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A summer cookout
When home-made means delicious
© Michael Vaughan 2004
National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday, August 28, 2004

Last Sunday, we were doing what tens of thousands of others are doing: getting together to share some good wine and food while trying to enjoy the last rays of summer. The plum, freshly dressed, free-range Canadian capon sat in the smoker for 5 hours basking in the sweet aromas of hickory and mesquite. To keep it from drying out, pans of water, some with wood chips added, were carefully placed in the smoker creating a misty steam bath.

As the 7.5-pound capon was turning a golden brown, my host Bruce Bostock of Bostock Tree Service beamed looking as if he had just added another member to his personal flock. “One has to be patient,” he explained, while pouring the bubblies. I went for a second glass of my favourite - 1991 Chateau Frank Brut Finger Lake Champagne. “What a shame that New York wines are so hard to find in Ontario,” remarked Joan Bostock. Indeed!

Our theme was to be older Ontario wines. The first was the gold medal winning 2000 Cilento Riesling Reserve, which had delicious, bright, crisp, honeyed rhubarb flavours when first released. Thanks to all the acidity, gobs of perfectly fresh honeyed rhubarb fruit came rolling out of the glass – still very much alive. Riesling’s high acid, often combined with some residual sugar, means that some of these wines can last for decades. If your looking for some respite from the humidity, a glass of the current, tart and tangy, lemon-grapefruit flavoured 2003 Cilento Riesling Reserve (general list 605725 - $11.10) should hit the spot for immediate drinking.

I was yumming up the fresh grilled seafood when Bruce announced that he had a surprise - it was time to serve his homemade wine. I politely murmured that this was an excellent idea, realizing full well, that moving on the “Bruce” wine meant that the excellent bottle of 2000 Crown Bench Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay ($24.95) would unfortunately go unopened.

It seems that amateur winemakers like to use my taste buds as a springboard to check out their winemaking prowess. On more than one occasion, I have looked for anything that might resemble a spittoon. “At least if we were outside and it was dark, I might be able to sneak a spit,” I thought. Of course, it couldn’t be done when there were 10 of us seated at the dinner table.

The unlabelled bottle was poured. I swirled and smelled. Much to my amazement the honeyed, fresh melon, lychee tinged aromas were most agreeable. It was well balanced and off dry but with good acidity and fine fruity flavours. Very tasty and certainly a good foil for the scallops.

I am informed that five gallons Chez Bostock 2004 Gewurztraminer were produced at a cost of about $4 per bottle. Bruce caught the winemaking bug about 20 years ago at a seminar given by John Arthurs, the son of Buzz Arthurs who launched Wine-Art stores many decades ago. It’s now called Wine Kitz and has over 97 stores across Canada.

This passion to make wine was triggered by economic necessity. Back in 1986 Bruce quite his high paying job, which took him away from his family for 15 days out of every month. “I loved pruning trees and decided this is what I wanted to do,” explains Bruce. “Work never seems to end and I have been blessed by having a great team; but I really enjoy the challenge of making wines and now produce five different batches annually, as well as, two ales and one stout.”

Bruce’s last surprise was a 3-litre bottle of 1994 Magnotta Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (only 9, 15 and 18 litre bottles remain), which accompanied the succulent smoked chicken. The large bottle had been decanted into four smaller bottles, three of which were corked for upcoming occasions. It was plumy, rounded and quite delicious. I tasted it last in a 1999 competition, where it was still hard and unwieldy. What a difference bottle size and time has made.

I never got a chance to tell Bruce that I too had had dabbled in home winemaking and wrote an article entitled “Grape Expectations” many years ago for Chatelaine Magazine. I have posted it here my website (click here to see the article) and hope that Bruce will be brave enough to come by to taste my 28-year-old Spanish red made from “premium” concentrate.