Tag wine

Niagara Peninsula Ontario Canada

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     My wife and I visited the Niagara Peninsula Wine Country of Ontario, Canada in September during their harvest. We stayed in the picturesque town of Niagara-on-the-Lake which sits on the shore of Lake Ontario where the Niagara River enters the lake. There are numerous wineries and vineyards in the area, which makes having a plan essential to maximizing your time and enjoyment while touring the region.  Our plan included the well know wineries of Trius, Stratus, Jackson-Triggs, Two Sisters, Peller, Konzelmann and Rief.

This area is definitely a cool climate grape growing region. The wineries and vineyards are among the most beautiful we have ever visited. We tasted at all the wineries that I mentioned and found the wine, even though well made, to be lean and lacking complexity. The varietals displayed crisp acidity, a light body and short finish. I was looking forward to trying their blends or should I say “Assemblage”, but found the same characteristics I found in the varietals predictably repeated in these wines both red and white. It’s not surprising the wine would exhibit these taste profiles simply because those are the traits you expect from cool climate grapes. After giving it some thought I believe that even with reduced yields the grapes couldn’t ripen fully and develop the complexity they needed. The 2016 Harvest may be different because it was a very hot dry growing season which put stress on the vines while the sunshine warmed the berries ripening them more fully.

     Many of the estates have excellent fine dining restaurants. They focus on fresh farm to table ingredients that really makes a big difference in the quality of your meal. We had dinner at the outstanding Kitchen 76 restaurant at the Two Sisters Vineyards. The view from our table was amazing, it afforded us a stunning view of the vineyards that were full of fruit waiting to be gathered. A long lane leads you through the Two Sisters vineyard to the large château that houses their tasting room, restaurant and other facilities.

     We had a wonderful time on our trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Niagara Peninsula and would recommend it. If you are traveling there from the U.S. there are some things you need to consider before you go. Be sure to have a valid passport, check with your cell phone carrier for an international plan when you are there (roaming fees are insanely expensive ), most credit cards charge a fee every time you charge so get some Canadian bills for pocket cash, most GPS won’t work after you cross the border, ask about the laws that pertain to bringing back alcohol and be truthful about it because the border guards don’t like cheaters. 

     If you do some preparation you can relax and enjoy your time in the Niagara Peninsula.  

    

View from Kitchen 76 Restaurant @ Two Sisters Vineyard

View from Kitchen 76 Restaurant @ Two Sisters Vineyard

      

Two Sisters Vineyards view from River Bend

Two Sisters Vineyards view from River Bend

Guest Post

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    When Anatoli Levine invited me to write a guest post about Saperavi for his blog talk-a-vino.com I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce this fascinating red grape to wine lovers that probably never have of it. With that in mind I happily accepted Anatoli’s generous offer and started organizing years of information that I had acquired from the winemakers and vintners that are the vanguard for this grapes accent in the wine community. The finished product was published two days ago and I have been very pleased on how well it has been received. I invite you to read the article and have included a link to the http://talk-a-vino.com/2016/11/02/desperately-seeking-saperavi blog where it is being featured.  While you are on the site please take advantage of the opportunity to browse the other posts that you will find there. I think you will be glad you did. Thanks!

Saperavi Vertical Tasting

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     Standing Stone Vineyards in Lodi, NY will be holding their annual Saperavi Vertical Tasting the weekend of October 29-30, 2016. This event is a rare opportunity to experience the evolution of a wine that is rare in the United States. Marti Macinski has developed her Saperavi vineyard and perfected her techniques for this wine over the years to the point where it has become a best seller among her excellent reds. When you see Marti make sure to tell her Rich wpawinepirate said “Hi”

Here is what Marti had to say about one her most popular events.

Saperavi and Standing Stone Vineyards are closely connected in the Finger Lakes. We planted this variety, not knowing much about how it grew, how it worked as a wine, and whether anyone would like it. Sometimes – you get lucky! Saperavi is now our most favored dry red variety – and we are just starting to learn enough about how it grows and works to shepherd it into wine. We will start with the current vintage in the barrel, and go backwards 5 vintages. Then we will pull out one of the oldest vintages from this farmstead. Do we agree with the Georgians that this wine can age for 50 years? Since this varietal did originate in the Republic of Georgia. Find out for yourself. Do not wait – this is always a sellout event. There are two Vertical Tastings scheduled for 12:30pm and 3:30pm on Saturday, October 29th and Sunday, October 30th with tickets $25 a person. Advanced reservations are required as space is limited. Please call the winery or head to our reservation page to book your seats.

http://standingstonewines.com/reservation/        Phone: 607-582-6051                       

 email:ssvny@standingstonewines.com     http://http://standingstonewines.com

saperavi-front-200x200

BranCliff Inn Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario, Canada

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     My wife and I have just returned from a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario, Canada. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a picturesque small town on the eastern tip of the Niagara brancljff-innPeninsula where the Niagara River enters Lake Ontario after flowing over Niagara Falls several miles upstream. The Niagara Peninsula is known for its agricultural production of fruits and vegetables but it was the sprawling vineyards of wine grapes that attracted us to the region. I will be discussing my experiences at the wineries in later posts but today I would like to tell you about the fabulous bed and breakfast we stayed at during our visit.

    The BranCliff Inn is a meticulously renovated school house that dates back to 1859. The inn has six rooms, one on the first floor with the other five on the second. We stayed in the spacious Cranberry suite that featured a loft bedroom. The BranCliff Inn is ideally located at 40 Platoff Street, making it a short walk to Dining/Shopping on Queen St (Downtown), Shaw Theaters, parks and the lakeshore. Owner Debbie Laufs-Tataryn will be your host and what a warm and welcoming host she is. Debbie always wanted to own a B&B so she and her husband bought the BranCliff Inn and moved to NOTL from Toronto. This B&B passes our most important test which means it is clean, clean, clean. The breakfast is buffet-style in the dining room with an offering of cold and hot choices. Everyday Debbie makes a different fruit inspired pancake that you just have to try. We enjoyed banana, peach and apple during our stay. When you stay at the BranCliff Inn you have a parking spot for your vehicle. This is a perk that is very convenient especially during high season. The inn also provides coupons for free wine tastings at local wineries and discounts for various restaurants in town.

We had a wonderful stay at the BranCliff Inn and a great time in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area. If you are planning a trip there be sure to consider staying at the BranCliff Inn. I hope you enjoy these photos we took during our stay. http://brancliffinn.com

bc-frtdining-roomlight-brancliff

 

Eat Drink S F Festival

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sea-city-mountains-landmark-medium     I have become fascinated with the proliferation of food and wine festivals across the U.S. The well-known events take place in cities with a strong identity that form an immediate visual image of what you might expect to encounter there. When I say Nashville, Miami, New York or Newport your mind immediately goes to you impression of those areas. Now when I say Eat Drink San Francisco what comes to mind.

Eat Drink S F is being billed as San Francisco’s premier food and drink festival. The event will be at Fort Mason, San Francisco, California on August 25-28, 2016. The Grand tastings at EDSF can’t be described they have to be experienced. Thirty six of San Francisco’s best restaurants will be under the festival pavilion roof at Fort Mason. You will  sample delicious dishes from all of them plus drinks from over 70 beer, wine and spirit makers. Demonstrations on the main and food stages, as well as, beverage classes will be lead by experts in their own field of interest. This type of gathering brings together “Like-minded” people. When I say “Like-minded” people I mean people who enjoy good food and drink. After that there is a world of new ideas and opinions to be exposed to.

Tickets are $119.00+$7.97 fee for the GA Grand Tastings and $209.00+11.80fee for the V.I.P. Grand Tastings. Click here for a list of participating restaurants http://eatdrink-sf.com/talent/restaurants Click here for the list of chefs that will be appearing http://eatdrink-sf.com/talent/chefs EDSF is a 21+ event. Your ticket is good for admission and everything you care to eat and drink at the festival so can have fun and keep your wallet in your pocket. To buy tickets go to the festival website http://eatdrink-sf.com This event is using #EDSF for social media posts about it.

 

Music City Food & Wine Festival 2016

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Photo courtesy of Music City Food & Wine Festival

Photo courtesy of Music City Food & Wine Festival

     Pull out your Tony Lama’s and pack your best pair of jeans then head on over to Nashville, Tennessee the weekend of September 17th & 18th for the 2016 Music City Food & Wine Festival. Nashville is a fabulous city to visit on any weekend with its legendary music venues and world-class attractions. When you add the 2016 Music City Food & Wine Festival into the mix this weekend will be off the charts both musically and gastronomically.

This event is packed full of appearances by celebrity chefs and personalities with the likes of Jonathan Waxman, Michael Symon, Aaron Sanchez and Ludo Lefebvre, to name a VERY few. When planning to attend Music City F&W it is essential that you visit musiccityfoodwine.com for a complete schedule of dates and times for activities being offered to maximize your festival experience.

     Tickets are $150 for Saturday 9/17/2016, $150 for Sunday 9/18/2016, $275 for Harvest Night Festivities Saturday 9/17/2016 7pm-11pm and $500 for All-In-Weekend. For ticket info. visit their website or call 888-512-7469. Music City F&W is a 21+ event.

Other helpful websites: visitmusiccity.com      Instagram @musiccityfw 

everfest.com  also for tickets.

 

 

DeChaunac Anyone?

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     If you have ever tasted or even heard of DeChaunac you probably have been to the Northeastern U.S., Nova Scotia or Ontario, Canada. DeChaunac is a French-American hybrid red wine grape developed by legendary French hybridizer Albert Seibel (1844-1935). This grape is also known as Seibel 9549 and is believed to be a cross between Seibel 5163 and Siebel 793. It was named after Ontario, Canada wine industry pioneer Adhemar de Chaunac, but in a strange twist of fate, may not be bottled as a varietal under Canada’s VQA system.

     When you first see DeChaunac your eyes will deceive you. After seeing this wines very dark and inky color in your glass you will be surprised by the light to medium body of such a dark wine. In my opinion a well-made DeChaunac will have a solid structure to carry complex flavors of black and red cherries, blackberry and prune with a bit of a musty nose.

     This wine can be blended with other wine to impart an “aged” characteristic but the blend must be kept at or below 7% or it can through the wine off according to J. Stephen Casscels, author of “Wine Grapes of the Hudson Valley and Other Cool Climate Regions of the United States and Canada”http://flintminepress.com

    Now that we have explored the heritage of the DeChaunac wine grape and discussed the wines made from it you might be curious about how it tastes. DeChaunac is not produced as widely as it once was but with a little research you can still find some excellent product.  Here are two examples of how a wine made from the same variety of grapes in different styles can yield wines with similar but unique characteristics. The following are two fine Pennsylvania grown and made DeChaunac.

Ripepi DeChaunac: Dry oak-aged red wine made in a Chianti-style with medium body displaying flavors of black fruit complemented by velvety tannins and a lingering finish.    

Ripepi Winery 93 Van Voorhis Lane  Monongahela, Pa http://ripepiwine.com

Narcisi 2015 DeChaunac: Slightly sweet medium-bodied wine with flavors of oranges, plum and cherries. Balanced acidity and a tart finish

Narcisi Winery 4578 Gibsonia Road  Gibsonia, Pa http://narcisiwinery.com

 

 

 

Free: New Wine Spectator App

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     Wine Spectator has released a new app for iPhones and iPads, but wait it gets better because it is FREE. The app is named Xvalues and claims that the user will “Never buy bad wine again.” “Period.” Xvalues is the latest release from WS and is built on the simple idea that most people are looking for a good wine at a good price when shopping for wine. This app helps the shopper find a good wine at a value price. You can search four topics to find the bottle that best suits your tastes. The four search perimeters are  1) Top Values $12 dollars & under rated 85+    2) Reds $20 & under rated 87+   3) Whites $20 & under rated 87+   4) Sparklers $40 & under rated 85+.

     This app has the potential to be very helpful because it uses Wine Spectator’s rating system to pair the consumer with well-priced readily available wines. Ultimately, the final decision will be based on the buyers preferences but this will assist them in the process of narrowing the field of choices.

     Go to http://apps.winespectator.com or search Xvalues in the Apple App store to get your free app.     

Cool Climate Grapes

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     When I was in Monongahela, Pa recently I visited my friends at the Ripepi Winery & Vineyard. I couldn’t have picked a better time to visit because Rich Ripepi and Pete Abvulovic had just unpacked their new Hanna Total Acid and Ph machine for the lab and were setting it up. Rich said the vineyard had come though the winter in great shape. Today turned grape book1out to be my lucky day because Rich had a book he thought I would enjoy reading. Grapes of the Hudson Valley and Other Cool Climate Regions of the United States and Canada by J. Stephen Casscles. It is a comprehensive work covering every aspect of propagating cool climate wine grapes in the northern U.S. and Canada.

He approaches the subject from an expert’s point of view drawing upon his lifetime of experience in the Hudson Valley of New York. This publication can be viewed as the most in-depth account of the history of  hybridization of cool climate grapevines ever published. Casscles has cataloged the genetic heritage of an amazing number of hybridized grapes by the person or organization that developed them. I think you will be surprised to learn where the genetic material of your favorite grapes came from and why they exhibit the characteristics they do. You may also be disappointed to find out that there is no such thing as a pure strain of grape. The truth is they all have genes from other strains in their genetic profile. To prove this fact Casscles uses the example of the “pure” Chardonnay grape. Chardonnay is a combination of a Pinot

Title Page Signed by J. Stephen Casseles

Title Page Signed by J. Stephen Casscles

Noir clone and the bulk white wine/table grape Gouais Blanc.

This book is a must read for anyone growing or wanting to grow wine grapes in a cool climate region of North America. It provides the reader with an immense amount of information and has references to almost any information resource you may need. If you are looking for a handbook/field guide/reference publication for cool climate grapes this is the book for you.

Published by:  Flint Mine Press     http://www.flintminepress.com                      

 

Golden B&W Memories

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Eugenia Frank

Eugenia Frank

Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars, Hammondsport NY, is releasing it’s new line of single vineyard wines named in honor of three of the most prominent Frank women and the contributions that they have made to the Frank winemaking legacy. These highly anticipated releases celebrate Eugenia (wife of Dr. Konstantin Frank), Hilda (daughter of Dr. Konstantin Frank) and Margrit (wife of Willy Frank).

     “Eugenia” was released in December 2015 and is a Single Vineyard Riesling made from the oldest block of Riesling grown on the winery’s Keuka Lake estate. It was from these steep slopes and shale-rich acidic soil that Dr. Konstantin Frank produced his first Finger Lakes Riesling many years ago. The winery tasting notes describe this Riesling as “Bone dry, with brilliant acidity, elegant minerality and notes of Key lime, stone fruits, pineapple and lime zest.” Cellar through 2024.

     On January 9th, 2016 Dr. Frank Wine Cellars released the second wine in the “Frank Women’s Series”. “Margrit” is a 2014 Riesling made from Dr. Frank’s Hector, NY vineyards. This vineyard is also on a steep slope and is known for being one of the warmest in the FLX. The property has a loamy soil profile that produces a ripe, fruit forward wine. The tasting notes say this Riesling has flavors that are “Tart, tangerine, Granny Smith apple and grassy with a balanced acidity.” Due to limited production these wines will only be available for purchase in their tasting room.

     I think these great photos transcend time and place to express a certain elegance and class that is hard to find in present day society. All photos courtesy of Dr. Frank Wine Cellars. A special thank you to Erin Flynn at Dr. Frank’s for her excellent articles about the Frank women that were the source for this article.

DrFrankwines.com          Twitter: @DrFrankwine

Margrit Frank

Margrit Frank