2012 Niagara Icewine Festival - Review

Wow! What a weekend. By the time we were done mid-Saturday afternoon, I could not believe we were Icewine-d out! Here's why:

Our first stop was Château des Charmes for their mini Icewine glazed New York-style cheesecake and mocha cheesecake. Both were delicious and paired extremely well with the Icewine cocktail made with fruit juices. We also took in a tour of the facilities as we heard it is one of the best in the region. We heard correctly - it is very good and Rose is an excellent and entertaining tour guide. We also tasted quite a few of the wines and was extremely impressed with the 2007 Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard Riesling Icewine. Full review of this fantastic Icewine and other wines we tasted along the tour will be available in another post later this week.

Cellar at Château des Charmes

The next stop was nearby at Cattail Creek Estate Winery for some butter chicken. In a word - disappointing. The butter chicken was nothing like I had seen before - it was dry and mixed with rice, and I did not see/taste the mango chutney. It was also paired with the 2008 Select Late Harvest Vidal (the Official Icewine Festival booklet states 2006 Barrel Fermented Vidal Icewine). What happened? Seems like everything was off base here. Off to PondView Estate Winery...

"Fire and Ice" Wine Jelly

Two Icewines - Cabernet Franc in chocolate cup, and Vidal in glass. Both were very delicious. The Vidal Icewine was paired with a slice of baguette topped with blue cheese. The surprise was a cucumber topped with some cream (soft cheese?) and "Fire and Ice" wine jelly. Everything here was tasty with top-notch presentation!

Next up - Riverview Cellars Estate Winery for some homemade biscotti, and skewers of banana, strawberry & marshmallow - all dipped in a fountain of Belgian chocolate. Messy, but tasty. The Cab Franc Icewine was delicious, but it's flavours were drowned out by the chocolate. It was busy here! I also experienced for the first time the glass holder attached to the plate - it works, but I was nervous the whole time. :)

Icewine Marshmallow

Since we had some time, we made an unplanned visit to Peller Estates Winery for Icewine and marshmallows and wow! This was a hot spot, lots of people everywhere. Marshmallows were large, and took no time to crisp. How did they do that? Two Icewines were served - Vidal and the Oak Aged. Both were delicious!

Our final winery visit of the day was Jackson Triggs. Here, we sampled a few table wines, followed by the 2007 Cabernet Franc Icewine and the 2007 Delaine Vineyard Riesling Icewine. Both were impressive (and on sale)!

By now, we were quite Icewine-d out, but still had to check out the main event: The Icewine Village. Located on one block of Queen St. in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the street was buzzing with people sipping Icewine as they mingled outdoors from booth to booth and shop to shop. Many (if not all) Niagara-region wineries were represented. The ice sculptures were cool, but I felt a little bit more could have been done to make it more festive - perhaps some lights or colourful decorations?

Ice Sculpture at the Icewine Village, Niagara-on-the-Lake

On Day 2, as we made our way back home, we stopped at GreenLane Estate Winery for some gourmet grilled cheese. These two grilled cheese - one gorgonzola, the other cheddar - paired very well with their 2008 Riesling Icewine and red wine (2007 Cabernet Merlot?). Even though they were small-ish, they were very flavourful and filling.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

Then, we made an unexpected stop at Legends Estates Winery for pulled lamb souvlaki. Wow! Another great appetizer that paired perfectly with their Reserve Shiraz, not so much with the Sauvignon Blanc. The Icewine for dessert was icing on the cake.

For our final stop, we visited Magnotta Winery for three sweet wines, paired with the classic: cheese. Amanda, our host for the tasting was very knowledgeable about the wines and winemaking process - you can tell she loves wine! We tasted the 2010 Vidal Harvest Moon, 2006 Passito Vidal, and 2007 Riesling Icewine. All three were delicious and paired well with the 3 cheeses offered: cheddar, friulano and blue cheese.

That's it for my review of the 2012 Niagara Icewine Festival. The festival will run one more weekend on January 28-29. If you enjoy Icewine, I highly recommend you go because the food and wine was fabulous.

You can purchase Discovery Passes on-site at any of the participating wineries. If you can hold back the urge, buy only 1 Pass and share the 6 tastings with your partner or loved one OR buy 2 passes and share 12 tastings. The weather looks like it will be pretty good this weekend too! Enjoy!

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Australia + Taste Treats: Jan. 21 Wine Picks

The second Vintages release of 2012 will be in LCBO stores across Ontario on January 21. Primary feature of this release is on Australia. However, I found the secondary feature titled "Taste Treats" to be much more interesting.

Taste Treats is about discovering 6 great grapes - Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Mencía, Monastrell (a.k.a. Mourvèdre), Montepulciano and Petit Verdot. Each of these grapes has its own style and should be discovered on their own (i.e. not blended) so you can taste what each has to offer. Five of these grapes made my wine picks (the Pétalos from Spain is made using Mencía).

The rest of this release has a few good value wines, including the 13th Street Merlot. I give much credit to Nero d'Avola because this was the grape that first got me into wine - it's worth discovering.

Enjoy my picks for this week. Let me know your thoughts if you taste any of these. Cheers!


Red Wine:

• 13TH STREET MERLOT 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#270504) (XD) - $17.95
• CANICATTI AQUILAE NERO D'AVOLA 2008 - IGT Sicilia, Italy (#218503) (D) - $15.95
• CONCHA Y TORO SERIE RIBERAS GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009 - Marchigue, Ribera del Tinguiririca, Chile (#256693) (XD) - $14.95
• IGNACIO MARIN OLD VINE GARNACHA 2008 - DO Cariñena, Spain (#214205) (D) - $15.95
• TALAMONTI TRE SAGGI MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO 2008 - DOC, Tuscany, Italy (#204016) (D) - $15.95
• DESCENDIENTES DE J. PALACIOS PÉTALOS 2009 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#675207) (XD) - $22.95
• SANTA CAROLINA BARRICA SELECTION PETIT VERDOT 2009 - Rapel Valley, Chile (#007484) (XD) - $14.95

White Wine:

• JEAN GEILER LIEU-DIT VOGELGARTEN PINOT GRIS 2009 - AC Alsace, France (#259739) (MD) - $17.95
• SPICE ROUTE CHENIN BLANC 2009 - WO Swartland, South Africa (#174623) (XD) - $17.95
• HENRY OF PELHAM RESERVE OFF-DRY RIESLING 2009 - VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#557165) (MD) - $15.95
• WEINGUT ZAHEL RIEDENCUVÉE GRÜNER VELTLINER 2010 - Wiener Lagen, Austria (#181594) (XD) - $15.95

Full list of wines from the Jan. 21 release is here.

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2010 Domaine de Rimauresq Rosé (Provence, France) - Wine Review

Who says you can't enjoy a rosé in the middle of Winter when it feels like -22°C outside? This rosé wine was purchased last December from the "Holiday Cheer" release.

DOMAINE DE RIMAURESQ ROSÉ Cru Classé 2010 - AC Côtes de Provence, France (#226647) (XD) - $18.95

Tasting Note:
Beautiful peach hue. Mineral, orange, lemon, and citrus aromas. Unexpected spicy flavours to start, followed by floral and citrus tones, and finishing with orange blossom nuances. Well made, dry rosé. Will be enjoying this with bhinda (video with Okra recipe, we also add potatoes).

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2009 Chateau des Charmes Generation Seven Red (Ontario) - Wine Review

Wanted to open an Italian wine to pair with vegetable spinach lasagna that's on the menu tonight, but since I didn't have anything ready to open, I decided to go with something else that was stylistically lighter. It happened to be local...

CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES GENERATION SEVEN RED 2009 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#198036) (D) - $13.95

Tasting Note:
Screw-top and packaged in a clear bottle. Made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot and hint of Gamay Noir. Bright red fruit aromas turn to dark fruit as it warms up in the glass (this was pulled directly from the cellar and opened). Dark berries, blackberry aromas with hints of oak. Blackberry with hints of licorice and spice on the palate. Light- to medium-bodied with ripe fruit and tannins, this is a smooth and easy drinking red that is ready to drink now. Will be enjoying this with vegetable spinach lasagna.

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2011 Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa) - Wine Review

Received this white wine as a gift over the holidays. Typically, Sauvignon Blancs are meant to be opened while still young, and this one is no exception.

TWO OCEANS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2011 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#340380) (D) - $9.95

Tasting Note:
Screw-top cap (which doesn't necessarily mean cheap or low quality). Classic gooseberry, grass, nettle aromas, with a touch of mineral, petrol and melon. Gooseberry, kiwi, lemon/lime citrus on the palate. Off-dry and quite the nice sipper. Provides really good value at this price point. Will be enjoying this with spinach and potatoes (similar recipe) because the saltiness of this dish should pair well with the grippy, lip-smacking quality of Savvy's.

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Smart Buys: Jan. 7 LCBO Vintages Wine Picks

It's been 1 year since I began this blog and I have enjoyed every moment. A BIG THANK YOU to all of my growing number of supporters and followers - you mean a lot to me! If you're enjoying my posts, send me note. If you think I can do better in some aspect, let me know! I would love to hear from you.

Without further ado, here are my wine picks for the first Vintages release of 2012 to help you replenish your wine stocks that may have been depleted over the holidays.

The annual "Smart Buys" release will be out in LCBO stores on January 7. I had difficulty paring down my picks as there were lots of good "value wines".

Among the reds, the Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz made my picks at least once in 2011, but I never purchased it. This time, I think I will. If you're looking to cellar something for a few years, go for the LaGrange (Bordeaux). I purchased the 1999 vintage Cappellaccio back in 2004, and recall it being quite good. The 2005 appears just as tempting.

In whites, try something new & sweet with the Huxelrebe grape from Germany. Something a little less sweet is the outstanding Hinterbrook Riesling that won Gold at the 2011 All Canadian Wine Championships. Even drier are the Calamus Cosmic White and the Stephansberg Riesling. If you want something bone dry, the Chablis is your best bet among my picks.

If you're into Ports, the vintage Fonseca/Zeller offers outstanding value and is definitely one to try. Enjoy my wine picks this week and beyond into 2012!


Red Wine:

• JIP JIP ROCKS SHIRAZ 2009 - Padthaway, South Australia, Australia (#673897) (D) - $16.95
• RIVERA CAPPELLACCIO RISERVA AGLIANICO 2005 - DOC Castel del Monte, Puglia, Italy (#984120) (XD) - $18.95
• CHÂTEAU LA CROIX DE QUEYNAC 2009 - AC Bordeaux Supérieur, France (#138636) (XD) - $14.95
• CHÂTEAU LAGRANGE 2008 - AC Lussac Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France (#230391) (XD) - $19.95
• URBAN UCO MALBEC/TEMPRANILLO 2010 - Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#166397) (XD) - $13.95

White Wine:

• HINTERBROOK RIESLING 2010 - VQA Niagara Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada (#270512) (MD) - $17.95
• ANSELMANN HUXELREBE AUSLESE 2009 - Pfalz, Germany (#681445) (MS) - $17.95
• CALAMUS COSMIC WHITE 2009 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#255893) (D) - $14.95
• DOMAINE HUBERT REYSER STEPHANSBERG RIESLING 2008 - AC Alsace, France (#118240) (D) - $19.95
• DOMAINE DU CHARDONNAY CHABLIS 2009 - AC, Burgundy, France (#183574) (XD) - $19.95

Port Wine:

• JOSÉ MARIA DA FONSECA & VAN ZELLER VINTAGE PORT 2003 - DOC Douro, Btld. 2005, Portugal (#638924) (S) - $19.95

Full list of wines from the Jan. 7 release is here.

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2009 Maipe Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina) - Wine Review

Purchased this Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon from the November 12 Vintages release, and probably should've held on to this red wine a bit longer as the tannins needed more time to develop.

MAIPE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009 - Mendoza, Argentina (#246116) (D) - $17.95

Tasting Note:
Cherry aromas from the cork. Earth, currant and cassis aromas in the glass, and follow through on the palate with herbal spiciness and espresso. I knew I should've waited opening this one, as tannins need more time (1-2 years) to settle down. It went well with homemade Christmas fruit cake.

***edit***
Chocolate and espresso flavours come to the fore on the second day. This is tasting MUCH better tonight. Try an aerator or decant if opening in the near future. This should pair well with oven-roasted whole chicken, with garlic mash potatoes.

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