As I mentioned earlier, yesterday my sister and I went to the famed Niagara wine region for a day of wine tasting (and as it turned out, purchasing!). I have visited wine regions in the US and in Italy and I have to admit that Niagara was a bit of a back water until about five years ago. The change has been dramatic. The vintners stopped trying to produce a wide variety of varietals and started to concentrate on grapes that were better matched to the climate. The result - some excellent wines!
I normally try and limit myself to four wineries so that my palate isn't fried by the end of the day. Yesterday I made an exception for my sister - because she only gets out here every few years she really wanted to go to all of them but I managed to limit her to 6! Well, 7 if you include East Dell Estates where we had lunch.
The weather wasn't cooperative - it couldn't decide if it wanted to rain or what. The pattern seemed to be that whenever we wanted to stop the car and wander about a bit the clouds opened up! Isn't that always the way? Oh well, it was a nice day of wonderful wines, great company, and new discoveries.
Earlier this year I found that I was in a bit of a rut when it came to Niagara wineries; I always returned to the same ones. Yes I knew that there were other good ones out there but I had made my friends and apparently planned on sticking with them through good years and bad. This year I have been on a mission - to visit new wineries on every visit. I have made some wonderful discoveries this way.
The first few wineries were in the Jordan/Vineland area.
Vineland Estates
http://www.vineland.com/
This was the first winery on the list. It was also the 'biggest' of them all. Once we got out of the car it reminded us of some of the wineries we had visited in California, the ones that seem to be something they are not. Who knew that we had medieval French Chateau in the middle of Niagara? Eventually I was able to get past my snobbery and go into the tasting room.
Vineland Estates Winery is an exceptional destination winery offering a renowned wine and culinary experience in an idyllic setting. With its award-winning VQA wines, gourmet restaurant with patio, wine boutique, Carriage House for elegant functions and bed and breakfast, Vineland Estates offers its guests the ultimate wine-country experience. Established in 1998 this elegant winery is one of the pioneers of Niagara’s wine industry and is one of the largest wineries in the area. An array of grape varietals are grown in Vineland Estates 250-acres of vineyards, including, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. Producing some of the best Riesling in the area, the winery is also well-known for its exceptionally rich Chardonnay’s, fine Pinot Blanc, world-renowned Icewines and Bordeaux style reds.
While doing some research about this winery I discovered that it has won numerous awards both in Europe and North America. It is amazing how far they have come in only 9 years!
I enjoyed the 2005 Baco Noir (one of Paul's favourite wines). It is a fresh, lively and juicy wine. This wine showcases examples of mature red fruit that dance on your tongue in a medium bodied easy drinking red.
I also enjoyed the 2002 Merlot. This wine had pleasing aromas of berry fruit and fresh plums which gave a richness to this its softened bitter sweet chocolate finish.
Ridgepoint Wines
http://www.ridgepointwines.com/
Ridgepoint Wines is a small estate winery on the Niagara Escarpment, dedicated to production of premium and ultra-premium wines from our estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir grapes. Ridgepoint Wines is also responsible for the first commercial bottling of Nebbiolo in Ontario.
I selected this winery because of its production of Nebbiolo. For those of you unfamiliar with this varietal, Nebbiolo is the source of the renowned Barolo wines of the Piedmont region of Italy. The success at growing this grape in Niagara has been spotty with very low yields.
Nestled on the slopes of the Niagara Escarpment Ridgepoint is a family-owned and operated winery that is dedicated to producing premium and ultra-premium VQA wines. Situated on an 18-acre vineyard this charming European-style winery offers an eclectic array of wines. In addition to the mentioned Nebbiolo, the vineyard is also planted with Chardonnay, Riesling, with has an emphasis on red varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir as well as the Italian grape Sangiovese. I discovered that it is well known for producing big bold red wines.
The Ridgepoint 2002 Nebbiolo reflects the Ontario vintage of the year: 2002 was severe with heat and drought-like conditions. But hard weather can make great wine, giving smaller and more concentrated berries on the grapevine. This wine is a deep bright ruby in colour, intense with red-berry aromas. The evident tannins are fine, not gripping, which bodes well for a long, gracious life. There is fruit, too a hint of black cherry and some herbal notes. Barrel-aging has added spice, and the finish comes clean with acid. It is altogether a wonderful rehearsal, and gives the promise of a memorable performance to follow. This is not an inexpensive wine though, I bought 1 bottle at $ 40. Ideally it should age for ten more years in the bottle for the maximum flavour. I'm not sure I can wait that long!
Leaving the Jordan/Vineland area we headed into Beamsville for the next part of the day. I was 'raised' in this area. My mom lived there until she was married. I spent most of my holidays here visiting my grandparents. This areas has changed dramatically since the intensive focus on fine wine production began.
Thomas & Vaughan
http://www.thomasandvaughan.com/
I have passed this winery many times but never stopped in. partially because it is across the street from my favourite winery Malivoire, and partially because it just doesn't look inviting. Rose suggested that we give it an try and I am glad that she did.
In 1998, Thomas Kocsis, a second generation wine-grower, decided to bring his extensive viticultural and winemaking knowledge to the Niagara wine industry. Along with wife Barbara Vaughan, Thomas opened Thomas & Vaughan Vintners along the Niagara wine route in Beamsville, releasing their first vintage of just 500 barrels in 1999. In 2002, production increased to 5000 barrels. The winery also sells wine grape juice to local amateur winemakers.
The estate winery now farms some 40 acres of vineyards. While popular vinifera grapes make up the bulk of the acreage, T & V haven't lost sight of the value of Niagara's "traditional" grapes. The winery offers Baco Noir, Maréchal Foch, Vidal, and de Chaunac, all of which produce excellent and award-winning wines. Since opening their doors, the winery has received more than 50 awards for their estate wines.
They had just bottled their 2006 Baco Noir. I looked at the date and sniffed. However, being the wonderful spouse that I am I remembered that this was Paul's favourite varietal and agreed to 'take one for the team'. I was shocked! I tasted a full bodied red wine with smoke and berry on the nose. It would pair wonderfully with barbequed meats.
I also enjoyed the 2005 Cabernet Sauvgnion. This wine was a bright ruby-garnet. On the tongue you could taste pepper, plum, raspberry, blackberry, with hints of cherry and green pepper. It has rich tannins, firm acidity, and rich, juicy berry flavours. I enjoyed the good body and length. It does come across as young, so it will need to age another year or two.
Malivoire
http://www.malivoirewineco.com/
Yes, I said I was only going to wineries I hadn't been to before. I know I have been here before. In fact, I generally visit this winery with a cult-like following EVERY time I am in the area to see what is new and exciting.
Because of holidays and the such it has been almost two months since I was last here. It was great to be back. They had a rare vintage - a Cabernet Merlot blend. Now this isn't an unusual blend as far as wines go but generally Malivoire uses their Cabernet grapes for the production of ice wine. In 05 the conditions weren't the best for ice wine productions so the grapes were blended with Merlot to make a lush wine.
This wine is a blend of 51% Cabernet Franc and 49% Merlot. The grapes were hand harvested on October 13th and 14th, the fruit was sorted in the winery, destemmed and co-fermented in oak tanks. Once pressed, the wine was left to age in 50% new and 50% once used French oak barrels for 10 months. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation in barrel and was bottled April 24, 2007. Drink now until 2011.
The nose presents mocha, coffee, toast and oak-vanilla. The firm tannins will soften with age. Flavours of cocoa, strawberry, blackberry, truffle, nutmeg, and prosciutto greet the palate.
I also stocked up on their wonderfully dry Rosé. Under the Ladybug name, Malivoire consistently crafts one of Ontario's most expressive and classy rosés. The newly released 2006 is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Gamay. This refreshing and brightly fruity wine with notes of strawberry, peach, raspberry and sweet herbs can be enjoyed with summer salads, antipasto plates, tapas or as a summer sipper on the patio.
Fielding
http://www.fieldingwines.com/index2.php
Fielding is a rewarding winery visit—the kind of place that immediately says Ontario has arrived as a wine destination. Set against a forest backdrop high on the Beamsville Bench it boasts a great vista: 20 acres of vineyard and a view of Lake Ontario. (The Fieldings own another 40 acres on the Lakeshore). The modern, tasteful building combines smart upscale retail within a cottage country lodge ambiance. The tasting room offers a full range of varietal wines, glassware and corkscrews, with an amiable, enthusiastic staff managed by daughter-in-law Heidi Fielding.
Fielding Estates creates only small batches of complex premium wines from several varietals, to ensure that they can control the quality of every bottle. The winery creates some of the areas finest wines, and is well-known for their exceptional Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Franc bottlings. Fielding Estates selects, inspects and sorts the grapes by hand to ensure wines of exceptional quality and taste and their meticulous attention to detail can be found in each bottle of wine. Fielding Estate’s wines are available in limited quantities and are available on-line or in the winery shop, so be sure to visit the gift shop to take home some of the regions finest handcrafted premium VQA wines.
When we stopped into the shop there was a family from Pennsylvania who were dragging their trailer back south and I presume home. While I was annoyed at the thought of someone bringing young children into a winery - I mean, really, what is there for them to do? I got over it when I realized that these folk from the States were knowledgeable enough about wines to arrange to stop in here and pick up a case to take home with them.
I was taken with the 2004 Meritage Reserve. It was a blend of 50% Merlot , 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc with an intense flavor profile with a berry laced core of ripe fruit, blackberry, black and red currant, cassis and plum, chocolate, dark cherries, with notes of cedar, & mint. Best 2008 to 2010
Thirty Bench
http://www.thirtybench.com/
I realized when we stopped into this last winery that I had been here before and I recall not enjoying the wines at all! A lot can happen in 3 years so I decided to go in and see what was new. The short answer . . . A LOT!
Thirty Bench Vineyard & Winery is situated near the Thirty Mile Creek on the Beamsville Bench (Niagara Penninsula) hence the name. The main vineyard was established in the early 1980's with Riesling vines, with several additional varieties of vines added over the years. Another 5 acres of various red grapes traditionally used in Bordeaux-style wines were planted in 1991. In the spring of 2000, an additional 35 acres of land was planted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Pinto Gris.
In the mid- to late-nineties Thirty Bench was one of the best producers in Niagara, with a treasure trove of old vine Bench vineyards, including a variety of blocks of Riesling, some dating back to the early 1980s, and managed by Deborah Paskus (who became really well known for her Tempkin-Paskus micro-cuvée Chardonnay). They were producing outstanding, opulent Chardonnays, and impressive Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Bordeaux blends (in vintage years that allowed the Bordeaux varietals to ripen). Then she left. Then the wines turned really inconsistent, sometimes nasty...
Andrés (a horrid bulk wine producing company! ARGH - danger Will Robinson) bought the winery in 2004 (which I thought would be a bad thing) and to their credit, did exactly what I thought someone should do: bring in a really outstanding vineyard manager, dramatically reduce the number of wines they were producing, and hired a talented, young wine maker named Natalie Reynolds. The turnaround in the quality of the wines has been unbelievable. Her 2005 Rieslings were all wonderful, including both the base Estate Riesling and the single vineyard wines.
Despite my belief that Niagara's climate isn't well-suited to create consistently good Bordeaux-style wines, for $22, the 2005 Red Blend is one of the better Bordeaux varietal-based wines I've had from Niagara in a long while: dark, rich, almost jammy in its intensity. Do tread with caution though on older vintages: some are very good, some not.
The tasting room has undergone a marked transformation. You used to just belly up to the bar and sip whatever was poured for you. Now you pay $ 10 and are brought back to a very Feng Shui room overlooking the vineyard and taking through a private tasting by the extremely knowledgeable staff. Even though it was near the end of the day, I was tired and my palate was fried, I still could recognize the change in Thirty Bench!
Thirty Bench is most known for its whites, particularly the Rieslings.
1.5 acres of Pinot Meunier are grown at Thirty Bench (heck I think maybe 1.5 acres of Pinot Meunier are grown in Ontario), but the one five combination does not stop there. The grapes have been growing in the “back part of the vineyard” for about 15 years. For those not familiar with Pinot Meunier, it is the third grape used in Champagne, and a grape variety rarely mentioned because it is blended in such a small quantity … what’s more it’s one grape that is rarely, if ever, seen on it’s own, especially as a still table wine … and specifically as a rose. For those expecting sweet in their pink, move on, this one has been born and bred fairly dry, with cranberry, raspberry and strawberry on the nose. The taste is tart and tangy, drier than the fruity nose indicates, with a lingering finish of rhubarb. Delightfully refreshing when served chilled.
The other wine which 'wowed' me was the 2005 Thirty Bench Red in a tasting on Monday, and thought it was quite good. Its drinking nicely right now with a black cherry/ raspberry compote/milk chocolate character, but has the stuffing to warrant some mid-term aging. A good medium-to-full body Niagara red.
By now it had been a full, but rewarding day. With the car loaded down with wine we headed back home. Once again I was reminded that when it comes to wine complacency and routine isn't a good thing. It seems as if every year a new winery or five opens up in Niagara. Clearly I need to visit more of them!
