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.

Discover the Wines of Portugal

Several times a year the wineries of Portugal come to Toronto – some of the events are large and some of them are small. On Tuesday, April 14th, trade people in Toronto were treated to a medium sized tasting made up of producers who, for the most part, were looking for representation in the area. Now, what this means is that while you may have a hard time getting your hands on most of these wines right now, once they have representation, they have some really amazing prices on their wines so that they can enter into our market relatively easy.

This particular tasting was host to nine wineries, approximately seventy different whites, roses, reds and Ports to sample. Here are some of my favourites:

Adega Cooperativa de Favaios
Foral da Vila DOC 2007 White
Just an amazing floral, fruity nose on this wine followed by an incredible balance of flavours on the palate. Although, traditionally, Rose’s are the summer sippers of choice, this one is a very pleasant change and may quickly become a favourite.

Uniao das Adegas Cooperativasda Regiao dos Vinhos Verdes, UCRL
Terras de Gelgueiras Espadeiro 2007 Rose
There is a nice little hit of effervescence floating up through the glass which makes this a very “pretty” wine to look at. Although the nose does become very faint when it is over chilled (which is why you will want this wine a little less cool than you would normally have a Rose), the flavours in the glass more than make up for it. Although I would not normally associate a cheese flavour with a Rose wine since it tends to be more fruit than anything else, this particular wine has a distinctive smoked Gouda flavour that is unmistakable.
They were passing around crostini with Mozzarella and Basil at the tasting that matched perfectly with this wine so it stands to reason that this wine will pair perfectly with a Margherita Pizza.

Cooperativa Agricola Santo Isidro de Pegoes
Adega de Pegoes Trincadeira 2007
This is one of those wines that sneaks up on you. On the nose, there is very little to this but when you take your first taste beware because you could end up with whiplash. Mark, who tasted this wine alongside me, said “it goes from 0-60 in 3 seconds.” If you want a fabulous food pairing with this here are two words for you – MINI BURGERS!

Soadegas – Sociedade Comercial de Vinhos, LDA
Mirante 2007 Red
Everything about this wine was amazing – the colour, the aromas, the flavours. The colour was this raspberry red shade with a purple hue…unlike anything I had seen before. The aromas were a wonderful combination of berry fruit and floral while the flavours were smooth, silky, perfectly balanced and a continuation of the aromas. Without a doubt, this was the best table wine I had that day.

Caves Santa Marta Vinhos e Derivados, CRL
Porto 10 Anos
Very pleasant Port overall – aromas of raisins & currants, flavours of the same with a hit of spice at the end. Definitely a great way to finish off an evening.

Caves Santa Marta Vinhos e Derivados, CRL
Porto LBV 2000
Slightly sweeter than the 10 year old Port above but very similar flavours. The extra time on the vines contributes to the extra sweetness – similar to how a Late Harvest wine from Ontario is slightly sweeter than a table wine.

Caves Santa Marta Vinhos e Derivados, CRL
Porto Vintage 2004
To be a Vintage port, the grapes used in it have to be picked in a year that Portugal’s governing body on wines designates as a Vintage year – 2004 was such a year. Although this is the youngest wine on the table, it is showing much more complexity and intrigue than any of its older counterparts so imagine how this is going to taste 10, 20 and 30 years down the road. If you are looking for a good food pairing for this, the restaurant was serving a goat cheese and olive crostini that went very well with it but anything with goat cheese and black olives will work.

Caves Vale do Rodo, CRL
Porto Vintage 2004
As I mentioned with the previous wine, Portugal’s governing body on wines designated 2004 as a Vintage year. This particular wine epitomizes exactly why 2004 was designated such a year. It has an amazing purple ruby colour going on with it and the aromas have this really intriguing mix of cooked fruit but with just a kick of citrus…well, mostly lemon but I think I caught a hint of orange as well just before I took a sip of it. The aromas continue on to the flavours making it seamless and this particular Port had a long, lingering, smooth, delectable finish. Definitely a perfect way to end the afternoon.

The Burgundy Road Show comes to Toronto

During the winter months, wine trade tastings become few and far between here in Toronto. I have always operated under the theory that the reasoning for this is because the organizers do not want to have to deal with a coat check as well but, needless to say, when an event invitation floats across our desks, it is always viewed as a nice change of pace from the dreary monotony of winter. Although March 17th is recognized around the world as St. Patrick’s Day, when I saw that the Burgundy Wine Show was coming to town, I knew it would make St Patrick’s Day very interesting. You see, my ancestry is Irish – through and through – so I wear a lot of green and only drink Irish coffee’s that day.

Understanding the French wine system can be very complicated. I still need to check reference books when I talk about it and I first encountered their labeling practices 25 plus years ago. You see, there is a very big difference between how North American wineries label their wines and how European (primarily France) label their wines. Instead of seeing the name of the grape on the label, you see names like “Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru, Abbaye de Morgeot, 2002” or “Beaune 1er Cru, les Epenottes, 2002”. As you can see, none of these names have an actual grape listed – there is no mention of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir or Auxerrois. It can be incredibly confusing but it is the way the French label their wines so it is up to us to just try the wines and decide which ones we like.

The focus of this wine tasting was the Burgundy (Bourgogne) region of France. When you look at a map of France, the region of Bourgogne can be located south and slightly east of Paris. It is a fairly spread out region in terms of area covered stretching from the town of Auxerre in the north almost all the way down to Lyon in the south of France. Between these two cities, you find the areas of Chablis and le Grand Auxerrois, Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, Cote Chalonnaise and Maconnais and there are two wines in particular that the region is VERY well known for – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

For this particular day, they had a line up of twenty two different wines – half white, half red – which they felt represent the different areas and quality levels as set out by the government of France. After tasting all of these amazing and interesting wines, there were four whites and four reds which really stood out and it is those wines that I will discuss here:

WHITE WINES

Blasons de Bourgogne, Chablis Grand Cru, Blanchots, “la Chablisienne” 2005
**** (4 stars out of 5)
One of the first wines we tasted that day. It had an intense and interesting nose – slightly smoky, very powerful and the palate was silky smooth. Just a slight hint of butter indicated a small amount of oak influence but not overpoweringly so. Although the aromas and the flavours were not harmonious in this wine, it was very pleasant nonetheless. This wine was not currently available in Ontario but is available in other markets, including Vancouver, Montreal and stateside.

Maison Joseph Drouhin, Beaune 1er Cru, “Clos des Mouches”, 2005
**** (4 stars out of 5)
This was one of the few wines from the tasting that is generally available through a variety of outlets. You can pick it up at an LCBO in Ontario (check the Vintages section) or you can order it through the importers – Family Wine Merchants in Ontario, Pacific Wine & Spirits in British Columbia. As for the wine itself, have you ever had something to eat or drink that just tasted amazing but you could not explain why? Well, this wine definitely fits that description. There was a slightly smokiness to the aromas but past that, it was just impossible to say what made this wine great. This was just one of those wines you need to seek out and try.

Domain Loron & Fils, Pouilly Fuisse, “les Vieux Murs” 2005
**** ½ (4 ½ stars out of 5)
You know how when you enter a grocery store they have always positioned the fruits and vegetables right there where you enter. Well, imagine those heavenly smells in a glass and you have this wine. This was just a wonderful combination of melon, citrus and stone fruit pouring out of the glass. The flavours were a perfect balance of butter, fruit, cream and spice with just a hint of smoke. It was quite possibly one of the best white wines of the day (or a very close second).

Louis Tramier & Fils, Saint Veran, 2007
**** ¾ (4 ¾ stars out of 5)
I hinted in the above review that it was a very close second to the best wine of the day – this one, in my opinion, has top marks in my books. Keep in mind that this wine needs to be chilled to really shine (possibly slightly over chilled) but it is up front and lively with major citrus flavours, and just a hint of smoke and cream. I normally do not refer to white wines as “Knock You On Your Ass” wines but this is one white wine where you can easily say that.

RED WINES

Domain Charles Allexant & Fils, Beaunne Bressandes 1er Cru, 2006
**** (4 stars out of 5)
While there was this wonderfully delicate floral nose the palate was not at all what a lot of us expected. It was almost as if the tastes were ghosts of their true flavours because although you could detect fruit and earthy undertones they were extremely faint to the point where they almost disappeared. To say the least, this wine was a contradiction of itself and was very, very enjoyable.

Chanson Pere & Fils, Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru, 2006
***** (5 stars out of 5)
2006 was a great year for wine from Burgundy and this wine epitomizes that completely. The rich purple colour was unlike anything I had seen all day and the floral and slightly vegetal aromas coming out of the glass were enough to transport you off to France itself. The flavours were fruity and floral and seemed to go on forever and ever. This was definitely one of those wines that you just can not put down and you feel the need to finish every last drop in the glass. It is definitely one of those pricier wines that are only opened for special occasions – in Ontario, it is around $185 a bottle – but if you have the means, it is worth it to have a bottle on hand when celebrating.

Bourgogne Parent, Beaune 1er Cru, “les Epenottes”, 2002
**** (4 stars out of 5)
Given that it is almost seven years since the grapes were picked, this wine is one of those that should be ready to drink now – and it is! A combination of smoke and fruit in both the aromas and the flavours, smooth tannins and a slightly lingering finish makes this one wine that would be great at your next meal.

Domain Taupenot-Merme, Mazoyeres Chambertin, 2006
**** (4 stars out of 5)
Like most of the other wines from this day, this wine had a powerful fruity nose with a slight hint of herbal. That carried through to the flavours where it is still showing signs of medium to strong tannins. Although I only gave this 4 out of 5, I do think that if you are patient two to three years, the tannins will mellow even more and make this a truly remarkable wine.