pudgy hits the wine trail - day 1

it was day 1 of my wine adventure and already, i deterred from my itinerary.  :)  sigh .. i know, my itinerary was somewhat of a guide but somehow i ended up in other wineries that weren't on my list.  my original day 1 winery list included:  mission hill, quail's gate, gray monk, summerhill pyramid, and cedar creek.  what did i really do?  here's a run down:

first stop was a vineyard called tantalus.  with a name like that, how could i not go?  it reminded me of the days at IBM when there was a server named tantalus.  so i just had to go check this place out.  i'm so glad i did.  when i got there, the place was quiet - not a single visitor there.  i went into the tasting shop and was greeted by Martyn and Patti. we started talking "shop" .. err i guess in my case .. wine and since the place wasn't busy, Patti offered to take me into the vineyard to look at the various varietals that they grow.

tantalus is one of the oldest vineyards in kelowna - dating back to 1927.  much of what was grown then have been replaced over the years with new varietals (mostly vinifera).  they were recently LEED certified - meaning the site operations and buildings are environmentally friendly (water efficiency, reuseable resources, etc).

there were several beehives around the vineyard and they serve an important purpose to the vineyard.  the amount of honey produced is an indication of how well the crop is doing.  the more honey produced, it means flowering is abundant.  more flowering, more grapes, bigger yield.  Patti also mentioned that some vineyards grow rose bushes nearby.  roses act as an early warning system for diseases such as powdery mildew.  powdery mildew is a fungus that can grow on the leaves and berries themselves - hindering berry growth and maturity.  roses are susceptible to powdery mildew and usually show up on roses well before they show up on grapes.  so if the roses are showing signs of powdery mildew, the winemaker can take protective action to control the development of the fungus and ensure that the grapes will not be destroyed by it.

anyway, seeing the grapes up close was very cool.  i see photos of grapes and i know what table grapes look like but how big are wine grapes?  they are actually smaller than what i thought.  the smaller the berries, the more concentrated the flavours are.  the bigger the grapes, the more water content there is.  wine grapes are as small as blueberries.  when they are ripe, there is just a little give to the touch. i asked to try one and Patti was afraid it would be too tarte.  but she pulled one off for me to try and it was tasty.  they still weren't ready yet but it's practical knowledge for me to know what the grapes taste like during various stages of growth.  even though the one i tasted seemed okay, it was one out of a bunch and other grapes in the bunch were still green.  this stage is called veraison - the onset of ripening.  in another week, the entire bunch will be purple.  wish i could be around to try a grape at that point.

by the time we walked back to the tasting shop, the place was packed with visitors!  poor Martyn had to man the tasting bar all by himself.  Patti made sure i tried some wine as well.  i had their 2011 riesling - good minerality and tropical fruit, very crisp.  i really enjoyed it on its own.  i also tried the 2009 old vines riesling.  this vintage was sold out at the shop so i couldn't buy it even if i wanted to.  it had a petrol aroma to it, along with melon, citrus, and apple notes.  but i guess i'm just not used to rieslings with petrol.  the chardonnay had a nice balance of citrus and oak.  i'm not a fan of oak but this wasn't overpowering.  lastly, i tried their pinot noir.  also very nice but i did not give it enough time to open up.  i was also sampling my pinot noir out of a Riedel riesling glass.  :P  .. i know, i'm such a wine snob.  ;-) 

i ended up buying the 2011 riesling.  it was too good to pass up and it's not something i can get in Ontario.  it was worth buying, in my opinion.

next stop was summerhill pyramid winery.  after experiencing some incredible hospitality at tantalus, summerhill had much to live up to.  and it did not.  when i arrived at the winery, it was packed with tourists.  i went in to the tasting room and it was a zoo.  people were crammed along the tasting bar, people taking photos.  i took a few pictures and then left without trying anything.  it was almost impossible to get up to the tasting bar anyway.  bad timing for me because a tour bus had just pulled up as i arrived.

at st. hubertus, it was also very touristy but there weren't many tourists when i stopped in.  i can tell when it's geared towards large tour groups because the tasting room looks like a retail store with lots of knick knacks other than wine.  i stopped in, looked around, and then proceeded to walk into the vineyard to see the grapes progress.

my last stop was all the way out in Lake Country to visit gray monk vineyards.  it was the furthest one yet and it too was very touristy.  however, the property had some of the most stunning views.  it was too bad i went in the afternoon because the sunsets are quite amazing from the building's balcony.  gray monk had a complimentary wine tasting of 4 wines.  i sampled two of their whites - a riesling and a gewurztraminer.  both were good but nothing spectacular.  i was interested in their Odyssey III but for a 500 ml bottle it was really heavy.  so i passed on the wine and thanked the young lady for the samples.  i think i will go back for a wine tour and try the other strange varietals that they had to offer.

wow .. that was the end of day 1.  tomorrow is a big day because i'll be covering west kelowna.  oh and my little green car?  as cute as it is, the automatic transmission on the car is like driving a manual tranny.  it jerks as it switches gears but it's quite good on gas.  i've been driving for most of the day and the gas needle barely moved.  :) 

note: not sure why i am unable to add photos to my post.  will have to add them later.

wish you were here.
pudgy.

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Hello Kelowna!

i made it to Kelowna!  it's gorgeous out here.  the hotel is clean and well kept.  i was worried that the hotels were going to be run down and dingy because i read a lot of scary reviews online.  anyway, i got a cute little rental car.  i'm used to my "bigger" CR-V so downsizing to a little Ford Fiesta in lime green?!  haha .. i couldn't help but laugh.  it was a cute way to start my vacation.

the plane ride to calgary was pretty smooth but there was one big jolt that sent my lunch flying off the tray.  that was the only scary moment because i've never felt turbulence like that before.  anyway, my connecting flight was via air jazz - one of those prop planes.  if you ever fly to Kelowna, i highly recommend the flight path i took because the flight from Calgary to Kelowna was breathtaking.  we flew over the Rocky Mountains.  i got a little nostaglic at one point because it reminded me of one of the best vacations i ever had.  and then i realized that if there is a will, there is a way .. and you can bet that i'll go there again soon .. and make new memories on my own.

as usual, i overpacked for the trip and packed the wrong clothing.  it actually gets quite chilly here in the morning and at night - we're talking 7 degrees Celsius.  this is a far cry from what we are used to in Ontario where it has been hot all summer.  but during the day, it's about 30 degrees.  i like this weather because it reminds me of fall - my favorite season.  but i'm going to have to look for a pair of sweat pants or something warm.

aside from my hunt for sweat pants, there will be a list of wineries that i'll be visiting today.  my camera battery is charged, my 16 gb card is empty .. and i'm ready to go.

let the adventure in wine country begin.  hopefully later on tonight, i'll have some pictures ready.

wish you were here.
pudgy.

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much ado about nothing ...

i went online to sign up for my next course and to my surprise, the program now requires 10 courses to be completed for certification, instead of 8!  i thought i was half way through the program but apparently i'm only 40% there.  they've added a whisky course and a 30-hr practical experience requirement.  so does this mean pudgy is going to be serving wine at a restaurant in the near future?  hmm ..

my vacation plans are shaping up.  slowly but surely.  my schedule is pretty packed so far ..  i don't even know if i will have time to see a couple of friends who want to drive up from Vancouver.  i must say that i am very grateful (and blessed) for all the help and suggestions that others have given me.  i went from "i have no idea what to do or see" .. to .. "omg, is there enough time to do all of this that i want to do?!" in just a matter of days.

credit goes to eugene, gav, claire, and dave.

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summer adventure .. part deux

i mentioned that there would be a follow up to my summer adventure.  some of you commented on the bold steps i took .. some of you were even "jealous" of the fun i was having .. :)  part two of my adventure may change some of that.

i failed to mention that while at norm hardie's, i was eaten alive by mosquitos.  at last count, there were somewhere around 40 bites to my legs (below the knee).  there were a few bites on my left foot that caused it to swell up so much that it was painful to walk on.  my co-workers grew concerned about the appearance of the bites and advised me to take some allergy medicine.  i took a benadryl but a day later, i developed a skin rash.  could it have been from the benadryl??  but after three days of uncomfortable swelling, i decided to go see a doctor.  the doctor had to prescribe a topical antibiotic because it had become infected.  after using the cream for a few days, the swelling had gone down considerably and i was able to go to work.

however, it's been over a month now and the bites have left scars and some are still itchy.  my legs are awful looking.  i'm pretty sure it wasn't Lyme disease.  but boy, did i ever pay the price in the name of wine.  i'm lucky i'm okay .. but next time i go back to norm hardie's (or any winery for that matter), i'm packing bug repellent.

this month, i had the opportunity to try something new again.  i think you all know by now that if it's crazy, pudgy is going to do it .. :)  well, this month i had another "first" .. i attended my first muay thai/MMA event.  it was pretty good.  i'm considering signing up for some lessons because the conditioning part of muay thai training is supposed to be a really intense workout.  so .. we'll see.  ;)

my next adventure is coming up at the end of the summer .. i'm really excited about it.  the only hint i can give you, is that the adventure was inspired by this quote:

luck is where preparation meets opportunity

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summer break has officially begun

It was my last class for the summer term. At this point, I am half way through the program. Kind of sad but at the same time, pretty excited to see what's next.

Good bye New World Wine Regions and Vinifcation.

Hello Old World Wine Regions?

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summer is here.

geez, it's july already.  i completely missed the month of june.  it was a month of adventure for me.  i'll start with the first ..
a few months ago, i turned to oprah's channel and a message flashed across the screen ..

you get in life what you have the courage to ask for.

that one quote was the inspiration for my first adventure.  i have been studying vinification and i couldn't get enough of it.  it combined chemistry and process .. very .. chemical engineering-like.  i didn't want the course to end but after 4 weeks, it was done.  i decided to create my own co-op program to allow me to continue learning the concepts of vinification.

i emailed some local winemakers asking whether they would mentor me or allow me to shadow them for a few weeks.  of the many wineries i asked, three of them replied to my request.  one of them was norman hardie.  norman hardie was the former sommelier at the Four Seasons in Toronto.  we spoke over the phone and it was like an interview.  the interview went well and i was invited to the winery for a visit.

i decided to stop in the winery while i was on the way back from a trip to Toronto.  i met with mr. hardie for a brief discussion and then we launched into a tasting exam.  he handed me a riedel pinot noir glass and said "i would advise you to spit because you'll be drinking a lot today and i can't have you drink and then drive home".  so that's what i did .. we started off tasting the 2010 county pinot noir .. then the 2010 niagara pinot noir.  "can you tell the difference?" .. the county pinot noir had a bit more structure (ie. more tannic) than the niagara pinot.  i preferred the county pinot over the niagara.  i also sampled the county pinot noir at various stages of barrel aging.  when it came to the cabernet franc, it was the most interesting one.  the pH level of the cabernet franc was too low for any fermentation to take place.  in cool climate regions such as ontario, the growing season isn't warm enough or long enough to allow the sugars in the grapes to develop.  hence, the result is a more acidic grape - yes, even with red grapes.  this cabernet franc was a prime example of this.  the pH was about 2.8 and in order for fermentation to take place, the pH had to be around 3.3 to 3.5.  so what do you do?  you add calcium carbonate .. which is a base (do you remember your chemistry?  :)).  this process is called de-acidification.  by bringing the pH up to 3.3, it would produce a suitable environment for the bacteria to kickstart fermentation. 

once we were done with the reds, we moved on to the whites .. specifically, the chardonnay.  i tasted the chardonnay at various stages of malolactic fermentation and barrel aging.  some were smokey-er than others .. the more 'smoke', the longer it has been in the barrel.  when malo is still going on, you get an effervescent feeling on the tongue.  mr. hardie then started going from barrel to barrel .. blending.  wow .. at one point, the changes were too subtle for me to figure out what the blend was.  but i was like a kid in a candy store.  and yes, i spit everything out.  when i left, there was absolutely no redness on my face.

it was such an amazing experience.  i learned a lot from him and i got to see the practical side of my favorite course.  i even got to give my take on the wines. 

my second adventure was inspired by the exerpt from theodore roosevelt's speech about "the man in the arena".  many times, we tell ourselves that we will enter the arena when we are bulletproof and perfect.  but we all know that may take forever.  so does that mean you'll never enter the arena? 

i decided that i wasn't going to wait for perfection ..  so for my birthday, i made arrangements to dine at a tasting restaurant called Atelier.  i've always wanted to try their 'molecular gastronomy' cuisine by award winning chef Marc Lepine.  you need to book 1-2 months in advance to get a reservation.  i managed to get a reservation with only 2 weeks notice.  i asked for a table for 1 and the chef was able to accomodate my request.

the meal was 3 hours long but the courses were fantastic.  it was such a shame that i didn't have the wine pairings but i was driving so no wine for me.  but after all was said and done, i had consumed 17 courses that night.  i know .. 17!!  i was full after 9 courses but they just kept bringing more cutlery - new cutlery for every course!  i even got a jar of truffles to take home.

i will definitely go back for another meal.  maybe in the fall or winter when the menu is completely changed.  but best birthday dinner ever.

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Quiet month of May

it's been a quiet month so far and my blog has been pretty quiet as well.  i stumbled upon this great quote recently. 

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”  - Theodore Roosevelt

gave me much to think about ..

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