I recently had the pleasure of accompanying some of my co-workers, and the owners, Jeff Borsuk and Ken Wood, of Just Vino (A fantastic little wine bar in Buffalo,NY), on a tour of the Ontario wine region in Canada. I must confess now, though i was expecting to have a lovely time, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to taste anything that would blow my socks off. With the exception, of course, their world renowned ice wines.
Well, lets just say, upon the end of our tour, all of my pre-conceived notions on Canadian wines were firmly stamped out. I find it note worthy to share with you that Canadian wine sales have increased 10% in the past year alone. And here’s why…..
We began our tour at Vineland Estate Winery. It has been owned and operated by the Moyer family since 1845, and their grounds were absolutely beautiful. There were quaint little cottage like structures scattered about, one of which i later found out, often doubles as a chapel and reception hall. The view from it, which over looked the vineyard, was breathtaking, even in the dead of winter. They have over 170 acres, the majority of which is used for grapes, but a small portion (get this),is used to grow fresh produce used in their on-site restaurant. I was also informed that their twenty-nine year old Riesling vines are said to be the oldest in the Ontario region. Their Riesling, Cabernet Franc, and chardonnay are available in the states (note: ‘states’ is Canadian lingo for America) However, there is a web site, www.thecuvee.com, in which you should be able to order most of all the wines mentioned in this article. Of all the wines Vineland had to offer the 2007 Cabernet Franc $12.75 , the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot $15.00, and the pretty pricey, but well worth it, 2005 Cabernet Franc Reserve $40.00, were by far my favorite. The ’07′ Cab Franc was very approachable, with pepper and raspberry aromas. It was medium bodied, and nice and smokey. Though its definitely enjoyable now, it would benefit from a year of two of aging. The ’06′ Cab/Merlot was delightfully juicy and light. Plumb, black cherry, and the perfect balance of cedar and spice made for one tasty blend. As for the ’05′ Cab Franc Reserve, it was simply wonderful. I’m a huge fan of Cab Franc, and this was one of the best i have ever tasted. Good and heavy, with soft tannins, that made for a velvety smooth mouthful of deliciousness. If you want to splurge, this is it. Worthy of mention were the 2007 St. Urban Riesling $20.00, and the 2007 Dry Riesling $13.75.
The next notable winery on our excursion was Royal De Maria. They are the only winery in the world to exclusively produce ice wine, and they have twenty four different types of the stuff. They make it out of everything from Baco Noir, to Riesling, to Cabernet Sauvignon. Just to give you an idea of the high quality these wines are crafted to posses, they currently have a half sized bottle of chardonnay ice wine that is going for $250,000.00. There are eighteen bottles left, and the last one is expected to sell for a whopping $500,000.00, people don’t pay that kind of money for just any old ice wine. Well, not people like me or you anyways….The winery itself was under construction, and wasn’t much to look at, but their wines were incredible. Most were lighter in consistency than the majority of ice wine i have tasted over the years, with the exception being a few from Jackson Triggs. I found this to be quite refreshing, I cant stand when they are nothing but sticky sweet messes, (unless I’m pouring them over ice cream, yum). The Merlot was by far my favorite, displaying the most diverse nose and palate. I also found the Baco Noir to be especially interesting. Both of these ice wines managed to maintain the special characteristics, specific to their varietal, even when being transformed into super sweet desert wine. If I remember correctly the two were reasonably priced around thirty or forty dollars, although no prices are listed on their web site (www.royaldemaria.com), and the were no tasting sheets lists available at the time of our visit. Probably due to the remodeling. There is an e-mail option on their site, and I’m sure you could request prices through there.
Through the first few wineries we visited I was surprised at the absence of an extraordinary Viognier. Fielding was where I found it. They offer tastings of all their standard wines at a rate of three wines for two dollars (there are eleven). Their desert wines, of which there are two, are served with chocolate dipped fruit pairings for $5.00. Not to shabby. However, after Royal De Maria, I was pretty desert-wined out, and I went straight for their Viognier. I’m happy to report that it was nothing less than perfection. This is why, at $30.00 a bottle, I bought one, (Its currently sitting on my wine rack eagerly awaiting summer). Though the 2002 Viognier was clearly the highlight of my visit, (traditionally done with flavors including poached pear and peach, with a delicate spice about it, and a beautiful floral finish), there were a couple of others worth mentioning. Namely, the 2006 Merlot $29.00, which was my favorite red. Breaking away from traditional fruit forward Merlot, this one was seductively smokey and full bodied. Also, the 2005 Meritage $35.00, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, and Merlot. It was my second favorite red and only slightly less delicious. Fielding is an Estate winery, and if you do decide to visit, you must, under any circumstances, pick up some of their dark chocolate “ice wine” filled morsels. They were simply decadent!
A short drive away, set in rolling snow covered hills, was Angels Gate. The winery itself would be best described as a larger, modern day version of a cottage, though just as charming. The staff was genuinely friendly and had extensive knowledge of their wines. My pick was the Cabernet Merlot blend. It was medium bodied with ample fruit, and very easy drinking. For the fantastic price of $12.99, I bought two!
The last winery, which was by far the most visually stimulating, was Malivoire. Read my words, this is a must see if you are ever doing Ontario, or even close to doing Ontario. It was like nothing i had seen before, it looked as though it had been constructed from an enormous abandoned bunker, half buried in the snow. The inside would be considered futuristic, if not for the intimate lighting that cast a soft, candle like, glow all around us. All of the walls were covered in multitudes of original art, ranging from wall hangings, to murals, to the funky chandelier that hung directly above the bar area. Above the bar, on a second level, was the winery itself, and you could see the giant stainless steel tanks looming over head through the floor to ceiling glass windows. All of their wines were rather tasty, their 2006 Moira Chardonnay was very unique, and has a Riesling feel to it. My favorite was, surprisingly enough, their Sauvignon Blanc. I don’t particularly care for Sauvignon Blancs, but this one was crisp, clean, and utterly refreshing. You can check them out pre visit at www.malivoire.com.
Turns out, Canada’s not just about the ice wine anymore. In closing I’d just like to say that i had a fantastic time doing the Ontario wine region. The scenery was spectacular, and the most of the wines were high quality-low cost, lets not forget the exchange rate! All of the prices that are listed above are for Canadian currency, so in American money, their less. Hooray! There are many more wineries in this region to explore, but if its a day trip your looking for, the above mentioned are definitely do-able. I would also like to send a very special thank-you to the owners of Just vino, who were gracious enough to fund the entire expedition! You can thank them too by hitting up their wine bar the next time your in, or around, Buffalo,NY. They have over 81 ever changing wines, and those are just the by-the-glass wines. How could you pass that up?
Happy journeys wine lov’in comrades!
