September, where did you go?

September was a great month.  i started out taking a short weekend trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia.  i didn't have the funds to join my family on their cruise vacation but i needed a break badly.  the entire summer was spent working long hours.  i barely took any time off except when i really had to for medical appointments.  despite working the long hours, i still didn't have the means to take an extravagant trip .. so what does a girl do?  two words: AIR MILES.  :)

i funded my entire trip with air miles.  i've been collecting for a while now and what a better time to use them!  i just had to pay for the taxes which was minimal.  but i spent a wonderful three days in Nova Scotia .. and i didn't have to sacrifice a work day.  the weather was perfect and i saw almost everything i wanted to see .. from wineries in Wolfville, to the tides at Blomidon Park, Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay .. by the end of the trip, the rental car's service light came on.  :)  same thing happened when i went to Kelowna a few years ago.  also, i think i put close to 800 km on the car in 3 days!!  nuts eh??

but it was so much fun.  i am definitely going back because i didn't get to see Cape Breton Island.  a nice retired couple said i had to come back to see it but i needed more time because the drive from the airport to CBI was about 3 hrs way.  apparently it's stunning out there.

on the work front, i recently interviewed for a new contract position and got the job.  the great thing about the new job is that it pays more than my current contract.  but i recently switch projects at my current contract and i am starting to love my job again.  and when i say 'love my job' .. i really do love it.  i go to work early, stay late, i am really focused on the tasks, and it challenges me in new ways.  i have a great boss, brilliantly fun team members .. since it was so difficult to leave the team, i've offered to work part time on with them since my new job is in the same building.  i'll work at the new job from 8 to 4 and then from 4 to 7, i will work part time at my second job.  i know it sounds like a huge undertaking but it's temporary and when you love what you do, it won't feel like work.  i mean heck .. even now, i work long hours and i still have the energy to play badminton!

Speaking of badminton, life isn't all work and no play though.  I joined a competitive badminton club this year.  finally made the jump to the Westboro badminton club.  on any given night, there are maybe 3-4 female players including me out of 50 players.  i don't mind as long as the games are decent.  i need to be careful though .. my shoulder has been bothering me a bit.  which reminds me .. i need to hit the gym for some strengthening exercises.

at month end, i volunteered at the Ontario Wine challenge on behalf of the National Sommelier Guild.  yup, my first serving experience.  i think the organizers were extra concerned for me because i had this fearful/nervous look on my face all day.  but i did it .. no wine spilled, no glasses broken.  i also scored tickets to the Ottawa Food & Wine show.  i got to see all of the wine submissions for the OWC.  other volunteers were eager to try some of the wine .. me?  no thanks.  i wasn't impressed with the line up of wines.  most were general list wines available at the LCBO.  they are not the best wines produced by the wineries .. in fact, my friend Evan was one of the wine judges and even he could tell they were mediocre wines.  it's like why would Beringer submit a wine from their low end Stone Cellars line when they have Knight's Valley which is one of their better mid range wines?

despite that, the experience was great.  i even brought my camera and took some photos of my favorite wine judges. i might also be volunteering my sommelier skills at the tutored tasting sessions at the Food & Wine show.  it'll be a completely different environment so hopefully i'll get better with practice.

with my busy schedule, i missed out on harvest at Norm Hardie's this year.  it was a real bummer because i've participated in the last few years.  i had a dental appointment scheduled that morning :(

after catching up with Evan, i realized how much i missed wine education.  he and my WSET classmates have moved on to the diploma program.  i was really hoping to join them but my health issues at the time prevented me from doing it.  now that my health issues have cleared up, i am looking to go back for more .. maybe French Wine Society?  :)  stay tuned.

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food, visits, and Insanity

time to catch up on my blog .. let's see, where did i leave off?

ah yes .. WSET Advanced Level III .. the results are in ..
theory - pass with merit
tasting - pass with distinction
overall - pass with merit

argh!  i missed an overall pass with distinction by a hair.  i was actually quite disappointed with myself.  usually i'm better at the theory portion but i've gained a lot of confidence in my blind tasting skills.  less than 50% of the class passed so it wasn't an easy exam.  my mentor was proud of my accomplishment - i went into the WSET program without having to take Level 1 or 2.  i also had to learn the WSET tasting note system which is entirely different from how we took tasting notes at Algonquin.  it really helped that i studied with some of the best sommelier students from my Algonquin days.  the four of us would volunteer to provide tasting notes verbally at every class.  the only way to get better is to participate and not be afraid to get it wrong.  i think that was a contributing factor to our success.  i should be picking up my certificate and pin soon - yes, there is a pin for Level III!

after the exam, i stepped away from wine.  i took a clean break from it and started to focus on my health.  i started hitting the gym again and did some research on food source.  it led me to the world of grass-fed beef and free range pork.  i'm not a vegetarian by any means and i appreciate a good steak .. but i've always wanted to know what the big deal was with grass-fed beef and free range pork.  i contacted dan o'brien of O'Brien Farms in Winchester, Ontario to talk about his cattle.  i drove out to Winchester one afternoon to meet with dan in person.  he had quite the operation and it was so cool to see these beautiful animals up close.  it was so much better than going to a regular farm even though this farm only had cows.  we walked through the pen .. i saw how well the cattle were treated.  the type of cow used for producing their beef is the simmental breed.  they are never injected with hormones, no antibiotics, and no GMO (genetically modified) feed.  they go through intense grazing in the pasture and are rotated on a daily basis.  they are not packed into tight quarters so they get a lot of free space to move around in.  it was kind of funny when they hear our footsteps approaching, they all come stampeding out of the pen.  dan says they think it's a wolf approaching so they are running away.  how cute. :)  at the end of my visit, i was able to purchase some steaks at a very decent discount.  at the time i didn't know it but dan's beef is sold at a premium in high end butcheries and restaurants.  when i made one of the striploins, i was blown away.  i've never had a striploin that was so flavourful and so tender.  there was absolutely no smell when i opened the package and it cooked up nicely on my grill.  i learned a lot from dan and he has become a great resource for excellent beef.  most commercial grade beef is produced from cows that are corn-fed with who knows what to allow cows to get bigger faster.  cattle is usually kept in tight quarters so there is little room for them to move around.  the resulting product is generally bland and if there are any antibiotic or gmo injections, it's in the meat that you are consuming.

after my beef experience, i moved on to the world of free range pork.  most of the pork found in regular supermarkets tends to cook up dry.  i've never been able to cook a decent pork chop because it always ends up dry.  ida vallincourt of Pork of Yore suggested that i go to Brian's Butchery to try their pork.  the pigs at Pork of Yore are free range heritage breeds - they have two different breeds: tamworth and berkshire.  free range means they roam freely in their natural environment and are given a lot of space to lounge around in.  they are fed a natural feed of grass and grains but also no antibiotics or gmo products.  the meat is slightly darker than what you see in supermarkets.  the pork chops i bought, had this rim of fat around the meat.  usually we don't eat the fat because it's not good for you, right?  apparently the fat from the free range pork is good for you because it contains none of that saturated fat (ie bad fat) and boy, was that rim of fat tasty.  the meat had a slight smoky (think bacon) flavour.  the pork chops i had were from a berkshire pig.  i met ida at the farmer's market recently and we had a long discussion about their pigs.  one of these days, i'm going to head to their farm to see the piggies up close.

next up, i will be trying free range chickens and farm fresh eggs.  my source?  beking farms.  they are known for their farm fresh eggs and i'm excited to see how they compare to regular store bought eggs.  apparently there is a difference - not only in taste but in price!  i don't mind paying a premium if it is top quality protein.   hopefully by my next post, i'll have an update.

as i mentioned earlier, i've started hitting the gym and my friend mentioned that he was exercising as well.  he started the Insanity program.  hmm, really?  i borrowed the dvds from him and decided to give it a go myself.  omg, the first few days was brutal but i got used to it fast.  am i seeing results?  well, slowly .. with all exercise programs, diet plays a huge part in the success or failure of the program.  they say that diet is 90% of the program.  it is important to eat right so that the muscles have fuel.  most people think that all they have to do is cardio or weights but when you start to exercise like that, you need to increase your caloric intake with the right foods.  my weight gain was caused by the fact that i cut down my caloric intake when i wasn't hitting the gym as often.  i thought .. since i'm not exercising to burn off these calories, i should just consume less so there is less to burn.  make sense right?  no.  what happened was that by eating less, i put my body into starvation mode.  i drastically reduced my metabolism (bad) and every bit of food was being stored because of this starvation mode.  a trainer scolded me and said no, you have to eat and eat good fats.  you need fat in order to lose weight.  so i started to eat good fats like avocado, raw almonds, and greek yogurt for added protein.  i cut down on rice consumption - very difficult for an Asian person.  when i do have rice, it's 25% jasmine rice and 75% red rice which is better for you.  i also cut down on bread and pasta.  cutting down doesn't mean cutting out.  i still have them, but just not as often as i used to.  pasta is something i have once a week and usually on tuesday/wednesdays because i need carbs for badminton.  one thing i cannot do - brown rice pasta.  ugh!  my sister gave me some and i tried it the other day .. it's the most disgusting thing i've made.  it tasted funny.  i know my sister meant well but it was not good.  i feel sorry for anybody who is on a gluten-free diet.  :)  (side note:  going gluten-free when you don't have celiac disease is not a good thing.  a lot of celebrities swear by it but it's not a good diet for those who don't have an aversion to gluten).

i must say, the workouts have had a positive impact on me.  it used to be tough to drag me out of bed in the morning but after the intense Insanity workouts, i get myself out of bed a lot earlier and without that feeling of dread.  i have more energy and i feel quite good.  that's the important part.

lastly, i made two trips back to Toronto in a span of two weeks.  the first trip back, my brother was in town with his family.  i don't see them that often so any chance i get, i would make the 4 hr drive to spend time with everyone.  with everyone together, it was the right time to go to the cemetery to pay our annual respects to our grandparents.  visiting the cemetery might sound creepy but i make it fun and educational for the kids .. i quizzed my niece Amanda on her math skills by having her determine the age of the deceased.  you could see the wheels turning in her head as she would do the calculations.  i also printed off some sheet music for my oldest niece Amelia - the song was "All of Me" by John Legend.  Amelia hasn't been enthusiastic about piano but i wanted to give her something fun to work towards.  she was excited to have the sheet music for this song that she liked.  she told me that her classmates all knew how to play the song.

two weeks later, i drove back to celebrate Mother's day with my mom.  we had a barbeque at my sister's place and while i was there, Amelia pulled out the sheet music for "All of Me" and played for me.  she wasn't perfect but i was happy to see that in two weeks of secretly practicing, she played very well.  i gave her a second song to learn - "Listen to your heart" by DHT & Kelly Clarkson.  she and Amanda listened to the song and smiled.  it's not from their generation but they both liked the song.  can't wait to hear them play during my next visit.

mother's day was great.  i took mom for breakfast at a local diner.  she loves her bacon and eggs!  :)  i think being able to take her out and chauffeur her around makes her happy.  she doesn't drive and relies on others a lot.  she is never afraid to ask me to drive her anywhere .. i even drove her out to a temple on the west end of the city.  she had been wanting to go to the temple to see the plaque for my grandparents.  when we got to the temple, she said she forgot the plaque number.  sigh .. :)  luckily, she showed me the night before so it was still fresh in my head.  (mom, what would you do without me?? :)  we spent some time checking out the temple, i said my prayers, and we each made a donation.  i wrote my mom's name and my name in the donations book.  i thought it was good mother/daughter time.

anyway, that's a long update .. it's time for some insanity plyometric cardio and P90X ab ripper.  have a great weekend!

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Roadblocks

In a recent visit to the hospital for a check up, I was advised by my doctor to give wine education a break.  Although my doctor did not explicitly say 'no, you cannot continue' .. he wasn't as supportive as he was in the past and suggested that maybe I should think about other avenues of the hospitality industry.

My test results were showing a negative trend so before it gets worse, it was best that I give the wine thing a rest before making any new plans for more wine education.

To be honest, taking a break from wine education was something I wanted to do anyway so I wasn't too disappointed when the doctor didn't give me his thumbs up. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy wine education.  As I've said before, there is something about the complexity and challenge about it that makes me feel alive.  It requires me to think on so many levels that it keeps me sharp.

WSET was intense and challenging but I somehow felt that I took it at the wrong time.  The period between December and February was tough for me.  There were many business/work related tasks that required my attention that I often had to put studying and hobbies aside - which meant that wine had to take a back seat.  I wasn't happy that I had give up study time for business matters but business matters is what pays the bills so I had to give that my full attention.

I was stressed out to the max but there was no time to curl up in the fetal position and cry about it.  I'm a tough cookie and us Ng girls don't deal with stress that way.  I kept my head down and worked through that to-do list.  I told myself that I'll take a break when it's over.  I stopped going to badminton, I cancelled all social meetings, and skipped all wine tastings.  I had no life.  But boy, the month went by slowly and every day, there was an urgent issue to deal with.  I barely had time to make an appointment to get my car in for service.

I managed to fit in 1 weekend of studying for my WSET exam.  My instructor said if you want to pass with "distinction", you should read the book at least 4 times.  Sigh .. I only read the book once.  I spent my time focused on the theoretical material and less on the tasting.  My tasting skills are pretty sharp, despite not practicing at all.

On exam night, the blind tasting portion of the exam was first.  We had to produce tasting notes for 1 white and 1 red.  I wrote the tasting note for the white.  We were given a choice of three wines that it could be.  My notes concluded that it was a Pouilly-Fuisse.  I moved on to the red.  I wrote the tasting note for the red.  When I looked at my choices, there was a Cotes du Rhone Villages, Barbaresco, or New Zealand Pinot Noir.  Right away, I knew it wasn't the Barbaresco.  Italian reds are one of the easiest reds to pick out and this was definitely not Italian.  Pinot or Cotes du Rhone Villages?  Based on my tasting note, there wasn't enough Pinot characteristic to strongly conclude that it was a Pinot Noir.  It did have a lot of characteristics of the varietals that you see in Cotes du Rhone so that was my decision.  After talking to my tasting group members, most had chosen Pouilly-Fuisse for the white but New Zealand Pinot Noir for the red.  I admit, I started to doubt myself .. after all, I don't practice tasting at all.  But based on my theoretical knowledge, I couldn't make that conclusion.  When the wines were revealed, the white was a Pouilly-Fuisse .. and the red was a Cotes du Rhone Villages.  Not bad for a theory-based wine taster, eh?  :)

The written exam was tough but not because the questions were difficult.  When we wrote exams at Algonquin, there would be a lot of time left to double .. even triple check your answers.  For the WSET theory exam, there was absolutely no time to go back and check your work.  You had to be sure of your answer.  The written portion was like a chemistry exam and the Chem Eng student in me was so into it.  I wrote like mad .. at some point, I just thought .. you need to give me more space to explain this because I could go on and on about this!  I know .. NERD alert.  My hand hurt but I was glad it was over.  I hope I passed ..

But you knew that this is how it would end up .. just when I'm getting really good at this, I have to stop pursuing it.  I would have been a great candidate for WSET Diploma but I can't do it for the sake of my health.  But I'll probably be okay with a sommelier pin and a WSET Advanced Level 3 certificate.  (BTW, when you finish WSET Diploma, a pin is awarded .. I would have loved to get another pin!)

As always, I try to look at the lessons that I'm being taught.  If I were to guess, I think the lessons this is trying to teach me are ..
1. Trust my instincts.  There have been countless times during my sommelier course tasting exams where I doubted my own skills and went against my instincts.  And it was during those time that I would score poorly on tasting exams.  My gut answer was correct but because I doubted myself, I chose the wrong answer.  For this tasting exam, I was going to choose the New Zealand Pinot Noir because I started to doubt myself .. I could hear the voice "Pudgy, who do you think you are?".  But I stuck with my instincts and kept my answer as is.

2. Learn to let go of the things you love.  As much as I love wine education, I have to let it go.  It doesn't mean I stop loving it.  It just means, I won't dedicate so much time to it .. and maybe focus on other areas that need attention.  Wine will always be there and my connections to the wine industry will still be there.  There are plenty of other things that I need to go back to .. like taking care of my health, exercising, golf, baking, photography, yoga .. interior decorating?

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mixed feelings about graduation

sommelier graduation has come and gone.

i didn't realize that the end of the program would bring me a sense of sadness.  i've had a bit of time to process my journey over the last two years.  i remember when i started the program, many felt that it wasn't a good thing for me to do.  the reasons ranged from my physical health to my emotional health.  even knowing this, i went ahead with it anyway ..

i sought the approval of my doctors before enrolling.  my family doctor didn't approve.  my specialist gave me his blessing but on the condition that i be sensible about it.  at the time, if both doctors said no, then i'd strongly reconsider but i had already made up my mind to do it.  throughout the program, i did not take this "blessing" for granted.  there was always a voice in my head that said if i did anything to screw up my health, i wouldn't be able to finish the program.  this voice kept me in check and not once did i overindulge or drink to cover up pain or fill a void (and there was a lot of pain during the time).

it took a long time for my family to accept this new hobby of mine and because of that, i never really got to talk about my experiences early on.  with every course i completed, i got better and better at it and i wasn't able to share the joy i had in my accomplishments.  although my original intention was to impress someone, it started to change as i progressed.  i discovered that being in school and learning something new .. was a part of me that i really missed.  i rediscovered who i was .. and i started to become truly happy again.  i set my sights on the excellence award.  i believed that i could be a contender for the award, despite the lack of wine tasting experience.

i worked hard at the theoretical aspects and it helped me become a better taster.  yes, there are some benefits to sampling a lot of different wines to help you become a better blind taster but for someone like me, i relied on my knowledge of winemaking and viticultural practices to help me become a better blind taster.  if you know how it's grown, how it's made, and where it is from .. you can pretty much figure out what's in your glass.

the service exam was probably the most difficult test in the entire program.  there was no way to practice for this.  i remember putting together my wine list for the exam.  i remember losing sleep and worrying that i wouldn't be able to pronouce any of the wines on my list.  i also remember feeling defeated throughout the mock service, despite judge and wine critic Vic Harradine telling me that i was doing an excellent job.  when it was all said and done, i scored an A+. 

i wish i had better news to report in this post but my grades weren't enough to win the award on grad night.  i felt like i let myself down but i know that it wasn't meant to be.  the original intention to win the award was to prove myself to someone who really didn't matter.  and because of this, i knew that it wasn't going to happen.  the lesson that He would have me learn is that it is more important to believe in myself than to look for the approval of others.  and that i cannot change others - the only person i can change is myself.  i understand that now.  maybe if i believed in myself from the beginning, the story would have ended differently.

there is still more studying to be done.  wset level 3 exam is coming up and i've got to do my best .. for once, this was something i chose to enrol in because i believed in myself.  after this, my tasting group is looking to register for wset diploma (level 4) - a pre-requisite to Master of Wine.  let's just take this one step at a time, shall we?

 

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goodbye 2013 .. hello 2014!

seemed like jan 2013 was just yesterday.  already a year has gone by.  time to look back at some of the memorable things that took place and a look at what's in store for the next 365 days.

finishing the sommelier program was probably one of my biggest achievements in 2013.  when i started the program back in 2011, i did it for all of the wrong reasons but by the time i finished, those reasons no longer mattered.  i enjoyed every minute of it - ok, maybe advanced sommelier wasn't my favorite course and the service exam was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my life .. it was necessary.  you discover a lot about yourself when you learn to deal with uncomfortable situations.

in the summer, i got to take a break from school and go on some interesting trips.  i finally got to visit the niagara wine region.  and for my milestone birthday, i got to spend the day at Langdon Hall.  i swear, it will be my birthday present every year from now on because that place is the definition of heaven on earth.

in late august, i got to visit Whistler/Vancouver for a friend's wedding.  Ziplining in Whistler was fun but when i saw the mountains again, i just stood there and stared .. they were beautiful.  for my friend's wedding, i got to play amateur photographer as well.  yes, i shot in a dress and 3.5" heels for a full day.  :)  i was a royal mess afterwards .. i sure hope there aren't any photos of me from that day.  oh wait .. there was a photo of me.

lastly, the wine education didn't end when i finished the sommelier program.  i continued my wine studies by enrolling in the WSET Level 3 program.  my mentor, Eugene, was already telling others in the wine industry that i was going to study WSET.  i think he sees potential in my wine skills.  my classmates are expecting me to join them for Level 4 in April but i'm not sure if i can afford to continue.  the two year commitment isn't what's holding me back.  it's the cost of studying that is becoming a strain on me.  although i love the subject and i love the group involved, i may not be able to handle it financially.  at some point, i need this training to pay off .. a return on investment of sort.  how does one with no sommelier or restaurant experience land a sommelier job?  i'm not about to give up my day job but it would be nice to have an evening or weekend job to help subsidize this expensive hobby of mine.

2014 looks to be a busy year.  so much to look forward to .. you know me, always up for an adventure.

happy new year everyone!

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december already?

yikes.  december already?  why does it seem like time is going a lot faster than i want it to?  anyway, christmas is fast approaching and i have yet to do any christmas shopping.  things have been so hectic that it seems as if there is little time for anything.

work has been crazy busy - i've been picking up the slack on system analyst work on our project as well doing regular duties.  in the month of december, i'll be taking one day off aside from the regular christmas and boxing day holidays.  which means i won't be in toronto for a long stay this year again.  it really sucks because i haven't seen my friends in a few years now.  i have missed the birth of their kids and seeing the news on facebook or on their blogs is just not the same.  i know they understand that it's not easy for me to always take time off to visit though.  since i am on my own, i have to look after myself first .. the bills don't get paid when i don't work.  i'll have to carve out some time around February or March to see them.

oh and remember the chairs that i ordered in the summer?  they've finally arrived!  haha .. i know .. i almost forgot about them too.  they are being delivered this weekend and i'm so excited to see new furniture in the house.  because of the new furniture, i chose not to put up my christmas tree this year.  i haven't had a lot of luck with plant life in general so i decided to keep the tree in storage.

i'll post a pic of my fancy chairs in their spot later on.

this year, we are spending christmas in niagara falls, new york.  i decided to organize a family trip there .. partially to get everyone some down time and away from chores .. but also to engage in some retail therapy.  my sisters and i usually bond over shopping because we end up styling one another.  my sisters are great with that and i feel good in the end as well because i know i will wear the pieces that i buy.

anyway, i should get back to work and studying.  yes, i'm still studying wine .. i've got a great group of study partners and we bring out the best in each other .. which is why i've chosen to continue studying.  it's social and challenging at the same time.

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advanced somm - completed.

sommelier program?  check.

to say that it's been a crazy two months is an understatement.  the final weeks of the advanced sommelier course brought out the hermit in me.  i had to shut out everyone in order to complete the course.  out of all the courses in the program, this was the one course i had the most difficulty handling.  i have no idea why because last winter, i took two courses and it wasn't this bad.  i think i just put a lot of pressure on myself because my average was on the line.  i worked hard over the last two years to maintain my high standing and there was no way i was going to screw that up.  i love the subject but i'm still asian .. grades matter.  :)

anyway, it's finally over.

my tasting exam was last wednesday and it was not easy.  we had to blind taste six wines - 1 sparkling, 2 whites, and 3 reds.  we also had to provide tasting notes and sommelier descriptions for each wine.  although i'm sure i passed, i don't think it was my best work.  plus, there was a cabernet sauvignon that tasted like it was cooked.  it was not a great example of a cab sauv. 

the service exam was even worse.  i'm not a 'service' kind of person.  it's just not natural for me.  the night before the exam, i couldn't sleep.  i tried hard to remember the names of the wines on my wine list and during the mock service, i couldn't remember any of the wines.  i just blanked out.  when it came to opening the bottle, i used Green Lane Winery's riesling.  my bottle opening technique was spot on -  the foil was cut clean, my cork screw didn't pierce the cork all the way through, i removed the cork without making a sound (which is very difficult to do), i followed the procedure all the way through .. even the small stuff.  i answered the theoretical questions properly, i gave good reasoning for my wine suggestions .. except if you asked me what specific wine on the list would be great for a dish?  i couldn't remember anything .. :(  luckily, i wasn't asked too many questions on specific labels.
when it was over, i was still pretty tense but also exhausted. the week leading up to the exams was draining.  graduation is in February next year.  i'm pretty excited to graduate - hopefully with honours.  :)

is this the end of my wine education?  well .. we'll see. :)

although i've completed my sommelier certification, i do not refer to myself as a 'sommelier'.  a sommelier is a job title that one holds in the service industry.  that is not what i do.  i am still the person in the software industry and working a regular tech job.  but i'm a student of wine .. will always be.

oh .. just to touch on the Ottawa Food and Wine show this year.  the tasting alley event was not impressive this year.  in previous years, i got to taste some very nice wines like Cakebread Cellars cabernet sauvignon ($100 a btl).  this year, it was just average.  the best wine i sampled was the 2010 Chateau Pipeau which is a Vintages Essential at $37 a bottle.  the crowd was very 'meat market' like which is a huge turn off.  two guys tried to pick me up and i just rolled my eyes and walked away.  i attend wine shows because i want to try interesting wines but this event is quickly becoming a singles' pick up joint.  gross.

p.s.  big thank you to Vicky for her advice on getting through the wine list project.  it really helped.  :)

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Taste Ontario 2013

i attended Taste Ontario for the first time this year.  i was lucky enough to have won a few tickets to the event so i invited mandy and susan to come along with me.  the event was coordinated by wine country of ontario and the lcbo.  it  was advertised as a taste and buy event and showcased many ontario wineries.  of all wineries present, i was mainly interested in two producers - Bachelder wines and Charles Baker wines.

Bachelder wines is owned by Thomas Bachelder, who was the former winemaker at Le Clos Jordanne in Niagara.  Thomas Bachelder also owns vineyards in Oregon and France and his wines are often highly rated.  The wines are also a bit on the pricey side (ie. around the $40 mark).  I really wanted to try his chardonnay and to see what all the hype was about.

Charles Baker wines was another Niagara producer that have caught my attention in recent days.  The wines are sold through stratus winery and are popping up on a lot of restaurant wine lists.  They were offering two versions of their riesling at the show .. and i love rieslings. :)

So what did i taste?

first up .. some bubbly from Henry of Pelham.  they had the cuvee catherine brut.  it was a great way to start off.  tiny bubbles releasing aromatic notes of toast, citrus, and minerality.  it was dry and a great palate refresher.

my favorite vineyard, Vineland Estates was there with their Expressions in D collection.  I have the entire set of rieslings so it wasn't something I was interested in trying.  besides, when i was at the winery this summer, I got to try all four rieslings and they were fantastic.  my friends tried it and was impressed with the medium sweet rieslings.

susan was on the hunt for some fabulous pinot noir, so i steered her towards one of the best producers in Prince Edward county - norman hardie.  Norm was behind the table pouring and he remembered me from the harvest event the week before.  susan was impressed with the county pinot noir but it was the first one so it set the bar high.

we also tried the pinot noir from Le Clos Jordanne.  they had the village reserve and the claystone reserve pinot noirs.  behind the table pouring was winemaker Sebastien Jacquey, with whom i've had the pleasure of meeting during the summer.  his pinot noir was very nice.  the claystone was the better of the two.  the difference is the lot in which the grapes were picked from.  susan also liked their pinot but norm's still had the edge.

while at the tawse booth, i sampled their cabernet/merlot blend.  it was one of the best red blends i've had - bursting with fruit.  well done, tawse.

at the cave spring table, they had their chardonnay musque.  i didn't visit the winery but i heard that they had one of the better chardonnay musques in the niagara region.  and indeed, it's one of the better ones.  it was definitely more aromatic than the one by chateau des charmes that i tried a few months back.  it was a fan favourite and it's not an easy one to find at the LCBO.  i highly recommend you try this if you're looking for something different.

unfortunately thomas bachelder wasn't at the bachelder wines table but Mrs. thomas bachelder was there.  She was so lovely!  i tried the wismer vineyard chardonnay and it was buttery goodness.  is it worth $40?  well, i'm not a big fan of chardonnay to begin with so if i had $40, i would probably spend it on something else.  but if you're a chardonnay fan .. go for it.

thomas bachelder may have been MIA but charles baker was not.  he was actually pouring the wines!  i introduced myself and sampled the ivan vineyard riesling.  classic niagara riesling and oh so good.  clean, crisp, minerality, citrus .. loved the wine.  then i compared it to the picone vineyard riesling.  the picone vineyard riesling had some petrol notes on top of the usual riesling characteristics.  it's a gorgeous riesling and available for purchase at the Stratus winery or through Vintages online.

other less impressive wines that i got to try included Good Karma, a chardonnay by Flat Rock cellars, a 2008 fume blanc by peninsula ridge (this was awful, imo), jackson triggs entourage grand reserve method classique brut (this was pretty good), and pillitteri's vidal icewine (my sample had a piece of wax in it. eww).

wow .. one of the best wine events i've attended so far.  i loved the selection of wines offered but unfortunately, the organizers fell short on the "buy" part of this taste and buy event.  there were no order forms whatsoever and susan wanted to buy!  that's a fail, LCBO.

anyway, next up is the Tasting Alley event at the ottawa food and wine show.  i'm attending the Saturday night event and it's sold out!  i usually get dressed up for events like this so my black chiffon mini dress will have to come out of the closet.  ;)  

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lacking motivation?

i'm behind in my blogging again. :(

still haven't posted my update on the Taste Ontario event that i attended a few weeks back.  but don't worry, it's in the queue.

this is one of my less upbeat posts and i'm calling on my fellow readers to give me a boost.

as you know, it's my last course in the sommelier program.  this course is mainly about the role of the wine director or sommelier in the restaurant business.  for our final project, we have to create a wine list for a local restaurant and provide justification for our choices.  choosing the wine is fun but pricing the wine is the part that i'm not crazy about.

i think it depresses me to know how much a customer has to pay for wine at a restaurant.  and when i price the wine for the wine list, i think to myself .. i would never pay this much for this wine.  if i wouldn't pay for it, i wouldn't expect others to as well.  not only that but there's a part of me that feels that i'm gouging the customer.  and i am struggling with that.

for me, if i want to make wine more available to customers .. i don't think i would charge restaurant patrons 2.5 times what it would cost if you simply bought it at the LCBO.  for example, cave spring CSV riesling .. it costs around $23 at the LCBO.  great riesling for $23.  but on a wine list at a restaurant, you're looking at $50 for the same bottle.  $50!!  who would pay $50 for a bottle of riesling that costs $23 at the LCBO?  not me.

maybe that's why i rarely eat out.  and if i do, i never order wine.  i've perused the LCBO enough to know how much things cost without even having to look it up.

so i feel torn .. i understand that a restaurant has to make money to stay in business.  i understand that wine sales is a big part of a restaurant's bottom line.  but how do you balance that without feeling like you're gouging the customer?  the paper is due in a few weeks and i haven't been able to think of ways to promote wine that i feel good about, that benefits the restaurant, as well as the customer.  when i believe in what i'm doing, that's when i churn out my best work.  and so far, i haven't had that feeling .. and it concerns me.

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harvest 2013 @ Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard

it's that time of the year again .. harvest time!  this year, i went to norman hardie winery to participate in their public harvest event.  i met norm last summer and he was kind and generous enough to do a 1-on-1 tasting with me of his county pinot noir and chardonnay.  so my loyalty to norm is quite obvious.  i do believe he makes some of the best pinot noir and chardonnay (if not the best) in Prince Edward County.

anyway, i got up at 5 am on a saturday morning to make the three hour drive to wellington county.  i don't get up at 5 am for anybody or any job.  but a volunteer grape picker?!  hell yeah.  :)  i picked chardonnay for 4 hours and not once did the "city" girl side of me come out.  i was in full "farm" girl mode.  normally, i get all squeally when it comes to bugs but while i was picking, none of that entered into my mind.  yeah, the occasional lady bug landed on me.  i was surrounded by the sound of crickets.  there were bees, wasps, and dragon flies swirling.  spiders, bugs .. you name it, it was there. but it didn't bother me.  when you do what you love, nothing matters.

by the time i was done, we headed back to the winery for a fantastic lunch.  i wasn't able to stay since it was getting late.  when i said good bye to norm, he said he remembered me .. it took him a while but then he connected the name to the face, the light bulb went on.  :)

harvest is only one of many wine related events that i will partake in over the next few weeks.  i have a taste ontario event in october - i'm excited to try the riesling by charles baker and the chardonnay by bachelder wines.  bachelder wines are usually quite pricey and i'm never certain whether the wine is worth the price tag.

in november, it's the annual ottawa food and wine festival.  my ticket for the tasting alley has been purchased and i'm excited to go.  i missed the show last year because i chose to attend toronto event instead.  i was pretty disappointed in the toronto show so i'm glad to attend the ottawa show this year.

time to get some rest.  until next time ..

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registered

registered for the final course in the program.  i have mixed feelings about it.  on the one hand, i'm absolutely petrified of the service exam that will be part of the final course.  the last time i worked in the food industry, i was 17 years old.  but this service exam is more like an oral exam on wine knowledge.  although i'm okay at the subject, i'm just not good at oral exams .. i tend to freeze up and forget everything.  i'm going to need a lot of practice.

at the same time, i'm not about to quit with just one course left ...

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Day 5 - last day in Niagara

on my last day in Niagara, i went back to Pillitteri to make my purchase.  the winery parking lot was packed!  luckily, my friend at the winery was able to set me up at the tasting bar again.  Justin and i have had wine discussions for a while now and although he works for Pillitteri, we discuss our favorite and not so favorite wines of the region.

after my week long tour, this is what i had to say about the wines we tried and discussed.

Tawse Winery makes the best chardonnay musque in the region.  the musque clone means it inherited certain qualities of the muscat variety - which is a very aromatic grape.  i've tried the chardonnay musque from chateaux des charmes and pillitteri but Tawse was my favorite.

i was not a fan of Pillitteri's Pic'd line of wines.  it didn't wow me in terms of finish, taste, and aroma.  the interesting thing about that line is that people can send in photos they've taken and it might end up on a label of one of the wines from the Pic'd line of wines.  it's been a popular series and although it's a great idea, i couldn't bring myself to buy one.

as i mentioned before, the Exclamation series cabernet franc was one to buy and i ended up picking up one for the road.  

the ice wine trio that i tasted at Pillitteri were quite good.  i'm not a big fan of sweet wines but the Sangiovese ice wine was definitely interesting, as were the Vidal and Cab Franc.

Vineland Estates cabernet franc for their Elevation Series is terrific for $25.  the general list is okay for $12 but if you have the money, spend it on the Elevation Series.  i also think Vineland Estates makes a fantastic riesling.  honestly, you can't go wrong with the Cave Spring estate bottled riesling or even Tawse Sketches of Niagara riesling. all three of these are priced in the $18-$20 range.

speaking of rieslings.  one of my last stops was at an up and coming winery called Back 10 Cellars.  i found them via twitter and decided to stop in since i was in the area.  Back 10 Cellars was easier to find than Henry of Pelham even though the winery didn't even have a sign up!  i met Andrew, co-owner of the vineyard .. and he was a super nice guy to talk to.  he gave me a brief history of how he and his wife ended up in Niagara and the significance of the number 10.  their dream of owning a vineyard started 10 years ago and after all these years of buying the land, cleaning it up, preparing it for vines, planting, growing, pruning, and producing fruit .. it has finally paid off.  they currently do not have a retail store or tasting room and no bottling facility on site.  all of their wine is produced by Featherstone Winery.  but already their first riesling vintage has won an award at wine competitions.  i got to try their riesling and it was .. interesting.  i'm not sure if my glass wasn't clean but there was a distinct ... chicken coop aroma coming from my sample.  there was minerality, some tropical fruit notes but definitely chicken coop or some odd barnyard that is not the same as the barnyard from a pinot noir.  

nevertheless, i think Back 10 Cellars is a winery to keep your eye on.  it just started but i think they bought a gem of a piece of land.  they have a cabernet franc coming out in October 2013.  if you're in the area, stop in and try it.  i know i will.

the drive home was a test of my patience and my patience lost.  as much as i tried to avoid taking the 407 home, i eventually caved and hopped on the 407 from Dixie Road to Kennedy.  that's going to be one heck of a toll bill.  :(

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Day 4 - getting lost in Beamsville

after my brief stay in Cambridge, i drove all the way back to Niagara to finish my tour of wine country.  this time, my focus was on the Beamsville Bench region.  my first stop was Henry of Pelham.  according to eugene, this was a winery that i should go see.  so i set my gps to find the winery but when i got to my destination, it turned out to be an empty field.  Henry of Pelham isn't a new winery so i was expecting an elaborate tasting room and entry way.  but i followed the gps and followed the signs but it led me to nowhere.  i could not find the winery for the life of me!  what's funny is, i spoke to my friend Justin at Pillitteri and he told me that he too has never been able to find Henry of Pelham - and he lives in the Niagara region!  :)  so it's not just me.

after wasting so much time, i gave up and decided to continue looking for other wineries in the area.  i manage to find 13th Street Winery, Flat Rock Cellars, Sue Ann Staff, and Hidden Bench Vineyards before heading to my next hotel.  i didn't spend much time tasting at these wineries though.  why?  well, after tasting the cabernet franc at Vinelands, i decided to go on a mission to taste a bunch of cabernet francs from other wineries.  and my luck started to run out after failing to find Henry of Pelham because when i stopped in at 13th Street, no cab franc.  i moved on to Flat Rock Cellars - no cab franc.  the kind folks at Flat Rock suggested i try Sue Ann Staff down the road.  i got to Sue Ann Staff's tasting room and there was nobody there to greet visitors.  so i left.  i headed off to find Hidden Bench - my other must visit.

there were no visitors so i had time to chat with the lady behind the tasting bar.  we went through a number of their wines.  i tried their "lightly oaked" chardonnay, riesling, meritage, and rose.  their wines are actually quite good but i was most impressed with their rose.  i'm not a fan of roses because the roses i've had were usually pink coloured pinot gris .. very acidic.  but the rose by Hidden Bench had a beautiful aroma of ripe strawberries.  it even tasted like it on the palate.  i was so impressed that i actually bought one.  i was least impressed with the tasting fee - $10 for 3 samples.  most wineries charge a fee and deduct it from your wine purchase.  at Hidden Bench, they deduct the $10 only if you buy three bottles.  yikes!  so my $20 roses became a $30 rose.  ugh .. oh well.  just once.  never again.

Hidden Bench 2011 Riesling

Hidden Bench 2012 Rose - delicious

Hidden Bench 2011 Chardonnay

Hidden Bench 2009 Meritage Terroir Cache

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Day 3 - From Vineland, ON to Cambridge, ON

i checked out of my hotel to head out to Cambridge, ON.  before driving out of the Niagara area, i had a few visits to make before my spa appointment at Langdon Hall.  i drove out to Vineland, ON to meet up with a class mate of mine from the sommelier program.  we had scheduled a meet and tasting with winemaker, Brian Schmidt at Vineland Estates.  the last time i was at Vineland Estates, Brian was out of town so i wasn't able to meet with him.  Brian is a brilliant winemaker and i say that because when we talk about viticulture and vinification, he goes right down to the scientific level and that's how you know the depth of his knowledge in the subject.  i could listen to him talk for hours.

while at Vineland, i was greeted with a handshake and a glass of their 2011 Pinot Gris - a medium yellow wine with notes of citrus (lemon/lime), hint of tropical fruit (pineapple), and minerality.  the medium length finish is punctuated with medium low body, yet high acidity.  it was a great palate refresher for what was to come.

Brian led us to the fermentation room.  the room was chilled like a refrigerator and housed several tanks of riesling.  i was in heaven.  :)  we sampled a dry riesling that will be bottled for general list, a semi-dry riesling that will be bottled under the Elevation Series (my favorite), as well as the chardonnay that will be bottled under the O'Leary brand.  after a lengthy stay in the cool fermentation room, we turned our attention to their signature red - cabernet franc.

cabernet franc has a distinct aroma of green bell pepper.  as you may know, i'm not a fan of green aromatics - and that includes the fresh cut grass aroma that is common in sauvignon blancs from New Zealand.  i think it's just odd for green vegetal aromatics coming from a red wine.  i usually associate red wine with red fruit, dark berries, baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, clove), vanilla, leather, tobacco, savory spices like black pepper .. but green bell pepper?  cabernet franc is a fairly hearty grape with a thick skin - which makes it an excellent cool climate red varietal.  it grows well in niagara so you will find many wineries that produce a single varietal cabernet franc.

anyway, i tasted the cabernet franc from barrel and from tank.  it was actually pretty good.  we've determined that i have fairly expensive taste because i preferred the cabernet franc that will be bottled under the Elevation Series ($25) over the general list ($12) version.

Brian invited us to stay as long as we wanted and tastings were on the house.  i had the opportunity to taste four rieslings from the Expression in D set.  i purchased a set a few months ago and they are laying down in my cellar at the moment.  there are four rieslings in the set and since i won't be opening them any time soon, i was curious to see what was in store for me.  and oh. my. god.  the rieslings were delicious!  after the rieslings, i tried the 2011 Pinot Meunier.  the only other winery in ontario that produces a pinot meunier is Keint-He in Prince Edward County and theirs is awful.  Pinot Meunier is one of the three main grape varietals that is used to produce champagne so it is often grown as a blending grape.  it's actually very similar to pinot noir but lighter in body and colour.

At Vineland Estates - Tasting the four rieslings in the Expressions in D collection

after a great tasting, i was on my way to Langdon Hall in Cambridge, ON.  i heard about Langdon Hall from my friend Eugene.  i didn't know much about it but it looked like a nice quaint hotel.  earlier this year, it was voted the best hotel in Ontario by a travel magazine.  at that point, i knew i wanted to go.  i looked up the website and the hotel packages were pretty pricy but to mark a milestone?  it was worth it.  i gave myself a great gift.  i had a spa treatment, a three course dinner, a full country breakfast, and one night stay in a beautiful room.  when i got there, i was greeted by the valet guy.  i have never handed the keys to my car over to anybody - they don't even do that for you at the Fairmont hotels!  it was a different experience for sure.  after checking in, i went to my room.  the room was beautiful.  there was a special plate of brownies with a card from the staff and management.  on the coffee table in the sitting area, there was a half bottle of Tawse riesling and a cheese plate on a slab of wood.  it was delicious.  i couldn't relax for too long because i had a spa appointment scheduled shortly after check in.  my spa treatment was a vichy aroma rain scrub.  the spa treatment was wonderful.  i felt spoiled.  it was my first real spa experience.

My room at Langdon Hall.  It was so clean and pretty.

after the spa treatment, i went back to my room to prepare for dinner.  i brought along a black cocktail dress and a pair of killer shoes to complete the outfit.  i wanted to make sure that i was dressed appropriately for dinner.  in the entire dining room, i was the only one who ate at a table for one.  i didn't feel uncomfortable however, i wasn't sure if it was appropriate to take pics of my dishes at such a high class establishment.  i mean, the menu said "please turn your cell phones off".  they must mean business.  the amuse bouche arrived and here is where dining alone has its perks.  the portion was enough for two but since it was just me, i got two helpings.  :)  for the appetizer, i had the digby scallops.  the plate was so pretty and colourful.  the portion was huge too .. i was full after the appetizer.  for the main, i had the pan-fried turbot.  my other choices were halibut, beef tenderloin, and muscovy duck breast.  since i've had all of those before, i opted to have the turbot - a delicate white fish.  it was served with grilled squid and a clam vinigrette.  and finally for dessert, i had the blueberry lemon souffle with hazelnut ice cream.  there was also a complimentary cookie plate that included some mini macaroons.  the meal was so good .. breakfast took the top prize though.  I love breakfast and at Langdon Hall, I had lobster for breakfast!!  :). It was on top of brown butter scrambled eggs and chunks of leeks.  Included in the breakfast was a buffet of pastries, smoothies, smoked salmon, fresh fruit, and freshly baked scones.  Yes, I tried it all .. How could I not?!  

It was definitely a night to remember .. It was truly a hotel in a class of its own and proved why it was the best hotel in the province.

My Appetizer - Digby Scallops.  Love the colours on the plate!

My Main - Pan fried Turbot with calamari and clams.  It was so good.

Dessert - Blueberry and Lemon Souffle with Hazelnut ice cream

Cookie Plate - Macarons and other cookies.

Breakfast - Lobster Nage with brown butter scrambled eggs

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Day 2 - Niagara on the Lake

Started the day off at Colaneri Estate Winery.  This is a new winery owned by three brothers who married three sisters. The building on the property is over the top beautiful. The wines are pretty nice but .. I know, there's a "but".  Sigh .. Generally I don't like to write negative things about a wine or a winery but I have to say something about this winery.

Colaneri's claim to fame is their production style called appassimento.  This process involves drying the grapes and the resulting wine is usually sweeter and higher in alcohol.  In Veneto, Italy .. This process is done by air-drying the grapes on straw mats for 3-4 months. The juice from these dried grapes are used to produce Amarone.  When the pressed skins from these grapes are added to a valpolicella for a second round of fermentation - the resulting wine is called a ripasso.

The true appassimento process is air drying for a duration of 3-4 months.  At Colaneri, the drying process is done in kilns and process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.  What I believe is key is that air drying over time, you allow the grapes to continue to ripen and have the sugars develop. With quick drying, you succeed at reducing moisture content but you are not giving the grapes time to further ripen and develop those sugars.  In a cool climate where growing seasons are short, this is rather important.  So I wouldn't call their wines true appassimento.

Secondly, their portfolio consists of a wide variety of grape varietals that have been produced in the appassimento style.  In Veneto, you have corvina, rondinella, and molinara as the main grapes in an Amarone.  At Colaneri, they have appassimento style Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc, etc. however, most of these are not 100% appassimento.  Most of the wines contain maybe 30% of the appassimento grape.  Yet, the bottles still command a higher price tag.  Is it worth it?  From what I've sampled, I would probably spend the money on a ripasso or Amarone from Italy.

The wines were good and the labels are artistic but I can't help but feel that I'm paying for their over the top image rather than the work that has been put into the wine.  Colaneri is not the only winery in Niagara that produces appassimento wines.  Foreign Affair, Organized Crime, and Burning Kiln all produce this style but guess who the winemaker for these wineries are?  The same winemaker for Colaneri.  So how does this guy ensure that each winery produces something unique?  I've been trying to get a meeting with the winemaker for a while now but it has been difficult.

Speaking of winemaker, I had the pleasure of meeting the winemaker for Le Clos Jordanne.  Sebastien Jacquey took time out of his busy schedule to walk me through the entire process at LCJ.  We then tasted the three grades of Pinot Noir that are produced.  There are actually distinct differences in each grade.  The grades differ by which areas of the vineyards that the grapes are sourced from. After a vertical of Pinot Noirs, we proceeded to sample the 2012 vintage from the barrels.  As a sommelier student who loves winemaking, it was a great experience for me to taste what the wine is like at various stages of aging. I offered my view of the wine and an estimate on how much longer in oak the wine must remain.  Sebastien seemed to agree. :)

After our Pinot tasting, we moved on to Chardonnays. A few years ago, I tried the Village Reserve for the first time and I wasn't a fan.  It was so acidic that I dumped out my sample.  But the Chardonnays that I tasted was surprisingly different. They were actually quite good.  I'm not a fan of oaky Chardonnays and often times, they are over-oaked.  Seb does a careful job of lightly oaking the Chardonnay and it does show.  Following the vertical tasting, we moved to the barrel room and sampled the Chardonnay at various stages as well.  At one point, the sample from the barrel tasted deconstructed - the only way to explain it was that in one mouthful, I could taste the alcohol, the acidity, and the fruit in different areas of the mouth .. Leaving me with the impression that it was a deconstructed version of the wine.  It was so cool.  It's not every day you get to experience something like this.  Thanks to my friend Eugene, I was able to do this.

@ Colaneri Estate Winery

Colaneri Pinot Grigio

Colaneri Sauvignon Blanc

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Day 1 - Niagara on the Lake

I drove in to Toronto on Sunday night - shortly after my final cake decorating class.  I loaded up my car with gifts and candy for my family and nieces/nephews and my cake.  Since my youngest sister has a birthday this month, I thought it would be great to have it with the family for birthdays this month.

I stayed just one night and off to Niagara I went.  Before leaving for Niagara, I stopped at a local LCBO to pick up a bottle of Ironstone Obsession for someone at Pillitteri Winery. A while back, we had chatted about a grape varietal called Chardonnay Musque and the rep at Pillitteri (Justin) had assured me that I would like theirs.  I had compared it to the symphony grape but Justin had never tried it before.  I told him I'd bring a bottle the next time I was in town.  I kept my promise.  Meeting Justin for the first time was pretty cool .. I tried many different wines.  Their Cabernet Franc was exceptional.  I was not a big Cabernet Franc fan because quite often it is heavy on green bell pepper.  I find that strong green aromas overpower the senses, making it difficult to pair food with.  But Pillitteri makes a beautiful Cabernet Franc .. Their award winning Exclamation Cab franc is a balance of black pepper, oak, black cherry, and a hint of bell pepper.  It's a tad on the tannic side which means it needs some time in the cellar.  This is a must-buy for me.

Also very memorable at Pillitteri was the trio of ice wines I sampled. Think ice wine is all about the Vidal grape?  No way.  They had a Cabernet Franc ice wine as well as the only Sangiovese ice wine!  Yeah, can you believe it?  It's truly something to try.  I highly recommend you visit the winery.  They are a fantastic family run winery.  They also hold a special place in my heart because of their support for the Algonquin College Sommelier program. 

I spent several hours at the winery that I didn't have time to visit others I had on my list.  Oh well .. Pillitteri left me on cloud nine and I'm okay with that :)

Pillitteri Exclamation Series Cabernet Franc

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wine vacation planned

I just booked my accommodations for my wine education / vacation this summer.  I'm excited about my itinerary and about what's to come ..

I'll post my adventure as I go .. So stay tuned!

Cheers,

Pudgy

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tasting Niagara on the Lake wines

Last week, I attended a taste and buy event featuring Niagara on the Lake wine. Unfortunately, Colaneri was unable to be at the event.  I was looking forward to trying their wines.  There were plenty of other wines to try.  All of the wines were not available at the LCBO.

One of my favorite wineries was Palatine Hills.  They had an excellent Riesling at the show - off dry, citrus, minerality, crisp acidity.  The way a Riesling from Niagara should be.  The best part was the price.  There were other Rieslings at the show - I tried the Riesling by Trius called Ghost Creek.  It was good but it was twice the price of Palatine Hills version!  I learned that winemaker (Jeff Innes) at Palatine Hills was an assistant winemaker under Brian Schmidt, winemaker at Vineland Estates. I have tremendous respect for Brian because he has been a great source of knowledge in the art of winemaking.  I'm a huge fan of Vineland wines and it's no wonder I have become a fan of Palatine Hills.

The rep at Palatine Hills remembered me from an event last year and I had connected with him at the Toronto Food & Wine show last year.  I told him that their Riesling was the best in show and later on, he gave me a bottle for the road.  It was unnecessary as I put in an order for a few bottles.  Anyway, I highly recommend their wines .. I didn't get to try their Cabernet Merlot but I was told that it was fantastic.

Niagara College Winery brought their Dean's List Chardonnay.  It was a classic Burgundian Chardonnay .. Buttery, smoky, lemon.  It was quite good .. 

I wandered over to Ravine Vineyards because the guy pouring was kind of cute - ok, don't judge me :) .. But that was short lived.  The guy said their Chardonnay was lightly oaked but when I tasted it, it was not what I would call "lightly oaked".  In fact, my guess would be that it had spent some time in new American oak.  How do I know?  I stopped by Pillitteri's table and tried their barrel fermented Chardonnay and they did it right.  There was a hint of smoke and it wasn't overpowering.  The wine was quite pleasant on the nose and palate - ripe melon, stone fruit, floral .. I was impressed.

What also made their Chardonnay impressive was the fact that it was more fragrant than the Chardonnay musque by Chateau des Charmes.  I let the folks at Pillitteri's know that the Chardonnay musque failed to impress me.  They promised that when I drop by the winery for a visit, I will be "wow-ed" with theirs.

The 2003 Gewürztraminer ice wine by Pillitteri's was delicious.  Too bad it was just for tasting.  There was a lemon iced tea aftertaste that was so lovely .. 

Finally, the most memorable wine of the night?  A 1993 sparkling wine by Chateau des Charmes.  It was toasty, bubbly, and very fresh for a sparkling that is 20 years old!!!  Can you believe it?  I wanted to lick the inside of my glass. 

Ahh .. It was truly a great night.  I wish you were there .. I'm sure there will be other opportunities to attend more tasting events.  Til then ..

Cheers,

Pudgy

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lucky me

Next Tuesday, I will be attending a private wine event featuring 27 wineries from Niagara-on-the-Lake.  I'm pretty excited because a few of my favorite wineries will be there.  I mentioned in my last post that Colaneri and Pillitteri wineries were my must-see places.  They will be at the event.

In my recent chat with the folks at Pillitteri, they convinced me that their Chardonnay Musque would turn me into a Chardonnay fan.  Chardonnay Musque is a clonal variety of Chardonnay with aromatic characteristics of Muscat.  This is a varietal that I have not tried before.

Colaneri Winery is also another winery I have been planning to visit.  They are a fairly new winery in the Niagara area.  They specialize in the appassimento style of wines. This style is mainly practiced in Veneto, Italy - home of Amarone.  Grapes are dried on straw mats before being pressed.  The appassimento style is becoming increasingly popular here in Ontario and Colaneri is just one of a few producers - Foreign Affair and Burning Kiln are others experimenting with this method.  Generally, their wines command a higher price tag due to the amount of work required to produce them.  Is the final product worth the big $$?  We shall see.  I will be sure to blog about my favorites of the night.

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taking a break this summer

This is my first semester without any classes.  My last course was cancelled due to low enrolment - which was likely due to summer vacation. So I am free this summer to do whatever I want.  Not having wine class is pretty weird for me. 

I have decided to stay busy though.  Next month, I will be resuming my cake decorating classes at Michael's craft store.  I have always wanted to go back and continue but ever since I started the wine program, I just didn't have time.  My most recent creation were rose cupcakes for a friend's birthday.  I still enjoy baking but I only do it at certain times of the year.  Usually when I am planning a trip home to see family, I will bake something to take with me.  I don't usually eat a lot of my own baking because I watch my weight.  I would be appalled if I ate two dozen cupcakes myself :)

On the sports front, I also decided to go back to playing tennis.  Every time I watch tennis on TV, I get the urge to hit the ball myself.  Luckily I have a few friends who are quite skilled at tennis and are willing to play with me.

I signed up for tennis lessons this month and I picked things up fairly easily.  My forehand has always been good and my backhand is fine as well.  I can't wait to hit with my friends.

There is a badminton club that is running during the summer if I want to drop in to play.

I will also continue training for a run this year.  I haven't decided which race to participate in.  There is the Army Run which raises money for our veterans.  And then there is the CIBC Run for the Cure which I missed last year.  Both causes are fantastic charities but I can only do one.

I have to plan a long overdue trip to Niagara.  I have chatted with several wineries over the last few months and I really need to get myself out there to meet the winery owners and winemakers.  Work has been extremely busy these days that I haven't had time to plan a vacation.  Off the top of my head - Vineland Estates, Colaneri, and Pilliteri Winery are the must see places for me.

Gosh .. Doesn't sound like much of a break, does it? :)

My last two courses ended on a high note.  I worked hard on these courses and it paid off.  The Beer Course was one of my favorites.  I still keep in touch with my instructor who worked very hard to make sure I walked out of the course with a favorite beer.  He also was a great instructor to have discussions with.

I am going to miss studying wine when this ends.

Anyway .. It's late and I must get some sleep. 

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