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It's in the Glass
I get a kick out of wine fan number crunchers. This select group worships the high 90+ scores that roll off the lips of wine critics. They pounce on the 91s – eschew the 90s. In fact, the glass that helps determine the score. I know that it’s hard to believe that an 88-point wine can be elevated to 89 or 90-points when served in a differently configured glass. Until you have personally experienced the transition, you will probably remain a doubter. To see an earlier feature on what is involved in the glass click here
Earlier this week, I yanked some chicken and bbq ribs off the grill. I wanted something that would be juicy and fruity – something that would balance the bbq sauce. Visions of Shiraz, or even a Zin, danced in my head. It was the allure of black cherry fruit, which marries well with sweetish, smoky, tomato-based sauces. I went to my ready-to-drink/taste rack. While I couldn’t find a bottle of either, I uncovered a bottle of cool-climate Ontario Meritage, complete with screwcap. I couldn’t remember if I had already tasted it and as dinner was getting cold, I just brought it to the table. I poured it into my usual ISO (International Standard Organization) glass. Deep purple in colour, some tangy crancherry notes hit my nose. It was dry, crisp and medium to medium-light bodied with tangy crancherry flavours. OK but no cigar. I then fetched a larger, much rounder glass with a wider mouth (see image). I dumped the contents from the ISO glass into the larger glass. Suddenly the wine changed. Some blueberries and blood orange flavours appeared out of nowhere. It was still pretty tangy, but not as tart. It also was fruitier – a much better wine just because I changed the glass.
As for the picture on the label, it’s called "Still Standing" by artist Ashley J. Myers. It speaks to the ability of the human soul to survive and thrive in a world that's ever changing, not some drunk at Queen & Jarvis. Born in Burlington, Ontario, Myers sees the majesty and ruggedness of the Canadian landscape as having an undeniable beauty that begs the creative process to take flight.
Also known as Pinot Grigio, this VQA Niagara Peninsula effort shows lots of ripe melon flavours. It’s dry and well balanced – head and shoulders above many of the higher-priced imports. And get this. It comes from the 2006 vintage. Unlike the reads, the earlier-harvested whites missed the late season rain so retained their integrity. While 2006 may not be up to some 2005 and 2007 whites, this ’06 Pinot Gris really deserves your serious attention. Hats off to Hillebrand winemaker Daryl Brooker. By the way, you may be interested to discover, that unlike the red, this wine actually tastes better in the smaller ISO glass, which concentrates the delicate Pinot Gris aromatics. On the label is "White flower and purple sky", which is the work of Dragan Sekaric. Born in Yugoslavia, an architecture graduate and professional painter in the style of "Magical Realism", his work is on display in galleries across the world and at his home gallery in Toronto. Coffee Anyone?
Taster’s Diary
Inniskillin Winery Makeover • July 7
It was a very long week. First there was the Inniskillin winery makeover launch. The group of mostly Toronto-based winewriters were picked up at the Royal York At 9 am. We squeezed into one of those long white limos and set sail. I remember the words sardine being quietly uttered by some passengers. No complaints from me - it was exactly what I had expected. The first stop was the ultra-modern Jackson-Triggs winery for a tutored tasting of eight wines from the highly touted still unreleased 2007 vintage. Here two winemakers, one from JT (Marco Piccoli); the other from Inniskillin (Bruce Nicholson) presented two whites and reds respectively. Far be it for me to suggest, but it seemed as if that the guns were loaded for the JT wines. We tasted the following in Riedel tasting glasses: 2007 Vintage Barrel Sampling White Wine Flight 1. Jackson-Triggs Delaine Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc out of three stars 2. Jackson-Triggs Delaine Vineyard Gewurztraminer 3. lnniskillin Winemaker's Series, Barrel Aged Pinot Gris 4. lnniskillin Winemaker's Series, Three Vineyard Chardonnay Red Wine Flight 1. lnniskillin Winemaker's Series, Montague Vineyard Pinot Noir 2. lnniskillin Winemaker's Series, Montague Vineyard Merlot 3. Jackson-Triggs Delaine Vineyard Syrah 4. Jackson-Triggs Cabernet Franc I was able to check the consistency of my tasting notes by bringing my own ISO glasses. They don’t necessarily make wines taste good, they just give me a level playing field with comparable tasting notes. Of the four whites, my favourite was the terrific still unreleased Inniskillin 2007 Barrel Aged Pinot Gris. A hefty, multi-course lunch took place in the JT barrel cellar. My white highlight was Jackson-Triggs 2007 Proprietor’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. It is fresh, crisp and very lively with ripe lemon-melon flavours along with tangy hints of yellow grapefruit.
I tasted it with a truly stunning yet-to-be-released Inniskillin 2007 Cabernet France Icewine. I crossed the new piazza to the fully renovated Braeburn barn. This is where most of the action takes place. The piazza inset with stones chronicling high points in Inniskillin's history, beginning with 1975. The first in the series says "Inniskillin established by Don Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser". It looks a bit like a cemetery marker. At 5:30 we returned to Toronto. Shaw-Hillebrand-JT combo • Saturday, July 13 Given recent rave reviews, I wanted to see the just-opened Shaw production of The President. This one-hour, no intermission production started at 11:30 am. Given the idiosyncratic flow of traffic to and from Niagara, we decided to depart by 9 am. Our timing was perfect – we arrived by 10:30 am. If you had left Toronto at this time; it would have added an extra hour of driving. The show was very humorous and hit the spot. The President’s machine-gun dialogue/dictation delivered with great gusto by Lorne Kennedy is loaded with laughs. Here is an extremely positive review from Richard Ouzunian - perhaps just a bit overly enthusiastic.
The wine matches were really great. They have small flights of three that should not be missed. The Riesling Flight at $8 features three worthwhile examples: '07 Showcase, Trius '07 and Artist Series Semi Dry '06. The Aromatic Flight is also excellent with its Artist Series '06 Pinot Gris (terrific value), Artist Series '07 Sauvignon Blanc and award winning '07 Trius White. It’s always nice to receive an invitation. It was my first Jackson-Triggs Twilight in the Vineyard concert in a number of years. Colin James was the entertainer of the night and tickets, which were sold out for the 8 pm show, fetched $64 plus $5 handling fee. I was informed that the show was completely sold out in two days! I was also told that many attendees book the Vineyard Grill at the $105 (this becomes $119.78 with nary a drop of wine - a glass will set you back $5). One of the main reasons to get there early is to put down your lawn chair in one of the rows close to the stage (the gate opens at 5:30 pm). Be forewarned, a certain number of prime seats are reserved by JT for their special guests. The J-T website says this about the Vineyard Grill event: "Yes, you can have it all - gourmet cuisine, elegant wines, and the very best in entertainment! To add extra sparkle to a truly magical evening, guests are invited to enjoy the Vineyard Grille, an alfresco, picnic-style gourmet barbecue created by the renowned Jamie Kennedy Event Caterers - the perfect way to unwind on a warm summer’s evening. What better way to relax in the open air than with a gourmet meal inspired by nature..." Winewriter Michael Pinkus, publisher/editor of Ontario Wine Review, is a regular attendee. He enjoys the shows, but is not singing hosannas about the JT food experience side of the equation. The season’s first event (the June 28th starring 54-40) wasn’t up to expectations: 'the caterers from Toronto’s Jamie Kennedy Kitchens showed up an hour late due to traffic issues… which prompted someone to remark, "couldn’t they find someone local?" Good question, considering that local cuisine is really beginning to take off in Niagara. After the almost an hour and fifteen minute wait (start time 6:00pm); dinner was derided as a disappointment by many at the Vineyard Grille … sure the french fries were very tasty, but the small hamburger, stale bun and over cooked tiny chicken breast was not worth the money to those who had paid fifty dollars for this meal. The best part of the dinner was the cold beat, bean and "local greens" salads, but you couldn’t make a meal out of them.' To see the entire Michael Pinkus article click here I can’t comment on the BBQ because I went to the Cellar
Dinner, a fairly boisterous, very pleasant affair, which
is held in the cool barrel cellar. The cost is $160 for three courses
plus pre-dinner cheeses and cucumber shooter. The Vintages July 19th Third Pretasting • July 15 On Tuesday, I joined LCBO wine consultants in the LCBO lab to taste (for me a second time) some 90+ Vintages wines being released on Saturday, July 19. I ended up altering more than 50% of my notes – messaging scores up and down. There was only one serious disappointment De Sousa 2004 Reserve Pinot Noir (68148) at $17.95. The LCBO tasting note reads: Winemaker Andrzej (Andre) Lipinski has made an indelible mark on Niagara's wine scene over his storied career. He joined De Sousa in 2001 and quickly helped establish the winery's premium identity by developing its Reserve tier of wines. This sophisticated Pinot asserts Niagara's claim on the 'heartbreak grape'. It's dry, medium-bodied, with a smooth texture and layers of sour cherry and redcurrant flavours along with a smoky undertone and fine tannins. Tasted twice, I found this to be seriously disappointing. I rated it – out of three stars. Sadly, it has high VA (volatile acidity) - think of vinegar. In fact, it just squeaked in with1.2 g/l of acetic acid, just under the maximum limit of 1.3 g/l. My note: Ambering medium red colour. Spicy, dried green apple and pickle on the nose. Very tangy, dry, light bodied, pickle-tinged, red cherry vinaigrette flavours with a tart, slightly peppery, cedar-tinged finish. Some recommendations for the release are: Recommended • Best Buy Release Highlight • Best Buy Recommended To get more best buys, become a FBTI supporter. You will receive my indispensable Vintages buying guide every two weeks for only $65.
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It was, as they say, a revelation. Better yet, 
By the way, if you are looking for a great white, I recently enjoyed a glass of 
Moving on to a hot new Spanish liqueur, which surreptitiously appeared at my door: 
It was a bit of an odd selection, because this Pinot Gris was a first for winemaker Bruce Nicholson. Challenging, but he did a great job! Meanwhile, the Inniskillin 2007 Winemaker’s Series Montague Vineyard Pinot Noir was a bit of an odd choice because this is not the final blend that will actually end up in the bottle. The Montague Vineyard is almost 100% Pinot Noir Clone 115 and lacks the diversity of flavours that can come with blending with other clones. We have to wait and see on this one. The two JT reds shown were big and mouthfilling, basically overwhelming the Inniskillin on show.
Moving over to the new Inniskillin winery, I experienced a totally new vision. The brand new airy Founders’ Hall has two sets of elegant wine bars. 
It is spacious and serves some food including a stunningly delicious homemade prosciutto made from locally-grown certified organic pigs, cured and dried in-house by Pingue Prosciutti (1-800-324-2998). 
Lunch at the Hillebrand Winery Restaurant was terrific – a great, well-prepared menu and paired perfectly with the absolutely delicious well-priced 2007 whites. You can sit outside, but given the heat, a window seat was perfect. Frank Dodd has an excellent handle on local ingredients (to see the ever-changing menu 
# 657585 • $21.95
# 63909 • $18.95
# 674572 • $23.95