a weekend in prince edward county

this year, the weather has been pretty hot and dry - great for wine country but not so great for fruit and vegetable farmers.  i'm pretty excited about this year's vintage because everything i've heard from the vineyard managers has been positive.  the fruit got lots of sunshine and with little last weekend, i spent the weekend in prince edward county doing some work with two vineyards:  norman hardie vineyard & winery and black prince winery.

on saturday, i woke up bright and early to make the three hour drive out to norman hardie.  those of you who know me, know i'm not a morning person.  for me to get up at the crack of dawn on a saturday?!  i did it anyway and it was a great drive.  norm greeted me and told me that the crew was over at casa dea winery's vineyard to pick chardonnay.  i had brought along a pair of garden snips and gloves so i spent a good 5 hrs snipping off bunches of chardonnay with 20 other volunteers.

the last time i was at norm hardie's, i was "attacked" by mosquitoes and it left me almost scarred for several months.  this time, i dressed appropriately and was covered from head to toe.  although there weren't any mosquitoes, there were some bees around.  as long as i left the bees alone, they didn't bother me.  that was another weird thing that i noticed.  i'm usually squeamish when it comes to bugs and when i was picking grapes, there were bugs all around and it didn't bother me at all.  i was so focused on what i was doing and enjoying the moment.  i really did think about the bugs and creepy crawly things.  i guess when you love what you do, you're willing to face the bad stuff.

picking all morning and afternoon, the crew at the winery rewarded the volunteers with a big feast.  there was a whole hog roast, wood oven pizza, and lots of veggies to keep things healthy.  :)  oh .. and the wine was flowing.  it was unlimited chardonnay and pinot noir.  and norm makes a killer pinot noir.

since i went alone, a few folks invited me to join their table.  greg, patti, janet, and gary were kind enough to have me join them for the late lunch.  they were very interested in my wine background and we got to know each other very well.  by the end of the meal, greg and patti told me how proud they were of me and my pursuit of my wine knowledge.  they even gave me their contact info should i ever need a place to stay in Kingston.

the next morning, i opted to head to black prince winery for some hands-on winemaking duty with geoff webb.  i started off with a bit of vineyard work - picking grapes with a couple of other students.  after being at norm's vineyard, i could see why norm's wines are priced appropriately.  the vineyards at norm's was very well maintained.  the canopy was trimmed nicely and there was less fruit on the vines.  don't think that this is a bad thing.  in fact, it's better to have less fruit on the vines because if there are too many bunches on the vine, the nutrients are distributed among the many bunches .. leaving you with many "average" bunches.  whereas if you had fewer bunches on the vine, those grapes would not have to compete with other bunches for nutrients and as a result, you get better quality fruit.

at black prince winery, the canopy was out of control and the vines were full of fruit.  it took forever to pick the grapes from one row.  in fact, 3 vines would have filled a large bucket.  the bees in the area were also more active.  there were lots of bees.

the interesting thing about the black prince operation is how they keep the birds away.  at norm's, there's a cannon that goes off every hour.  the cannon sounds like a double barrel shotgun and it would fire every hour or so.  the noise is supposed to scare off birds looking to eat grapes.  black prince winery is closer to town so having a cannon go off every hour isn't the best solution for their location.  geoff had a solar powered sound system installed and every so often, you would hear the sound of birds in distress.  this signals to other birds that trouble is near and this scares the birds away.  pretty neat.

after a bit of picking, i got back to the crush pad and watched the winemaker drain the free run juice from a tank of merlot.  the smell was like heaven.  so sweet.  he took a sample from the free run and asked me to analyze the juice.  it smelled like iced tea.  when i took a sip, it tasted nothing like grape juice from my childhood.  this was better than Welch's.  :)  the plan is to use the free run merlot juice for a rose.

for the rest of the afternoon, i got to help the team crush and destem the merlot batch.  meta bi-sulphite was added periodically to prevent the juice from fermenting prematurely and to keep the freshness during cold soaking.  the pulp resulting from the destemming process was like sludge.  i don't know how you'll get juice from that.

around 3 pm, i had to call it a day.  the process wasn't over yet but i had to keep in mind that my drive home was going to be a 3 hr journey.  before i left, the assistant winemaker collected a number of bottles of wine for me to take home.  i got a bottle of cabernet franc rose, pinot gris, riesling, and their signature cabernet franc.  hmm .. will work for wine?  :)  it was a nice gesture and i hope to go back and do some more work with them later this year. 

my journey to gain knowledge in winemaking has allowed me to connect with some very interesting people.  i've also been on some great adventures.  one day, i'll have some great stories to tell my nieces and nephews.

this weekend will be another new adventure - the army run.  my first 5km run.  i won't be doing it alone though.  my girl friends will be joining me for the early morning run.  wish me luck .. :)

cheers,
pudgy

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harvest 2012

it's harvest time in the vineyards!  i'm headed to Norman Hardie's this weekend to help with this year's vintage.  it'll be my first time attempting hands-on work in a winery .. i'm so excited!  i've always wanted to spend a summer working on a farm and shed my princess ways.  :)  not a lot happens at the winery in the summer but it's even better when the action happens during my favorite season - autumn!

i'll try to blog about it after i'm done.  i've been in touch with a few folks about assisting with the winemaking duties so hopefully i'll be able to get more experience out of it.  i'm also scheduled for duty at Black Prince Winery in PE County. 

my friend reviewed my 8 page report on my okanagan trip.  he said it was very well done.  it's been a while since i've had someone review my written work so i was pretty nervous.  i hope i impressed.

school has started and already i've had a quiz.  i guess i should get used to having weekly quizzes again.  i chose to take one course this semester because old world wine is supposed to be one of the tougher courses.  we talk about france in a span of 6 weeks!  every appellation, region, sub-region, is dissected, tasted, and analyzed.

the french definitely has their own style of winemaking and it shows in the wines we've had.  the only way i can describe it is .. it doesn't have that "manufactured" taste that you get with the mass produced stuff.

anyway, i hope you all have a great weekend.  remember: there's an adventure out there waiting for you to discover it.  i've discovered mine .. :)

cheers,
pudgy

 

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homework

i spent the last two days writing up a report on my trip to the Okanagan Valley.  my trip wasn't all pleasure - although it may have seemed like it.  much of it was for educational purposes.

on my final day, i got a chance to meet the winemaker at the Osoyoos Larose facility.  Osoyoos Larose produces two wines:  Le Grand Vin and Petales - both are Bordeaux-style blends.  The winemaker, Pascal Madevon, was a really nice host.  We toured the fermentation tanks area and the barrel cellar.  The facility is one of the cleanest I've seen.  I got to taste the upcoming 2009 release of Le Grand Vin and it was very nice.   I'll be looking out for that at the LCBO for sure.

anyway, my summary report covered all 27 wineries that i visited in a span of 5 days.  i made notes of all the wine that i sampled and even the discussions i had with each winemaker or vineyard rep.  the report is 8 pages long.  sigh .. i wonder if my friend is willing to go through all 8 pages.  i tried to make it as entertaining as possible.

tomorrow is the first day of class.  it's going to be a tough semester because we are covering Old World next.  wish me luck.

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short update ..

was bummed that my winemaker's meeting was canceled yesterday. I used the time to tour the other wineries in the area and road 13 vineyard was kind enough to give me a tour of their bottling plant and "chemistry" lab. they answered some of the questions I had on the process as well.

I ended up back at the hotel early as the sun was finally getting to me. It's been really hot and the heat was giving me a headache.

I'll provide an update later on where I've been ..

Today is another big day .. My last day in Osoyoos.

Wish you were here.
Pudgy

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pudgy hits the wine trails - day 4

first real day in osoyoos and what a day it has been.  for four days straight, it's been non-stop touring.  i can't complain because i want to make the most of my time here in BC but it can be tiring.  luckily for me, i don't venture out after 7 pm and there really isn't much of a night life here in osoyoos anyway.

the day started with a lunch at mica restaurant at the spirit ridge resort next to nk'mip cellars.  the short rib grilled cheese sandwich was really good.  i think i liked the side salad the best .. mixed greens topped with sliced almonds and crumbled goat cheese.  the view was beautiful and it wasn't too hot.

after my lunch, i wandered over to nk'mip cellars tasting bar.  it was busy so i walked over to the patio restaurant, sat on one of the benches and took in the view.  it was just so pretty.  eugene was right - the view was gorgeous.  when the crowd cleared, i went up to the tasting bar to see what they had to offer for tasting.  i tried a riesling, 2008 meritage, and 2009 meritage.  the wine was very good but the best part was giving tips to the lady behind the bar.  she admitted that her tasting skills were not the best, so i guided her through a tasting with their wines.  that was pretty cool because one of the things i enjoy is teaching others about wine tasting.  she was very appreciative and i think she learned a thing or two from me.

my visit to nk'mip cellars wasn't just for the wine.  i was there to meet with the lead winemaker to talk about their wine making process.  as you know, my favorite course in the wine program so far has been vinification and i have made it my goal to continue learning about wine making and the techniques used by different winemakers.  unfortunately, the winemaker had an emergency and our meeting had to be postponed until tomorrow.

with the afternoon free, i decided to take a drive up along the okanagan lake.  i felt at peace and it didn't matter where i was headed.  eventually, i made my way to jackson-triggs okanagan.  they had four complimentary wines to taste but were collecting donations for a charity.  i appreciate wineries that donate to charity so i decided to try a few.  i started off with their sparkling wine.  initial nose was all toast but as the sparkling was given a bit of time, the toast was replaced with an apple aroma.  it's no wonder it's an award winning sparkling wine.

i followed that with a 2008 meritage which was a predominantly merlot and cabernet franc blend.  it was heavy on the cabernet franc notes (fairly herbaceous) and it's an acquired taste.  it wasn't the most popular but i think with food, it could work.  the 2009 cabernet sauvignon was more consumer friendly because it had sweeter notes of dark chocolate and cassis.  the wine host gave me some chocolate to pair with it.  wow.

i stopped in at tinhorn creek but friends had mixed reviews.  claire said she wasn't blown away by their wines but eugene had mentioned it as one to go to.  i'm glad i went in because their tasting notes were some of the best i had seen.  how many tasting notes do you see that explains how much of their stock went through malolactic fermentation?  they were more technical notes than tasting notes.  i tried their gewurztraminer and it was all rose petals and lychee.  very sexy.

gehringer brothers was just about to close when i drove up.  they kept the tasting bar opened a little long so i could try some of their wine.  claire mentioned that their desert sun white was very nice so i tried it.  and she was right .. very refreshing.  i had to pick one up for claire.

across the road from gehringer brothers was hester creek.  before i entered the tasting bar, i checked in on foursquare.  and good thing i did because i unlocked a special treat at hester creek!  it said show this to someone at the tasting bar and receive a late harvest pinot blanc in a chocolate cup.  the ladies at the tasting bar thought it was a hoot - they had never seen it before. but they gladly honoured the special.  the late harvest pinot blanc is not like an ice wine.  an ice wine usually has a BRIX of about 22 and the BRIX for their late harvest pinot blanc is about 8.  for those of you who don't know, BRIX is a way of measuring sugar content of the grapes. the higher the BRIX, the more natural sugar in the grape.  the late harvest pinot blanc is sweet but not as sweet as ice wine.  for me, it's the perfect level of sweetness.

leslie, the tasting bar host, gave me a mini tour of the property.  we walked through the vineyards and we picked a grape off the merlot bunch to taste.  it was definitely tart.  we talked about the age of the vines, the training system, canopy management, etc.  i was in awe that she knew so much.  she really knew her stuff.  she thought i worked in the wine industry because i was asking questions that regular visitors don't ask.  hmm, you mean people don't usually ask what they do for disease control?  ;-)

i was near exhausted at that point and decided to head back to my hotel.  i'm seriously pooped.  thanks eugene for helping me reschedule my meeting with nk'mip.

wish you were here.
pudgy

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pudgy hits the wine trails - day 3

day 3 was a big day for me.  i check out of my hotel and head south to osoyoos.  after a good breakfast at the hotel, i pack up my things and load up my little green Fiesta.  before i continue, i want to mention the landscape in Kelowna.  much of the landscape was ravaged by forest fires many years ago. it's very evident as the mountain sides show "bald spots" where trees used to grow.  the city is also growing so there is development everywhere.  but still, wherever i drive .. i am blown away.  i have a soft spot for the west coast .. especially the Rocky Mountains.

anyway, let's talk wineries!

my first stop today was sumac ridge.  eugene m. mentioned that i should visit the winery and try their sparkling.  so i did.  :)  the sparkling was really good - what a way to start a morning, right?  i followed that with their gewurztraminer - very good.  and then they also recommended that i try the sauvignon blanc.  i must say .. i was impressed with their wines.  they are very affordable and true to the varietal.  the gewurztraminer had notes of rose petal, tropical fruit, and i got banana off it.  just the right amount of sweetness .. i can see it working with spicy thai food.

since i was the only one at the tasting bar, we started talking about the various wineries in the area. she recommended that i check out "see ya later" ranch vineyards.  it wasn't on my itinerary but since she recommended it, i'll make time for it.  i did not purchase any bottles since the sauvignon blanc and gewurztraminer will be available in ontario.  i highly recommend you check those out.

the next winery had a funny name .. dirty laundry vineyard.  unfortunately, the only thing quirky about the place was the name.  i dunno, it didn't seem like a serious winery to me because the entire place was decorated in clothes lines with undergarments hanging off it. even the wine shop looked more like a lingerie store than a tasting bar.  i didn't bother asking about the wine .. i just took a few pictures and left.

i looked to my gps for the next winery - lake breeze vineyards.  at first, the gps says it's really close by.  wrong!  it was so far from dirty laundry.  luckily i have a sense of humour .. but sometimes getting from one winery to the next is an adventure .. the gps took me on some really winding roads and hairpin turns.  sometimes i wonder whether my little Fiesta will be able to handle all the twists and turns.

at lake breeze, they had some really nice views of okanagan lake.  the restaurant was busy but the tasting bar was fairly quiet.  maybe the food there is better than the wine?  the highlight of my visit was the convertible Bentley parked behind me.  omg .. who was the baller owner of that baby?!  it was two older ladies.  it was a gorgeous car.  where was i again?  oh yeah .. wine.  sheesh.  :)

i was feeling disappointed in the Naramata bench.  i went on to red rooster and it was fairly busy.  the property was interesting and reminded me of Huff Estates in Prince Edward County.  they had wrought iron sculptures and a wishing fountain.  i couldn't help it .. i made a wish. 

after my wish, i headed to La Frenz Winery.  eugene m. recommended i try the wines here .. so i did. i looked at their sampling menu and i decided to try the 2011 semillon and the 2010 montage.  the semillon was very nice, fruity, refreshing, and just the right amount of sweetness.  the 2010 montage was amazing.  long finish of dark chocolate, blackberry, plum, and hint of vanilla.  medium tannins gives it some roundness. i think the malbec component of the blend really stands out in this wine.  i was tasting it for a long time and i couldn't stop thinking about it.  i could be in love.  :)

after La Frenz, it was getting a bit late and i had to get to my hotel.  i'm staying at a luxury resort called the Watermark Beach resort.  my room is like a small apartment, complete with a full kitchen.  i feel like i'm in my previous apartment.  anyway, i have to review my vinification notes for tomorrow.  i'll be in osoyoos for the next three days .. there are even more wineries here than in kelowna.  but i have three days to enjoy the sights.

i can't say enough about how beautiful it is out here.  i wish i could stay.

good night .. and i still wish you were here.  even though i traveled alone, i laughed and smiled a lot.  perhaps it's because this is what i've wanted to do all along.

cheers,
pudgy

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pudgy hits the wine trails - day 2

day 2 was another day of winery hopping.  am i tired of wineries yet?  nope.  :)  every winery has a story and i enjoy the different stories about them.

first stop today was Quail's Gate.  the property was gorgeous and the views were stunning.  they had a couple of complimentary tastings at the tasting bar and i sampled their chenin blanc.  it was okay .. good acidity but i'm used to the south african style of chenin blanc.  i didn't try anything else but was interested in taking their tour.  the tour included a walk along the grounds as well as a tour of the wine making facilities. that's what peaked my interest because i wanted to see the barrel room, the tanks, etc.  but i couldn't really spare an hr to do this.  after a few photos, i left and went on to my next stop.

before arriving at mission hill, i knew it was going to be very touristy.  it's *the* winery in the okanagan valley.  i really wasn't expecting to buy or taste anything and was only there for pictures because the property is beautiful.  i went into the tasting shop and there were two tasting bars to choose from:  a high end tasting bar and a more affordable tasting bar.  i wasn't going to try anything but if the Oculus was on the sampling menu, i was in.  Oculus is Mission Hill's high end wine and they hardly ever have it at the LCBO.  i've heard great things about it so i wanted to see what the big deal was all about.

i went over to the high end tasting bar.  i looked at the tasting menu and to my disappointment, it wasn't on the menu.  the bottle was on the shelf for display but no sample?  i walked over to the "more affordable" tasting bar on the other side of the room.  i looked at their tasting menu and noticed that it wasn't on their menu either.  so i asked the young lady behind the tasting bar if it was possible to purchase a sample of the Oculus.  she explained to me that Oculus wasn't a wine that they open for general sampling.  it was part of a high end tasting package where you taste 3 wines (including Oculus) with the sommelier on site.  so i agreed to purchase the high end tasting package .. for a whopping $10.  :)  hey, i came all the way from Ottawa for this - i was going to taste this wine no matter what.  the young lady walked over to the site manager and informed her that i would like to try the Oculus.  they grabbed a Riedel glass from their stock, walked into the special tasting room, and emerged with a sample of Oculus - on the house.  i couldn't believe it.  when i tried the wine, it was really good.  lots of fruit, medium tannins, and with a few years in the cellar, i could see the wine get better.  i've discussed purchasing a few for my trip home.  this is definitely something i would like in my cellar.  i just gotta figure out how to wrap them up and put them in my suitcase for the ride home.

i spent a good hour and a half at the winery.  i packed a picnic lunch for the trip and enjoyed it on grounds in the shade.  it was a hot day but i was a happy traveler.

next, i went to a few smaller wineries.  the Little Straw vineyards was a small family run/owned vineyard.  they own 16 acres of land and produce approximate 3500 cases a year.  i toured the grounds on my own and noticed that the rootstock of their vines were huge.  this tells me that the vineyard is fairly old.  the vines were approximately 40 years old.  i didn't get to taste anything at the tasting bar but it was nice to know some of the history of this winery.

across the street from the Little Straw was a fairly young winery called Volcanic Hills Estate Winery.  i toured the grounds myself and the vines were very young - skinny rootstock.  for a young winery, their wines have won a number of awards already.  their single vineyard gewurztraminer is supposedly fantastic.  the vines themselves seemed less kept than the other vineyards i've been to.  the vines needed pruning or the trellis wasn't doing its job.  the vines appeared to be growing wild.  there were no roses on site so how were they checking for disease?  there wasn't anybody around to answer the questions so i moved on.

my final stop was at Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery.  the info on the winery was that the languages spoken at the winery included punjabi and hindu.  come on, i had to check it out!  the first thing i noticed when i arrived were the peach trees.  they were full of peaches!!  i was so tempted to pick one off and eat it .. but i didn't.  :)  along the path to the wine shop, there were a few rows of vines.  i went into the tiny shop and asked if i could tour the grounds.  i asked which varietals were planted along the path, the wine shop attendant wasn't sure but said there were a few varietals along one row.  it's no wonder there were a variety of ripeness on one row.  they had some of the most purple grapes i had seen so far.  the attendant said that it was likely marechal foch.  the attendant also explained to me that their main vineyard was in the similkameen valley and not in kelowna.  hmm .. ok.

anyway, it was a full day but i feel like i'm falling behind already.  tomorrow, i will be hitting a bunch of wineries in the naramata bench and summerland areas.  i've been averaging about 4-5 wineries a day, but there are so many more as i go south.  sigh .. so many wineries, so little time.

i must say that traveling on my own has been a great experience.  had i been traveling with someone, i don't think i would be getting the perks and special treatment that the wineries have shown me.  i have been lucky enough to get private tours and complimentary tastings at many wineries. it's been great so far and i've learned a lot wherever i go.

i check out tomorrow and head south to osoyoos.  stay tuned for the next installment of pudgy's hits the wine trails.

wish you were here.
pudgy.

 

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