essex wine report

Since I've gotten a few new readers lately let me go over a few things that I think are important for the upcoming summer. As the summer arrives, we will tend to eat and drink lighter and as good Canadians, we will spend as much time as we can being mosquito food.

Wine temperature.... White wines need to be chilled, but not to Bud levels. Too cold kills the flavor and to warm is not too nice. I tend to use a cool sleeve on my whites and this works well on the deck. It maintains a cool temp without having to start with frost on the bottle... Reds....well here is where I really differ with a lot of people, except Mario Batali (which means I am correct). Reds should be cellar temp ie: cool, not room temp. Remember that a wine cellar is deep in the ground, like in your Burgundian castle (of course) and it is rather cool, not 90'. This will smooth the wines out nice and take the alcohol taste away.

Aerating... please aerate your red wines. That really smooths it out, softens them and basically makes them taste better. Treat yourself and get an aeration funnel and a carafe. You will enjoy your reds so much more. You may even find it changes the mouth feel of the wine. Some manage to actually feel like they grow in volume and become physically softer. The two that really came to mind were the CREW and the Mastronardi Cab Sauv. These just changed dramatically. They were/are good to start but they became really good after aeration.

Glasses...I wish I had the money to have specific glassware for each type of wine. Well even if I did, I'd rather spend it on wine. I've recently discover the wonder of box wine glasses which look like the 'designer' ones. Now if my friends demo a few, I really don't care (other than the glass I always seem to step on) and just go buy more. Face it, they hold wine and don't leak so they meet my needs. A nice bowl-type, ie:Burgundy type for reds and a nice white wine glass. Simple. OOPS.. remember nice Champagne glasses. Its a shame to serve Champagne in Dixie cups, so I found some 'cost effective' hollow stem glasses. They are a pain to clean, but they look really nice. Also, remember the classic Italian Bistro glass which is nothing more than a little juice glass, quaint, but it really doesn't work for me. I really like to smell my wine and it can't be done with one of those.

Wine choices....its summer and the time for Rose, Vinho Verde, Sangria and lighter reds. Trust me and go and get some Vinho Verde, some seafood for the barbie and enjoy. You don't need the expensive stuff as the $8 stuff is wonderful. Make Paella and just enjoy. I know I have friends who don't drink whites but this is the time of year for them.

And this one really irks me. I read wine reviews and everyone seems to drink wine in an isolation chamber. I don't know about you, but my best wine has been drank with friends, over meals and conversation, or on a deck with Tso. Its there to enjoy and be part of something. I had a marvelous time at a wedding Saturday and I drank a wee bit of wine. It was marvelous and I've had that wine several times. Well, we were at the winery and the wine tasted the best it ever did. Same wine, but the event, the people, the lovely setting and food made it way better. You couldn't make me trade Saturday's Pinot for a bottle of Opus One, Nuff said. Share your wine with friends and enjoy. Wine is made to drink, not be an investment.

All in all have fun and raise a toast for the great wine we have been given.

During our top secret mission last week we got to go to several wineries and see what is happening. Let's just say that this is a very interesting part of the year. New wines are coming out and lo and behold some wines are getting value pricing to make room for new wines.

If my memory serves me well I try to give my highlights. These are in no particular order btw.

Smith and Wilson: I don't know how they do it but they've added a new red wine and it is quite nice. It is reasonably priced and is called “Clearly Red”. Have no fear there is still Double Barrel available so life is still good.

Moving west from Blenheim is Mastronardi.When I was there they were rightfully proud of their Ice Wine winning the World Championship. Tso loves their ice wine and simply put: if I ever get into real trouble, I'm heading there to get some...I think it could get me probation for almost any offense. They have also introduced a Gewürztraminer which was simply excellent.

Heading back toward the thriving metropolis of Cottam is Aleksander, who are doing such a nice job. Also good to see is that they seem to be planting grapes anywhere they can. We purchased some Pinot Gris and it went magically with the pickerel we bought from the “fish nazi”. I know I am stealing this from Seinfeld, and I don't even like his humour, but this fellow is the fish equivilent of the soup guy.

Well over to Harrow and the Muscedere brothers have a lot going on. The Riesling is sold out it seems and this is real sad, but they have released the Canadian Oaked Chardonnay. This wine is superb and is special as it is one of the very few that uses Canadian Oak and if this is what it can do, methinks it has a good future. A full review is coming and this one is a winner.

At Erie Shores things seem to be going very good. The are introducing their new wines and are getting a Rose out very soon. This doesn't replace Summer Sun but complements it. I'm looking forward to that one.

If we were there and I didn't mention you, or haven't been there lately, there's nothing personal, I either forgot or in the case of another, heard that wines were sold out and we are waiting for the new ones.

Congratulation to Mastronardi and Muscedere for their recent victories. I mentioned Mastronardi's Ice Wine previously and Muscedere had 2 victories last week at the All Canadian wine competition here in Windsor. A Baco Gold and a Bronze for the Cab Franc. These were all Canadian awards so that is good. So here are 3 award winning wines made here by new wineries and this wasn't everybody wins something type of competition. I see many more awards heading down this way.

What a weekend, after the benefit dinner at Calabria, which was great, Tso and I visited 7 wineries on a secret mission and got all my herbs for the summer.

Am I writing about meeting a wonderful wine maker and having a superb time...not yet. Am I writing about our winery visits and all the neat stuff we found...not yet....well its our cider. That's right we racked our cider on Sunday and it was really good. Tso was worried but i wasn't. Its very dry and will be really good in about 2 more weeks. I guess I have a new career opportunity....yeah right!!!!!

Last Monday Tso and I had the opportunity to attend the prime social event in Cottam. It was a benefit for the Horticultural Society held at Calabria. I can only hope the beautification plan can be as good as the food. Linda looked glowing in her new chef's jacket. If I made food like that, I would be proud too!

The wine was sponsored by Pelee Island and none other than Walter Schmoranz was present and offered his wisdom and with wine choices to pair the food. He chose some really fine wines: all but one from the Pelee Island VQA, in simple words ...the good stuff. Several would be wines that wouldn't have been my usual choice, but we were pleasantly surprised by them and will buy them. A Merlot Cabernet blend which both of us loved, a Merlot that we felt the same. Especially nice for me was the Sauvignon Blanc, which they refer to as “The Ladies”. We went to the winery Sunday and I had to buy some. Considering that I had bought way too much wine by then, it was a fitting tribute(funny thing I still really think we shared the tasting bar with one of the chef's from Restaurant Makeover...she has a really bad tattoo on he palm so I kept looking at her hand, but she kept it closed...I saw her on tv last night and I really think it was her). It was a wonderful evening.

I even got introduced to Walter and he is an exceptional gentleman. He took interest in my blog and was interested in the wines I liked. It made me feel great that a man who is so important valued my opinion.

May I suggest 2 things. 1) go to Calabria and get some good food and have John explain his wine list. Its on a white board and John writes it himself and he's added so many wines (all local btw) so the writing is too small, but its fun. It changes all the time , but the food is consistently good. Go a few times and your family. Doesn't get your food faster, but you get to visit with John and Linda and 2) visit Pelee Island in Kingsville. The wines available in Kingsville are World Class. Forget about the LCBO. Go there and get some Meritage and you will improve your life. It changed my view on wine.

I just hope Tso and I can get onto the regular list and off the waiting list for next year.

PS: I was pleasantly surprised with their new Eco wine which was an Auxerrois/Chardonnay blend...this was quite fresh and crisp with a nice spicy note....this is a really good summer wine.

The ice wine was also very nice...it was my style which is to say not too thick and sugary....It was wonderful with desert.

Well its Sunday afternoon and I thought I would write this as I will be unavailable for a few days. No jail is not involved. I have a wine tasting tomorrow and Tuesday is a dinner with a friend, so today it is.

The wine today is “Ridge Red” from Erie Shores. Erie Shores is in Colchester on the inland side of County Rd 50 just maybe a mile west of Erie Street which is the road out of Harrow. They have really tried to market their winery as they run ads on CKLW, write a newsletter and have numerous events thru the year. I have to admit that I really enjoy going here and that this wine may have been added to the last case I bought. Alma and Harvey run the winery and are really nice people. I have them to thank for me getting into the local wines as Alma spent a lot of time one day explaining to Tso, T&C and I about how the heat units here allow for the wine to be good. It was quite nice especially after one winery in Niagara's nastiness and Erie Shores was the first winery we went to on our tour. Again, I find that these wines match the character of the vintners. They are nice people, who get customer relations. The wines are friendly, easy to drink and are priced right. There is no pretension here.

You have heard me rave about their “Summer Sun” and their Riesling, but their reds are good too. This one is a Baco/Chambourcin blend. Well , I guess you also know that I am no Baco fan and I also tend to pass on Chamboucin too.

The nose is Baco and all that Baco gives me. Very earthy tones and some oak. Very deep and dark.

The colour is deep deep red. The taste is quite different than I had anticipated. I expected the typical big Baco taste, but the addition of the Chambourcin has mellowed it out quite a bit. If I can remember their Baco it has less earthy tones than most, but was still a big wine. Tso's first description of this was that it was big and chewy. We had be turning some game hens and fighting with artichokes while quaffing some, no a lot of, Cabernet Sauvignon: Sanson's, Wagner's and a South African. All were really good and the locals competed well and may have been better than the pricey South African. Well the Ridge Red would be big against those, but those are big whites too.

Taste wise, I still get the Baco taste, but toned down. Along with it I get oak. The tannins are there and the taste lingers long after drinking. I tend to like lighter fruitier wines but Big Wines like this have their place. I find Baco's dark and this one is less dark which to me makes it far more enjoyable.

If you like Baco's you will definitely like this one. The Chambourcin has really smoothed it out and made this quite and enjoyable wine even for the likes of me. Serve this with big food (roast or Prime Rib) and it'll be a hit and I find it ok to drink alone also.

Well, this may be my worst review of all time. Food awful, no music, wine is not what I wanted (Mumm's would be the proper choice).....who cares! Life is so sweet.

Just that the only music should be a loop of “You'll Never Walk Alone” sung by the Anfield crowd. I was on pins and needles and when God (Robbie Fowler) came on I was ecstatic. Again, its a win over Chelsea and off to Athens for the Champion's League Final. Hummmmmm maybe Greek food this weekend..yum.

Food is a disaster. I made a quick pasta with really good noodles, but I turned the sauce into a cesspool of too much olive oil, not enuff garlic, and some bizarre sauce from a tube. Add some Romano and it was ok. The wine was ok with it, it actually helped the food and complimented it. How? I really can't explain it but at this time I really am happy.

Oh yeah the wine. “Ruby Tuesday” from Smith and Wilson. Go back to my Wine Awards and I gave them “My Favorite Winery” award. All of his wines are very good and all share the same tone. They are very tastefully done with a high level of class. They are not brash and are all rather understated. Again, this reflects the winemaker. George is a really nice man and he seems to have it quite together. He says he's more of a farmer than a winemaker, so he definitely makes his wine in the vineyard. It shows. Oh yeah, don't miss his fruit wines as they are quite yummy too. The winery is in Blenheim, right on the lake so it's a bit of a hike, but it is worth it on two counts. One is the wine and the other is the view. I envy him and his family who get that view every morning. Take Hwy 3 and forget 401 as the ride is really worth it.

Back to the wine at hand. Ruby Tuesday is a Gamay Noir, Chambourcin blend. Gamay Noir is the wine of Beaujolais which is the little sister of Pinot Noir. This grape makes a delightful light red which is Beaujolais Nouveau. Chambourcin also makes a light red which is gaining popularity in this area. Its starting to show up as a lone star and makes a nice wine, great for summer. They have done a wonderful job of blending these grapes to produce a really nice wine.

I forgot to smell it prior to aerating, but post aeration, this wine has a wonderful fruity aroma. Not strong, but it is a clean fruity aroma, with hints of berry and fruits. I really get some raspberry here.

In the taste I really get a jammy taste, nice raspberry jam, outside on the porch. There are few tannins but thats ok. I rather like that. As it flows down my throat there is little or no harshness and non of the tannin pucker one gets from a Cab. There is a touch of sweetness which just may come from the natural fruit and just is there.

Would I serve this with a big roast....nope....salmon..yes sir. This is a red wine that would happily go with chicken too.

So in conclusion this wine would be a great introductory red (I learned on Beaujolais by the way) and may make a better choice than a really dry white for a crowd. I could see a novice wine drinker liking this more than a bone dry Sauvignon Blanc. This will be a joy to drink on the deck this summer.