Women Winemakers in Ontario

Published on September 3, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

I’ve updated the app (watch for notification from the App Store for the update) and I’ve included a new category: Women Winemakers.

I’ve been considering adding this as a category for some time, but a friend of mine thinks it’s sexist of me to do so…. After much thought, I decided to add it – my rationale for doing so is simple: to give a shout out to woman winemakers.

Caroline Granger MVI_1869 — Caroline Granger

Women are involved in all areas of the wine business but they often fly below the radar – so I thought it would be nice to celebrate them a bit.

Snapshot 1 (31-08-2014 6-22 PM) — Tanya Mitchell

By the way, of the 144 wineries included in the app to date, 24 of those wineries have women winemakers (or women with the title of associate winemaker). I should also point out that a few of them – like Sue-Ann Staff and Lindsay Puddicombe – are the winemakers at more than one winery, so there aren’t 24 different women winemakers listed in the app. (For the record, this is not uncommon – there are also a handful of male winemakers who are at more than one winery – Andrzej Lipinski and Ross Wise come to mind.)

I’m hoping to get videos of as many of the women winemakers as possible. So far I’ve got videos of:

Click on the names above for a link to the videos.

So – stay tuned…

In their own words…

Published on August 29, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

In my last post I wrote about the fact that there isn’t going to be a grape harvest in the Lake Erie/Pelee Island region.

In chatting with folks at the wineries in that region, I was struck by how many of them shrugged and blamed “the Polar Vortex”. No matter what you call it, the impact of the winter is clear: very few grapes.

I shot a short video of Martin Gorski, owner/winemaker at North 42 Degrees Estate Winery, describing in a bit more detail the unusual growth pattern they observed among the vines this spring-summer.

Here’s a link to the video.

The Non-Harvest of 2014 for Wineries in Lake Erie/Pelee Island Region … seeing is believing!

Published on August 27, 2014August 27, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

Just back from a couple of days visiting wineries in the Lake Erie/Pelee Island Region and I’ve got to say — seeing is believing.

Back at the end of February Tom O’Brien of Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards was the first person to mention to me that it looked like there might not be a 2014 vintage for wineries in that region. Though I didn’t think Tom was an alarmist, I took the comment with a grain of salt and started asking other Ontario winery owners what they thought the potential impact the exceptionally harsh winter might have on this years’ grapes.

Most winemakers and winery owners I talked to admitted that they thought there would be some damage, but they wanted to take a wait-and-see attitude. I know that in Niagara, some vineyard owners did some testing of the buds in early spring to get an idea about the percentage of dead buds they might have and some modified their pruning to compensate. The wineries of Prince Edward County bury their vines, so they were not concerned about the harshness of the winter at all.

In the Lake Erie/Pelee Island area, however, Tom’s prediction about there not being a 2014 vintage has come true. Driving around that region last week things looked normal — from a distance.

The rows of vines look lush and green — but many of them looked almost wild, there were so many leaves. Normally vineyard owners neatly trim the canopy to ensure the right balance of sun and shade on the grapes. Canopy management this year sure looked different.

And, given that it was the third week of August in what is the warmest wine region in Canada, you expected to find rows netted to protect the grapes from the hungry birds. (Nearly every row at Colchester Ridge Estate Winery (CREW) was netted by this time last year.) This year there was no need for netting.

When you take a closer look — expecting to see lovely green or purple clusters — you realize there are no bunches hanging there ripening! You might find a few small bunches of grapes or, in some cases, clusters that started to develop but that have not grown. It’s quite a sad sight…

Mind you, the winery owners and winemakers I spoke with in the region seem to have taken the loss in stride. After all, they know better than anyone that winemaking is farming — and farmers are at the mercy of Mother Nature. Many also noted that the up side is that they still have lots of wines from previous years available and so when visitors stop in to taste and buy, they aren’t disappointed. Some also said they’d be headed to Niagara to see about buying some grapes, so they may have some 2014 wines available — they just won’t be from grapes from that region.

Name that Winemaker!

Published on August 18, 2014August 18, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

I was organizing some of my photos and I came across a few photos of Ontario winemakers, so I thought I’d post them and make a game of it – Name that Winemaker!

Here are the winemakers pictured: Jonas Newman; Caroline Granger; Martin Gorski; Jean-Pierre Colas; Ann Sperling; Paul Pender; Shiraz Mottiar.

Shiraz Mottiar - Malivoire IMG_1633 — Photo 2

i4C Preview - Ann Sperline Pouring Sperling Wine IMG_1710 — Photo 3

Martin Gorski North 42 Degrees Estate Winery IMG_0867 — Photo 7

Here are the names that go with each photo: (1) Caroline Granger (2) Shiraz Mottiar; (3) Ann Sperling; (4) Jean-Pierre Colas; (5) Jonas Newman; (6) Paul Pender; (7) Martin Gorski

Bonus Question

And, now, name the winery they’re at. Hint: each of the winemakers is associated with one of these wineries: (a) Tawse Winery; (b) Hinterland Wine Company; (c) Southbrook Vineyards; (d) Malivoire Wine Company; (e) North 42 Degrees Estate Winery; (f) 13^th Street Winery; (g) The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyard.

Answers: (1) Caroline Granger is at The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyard; (2) Shiraz Mottiar is at Malivoire Wine Company; (3) Ann Sperling is at Southbrook Vineyards; (4) Jean-Piere Colas is at 13th Street Winery; (5) Jonas Newman is at Hinterland Wine Company, (6) Paul Pender is at Tawse Winery, and (7) Martin Gorski is at North 42 Degrees Estate Winery.

Brix … but really?

Published on April 8, 2014April 20, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

When I dropped in at North 40 Degrees Estate Winery last fall owner/winemaker Martin Gorski was measuring the sugar content of some of his grapes using a Brix Refractometer. I had always wanted to see how you use one, and he showed me. Very cool, I thought.

Well, last week I was leafing through one of the new Lee Valley catalogs when a “Sugar Tester” caught my eye. Sure enough – it’s a Brix Refractometer! Though I do find the topic of Brix quite fascinating – since I don’t grow grapes, I can’t imagine what use I would have for one. (I’m sure I fall within Lee Valley’s demographic – why else is there one on the trendy King West strip in Toronto!)

Anyway – based on the description, the Brix Refractometer “… can be used to judge when fruits and vegetables are at their peak for harvesting. … Very useful…” Damn, I thought maybe I could use it to test for the ripeness of the melon or pineapple I’ve got in my fruit bowl.

That said, it does look cool – and if you can’t have a vineyard – for $59.00 you can at least have some of the gadgets…

Something different for a change?

Published on April 1, 2014April 20, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

The California Wine Fair 2014 is coming to Ontario this week – it’ll be in Ottawa on Friday, April 4 from 7-9:30 p.m. at The Westin Ottawa and in Toronto on Monday, April 7 from 7-9:30 pm. at the Fairmont Royal York.

Apparently this is the 35^th annual tour and it will feature wineries from all of California’s major wine-growing regions. I’ve been to this event in the past and it’s always fun – a great chance to try varietals that we don’t find often here (I’m looking forward to some California Zins) or compare how your favourite varietals do under the California sun (or drought?).

You can get more information – including a list of participating wineries (an impressive list with over 85 wineries) – and purchase tickets on their website.

See you there!

Going Vertical

Published on March 2, 2014May 19, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

Yesterday I mentioned in a blog that 31 wineries are participating in the Cuvée en Route passport event this weekend. After looking through the brochure and really wrapping my head around the two different types of tastings the wineries were offering up: Vertical Tastings and Winemaker’s Selection, I decided to stop at a few wineries for some vertical tastings.

My decision to go vertical was very rewarding, as it meant I could compare different vintages of the same wine produced at each winery. So, for example, at Kacaba visitors have the chance to compare their 2009 Single Vineyard Syrah, their 2010 Reserve Syrah, and their 2011 Terrace Vineyard Syrah. Vadim, the knowledgeable assistant who led me through the tasting at Kacaba, was great at explaining which parts of the vineyard each vintage came from, and any difference is style.

Stratus decided to feature a vertical tasting of its Petit Verdot – a varietal that is not that common in Ontario. Passport holders can taste their 2006 Petit Verdot, their 2008 Petit Verdot, and their 2010 Petit Verdot, which has not even been released yet. After pouring the three the server also provided a thick-cut slice of sausage and recommended trying it between sips. She also pointed out the colour differences, which were quite remarkable, and described how, over the years, they have varied the style of the wine. She even explained the decision to offer the sample of sausage and how striking the wine changes when sipped before and after taking a bite of the sausage. It was a terrific chance to experience how food and wine interact.

Trius Winery at Hillebrand is offering passport holds a rare opportunity to enjoy a vertical tasting of its Vidal icewines, including its 1996, 2006, and 2012. Just seeing the colour differences and the differences in nose between these vintages is reason enough, I think, to participate in the Cuvée en Route festivities. You don’t have to be an icewine lover (which I don’t mind admitting I am) to appreciate the chance to see, smell and taste these wines that are no longer widely available.

These are just a few of the terrific vertical offerings available as part of Cuvée en Route this year. And, if going vertical doesn’t appeal, check out the wineries that are offering Winemaker’s Selections, many of which are featuring limited edition wines and unique varieties.

Cuvée en Route continues today – so enjoy!

You can find a complete list of what each winery is serving in the Cuvée en Route brochure on-line.

What a Sweet Thought on these Cold Nights

Published on December 12, 2013April 20, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

I was just reading the newsletter from Crush on Niagara Wine Tours and Andrew Brooks mentioned that with the incredibly cold weather we’ve had the past few days they’ve started picking icewine grapes down in Niagara!

Though I’m kind of glad I’m sitting here warm and cozy next to the fireplace rather than out picking grapes, I’m excited knowing that the next vintage of icewine is one step closer to being ready to enjoy.

Good luck to all the folks harvesting and thank you in advance for all the good things to come!

In the Spirit of Getting it Right

Published on November 11, 2013May 19, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

I was writing up an app entry for Still Waters Distillery and when I went to put a link to their website I noticed that they spelled whisky without an e between the k and the y. Confused, I went to my liquor cabinet and pulled out two bottles of “the stuff”: a bottle of Sortilège (a Quebec Canadian whisky with maple syrup liqueur) and Jack Daniels (Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey). No wonder I was confused!

Ever insecure in my spelling abilities, I phoned up Barry Bernstein, one of the founders of Still Waters Distillery, and I asked him what’s up with the spelling. Barry set me straight, but I have to say, his answer didn’t make the task of knowing how to spell it that much easier.

It seems the spelling depends. (And what it depends on isn’t whether the writer is a bad speller!) Apparently, for American and Irish whiskeys there is an e between the k and the y – but for any other whisky – there’s no e.

So – don’t blame me if you come across references to whiskies in the app that you think are typos – they’re not: if we’re talking about the Canadian stuff – it’s whisky.

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