Reif’s Taste the Terroir Experience

As I noted recently, last Saturday a girlfriend and I were taking in Sip & Sizzle and one of our stops was Reif Estate Winery. The winery was hopping but the tasting room/retail area was large enough to handle the crowd, and they had plenty of knowledgeable staff on hand. IMG_2459

To round out our day, we had booked a formal tasting with Archie Hood, one of Reif’s sommeliers. I’ve had the pleasure of being guided by Archie on a tasting at Reif before and I thought my friend would enjoy it. Reif has a few different tastings to choose from and the one we were doing was Taste the Terroir.

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The formal tastings are set up on the back side of the tasting bar, which is nice because you have a bit of privacy to chat with Archie, but at the same time you have the relaxed buzz of people enjoying the winery. Archie started by explaining that we’d be sampling four wines paired with four different Ontario artisanal cheeses. The wines – the 2010 White Meritage (paired with Mountainoak Wild Nettle Gouda), the 2011 Chardonnay Reserve (paired with Gun’s Hill Farms’ Five Brothers, which is kind of a gouda/Swiss blend), the 2010 Merlot Reserve (paired with Thornloe Cheddar), and the 2012 Vidal Icewine (paired with Glengarry Celtic Blue Reserve) – were chosen because they’re representative of the terroir on which Reif’s grapes grow.

Archie gave us very specific instructions about the process he wanted us to follow in terms of tasting the wines and then the cheese – I’m not talking about the usual directions about holding up the glass and looking at the colour, then swirling it to open the bouquet, then smelling the nose, and so on. First we were to take a sip of the wine. Then we were to take a nibble of the cheese, chewing it for about 10 seconds. We were to then leave the cheese on the roof of our mouth and then take another sip of the wine, noting how the taste of both had transformed.IMG_2460

I don’t mind telling you I found the process a bit challenging and it took me a few tries before I got the hang of it. (My friend either fared batter, or was too embarrassed to admit finding it tricky.) As we proceeded through the flight, Archie explained different things about the wines, the cheeses and the science of what was going on with our taste buds and about why we were noticing different things. He was also more than willing to answer all matter of questions. For example, I asked about the selection of glassware, especially the fact that the Chardonnay was in a balloon glass.

The most delightful part of the tasting was the Ah-Ha moments each of us experienced. My personal Ah-Ha came when I had a mouth full of wine and cheese and I was clearly trying hard to notice the taste differences and Archie pointed to my mouth and encouraged me to swish the wine around. (I had kind of just been holding it in my mouth.) I did as he said and – oh man – what a difference! After swallowing I commented on it and Archie knowingly nodded. I knew immediately that this new “technique” (however simple it is) is something that would change my way of enjoying wine. Talk about a terrific learning experience!!

My girlfriend’s Ah-Ha moment came when she tasted Reif’s Magician, which Archie served us after learning that my friend and her family normally drink reds. The Magician is a Pinot Noir-Shiraz blend (60/40) with 30% of the grapes kiln dried. The way my friends face lit up on trying the Magician was nothing short of (pardon the pun) magic. When I saw her reaction, I had to spill the beans to Archie: I knew my friend liked reds but that she had a bias against Ontario reds. When she announced she’d be buying some to take home to her family, I knew that she was going to have to re-think her moratorium on Ontario reds. Talk about gratifying…

When we finished, I thanked – Archie for turning what could have been a very straightforward wine and cheese tasting into a memorable experience that I’m sure both of us will remember for a long time.

P.S. Don’t Forget: Sip & Sizzle continues this weekend and the last weekend of May!

Spring Fever Meets Sip & Sizzle

IMG_1651A friend and I were down in Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOL) for Sip & Sizzle yesterday and it was obvious we weren’t the only ones who were so happy to finally see the first sings of spring! The weather was lovely – breezy and mainly sunny – and the fruit trees and forsythia have just started to bloom. We stopped at about a half dozen wineries (there are 26 participating in the passport event) and everywhere we went the wineries were hopping – it was SO nice to see.IMG_1663

The Sip & Sizzle event was clearly a draw – and rightly so. The food and wine pairings were truly inspiring. At Reif Estate Winery, for example, it was quite amazing how well their 2012 Empress (unoaked) Chardonnay paired with the mussels – if you don’t believe how the great pairings of food and wine bring out the best in both – Sip & Sizzle will convince you. (Another one of our favourite combinations was at Ravine Vineyards – they were serving the 2011 Sand and Gravel Cab Franc with a grilled lamb kabob.)

IMG_1646While Sip & Sizzle might have been what brought people out – it was clear that it wasn’t just a case of eat and run. People were taking their time to stop and enjoy other wines – sampling different new releases and old favourites. My friend and I also had a wonderful tutored Terroir Tasting at Reif with Archie Hood, one of their resident sommeliers – I’ll do a blog posting about that soon (no time today, as it’s Mother’s Day) – it was so much fun and quite memorable – so stay tuned for that.

IMG_1643Anyway — if you don’t already have Mother’s Day plans, or if you’re looking for something to enjoy with your Mother – head out to a few wineries, where spring is (finally) in bloom!

Sip & Sizzle – No Strategy Needed, but…

A girlfriend and I are headed down Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOL) this weekend for Sip & Sizzle and I can’t wait! It’s a new event with 26 participating wineries serving passport holders one of their VQA wines paired with sampling fresh off the grill (hence the sizzle).

We’re only going down for the day, so we’ll only have time to stop at five or six wineries. Fortunately, the event takes place every weekend in May so I’ll probably pop back down there later in the month to take in some others. This particular friend isn’t that familiar with the wineries down there and so I’m in charge of planning the day.

I’ve come up with a few different strategies and I’ll let her choose. Here are the ideas I’ve come up with for organizing the day:

  • By colour: I was looking at the list of what wine each winery is serving and I was pleasantly surprised by the split – looks to me like 12 are serving whites, 9 are serving reds, and 5 are serving rosés. Since rosés are such a terrific summer sipper, it’s tempting to focus on rosés, with a view toward picking up some bottles for sharing with friends over the summer. On the other hand, the list of whites being poured include some wines my friend might not be familiar with, or maybe is especially fond of – so that’s another option. Of course, if she’s looking forward to firing up the BBQ for some burgers, brats, chops, or steaks, maybe she’ll want to find a few reds to take home for enjoying with her dinner guests.
  • By Location: Planning the day based on a particular route may sound odd, but it is really fun. You’ll put your day in fates hands in terms of the wines and food you’ll sample, but in doing so, I’m sure you’ll discover lots of new favourites. The wineries in NOL tend to be clustered and so it’s really easy to hit five or six that are all near each other. For example, you might try wineries along the Niagara Parkway, or on Niagara Stone Road (aka Highway 55), or along the Lake.
  • By what they’re grilling: If you’re into grilling, or if you’re looking for new ways of serving some of your favourite BBQ foods, why not pick the wineries based on what they’re grilling up? You might be inspired to try different recipes this summer and you’ll find some great wines to serve with your summer BBQ creations.
  • By wineries you’ve never been to: Unless you’re a regular (or you’ve written a winery guide), chances are there are at least a handful of wineries in NOL that you’ve not stopped at. Well, why not use Sip & Sizzle as your reason to try those wineries you’ve never been to before.
  • By favourite: If you’ve got some favourites – and most of us do – Sip & Sizzle is a great way to reconnect – see how they fared during the winter, raise a toast to their wines, and see what they suggest goes well with something on the grill.

Sip & Sizzle is happening every weekend in May (Fridays-Sundays 11-5 p.m.). Passports are $43+HST ($35+HST for designated driver passports). You can order them on-line and pick them up at the Chamber of Commerce in downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake, 26 Queen St.

2014 Niagara Icewine Festival

If you’ve been housebound this past week because of the arctic blast that’s blanketing much of North America, take heart – the forecast is for milder weather soon. And fortunately, for those who might be anxious to get out and about, the Niagara Icewine Festival kicks off this weekend IMG_0778

The festival, which features wineries from Niagara and Jordan, is a terrific event that’s spread over three weekends: January 11/12, Jan. 18/19 and Jan 25/26. Participating wineries offer food samples that they match with their icewine.

IMG_0775Think block party – ice block, that is. There are ice sculptures and ice bars – and lots of icewine. Just dress warmly and bring a designated driver!

The first weekend centers on Jordan Village. Main Street in the Village becomes an ice sculpture/ice bar pedestrian zone, with numerous Twenty Valley wineries serving.

On the second weekend (Jan. 18/19) the main street in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake (Queen Street) holds the Niagara-on-the-Lake Icewine Celebrations. This event features similar festivities, with ice bars and food and icewine served with jazz and other entertainment.IMG_0803

The third weekend (Jan. 25/26) the Courthouse and the shops in the historic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake will be pouring wines from local wineries.

The Gossip on Stone Church – It’s Small Talk

On a recent visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake I set out to find Small Talk VineyardsIMG_0849 IMG_0841 IMG_0846. As I headed along Lakeshore Road I saw the sign for Irvine Road and I thought, “Oh, Small Talk must be near Stone Church, which should be right around here”.  When I saw the sign for the Stone Church Warehouse Outlet, I figured I was right.

But I became quite confused when I saw the Small Talk Vineyard sign on what I thought was Stone Church’s property. I pulled in and headed into the winery’s boutique. As soon as I saw the bright green painted wine barrel I realized something was different. I had seen a bunch of brightly coloured wine barrels along the edge of the vineyard property – they’re quite whimsical and hard to miss – and here was one in the boutique.

The confusion was put to rest when I spoke with staff who explained that Stone Church has re-branded and it is now Small Talk Vineyard. The Hunse family still owns the winery, but they’re shifting their focus to producing VQA and so they decided to re-brand.

The transition is on-going but they’re welcoming guests, so be sure you stop in and see the redesign – and try some of their VQA wines.