My garden is done..sort of. We actually found seed for Seneca Chief corn!!!!!!! For anyone younger than 30 this was the most magnificent corn and was a joy of my childhood. I remember my grandmother arguing with farmers that they were selling Seneca Star rather than Seneca Chief (wonder where I got my hard head from). This corn was great. Modern corn is nothing compared and I remember the evil Green Giant pushing this gem aside for the “corporate” corn…...why can’t we have a ‘Mondo Corno” to rival ‘Mondo Vino” as the documentary of the century to show how corporatism ruins good food (Mondo Vino is a great documentary on how the proper wine industry is being ruined by globalization, with the Mondavi group, Michel Roland and Robert Parker as the villains. I agree with Parker and Roland, but the Mondavi’s still make some great wine. Roland is a consultant who globalizes his taste and Parker is the reviewer for Wine Spectator, He likes new world style and now consultants will devise a wine to get a Parker score...evil stuff as some wineries make wine for him and abandon making real wine). Well for Seneca Chief.... it will be reborn!!!!
Basil (4 types), thyme (2 types), tarragon, rosemary, dill, mint, oregano and tomatoes(San Marzano, romas, jet, and heirloom)..Oh I am so happy. We are also trying artichokes too!!
This is what I mean. Wine solo is ok, but wine with real food, friends and music is where its at. I remember Mario Batali talking about this and it is so bloody nice. I guess we will eat well this summer and it will make the wine better.
Meritage is the North American equivalence to the Bordeaux classic blends. It was created as a marketing ploy by the Americans so that they could market blends of grapes. All Meritages must contain the three noble Bordeaux grapes: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In Bordeaux, these grapes are mixed in various proportions, but the Meritage label implies that all three are there. It’s a marketing ploy so a Meritage label is not necessarily a sign of quality. VQA has licensed this label so there.
Our four combatants were: #1 Sanson Estates Barncat 2004
#2 Pelee Island Meritage 2003
#3 Mastronardi Estates Meritage 2006
#4 Stoney Ridge Founders Reserve Meritage 2003
#1 Sanson: chosen because I really like this wine and wanted a representative from the Harrow/MacGregor area. This wine is great. Balanced and skillful done.
#2 Pelee: this was the first wine that I enjoyed from this area. It was the start of my journey. I really thought this could be the winner
#3 Mastronardi: from the Ruthven area, Mastronardi has been producing some great wines. I was looking forward to this one and had real high hopes.
#4 Stoney Ridge: quite honestly, it was in my wine fridge and thats why I added it. I like Stoney Ridge wines, but Terry and I go there for the cheese shop more than the wines. This is a Reserve series and wasn’t that much (I think).
Not included: Sprucewood Meritage: very different from a standard Meritage as it is lighter in body. It is still very good, but I felt that it would be too easily identified.
Smith and Wilson Double Barrel. Stylistically similar to Barncat and since I had one non Meritage it was excluded. More than four wines would have been difficult.
Methodology: all four combatants were aligned on the top shelf of my wine fridge the day previous so temperature should have been the same. Cool, cellar temp but not cold nor room temp.
Numbers were applied by Myles while we were in the dining room. Four carafes were numbered, again by Myles so that there was a totally random nature to the carafe/wine interface. All wine was aerated thru my WMF stainless steel aeration funnel. I realize that the carafe may affect the wine. I apologize as I do not have 4 identical carafes, but I tried to keep them similar. Glassware was Rosenthal diVino series. Nothing special but good quality.
The wine was presented and samples were taken at random. The first wine was given a rating of 100 and the subsequent wines were rated relative to this. I gave each wine a score based on each reviewers relative ranking. Therefore a rating of 4 would imply that that wine was rated first by all 4 reviewers. Like golf the lower the score the better.
Tasting panel. Terry and I as usual. The guests were the suave and sophisticated ones. Both are excellent chefs with extensive wine tastings in Germany and here. Tom loves big reds and rieslings and Carolyn being a pastry chef has a good sense of taste.
When they arrived we had some Pinot Noir (Niagara Teaching College) and appetizers.
Music was fine and causal starting with Yael Naim (she does the Mac song) and then Robert Plant and Alison Krause. Good stuff.
RESULTS:
The results did truly confuse me. I miss-identified all the wines to what I thought the were. All were good and here are some comments.
#1 Sanson: mellow, hints of soil//wine has legs, very fresh fruity aroma, tannic, deep deep berries//dark red, medium body,light aroma//fresh nose, smooth!smooth!smooth!
#2 Pelee Island: mild, pucker power, nice body, acidic// wine has legs, very fresh,fruity aroma,very dry but nice, wee bit lighter than 1//dark red, light body, tangy//great nose, nice legs,very tannic, big and mouth, almost a bitter taste
#3 Mastronardi: citrus aroma, mild flavour, quite different//very dark neutral nose, very mild, not alot of flavour//light red, slight dryness, not much flavour, taste the dirt//beautiful nose!, awesome, so smooth!
#4 Stoney Ridge: full grape aroma, hints of red beet, pungent flavour//rich berry nose, deep red, great legs, very tannic,oak nice, deep dark fruit//mild flavour, fruity, full bodied, light, crystal sediment ( a good thing btw….my note)
RATINGS:
#1 Barncat 9
#2 Pelee Island 11
#3 Mastronardi 13
#4 Stone Ridge 6 WINNER!!
These results do confuse me. The women seem to taste different from the men. There is also a wide statistical variance that implies too much difference from first to fourth. Also the winner was not anticipated beforehand.
Dinner afterward was roast duck with french beans cooked in duck fat, asparagus and a potato gratin. Carolyn brought an awesome cake for desert.
Now with the meal all the wines went well. Terry went for the Mastronardi while Tom and I attacked the Stoney Ridge. All worked well. So the tasting may have been immaterial. I am not sure. If the purpose was to rate a wine rather than enjoy wine there was clear winner, BUT all were enjoyable.
In the macro sense I don’t think there was a clear winner. I believe wine is a total experience, with food, music and friends. The lack of ‘control’ causes the ratings to be moot. I am confused right now but like the blind methodology.
All in all an interesting event and all had a good time. Isn’t that the point.
When it comes to restaurants, I prefer unpretentious, simple, independent ones. I love Italian food, but I have trouble wrapping my head around $20 pasta that I know has a food cost of $2. I realize that there are other costs, but sometimes I just have trouble (I am also quite cheap...thrifty sounds better).
Last Thursday, we had some time so we went to Paula’s. This isn’t a pretentious place at all and quite frankly it could use a paint job and new furnishings, but it’s clean and has great food.
Paula’s is located right by the gate of Point Pelee. We enjoy going for a drive then stopping in for a bite. It has a nice deck which is great during the summer.
The menu is based around perch and pickerel and in my mind great. These should be the cornerstone of the local cuisine. Why do I want fish shipped in from outer mongolia when I can get fish which came off the boat this morning?
We both had the “all you can eat pickerel” . These were treated like fish and chips, but the batter was wonderful. Light brown and light texture. It didn’t overpower the fish. The fish was done perfectly and from the colour of the fish one could see that the oil was fresh and the cook knew what he/she was doing.
We’ve eaten there several time and the food was always good. Yes, it has a salad bar...I hate them...but I’ll forgive that. Simple salad, some nice spicy potato salad and a good choice of dressings. There was a choice of sides to come with the pickerel and I chose the rice pilaf which was salty and I think was from a box. It wasn’t bad but the pickerel was the key. It was great!
The wine list is rather limited. I remember it having more local, but it had only Pelee white and a Piat D’or so oh well at least one local. We had a litre carafe for $24 so I can’t complain too much.
The service was exceptional as usual. If you want a stuffy professional server this isn’t the place. It offers more of the homey friendliness which makes you feel like our an old friend. Courteous, friendly, yet attentive. It fits the place.
If you want good food, great service go to Paula’s. We paid a whopping $71 dollars for dinner and wine. That’s cheap for some of the best pickerel I have had.
SUMMARY
cleanliness: excellent
menu: fish based
portion size: ample
food: very good
service: very good
wine list: I wish it was better
value for money: very good
I am sorry that I have been tardy in posting but the week was a killer.
Last weekend we went to the Gordon Ramsay book-signing in Burlington, only to find out it was a wristband only affair. I really wish Indigo would have posted that on their website. Oh well, we had gone to Niagara on the way so it wasn’t a total loss.
There will be many posts on our Niagara trip. Two restaurant reviews….I wish both were here...and many wine reviews. It seems really good up there and the wine, well lets say that it is very very good.
I am taking a break from prepping for tonight's Meritage derby. The suave and sophisticated one and I tweaked our methodology so it will be totally blind. The combatants are arranged side by side on the top shelf of my wine fridge and will be decanted and aerated by Myles, therefore we will not know what we are drinking. Only variable will be the carafes as I don’t have 5 the same.
I was speaking with Pete the Elder last evening. He was wondering why I always like the wine I review. He wasn’t aware that I buy all my wine for review, therefore, I buy what I like. That is why Baco Noir, Zwiegelt, Vidals et al seem to be missing. If I was given a bottle to review, and yes I have gotten 3 total, I will give an honest review and will say what I think. If I was to review, say Colio Bianco Secco that bad review would be forthcoming, but since I drive a diesel and no longer have a carburetor to clean, that wine will not grace my table.
There is my bad review.
I also am giving my best wishes to our soon to be departing friend, Pete the Younger aka Allan Park Pete. Seems he just wants to be a cowboy and looks to be heading for Calgary. Good luck and watch out for them thar cow-pies. I bet he’s got his hat already and the country music to boot. YEEEE-HAWWWW!!! I give him a month before he buys a big ol pick up truck with steer horns on the hood.
Sorry, I just love that line when Ricky came home...I know it’s Lucy, I’m home, but work with me here... Muscedere had their Grand Re-Opening yesterday and it was a great event.
Terry and I went after she did a photo-shoot in Riverside. We took the Drive back west ( we were on schedule) and it was such a nice ride. Well, we needed some nibblies so the dh it was. OK, we were now late, but we took the drive all the way to Alma in Amherstburg anyway. Hey, it was a beautiful day.
We finally got to Muscedere about 3 p.m.. Their lot was full….. that was a good sign... Oi, just imagine a hundred people in their wine room….. Good thing they had a tent and some musicians and a lot of chairs. Good stuff.
So the new wine.
By memory: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Rose, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc. Oh yes, and 3 Ice Wines. To come is a Chardonnay and a Meritage.
My thoughts from tasting:
Pinot Noir: deep scarlet red, clear with some body….they ran out of stock, but there is some more. A keeper. I will get some and do a review.
Cabernet Franc: I think that this wine is way better than last year’s which was really good. This may be their best red yet. None of the weird cab franc notes, just really good flavour.
Rose: this will be a great summer wine. It is a Provence style rose and that’s a good thing. Different in style from Erie Shore’s Summer Sun, so I think there is a Rose-off set for the future. It’s a really nice wine.
Riesling: the question is--- is it as good as their first one...the one that I felt was hands down the area’s best wine? We shall see, but the sample I had was wonderful. I smelled all the right things and it had mouthfeel and taste. A review will follow.
Pinot Grigio: crisp, dry, very nice. This is a good one and a keeper.
Sauvignon Blanc: THIS WINE IS AMAZING!!!! It has everthing I love in a Sauv Blanc…..taste, body, fruit, grass( a wee bit only) Its more like a French style than a New Zealand. Good with food (we had it) and just there. It’s huge for a Sauvignon Blanc but we found it to be wonderful.
We had a sample of the Chardonnay and this one will be great. Again more to a French Style, no oak and just loads of pineapple. Yup, pineapple and just wonderful mouth feel. This one will be worth waiting for.
Just like at Calabria we closed the place with the owner’s. It is getting to be a habit, but it’s fun. This is a classic winery. Kids playing, father, mother, sons, sisters, wives, friends etc….this to me is what a winery should be….kinda like in the old country…..oops, no wineries in Scotland, so we change my name to Piccolo, so now the old country is La Marche….. Add a twenty-ish Sophia Loren stomping the grapes and life could be very good indeed.
I am sorry that I haven’t been posting as much as I would like, but it has been a very busy month. But Saturday was a joy! Beautiful day and Vlad went to the puppy spa, Terry was busy with taxes, Myles was at his dad’s so I had three hours to kill. Well the puppy spa was off Walker so I headed south. Why yes, aren’t there wineries just off of Walker???
First stop was View Pointe. Always good stuff and the Pinot Noir was still on sale. I suggest getting some as it is a steal at $15. Good stuff and I will do a review soon. New offerings are on their way but snag some Pinot…..if only they would get a sign.
Next stop was CREW and they too are about to release BUT the are blowing out their Gewurtz so get some before its gone. Its really good.
Same story at Erie Shores, but they are so nice to visit with and of course Liz wanted some Stellar Secret and Summer Sun so I got some for her...Liz come get it.
Now to Sanson. New stuff soon to be out but the have Berkshire pork and some of their own cattle. I have had the meat and its wonderful…..way too good for tacos, but made an awesome Bolognese. They will have heirloom vegetables too!!!! Now this is great...get some wonderful meat some wine (they make great wine) veg et voila le diner. What more could you want. Good food, good wine...add friends and music and life is good.
Went by Muscedere and the are re-opening with their new releases on the 19th …..no problems, except the ran out of wine after Christmas, which is a good thing. I am looking forward to their Pinot and Riesling. For larger tastes the Baco I’ve had was really good, and I don’t like Baco.
By now Mastronardi’s Gewurtz should be out and it’s wonderful, possibly better than last years, which is a big deal.
Aleksander has a new Cabernet and I got some today. Again more to come out.
And of course last but not least is Sprucewood who released their Meritage about a month ago and should to have releases soon.
This time of year is exiting as the new releases are almost there so visits are fun and different.
Well happy tippling.
Enjoy!!
It’s officially warm again!!! Terry and I had the official spring starter…..Summer Sun on the patio. Yes good times rolled again.
I find this wine is just so right for my palate. Its happy, light and fruity. That was my last bottle so I need to go pay Harvey and Alma a visit.
Now, don’t look down your nose at Rose. Its not a 'great wine', but it is fun and just wonderful to have on the deck. After a long search we just fell in love with this wine. To me it means summer is coming.
Now is it that good?? After it we had a bottle of Argentinean Sangiovese Rose. It came from Opimium so its not readily available. This is a good thing. It had an odd colour and taste. It wasn’t pink it was almost crimson and it tasted like brandy. Not good at all.
Sunday was nice too and as we had a snack on the deck so we opened some Stellar Secret. This is the other Rose from Erie Shores and it is a nice foil to Summer Sun. I still like Summer Sun more but this is good to. It exudes fun.
Aroma…..who cares…..body….nice and light. OK there’s the review. Go get some and enjoy!!!
I just can’t stop babbling about the Essex County meal and my obsession with finding local meat.
A couple of weeks ago we ran into the Ewe Dale man at Calabria in Cottam. For some reason he had lamb…….he supplies the lamb to Calabria and I guess its good that he likes his product. I don’t think he really liked my joke about steroids and antibiotics….he knew I was just being sarcastic. He did tell us where the farm was and where to get it.
So Saturday I really wanted to barbeque so we went to Schwab’s in LaSalle. Lo and behold, there was Ewe Dale lamb, so we bought a leg to turn on the barbi and a couple of slabs of ribs (local) for Sunday.
Just some garlic spears, rosemary salt pepper and olive oil. We turned it for 2 hrs and hoovered it. It was just so nice, so much better than New Zealand lamb and better than Alberta. Hey, its close was raised with some love. Not exactly cheap but worth every penny. If you like lamb get some.
Wine with dinner was a 2004 Liberty School Syrah from Paso Robles. Yes the setting for Sideways… I hated both characters and was happy when Sandra Oh beat that tird with her helmet, Well it was wonderful, full and tannic. It just went so well with the lamb...maybe those Aussies are on to something.
After that we opened an 06 Aleksander Shiraz. These wines were as different as night and day. The Aleksander was lighter and fresher and not tannic like the other. We both really liked it But would it have been better with the lamb...maybe not but it was so good.
Now, here is m rant. Find a butcher and bug him/her. Get them to buy locally produced meat and produce and DISPLAY the fact proudly. Hell, if Mark hadn’t told us where all the meat was from I would assume it came in vacuum bags. Hell, he even butchers the meat too!! So find a butcher and bug em...you pay for the privilege.
The new Paesano’s gets it. They proudly display where the meat came from...most is local so that is good. I’m glad to see them back as I liked the old store and the new one is much better…...I am happy and I like the signs….guess I don’t have to bug them too much.
So bag the 100 mile meal and have the Essex County meal....it can be done.
Today is Good Friday and it is awful out. I just wish that the winter will end and we can get on with life.
But, even so, we made a nice meal. Roast duck, a personal favourite, mashed potatoes and stuffing. What more could you want, Not only do you get a nice meal, you get duck fat. I realize that the Jewish kitchen revolves around shmaltz (chicken fat), but I just think the French have got this nailed.
The music started with Robert Plant and Alison Krause. A wonderful album. Now, Allison is from Union Station which is a Bluegrass band and Robert is from Led Zeppelin. Don’t let that fool you as Zepp always had an appreciation of music and wasn’t a run of the mill metal band and she is a wonderful artist. The album is a jewell. After that we went to Michele Petrucciani, Live at the Village Vanguard. He was an exceptional pianist whom I had the honor of seeing man years ago. He was simply wonderful.
The wine….(ooops I forgot again) was Malivoire Pinot Noir. I just love their wine and a stop at the winery is a must when I am in Niagara. We actually invited the staff to come down for the Wine Fest and I bet the will. They are really cool.
This wine is wonderful. The aroma is not overwhelming but what there is is wonderful. Nothing stands out but we knew it was good,
The taste is similar. No outstanding element but boy is it good, This is what good wine should taste like. Very subtle and good. I just wish alot of winemakers would go there and see what they do. It is just soooo right. With the duck it just went with it. Didn’t overpower, didn’t make anything else but sooo nice.
I just wish I had more. Probably there is more around but I just became one with this wine.
What is really cool as it reminds me of Sprucewood’s Pinot, so we opened some. More alcohol on the nose, lighter and not as complex, but still good. This is a complement by the way as the Maliviore is way more expensive. I just love this wine and as usual they have Hit It right.
BTW Malivoire doesn’t make BIG WINE..the use gravity feeds and make good wine mainly white but this Pinot is just their best and one of the best I have had.
