Tony Aspler, the Wine Guy

Sunday, June 30: Decided to do some tasting to reduce the number of bottles waiting for reviews.

• STLTO Red 2012 (Central Italy – $12.15: Malbec and Merlot): ruby-purple colour; savoury nose of black fruits with a spicy note; dry, plum and prune flavours with lively acidity and enough tannin to give it structure. (86+)
• Flat Rock Pinot Noir 2011 (Ontario – $19.95): light ruby colour; cherry and beetroot nose with a hint of oak spice; dry, light on the palate, dry, sinewy with a firm tannic finish. (88)
• Emiliana Adobe Reserva Merlot 2011 (Rapel Valley, Chile): deep ruby colour; minty, blackcurrant bouquet with a cedary note; dry , herbal, savoury flavour of blackcurrants with lively acidity. (87+)
• Bodegas e Vinedos Labastida Montebuena Rioja 2010 ($14.95): deep ruby colour; earthy, cherry nose with a light vanilla and spice note from oak; dry, nicely balanced, velvety mouth-feel, with a cherry flavour and a firm finish. (88)
• Cava Velhas Enoport Topazio Douro 2009 (Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca – $12.95): dense purple-ruby colour; woodsy, spicy mulberry nose; earthy, blackcurrant and prune flavours; short with an acidic, green finish. (85)
• Robert Oatley Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 ($17.95): deep ruby-purple colour; smoky, cedar, blackcurrant nose; sweet blackcurrant fruit, medium to full-bodied, well balanced and textured with a tannic lift on the finish. (89)
• Pietro Rinaldi Barbaresco San Cristoforo 2008 ($45.95): ruby with a tawny rim; roses, tar and dried cherries on the nose; dry, elegant and noble, seamless in the mouth, a note of pencil lead in the tannic finish. Hold 3–5 years (91).
• Flat Rock Pinot Noir Rosé 2012 (Ontario – $16.95): salmon pink colour; a nose of wild strawberries; dry, strawberry flavour with citrus acidity. Refreshing and well made. (88)
• STLTO Unoaked Chardonnay 2011 (Italy – $12.15): very pale straw with a green tint; minerally, green apple nose; crisp and dry with green apple flavour and citrus acidity. (87)
• Red Rooster Pinot Gris 2012 (BC – $18): light straw colour; peach pit and citrus nose; grassy, white peach flavour, almost Sauvignon –like (young Pinot Gris vines?); medium-bodied, fresh, green plum and cut grass flavours. (88)
• Joie Unoaked Chardonnay 2012 ($22.95): light straw colour; apple and pear nose; beautifully balanced flavours of orchard fruits, clean and true with a dramatic thrust of crab apple acidity on the finish. (89+)
• Closson Chase Vineyard South Clos Chardonnay 2011 ($39.95): old gold colour; intense smoky, toasty oak and tropical fruit nose; spicy and full-bodied, fleshy and exuberant on the palate with smoky, flinty flavours of pineapple and melon with a nutty finish. A Chardonnay not for the faint of heart. (91)
• Closson Chase Vineyard Chardonnay 2011 ($29.95): old gold colour: more restrained than the South Clos on the nose – in fact, Burgundian in style, minerally, apple and pear with a vanilla oak note; soft on the palate, nicely balanced with sweet red apple fruit, full-bodied with good length. (92)

Finished off this last wine with dinner (trout on the BBQ).

Monday, July 1: Canada Day. Wrote my 680News wine reviews. Had a call from Sophie Jump, the CEO of the International Wine Club Association in London. Representatives from this association who sell over 10 million cases of wine annually will be meeting in Montreal in November. She asked me if I would select and present Canadian wines at a dinner at Graziella Restaurant. Sounds like a lot of fun. In the evening Deborah and I were invited to a Canada Day party at our neighbours’, Alec and Bonnie, who have a large terrace from which we could watch the fireworks.

Tuesday, July 2: Wrote my Lexpert column on the history of wine cellars. Spoke to Sean Rowlands, whose company, Gradwell Wine Agency, imports South African wines, about products for Grapes for Humanity’s fund-raiser event in October. Dinner at our neighbour Sally’s, who prepared a delicious bowl of mussels in a tomato sauce, with Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2012.

Wednesday, July 3: Recorded my 680News wine reviews and then packed for an overnight trip to Windsor and Amherstburg. On VIA Rail I wrote a piece for Decanter magazine about Pinot Noir in Canada to go into their October issue that publishes the results of the Decanter World Wine Awards. Spent the night at the Windsor Hilton.

Thursday, July 4: Breakfast in the hotel with Kyra Knapp, War of 1812 Regional Project Facilitator. Kyra had asked me to write a piece for the press release on the project called Stowaway 1812.

Stowaway 1812

Six Lake Erie North Shore wineries have produced unique wines to commemorate the War of 1812 Bicentennial and the Coastal Trails: Sail to See Tall Ships Festival. These six VQA wines are bottled as the “Stowaway 1812” series and each features on its label the image of a different tall ship that plied the Great Lakes in the 1812 era. The Tall Ships from around the world will sail to 15 Ontario ports over the summer from June 14 to September 2nd, 2013.

Their majestic presence in our waters speak to an ancient tradition of ageing wines at sea. As early as the 16th century in Europe sailing ships transported wine from Madeira to India and China by way of the Cape of Good Hope. The hot temperatures as the ships crossed the equator and the incessant rolling action had a beneficial ageing effect on the wine. Like most advances in beverage alcohol technology the discovery of sea travel to improve the flavour of Madeira was accidental. But once discovered this technique of long sea voyages was used to speed up the maturing process of Madeira and port.

As a nod to this naval tradition and a salute to the War of 1812, the six participating wineries will contribute their Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon blend to a 100-litre barrel that will be subjected to a 13-day voyage on the Great Lakes in the hold of Liana’s Ransom. Flying the flag of the British Virgin Islands, Liana’s Ransom is a replica pirate ship – a gaff rigged, square top sail schooner. At the end of the voyage the wines will be bottled and auctioned off as collectors’ artifacts.

I had the opportunity to taste the Stowaway 1812 wines before they were released for sale at participating wineries.

Labels from the Stowaway 1812 series

• Pelee Island Winery Stowaway 1812 Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (the label depicts a two-masted Brig with square sails): The wine is pale lemon yellow in colour with a bouquet of cut grass and citrus fruits; nicely balanced flavours of green plum and white peach carried on fresh acidity. Medium-bodied and lingering on the palate.
• Colio Estate Wines Stowaway 1812 Pinot Grigio 2012 (the label depicts a Despatch Schooner with fore-and aft sails): Pink-gold in colour, this Pinot Grigio has a minerally, peach pit nose with well extracted flavours of peach and apricot; soft, dry and full on the palate and easy drinking.
• Smith & Wilson Stowaway1812 Viognier 2010 (the label depicts a Corvette, a three-masted ship all rigged with square sails): Bright, light straw in colour with a nose of honeysuckle and melon; spicy, melon and citrus flavours that fill the mouth. Good tension between sweet fruit and citrus acidity.
• Oxley Estate Winery Stowaway 1812 Cabernet Franc 2012 (the label depicts a two-masted Topsail Schooner): This Cabernet Franc is ruby in colour with a bouquet of redcurrant and raspberries; medium-bodied, with ripe tannins and a velvety mouth-feel. Nicely balanced with enough tannin on the finish to give the wine structure.
• Sprucewood Shores Stowaway 1812 Deux Rouge 2011 (the label depicts a single-masted Sloop): A blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. A nose of cherry pit and leather with a floral top note; dry, fruity, medium-bodied with cherry and redcurrant flavours. Supple tannins.
• Cooper’s Hawk Cabernet Merlot 2008 (the label depicts The Snow Rig, square sails on both masts with a small trysail mast): Deep ruby colour with a mature rim; cedar on the nose, oak spice with nuances of red and blackcurrant. Dry with red berry fruit flavours and a dark chocolate note. Well balanced and good length.

(All wines except the Cooper’s Hawk are under screwcap.)

Sculpture commemorating the Battle of Lake Erie in Amherstburg

The press launch for the Stowaway 1812 tall ships event was held at the Provincial Marine Commissariat in King’s Navy Yard Park, Amherstburg. A commemorative sculpture of the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 stands in a the grounds and history buffs dressed in authentic costumes of the time discharged a 3 lb muzzle-loading brass cannon (my ears are still ringing from the noise). After the speeches we sampled the six wines involved in the project.

Preparing to fire the ceremonial cannon

The firing

After the press conference Kyra drove me to Oxley Estate in East Harrow for a tasting and lunch. The winery, in very welcoming contemporary style, is a refurbished 1920 tobacco barn. The proprietor, Ann Nedon Wilson, told me they had grapes and made wine from their two-year-old vines in 2011! Their website has profiles of not only the key people in the winery but the farm workers as well.

• Oxley Estate Chardonnay 2012: very pale colour; light, apple nose; creamy mouth feel with apple, herbs and fennel flavour. (87)
• Oxley Estate Chardonnay 2011 (second leaf fruit): light, floral, apple nose; surprising intensity of fruit flavour; light and delicate, dry Asian pear flavour. (88)
• Oxley Estate Riesling 2012: almost water white; aromatic, minerally, spicy melon nose; off-dry but finishing dry with grapefruit, lemon and honey flavours. (87)
• Oxley Estate Rosé 2012: pink with a bluish tint; floral, cherry nose; soft mouth-feel, easy drinking, strawberry and orange flavours. (87)
• Oxley Estate Pinot Noir 2011 (second leaf fruit): light ruby colour; lifted cherry nose; dry, light and high-toned flavours of cherries and cherry pits. (87)
• Oxley Cabernet Franc 2011 (second leaf fruit): light ruby colour; raspberry candy nose; light and elegant, raspberry flavour with a floral grace note. (88)

After lunch (breaded perch), Kyra dropped me at Windsor Station for the train-ride back to Toronto.

Friday, July 5: A Vintages release tasting. Had to have my photo taken for a pass into the LCBO building – new security system.

Monday, June 24: Deborah and I arrived in Vancouver on Saturday to celebrate my ex-wife Brenda’s 75th birthday with our children, Guy and Annabel. Ian, Annabel’s husband, picked us up at the airport and dropped us at the Westin Bayshore Hotel. On Saturday evening a dinner with Brenda, her husband Jim, Annabel and Ian and Guy at Bishops. Deborah and I took a cab to the restaurant and concealed ourselves at a table in the back and had a glass of wine. Brenda didn’t know we were coming so we surprised her when the party settled at a table in the front of the restaurant.

Brenda, Tony and Deborah at Bishops

Annabel and Guy

On Sunday, a tea gathering at Brenda and Jim’s condo in the party room with many of Brenda’s family and friends. That evening Guy dropped Deborah and me at Vaughan and Marie Bowser’s house for a dinner party. The other guests were all members of the Languedoc-Provence tour in May. A great reunion with an amazing meal prepared by the Bowsers. Good to see the gang again, like our extended family.

On Monday, I had lunch with Annabel and Guy at Joey’s while Deborah lunched with Brenda at the Granville Island Hotel (would have liked to be a fly on the wall at that tête-à-tête). Walked in Stanley Park with Annabel and Guy and Annabel’s pit bull, Siena. Dinner in the Seawall restaurant in the hotel and watched the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup.

Tuesday, June 25: Took the float plane from Vancouver to Salt Spring Island to visit with David Wood, whom I knew in Toronto over 20 years ago when he had a fine food store on Yonge Street. David runs a company called Salt Spring Island Cheese.

Deborah boarding the sea plane to Salt Spring

We rented a car in Ganges and lunched at the Tree House restaurant – butternut squash curry with a bottle of Garry Oaks Pinot Noir 2010. Met up with David in the open farmers’ market in the park. Bought a punnet of strawberries, which we devoured as we walked along the fruit and vegetable stands.

Lunch at Tree House Cafe in Ganges

Drove over to David’s house in the southern part of the island. En route we stopped at Garry Oaks winery and, with winemaker Elaine Kozack and tasting room manager Cliff Jones, I tasted the following wines:

• Garry Oaks Prism 2011 (90% Gewurztraminer, 10% Chardonnay): light, dry, spicy and aromatic; clean with lively acidity. (87)
• Garry Oaks Pinot Gris 2012: pale straw colour; peachy nose with a floral note; medium-bodied, elegant, good mouth feel and nicely balanced. (89)
• Garry Oaks Labyrinth 2011 (Pinot Noir and Zweigelt): spicy, cherry nose, light on the palate with a smoky, cherry flavour. (87)
• Garry Oaks Pinot Noir 2010: light in colour, cherry nose, lean and firm. (87)
• Garry Oaks Zweigelt Zeta 2010: cherry nose, good middle fruit with a board palate from the oak; cherry pit flavour with a dry finish. (88)

Cliff Jones made a very apt analogy, referring to winemaker Elaine – “She’s the batter and Mother Nature is the pitcher.”

Garry Oaks winemaker Elaine Kozack

David Wood had invited three other couples to dinner, which he prepared himself: Shrimps in a spicy tomato sauce on a bed of lettuce with Poplar Grove Chardonnay Reserve 2012, lamb slow roasted with a Moroccan rub, with Dave Nichols Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District 1999 (which was still alive!) and Poplar Grove Oeuvre (NV). Salad, then lemon pound cake with fresh strawberries. Over dessert, David posed the question (I paraphrase him): “We have all reached a point in our lives when we can reflect on life and give advice. What is the best advice you could give to your children?” This sparked a lively discussion. My final thought on the subject was distilled into two words: “Be kind.” Everything will flow from that.

Wednesday, June 26: After breakfast Josh, David’s son gave Deborah and me a tour of the cheese-making operation and the stables where the goats are kept. We sampled the various flavoured Salt Spring goat’s cheeses.

Goats at Salt Spring Island Cheese Company

David Wood inspects his cheese

On the way back to Ganges we stopped in at Salt Spring Vineyards. I did a tasting while Deborah visited the Bee Lady and Bite Me (a bakery that makes delicious shortbread biscuits).

Salt Spring Vineyards’ label, designed by the ubiquitous Bernie Hadley-Beauregard, commemorates a latter-day Lady Godiva who rode bare-back – literally – through the streets of Vancouver to save Salt Spring’s rain forest in 2001. The press release of the Lady Godiva Society at the time read: “Seated on a snow-white horse, clothed only in her long green hair, Lady Godiva took to the streets of Vancouver at 12 noon on Monday January 22nd in a last-ditch appeal to Mr. Rob Macdonald of the Texada Land Corporation to stop clear-cutting the forests of Salt Spring Island. Starting at 938 Howe St., in front of Texada’s offices.” It worked.

At the winery I tasted with the proprietor, Joanne McIntyre.

• Salt Spring Vineyards Karma Brut (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay): dry, yeasty, green apple with a lemony finish. An elegant sparkler. (89)
• Salt Spring Vineyards Aromata 2012 (Riesling, Sylvaner, Seigerrebe, New York Muscat): orange blossom nose with a grapefruit flavour. The touch of Muscat sings through. (88)
• Salt Spring Vineyards Blanc de Noir 2011 (Pinot Noir): onion skin colour; peppery, yellow cherry flavour; light and easy drinking. (87)
• Salt Spring Vineyards Millotage 2009 (Leon Millot): ruby colour; spicy, plum nose; dry and savoury with lively acidity. (87)

Joanne’s husband Dev arrived with two samples of Karma 2010, asking us and the sales staff which dosage we preferred. All of us liked the one with a touch more sweetness which gave better balanced to the wine.

• Salt Spring Island Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 2009: light ruby with a rhubarb nose; dry, earthy, cranberry flavour, firmly structured. (88)
• Salt Spring Island Vineyards Cabernet Libre 2009: green pepper nose, Loire Style Cabernet Franc with elderberry and redcurrant flavours. (87)

Deborah and I had lunch at a Thai take-out restaurant in Ganges (seated at a picnic table in the park) and then toured the northern part of the island in the rain before taking the float plane back to Vancouver. Annabel was waiting for us at Canada Place, and as we were about to get into her Volkswagen we ran into Greg Berti, of Peller Estates, who was in town for the launch of Wayne Gretzky BC wines tomorrow (Wayne himself was apparently arriving this evening).

Annabel drove us to her condo where we said hello to Siena, a female pit bull, and then walked the three or four blocks to Vig, Canada’s best Indian restaurant. We waited in the bar area for an hour before we were seated and managed to consume a bottle of Dr. Loosen Riesling 2009 and a significant amount of Silk Scarf Rosé Saigné 2012. Ian joined us and we had a magnificent meal. When I went to pay, the server said the bill had been taken care of – by Annabel and Ian!

Thursday, June 27: Up at 7:45 am to finish packing. Annabel picked us up and dropped us at the airport for the flight back to Toronto, A full flight. Deborah and I were in different rows. Back home we had pasta for dinner with a bottle of Stratus Tollgate Merlot 2010: deep purple colour with a nose of cedar, vanilla and blueberry; full-bodied, dry, savoury with a creamy texture and flavours of dark chocolate, licorice and blackcurrant finishing with grainy tannins (89).

Friday, June 28: Caught up on emails. Took Pinot for a long walk. For dinner, pork loin with Beronia Vinas Viejas 2010 (deep ruby colour with a nose of sandalwood and strawberries; dry with good mid-palate fruit, opening up with time in the glass with blackcurrant and cocoa flavours backed by lively acidity – 89).

Monday, June 17: Lunch with Laurel Keenan of Wines of South Africa to discuss what fine South African wines we could put together for a Grapes for Humanity event on October 17, in conjunction with a South African organization.

Making final revisions to the Nightmare in Napa manuscript. For dinner, BBQ steak with Robert Oatley Signature Series McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010 (dense purple-ruby colour; blackberry and pencil shavings on the nose; medium to full-bodied, spicy, chocolate and blackberry flavours, soft on the palate, easy drinking (89)).

Tuesday, June 18: Wrote my Post City Magazines column, then to the dentist for gum surgery in two places. Not the most pleasant experience. In one spot, the bleeding would not stop so I had to return to the dentist in the evening to have it staunched with packing.

For dinner, Moroccan meatballs (which I had to chew at the front of my mouth – felt like a rabbit). The accompanying wine: Lavau Gigondas 2010 (deep ruby; black olive, herbal, black fruits on the nose; full-bodied, firmly structured with savoury, blackberry and herbal flavours (89)).

Wednesday, June 19: Wrote my Tidings column on Canadian sparkling wine. Down to the Fermentation Cellar in the Distillery District for sip&Savour Ontario. My role was to introduce the three food and wine performances featuring a chef, an award winning wine and a speaker from sip&Savour’s sponsor, Houselink.

7:45–8:15 pm
Chef Brad Livergant – The Fifth
Food: The Fifth Steak Tartar
Wine Pairing: Sandbanks Estate 2012 Baco Noir
Houselink Speaker: Brian Davis, Executive Director, Houselink

8:30–9:00 pm
Debbie Levy – Dairy Farmers of Canada
Food: Grilled Guernsey Girl with Watermelon
Grilled Queso Puro Mexicano with Pico de Gallo
Wine Pairing: Burning Kiln 2011 Riesling
* 2013 Ontario Wine Awards Silver Medal
Houselink Speaker: Luke Bowden, Board President, Houselink
Doug Beatty from Burning Kiln, to talk about wine.

9:15–9:45 pm
Chef Charles Kerr – Distillery Events
Food: Grilled Lamb Loin, Refried White Bean Ragout with Double Smoked Bacon
Heirloom Tomato Chutney
Wine pairing: Rockway Vineyards 2010 Small Lot Reserve Syrah
* 2013 Ontario Wine Awards Silver Medal
Houselink Speaker: Joan Thompson, Board Member, Houselink
Dave Stasiuk from Rockway Vineyards, to talk about wine.

Thursday, June 20: A meeting with Mike Koff, Mark Finkelstein and Jackie Davies at Mike’s office in Markham, to discuss the Grapes for Humanity event on October 17.

At 6:30 pm, down to the Shangri-La for a tasting of Macallan‘s new 1824 series of single malt scotches. We started the evening with a Whisky Mac: Macallan Gold with ginger beer and a slice of lime. The company has abandoned its age designations for four styles of single malts based on the wood ageing, all in sherry-infused casks but from either European or American oak in different proportions and different ages. The single malts are named for their colour. Marc Laverdier, the travelling ambassador for Macallan, made the point that “up to 60% of the character of the whisky has to do with the oak the whisky was aged in.” He went on to say that the company will spend $24 million sourcing barrels in 2013/2014. In their warehouse they have 186,000 casks maturing with Macallan whiskies.

• Gold: the lightest of the four and presumably the youngest, aged in American oak refills. Flavours of pear and orange peel.
• Amber: aged in a larger proportion of first-fill casks, American and European. Citrus and vanilla notes with a sweetish, spicy flavour.
• Sienna: 100% sherry-seasoned, first-fill American oak. Citrus, floral, spicy nose, ginger and orange flavours.
• Ruby: 100% first-fill Spanish oak – the deepest in colour. Ginger, nutmeg and dried fruit flaovurs. Rich and mouth-filling.

Then we tasted the whiskies with Reblochon cheese (Gold), smoked gouda with cracked pepper (Amber), vanilla white chocolate (Sienna) and chocolate orange (Ruby).

Friday, June 21: Finally finished the rewrites for Nightmare in Napa and sent it off to my agent. What a relief to have finished this book that I have been working on, on and off, for some eight years.

Drove Guy to the airport. He’s flying to see his mother in Vancouver to celebrate her 75th birthday. Deborah and I will be joining them tomorrow. For dinner, barbecued hamburger with Moris Farms Avvolore Maremma 2009 (dense purple-black in colour; cherry and leather on the nose with a floral note; dry and savoury, dark chocolate and licorice flavours (90)).

Monday, June 10: Walked Pinot in the rain before settling down to write my On the Go column. After lunch, a tasting of the following wines:

• Château des Charmes Chardonnay Musqué 2010 ($16.95): pale straw colour; honeysuckle, fennel and apple nose; dry, apple with a floral note; good staying power on the palate with a spicy finish. (88)
• Shingleback Haycutters Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011 ($15.80): pale straw colour; smoky, struck flint, grassy nose; dry, grapefruit flavour; full on the palate with a browning apple note on the finish. (86)
• Kacaba Rebecca Rosé 2012 (Cabernet Franc – $14.95): deep salmon pink in colour; rhubarb and redcurrant nose; dry, soft mouth-feel with a strawberry puree flavour. Fills the palate. (87)
• Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series 2 Bench White 2012 (BC. 53% Chardonnay, 21% Sauvignon Blanc, 17% Vermillion, 6% Viognier and 3% Muscat – $22.99): pale straw colour; minerally, peach pit and citrus peel nose; dry, white peach and lemon with a mineral thread. Medium-bodied, apple and pear flavours. (89)
• Robert Oatley Signature Series Pinot Grigio 2010 ($16.95): The highest fill I’ve seen in a screwcap bottle. Pale straw colour; minerally, baked apple nose; dry, green peach and green apple flavours; high toned acidity. (86)
• Martín Códax Albariño 2011 ($17.95): light straw colour; minerally peach (reminiscent of a BC Pinot Gris); fresh and lively on the palate with white peach and grapefruit flavours. (88)
• Burgans Rias Baixas Albariño 2011 ($17.95): pale straw; minerally, floral, citrus nose; crisply dry with lemony, green peach flavours. Crisp and delicious with mouth-watering acidity. (89)
• Inniskillin Pinot Grigio 2012 ($10.25): pale with the faintest blush of pink; minerally, peach pit nose; sweetish peach and yellow plum flavours with lemony acidity. Crisp finish. (87)
• Inniskillin Pinot Noir Rosé 2012 ($14.95): deep salmon pink; aromatic (a touch of Gewurz in here?), floral, cherry; dry, soft mouth feel, cherry flavour. Easy drinking. (87)
• Inniskillin Pinot Noir Reserve 2011: ruby colour; high toned, cherry nose with a light floral note; dry, savoury almost herbal flavour of cherry pit, cranberries and minerals. (87+)
• Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Reserve 2011: light ruby colour; cedar, mint, red berries; dry, mouth-fillling, red berry flavour – not a lot of extract with a metallic note. Dry, tannic finish. (86)
• Inniskillin Merlot Reserve 2011: cedar, dark chocolate, blueberry nose; more expressive than the Cabernet Franc, richer texture; dry, currant flavour with lively acidity, riper tannins. (88)

Dinner: pork loin marinated in soya sauce, lentils and roasted cauliflower with Quails’ Gate Riesling 2012 (light straw colour with a lime tint; minerally, petrol and lime nose with a floral note; dry, lime and grapefruit flavours (90)).

Tuesday, June 11: Took Pinot to the vet to have a cyst removed from her side. While she’s under the anaesthetic she’ll have her teeth cleaned and her nails trimmed.

Lunched at Luma with Rossanna Magnotta who brought along her G. Marquis The Silver Line Pinot Noir 2011 (ruby coloured; dry, cherry and beetroot flavours, medium-bodied and spicy, in Volnay style (88)). Rossanna told me she will be building a winery on Highway 55 on the site of the G. Marquis vineyard. We also tasted G. Marquis The Silver Line Epic 2010 (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot – dense ruby-purple colour; cedar, blackcurrant nose; medium-bodied, savoury, licorice and black olive flavours with a floral top note (90)). This is the best wine I’ve tasted from the G. Marquis portfolio. Rossanna also told me that she competes in international skeet shooting competitions and is trying out for the Canadian Olympic team.

Picked Pinot up from the vet. She was pretty woozy from the anaesthetic but otherwise fine. They had put the Cone of Shame on her, which she wasn’t happy about, so when we got her home Deborah dressed her in a T-shirt so she wouldn’t lick the stitches. A meeting of the board of directors of IWEG in the evening.

Wednesday, June 12: Recorded my 680News wine reviews and then home to start my rewrites on the novel. In the late afternoon tasted the following wines:

• Giol Organic Pinot Grigio 2011 (Veneto – $12.35): pale straw colour; minerally, peach pit nose; medium-bodied, crisply dry, with a crab apple and peach flavour; nicely balanced with a good mouth feel and a lemony finish. Good value. (87)
• Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2007 (half bottle – $26.95): deep ruby with a tawny rim; malty, black cherry, pencil lead nose with vanilla oak and a licorice note; dry, elegant, full-bodied, bitter chocolate and cherry flavours with lively acidity and ripe, grainy tannins. Ready in the half bottle. (91)
• Lirica Primitivo di Manduria 2007 (Puglia – $17.95): ruby colour; spicy, black plum, black tea and tobacco nose; dry, full-bodied, plum and blackberry flavour, carried on fresh acidity. Warm alcoholic finish. (88)
• Apelia Moschofilero 2012 (Peloponnese: Litre $9.95): very pale colour; aromatic, floral, white peach nose; dry, lemony-grassy flavour; short on the palate with a blunt finish. (85)
• Louis Jadot Mâcon Villages Chardonnay 2011 ($16.10): straw colour with a green tint; minerally, smoky, apple nose; dry, medium-bodied, fresh apple and pear flavours with lemony, green pineapple acidity. Good value. (88)
• Bouchard Père & Fils Mâcon-Lugny Saint-Pierre 2011 ($15.60): straw colour; minerally, lemon and pear nose; mouth-filling, dry pear flavour with a chalky finish. (87)
• Inniskillin Riesling 2011 (Ontario – $12.95): very pale colour with a lime green tint; minerally, grapefruit rind with a floral note; crisply dry, grapefruit and lime flavours with a white honey aftertaste. Well made and good value. (88)

Received the results of the Lieutenant governor’s Awards for Excellence in Ontario Wines:

• “The Blessed” Chardonnay 2011 (Exultet Estates)
• Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve 2008 Riesling (Henry of Pelham)
• Cuvée Peter F. Huff 2007 (Huff Estates)
• Stratus Syrah 2010 (Stratus Vineyards)
• Merlot Reserve 2010 – Natural Fermentation (Rosewood Estates Winery)
• 2010 Whimsy! “201” Cabernet Franc (Southbrook Vineyards)
• Stouck Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (Malivoire Wine Company)
• 2010 Vidal Icewine (Konzelmann Estate Winery)
• Signature Series 2008 Riesling Icewine (Peller Estates Winery)
• Carly’s Block 2010 Riesling (Tawse Winery)
• Stratus Chardonnay 2010 (Stratus Vineyards)
• Tawse 2010 Meritage (Tawse Winery)

For dinner – hamburgers with Tempus Two Cabernet Merlot 2011 from Australia ($16.90): ruby colour; minty, cedary nose of plums and currants; soft mouth feel with flavours of cranberry, redcurrant and plum with lively acidity (88).

Thursday, June 13: Deborah drove to Stratford to see a matinee of The Three Musketeers. I spent the day working on rewrites for Nightmare in Napa.

Friday, June 14: A Vintages tasting this morning. The LCBO has instituted another level of security, which means wine writers have to have a special pass with their photo. We will only be let into the lab area if we present it.

Gordon Pape came to dinner. We started with smoked salmon with Benjamin Bridge Brut 2003, followed by sautéed shrimps on a bed of lettuce with Inniskillin Founders’ Series Chardonnay 2006, then osso buco with a bottle of Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo 1998 (which Gordon brought); with the cheeses, Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz 2006 and for dessert – strawberry shortcake – Hillebrand Showcase Riesling Icewine 2008.

Saturday, June 15: This evening, a dinner party with Irv and Carol Wolkoff. We still had a lot of smoked salmon so we had it as an appetizer on the balcony with avocado sushi and a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brut Reserve. As a starter, goose liver pâté with Weingut Bründlmayer Heiligenstein 1 Riesling 2010. Main course: flank steak with a spicy rub, corn sala and lentils with Petrified Forest Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Totem Ridge Vineyard. With the cheeses, Stratus Red 2007. We finished off the remains of the strawberry shortcake with a half bottle of Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 2003 which was, unfortunately, slightly corked. Them’s the breaks.

Sunday, June 2: Did a tasting this afternoon of three Icewines produced by Niagara College Teaching Winery. In order to chill them down to a proper temperature I used a gadget called Ravi Instant Wine Chiller. You place an inner cartridge in the freezer and then slip it into a transparent plastic outer shell. You press the device into the bottle neck and pour the wine through the cartridge. It’s a bit complicated to assemble and clean but it does work. The wines were nicely chilled.

• Niagara College Teaching Winery Cabernet Franc Icewine 2011: deep amber ruby; high toned nose of strawberry puree; unctuous mouth feel, semi-sweet with a herbal note and candied raspberry finish. (89)
• Niagara College Teaching Winery “Prodigy” Icewine 2012 (99.5% Vidal with a tiny amount of Chardonnay): old gold colour; honey, tropical fruit nose; rich, spicy, peach and pineapple flavour that finish with a toffee and barley sugar note; full-bodied, intense fruit flavours with good balancing acidity. (92)
• Niagara College Teaching Winery “Savant” Icewine 2012 (44.2% Cabernet Franc, 18.7% Syrah, 8% Merlot, 15.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.9% Petit Verdot): tawny ruby colour; floral, crushed strawberry nose; a flavour of strawberry puree and raisins, good presence in the mouth. Sweet and syrupy, given length by a fine spine of acidity. (90)

For dinner, Deborah’s veal-stuffed peppers. Château des Charmes Old Vines Riesling 2010: pale straw with a lime tint; minerally, citrus nose, already developing petrol notes; dry, lime and pear flavours; a little light on mid-palate flavour with an apple-like finish. (87+)

Monday, June 3: Wrote up a proposal for a new book on touring Ontario wineries. In the afternoon, drove down to the Hilton Garden Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake for a dinner at Niagara College’s Benchmark Restaurant. The Lieutenant Governor, David Onley, presided over the kick-off dinner before tomorrow’s LG Wine Awards for Excellence in Ontario wines.

We had hors d’oeuvres on the terrace outside the restaurant prepared and served by culinary students:

Then we moved indoors to the table:

Hearty breakfast prior to Lieutenant Governor’s tasting

Tuesday, June 4: After a hearty breakfast at Benchmark restaurant (fruit cup, fruit juice, omelette, back bacon and sautéed potatoes, coffee, scones, muffins) our group of judges moved into the tasting room to begin tasting about 75 wines. We were divided into three panels (my panel: Dr. Amy Bowen, Kevin Panagapka, winemaker at the virtual winery 2027 Cellars, Bruce Wallner, Master Sommelier, and Karlee Moore, a student winemaker).

Judging panel: Amy Bowen, Bruce Wallner, Karlee Moore, Tony and Kevin Panagapka

We tasted five flights before lunch and five after: 9 Chardonnay, 11 Blended Whites, 7 Cabernet Franc, 7 Blended Reds, 9 Meritage. After lunch: 7 Sparkling wines, 8 Other Reds, 7 Pinot Noir, 10 Riesling and 4 Vidal Icewines. In all we passed 17 wines on to the next round tomorrow. All 12 judges will taste those wines that have been passed to select 8 to 12 wines that will receive the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Ontario Wines 2013. Dinner at the White Oaks Resort in the Play Restaurant. Ordered a Rolling Rock beer with my Tandoori Chicken.

Wednesday, June 5: Drove back to Toronto in the early morning. Then dressed in a pink shirt for John Maxwell’s annual Men In Pink lunch at Allen’s on the Danforth.

John Maxwell

The weather was good enough for us to lunch in the garden after consuming copious amounts of rosé wines supplied by Ontario winemakers who were present. The only rule, said John, is that you try as many wines as possible and after each course you change seats (four to the left). No women are allowed at this event. Everyone wore something pink, with the prize for the most outrageous costumes going to my wine writer colleague Billy Munnelly and Hillebrand winemaker Craig MacDonald (who won’t be allowed back to Australia after they see his photo posted).

Billy Munnelly gets into the pink spirit

Craig MacDonald in the pink

We started with mango and crab salad, followed by tagliatelle in lemon cream sauce, Angus veal chop, grilled asparagus, zucchini, aubergine and baked potato with sour cream and chives. Dessert: fresh strawberries and blueberries in cream.

I learned two things at lunch: Andrew Laffey, owner of the Hothouse Restaurant, told me that protein is always positioned at 6 o’clock on the plate, and Rodney, of Rodney’s oysters, resplendent in a pink cowboy hat, informed me that his restaurant uses wine corks to marinate octopus. (I think I need some more information on how that works.)

After a lengthy lunch, home to change out of my pink shirt and into more sombre attire as I had to go to a visitation later in the evening. But first, I attended what turned out to be the best tasting of Italian wines I have had in Toronto. It was the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri tasting at the Liberty Grand, featuring wines that have been awarded the coveted 3 Glasses symbol. 106 wines from all 20 Italian provinces. I could only manage to taste 27 in the time available to me. My top scoring wines: Castello di Volpaia Casanova Il Puro Chianti Classico Riserva 2008 (93), Elvio Cogno Vigna Elena Riserva Barolo 2006 (92), Rocca di Frassinello Baffonero 2010 (Merlot: 92), Podere Grattamacco 2009 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese: 92), Podere Sapaio 2009 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot: 92), Musella Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2007 (92), La Montecchia Conte Emo Capodilista Irenèo Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère: 92), Abbona Terlo Ravera Barolo 2008 (91), Poggio Al Tesoro Dedicato A Walter 2009 (Cabernet Franc: 92), Paolo Scavino Monvigliero Barolo 2008 (91), Pecchenino Sirì d’Jermu Dogliani 2009, La Togata Brunello di Montalcino 2007 (91), Terenzi Madrechiesa Morellino de Scansano Riserva 2009 (91) and Sorelle Bronca Ser Bele Riserva Colli di Conegliano 2009 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot: 91). A terrific tasting. Then Deborah picked me up with Guy and we went for a visitation at Humphrey funeral home to pay our respects to Shirley Pape.

Thursday, June 6: A tasting at Doug Towers’s for www.winerytohome and then Deborah picked me up to drive to Humphrey Funeral Home for the funeral service for Shirley Pape. A very emotional affair. I have known Shirley and Gordon Pape since 1972. We met in London when Gordon was the Southam correspondent there and have been friends ever since. After the service we were invited back to the Donalda Club for a dinner for the family and close friends.

Friday, June 7: A vintages tasting this morning for Essentials (the wines they are meant to have in constant supply). Dinner, pasta with a litre bottle of Apelia Agiorgitiko 2010 (86).

Saturday, June 8: Shopped at Longo’s and bought some mussels for dinner. Prepared them in Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris 2012 (from BC) with enough wine left over to drink a glass while cooking. (Pale straw colour; minerally, peach pit nose; sweet peach flavour with enough lemony acidity to balance. Medium-bodied with good length. (88)). With the dish, Kacaba Unoaked Chardonnay 2012 from Ontario: straw colour; floral, apple nose; dry, red apple flavour, fresh and lively, nicely balanced (89+).

Sunday, June 9: Drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake with Deborah, Frank and Patti-Ann Daley to see Guys and Dolls at the Shaw Festival. Great show. Lunch at Stone Road Grill before the performance. Ordered bottle of Konzelmann Shiraz 2011 (ruby colour; peppery, savoury red berry nose; dry, savoury flavour, nicely balanced. (88)). For dinner, General Tao Chicken Nuggets and Tabouli salad with Inniskillin Pinot Gris Reserve 2012 (straw colour; peach, vanilla oak nose; medium-bodied. Peachy-lemony flavour (88)).