And Now For Something NEW!

To say that Prince Edward County is a “hopping place” might be a bit of an understatement – and the growth is in more than just hospitality fields. The Economic Development Office for Prince Edward County always seems to have something on the go and they are constantly on the move. If you want to see what I mean, follow @CreativeDanT and @CreativeKarinD on Twitter – they are constantly up to something…and in a very positive way for Prince Edward County. When I asked Dan last week how many wineries were opening between now and the end of the year in Prince Edward County, his quick count came up with between six and eight new wineries opening bringing the total number of wineries to around thirty or slightly more. That means that, in the four short years since Prince Edward County received official DVA (Designated Viticultural Area) status from the Province of Ontario, they have more than doubled the total number of wineries found in the previous DVA to receive status – Lake Erie North Shore.

So, on Monday, June 21st, I decided to make a trip out to Prince Edward County. Now, I have done this trip many times in the past but my focus that day was slightly different. I did have a couple of stops I had to include – like buying a case of Pinot Noir from my friends at Lacey Estates Vineyard and Winery which was definitely a happy necessity – but my plan was that I needed to stop and check out some of those six to eight wineries that have opened already this summer. My first stop was at Hillier Creek Estates on Stapleton Road – a winery I have been watching transform over the years. In the Fall of 2000, Amber and Kemp Stewart purchased the property that is now Hillier Creek Estates. Though the property had not been inhabited for 15 years, the land had quite a bit of history, tracing its roots to the Loyalist days of the County. The barn, now used as our winery, cellar, and tasting room, outdates us all. Estimated to be over 150 years old, the original barn was built directly on the ground. After its purchase by the current owners, it was necessary to raise the barn in order to complete renovation and restoration. A cribbing system was used to hold and suspend the barn, alternating timbers four inches at a time. Upon raising the barn, it was discovered that there were two underground streams, which necessitated the building of a 9000-gallon cistern below the patio. The finished foundation stabilized the structure in 2008, and the barn was completed in 2009. Their winemaker is Lauren Horlock and I remember her work from her days at Oak Heights Estate Winery and it was Lauren who took me through the portion of Hillier Creek’s portfolio that uses either estate or Prince Edward County fruit. Eventually, Lauren hopes they will be 100% estate or County fruit but for a few more years at least, they will have to bring in certain varietals from other areas in the province – namely the Vidal grapes for their award winning Icewine. Of the four wines I tasted – Riesling, Chardonnay, Gamay and Pinot Noir – three of them were made up of 100% estate fruit. What that means is that the all of the grapes that went into the Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have been grown on the lands that the winery owns. The grapes for the Gamay are 100% Prince Edward County fruit so those grapes came from elsewhere in The County. While I enjoyed all of these wines, there were two that I was particularly drawn to – the Chardonnay, which is not an easy task for any winemaker when it comes to my palate, and the Gamay. The Chardonnay was made from 100% estate fruit, and you could see the very vines that were used as you looked out onto the patio from the tasting bar. Aromas of apple, melon and just a touch of strawberry – which was the part that surprised me, but, yes, Strawberry. The palate was a continuation of the very same aromas which made it less than a typical Chardonnay. It had great balance, lovely acidity and a unique finish which is rather refreshing in a region that is rapidly become as known for its Chardonnay’s as it is for its Pinot Noir’s. On the other end of the scale was a very unique Gamay Noir and it was that uniqueness that drew me to it. Gamay Noir is typically one of the lightest wines made in North America and it can be rather one dimensional with simply fruit flavours. While that can be quite enjoyable when you want an uncomplicated wine on a summer afternoon, it is nice to see a winemaker try to stretch their wings with this grape and add some extra dimensions to what is in the bottle. Now, to understand where this wine’s uniqueness comes from, you need to first know that for their Pinot Noir, Lauren wanted to use a couple of Canadian Oak barrels made in Prince Edward County. Now, Canadian Oak, for those who are not familiar with it, is the same type of tree as American Oak – it basically comes down to the geographical differences. In general, American Oak can be a heavier type of wood than the wood used in French oak barrels (or European Oak barrels in general) so when new barrels are purchased, depending on the grape, some winemakers may choose to initially put a different wine into the barrel to soften it before putting the originally intended wine in. Pinot Noir is definitely one of those grapes so, in this particular case, Lauren decided to put the Gamay into the Canadian Oak barrels – which were made locally in Prince Edward County as well – for two months to soften the barrels before putting the Pinot Noir in for aging. The resulting differences with the Gamay Noir were quite astounding and it made for one of the most interesting Gamay’s I have ever had made by any winery in this province. There were the typical aromas of cherry and cranberry but there was a distinctive peppery note to the nose. There was also added complexity to the fruit flavours in this wine and a slightly lingering finish which made this wine quite lovely.

My next stop was at Karlo Estates – a place I have visited before, while they were under construction – but this was the first time I had been there since they opened to the public. Richard Karlo is rapidly getting the distinction of being a “Maverick” in the Prince Edward County wine scene and with twenty plus years of experience under his belt as well as awards in every competition he has entered in the past twenty plus years, you know that you are bound to get some amazing wines when you step into the barn at Karlo Estates. On this wonderful sunny Monday morning, as I walked into the barn, Sherry was there to greet me as she was setting up some nibblies to enjoy with the wine. Richard makes wine in a very food friendly style so to show the wines to their best, they take great pride in pairing them with a variety of cheeses, crackers and nuts. First wine up was their 2008 Chardonnay which was made from 100% County fruit. This wine was barrel fermented in French oak and then transferred to County Oak, made by Carriage House Cooperage, for four months before bottling. The wine has this lovely golden yellow colour and the aromatics were an understated medley of apple, pear and a little bit of citrus. The understated aromatics are made up for with a lively, crisp, clean citrus palate and just enough of a lingering finish. Next we moved on to their 2008 Frontenac Gris which was made in a Rose style from grapes (Frontenac Gris) that were developed in Quebec to withstand temperatures of -40°C. Having grapes like this planted in a Prince Edward County vineyard means that you do not have to hill them up in the fall to prevent frost damage and winter kill unlike a lot of the other grapes that are planted here. There is an amber, almost copper colour to this wine and aromas that actually remind me of a young Madeira – caramel, grapefruit and slight vanilla. The palate is very fruit forward with just a touch of sweetness and it finishes off with a flourish of key lime. We paired this up with La Rumeur, which is a double cream French Brie – YUM!

Our next step were Richard’s much anticipated red wines – Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and a Bordeaux blend which has yet to be released. The 2008 Malbec has a lovely purply red colour and dark fruit with a hit of spice, vanilla and cedar on the nose. This wine has a medium mouthfeel, with flavours of dark fruit, cedar and spice. There are smooth tannins and excellent balance and this wine is a great accompaniment to Asiago cheese, and not so bad with Cheddar cheese. The 2008 Cabernet Franc was made using fruit from the same vineyard on Wilson Road that Richard used for his 2008 Chardonnay. In both the aromas and the flavours, there is lots of dark fruit with hints of floral and chocolate. There is a big mouthfeel to this wine – in face, even before you take that first sip you can taste the flavours of fruit, spice, violets and a nice string of acidity up the sides of your tongue. This wine paired wonderfully with spicy salami and old cheddar. The next wine up was the 2008 Merlot which actually spent an extra six weeks on the vine past the “normal” picking time making even the seeds riper. As a result, this wine had an almost chocolate brown colour with a garnet ruby hue to it with aromas of earth and tobacco. There was a great big, mouthfeel to this wine and it paired amazingly with both Kalamata Olives and Cheddar Cheese. Now, our final red wine of the tasting is something extra special – and Richard has yet to release this so, when he does, make sure to get your hands on this. They are calling the wine Quintas and it is a Bordeaux blend of five grapes. It is a 50/50 blend of Niagara and Prince Edward County fruit with the following breakdown – Cabernet Franc from Prince Edward County and Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petite Sirah from Niagara. It has this captivating purply red colour with an inky black hue and there is a real complexity to the aromas but without any one aroma being overpowering. The aromas of floral, dark fruit, tobacco, earthiness and a hint of chocolate translate on to the palate seamlessly where it shows a great balance of acidity and flavours. Now, some people wonder why Richard chose to use grapes from Niagara and not concentrate on Prince Edward County fruit – or even fruit from his own estate. To understand the rationale behind his decision, you need to understand that Richard and Sherry are firm believers and supporters of abolishing the Cellared in Canada wine system that currently exists in Ontario and British Columbia. If you are on Facebook, Sherry created a group a couple of years ago called Boycott Cellared in Canada Wines and, with over 1300 members currently, this has rapidly become one of the largest voices on this subject. Unfortunately, even with our voices, grape growers in Niagara are still having to let a lot of their grapes fall because they are not able to get contracts for them. So, Richard and Sherry came up with a plan – help out some of those grape growers by buying their grapes and making a very traditional Bordeaux blend using the five grape blend instead of the regular three. Boy, are we ever glad Richard came up with this plan and, when he is ready to release this wine, there will be a great many people who will be equally happy to get their hands on this blend.

Now, that is not the end to this story – we still have dessert to enjoy. Two wines – one from Frontenac Gris grapes and one from Frontenac Noir. Both equally delicious and both are going to make people stand up and take notice. Now, the 2008 Frontenac Gris Dessert wine is one I would highly recommend any person try who regularly says “I don’t like sweet wines”. This wine is made from 100% estate grown fruit and it is not your typical dessert wine. It has an almost smoky aroma accompanied by aromas of persimmons, apricot and cinnamon. The palate is very expressive and just when you think it is about to become sickly sweet, the acidity kicks in and brings it right back to a crisp clean finish. This wine was great with soft cheeses but it would do just as well on its own. Now comes the final wine – Richard’s Frontenac Noir 2008 Tawny Port Style. Believe me when I say that if you are even remotely interested in Port or Port Style wines, you need to get on Richard’s reservation list for this wine. Sherry indicated that Richard is contemplating the idea of doing a Port program – the only one in Prince Edward County and possibly all of Ontario – and, if he does, what a treat that will be for wine lovers in Ontario. This particular Port style wine, which Sherry took my picture of while enjoying a glass of it, had this amazing nutty nose with hints of chocolate, caramel and floral. The palate was silky smooth with a slightly nutty character and it paired beautifully with walnuts and cheddar cheese.

As much as I would have loved to stay the entire afternoon with Sherry and Richard, I did have two more stops I had to make before heading back home. My next stop was at The Old Third Vineyard who specializes solely in Pinot Noir. They are currently pouring their 2008 vintage and right from the second the wine hit my glass, I was captivated. The colour is this delightful brick red but with a slight hint of orange to it. The aromas were very fruity with just a hint of spice while the palate was very fruit forward with tons of complexity in the mid to back palate and into the finish. There was just a touch of oak to this wine and Bruno revealed to me that only 20% of his barrels are new French Oak so the wine does not become overpowered with oak aging. The part I love the most about this particular wine is the string of spicy acidity that weaves its way through this wine right to the lingering finish. Now, Bruno also gave me a sneak peak at the 2009 vintage which is shaping up to be just as delicious as the 2008 vintage and a special treat – a dessert style Pinot Noir. He will not be releasing either for a while but, when he does, get some quick because they will not stick around on his shelves for any length of time.

My final stop was more for picking up wine then trying anything new but I would hate it if any of you – my loyal readers – were to miss out on this so I am adding in my personal recommendation on this winery. I have been here many times before – I have even helped harvest their grapes with hands that have gone almost black from the Baco Noir juice. Today, I was on a mission, for my guy just as much as myself, to pick up a case of the as yet unreleased 2008 Pinot Noir from Lacey Estates Vineyard and Winery. Instead of trying any at the tasting bar I waited until I was home with my guy and we cracked open the first bottle from that case. Aromas of chocolate and cherries and leather and just a hint of smoke poured out from the bottle. The palate is very fruit forward but it is balanced out with just a touch of oak. The firm tannins on the finish shows that this wine, while drinking really great now, will definitely reward if you want to put this down for a couple of years.

So, the next time you want to take a road trip – or have a weekend away - and try some of Ontario’s great local wineries, take a look at Prince Edward County. With all of their wineries, plus the other small business opening up, this is an area that is hip and happening and full of delicious little goodies to tempt your palate with. Cheers,

A Day in The County

Growing up, my parents loved to do the Sunday drive thing – without driving like Sunday drivers I promise – so, at this point in my life, I seem to really like just having a quiet, peaceful nothing day. Sundays, for me, have been about kicking back and relaxing these days. I try to take it easy, have dinner with my boyfriend and, on the odd occasion, a birthday party pops up. It is a way of life that I really enjoy and can wrap my head around. So, when a friend invited my boyfriend and I to go on a road trip to Prince Edward County last Sunday, we knew it would be a change to our weekends and, in the end, we decided to pile into the van and head for Prince Edward County.

Now, it is not like this is my first trip to Prince Edward County – far from it as I am a regular visitor to the newest wine region in Ontario. We had only one “must stop” winery and were going to leave the rest of the day open to whatever happens so we made our must stop the first stop of the day. Lacey Estates Vineyard and Winery has long been a favourite of all of ours. They are the one winery I guarantee I will go and help out in at harvest time every year and the family is like a second family to me. Since opening in May of 2009 they have been consistently selling out of their opening release. Their Chardonnay and Pinot Gris are sold out, the number of available bottles of their Baco Noir are rapidly diminishing and their Gewurztraminer – their most recent release – is down to less than 80 bottles now. Check out the review below to get a real sense of just how great the Lacey Estates Vineyard and Winery 2008 Gewurztraminer really is…

“With their 2008 Gewurztraminer, Lacey Estates has hit another one out of the ballpark. Done in a true Alsatian style, the 2008 Gewurztraminer is a great balance of acidity and fruit. Aromas of stone fruit, slight rose petals with a very clear, refreshing, clean palate of lemon, quince and slight minerality. Spice is always a key component in any Gewurztraminer and you can detect it here but it is not predominant. It blends perfectly with the other flavours and aromas making it a nice base for the flavours, but not the overpowering big brother that some flavours are in wines. Kimball, the winemaker, has already been praised by some wine writers for “finally creating the perfect Alsatian style Gewurztraminer” in Prince Edward County and that is definitely an opinion I agree with whole heartedly.

This is definitely one of those wines that you need to get your hands on immediately. With only 80 bottles left as of the last weekend in August, you can be guaranteed that it will be sold out by the time harvest hits in a few weeks. To order contact Cynthia@laceyestates.com. $22 per bottle includes the bottle deposit and it is worth every penny.”

After a light lunch we decided to make our next stop Karlo Estates down on Danforth Road. Unfortunately, Karlo Estates is not yet open – that is coming this fall – but we had heard some great things about their Chardonnay and wanted to see if we could give it a try. Maybe the next time we’re out in The County. Since we were at the west end of The County, we decided to drop in on some old friends – Rosehall Run Vineyards – and boy, are we ever glad we did. You see, our company (Ontario Wine Guy Enterprises) is in the midst of planning a Cabernet Franc tasting and Rosehall Run makes some amazing Cabernet Franc, amongst other wines. Now, if you want to find out how their Cabernet Franc’s tasted, you will have to be sure to attend our Cabernet Franc tasting which will be later this year. However, Rosehall Run’s wines are so tasty that we enjoyed their Chardonnays, their Rose, most of the Cabernet Francs and all of their Pinot Noirs before making our purchases and leaving. If you want to check out a great review on their 2007 Estate Pinot Noir, go on over to TJ’s blog at http://ontariowineguy.blogspot.com and check out his most recent blog entry. I’ve added a few vineyard pictures from the trip as well. The Pinot Noir is almost completely done going through veraison (the ripening stage for grapes) and are getting ready to be harvested in the next few weeks. Cheers,

A New Wine Festival comes to Toronto – SALUTE!

For many years, the Bloor Yorkville region of Toronto played host to Sante: The Bloor-Yorkville Wine Festival. This year there is a new kid in town and it is called Salute Wine and Food Festival. Although there are similarities between these two events – Salute runs during the same week that Sante once occupied and there are some similarities in the types of tastings, the similarities do stop there. Salute has a more intimate, close knit feel to it and has some extra diversity to the events that Sante has not considered in the past. Three notable differences this year were a modern day’s Farmer’s Market where guests could sample delicious servings of Ontario wines, cheeses and produce. Chef Chuck Hughes of Food Network will man the BBQ and offer tantalizing treats. HGTV host, Carson Arthur, will create a special lounge for the evening which will be up for auction with proceeds going to the Toronto East General Hospital Foundation.

The third notable difference I felt in Salute is the scale of the big industry tasting held on the Thursday. In the past, it would be impossible to get through even one third of the industry tasting due to the sheer number of wineries and the wines they have available. With the Salute tasting, although the number of wineries was similar in size, it did not feel as large scale and, as a result, much more manageable. The focus for this year’s festival were the wineries of Prince Edward County and Argentina. Having recently been through an Argentinian tasting, I decided to focus on the main area and the Prince Edward County group which is one of my favourite Ontario wine regions.

Down in the main area there were three wines that really intrigued me – one from France, one from Portugal and one from Chile. From France, the winemaker of Domaine Bourbon was there to talk to us and showcase a couple of really great red wines. The wine that I enjoyed the most was the Julienas 2007 which is made solely from Gamay grapes. Gamay is the native grape of Beaujolais, where the winery is located, and it tends to produce some of the lightest red wines available on the market. In Ontario, we have a few good examples of Gamay Noir but Beaujolais is recognized as being heads and tails above most other wine producing regions for their Gamay’s. What I tend to find is that Gamay Noir produced in Beaujolais have more variety in their flavours, more ability to age for a longer period of time and – all around – are extremely food friendly on a variety of levels. The Julienas 2007 fit all of that description to a tee – the list of possible food pairings was as long as my arm. Everything from burgers to pasta with red sauce to pizza to cheese and pate would pair beautifully with the wide variety of flavours that were pouring out from this glass. In terms of the actual wine, the Julienas 2007 was medium bodied and largely fruity in nature – lots of cherry and raspberry flavours – with next to no tannins because it is not aged in oak. The winery itself says the wine could easily be cellared for three to five years, which might be possible if you buy enough because this is one of those wines that you could not have enough of.

The wine from Portugal – from Sogevinus Fine Wines – is one of two white wines I found at the beginning of the tasting that were very impressive. Although Portugal is known for great Port and amazing red wines, there are some truly wonderful white wines that are coming from this country. Perfect levels of acidity, fruit and mineral…light and lively the whole way through…Portuguese white wines are unique unto themselves and deserve a very serious look. The Agnusdei Albarino Rias Baixas 2008 - which is from Spain - was still slightly underchilled making it easier to distinguish the aromas of fruit and herbs. You can tell that this is one of those wines that, when chilled to the proper level, is incredibly complex. The flavours were predominantly tropical fruit balanced with great acidity and a slightly lingering finish. There are slight hints of anise (licorice) and aromatic herbs in the mid palate to the finish. The flavours that really stood out were apricot, pineapple and slight hints of toffee. If you did not want to have this at the beginning of a meal, this wine would pair rather well with a fruit based dessert too due to the complexity of aromas and flavours. If you want to pair this with a main dish, try seafood, fish or white meats or, for the more adventurous, Sushi.

The final international wine that was really impressive hails from Chile – from the Vina Cono Sur. This is one of those wines that is quite easily found in local LCBO stores and is always at a very reasonable price. Viognier is one of those grapes that has become a “go to” grape for me in the summer. While I may enjoy a Pinot Grigio or a Rose wine every now and then in the summer, Viognier has become a very versatile, easy to pair wine and is just as great as a summer sipper on its own. Just to give you an idea, this particular Viognier – the Cono Sur Bicycle Viognier 2008 – was the first wine I sampled this afternoon and it was still lingering hours later when we left. The aromas pouring out of this glass were apricots, citrus fruit, peaches and slight floral note at the end. The wine itself was fresh and lively – with complimentary flavours to those found in the aromas – and although it may seem hard to pair, my suggestions are to head to the Far East to find good pairings – Thai, Indian and Chinese foods seem to be the way to go with this wine.

Now on to our amazing local wines – mostly from Prince Edward County but with one Niagara on the Lake winery added in for their unique Gamay. Chateau des Charmes has become known in local circles for having a very unique clone of Gamay – the Gamay Droit. In 1982, Château des Charmes' founder Paul-Michel Bosc, while conducting pioneering clonal selection research at his vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake, noticed a single Gamay Noir vine that exhibited some interesting and unique characteristics. Most noticeably, the vine shoots grew in an upright ("droit") position. Propagation of this single vine began immediately and culminated almost two decades later in the granting of international Plant Breeder's Rights to Château des Charmes. "Canada's first vinifera" was born. Gamay Droit produces grapes that ripen on average about ten days later than Gamay Noir with higher sugar levels and greater colouring matters. The result is a red wine with more body, alcohol and flavour concentration. The 2007 vintage of Chateau des Charmes St David’s Bench Vineyard Gamay Droit is everything that vintage promises to be combined with everything this clone promises to be. Gamay’s are typically fruity and full of flavour – this one is all that with the added kick of spice and herbs. I would not normally describe a light red wine – like any Gamay – as a powerhouse wine but, in the case of Chateau des Charmes’ 2007 Gamay Droit that is the only way to do this wine justice.

Now out to Prince Edward County, where there are plenty of fine wines to choose from. First stop is The Grange of Prince Edward – a place that has always made interesting Gamay Noir and, this year, saw a Chardonnay added to my favourites. The Chardonnay is becoming a Vintages release in June of 2009 and has a very pale straw colour indicating that it did not come into contact with any oak. The aromas are mostly melon, peach and apple while the flavours are a continuation of the apple with some minerality to give it extra dimension. The Gamay has always been one of my favourites and the 2007 vintage is no exception. This particular vintage has this lovely combination of floral and red berry aromas that continue on to the palate and add a cinnamon overtone to the taste. White meats are not typically paired with red wines but, in this particular instance, Roast Turkey would be an excellent pairing with this wine.

Not all that far from The Grange is a wonderful little winery called Rosehall Run Vineyards. Always one of my favourites with great white wines and very interesting red wines, today my favourite was their 2007 Cuvee County Chardonnay. Rather than being a straight Chardonnay, the Cuvee County Chardonnay is a blend of Chardonnay and Chardonnay Musque. The Chardonnay Musque gives an added dimension and a slight hit of sweetness that most Chardonnay’s do not. One of my favourite flavours of the summer is corn on the cob and this wine reminds me of it – Peaches and cream are the predominant flavours then comes the distinctive minerality that most County Chardonnay’s have followed by floral and caramel near the end. This wine could pair with a large variety of foods but I would stick with chicken, corn and cream based pasta’s.

There were a couple of other wineries from Prince Edward County that were quite spectacular that day but I actually want to wait for a continuation of this blog before I present them to you. Stay tuned for reviews on Bergeron Estate Winery’s 2007 Gamay Noir and Thirty Three Vines 2007 Cabernet Franc. Reviews to be posted by the end of this week.

The Passion of Prince Edward

Photos from harvest can be found at http://ontariowinediva.blogspot.com

It’s that time of the year again and we all know it here in Ontario. It’s the time of the year where we all want summer to last one more day, to be able to wear sandals one last time, to not have to wear a jacket when we go out of the house. In the vineyards of this province, winemakers and winery owners all hope for one more day of sun and heat, to get the Brix level of the grapes up one more degree, to not have rain and, in the case of some grapes, to not have any frost when we leave the house in the morning to head to the vineyards.

Another way to describe this time of year in our vineyards is “IT’S HARVEST TIME!” On Facebook, you see the different wineries who have groups and fan pages publicizing events all related to the harvesting of grapes. For those wineries that do not use mechanical harvests, which is a very large percentage of our wineries, this is the time of year when they are looking for as many helpers as they can possibly get their hands on because it is quite literally a race against time to get those grapes off the vines before the first frost arrives. For all of those reality TV show buffs out there, this is the Amazing Race of the wine world. This particular year harvest – for the most part – started the final weekend of September so, for the smaller wineries, they are anywhere from half to two-thirds through their harvesting and, since I was running a wine dinner in Kapuskasing the first weekend of harvest, my first weekend to help harvesting was the first weekend in October – the 4th and the 5th. Normally, I only do one weekend because harvest is a lot of work and it will inevitably cause a lot of aches and pains but there were so many requests being made by so many wineries, I decided to help out multiple wineries over the multiple weekends. My first weekend was spent at Lacey Estates Winery and, originally, it was only going to be just the Saturday but after dinner, and a great after dinner drink, I decided it would be prudent to not drive and stay out in Prince Edward County to help them finish up harvesting the Baco Noir. Boy, am I ever glad I did so because I had the opportunity to help out punching down the cap on a set of wines that had been harvesting for a week and, the next day, needed to go through the press because the wine had finished fermenting a couple of days earlier than expected. Although there is a definite reason why Baco Noir is commonly referred to as “back breaking baco noir”, it was definitely an interesting experience and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything, even with my hands being the colour of royal purple that they were.

If you have never experienced a harvest season first hand, there are several wineries that are still looking for help. Depending on the winery, and the people who own it, some of them have day jobs that keep them busy during the week and that, inevitably, requires them to hold off on actual harvesting until their days off. Both Lacey Estates Winery and the winery I will be helping out at next weekend – Karlo Estates – are in that situation and, as a result, their harvests are spread out over three weekends. Both of these wineries, plus a few others in the area, are going to be doing their final harvest on Thanksgiving weekend. If you are not already doing something else, all of these wineries would love the extra hands. Check out the picture gallery on my blog site to see pictures from last week’s harvest to see what a harvest actually looks like.