I hit the dock and realized I’d forgotten the most essential thing. I’ve been enjoying some great white wines this summer, especially Sauvignon Blanc from a variety of regions. But I had nothing to enjoy with this sunny day. At the local LCBO, I happened to find a blend that looked promising. The ’10 Generation Seven White – a Niagara mash-up of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Gerwurztraminer spoke to me, in part, because of the grape varieties, the label art and because I thought that since it was a’10, there might be a significant melding of essences that might not be present in a younger vintage.
I found it to be a nice, chill little wine to enjoy on the dock, watching the world go by. It was lightly herbaceous on the nose and tasted of tart apple with an undercurrent of fresh celery. I didn’t pair it with anything but a good book and the occasional ‘how are ya!’ to a passing boater.
KISS ~ Keep it Simple, Sweetness! I used to think that making Sangria would be an arduous task, so I stayed away from it. But I wanted something fun to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Though not a beer drinker, I’d usually choose the safe and sure Corona ~ where the hardest part would be finding my bottle opener and cutting some lime wedges. But with the weather being so beautiful (and in the Cleve, you have to take advantage when you can) I craved something fruity, fun and wine- based. I found an easy recipe for Peach~Mango~Chardonnay Sangria.
Some of the recipes I looked up suggested using Voignier, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, which tend to be much more fruity and lighter. Chardonnay is generally a full-bodied white. I chose an ’11 Layer Cake Chard. In part, because it was a less expensive bottle~ about $11~ and because I’d be mixing it with juices, ice and liqueur. I also thought since Chardonnay is so full-bodied, the taste would stand out more in the mix. The tasting notes claimed a citrus, pineapple and lemon curd vibe with a clean finish that I thought would be cool. I was pairing it with homemade Guacamole that was quite salty, and thought the sweet of the Sangria would meld nicely with the salt.
I really liked the Peachy ~ Mango first flush that quickly settled into the citrus and pineapple of the Chardonnay; and it really balanced out the onion, tomato and garlic elements of the guac. The next time I try it, though, I’m going to change it up using an inexpensive Voignier or Sauvignon Blanc, just to see if there is any discernible taste difference.
One of the things I love about going home toNiagara for the holidays; apart from seeing family and friends, is picking a new winery to try. Since I left almost 5 years ago, there has been an explosion of great wineries with something to please every palate.
When HubbyDoug and I were walking the main street we slipped into a little bar for a glass to take away the chill. We were treated to a Colaneri Estate Winery ’09 Cabernet Corposo. I noticed a distinctive richness and old world vibe from the very first sip. To be honest, my experience with many Niagara reds has been somewhat disappointing. They have a tendency towards a lightness and a green, vegetal quality that I don’t always care for. While they eventually settle into a pleasant flavor, it’s generally when you get to the bottom of the glass. I like a red to look me in the eye as it gently takes me by the collar and eases me back into my chair. This wine winked as it looked me in the eye.
I had to find out what made it so unique. A trip to the winery became my top priority.
Colaneri wines are made using an appassimento process that dates back to ancient Roman times. Harvested grapes are hung to dry before winemaking, to remove any excess water, thus shriveling the grapes. And why would you want this kind of shrinkage? All the better to concentrate the sugars and flavors in the resulting wine.
Recioto ~ also an ancient style of winemaking and also incorpporating the drying of grapes to concentrate the sugar content. Recioto may be red or white, dry or sweet. The dryer wines in this style are Amaronewhich can be intense at 16% alcohol.
Ripasso is a style that means to revisit or go over. It involves a double fermentation process in which additional dried grape skins are added. The sugar content has been heightened by drying and this increases the final alcohol and phenolic content in the wine which is known as passito.
Our winery guide, Pam, explained that Colaneri was one of only three Niagara region wineries to use this process. Their wines are kiln-dried, using both greenhouses with industrial fans and tobacco kilns. ”Since the kilns were no longer being used to dry tobacco, they have been put to use in winemaking”, she said. In the tobacco kilns, the fans push air up through the floor; where the greenhouse fans circulate the air around the fruit. The drying process can take up to two months with skin contact completed within 7-10 days.
After harvest, the grapes for Amarone and Recioto are set aside to dry in trays in kilns, or are hung in lofts ~ the hanging and careful placement in trays allows for complete air circulation so no mold develops. There they stay for approximately four months after which the semidried grapes are crushed and fermented with the grape skins. The grapes not used for Amarone or Recioto are crushed and fermented to be used later.
Once prolonged skin contact has finished, the wine is stored for aging. The additional wine (that had been fermented seperately) is introduced by being pumped over the Amarone | Recioto skins, thus starting the second fermentation. The saturated skins are still quite full of unfermented sugars, making them high in aromatics and tannins.
It was time to began our tasting with a spectrum of lighter fare: Pinot Grigio,Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Chenin Blanc. The Chenin Blanc was my favorite; it had a taste of pear, pineapple and cotton candy (yum) with lots of citrus on the nose. Pam then took us into the reds startingthe Red Blend ~ a combination of Cab Sav, Syrah, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. She mentioned that it was their everyday wine that pairs well with everything from pizza to red meats to chocolate.
We then turned our attention to the Cabernet that we had enjoyed the day before. The scent of rich molasses was prominent on the nose with sweet tobacco, blackberry and raspberry resonating on the palate. Awesome.
The Cabernet Franc was rich and flavorful, with an distinct essence of plum. Pam mentioned that some who tried it but don’t enjoy prunes/plums weren’t always fans. She recommended pairing with tomato-y dishes to counterbalance the prune essence.
We spend a good part of the afternoon sipping and learning a lot about some very special wines. Pam was friendly, knowledgeable and made the field trip to Colaneri so much fun.
I came away from the trip feeling happy to have discovered a jewel of a Niagara wine. I’ll make a point to look for more wines created using this time-honored method.
AC/DC, my favorite metal band, is set to launch a new collection of wines with Warburn Estate, an Australian winemaker. I have to admit when I think of fine wines, AC/DC doesn’t immediately jump into my head but their varietal names are pretty cool: ‘Highway to Hell’ Cabernet Sauvignon, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ Moscato, ‘Hell’s Bells’ Sauvignon Blanc and ‘Back in Black’ Shiraz.
Brian and Angus in Toronto. (QMI AGENCY).
That said, the names might be catchy, and the artwork totally righteous (although I haven’t seen it yet), the real proof will be what’s in the bottle. I’ve tried some celebrity wines in the past only to be a little disappointed with what ended up in my glass.
Warburn Estate is an independent, family-owned winery that started in the 1950’s, so it’s a good bet that they know a few things about producing a quality product. They also seem to be very clear about their approach: that wine is for drinking. Sounds good to me. I can throw on my ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ vinyl, pop open a ‘Highway to Hell’ Cab Sauv and see whether it shakes me all night long.
The AC/DC collection of wines launch in Australia at the end of this month and should hit our fair shores in the US by the end of the year.
I hit the dock and realized I’d forgotten the most essential thing. I’ve been enjoying some great white wines this summer, especially Sauvignon Blanc from a variety of regions. But I had nothing to enjoy with this sunny day. At the local LCBO, I happened to find a blend that looked promising. The ’10 Generation Seven White – a Niagara mash-up of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Gerwurztraminer spoke to me, in part, because of the grape varieties, the label art and because I thought that since it was a’10, there might be a significant melding of essences that might not be present in a younger vintage. 
The Wine Student 