical fruit. This wine is finished 70% in stainless steel and the remainder in oak – adding some nice character to the wine and a medium body. The Founders Series is the entry-level, value wines and the Estate Series is the next step up in price and quality. However, the price for this Sauvignon Blanc is only $18.95 Canadian – very reasonable.


The 2007 Estate Series Pinot Noir was light-bodied with pronounced tannins. The wine was aged for 12 months in French oak (a combination of old and new). The wine has tangy cherries with a bit of spice. 830 cases were produced. A pleasant wine, but not exceptional in our minds. This wine also is priced at $18.95.

This is an upper-tier winery with some good wines. It is boosted into the “must-see” category by the fame of its celebrity owner. The fame of No. 99 may get you in the door, but you’ll find the high-quality wines a compelling reason to stay.

Technorati Tags: wine,Niagara Peninsula,Ontario wine

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Niagara Peninsula Winery Visit: Megalomaniac (John Howard Cellars of Distinction)

 Megalomaniac on our recent visit to Ontario.

There certainly was no other winery like

It starts with the attitude. John Howard is the owner of the winery and had originally planned to market the wines under his own name. One of his friends called him just another (expletive) megalomaniac and the name stuck. He says that the wine is designed “to be shared by friends of equivalent or even greater egos.” The wine, he says, pairs very well with delusional fantasies of wealth, power, and occasionally, omnipotence.

The roadside sign beckons you to a winding road through sweeping vineyards on gently rolling hills. As we admired the sights we were startled by the occasional blast cannon that frightens away the birds – and perhaps US tourists.  The winery sits on a 96-acre site on what some say is the highest spot on the Niagara Escarpment, the rocky geologic feature that gives the region its wonderful terroir.

Our destination at the end of the road was not a magnificent mansion, but an entrance to an underground cellar. An expansive tasting bar gives visitors a total tasting experience in the midst of a production and barrel-aging facility. You might call it “shabby chic” because although it is an underground cellar, there were chandeliers and other touches of opulence down below.

Quirky marketing and ‘tude aside, Megalomaniac makes some fine limited quantity, artisan wine. We began the tasting with the 2006

Narcissist Riesling. This is a bone dry Riesling that is very good with minerally notes.

We proceeded to taste the 2008 Frank Cabernet (Cabernet Franc). This was a winner with a healthy dose of spice and black cherry. The 2007 Bigmouth Merlot provided a pop of cherry and smooth finish. The Merlot was the most noteworthy and is aged for 22 months in French Oak.

If you are audacious enough, insist on having things your way and want a wine that matches the sky-high ego of its owner, then be sure that Megalomaniac is on the list for your next visit to the Niagara Peninsula.

Technorati Tags: wine. niagara Peninsula. ontario wine

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Niagara Peninsula Ontario Winery Visit: Ridgepoint Wines

Another report in our series of winery visits in the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario.

Ridgepoint Wines is a small estate winery on the Niagara Escarpment. It was founded 15 years ago by Mauro Scarsellone and his sister Anna Gottardo. The vineyards are planted primarily with Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon rounded out with several white varieties. It also features the Italian grape Nebbiolo, which has become the Ridgepoint’s signature wine. Ridgepoint is responsible for the first commercial bottling of Nebbiolo in Ontario. That’s a notable achievement. The winery specializes in premium and ultra-premium wines with the Twenty Mile Bench appellation.

The winery also offers the Dining Room for light and casual dining and special events.

The tasting room is small and decorated in bright Tuscan yellow with a large display of wines for sale. I started off with The 2008 Dry Riesling. The Riesling, regrettably, was nothing special. It was lacking in acidity and so didn’t have the crispness we like. Since Ridgepoint is known for reds, I moved to the 2007 Meritage.

The Meritage was a new release a featured a smokiness and tobacco flavor note over dark fruit. This is a nice bottle but fell somewhat short of some of the others we tasted on our trip thus far. I wanted to sample the Nebbiolo, but unfortunately, the winery doesn’t provide samples due to the limited supply. The Nebbiolo goes for $40 a bottle.

No other wines registered as special with our tasting team. We had just finished visiting the impressive Tawse Winery and Ridgepoint may have suffered in our eyes by comparison. Perhaps if we had visited Ridgepoint as one of our first stops on the wine trail we would have enjoyed it more. However, on this day it came across as unremarkable and so much so that we limited our time and went off in search of the ultimate Ontario grape experience.

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Niagara Peninsula Ontario Winery Visit: Tawse Winery

Another in our series of reports on Niagara Peninsula wineries from our visits last month.

If we had visited only one winery during our trip to Ontario and it was Tawse Winery, the trip would have been well worth it. We visited more than 20 and that goes to show the high regard we have for this winery and its superb lineup of wines.

We had grouped the wineries into clusters to simplify our itinerary. One cluster was to the west of Beamsville and we visited six wineries there. Tawse was the first winery in the second cluster of five wineries to the west of Vineland. Approaching the Tawse the striking architecture of the winery building lets you know in advance that this is going to be a truly remarkable experience. The winery has a six-level gravity flow system so that the wine can flow gently from pressing to bottling. Organic and bio-dynamic growing techniques are used. To reduce costs and the carbon footprint, the winery relies on geothermal for 80

percent of its energy needs. The winery is built into the hillside and the wines are aged in cellars covered with about eight feet of earth.

Stepping inside you see a  swanky tasting bar with Riedel glasses and a floor to ceiling wall of windows that enables you to look into the fermenting room with barrels and glinting stainless steel tanks. It reminded me of the New York Marriott Marquis except instead of looking out onto Times Square you are looking at the heart of the winemaking operation.

We began with the 2009 Quarry Road Gewürztraminer. This is an estate wine with grapes coming from the Quarry Road vineyard in the Vinemount Ridge AVA. This is spicy with floral flavor notes and perhaps a touch of ginger. No question that this would be great with Asian food.

We were ready to dive into reds and the first Tawse red was perhaps the last word in Cabernet Franc. The Tawse 2008 Laundry vineyard Cabernet Franc was perhaps the best Cab Franc we tasted during our Canadian swing. This is an exceptional wine that is plush and organic with an intense nose. This had flavors of black fruit and also tobacco. This

was a wine to relax and spend an evening with. I had prepared some TWAV Award of Excellence cards for our tasting team to award during our winery visits. This wine was the only one to receive that award. It is a true winner! It sells for $29.95.

Our tasting team pushed on in our delightful endeavor, now tasting the 2007 Meritage. This is a blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 27% Cab Franc. It is aged in oak barrels and is full, rich, and complex. It has a beautiful dark color and its flavors mirror that darkness with tastes of dark fruit, rich soil, and pepper. It sells for $57.95 and can be cellared for up to 10 years.

We wrapped up our tasting with a flavorful Cabernet Sauvignon and after a few final minutes soaking up the great atmosphere, headed for our next stop.

Tawse is a must-see. Great people, great winery and winemaking at its finest. Oh, Canada!

Technorati Tags: wine,Ontario wine,Niagara Peninsula

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