THIRTY BENCH RIESLING 2006

Highly crisp and citrus-y, this Riesling is a great specimen of the Niagara region's best grape varietal. Its dryness is very noticeable in the beginning, so I would advise letting it breathe for a few minutes. It is an award winning wine: Silver Medal (Best in Class) - International Wine & Spirits Competition, UK 2008; and Silver Medal - Canadian Wine Awards 2007. Knowing that Thirty Bench is famous for its Rieslings, we saved this special bottle until the very last moment. (We are currently packing up to move to Boston, and so our reviews will soon feature wines available in shops around the city.) I don't expect to find any Thirty Bench in Massachusetts, which is a shame.

FLAT ROCK CELLARS THE RUSTY SHED CHARDONNAY 2007

Yet another bottle I picked up during a tour of the Niagara Peninsula. I had been very impressed by the Flat Rock Cellars winery itself. Perched atop a lookout, the tasting room ajoined a deck from which I could view the vineyards. The Rusty Shed Chardonnay is made in small batches, and each one is marked with the bin number (mine was number 05007). At $30, I had high expectations for this wine and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. The nose had apples, toast, and a slight fishiness. It wasn't offensive, but it was there. On the palate I had expected the rounded, honey-and-vanilla character of other Niagara chardonnays, but the Rusty Shed was quite different. Very dry, with a sharp citrusy finish, I could detect granny smith apples and minerals, much like a Chablis. Julia detected a creamy smoothness before the sharp finish, which was quite short. Again, rather than the golden straw I had expected, this wine had a very pale almond colour. Overall, the Flat Rock Rusty Shed Chardonnay had very distinctive and unique characteristics, and would pair well with a light garlic seafood dish.

INNISKILLIN CHARDONNAY 2006

Whenever I travel I usually stop in to the duty free to pick up a bottle of something to bring home. In a foreign country I am always curious to see how Canada is represented in the world of wine and spirits. Canada seems to be best known for two types of booze: Canadian whiskey, and ice wine. Canadian whiskey is often referred to as "rye" whiskey due to rye comprising a primary ingredient. However, Canadian whiskey is not always purely made from rye. Lower rye content prevents Canadian whiskey from being labeled as "rye whiskey" in the United States. When it comes to brands, the two that I often find in any duty free store are Canadian Club and Crown Royal. The other type of liquor I often find is ice wine. Canadian ice wine wins many international awards and is popular domestically and internationally. Whenever ice wine is available at a duty free store I will often find the brand Inniskillin. Often credited with producing the world's first ice wine, Inniskillin has built an international reputation. The harsh, cold winters of Niagara-on-the-Lake provide the right conditions for producing high quality ice wine.

Inniskillin also produces table wine, both red and white. Julia and I were given a bottle of Inniskillin Chardonnay 2006 at a recent party we threw. Last night we opened it to accompany a chicken curry and a few games of Wii. The nose and taste was dominated by one single note: strawberry! It was all I could think of. Julia was able to detect some cranberry, however I found that there was very little else I could get from this wine. Overall the lack of depth and complexity was very disappointing. I think Inniskillin should focus on what it does best and stick to ice wine.

REIF ESTATE WINERY CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2006

We visited Reif Estate Winery near Niagara-on-the-Lake during our most recent tour of the Niagara region. The winery was founded by German wine maker Ewald Reif in 1983. The current wine makers are dedicated to growing premium quality grapes, mainly Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.

The Chardonnay Reserve 2006 showed qualities typical of a new world Chardonnay. Jules immediately noticed the vivid straw colour that seemed to almost glow in the glass. This wine had scents of honey, maple syrup, pear, and kiwi fruit. On the palate were hints of peach and appricote. I mention "new world" because during a trip to Montreal last weekend, Julia and I had a delicious meal at Restaurant Julien that included a bottle of Domaine Brintet Bourgogne Blanc, a classic old world Chardonnay. It was noticably different: it was drier and more acidic, with hints of citrus and minerals. New world Chardonnays tend to be more rounded and sweet, and show honey, vanilla, and pineapple. As a relative newcomer to the world of wines, this has been quite a revalation for me.

JACKSON-TRIGGS DELAINE VINYARD SYRAH 2006

Picked up this bottle during another recent visit to the Niagara wine region. Jackson-Triggs is one of my favourite Canadian wineries. I find their wines to be consistently outstanding. Of the wines I tasted, the Delaine Vinyard Syrah stood out for its distinct character. It had just been released to the public when we visited and was apparently selling very well.

The Delaine Vinyard is a 100-acre plot along the Niagara Parkway that grows vines for JT's premium wines. Several varietals are grown in this vinyard, including Syrah. Also known as Shiraz, this grape is well known for comprising many Rhône wines from Southeastern France. I often associate Shiraz with spice, although the spice was subtle in this wine. I detected leather, cloves, and cinamon on the nose. This wine showed nice tannins, with flavours of blueberry pie and cranberries. I also found hints of chilli peppers. This wine could probably benefit from a year or two of aging, but it definitely shows well now. It was a very enjoyable accompaniment to the lamb chops and grilled vegetables we had tonight.

STONEY RIDGE RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2006

I picked up this pinot when I visited several Beamsville Bench wineries in August. The grounds at Stoney Ridge was very impressive, with large beautiful gardens full of flowers and herbs. They very much deserve to be know as "Niagara's Garden Winery." Inside, the tasting bar was small yet busy, and you could pick up a variety of cheeses and other food to go with your wine.

I wish I could be as positive about the wine. The boquet showed hints of strawberry, and I could detect cranberry and roses on the palate. I found it to be a very simple wine, and the low alcohol content was very noticable (12.2%). The label claimed that the wine had been oaked for at least a year, however it was undetectable. For a "reserve" wine I was quite disappointed.

MALIVOIRE - GEWURZTRAMINER 2006

Fragrant, perfumey bouquet with strong notes of pear, honey, lavender. Nice colour of golden straw. I always think of my Dad's advice about Gerwurz: it goes really well with Asian food because it can stand up nicely. It can, however, overpower other food that you typically accompany with a white wine. Tonight we had salmon and a tomato and bocconcini salad, and I think this wine was a bit too flavourful. A nice Gewurztraminer, but probably mismatched with our dinner.

This was another wine from our first tour of the Niagara wine region. Last weekend we visited the peninsula again and discovered some new wineries. I will write them up soon.

PENINSULA RIDGE 2006 FUME BLANC

The second of two bottles we picked up from Peninsula Ridge Estate Winery. This one was even better than I remembered it being at the tasting bar. It reminded me a lot of the Malivoire Chardonnay I tried a couple of months back - lots of honey, vanilla, apricot, and citrus. It was silky smooth and absolutely delicious. Niagara's whites absolutely shine!

Until now I had no idea that Fume Blanc is actually Sauvignon Blanc. Apparently, the term Fume Blanc was made popular by Robert Mondavi when he began producing a dry Sauvignon Blanc that was different to the sweeter SBs that he had previously produced. I always thought it was just another type of grape.

My parents are coming to visit in a couple of weeks, and we are hoping to take another trip to the Niagara Peninsula region. I'm not sure which wineries we will visit this time. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

PENINSULA RIDGE ARCANUM 2001

Another wine from our recent trip to the Niagara Peninsula region. This red is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. Extremely dark in colour, and somewhat thin legs. Notes of cedar on the nose. The palate is light on tannins, with strong berry flavour. I expected a fuller body, but it still stood up well to my steak dinner.






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ANGELS GATE CABERNET MERLOT 2004

Had this a few nights ago along with beef stir fry. We picked up this bottle during our wine tour of the Niagara Peninsula two weekends ago, and I must say I liked it a lot better than the sample I had at the winery. It was very mellow, with just the right boldness that I look for in this type of red. It had a resiny nose, and a nice brownish tinge in the class that indicated some aging. Hints of saddle leather (don't you love it?) and plum. Very satisfying.

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MALIVOIRE - MOIRA VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2005

This was arguably the best wine we tasted during our trip to the Niagara Peninsula wine region. The Moira vineyard is Malivoire's oldest, and is meticulously maintained in order to produce a superior wine. Much care and craftsmanship goes into this wine and it shows. On the nose are prominent notes of apple, pear, brie, and honey. Flavours of apricot, maple syrup, and vanilla. To say this wine is smooth is an understatement.

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Visit to Ontario's Niagara Peninsula wine region

Last weekend Julia and I took a trip to the famed Niagara wine region, due east of London. We visited wineries in the western side of the region, near the towns of Winona, Grimsby and Beamsville. First up was Puddicombe Estate Winery. The farm & winery boasts that it was established way back in 1797, however it was originally a cattle farm. It did not begin growing fruit until the early 1900s, and began growing wine grapes in 1940. They currently produce both fruit and traditional wines. We sampled a variety of both, and I have to admit that we were underwhelmed overall. I sampled the Riesling, supposedly a strength of the Niagara region, and found it to be very acidic and lacking in complexity. The Merlot Reserve was decent, so I decided to buy a bottle (although had it not been our first winery of the tour I probably wouldn't have). We also sampled a cranberry wine, something we had never tried before, and found it to simply taste like unsweetened juice. It would be novel to have it with turkey at Thanksgiving.

Next up was Peninsula Ridge Estates. It has a fantastic old house up on a hill that operates a restaurant, but since we did not have reservations we could not eat there. The wine tasting was a typical line up, including a Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. I was really impressed by the silky Fume Blanc 2006.

Peninsula Ridge Estates vineyard

The Restaurant at Peninsula Ridge

After grabbing some lunch at a nearby cafe, we next visited Angels Gate Winery. The property features a very attractive "mission" style building perched up on a hill overlooking the shoreline. The estate is relatively new; its first vines were planted in 1995. They offered a wide variety of wines, and best of all the tastings were free! The wines were OK but nothing stood out as outstanding. I picked up a bottle of Cabernet Merlot that seemed promising.

Angels Gate Winery

Virtually across the road is Thirty Bench Wine Makers. It had been recommended to us by the proprietor of the cafe we had stopped at for lunch. We were greeted personally at the door and were given an overview of the vineyard and their wine making process. A lot of care goes into making Thirty Bench wine. We were told that the grapes are all hand picked in small batches, for instance one row of vines may be deemed ready to pick while the next row waits a few more days. They offered us a tasting hosted by one of their wine experts, but unfortunately due to time constraints we couldn't stay. Instead we sampled a couple of their featured wines: the Beamsville Bench Riesling and the Benchmark Red Blend. Both were excellent and were definitely some of the best wine we had tasted during our tour. I really want to visit Thirty Bench again so that we can try the longer tasting.

Last of not least was Malivoire Wine Company. Above their tasting room is where their storage tanks are located, so while you are sampling you can look up through glass windows to see where their wine is made. One wine that really stood out was the 2005 Moira Vineyard Chardonnay. The Moira vineyard is Malivoire's oldest, planted back in 1995.

Malivoire Wine Company vineyard

Overall, the Niagara whites were superior to the reds, and this was confirmed by many of the winery representatives. I found the reds to lack boldness; they seemed weak. However, we sampled many delicious whites such as the Moira Chardonnay from Malivoire and the Beamsville Bench Riesling from Thirty Bench.

We left the Niagara Peninsula with nine bottles of wine. Keep watching this blog for my tasting notes as we eventually try each one.

HENRY OF PELHAM - RIESLING 2006

It has been a while since our last post, as we have recently moved from Vancouver to London, Ontario. Naturally, things have been quite busy, and we haven't had the luxury of leisurely wine tastings.

Now that we are in Ontario, it is time to sample some of the local varieties. The Niagara Peninsula is the major wine appellation here, and is where Henry of Pelham Family Estate is located. Its sub-appellation is called Short Hills Bench.

We sampled a bottle of Riesling to have with some tortellini - probably not a great pairing, but what the heck. It had grapefruit, citrus, and quince on the nose, and the taste had strong flavours of granny smith apple. It was a very nice introduction to Ontario wine, and I can't wait for more.

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