Miscellaneous Musings

A new version of PB & J?

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

The folks at Konzelmann Estate Winery invited me to visit during Days of Wine and Chocolate. Joanne, a friend from Hamilton, had never been to Konzelmann and she was happy to play hooky with me one Friday.

Because I’ve always found tutored tastings fun – and a great way to really experience a winery – I checked on-line to find out what activities Konzelmann offers. I was expecting to see the usual – a tasting flight perhaps with some cheese. I was tickled when I saw they have a Junk Food Pairing. It sounded fun, so I booked it.

We didn’t know what to expect, especially given that one person’s junk food may be another person’s dietary staple!

The tasting was upstairs in a cozy, wood-panelled loft room. Ken Dubois, who led the tasting, ushered us to the table where the tasting was set up. At each place setting was a plate with four different junk foods: ketchup flavoured potato chips, Reese cups, kettle popcorn, and fuzzy peach candies.

My first thought was, “well, I’d certainly agree – those are all junk food”.  My next thought was “who would ever drink wine with Reese cups?” Fortunately, I was professional enough not to say that out loud…

Before we started, I asked Ken how they came up with the idea of a Junk Food Pairing tasting. He explained it all started as a bit of a game among winery staff. They’d bring in some food they like, or had on hand, and they’d have a competition to figure out what wine might pair best with it. Chips and popcorn – things you and I might serve with some wine – were too boring for some staff members.

Ken’s favourite was when someone brought in Fruit Loops. Given that Konzelmann produces over 30 different wines, I can imagine the challenge – and delight – of trying different combinations. They had so much fun with it, they decided to turn it into a proper tasting.

Here’s a short video of Ken talking about the genesis of this unique tasting.

Ken started us on a lightly oaked 2015 Chardonnay Reserve with the kettle corn. The light butteryness of the Chardonnay complimented the light sweetness of the kettle corn. Next, he poured us some of their 2015 Canada Red – it’s a Zweigelt/Cab blend. That was paired with the ketchup chips. For me, that was the first real Wow! The wine transformed the tangy vinegary flavour of the chips into something mildly sweet.

Next up were the Reese cups. I confessed to Ken that Reese cups are a real weakness for me and so I try to only have them on rare occasions as a treat. So, to me, it seems a waste of good wine AND a waste of the pleasure of a Reese cup to have them together. But, of course, we were there to try something new…

Ken poured us their 2015 Pinot Noir (1) and invited us to try the Reese cup with it. The effect was quite unbelievable. Seeing that I was struggling to describe the taste, Ken smiled and said, “Kinda like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, isn’t it.” That was EXACTLY it! Quite amazing.

The last pairing was the fuzzy peach candy and their 2015 Peach Wine. That was my least favourite pair because I don’t really like that kind of candy. I’ve had Konzelmann’s Peach Wine before and it’s lovely – I’d pass on the candy and just enjoy the wine.

I knew the tasting would be fun and I expected it would demonstrate how a wine can complement a food – like the Chardonnay/kettle corn pairing did. What made the tasting especially interesting, however, was the chance to experience how wine can actually transform the taste of a food, creating a whole new taste sensation.

I left the winery with a bottle of the Canada Red and the Pinot Noir (1), determined to recreate the unique pairings with some friends.

Click here to see a short video of Ken describing the idea behind the Junk Food Pairing.

Re-imagining the sound of bubbly: from pop to click?

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

Few sounds are as magic to me as the pop of a champagne cork. It signals the promise of pleasure and celebration – even if it’s just the celebration of enjoying a glass of bubbly. But, the down side of popping a cork on a bottle of bubbly is that if you don’t finish it fairly straightaway, there won’t be any bubbles left the next day.

Of course, you can find small bottles of bubbly, but unless you’re willing to pay a premium for a 375 ml bottle of some French champagne like Moet & Chandon or Veuve – some producer that uses real cork in its small bottles, chances are you’re sacrificing the pop for a twist.

Now, thanks to the folks at the Genesis Wine Group, Inc. – the Wertsch brothers (Yannick and Greg) who own Between the Lines Winery and their partners Philip Chae and Lucian Cao – you can now get Origin, an Ontario-made sparkling wine in 250 ml pull-tab cans.  

Origin debuted in January 2016 and became a hit quickly. Crafted using the charmat method, it’s make of 100% Vidal with a dosage of Vidal icewine. Yannick Wertsch, the winemaker, explained that they wanted to create a signature product that’s uniquely Canadian. They chose Vidal because not only is it the most common grape in Ontario, it’s a grape that isn’t grown in Europe. Also, using Vidal icewine for the dosage is another uniquely Canadian attribute of the wine.

Click here to watch a short video of Yannick Wertsch talking about Origin.

The young entrepreneurs behind the Genesis Wine Group have invested in innovation (not to mention bottling equipment) that they hope will be a game changer for the industry. They’re also intent on setting the standard for canned wine and with the launch of Origin, it seems they’re well on their way.

Origin, a VQA product, is now available in about 60 LCBOs throughout the province.

.com is so passé

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

A couple weeks ago I was chatting with John Rode of Hardwood Estate Vineyards and he mentioned .wine and .vin domain extensions are now available. I haven’t seen one (mind you, I haven’t really looked) but today I got an e-mail from Go Daddy, my domain register company announcing them – so I’m sure I’ll start to see them. (“The connoisseur’s domain”, so the ad copy says.)

My first thought when I got the e-mail today was that these new extensions aren’t really something I, as a consumer, find particularly helpful. Would it make finding a particular winery on-line any easier? Doubtful. In fact, if anything, I mainly see the potential for abuse: trolls buying up .wine and .vin domain names for well-known wines and wineries and then being willing to sell them for a fee.

So, I called John Rode to chat about it again. He had a more positive take – at least for winery owners who take a pro-active approach. He said he sees these extensions as a chance to have a defacto trademark of a name at a pretty low price. In other words, now that Harwood Estate Vineyards has locked up the .wine and .vin extensions – no other winery – whether here in Ontario, elsewhere in Canada, the U.S., or the world, can have a web presence with the name Harwood Estate Vineyards. True enough…

But still, seems like overkill to me – and just more stuff wineries have to pay attention to…

On being … a celebration of home

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

I write a bi-weekly blog called On being … that’s more general musings on life. Because my most recent post for On being … was inspired by a recent event at Oxley Estate Winery, I thought I’d share that post here…

On being … a celebration of home

I was visiting some friends who live in the wine region along the north shore of Lake Erie, south of the Windsor/Detroit area. It’s the kind of place where people often give the name of the county, rather than the town where they live, because they figure more people have at least heard of the county. It’s primarily an agricultural area, but it’s got more of a small town feel than a rural feel, if you know what I mean.

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Chef Aaron Lynn at Oxley Estate Winery

One of the highlights of the weekend was a special dinner at Oxley Estate Winery. The formal title was: Oxley Celebrates Home. If you guessed they were doing the locavore thing, you’d be right – but with a few added twists. It so happens their young chef (Aaron Lynn) is a local kid who went away for culinary training and, after honing his craft working in some fancy restos, he returned to the area last year. Lucky for Oxley Estate and for those who have a chance to eat at the winery.

Todd's Perch
“Todd’s Perch”

Not only did each of the five courses feature local ingredients, the chef named the dishes after the local purveyors – a nice touch, I thought. So, for example, we dined on Todd’s Perch (named after Todd, the local commercial fisherman the restaurant buys from), Rick’s Lamb, and Farmer Doug’s apples. But that wasn’t all. Before the meal, the chef introduced all of the local suppliers and asked them to stand so we could honour and recognize them as the people responsible for all the good things we were about to enjoy.

And, the celebration of things local didn’t end with the food. Ann, one of the owners of the winery, introduced the musicians who would be entertaining us. Turns out they too were from the area and when they’re not in town, they’re in Nashville working as backup musicians to some well-known country music stars.

During the dinner I was chatting with a woman sitting next to me. She was a local and so I was asking her a bit about the area. We talked about one of the bigger towns in the county and about how much it’s growing. The town’s population is up to about 21,000, which is pretty big, as towns go. And, like many Ontario towns, there’s a definite centre with some small shops, a few restaurants, a couple banks, and a library. But, the pickings were pretty limited in town. I wondered aloud where people go if they have any kind of serious shopping to do. She laughed and said that these days, she can get pretty much anything on-line. But, if there’s something she can’t order, it’s probably available in Windsor, which is “only about 25 miles away”.

Then I asked about grocery shopping. I had noticed that there are two well-known supermarkets, but I’m used to checking the weekly fliers of at least four major chains before I go grocery shopping. She said she didn’t care that other major grocers weren’t around. “I love shopping at those supermarkets. The people that work there are my neighbors and friends – why would I go anywhere else?” I was really struck by her response.

Later in the conversation, the topic of the refugee crisis came up. She mentioned she’s catholic and she said that in the next few weeks her church would be deciding on whether they will take in a refugee family, as the Pope has suggested. She said she’s going to push hard for them to do so.

I hadn’t heard about the Pope’s suggestion that every parish should sponsor one family, but it struck me as being in line with something else I read the Pope said about the current wave of refugees. He urged people to not see the crisis as involving hundreds of thousands because it’s just too overwhelming. Instead, we should respond to them as individual people – just one at a time. Though it’s such a simple idea, it’s about the most concrete, constructive idea I’ve heard from any leader about how to deal with the situation. I smiled at the idea of some refugee family settling down there and eventually calling themselves locals.

After dinner, I was thinking about how the theme of the evening could just as easily have been “the joy of human interaction”. Living in the city has its conveniences, opportunities, and even independence. But, if you’re not careful, city life can also bring with it a loss of connectedness. Fortunately, the condition isn’t irreversible. My weekend in the country reminded me that the best way to feel connected again is to celebrate what each individual brings to your life. If you do that, I think you’ll feel at home wherever you are.

© 2015 Ingrid Sapona

 

 

 

That time of year…

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

Summer weekends … so much to see and do… and what better way than to start the day at a fabulous farmers’ market.IMG_3006

This morning I headed over to one of Toronto’s best markets: the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market off the Bayview extension.

I never go to markets with much of a shopping list. Instead, I like to be inspired by what’s in season and on offer. Well, today it was garlic scapes, fresh onions, and my favourite – sea asparagus!

IMG_3003IMG_3004IMG_3007The other thing on offer at the Brickworks and many other farmers’ markets is Ontario wines. This morning there was a wealth of wines to choose from too, with Cave Spring Cellars, Southbrook Vineyards, Malivoire Wine, Tawse Winery and Sratus all on hand.

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Eating and IMG_3002drinking local tonight! Hope you are too…

Lost in Translation?

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

A couple weeks ago I was at a German wine tasting sponsored by Wines of Germany. It featured 36 wineries from most of Germany’s major wine regions and showcased winemakers of the so-called next generation – those under 35-years-old.

The afternoon had a more than a few surprises for me – the biggest of which had to do with the names of certain grapes in German. I started the afternoon trying whites, so when I read Weissburgunder on a label, drawing on my high school German, I silently translated that to White Burgundy, which made me think it might be a blend of grape varieties that grow in Burgundy.

Boy was I surprised when I tasted it and realized it was a Pinot Blanc. Who knew? I guess I always assumed that most winemakers simply used the French (or Italian – or at least some phonetically similar) name for the most well-known grape varieties. Well, that’s not the case in Germany.

Another example you’re likely to see is Grauburgunder – that’s Pinot Gris! The other white grapes commonly used in Germany – Riesling, Rivaner, Silvaner, Kerner, Bacchus, and Scheurebe – are called the same in German and English.

Similarly, on the red side, Pinot Noir is called Spätburgunder and Pinot Meunier is Schwarzriesling in German. The other red grapes commonly used in Germany – Dornfelder, Portugieser, Trollinger, Regent, and Lemberger – are called the same in German and English.

So, next time you see a Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder, Spätburgunder, or Schwarzriesling on a German wine list – you’ll have to do your own translation!

Somewhereness… Something Special

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

A group of a dozen Ontario wineries have banded together into a group they call Somewhereness. The name is meant to invoke the idea of the special qualities attributable to terroir and the wineries in the group pride themselves on their stewardship and quality. The wineries in the group are: 13th Street Winery, Bachelder, Charles Baker, Cave Spring Cellars, Flat Rock Cellars, Hidden Bench, Hinterland, Malivoire Wine, Norman Hardie, Southbrook Vineyards, Stratus, and Tawse. The group has done a good job of promoting to restaurants and if you notice one of them on a wine list, it’s likely you’ll see other Somewhereness wines on the list too.

The group had a trade tasting in Toronto recently and, in addition to many of their best known wines, there were a few surprises.

Most Unusual

The most unusual offering was a new wine produced by Southbrook Vineyards called: 2014 Small Lots Estate Grown Orange Wine. Nope, that’s not a typo. The wine, which is to be released in May, is, in fact, a light orange colour with a distinct un-filtered haze. (It looks more like a very light beer than a wine.) It’s made of 100% Vidal and it is made with whole clusters of grapes. Rather than try to describe it, here’s a video of Paul DeCampo, Southbrook’s Director of Marketing and Sales, explaining how it was made.

Other Delightful Finds

In terms of premium-priced wines, my favourite was the 2012 Bachelder Wismer Chardonnay ($44.95).

One of the biggest surprises for me was Cave Spring Cellars’ 2012 Pinot Noir Estate ($34.95). Cave Spring Cellars is so well known for its whites, it’s easy to overlook their reds. Don’t. If you’re a fan of Pinot Noir, give this a try.

The 13th Street 2012 Pinot Gris ($19.95) was very nice – well balanced and crisp.

I love bubbly and I was wowed by Tawse’s 2103 Spark Limestone Ridge Riesling both in terms of taste and price ($19.95 and available at Vintages). It’s made using the traditional method and it’s definitely something that fans of sparkling will enjoy.

And finally, an Ontario wine tasting wouldn’t be complete without a dessert wine. The biggest discovery at the dessert wine table was 13th Street Winery’s 2013 13 Below Zero Riesling. It’s a blend of 40% Riesling icewine and 60% off-dry Riesling. At $19.95 for 375 ml. it’s a bargain!

Wineries at the Cuvée Grand Tasting 2015

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

I’ve blogged a bit about some of the chefs who will be serving at the Cuvée Grand Tasting on Friday night (Feb. 27th) – but of course, the evening is also about celebrating Ontario wines and winemakers. So, I thought it only fair that I report on the 52 (!) wineries that’ll be there.

Though the list features wineries mainly from the Niagara region, the Lake Erie/Pelee Island region is represented by Coopers Hawk Vineyards and Pelee Island Winery.

Here are the wineries that will be there. Note that the Cuvée organizers have not released information about the wine winery will be pouring – but it’s supposed to be the winemakers’ favourite. (I’ll report on what they’re serving as soon as the list is released.

2015 winery partners 

  • 2027 Cellars Ltd.*
  • Big Head Wines
  • Cave Spring Cellars
  • Chateau des Charmes Wines Ltd.
  • Colaneri Estate Winery
  • Coopers Hawk Vineyards
  • Cornerstone Estate Winery
  • Coyote’s Run Estate Winery
  • Creekside Estate Winery
  • Domaine Queylus
  • EastDell Estates by Diamond Estates Winery
  • Flat Rock Cellars Ltd.
  • Foreign Affair Winery
  • Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery
  • Inniskillin Wines
  • Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery
  • John Howard Cellars of Distinction – Megalomaniac
  • Joseph’s Estate Wines Inc.*
  • Kacaba Vineyards Inc.
  • Konzelmann Estate Winery
  • Lailey Vineyard Winery
  • Lakeview Cellars by Diamond Estate Winery
  • Le Clos Jordanne Wines
  • Legends Estates Winery*
  • Magnotta Winery Estates Ltd.
  • Malivoire Wine Company
  • The Marynissen Estates*
  • Mike Weir Wine Inc.
  • Niagara College Teaching Winery
  • Nyarai Cellars
  • Pelee Island Winery
  • Peller Estates
  • Pillitteri Estates Winery Inc.
  • Pondview Estate Winery Ltd.
  • Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery*
  • Reif Estate Winery
  • Rennie Estate Winery
  • Ridge Road Estate Winery
  • Riverview Cellars Estate Winery
  • Rockway Vineyards
  • Southbrook Vineyards
  • Stoney Ridge Cellars Ltd.
  • Strewn Winery
  • Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery
  • Stratus Vineyards Limited
  • Thirteenth Street Wine Corp.
  • The Thirty Bench Wine Makers
  • Trius Winery at Hillebrand
  • Two Sisters Vineyards*
  • Vieni Estates
  • Vineland Estates Winery Ltd.*
  • Westcott Vineyards

*these are wineries that were not at the Grand Tasting last year.

Tickets are still available for the Grand Tasting ($200, with a Cuvée en Route pass thrown in for added fun the rest for the weekend). (Rumour has it that tickets will be available at the door, but to avoid the possibility of disappointment, it’s best to buy your ticket in advance on-line.)

For Chef Parsons, it’s all in the technique …

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

In talking with some of the chefs that will be cooking at Cuvée 2015’s Grand Tasting (Friday, Feb. 27th) I was struck by how calm they are about cooking for hundreds and hundreds of guests. What I also found interesting was the different factors they considered when designing the dishes they’ll be serving.

When cooking at Cuvée, It goes without saying that the goal is to impress (or, as Chef Del Priore put it: the Wow factor). But that’s not the only factor the chefs mentioned as being important. Using unique ingredients was key for Chef Downes. (I think it’s safe to say that his choice of pickled tongue fits the unique ingredient criterion!) Local ingredients – and the challenge of sourcing them in the dead of winter – was a consideration Chef Midgley mentioned.

MVI_2441-001For Chef Jason Parsons, Executive Chef at Peller Estates Winery, the choice of cooking technique also played an important role in deciding what he’d serve. When he learned he’d been invited to participate in Cuvée this year, he quickly decided that sous vide was the way to go. The technique, which Parsons admitted can sound like boil-in-a-bag, allows the chef to bring the food to a certain temperature and then maintain it without overcooking or changing the taste or texture. As a result, it’s a great way to ensure that every guest gets a serving that’s cooked to perfection, regardless of whether they are the first person served or the 700th person served.

Parsons and his team will be serving two dishes at Cuvée: a sous vide salmon and a wild boar sausage.

Here’s a short video of Chef Parsons talking about Cuvée – and extolling the virtues of sous vide cooking!

Now trending …

Published on by Ingrid Sapona

No – this isn’t a stock market update, or news of some new fashion. Just a comment about what I think must be an emerging culinary trend: Raclette.

What’s that you ask? Well, it depends. Raclette happens to be a type of cow’s milk cheese that melts very well. Raclette also can refer to a Swiss-dish that involves heating said cheese. No – it’s not fondue (another Swiss dish that is often involves melted cheese).

Anyway, if melted cheese appeals to you (and come on, how can it not??) – and you’ve never tried Raclette – well, your time has come. At least a few Ontario wineries are doing their part to revive the Swiss specialty.

As noted in my earlier post about loving February, on Saturday afternoons throughout February there’s Raclette at Malivoire with The Cheesy Guys ($10/person and it includes tasting of 3 wines). As well, Hidden Bench Winery is hosting Raclette On The Bench on Feb. 14-16th from noon to 4 p.m. ($10 plus wine).

Those are two Raclette-centered happenings I’ve heard about at wineries – but there may be more. (Let us know if you hear about any!)

I predict this Raclette thing will catch on. (I know, it’s been around for years – but some of us weren’t necessarily around the last time it was hip.) Anyway – enjoying the best of two worlds: Ontario wines and Ontario cheese – what a great way to relax when it’s so cold outside!