Foxy Wines

After spending the afternoon taking care of my sick boys I've decided to kick back and try something new. I have just opened up a bottle of The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards and Estate Winery's Trumpour's Mill 2007 Pinot Gris from Prince Edward County. It has been years since I've tried anything from Canada's newest wine region and Pinot Gris is not something I drink very often. This wine has a nice bright straw colour. I didn't get much on the nose. The taste is light and I definitely get apple and some tropical notes. The acidity and minerality balances out this wine well. This wine reminds me of summer. I would love to sit out on a hot sunny day and sip this wine all by itself. If you wish to pair it with food, I would definitely say chicken or seafood, something that won't overpower this light fruity wine.

Well this came as quite a pleasant surprise. I have not tried a rose in several years, mostly because when I do I have flashbacks of nights where I drank way too much of the sweet strawberry-tasting stuff as a student. This rose is different though. This is what they call a 'serious' rose. It is very light, dry, yet complex. It is made up of 80% Cabernet Franc, 12% Gamay, and 8% other vinifera. It has a tartness of raspberry and cherry but it also had a definite green-ness that I was not expecting at all. The first thing that came to mind was green pepper with a touch of celery. The finish was long and spicy. This wine has me excited about trying more roses. I hope I can find some more out there that can stand up to Malivoire's Ladybug.

Last night I had the opportunity to go to the second WineCamp TO. It was a really good experience. I have to admit that I was really nervous about going. Not only was I meeting up with about 30 strangers but I had no idea if these were going to be people in the wine industry, partiers or somewhere in between. On top of it all, there were crazy directions on how to get there that involved unmarked doors and stairwells going down. A little sketchy for a women walking around by herself! Well in the end all was good. The event was held in the beautiful tasting room at the Fine Wine Reserve , a place that has more security than a high-tech data center. The people were all so friendly and there was a great cross section of the population there. There were some people who worked in the industry, people who had various websites and online services related to wine, and there were people there who just like wine and want to learn more about it.

There were 3 speakers that I had the pleasure if listening to. David Lawrason, Toronto Life wine expert and VP of WineAlign.com, was the first to speak. I was so excited to meet and listen to a wine critic, especially one who has earned so much respect. David discussed the current state of the wine industry in Canada, and which varietals are doing well in the competitions. He also discussed the Niagara region's geography. I think I may have contributed to sidetracking him a bit on the "Cellered in Canada" issue.

The second speaker was Ann Sperling of Southbrook Vineyards, the first winery in Canada to achieve biodynamic certification. Learning about how they go about producing organic wine and about Ann's journey in the wine industry was very captivating. The passion that the folks at Southbrook have can definitely be tasted in their wines. I was very impressed. I had the chance to taste the 2007 Syrah and the 2008 Merlot. Both were fanatastic.

The third speaker was Krista Broadhurst, the Assistant Sommelier at Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar. Her speech was so fun and entertaining, not to mention inspiring. She is just so excited about wine..and cheese! She paired a 2006 Riesling from Ravine Vineyard with 2 Canadian artisanal cheeses. Both the wine and the cheese were delicious. The wine was so different from any other wine I've tasted from Niagara. It smelled of honey and tasted of sweet apples. I truly loved it.

At the end of the evening I had the chance to speak one on one with Ann Sperling and Krista Broadhurst. Both are an inspiration to me to learn more about Canadian wines and to continue to be involved in wine events going forward. They both live for wine and that is evident in how they shared their experiences with us last night.

One sunny weekend in the spring we decided to drive out to visit The Organized Crime Winery. We had driven past it many times but had never had the chance to stop and do a tasting. I was quite surprised when we pulled up to find an ordinary, modern-looking, all brick house with a large double car garage in the front. It looked like a house that had been translated from any Southern Ontario suburb. It didn't look like any of the other vineyards that we had visited. A little bit concerned about walking into a strange house, I sent my husband in to check it out. When he came back out he had said he was very impressed with what he saw and tasted. He couldn't decide which wine he liked best. I took my turn to go in. The owners had sectioned off their dining room from the rest of the house and had turned it into a beautiful boutique. I tried several of the wines and settled on purchasing the 2008 Riesling.

This past weekend I opened the bottle up for a nice relaxing evening in. As soon as I removed the cork I could smell pineapple. It smelled delicious! On the nose I could smell citrus, pineapple and green apple. I really enjoyed the taste of this wine. It tasted like peach and apple with a balanced acidity and minerality. I drank this wine on its own. It was a perfect drink to enjoy during the hot weather that we have been having. I highly recommend this wine. So far this is my favourite Riesling.