tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2009://1 2008-11-20T18:54:45Z Winemaking in Ontario & California Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2008://1.136 2008-11-20T18:43:05Z 2008-11-20T18:54:45Z

Jeremy at Cafe Taste has been a big fan of Le Clos Jordanne ever since the first release of the 2004's a couple years back. We actually both stood in line at the Summerhill LCBO on their first release day...

Nathan Jeremy at Cafe Taste has been a big fan of Le Clos Jordanne ever since the first release of the 2004's a couple years back. We actually both stood in line at the Summerhill LCBO on their first release day to buy one of each wine (all we were allowed to buy) and meet the winemaker Thomas Bachelder. Since then Jeremy's built a great relationship with the local Inniskillin rep, and he's been able to finagle his way into the last two release parties they've thrown. This is a great treat -- tasting all the wines of a vintage beside each other to compare the minor (and sometimes major) difference between each bottle. So now that they're in their third year of production, Jeremy decided to do a vertical AND horizontal tasting for his monthly wine tasting event at Cafe Taste. The wines were all Pinot Noir: - 2004 Le Petite Vineyard - 2004 Jordan Vineyard - 2004 Claystone Vineyard - 2005 Claystone Vineyard - 2006 Claystone Vineyard My personal faves were the 2004 Le Petite, which was very light and elegant, but perfectly balanced; and the 2006 Claystone, which was delighfully silky and struck the perfect balance between minerality and bright red fruit. Note that the 2006 improved vastly with a good hour of decanting and another 20 minutes in the glass; this one is still before it's time. The 2004 Jordan had a bit of funk on the nose, which while not-unpleasant, distracted a little when sampled in the lineup. And I found the 2004 and 2005 Claystone's not quite as elegant as the 2006. That said, I'm nitpicking, because I'd be more than happy to drink any of these wines on almost any occassion -- they truly are fantastic. tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2008://1.135 2008-11-20T18:31:27Z 2008-11-20T18:36:02Z

I got the list of the winners from the 2008 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Wine Competition. Here they are with some of my own personal notes (from what I can remember!). You can also read my notes from the event...

Nathan notes from the event itself. Best in Show Red: 2007 Black Prince Winery Cabernet Franc Not really as complex or interesting as some of the better Cab Franc's I've had from Ontario, but it was undeniably VERY drinkable, probably due to the heavy oaking which gave an almost California-like mouth feel and vanilla sweetness. Best in Show White: 2007 John Howard Megalomaniac Riesling This one was truly fantastic -- great minerality and peachiness and perfectly balanced. It was second on my list of best whites, after the Fume Blanc from Creekside, which won Gold for best Sauv Blanc > $20. Sparkling wine (1st place – red ribbon): 2006 Colio Estate Winery Sparkling wine (2nd place – blue ribbon): NV Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery Cuvee Catharine Brut Rose Chardonnay – un-oaked < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Black Prince Winery un-oaked Chardonnay Chardonnay – un-oaked < $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Pelee Island Winery un-oaked Chardonnay Chardonnay – oaked < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2006 Niagara College Teaching Winery Chardonnay – oaked < $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2006 East Dell Barrel Fermented Chardonnay – oaked < $20 (3rd place – white ribbon): 2007 Strewn Barrel Aged Chardonnay – oaked > $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2006 Lakeview Cellars Reserve I loved this chard -- really well balanced and lovely subtle oak. Not heavy-handed at all. Chardonnay – oaked > $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2006 Huff Estates Winery Lighthall Chardonnay – oaked > $20 (3rd place – white ribbon): 2006 Huff Estates Winery Southbay Sauvignon Blanc < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Dan Ackroyd Sauvignon Blanc < $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Niagara College Teaching Winery Sauvignon Blanc > $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Creekside Estate Winery Reserve This was my pick for "Best in Show" white -- just a perfect example of good Ontario Fume Blanc. Riesling < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Huff Estates Winery off-dry Riesling < $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Creekside Estate Winery Butler's Grant Riesling < $20 (3rd place – white ribbon): 2007 Konzelmann Estate Winery Riesling > $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 John Howard Megalomaniac Riesling This one was truly fantastic -- great minerality and peachiness and perfectly balanced. Riesling > $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2006 Huff Estates Winery off-dry Reserve This was a pretty close second and was universally really enjoyed. The only problem was that it was a bit too acidic, but '06 was a very acidic year for Riesling, so that kinda makes sense. Pinot Gris/Grigio <$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Pelee Island Winery Pinot Grigio Pinot Gris/Grigio <$20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Pillitteri Estates Winery Pinot Grigio Pinot Gris/Grigio >$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Huff Estates Winery Pinot Gris Pinot Gris/Grigio <$20 (3rd place – white ribbon): 2007 Creekside Estate Winery Pinot Grigio Gewürztraminer <$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Calamus Estate Winery Gewürztraminer <$20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Caroline Cellars Other white varietal (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Oak Heights Winery Vidal Blanc Other white varietal (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Konzelmann Estate Winery Pinot Blanc Other white varietal (3rd place – white ribbon): 2006 Willow Springs Winery Vidal Other multi-varietal < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Strewn Riesling/Gewürztraminer semi-dry Other multi-varietal < $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Pillitteri Estates Winery Fusion Gewürztraminer/Riesling Sweet (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Konzelmann Estate Winery Vidal Icewine Sweet (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2006 Caroline Cellars Vidal Icewine Sweet (3rd place – white ribbon): 2007 Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery Riesling Icewine Rosé (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Willow Springs Winery Pinot Grigio/Baco Noir Rosé Rosé (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 John Howard Megalomaniac Pinot Noir Rosé Pinot Noir <$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Pelee Island Winery Reserve Pinot Noir >$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Norm Hardie Wines Ltd. I didn't taste this category, but this is a pretty fantastic Pinot. It's drinking really well know, and should only get better in the next couple years. Lots of bright red fruit... Pinot Noir >$20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2006 John Howard Meglomaniac Cabernet Franc <$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Black Prince Winery Cabernet Franc <$20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2005 Pillitteri Estates Winery Cabernet Franc <$20 (3rd place – white ribbon): 2005 Niagara College Teaching Winery Cabernet Franc >$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2005 Colio Estate Winery Reserve Merlot <$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2006 Willow Springs Winery Merlot >$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2006 John Howard Meglomaniac Merlot >$20 ((2nd place – blue ribbon): 2005 Lakeview Cellars Reserve Baco Noir < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2006 Caroline Cellars Baco Noir >$20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2005 Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery Reserve Everyone on my panel was pretty shocked that Baco could be this good. Really lovely and worth the $10 premium over their non-reserve Baco. Other red varietal < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2005 Pelee Island Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Other red varietal < $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Black Prince Winery Harwood St. Laurent Other red varietal > $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2005 John Howard Megalomaniac Cabernet Sauvignon Other red varietal > $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2005 Dan Ackroyd Signature Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Meritage < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2006 Willow Springs Winery Meritage Meritage < $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2006 Strewn Cabernet Merlot Meritage > $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2005 Niagara College Teaching Winery Meritage Meritage > $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2006 John Howard Megalomaniac Cabernet Merlot Meritage > $20 (3rd place – white ribbon): 2004 John Howard Megalomaniac Melot/Cabernet Other multi-varietal < $20 (1st place – red ribbon): 2007 Niagara College Teaching Winery Cab Franc/Baco Noir Other multi-varietal < $20 (2nd place – blue ribbon): 2007 Pelee Island Winery Cab Sauv/Petit Verdot ]]> tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2008://1.134 2008-11-10T17:18:57Z 2008-11-20T18:35:10Z

For some reason (it's who you know, I guess) I was chosen to be a judge for the 2008 Royal Winter Fair's Wine Competition. It's their first year, and they wanted to go in a bit of a different direction then most wine competitions -- using industry "experts" like sommeliers, restaurant owners, agents and winemakers, instead of traditional wine judges.

Nathan who you know, I guess) I was chosen to be a judge for the 2008 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Wine Competition. This was their first year, and they wanted to go in a bit of a different direction then most wine competitions, by using industry "experts" like sommeliers, restaurant owners, agents and winemakers, instead of traditional wine judges. I was one of ten judges, most of whom worked at various restaurants around town: Sara D'amato from the Four Seasons, Mark Cutrara from Cowbell, John Sinopoli from Table 17, John Pekka Woods from Alice's Restaurant, Jeremy Day from Cafe Taste, Steffan Howard from Palair Royale, and a few others who's credentials I didn't jot down. It was a great group, and I think we choose a group of wines that showcase some great Ontario potential. Riesling, oaked Chardonnay, Meritage and Cab Franc were all very strong categories; and there were some great standouts like a Fume Blanc from ???. There was even a Baco Noir that made almost everyone's short list of the top few wines. For some reason none of the Pinot Noir really shined, which is too bad given it's Ontario's (I think) best varietal. Maybe none of the really top producers made entries... The show was fairly small this year, held with little fanfair, and with only about 90 entered wines. Apparently the organizers wanted to keep the show small in order to work out the kinks before going all-out next year. The tasting itself was organized by Brock's Oenology & Viticulture program, with profs Gary Pickering and Dr. Linda Bramble leading two tasting groups. The entire event was a wonderful experience, and it was a treat to take part. Thanks go to Tammy Dopson & Pamj Misener at the Royal Winter Fair for having me, to the people from Brock's CCOVI program for running a great event, and to all the other judges -- it was an absolute joy to talk about wine with you all. If the Fair will have me, I'd love to take part again next year! I'll post results, and some of my own notes, when I get them back from the organizers... Update Nov. 20, 2008: I've posted the winners here.]]> tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2008://1.133 2008-07-24T07:29:46Z 2008-07-24T07:36:31Z

On Saturday, July 26, Cafe Taste on Queen St. W in Toronto will be hosting the Ontario Wine Fair -- a public tasting featuring 17 Ontario Wineries. I'll be there all day, pouring with Norm Hardie, who makes some fantastic...

Nathan On Saturday, July 26, Cafe Taste on Queen St. W in Toronto will be hosting the Ontario Wine Fair -- a public tasting featuring 17 Ontario Wineries. I'll be there all day, pouring with Norm Hardie, who makes some fantastic Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. Come by if you can. $40 gets you in the door and I think all wineries will be offering a 2 or 3 samples each, so it's well worth the price of admission. Cafe Taste is at 1330 Queen St West (@ Brock St.) Wineries coming include: Norm Hardie, Malivoire, Calumus, Coyote's Run, Henry of Pelham, Huff Estates, Inniskillin, Jackson Triggs, Kacaba, Lailey, Southbrook and many many more... tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2008://1.132 2008-02-11T22:55:34Z 2008-02-15T22:43:08Z

I drove down to Niagara-on-the-Lake to pick up my Icewine juice order from Watsons yesterday. I had ordered 15L of whatever variatals he produced and was happy to see that he had three different varietals to offer this year: Vidal,...

Nathan I drove down to Niagara-on-the-Lake to pick up my Icewine juice order from Watsons yesterday. I had ordered 15L of whatever variatals he produced and was happy to see that he had three different varietals to offer this year: Vidal, Riesling-Traminer and Cab Franc. This is the first time I've been able to get ahold of red Icewine juice and I'm excited to try my hand at it. Last year his Cab Franc came out murky and he sold the entire batch to a professional winery that owned the centrifuge required to clarify it properly. But this year it fell clear naturally and he was selling it to amateurs like myself. tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2008://1.131 2008-02-11T22:46:13Z 2008-02-11T22:53:51Z

A couple weekends ago I took in ZAP, the annual Zinfandel festival held at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Hundreds of Zinfandel producers are present, and both times I've gone I've been amazed at the differences I find in the wines I get through.

Nathan first time I went I focused on tasting as many wines as I could, from the most renowned producers -- labels like Turley, Scott Harvey and Woodenhead. I aimed for higher-end, more expensive zins that I didn't have access too at my local supermarket (which had a pretty good wine selection, to be fair). This time around I tasted roughly the same number of wines, somewhere above fifty but less than seventy-five, but focused instead on the different regional characteristics of Zin across California. I looked at five different regions: Mendocino in the North, Russian River Valley, Napa, the Sierra Foothills and Paso Robles. I used Dry Creek Valley as my baseline, given my familiarity with the Zin Sasha makes from Ray Teldeschi. Here's what I found: Mendocino's Zin was stylistically all over the map, and I didn't find much commonality between producers. Russian River Valley definitely had the 'spiciest' wines of the bunch and showed much less fruit than other regions. This was by and large quite pleasant, and is often exactly what I look for from Zinfandel in general. The Sierra Foothills and Paso Robles had the fruitiest zins -- gobs and gobs of jammy fruit. Not for the faint of palatte (like mine perhaps). That said, I loved the Scott Harvey 1869 and both wines from Cedarville. Napa Valley consistently showed the most restraint. I might go so far as saying some were even elegant -- a term not normally associated with Zin. I found they had some of the spice of RRV and some of the fruit of the Sierra's, but in a more balanced, harmonious package. I especially enjoyed the Truchard and Hendry in the South (almost Carneros); Tofanelli in Calistoga and the wines various producers made from Howell Mountain fruit. Napa was clearly my favourite, though there were RRV wines I really enjoyed as well. Sasha's getting some more RRV fruit from the Buckhorn vineyard and has graciously offered to let me piggyback 1/2 a ton off his order, enough to do my own barrel as a custom crush client. I'm looking forward to trying my own hand at this grape. ]]> tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.130 2007-12-26T19:00:47Z 2007-12-26T19:44:10Z

In 2006 I simply tried to taste as much different Ontario wine that could -- if someone made it, I wanted to taste it. This year, I've tried to focus a little more on the regions, varietals and wineries I like the best -- I tried to dial-in what I like specifically about this region and it's grapes and it's people.

Nathan In 2006 I simply tried to taste as much different Ontario wine that could -- if someone made it, I wanted to taste it. This year, I've tried to focus a little more on the regions, varietals and wineries I like the best -- I tried to dial-in what I like specifically about this region and it's grapes and it's people. I've come up with my favourite five Ontario varietals, in order: - Pinot Noir - Riesling - Chardonnay - Cabernet Franc - Sauvignon Blanc My top five favourite wineries (Unfortunately, I've yet to try Hidden Bench or Daniel Lenko, two highly regarded producers. I look forward to trying them in ‘08), in order: - Le Clos Jordanne - Norman Hardie Wines - Peninsula Ridge - Fielding - Malivoire And the five Ontario wines I enjoyed most: - 2004 Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Terrace Pinot Noir - 2005 Norman Hardie "County" Chardonnay - 2005 Closson Chase Chardonnay - 2006 13th Street, Funk Vineyard Riesling - 2005 Peninsula Ridge, Fumé Blanc tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.129 2007-12-17T16:29:11Z 2007-12-17T16:33:54Z

I wasn't planning on making another order for Icewine juice from the Neufeld's this year, their juice is about twice as expensive as Watsons, but the quality of my '06 Icewine from their vineyard was just so good I couldn't...

Nathan I wasn't planning on making another order for Icewine juice from the Neufeld's this year, their juice is about twice as expensive as Watsons, but the quality of my '06 Icewine from their vineyard was just so good I couldn't help myself. And really, it's not *that* bad when you think it works out to about ~$10/bottle. So I just called John and ordered another 20L of juice, which will run about $600. Still, ouch. tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.127 2007-12-04T01:05:12Z 2007-12-04T01:13:45Z

I only did one white this year, a Riesling from Wismer Vineyards in Niagara (up on the Bench), and it's now finished fermentation. I racked it off it's fermentation lees this evening and it'll now spend the next six months...

Nathan Riesling from Wismer Vineyards in Niagara (up on the Bench), and it's now finished fermentation. I racked it off it's fermentation lees this evening and it'll now spend the next six months aging and clarifying. I'm most surprised by the clarity of the wine -- it's super clear. I guess fining it with Argilact before I started fermentation helps clear up the wine significantly. I also fermented it for the last couple weeks in one spot, up high, to prevent having to move or jostle it. This seems to have helped. As for first impressions: not nearly as sharp and acidic as last years Riesling (a 6.5 TA vs. 9.5), and a significant amount of citrus on both the nose and the palate. There's a little residual sulfur smell on the lees, but this not much transfered in the racking and I'm sure I can get ride of it before bottling with a little copper. I'm happy with how it's turning out. . ]]> tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.118 2007-10-14T20:22:37Z 2007-10-19T19:10:59Z

I wasn't going to do any red or white table wines this year, just help out with the Eno and Norman Hardie harvests and then concentrate on my own Icewines come winter. However, Norm was kind enough to spare a 23L carboy of Riesling juice, so it looks like I'll be making a little bit after all.

Nathan winemaking notes.]]> tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.117 2007-09-05T04:25:33Z 2007-09-05T04:37:54Z

Nathan tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.116 2007-08-26T03:00:00Z 2007-09-05T04:24:51Z

Kim and I drove down to Niagara-on-the-Lake today to buy bottles for all my icewine and whites. We decided on 12 cases of the dark brown tall-shouldered (Bordeaux-style) Icewine bottles, and five cases of green hock bottles for the Riesling...

Nathan Kim and I drove down to Niagara-on-the-Lake today to buy bottles for all my icewine and whites. We decided on 12 cases of the dark brown tall-shouldered (Bordeaux-style) Icewine bottles, and five cases of green hock bottles for the Riesling and Gewurztraminer. While we were down there, we hit a few wineries to try and find a nice white to go with the lobster we were going to have with dinner: Lailey: I really like their Pinot, so I was looking forward to going there for the first time. Unfortunately, none of their whites really worked for either Kim or I -- they're all quite dry (which was nice) but too acidic for our tastes. I know Riesling is supposed to be acidic, but these were a bit much. 13th Street: Hmmmm, the 2006 Funk Vineyard Riesling was our pick of the day -- perfectly balanced, not too acidic, and delightfully fresh with great citrus fruit and minerality. Malivoire: Unfortunately, they were out of the wine we were specifically looking for -- a delightful spritzy Chardonnay Musque, that's only 8%, $18 and is one of our favourite summer wines. We tasted through a few other whites, but nothing really grabbed us beneath our $25 ceiling (the Moira Chardonnay is great, it's also pricey at $36). Fielding: Damn their Viognier turned out great. New for 2006, this was much anticipated and did not disappoint -- full mouthfeel, but not as thick as Viognier found in California; and great Viognier fruit: lemon, pear & apricot. At $30 it's a bit pricey, but it sure is tasty. We also walked away with one of their last 18 bottles of the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, another of our favourites -- a perfectly balanced, crisp Sauv Blanc with a touch of residual sugar, a grassy nose and a mouth full of peach flavour. tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.115 2007-07-16T03:00:00Z 2007-09-05T04:02:58Z

It took a month or so of swapping carboys in and out of the fridge (only one will fit at a time), and hitting them with .15g/L of potassium sorbate -- but it's now done and all the icewines have...

Nathan It took a month or so of swapping carboys in and out of the fridge (only one will fit at a time), and hitting them with .15g/L of potassium sorbate -- but it's now done and all the icewines have completely stabilized. The next step will be to filter do any last minute acid additions (the Neufeld Vineyard Vidal is a little light in acid), then run each wine through the a #2 and then #3 filter, and then bottle. tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.113 2007-05-31T20:36:31Z 2007-06-20T23:18:00Z

This warm weather we've been having has had an unfortunate side-effect on my Icewine -- they've all started fermenting again. I guess I really should have used Potassium Sorbate in order to prevent any remaining yeast from becoming active again...

Nathan This warm weather we've been having has had an unfortunate side-effect on my Icewine -- they've all started fermenting again. I guess I really should have used Potassium Sorbate in order to prevent any remaining yeast from becoming active again, given they were only chilled-down for a couple weeks post-fermentation. Apparently that's just not enough to completely stun all the yeast into submission. My new plan is to chill these down again and hit them with Potassium Sorbate then see what happens. First I'll cool them in the fridge for a few days, then add Potassium Sorbate, give it a week or so, fine with sparkaloid/bentonite, give it another few weeks to settle, and then I'll filter with #2 filter pads. The only problem I foresee is not having enough top-up wine to ensure full carboys after filtration. So I've bought about 20 lbs of glass marbles -- which should be enough to top up each carboy. tag:www.trufflepigwine.com,2007://1.112 2007-04-17T02:13:21Z 2007-04-18T22:27:51Z

Now that all three 2006 Icewines are racked off the gross-lees and aging peacefully in glass, I've done a little taste-test to see how they're coming along. Here's what I found:

Nathan 2006 Vidal Icewine, Watson's Farm (details) My first impressions are favourable: the nose is very fruity (peaches, pear, pineapple and lychee), and with very little of the caramel / crème brûlée that I got last year. The smell of booze is also less obvious. In the mouth it still has a *little* post-fermentation bitterness, but it's very slight and much better than it had last year at this time. I expect it to completely fall-out by the time it goes into bottle. The viscosity is nice, but it could use a little more acid to add crispness to the finish. 2006 Vidal Icewine, Neufeld Vineyard (details) Much more subtle on the nose than the Watson's Vidal. Where the Watson's is brash with fruit, this is much more subdued. The fruit is definitely there (mostly lychee, and some raisin), but it also has tonnes of spice and a slight minerality. Interesting. In the mouth is definitely where this wine comes alive -- a burst of initial sweetness on the front is followed by very spicy mid-palate. The wine could use more acid to balance out the sweetness (I think it's only at 9.5g/l and could use another 1 or 2, to my taste). 2006 Riesling-traminer Icewine, Watson's Farm (details) Wow. There is a night and day difference between the Riesling and both Vidals. Where the Vidals are all honey and lychee, the Riesling is much more floral with loads of green apple, citrus and lush apricot. On the palate, the viscosity is about half that of both Vidals, and there's significant more acid on the finish, leaving the wine fairly well balanced. As with the nose, apple, citrus and apricot dominate, while some honey also creeps in. I'm not sure this needs any tinkering with, this one is delicious as-is. ]]>