walk the wine

One For The Road

2007-09-04T20:35:00.000-04:00

After almost a two-year run, I find I just have to take a prolonged break, perhaps a permanent one, from blogging. If you've visited this blog over time then perhaps you'll recall I've whined about pursuing a master's degree at night while working full time. While exploring the world of fine wine is probably the most fun I can think of, I find that that the blogging component is proving to be just too much on top of the job and the books.

I've tried to juggle it all, but I find myself unable to blog sufficiently often to fulfill the expectations of most blog readers. So, until I finish school, which means a thesis in another year, I'm just going to have to put the blog aside.

I thought it was important to say so. I've read a number of blogs that suddenly stopped without warning or explanation. I hate that. I mean, one never knows whether to send the family congratulations or a sympathy card.

Will I return someday to Walk The Wine? I've been thinking I might occasionally return here to compile some tasting notes. But that would make this more of a tasting journal than a blog, and not much of a draw for anyone outside of a few friends. In two years time when I finish school, who knows? Perhaps blogging will have given way to a more novel form of online communication. If not, I may resume the blog. I'll certainly continue to Walk The Wine.

And, I plan to spend at least a little time now and then relaxing like the cool dude in the photo below. I always meant to blog about winery pets we've come across. Ah, all that wine and all that time in which to enjoy it.

Cork As A Green Solution

2007-08-28T19:41:00.000-04:00

I read a story just the other day that struck me as a bit much. Apparently the wine cork industry, and some environmentalists, are urging wineries to get back to using good old fashioned wine corks because it's the environmentally responsible thing to do.

Cork, as most people know, comes from trees and is a biodegradable, renewable resource. It's naturally appealing to environmentalists. Problem is cork is far too often tainted with TCA, ruining the wine. With many wineries eschewing cork in favor of screw caps as a result, the cork industry now warns that not only will this natural stopper be replaced by synthetic products in the waste stream but that cork forests themselves may be forced to give way in favor of less environmentally friendly development.

With cork manufacturers hit rather hard in the pocketbook in recent years, forgive me if I'm cynical about the professed environmental concerns of corkers.

I'm very sensitive to environmental concerns in general. But my opinion about cork vs. screwtops on wine bottles remains unchanged: I think every bottle under $10 should have a screwtop, wines over $20 should always have real cork, and wines $10 to $20 are up for grabs. One other hard and fast rule -- the industry should move completely away from synthetic corks, which are environmentally unfriendly and difficult for the consumer to use.

The Genie has been let out of the bottle as far as screwtops are concerned. There's no going back. They are so easy for consumers to use and free of cork taint. But, because no one knows yet just how these stoppers will impact the long-term aging of wines, and for aesthetic reasons, cork is a must for ageworthy wines.

Instead of using scare tactics, the best thing the cork industry can do to slow this trend is improve the reliability of its corks. That's one thing I was glad to read of in the story mentioned above. The industry already has implemented measures that are resulting in more reliably taint-free corks. Perhaps this alone will help slow the trend toward screwcaps. But, as I said, it's too late to stop it. And I, for one, don't think that's a bad thing. I hope both screwcaps and cork will be a part of our wine-drinking future for a long time to come.

Summer of Sauvignon Blanc Love

2007-08-26T12:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the lapse in postings lately. But vacation is winding down, and I now have a chance to reflect on one our two recent tasting experiences, including some thoughts about one of my favorite summer wines -- sauvignon blanc.

One of the most poorly kept secrets of the past decade has been the superior quality of the sauvignon blancs from New Zealand. While some critics continue to sing their praises in an unrestrained fashion, I have been disappointed to learn that others are now noticing more mediocrity in the New Zealand wines they are tasting.

Whether this is due to a less exuberant 2006 vintage or to a more serious issue, I'm not really sure. But it's definitely not time to hit the panic button, if for no other reason than that the success of the New Zealand style is helping to usher in new levels of quality and tastiness in sauvignon blancs from many other locations, such as South Africa and Australia.

For example, I recently was impressed by a sauvignon blanc from Australia, the 2004 Jinks Creek Winery. While many think that this "sunburned country" makes only ultra ripe shiraz and cabernet very well, the reality is that Australian winemakers in the past decade have been nailing down which wines do really well in a variety of microclimates and terroirs. And, sauvignon blanc, it turns out, does extremely well in some areas of Australia.

The Jinks Creek sauvignon blanc is a delicious example of what Australia can do, with its rich tropical fruit, grapefruit and herb flavors. I found it less grassy than others, but truly enjoyable. The vineyard is located at the foothills of the Black Snake Ranges in Victoria's West Gippsland region. The granite soil, low yields, cool weather ripening and cool fermentation all combine to make a wine with real purity of flavor.

So, the good news is that there continues to be more and more options available for finding great examples of this perfect summer wine. And, bonus for those who enjoy great label art, the Jinks Creek wines feature the art of Australia's Esther Erlich.

Gout Festival 2007

2007-08-12T19:28:00.000-04:00

You probably missed word of this event in the blogosphere or the local newspaper. Actually, this is a very localized event, one that started recently among family and friends in our neck of the woods. If you are susceptible to gout or know someone who is, then you probably know lots of shellfish and lots of wine can be a formula for bringing on a gout attack.

But, as many of us know, there are risks in life well worth taking and indulging copiously in lobster and wine is one of them. After all, even Robert Parker suffers from gout, but you don't see him giving up wine and good eating, do you?

A clever niece of mine came up with the name for the festival, which included lots of lobster in drawn butter, baked stuffed shrimp and mixed seafood salad (preceded for some of us by oysters on the half-shell). Festival goers were supplied with T-shirts, in a color scheme well suited to hiding flying lobster juice. It was an awfully satisfying event.

So, it seemed like a good time to build on last year's research as to what white wines go best with lobster. So, I again trotted out a white Burgundy, which I thought paired just as well as ever with the lobster. The flavors work pretty well with lobster in butter, but the magic is in the textural match. Good white Burgundy has a creaminess that goes so well with anything in a butter sauce.

We also had some Champagne with the lobster, some Veuve Cliquot to be exact. This also was a very tasty match -- of course, good Champagne goes well with almost anything. Recently, I also tried a Chateau Routas Coquelicot (a chardonnay/viognier blend from the south of France) that was quite nice with lobster. This wine brings together the body of the chard and the floral notes of the viognier, making it so much fun with lobster.

But the wine I recently tried with lobster that really shone was an Alsatian pinot gris, the Domaine Zind Humbrecht Heimbourg 1999. Just lovely with lobster. This wine has the richness you need with lobster in butter. And, the natural sweetness of the lobster meat was heavenly with the slightly honeyed citrus quality of the Heimbourg.

I don't know if the Heimbourg is the perfect lobster wine. Probably not, since that would mean an end to this most enjoyable little research project. We can't have that, just yet.

Pinot With A Difference

2007-08-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

I adore pinot noir of all stripes, be they from Oregon, California or the heart of Burgundy. I even like some of the simple but gregarious pinots I've tried from New Zealand. But I confess I'm having a tough time getting my arms around the pinot noirs I've tasted from the Loire Valley.

Everyone knows the Loire produces sensationally crisp white wines (sauvignon blanc) in Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. They are just so enjoyable. How could I possibly pass up a pinot noir from this unique area of France? Well, I now have tried red Sancerre (pinot noir) several times, and each time I've been unimpressed. I may have to take a pass next time it's pitched to me.

This week I had a Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy 2004 Sancerre Terre de Maimbray with dinner. It came highly recommended. I knew from past experience not to expect too much fruit, and not too much body, with its 12.5 percent alcohol. But, from the first taste, I knew it's not a wine for me. It's not a bad wine but not one that most Americans would embrace. I've just come to expect so much from pinot noir that I can't get excited by this ultra lean version of the grape.

The Sancerre was a little light in color and a little bit thin on the palate with tart red cherry flavors and just a bit of earthy complexity on the finish. But there was also just so much acidity on the finish that this earthiness was quickly lost. It was not especially good with our grilled chicken as well.

Pinot noir doesn't have to have rich ripe flavors, ala California, to be good. I'm completely in love with the dry, complex flavors of good Burgundys. But pinots just don't seem well suited to the flinty Loire soil to me. Maybe some day I'll try some that will change my mind, but I'm not sure how long I can keep going to that well. In the meantime, I'm sticking to the places that do pinot noir justice.

Connecticut Festival Off to Shaky Start

2007-08-05T12:05:00.000-04:00

Most of the wine writing out there is...well, nice. Sometimes too nice. You hardly ever see the kind of caustic, flaming prose typically used by movie reviewers applied to wine reviews. It's probably analogous to the difference between spectator behavior at football games vs. country club sports such as tennis and golf.

Wine writing can especially descend into boosterism when it comes to writing about small fledgling producers or up-and-coming wine producing regions that face steep obstacles to gaining critical acceptance and market share. I try to maintain a critical eye, and palate, when it comes to evaluating local wines, but I find myself nonetheless pulling for Connecticut's wine industry, which is better than ever but still has a way to go.

I was thrilled recently to hear that Connecticut was about to trumpet its up-and-coming wines with the first ever Connecticut Wine Festival. But I'm afraid I just can't be a cheerleader for the event I attended yesterday. I know a first-time event of this kind can have a few rough spots, but I was extremely disappointed in the way it was run and in the people responsible for some of the bone-headed decisions I witnessed. And, I would not recommend it to any locals in the future.

First, the festival offered tickets in advance on its website for $5 less than the price at the door. I tried to purchase tickets online for two days prior to the event, and could not get the right page to open. When I arrived at the door, I thought they might honor the online price when I explained the issue, since they evidently had problems. But, no.

When I explained the issue to the manager he could not have been less friendly or accommodating. "We shut it down because we had to move it to another server." He did not elaborate, but that, I guess was supposed to explain it. Not, "I'm very sorry, but we had technical problems that shut us down." I might have been sympathetic in that event. Just, we decided to change servers -- two days before the event. I suggested the customer-friendly thing to do would be to give us the online price anyway, but no. The people taking tickets "are audited. They can't take a dime less." It was a very bureaucratic experience.

I then took my premium tickets in hand and marched off to the first tent where I discovered that I was entitled to taste wines from exactly five of the 17 wineries there. That was news to me (you can bet the first thing I did when I got home was doublecheck the website, where I saw no mention of a limit. $25 is supposed to allow you taste from all the wineries present). This struck me as the very height of cheapness. I've been to a fair number of wine festivals in my day, and I've never seen the like before. One admission fee usually covers winetastings -- period. Granted admission fees are higher elsewhere, but you can taste more than 100 wines if you like. Only the food or gifts cost extra. Here, we would have to buy extra tickets to taste more than a handful of wines -- what a racket!

Perhaps they were concerned about guests getting inebriated? I doubt it. Again, bigger and better festivals don't seem to have these issues. I chalk it up to greed.

Also, each and every winery was offering a tasting of exactly three wines. This, of course, greatly limited the choice of varietals that one could taste. From what I saw, the wineries for the most part offered their three most popular varietals but not what might be the most interesting varietals to experienced tasters.

In addition, plastic measured pourers that attach to the top of wine bottlers and dispense such small tasting samples were in use everywhere. I hate those things. I find it very hard to get a good sense of the aromas with the samples they provide, especially served in the cheap glasses they hand out at the gate.

As for the wines, I made an effort to try a couple of new wineries that were not around when we did our Connecticut wine tour a year ago. I saw some potential in them, but like most new wineries, their wines just aren't all there yet.

Three wineries I've liked in the past, Stonington, Hopkins and Sharpe Hill, had very good wines as usual. But the winery that really was the most refreshing was Chamard. I get tired of singing their praises because they are so often praised in the local media. But they really are good at what they do. The chardonnay and the rose were the best among all we tasted. And, our pourer took great care to explain the characteristics of the wines and the growing conditions for each vintage.

When my wife complimented her for the job she did in talking about the wines, she explained that it's essential because so many people come in expecting a California-like product and that is the yardstick they use to judge the wines. She wants people to know that Connecticut and the Northeast makes a different product because of its different climate, one that shows varied but very worthwhile flavors given what winemakers have to work with. If they understand the wine in its correct context, they'll likely enjoy it more.

Amen.

Wine Labels Soon To Speak Volumes

2007-08-01T19:49:00.000-04:00

Some newly proposed regulations out of Washington would require wine and beer makers to include alcohol and nutrition information on their labels for the first time, and some are beginning to squawk about it already. But I say, relax.

As reported, the new rules would require labels to divulge levels of alcohol, carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories for the product inside. You might think that wine labels already include alcohol content, and the vast majority already do -- all you have to do is look for it. But only those wines with a hefty 14 percent or more are actually required to display that information.

Winemakers can't help themselves in opposing this proposal. They've been saddled with such a widely divergent set of regulations from state to state and from Washington for so long they are naturally wary.

But I say the proposal is a natural outgrowth of an ever-growing need for information in the consumerism era that winemakers should come to grips with. Think about it, winemakers already have to disclose 14 percent or higher alcohol levels. Where's the harm in putting lesser amounts on the label? It's actually a selling point with purists today.

Consumers want certain information with which to make buying decisions, and winemakers ought to give it to them because they have got nothing to hide. You mean there's really calories and carbohydrates in wine? Oh my. It won't cost wineries a thing in the end, but it will, for example, inform diabetics better about how much they can imbibe with their dinner.

Where I have sympathy for the wineries is their fear about how the proposed regs could be manifested. Huge letters and numbers on the front label, for example, is not necessary. But readable numbers on a back label is not draconian.

Connecticut Wines On Parade

2007-07-29T14:48:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows that wineries are popping up all over the country these days. Same is true here in Connecticut, where we now have 22 wineries. I know that doesn't seem like much to those in most other states, but the growth has really accelerated in recent years and the quality is getting much better.

Consequently, Connecticut is now more actively celebrating and marketing this hip agricultural product. Connecticut wineries have put together the first Connecticut Wine Festival to be held next weekend. Visitors will be able to taste, side by side, nearly all of the wines now produced in the state.

Also, Connecticut magazine has just come out with a cover story on the state of local wines.

In the interest of full disclosure, I know the author of the story, Leonard Felson. Regardless, I have to recommend the story to anyone out there interested in learning more about Connecticut wines. While you might think Connecticut magazine would be a shameless booster for the hometown team, I think Leonard did a very fair, even-handed job. (My apologies, but you may not be able to read the full story online until the piece enters their archives in several more weeks.)

The story correctly points out that the growth of the Connecticut wine business owes much to the growing popularity of wine nationally for both health and lifestyle reasons. And, the story points out that Connecticut wineries face significant climate issues and obstacles built on perception.

But several people quoted in the story offer a point of view similar to my own last year when I blogged about my overall impressions of Connecticut wineries after concluding a summer-long tasting tour. That is, the quality of Connecticut wines has increased significantly in the past 10 years to the point that Connecticut's white wines are now quite credible. The reds, for the most part, are weak. A good one can be found here and there on occasion, but principally these come from the occasional dry year.

One promising note from the story -- several more wineries may be in the offing for Southeastern Connecticut. That's good news from my point of view because I think some of the state's best wines come from close to Long Island Sound. It has a microclimate similar to Long Island's, and that's a good thing. The benefit of this development can be maximized if Connecticut wineries stop producing what they are not good at and start concentrating on those varietals with the most local potential.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to comparing these wines again next weekend at the festival, this time consecutively in one day. Should be an interesting test of whether last year's observations continue to hold up.

Red, White and Green

2007-07-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

Every time I pick up a wine publication these days it seems like there's something in there about organic wines or biodynamic wines. The June 30 edition of Wine Spectator had a pretty thorough look at the phenomenon. A recent CNN video explored the issue as well.

There is even a nice little journal out there devoted to the subject of organic wines. So, with all the attention now being paid to these wines I feel like I should be able to weigh in with some expert thoughts on the subject. But the truth is, I don't really know a lot about them. One of my goals for this year is to do more systematic tasting of organic wines and a lot more reading.

Trouble is, I think there are a lot of other people out there who also don't know a lot about organic wines, and it hasn't stopped them from blathering on. I think there's a real need for "reader beware" cautions.

For one thing, with the organic wine train really picking up a head of steam now, marketing efforts on behalf of organic wines are moving into high gear, according to Spectator. Announcements about winery biodynamics are coming all the time. Fetzer, one of the earliest California wineries in the game, has announced a $1 million campaign that includes a 30-city "green" tour.

Marketing always needs to be taken with a grain of salt. For example, Bonterra has a magazine ad that says, "Have you heard the buzz? Organic grapes make better wines." Really? I always thought that better winemakers make better wine. Those with the perfect soil conditions who practice time-tested techniques, such as low yields and smart canopy management, on old vines might just have the edge over a farmer who is green in more ways than one.

I've seen some people claim that organic wines will give a truer taste of terroir than non-organic wines. I don't really know if they do or not, but I do know that terroir is influenced by so many different factors and is still so hard for many consumers to get their arms around that I simply would ignore this claim for now.

In the CNN story already cited, someone said biodynamic wines make better wines and so should cost more. Whoa. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? The market still needs to decide whether these are better wines before higher prices are justified. I might have bought the argument that organic wines should cost more because it's harder and more expensive to produce healthy grapes without chemical pesticides and fertilizers, but Spectator called that assumption into question as well.

Finally, reading some of the stories out there might lead some consumers to believe that buying any product from the wineries featured will get you an organic wine. But even some of the most lauded organic producers out there, such as Benziger, still only produce a tiny amount of organic wine. Consumers interested in organic wines simply need to get educated and be cautious about what they buy.

Don't get me wrong. I think the idea of drinking wine free of chemical pesticides and other noxious ingrediants is great. I can't wait to see which organic products rise up as the real cream of the crop. But, in the meantime, I hate to see anyone sucked in by gross hyperbole. Keep on reading and ask questions of your local proprietor. They should have all the "dirt."

Wine Movies and Me

2007-07-21T14:26:00.000-04:00

I have to admit I'm a sucker for any movie about wine, even if the early reviews are bad. Sometimes I'm delighted, but even when the movies are disappointing I never regret having seen a movie that has something to do with wine.

So, you can appreciate, then, that I'll be among the first in line to see "Bottle Shock," a new movie that will begin production in just a month or two. This film will tell the story of the legendary Paris wine tasting of 1976 that helped put California wines on the worldwide map, and it will do so by focusing on Chateau Montelena, which won top honors for its 1973 chardonnay.

Actually, I understand there are two movies in the works about the Paris winetasting competition, but Bottle Shock sounds especially promising with a cast that includes Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman. And, just to make a good thing even better, it was announced this week that Eliza Dushku will play one of the lead roles.

If you're not familiar with Eliza, she was Buffy's vampire-killing alter ego on TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a serious hottie -- not that this was absolutely necessary to so inspiring a story. Let's just call it divinely inspired casting.

Anyway, the Judgment of Paris, as it's known, is one of those events of which you should be aware to be culturally alive. It's also a major feel-good story, a David vs Goliath story on a par with the U.S. Hockey team winning the gold in Lake Placid. OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, certainly in popular terms. But in the world of wine geeks there is no more important event.

Long story short: an Englishman, Steve Spurrier, put together a wine competition in Paris that pitted a number of California wines against a number of famous French labels. The judges were all French, and the tasting was done blind. No one seriously gave the upstart California wines a chance, but California won top cabernet (Bordeaux) and top chard (white Burgundy). I for one can't wait another year to see this movie.

Bastille Day Bordeaux

2007-07-15T10:58:00.000-04:00

As July 14 is Bastille Day, yesterday seemed like a good occasion to dive into something French. So, I decided it was time to check again on how my mixed case of '95 Bordeaux is doing.

I picked out a '95 Chateau Pavie Macquin, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. This was a very well rated but nonetheless affordable Bordeaux from a great vintage -- so Pavie Macquin helped me round out a case of '95s back in the day when I was working in a wine store and used to get a deep discount.

I've tried others from this case in the past several years, and have generally found them delicious but still shy of peak. The Pavie Macquin, however, is drinking splendidly now and should not be held much longer. It's definitely got a silky texture and a fairly long, smooth finish. It's simply a real treat to drink right now.

It reminds me, in a way, of why I enjoy these wines with meals. It's certainly no blockbuster, with loads of extracted fruit or a muscular physique. It's simply a well-integrated, elegant wine with lovely, complex aromas of blackberries, vanilla and even a bit of mushroomy, truffly earth. It was a gracious, harmonious partner to our filets.

Those who know their Bordeaux wines know the region of Saint Emilion produces merlot-based wines of great grace and distinction. The prevelance of merlot may help explain why right bank wines from Saint Emilion mature a little faster than most left bank wines. Pavie Macquin typically uses 70 percent merlot, some cabernet franc and just a wee bit of cabernet sauvignon. But if you think you know what a Saint Emilion wine tastes like on the basis of New World merlots, you couldn't be farther from reality if you tried. In fact, a side-by-side tasting would be very instructive.

As my friend Tony noted in the comments to my last post, it's hard these days to feel like Bordeaux is a good buy. But every vintage has a few bargains, and if you can find one, you definitely should go for it. These wines not only are enjoyable, they're a good reminder of how refreshing subtlety and balance can be.

Take a Bite, and a Sip, Out of Crime

2007-07-13T17:51:00.000-04:00

Of course you know that wine is good for your health. But did you know that wine can help save your life in more ways than one? This story was just too good not to share.

I know that wine always relaxes me. But I never dreamed it could calm down even the most hardened criminals. Is there no end to the benefits of wine consumption? Thanks to Emily for sending me this one!

Guzzlers Ruin A Good Thing

2007-07-10T18:53:00.000-04:00

Seems like there's been a bunch of stories lately about bad behavior becoming rampant at local wineries. This week, The New York Times weighed in with a story about the problem at both Long Island and Finger Lakes wineries. Recently, the Wall Street Journal found it necessary to publish a story counseling tasters as to appropriate winetasting etiquette.

To be sure, some of the winetasting behavior reported goes well beyond rude into the realm of disgusting. One of the things I've enjoyed most about visiting wineries over the years is that you meet the nicest, most interesting people while learning about wine. But the epidemic of bad behavior is ruining the experience in multiple ways.

For one thing, wineries that charged little to nothing for the pleasure of tasting wines are now charging much more. Who can blame them? Free tastings have become a magnet to those who simply want to get drunk. Secondly, those who really want to talk and learn can't get the attention of pourers who have to watch the problem clients closely.

So, I understand the need to implement safeguards. But there's one so-called remedy hinted at that I hope wineries don't resort to -- that's the plastic, measured pourers that attach to the top of the bottle. Some wineries use them already, and I absolutely despise these devices. Wherever I've encountered them they seem to dole out only the tiniest thimble-full of wine, leaving the taster frustrated and desperate for a real sense of the wine's bouquet and taste.

I've done a lot of winetasting in my day, and I can tell you that I've never come close to feeling even slightly tipsy at a winery. Getting a decent pour is not about getting big, feel-good gulps. It's just a matter of getting enough wine to swirl in the glass and swish across your palate. I have had pours from these plastic devices that provided less than a spit, with virtually no detectible aroma in the glass.

So, winery owners, please, please don't subject your respectful, paying customers to this indignity. Charge more if you have to, throw out anyone you don't like the looks of, but please don't ruin the winetasting experience for those of us who love wines as much you do.

A Season Made For Malbec

2007-07-08T11:57:00.000-04:00

Finding a good wine to go with the grilled foods of summer is not rocket science, though some people seem to think so. All that's required is that you find something to complement the extra smoky complexity that foods acquire while broiling on the grill.

Did I say "required?" That's to appease the purists. All you really have to do is find something you like. When it comes to matching a wine with grilled meats, I like the smoky flavors of Rhone wines. You don't have to get expensive either -- many inexpensive Cotes du Rhones work quite nicely. Some of the more complex California zinfandels do as well.

Adding a barbecue sauce to your meat? I might then switch to an Australian shiraz because most will work well with the sugar in the typical barbecue sauce. Trying some lighter things on the grill like chicken or fish? Then it's hard to go wrong with a dry rose from France or Spain. Or, how about a sparkling rose? That's a wine, if ever there was one, that adds a refreshing note to dinner on a hot summer day.

But recently I tried a different wine with grilled foods that had my palate dancing a jig. It's a 2005 Viu Manent Reserve Malbec. I've had this wine once or twice before, but when I paired it recently with both grilled beef and chicken I was doubly impressed.

The Viu Manent first offers a wonderful nose of blackberries and plums with just a hint of earth -- perfect for enjoyment before the main course arrives. But give it 30 or 40 minutes and a leathery, smoky scent emerges that makes it the perfect companion to your grilled meal. It also has a rich, smooth finish that is quite enjoyable -- you won't find yourself wishing you had saved it for a cold winter night.

Best of all -- it sells for about $14 a bottle. Now that's cool.

South America and Argentina in particular seem to be saving malbec from obscurity. One of the five red grapes typically blended into red Bordeaux, malbec adds a rich, dark color and spice to these blends. But it never made its mark as a varietal until the wineries of South America got their hands on it.

The Viu Manent hails from Chile, not Argentina. But I doubt you'll find many malbecs better in this price range. All I know is that I have a new tool to add to my grilling arsenal. Summer never tasted better.

Red, White and Gold

2007-07-04T09:48:00.000-04:00

I was delighted to read yesterday Dr. Konstantin Frank's Finger Lakes winery is swimming in gold for the 4th. This wonderful New York State winery took home the most gold medals of any winery this week at the Great Lakes wine competition in Michigan.

Hopefully, events liked this one will help convince the few skeptics left out there that the Finger Lakes region is producing some world class wine. I try not to put too much stock in wine competition medals, but the degree of success enjoyed these days by Dr. Frank is telling. They've been doing vinifera longer than anyone else in the Finger Lakes and it shows.

We were very impressed by Dr. Frank's wines when we visited in May, an occasion I blogged about soon afterward. But I have to confess to something here and now. I never tasted the 2005 cabernet sauvignon that just won double gold.

I advised, in one of my recent posts, that you're better off skipping the cabernet sauvignon at any Finger Lakes winery if you have a limited number of tasting choices. Most lack sophistication and body. I still think that's sound advice overall, but I'll admit you may miss an occasional jewel following this advice.

If you're willing to taste a lot of bad cabernet in the hopes of finding the occasional terrific one, go for it. I have to admit I'm curious as hell about the Dr. Frank cab I passed up, though I certainly don't regret tasting the others I chose. I wonder where the bulk of their cabernet grapes hail from?

Anything But Petite

2007-07-01T06:29:00.000-04:00

Petite syrah has always been a bit of an enigma to me. Generally, the petite syrah I've had has been good, enjoyable to drink. But I've always struggled to pin down its identity, like trying to come up with a description of a completely average-looking individual.

I don't mean average in terms of quality. I just haven't been able to recognize a signature style or profile -- I couldn't pick it out in a blind tasting, for example.

The French must have felt similarly, since petite syrah has been given the cold shoulder in France for eons. Petite syrah is actually a grape grown in the Rhone region of France called durif. Durif is a clone of syrah that is the result of an effort to come up with a mildew-resistant varietal. Despite its inky dark color, the grape wowed no one in France, and it's almost non-existent there today.

Petite syrah, however, seems to do better in California's dry conditions. That's why California petite syrah today has legions of fans. Still, after trying a handful of petite syrah over a period of many years, I wasn't getting the passion or the devotion.

But a wine I had last night gets me a lot closer to understanding the fervor. I opened a 1997 Turley Wine Cellars Rattlesnake Vineyard Petite Syrah, and, no doubt about it, it's a big wine. A big Napa Valley wine. It's amazingly dense and concentrated, with peppery blackberry aromas. There was also just a bit of cocoa and alcohol on the nose -- this wine comes in at 15 percent alcohol. While this wine has a reputation for being quite tannic, the 1997 is drinking well right now -- the tannins have smoothed out and there's just so much body.

Turley Wine Cellars, run principally by Larry Turley, brother of the renowned wine consultant Helen Turley, has gained a reputation for making some of the best zinfandels and petite syrah around. Helen Turley's stamp is evident. The petite syrah is so dense, so well extracted that it's easy to see why it sells out quickly each year. It's really a wine built to impress the tasters. But is it balanced?

Hmmm. As much as I enjoyed the experience of tasting this wine, I'm not sure I'd seek it out again. I'm still not sure what foods to pair it with, and I have a better sense of what to expect from other varietals in this price range. But it is a fun, conversation-provoking wine.

If, like me, you're located on the East coast, you won't find it easy to obtain. Almost impossible, is more like it. I picked it up while on a trip to California in 1999 -- demonstrating why you've got to walk the wine if you really want to explore the world of wine. The Turley petite syrah was just under $50 when I bought it, but it goes for about $70 a bottle today. Not a cheap conversation-starter.

Celebrities Juice Canadian Wines

2007-06-28T19:49:00.000-04:00

OK, I know that I've done a fair share of boosting Canadian wines lately, specifically wines of the Niagara Peninsula. Can't help it. I calls 'em likes I see 'em, and the wines in the Niagara region I tried during a recent trip there were very, very good across the board -- we're not just talking ice wines anymore.

I suspect, however, that there won't be any surprise about it in the near future since a few Canadian celebrities are putting their names behind some of these wines. Much as that annoys the purists who believe in the merits of the wines winning the day, I'm afraid star power is a much quicker route to fame and fortune, and Niagara wines are beginning to line up the big marketing guns.

The latest big name to get behind Canadian wines and start his own line of Niagara wines is Wayne Gretzky. And, just a few weeks ago, Dan Aykroyd announced that he was investing heavily in Niagara wines.

Keeping in mind how things work, this is not a bad thing. The wines of Niagara deserve wider attention. There has been a noticeable upturn in the quality of Canadian wines since most have adopted better viticultural practices and learned more about what does best in their respective terroirs. Let's face it, most of just don't know that much about the facts of Canadian wine.

The fact is that Niagara escarpment makes possible many delicious wines on the peninsula. And, British Columbia makes many fine wines as well.

But, what will really put them on the map, I'm sure, is the celebrity component. For some people, the celebrity name in and of itself is enough to get them out of the house and into these wineries. For others, the money celebrities have to invest in quality wines and state-of-the-art wineries is what will turn the region into a real destination. A lot of people are really attracted to the flashy, opulent palaces that many wineries are building these days. Celebrities help make them possible.

Yup, Canadian wines are headed for new-found status in the years ahead, and the way will be paved in part by celebrities. Joni Mitchell Wine, anyone?

Land of Enhancement

2007-06-23T13:24:00.000-04:00

Seems like I routinely get SPAM inviting me to enhance one thing or another. But I was surprised recently to see that wines can and should be "enhanced" as well. A couple of days ago, Jim Shea at The Harford Courant wrote a humorous column about a product called The Enhancer.

The Enhancer basically looks like a New Age coaster. Supposedly, you put your bottle of wine on it for 6-12 minutes and any tannins in the wine are softened right out. Forget having to age big wines -- The Enhancer will smooth out the texture and bring out the wine's peak flavors, at least that's what the manufacturer says. And, fringe benefit, it will prevent red wine headaches.

Call me a skeptic, but it all sounds too good to be true. Jim said his test of the product did seem to find some subtle difference in taste between enhanced wine and non-enhanced wine. But as for preventing red wine hangovers, a complete failure, according to Jim. Yet, The Enhancer offers all kinds of testimonials on its website, including one from the almighty Spectator.

It's not cheap, either -- anywhere from $45 for a mini to $150. I'm not inclined to spend that kind of money on something so bizarre, but I am curious as heck to know more about how it's supposed to work. Here's what the manufacturer says:

"It is composed of a combination of organic (epoxy) and non-organic non-magnetic metals (copper and others) placed in a matrix with various crystals (12) also known for their specific vibrational frequencies. This combination of elements produces a powerful field of subtle energy/ frequency. . .Anything placed on the enhancer that has fluid in it will have its atoms resonated by the enhancer and the randomness of that fluid's molecules will begin to harmonize to the specific beneficial, natural frequency."

Very new agey. Now, I take vitamins, drink lots of tea and red wine for health, believe in copper bracelets, and I've read my Dr. Andrew Weil. But I'm still finding this one hard to swallow, er, so to speak. Besides, there already exists a great tool for softening tannins -- it's called a decanter. Hello?

But I'm willing to listen to other consumers, bloggers and non-bloggers alike. Help me out, here. Anyone tried it?

The Mother of Direct Shipping

2007-06-20T20:58:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid I was too distracted to note properly the passing of a very important person in the lives of wine enthusiasts everywhere -- Juanita Swedenburg. Juanita was a Virginia vintner who had enough of the frustratingly restrictive wine shipping laws so common across much of the country. As a consequence, she became the catalyst behind the case that would go to the Supreme Court in 2005 and begin to unravel many of the restrictions.

These archaic laws would have fallen eventually, but they fell a lot sooner because Swedenburg was a person of clear vision and mental toughness. She took on a very powerful wholesalers alliance in getting her case to the Supreme Court. And, we all owe her a debt of gratitude.

The hodgepodge of state laws that govern wine shipping have not gone away totally. But the Swedenburg case helped usher in a much saner era, since the decision requires states allowing in-state wineries to ship direct to consumers to also allow out-of-state wineries to ship direct to consumers. No more different standards for in-state wineries vs. out of state. Most states responded by opening up their borders to distant wineries, the dream of wine collectors everywhere. A few states went the opposite way in their bid to find equanimity.

Connecticut's wine shipping laws, though not perfect, have changed for the better since the Supreme Court decision, and I know I have Swedenburg, who died on June 9, to thank for it.

I was concerned last year when a couple of out-of-state wineries told me that, though they are legally allowed to ship to Connecticut they would not do so because of exhorbitant licensing fees required by the state. I was perturbed, since the state seemed to be undercutting the sale of out-of-state wines to consumers without actually banning them.

But the state has clarified its position since then, allowing small production wineries (less than 100,000 gallons per year) to pay roughly $350 for permits and licenses. And, consumers are now allowed up to five gallons of wine instead of four gallons.

It's better than it used to be. And, Swedenburg helped make it so. Bless her.

Riesling to the Rescue

2007-06-16T16:44:00.000-04:00

Reuters did an interesting story this week that demonstrates riesling is starting to come on strong with the American wine-buying public. It could soon, gasp, compete with chardonnay, the Hulk Hogan of white wines.

Of course, some people don't believe riesling will ever earn that kind of status here in the states. Maybe not, but the numbers tell an interesting story. Riesling sales, for example, in the U.S. climbed 24 percent in a 52-week period that just ended in early May. As a fairly recent convert to the joys of riesling, I'm delighted. But I'm especially excited when I think what this trend could mean for wineries in the Northest.

Having completed a tour of the Finger Lakes wineries in May, I can tell you that the quality of riesling around here is steller. I wasn't surprised by that, considering what I've been reading about Finger Lakes' wines. But I can tell you that when I did a tour of Connecticut wineries last year I was very impressed by the high quality of the rieslings I was finding, and that was a surprise.

That brings me to an interesting point. As I noted in a previous post, some have wondered why the Finger Lakes region is not more widely recognized for its quality. Is Robert Parker correct that the area is likely to remain insular?

I think the rise of riesling nationally is likely to change that. For years, a lot of us have held onto the misperception that riesling is always simple and sweet when, in fact, many critics believe riesling to have the greatest potential for longevity and varietal complexity among white wine grapes. But as more and more of us begin to appreciate that riesling can be vinified in many different styles and that the nose is often explosive with lively fruit and floral notes, many will seek out wines from the regions that make it best and embrace them.

And, that's good news for the Northeast. If consumers like to keep an eye out for a Russian River Valley or Oregon pinot noir, and Napa Valley cabernet, perhaps in the near future they also will aspire to find New York or Washington State riesling. Why not? I have no doubt authors and critics will continue to extol the virtue of these wines, and if consumer interest catches up to critics' enthusiasm, great things are in store for non-California rieslings.

Perhaps we're approaching a time when the most celebrated microclimates for a number of different varietals will be located in many different and unexpected places across the country. Stranger things have happened. Most states are still learning what varietals do best in their climates, so it's still hard to properly gauge what's possible. One thing's for sure -- no state will ever surpass California for winemaking potential overall. But look out for the emergence of new niches across the country for many different varietals.

All I know is that it's summer, a time when my my normal 80-20 preference for reds over whites shifts to something like a 50-50 split. I love crisp white wines for the lighter dishes we prefer in summer. And, the percentage of New York and Connecticut whites I have on hand has never been higher. At the very least, curiosity should take you there as well.

Hailing a Washington Cab

2007-06-13T19:31:00.000-04:00

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday, hosted by Catie, was a real treat for me. While the call is for a tasting of Washington state cabernets, I did not have far to go in order to comply. In fact, it was the perfect excuse to run down cellar and grab a delicious wine I've been sitting on for four years. And, it brought back fond memories of our wine tour through Yakima Valley and Walla Walla in the summer of 2003.

We were on our way to an Alaska cruise, and I just knew we had to find time to visit some Washington wineries since we were going to be so close by. We tasted a lot of terrific wines in a largely unspoiled, rustic setting. Among my favorite wines were those of the Seven Hills Winery in Walla Walla.

Now, I really enjoy wineries located in bucolic farmland, surrounded by acres of grapevines. But visiting Seven Hills was a change of pace, and an enjoyable one at that. Seven Hills is located in an old, restored industrial building in the heart of downtown Wall Walla. The brick structure gives the winery a hip, urban feel unique to the wider region. We had a delightful tour there courtesy of their Kiwi cellarmaster, and tasted a number of terrific wines.

I carried back and cellared both an awesome syrah and a 2000 Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet. Now I remembered the cab as a really rich and delicious wine full of cassis, black cherry and a bit of cedar and cocoa on the nose. It's still very good, but I was sorry to note just a couple of days ago that it may be just a bit past peak.

It still tastes of cassis and black cherry with a bit of earthy complexity, and the tannins have softened quite a bit so that it's drinking quite smoothly. However, I couldn't help but feel that it tasted just a bit faded, as though its just a wee bit tired.

I've tasted enough outstanding cabs in the Walla Walla area to know that these are wines of great body, so seven years shouldn't be much of a challenge to this wine's backbone. But I can't help it -- I'm certain this wine had a bit more power when I first tasted it. Perhaps it did not travel well during the return trip home.

One thing I know, however, is that there are plenty of fantastic wines to try from Washington state. In addition to Seven Hills, we also were very impressed by the wines of L'Ecole No. 41. I also brought some of that home, though that's gone almost two years now. I've got one more special wine from the 2003 trip -- more on that another time.

The Shape of Things To Come?

2007-06-09T10:16:00.000-04:00

In many people's eyes, winemaking is just an extension of farming. After all, most wineries have their own vineyards and operate tasting rooms out of glorified barns. As Williams Selyem demonstrated years ago, brilliant wines can be made out of one's garage. Nothing fancy about it, except maybe the labels and the price tags.

But there is a winery on the Niagara peninsula that is the embodiment of a completely different perspective, that everything about wines is chic and hip. In fact, everything about the place is meant to convey a sense of the contemporary, if not the future of winemaking. I'm talking about a winery called Stratus.

Coming upon Stratus for the first time in the Niagara countryside is just a bit jarring. It rises up from its humble suroundings as a rectangular, steel and glass box -- with a few barrels out front to reassure skeptics that they have indeed arrived at a winery. It's an urban look built on a largely black and white color scheme that I'm guessing must be meant to draw on today's sophisticated young wine-sipper down from Toronto for the weekend. I've never seen another winery like it anywhere.

Environmentally Friendly
But it's not all about looks. Stratus bills itself as a "sustainable, innovative winery" dedicated to growing and producing limited quantities of "premium wines." Open since 2000, Stratus believes the building says a lot about the product a winery produces, so they have invested in not just a chic, stylish building but one that has the smallest possible environmental impact. In fact, the Stratus winery is the first building in Canada and the first winery anywhere, according to Stratus, to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the Canada Green Building Council. Never heard of 'em, but it sounds good.

The building includes a "high proportion of recycled materials" and energy-efficient windows, roofing, electrical and plumbing systems. Stratus also drilled 24 wells to pump up 55-degree water that is circulated throughout the building to warm it in winter and cool it in summer. Believing in the benefits of a gentle gravity-flow system, the winery is pump-free. Only gravity is used to move the juice through a unique system of elevators that mimic the design of a hillside winery.

The Wines
As for the wines, the 35-acre estate is planted with 13 different varietals, including all the Bordeaux varietals plus syrah, gamay, chardonnay, gewurztraminer, riesling and viognier. In keeping with the gentle-handling, all-natural philosophy, Stratus relies on low yields, no herbicides and picking by hand to cultivate and harvest the grapes. It is reflected in the prices.

You have your choice of a 2006 Riesling for $35, a 2000 Chardonnay for $36, a 2004 Stratus White (blend) for $44, a 2004 Cabernet Franc for $36 or the 2006 Stratus Red (blend) for $44. The 2002 Merlot, for $64, is sold out. And, the 2006 Riesling Icewine (200 ml) goes for $39.

I can tell you that all the wines I tasted were well made, with good body and some complexity. But the issue becomes, are they worth the price? That is, of course, a very subjective line of questioning. Without going off on a rant about upscale prices, I'll just say that most people I know would not buy these wines -- especially the non-varietals. Most Americans, I think, are willing to splurge now and then chiefly for varietal wines (Bordeaux excepted) from hot producers -- wines with cache.

The Stratus blended wines (they call them "assemblage" wines) are decent enough but lacking in the kind of distinction consumers typically look for when spending more than $40. For example, the Stratus White is a blend of chardonnay, gewurztraminer, riesling, sauvignon blanc and semillon that is supposed to be a quite floral wine with spicy apple, peaches and apricot notes. What I tasted was muddled chardonnay. I got the spicy apple and peach, but not a lot else. Don't get me wrong, a good wine but not distinctive.

I'm sure the staff would tell me I'm all wet because this wine is one of their best selling. I would argue that is a result of their unique marketing efforts. It's clear Stratus has a three-fold strategy for selling its wines: convince consumers theirs is an ultra-premium product unlike others, theirs is an environmentally friendly product you can feel good about drinking, and theirs is a product meant for hip, sophisticated consumers who want products to match their lifestyles. As a well-designed winery located less than two hours from Toronto, the strategy probably works just fine for them. But it would not work everywhere.

A lot of the same environmently safe practices are being used successfully in Oregon and parts of California these days, so Stratus is not unique in this respect. But this environmentally friendly, modernistic winery dressed up in designer clothes certainly stands out from the rest in the way they have combined these separate elements. And, if the look and the prices are not exactly my style, it certainly was fun to experience. It's definitely worth a stop -- maybe it will fit your lifestyle.

Gold in Palatine Hills

2007-06-05T19:56:00.000-04:00

Generally speaking, here in the Northeast I've found that the older wineries make a better product than those newer to the game. But I don't mind being wrong now and then, since it usually means a nice tasting surprise. Such was the case when we visited Palatine Hills Estate Winery during our winetasting tour through the Niagara-on-the-Lake area of Ontario.

Open to the public only since 2003, Palatine Hills is a fairly new winery on the Niagara scene. But they know their grapes. For 30 years, Palatine Hill has been a very successful vineyard that sold its crop to area wineries.

In the late 1990s, they decided to try their hand at producing an ice wine, a specialty of the region. Next thing you know, they've got a prize winner on their hands in the 1998 Vidal Ice Wine. A few years later they hired a full-time winemaker and began producing a full line-up of table wines and ice wines.

I had little to go on when we arrived at the winery on a busy Saturday morning. No one had recommended Palatine to me. During the previous day, I tasted both great wines and poor wines. So I had no expectations to speak of.

But it didn't take many glasses for me to decide that we had stumbled onto some very good wines. The wines at the lower end were all good, if not quite remarkable, including a chardonnay, a fume blanc, a riesling and a gewurztraminer. The gewurz was best.

The Proprietor's Reserve wines were another matter. The Proprietor's Reserve Chardonnay, Meritage and Cabernet were all very good -- at reasonable prices, unlike some other area wineries that sell their reserve wines in the $50 range. The Proprietor's Reserve Cabernet 2002 at $21 was especially interesting, with its cedary, smoky black fruit. It's still tight and perhaps a bit aggressively oaked, but I expect it has fruit enough to show well when the tannins settle down in a couple of years.

I couldn't get over this wine's body and style, so I pressed for more information about it. Next thing I knew I was in quite a conversation with co-owner John Neufeld and was on a personal tour of the winery with John Jr. This 120-acre site features vinifera plantings that go back to the early 1970s, one of the advantages of being a farm property for so long. Consequently, the winery gets plenty of mature, complex fruit with which to make its reserve wines.

This also was our first extended conversation with anyone local about the Niagara Escarpment (see last post), which affords the Niagara peninsula an extra few weeks of growing season each fall -- enough time to give Niagara reds more heft than other nearby wine-producing areas. We also learned that wines get a fair amount of aging time in Hungarian oak as well as French oak -- many wineries these days are turning to Hungarian oak to get similar characteristics as from the French oak but at a fraction of the cost.

All of this, mind you, was unscheduled and on a festival weekend. But that's one of the joys of discovering a quality winemaker before they have gotten too well known and inaccessible. We had a fabulous time with lots of interaction with the people behind the wines -- how could you not develop a very healthy respect for Palatine Hills wines?

By the way, I have not yet mentioned the Palatine Hills ice wines, for which they first made a name for themselves. We got a little distracted by their fine table wines. But trust me, the ice wines were absolutely fabulous for a little more than half the cost of what the big boys are churning out just down the road. They not only make a delicious vidal, they make a gewurztraminer and a cabernet ice wine. The cab was not available for tasting, but I can vouch for the wonderful honey and flower aromas of the gewurz ice wine. You don't have to spend a lot at the best-known wineries to truly strike gold in the Niagara peninsula.

The Celebrated Niagara Escarpment

2007-06-03T11:48:00.000-04:00

When you think about wines of the Niagara Peninsula, you think icewines -- luscious, world-class icewines. You might also think a climate cold enough for great icewines would produce a few good cool-weather whites, such as riesling, but that's about it.

Well, part of the joy of traveling is learning new and interesting things about different parts of the world, some of which prove prior assumptions wrong. Just last week, having finished our tour of the Finger Lakes area, Kathy and I moved on to the Niagara peninsula where I was pleasantly surprised to find many different wines of high quality, reds included. And for that, winemakers practically get on their knees and bow in thanks for something called the Niagara Escarpment.

Ontario produces the largest percentage of Canada's homegrown wine from about 15,000 acres of vineyards, and the Niagara area is its epicenter. The Niagara peninsula is the largest single viticultural area, accounting for 80 percent of the country's grapes. With numbers like that, you know the area has something serious going for it.

The locals say their climate, during the growing season, is comparable to that of Burgundy or the Loire Valley in France. It's a temperate climate for much of the year made possible by Lake Ontario to the north, the Niagara River to the east and the Niagara Escarpment to the south. The escarpment is a 575-foot high ridge that stretches in an east-west direction for 550 miles.

What this does is moderate climate conditions and extend the growing season by delaying the first hard frost. Offshore breezes that moderate the peninsula's weather actually get recirculated across the peninsula because they are buffeted back toward the lake by the escarpment. When other nearby areas are hit with frost in the fall, the circulating air of the peninsula makes it much harder for cold air to settle in low-lying areas -- hence the farmers' affection for the escarpment.

Inniskillin
More than 50 wineries populate the Niagara peninsula, providing plenty from which to choose for those walking the wine. In my book, a good place to start is with two of the region's best known wineries, the only two whose wines are generally available back home in Connecticut -- Inniskillin and Peller Estates.

Our first stop was at Inniskillin, perhaps the region's best known winery thanks to its surprise win in 1991 of Vinexpo's (Bordeaux) highest award, Le Grand Prix d'Honneur, for its 1989 icewine. I've been drinking Inniskillin's vidal and riesling icewines for years, as often as I could afford to, that is. Icewines, of course, are not cheap.

But I never had a chance previously to try their other wines, and there's a lot to try. Their inexpensive wines include a lot of vinifera, such as pinot griogio, riesling, pinot noir, merlot and gamay noir. Those I tasted were a bit thin, but largely decent table wines.

Many of the reserve wines, in contrast, showed a lot more stuffing. For example, the Founders' Reserve Pinot Noir 2004 had wonderful earth and smoke aromas that would match very well with grilled foods. The Reserve Meritage 2002 had very good black fruit in a medium- to full-bodied package. The Brae Burn Shiraz had interesting pepper notes, very French in style, but not quite the body I hoped for.

The icewine tasting, as you might expect, was just an absolute delight. In icewines, Inniskillin offers a vidal, a riesling, a sparkling vidal, an oak-aged vidal and a cabernet franc. All were delicious, though I found the riesling had the best balance and the most interesting finish.

One of Canada's first estate wineries, Inniskillin is a terrific place to visit with a couple of different tour options and different bars set up for tasting table wines vs icewines. Operating out of a couple of grand-scale barns, Inniskillin has not lost its sense of being a farm business despite its success.

Peller Estates
Peller Estates also has many fine wines to try, but, in contrast, you are more likely to feel like you are visiting a country club than a winery. Peller has probably the grandest, most posh winery facilities in the area -- perhaps in Canada. You sort of feel antsy for a moment about stepping inside in jeans and sneakers.

But the staff is decidely not stuffy. In fact, the winery offers so many different levels of tours, tastings and other events that there is something for everyone. If you like things plain and simple, you may want to avoid this winery. But I would recommend that everyone else simply must experience Pellers Estates.

Again, you'll find an interesting and varied lineup of wines, and, again, you'll find the wines at the Reserve and Founders' Series levels really excel. Of those I tasted, the Reserve Merlot 2002 was a real standout with its earthy complexity and great finish. The 2006 Riesling Icewine also was fantastic.

Just one other point, if you are not on a tight budget you might want to try the Peller Estates restaurant. It's simply a wonderful dining experience, with top-notch service and fanatastic, imaginitive foods that seem French-influenced but local in character. As I said, it's quite expensive, but if you can afford one "special occasion" dinner, you'll love Peller. The vineyard views alone while dining make the experience unforgettable.

Falling For Niagara Falls

2007-06-01T22:47:00.000-04:00

On our way from the Finger Lakes wine country to Niagara wine country, we, of course, had to stop off at the falls. My first time. It was an awesome sight, as long as you focus on the falls and ignore the still growing casinos and high-rise hotels that continue to spring up all around. But the falls were so cool I thought I'd show off a few shots here before moving on to those Niagara ice wines. Oh, and the butterfly sanctuary was cool, too.