Westcott Vineyard whites
Westcott Vineyards Butler’s Grant Old Vines Riesling 2022 (Twenty Mile Bench)
Pale straw colour; minerally, grapefruit nose with a floral top note; light to medium-bodied, crisply dry, lemon-lime and green apple flavours with great persistence on the palate. Can be opened now but with that acidity it will last for 8–10 years. (89–91)
Westcott Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2021 (Niagara Escarpment)
Light golden colour; toasty, minerally, apple nose with oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, richly extracted and well-balanced with nicely integrated oak. Drink now and through 2025. (90)
Westcott Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay 2021 (Vinemount Ridge)
Bright straw colour; minerally, apple and peach nose with oak notes; medium-bodied, dry; lovely mouth feel; peachy, apple flavours, beautifully balanced. A seamless wine. Drink now and hold through 2025. (92)
Westcott Vineyards Reds
Westcott Vineyards Gamay 2022 (Vinemount Ridge)
Bright ruby in colour; toasty, cherry bouquet with vanilla oak notes; medium-bodied, dry, juicy cherry, red plum and cranberry flavours carried on a fine spine of acidity. Chillable. Drink now and through 2025. (90)
Westcott Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2020 (Niagara Escarpment)
Light ruby in colour; lifted, fragrant raspberry nose with a tealeaf note; medium-bodied, dry, mouth-filling flavours of raspberry and red plum. Very Burgundian in style, elegant and seductive. Can be opened now but will reward another year in bottle. (90)
Westcott Vineyards Reserve Pinot Noir 2020 (Vinemount Ridge)
Ruby with a tawny hue; violets and raspberries on the nose with oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, elegant, beautifully balanced; firmly structured with ripe tannins and well-integrated oak. Flavours of raspberry and red plum. Great length. Drink now or hold for a couple of years. (91)
The Brunswick Four, in 1974
Wednesday, April 10th: Our dear friend Adrienne Rosen invited us to “The Day of Pink” celebration at Toronto Reference Library’s Bluma Appel Room. The event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Brunswick Four arrest and the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Trans flag.
According to Wikipedia: “The Brunswick Four were four lesbians involved in a historic incident in Toronto, Ontario in 1974. The four were evicted from the Brunswick House, a working-class beer hall on Bloor Street, and subsequently arrested, and three were later tried in Ontario Court for obstruction of justice. Two of those three women were acquitted in May 1974, but one, Adrienne Potts, served three months’ probation.”
Fred Hahn and Olivia Chow listen to Adrienne Rosen’s speech
At the event, Adrienne explained to an enthusiastic audience that the four women got up to sing karaoke. Their song, to the tune of “I enjoy being a girl”: “I enjoy being a dyke,” with raunchy lyrics.
There were speeches by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and the Vice President of CUPE, Fred Hahn (who supports Toronto’s gay community, it seems, but not the Jewish community by his tweets following Hamas’s barbaric blood-fest on October 7th). There were presentations, and entertainment by the a cappella group Riverse and drag queen Aja (from RuPaul’s Drag Race.)
Goody bags for all, by Lush Cosmetics
Riverse
Aja, drag queen
Adrienne told me that the artist who drew her portrait was “a kid in a school that did an art class on the Brunswick 4. He was in Grade 7.”
Portrait of Adrienne by a grade 7 student
The wine I drank from the open bar was Eradus Sauvignon Blanc 2022 from Marlborough. A fun evening with everyone wearing something pink.
Eradus Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Thursday, April 11th: My friend Paxton Allewell dropped by with a range of spring waters to taste: Voss, drop, evian, flow and Whistler. My favourite was Voss – and not just because of its sexy presentation in a slender glass bottle, but I really liked the mouth-feel.
Spring water tasting
Friday, April 12th: Drove to Dymon Wine Cellar in Etobicoke for Grapes For Humanity’s fine wine auction press conference. Available for tasting were a series of wines made collaboratively by 19 Ontario winemakers under the label From the Heart. You can bid on these wines – and many off-shore wines and wine experiences – by logging on to the auction catalogue at www.waddingtons.ca.
From the Heart Riesling 2023 (by Emma Garner [Thirty Bench], Charles Baker [Stratus], Gabriel Demarco [Cave Spring])
Pale straw in colour; floral, grapefruit nose; light to medium-bodied, just off-dry, grapefruit and lime flavours with a touch of honey. (90)
From the Heart Chardonnay 2022 (by Thomas Bachelder [Bachelder Wines], Ilya Senchuk [Leaning Post], Matt Smith [Cloudsley])
Bright, straw colour; toasty, apple nose with oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, beautifully balanced apple and pear flavours; lovely mouth feel. (92)
From the Heart Gamay 2023 (by Jessica Solanki [Liebling Wines], Elisa Mazzi [Malivoire], Jeff Moote [Divergence Wines])
Light ruby in colour; cherry bouquet with vanilla oak notes; medium-bodied, fresh and juicy cherry flavour. Light on the palate. (89)
From the Heart Pinot Noir 2022 (by Thomas Bachelder [Bachelder Wines], Kelly Mason [Mason Vineyard])
Ruby colour; fragrant, raspberry nose; medium-bodied, dry, Volnay style (very Burgundian); raspberry and red plum flavours. (91)
From the Heart Red N/V (40% Malbec from Lailey Winery, 30% Cabernet Franc from Tawse Winery and 30% Cabernet Franc from Domaine Queylus)
Deep ruby in colour; vanilla plum and oak spice on the nose; medium-bodied, dry, blackcurrant and plum flavours. (89)
From the Heart Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (by Casey Hogan [Southbrook], Dean Stoyka [Stratus], Adam Icel [Icellars])
Deep purple-ruby in colour; cedary, vanilla and blackcurrant on the nose; medium-bodied, dry, firmly structured, richly extracted and well-balanced. (90)
Proceeds from the auction will go to support Tree Canada, Nature Conservancy Canada and The Halo Trust to carry on humanitarian efforts in the Ukraine.
