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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a new year, a new schedule

whoa .. it's been a while since my last post.  didn't realize i was so behind in my posts.  i have been busy .. really, i have been.

christmas came and went - had a blast at my brother's place.  i also went shopping while down in the US.  i don't shop much so when i get the chance to hit a sale, i stock up.  :)

anyway, it's another semester.  this semester, i am taking a beer course and a food & wine pairing course.  this will be my first venture into the world of ales and lagers.  after seven weeks of beers, i have a new appreciation for this beverage.  i have also been very spoiled.  the class focuses on craft beers rather than the mass produced commercial stuff.  after tasting the products from craft breweries, the Labatts, Molson, Budweiser, and even Alexander Keith's are just .. watery brews.  Alexander Keith's is actually quite disgusting.  it's made with adjuncts instead of real ingredients.  when i do have a beer now, it's gotta be a good one.

the course that has me the most on edge is food & wine pairing.  there is no midterm or final exam but there is a paper to present at the end of the course.  we have to come up with a dish and wine to complement the dish. we also have to explain why the wine was chosen.  this is supposed to be a group project but i have elected to do the project solo.  i'm not anti-social .. i just take the course a lot more seriously than others.  it doesn't feel like i'm doing it alone though.  some of my wine study group members have already taken the course and have offered to help me.  as part of my project, i'm throwing a three course tasting dinner at my house.  i've got the menu set .. just have to get the wine list together.

this weekend, i'm off to Prince Edward County again .. i've got a meeting with the folks at Lacey Estate winery.  they are going to provide me with a few bottles of their gewurztraminer to pair with the thai red curry dish that i am planning to present as my dish.

i am grateful that they have offered me to try their wine at no cost.  doing the project solo could be very expensive because you are absorbing the entire cost for the wine - nobody to split the bill with.  hopefully it will be worth it in the end.

cheers,
pudgy

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