Category: LCBO

Going Local with iYellow Wine Club

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The iYellow Wine Club goes local
Photo by iYellow Wine Club
Fall has officially arrived. The weather seems to have changed appropriately on schedule. This is an exciting time – back to school, back to work…back to routine. More importantly, it’s harvest!

Looking back to the lazy days of summer, my thoughts take me to Sunday August 12th as 44 eager iYellow Wine Club members borded a bus in downtown Toronto to escape to beautiful Niagara wine country.  Having recently returned from a whirlwind trip throughout Burgundy and the south of France, I was due to head to another wine destination, even just for a day.

Barrel cellar at
Chateau des Charmes

Tasting room at
Southbrook

Some are still surprised when they learn that wine is even produced in Ontario.  Not only is wine produced here, it’s pretty darn delicious. This is a flourishing industry that is continuously growing every year and the wines are gaining more acclaim locally and abroad. Cool climate grape varieties such as riesling, chardonnay, and pinot noir being the most celebrated.  You can’t expect to be tasting a wine that’s identical to a wine from another place in the world. Similar? Reminiscent? Sure. You are tasting Ontario and the “typicity” of its terroir. I recently read an article by John Szabo and he made great points about how we should be looking for wines that are typical to a region. He used the word “typicity” throughout and I put a lot of thought into that one word. Ontario is not California. Nor is it New Zealand or Germany. Ontario is…well, Ontario. What’s that song that we always hear on tv: “Good things grow, in On-ta-rio”.

The iYellow tour was co-hosted by Taylor Thompson, wine director for the Toronto Ritz Carlton. He offered a great dose of entertainment mixed with information. Learning can be fun! The day’s activities, other than the funny commentary between Angela Aiello and Taylor, included a tour and tasting at 3 wineries, lunch, and some good ol’ fashioned field trip shenanigans.

Sheltered from the rain
Vines at Vineland

These tours are a terrific way to be introduced (or re-acquainted) to the region. Not only are you driven around all day, lunch is provided and you are essentially treated to VIP tastings at each winery. It takes the pressure off trying to plan your own excursion, especially if you’ve never been to the area.  I love hopping on a bus and letting the day unfold. It kind of reminds me of school field trips, just more fun and with alcohol (oops, I didn’t say that).

The “iYellow Loves Local” fall tour schedule:

Sheep at Southbrook
Hey Stu – yeah I’m talkin’ to you!

Saturday September 29th
Saturday October 13th
Saturday October 20th

For more information and to purchase tickets:
www.iyellowwineclub.com

Vineland Estates
production area

Our first stop was at Vineland Estates. The tasting, led by Taylor himself, was held inside the production area. A delicious boxed lunch was provided afterwards after our salivary glads were sufficiently lubricated. This was no ordinary boxed lunch – it was deliciously on the gourmet side and we were allowed to eat it anywhere on the grounds. We grabbed some leftover bottles from the tasting and headed outside to enjoy our meal next to the vines. If you’re ever at Vineland, do plan to eat at the restaurant. If the boxed lunches were any indication of the quality of the restaurant, you won’t be disappointed. It has a great reputation among both visitors and locals. The most talked about wine of the tasting was the 2009 St. Urban Riesling. The 2011 Elevation St. Urban Riesling is now available in stores. www.vineland.com

Michelle Bosc and the
iYellow group in the
barrel cellar
Chateau des Charmes
Pinot Noir 2010

Our next destination was Chateau des Charmes where Michelle Bosc herself was the guide. After a sparkling wine reception, we were taken out into the vineyards and into the production facility. Even though the rain had decided to make an appearance, it didn’t last long and by late afternoon, the sun was back out shining. My favourites of the tasting were the 2010 Pinot Noir and the 2010 Equuleus. The Equuleus is a wine of structure. Only created in the best of years, it is a Bordelaise blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. The Pinot Noir highlighted the wonderful qualities that can arise from cooler-climate vineyards. www.chateaudescharmes.com



A short clip with Michelle Bosc, whose family owns and operates Chateau des Charmes.
In this video she explains why Ontario can successfully grow grape for wine production.

Angela Aiello discussing
with owner of Southbrook,
Bill Redelmeir

The final stop was Southbrook Vineyards.

2011 Triomphe
Cabernet Franc
Rose

Small in size, it’s Canada’s largest organic and biodynamic winery. It doesn’t use synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizer, or genetic modification. Think of biodynamics as extreme organic practices that are on the mystical side. The winery itself is an interesting piece of architecture. You can’t miss it as you drive along the main road into the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Bill Redelmeir, owner of Southbrook, took us out into the vineyards to talk about biodynamics and how this viticulture practice translates into the wines. One such example is the use of sheep on the property. Their waste, as they munch away on the vine foliage, is used as fertilizer. There must be something to this alternative form of agriculture because the wines were really enjoyable. www.southbrook.com



Bill Redelmeir explaining biodynamics and the sheep named Stu.
www.southbrook.com/biodynamics

Join the conversation!

The LCBO has recently launched a campaign to promote local wines with the slogan “People are Talking“. A highly visual website, with a large focus on social media, was launched a few weeks ago. www.lcbogolocal.com

Chateau des Charmes
Equuleus 2009

Join the conversation and share some of your favourite Ontario wines on Twitter with the hashtags #lcbogolocal and #vqa.

This release of Vintages magazine features the wines of Ontario. If you haven’t picked up a copy of the free bi-weekly publication, you can pick one up at your local LCBO or view it online: www.vintages.com

Southbrook Whimsy!
2010 Chardonnay

To showcase all that Ontario has to offer, Spotlight Toronto is doing a feature called “30 Days of Ontario Wine”:
www.spotlighttoronto.com/30daysonwine2012

Tomorrow morning I’m putting my stamp on harvest 2012. I’m headed back out to FlatRock Cellars to help out with the sorting of riesling that are to be harvested.

Watch out grapes – I’m coming for you.

Let’s Go Local

A few days ago someone said to me: “Ontario makes wine? I didn’t know that.”

Enjoying a glass local flavour in the
Jackson Triggs vineyard.
Go Local everyone!

I’m used to people from other countries being surprised when I tell them that Canada has a flourishing wine industry. The common statement I hear is “Isn’t Canada too cold to make wine?” Bless their hearts. They also think that Vancouver is a short car ride from Toronto, failing to realize how vast and diverse this country actually is that we live in.  I suddenly became very excited to introduce this person to our wonderful wine industry.  I’m sure that they weren’t prepared for my long detailed information session. It’s a good thing we were in a small confined space. 🙂

iYellow supports Ontario wine!
I’m very pleased that the LCBO is doing the Go Local campaign. Ontario wines have had a stigma associated with them for a long time, as not being very good. This is so not true! Fortunately this misconception is disappearing from public opinion. We’re lucky to have so many wines from around the world available to us but even luckier knowing that we too make world class wine right here in Ontario. Finally there’s a much needed push to promote and support our local talent. From grape growers to wine makers. If you go to California, you’re encouraged to drink Californian wine. If you go to France, you will no doubt have mostly French wines available to you. Yes, the wine industry here in Canada, specifically in Ontario, is extremely young at just over 30 years. In a very short amount of time, we’ve risen to create some fabulous examples of what can be done here with local grapes. Our wines can stand proudly on the international stage, many with the medals to prove it!
The talented Andrzej Lipinski!

Ontario has four appellations, or grape growing regions:

Niagara Peninsula
The most well known and established grape growing region in the province.  This region is further subdivided into 10 sub-appellations each with a unique characteristic that comes out in the finished wine.
Prince Edward County
Ontario’s newest appellation. Cool climate with a foundation of rich limestone.
Lake Erie North Shore
With so much sunshine, it has ideal ripening conditions to make full bodied wine.

Pelee Island
Canada’s most southerly grape growing region and enjoys a long growing season.

Winter scene at Legends.

Although mostly known around the world for our icewine, we also produce some delicious still and sparkling wine. Wines from Ontario vary from elegant and complex to fruit forward and fun. Our wines showcase the location where the grapes were grown…our “terroir”.  That’s what wine is supposed to do –  represent the land it is from.

Harvest season.

What is terroir?
“The combination of location, soil, topography and climate – as having direct influence on both the character and quality of wine grapes” – www.vqaontario.com

Living in Toronto, I’m fortunate to be very close to the Niagara region. What makes this area so wonderful for grape growing is really two-fold: Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment.  The lake gathers warmth throughout the summer months. The breezes coming off the lake provide a constant flow of warmer air from the lakeshore to the base of the Escarpment. In the fall and going into winter, this warm air raises the land temperature. The growing season is extended and the vines don’t freeze during the cold months of winter. Did you know that the Escarpment was formed during the regions glacial history? This same glacial history is also what gives the region its complex soil compositions.

Thirty Bench.
 Grapes at Inniskillin.

Because of this unique growing area, certain grape varieties do very well here: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and Cabernet Franc.

These past two weekends I had the chance to partake in the iYellow Wine Club tours into one of the Ontario wine regions – Niagara. I usually go on my own but this was a great way to taste *a lot* of wines in one day. It’s harvest time and wine country is at its busiest! This is always the most exciting time for me. I wonder what harvest 2011 will bring? While the world anxiously awaits the delivery of the much talked about Bordeaux 2010 wines, I’m excited that the 2010 Ontario wines are starting to hit the shelves.

Ed from Flat Rock Cellars.

Chateau des Charmes.

It’s so important that we support our local producers to continue the growth of our industry. Did you know that Ontario has over 125 wineries? That number will only continue to grow. From larger production facilities to small boutique operations, we have many diverse wineries and wines.  I’ve met many passionate people in all aspects of the wine industry. From wine makers to wine agents. All of them have one thing to say – Ontario wine is only getting better each year!

Daniel Speck from  Henry of Pelham.

With the creation of, COVI (Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute) at Brock University, Ontario is recognized around the world for its research and development of cool climate wine making.

When you’re in the store searching for a new local Ontario wine to try, or reaching for your favourite, make sure that VQA is listed on the bottle. VQA stands for Vintners Quality Alliance and it ensures that 100% of the fruit in the wine that you’re buying is grown in Ontario and that it meets stringent quality standards. It ensures that what’s on the label is what’s in the bottle. Many bottles also now have a sticker on their neck that says “100% Grown by Grape Growers of Ontario“.

 I highly recommend making a trip out to one of our wine growing regions and discovering for yourself what makes Ontario wines so great! You won’t be disappointed!

Cool Chardonnay

ABC. Not only are these the first three letters in the English alphabet, these three letters also signify  a horrible acronym meaning “Anything but chardonnay”. It’s time to rid the wine world of this “ABC” attitude and change it to mean “All about chardonnay”. Wait, wouldn’t that be AAC?

Why has chardonnay gotten such a bad rap? Well, I think it’s because the market has been saturated with so much bad chardonnay that it’s given the grape a bad name. Lots of overly oaked, flabby wine has deceived the public that this is the only style of wine that this grape can make. Totally not true! I myself am a HUGE lover of chardonnay.   Like our friendly grape – Riesling, Chardonnay can really show off it’s “terroir” – that is, it’s sense of place…where it comes from….it’s expression of the land. It’s such a versatile grape that can be made into many different styles.

“It’s time for the re-birth of Cool…”  – www.coolchardonnay.org

“Not all chardonnay is created equal. Add in a bit of cool â€“ cool by altitude, by latitude, by marine influence or by climatic conditions – and you have an entirely different experience. Chardonnay vines that are grown in cool climates and encouraged to allow asense of place to shine through can produce a wine that is balanced, refreshing, complex and elegant. And when done right…cool climate chardonnay can be a magical wine. ” –  www.coolchardonnay.org

The weekend of July 22-24, Niagara wine country is having a Cool Climate Chardonnay celebration and we’re all invited! For three days, many of the wineries are going to have various events from parties, lunches to tastings. Sunday July 24, in Toronto, LCBO Vintages will be hosting a large tasting at Roy Thompson Hall. For three hours you can walk around and taste cool climate chardonnays from all over the world.  It’s expensive at $95 per ticket, but it should be a great tasting. See my “hint” at the end of this post to get cheaper tickets.

“Thirty Ontario wineries started the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Association – a not-for-profit group devoted to reinstating the dignity of chardonnay. The i4c is a “coming together” of the finest examples of cool climate chardonnay in the world – a casual but in-depth weekend celebration of wine, food and learning, with an eye to reinvigorating a seriously cool wine.” –  www.coolchardonnay.org

If you want to go to the tasting at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, visit this site to purchase cheaper tickets:
www.coolchardonnay.org/content/blend-your-own-chardonnay-celebration