Newsletter #199 - The New Look of Wine & Chocolate

28 Feb 2013

OntarioWineReview Newsletter 199 ... February 2013

 

  • OntarioWineReview:  The New Look of Wine & Chocolate
  • Grape Guy’s Picks of the Bunch:  Limited Edition Wines Worth Putting Your Mitts On
  • Bi-Weekly OWR UpdatesOn the Road, International Wine Notes and more
  • OntarioWineReviewRevisiting Publishing – Feedback from Newsletter #198
  • Wine Event Spotlight: Upcoming and On-Going Events

OntarioWineReview:  The New Look of Wine & Chocolate

The Days of Wine and Chocolate put on by the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake is not so much an event as it is a test, and testament, as to the level of your ‘holism of chocolate.  In the past the Wine and Chocolate has been about chocolate balls, pieces of chocolate in varying flavours that each winery paired with a wine of their choosing.  

My first year attending was bliss – being the chocoholic I am I was thrilled to gorge myself on 18-20 odd pieces of Aztecan gold.  Year two and three proved to be a little more difficult each year … Was my chocolatism waning?  Nope, it just seemed the same pieces of chocolate were being served year-in and year-out, just at different venues with different wines paired with it.  So I advocated chocolate items, chocolate inspired food-stuffs, because there is plenty of other things in the world of chocolate to get excited over besides truffle balls and chunks of bark.  So I took a year away from the event vowing not to go back until they changed it in some way other than having you eat the equivalent of an entire box of Black Magic in one day.

And now here we are in 2013, and lo and behold the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake had an epiphany: let’s ditch the chocolate baubles and go with chocolate inspired food stuffs.  Now where did I hear that before?

I find that as I get older my affinity for chocolate is wavering – yes I still crave the stuff every-so-often, but not to the extent that I used to.  Now one Mars bar will suffice where once three others had to follow (and not necessarily Mars); I’m more choosy about my chocolate intake these days: I’ll throw back the marzipan-coated in search of the caramel, and the old adage “you touch it you take it” doesn’t seem to hold that same cache these days.  So the test of 28 wineries with chocolate treats comes off as a truly daunting task – yes they’ve changed the format of the items they are serving, but we’re still talking about a sugar-high weekend that’ll last till Wednesday.

Unlike the Wine and Herb and Taste the Season, where the goal is to try everything, to us the wine and chocolate event was about finding interesting and inspired edibles … so we decided to pare things down based solely on the description given in the guide.  Of the 28 wineries we selected 17 to visit feeling that if it wasn’t something interesting or enticing it probably wasn’t worth the calories.

The top five of our chosen 17 were as follows – in alphabetical order:

Between the Lines – White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse … there were but a few who highlighted white chocolate and that seemed to be a nice light break from the darks and milks that peppered the route.  Let’s not get into the debate about white chocolate’s place in the world of confections.  This taste treat ran a close second as our ultimate favourite.

Coyote’s Run – White Chocolate Dipped Lemon Shortbread Cookie … half the cookie was dipped the other half naked, for lack of a better term, and it proved to be a nice bit of tasty goodness.

Lailey – Mocha Chocolate Cookie … listed as “Chocolate Surprise” in the booklet we wanted to find out what chocolate surprise was; truth be told they had no idea at the time of the booklet printing so they offered up some generic description until they could come up with an item, and it proved to be quite tasty.

Pillitteri – Chocolate Caramel Indulgence Cupcake … were we swayed by the seeming world domination of the cupcake these days?  I don’t think so.  But who can resist a morsel of well frosted cake that you could pop into your mouth.

Pondview – Banana Chocolate Tart Drizzled with Caramel … This worked very well because it was not a heavy chocolate dessert, the banana was mousse-like and light and was a welcome treat.  This was our favourite of the bunch.

Trius Winery at Hillebrand – Caramel Chocolate Pop Crunch … two wineries took this opportunity to pair popcorn, chocolate and wine, both worked (the other was Reif) but the little additions that Hillebrand added: caramel, pretzels and white chocolate, put there treat over the top.

I will mention Joseph’s and their Toblerone Cheesecake from Willow Pastry … but I must say they have done this before and as good as it was it was nothing new.  They played it safe, though they’ve had one’s in the past that were to die for, this one was just okay.

In conclusion, I must say that this year the Days of Wine and Chocolate took a step in the right direction … the change was welcome and the lack of heaviness from too many truffles did not affect us this year.  But it’s still a lot of chocolate to get through your system … the best remedy I heard (besides doing it over a few weekends) was the Tupperware Option … bring some along and store it for later … no one said you have to have your chocolate and eat it too … on the same day.  Good on the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake for finally seeing outside the box of chocolates.

To see pictures of the The Days of Wine and Chocolate click here


Grape Guy’s Picks of the Bunch:  Limited Edition Wines Worth Putting Your Mitts On

Hillebrand 2010 Showcase Red Shale Cabernet Franc - $40.00 (W)
www.triuswines.com

Most definitely, without even a hint of a doubt this is the best Cabernet Franc I’ve tried (so far) from the 2010 vintage – it truly is the perfect expression of Niagara Franc, and reaffirms my belief in Cabernet Franc as Ontario red grape.  Smells of cigar box and smoked raspberry greet the nose, while on the palate you’ll find cigar-tobacco with smoky blackberry and raspberry … might sound rather simple but some of the best wines don’t strive to over-achieve, they just are what they are … and this one has such a beautiful elegance to it.  The 25.6 brix at which these grapes were picked gave 14.5% alcohol then the wine was aged 18 months in French oak and only 332 cases have been produced, so best you high-tail it to the winery sooner than later cause this wine is destined to move fast.  As for the name, it refers to the soil in which these particular grapes were grown.  Price: $40.00 – Rating: *****

BONUS Review: Hillebrand 2010 Showcase RHS Merlot - $40.00 (W)
BONUS Review: Hillebrand 2010 Showcase East Block Cabernet Sauvignon - $40.00 (W)


Huff 2010 Cuvee Janine Sparkling Rosé - $29.95 (W)
www.huffestates.com

I was thinking ‘what a dark bottle to be putting rosé into’ when I realized the colour of the wine was actually quite deep for a rosé – in fact it has more colour than some Pinot Noirs I’ve had.  This bubbly is made with 100% Pinot Noir aged 2 years on lees – and is the inaugural Rosé Sparkling from Huff – who’s Cuvee Peter F. has garnered much praise and awards over the years.  The nose here has plenty of black cherry and raspberry notes … the palate, while very good, offers some odd twists to sparkling: cherry and earthy notes with a citrus bite … approachable like a chilled Pinot Noir or Gamay with red berries abound, almost sweet, but then there are some tannins that sweep in and dry out the finish … atypical but very sippable and enjoyable.  Price: $29.95 – Rating: ****+


Rockway Vineyards 2010 Small Lot Reserve Cabernet France - $23.95 (W)
www.rockwayglen.com

Rockway Glen is changing its name, changing its look and it seems changing the way it makes wine.  I tried three of their Small Lot wines in one sitting and went from skeptical to impressed in a matter of minutes.  I first tried the whites and said to myself, “these are the best Rockway wines I’ve had in quite some time”, no sooner had that thought dissipated from my head that I tried this Small Lot Cabernet Franc and knew that Rockway Glen (now Vineyards) might finally be onto something good.  Here we have a best barrels, 172 case production wine that shows real promise for the future of Rockway’s wine program.  Sure I have a soft spot for Cabernet Franc but that does impair my judgment about finding a good one – in fact I am more finicky about Franc because I do see it as Ontario red grape.  Reading winemaker David Stasiuk’s bio it says that his two great passion grapes are Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc (at least he’s half my kinda guy) – and it really shows here.  Nose of tobacco with some cherry, but it remains mainly closed.  The palate is much more expressive:  Tobacco, blackberry, black cherry, smoky and spicy with tannins that hang out along the sidelines adding depth without overpowering.  Price: $23.95 – Rating: ****+

BONUS Review: Rockway Vineyards 2011 Small Lot Reserve Chardonnay - $18.95 (W)
BONUS Review: Rockway Vineyards 2011 Small Lot Reserve Riesling - $16.95 (W)

Availability legend:  W (Winery) – L (LCBO/Vintages) –  OL (On-Line).


Bi-Weekly OWR Updates: On the Road, International Wine Notes and more

NEW - Ottawa Life – International Wine Selection(s) of the Week:
Check out the Ottawa Life Blog – Thirst Impressions for my weekly selections
This week's posts:
Looking to Western Canada for Chardonnay

On the Road with the Grape Guy
(Trips, tours and tastings – join me as I review the highs, and sometimes, the lows)
Luce Dinner “10 Year Vertical”
British Columbia Wine Tasting
Australia Day Dinner
Reif Icewine Dinner
Zenatio Retrospect

Lost and Found (blog):
(Wines that got "lost" in my cellar - some are Treasures others Trash … Find out what happened)
Nothing New This Week

Taste it Again Grape Guy (blog)
Find out what has happened to some of my favourites over the years
Mountain Road 2004 Botrytis Affected Riesling
13th Street 2002 GH Funk Vineyard Cabernet Merlot
13th Street 2006 Wismer Vineyard Syrah
Coyote's Run 2008 Black Paw Chardonnay
Chateau des Charmes 2004 Paul Bosc Vineyard Chardonnay
Cave Spring 2006 Riesling “Dolomite”

What I’m Drinking Tonight (blog)
When it’s not an Ontario wine, here’s what I’m pulling out of the cellar
Read the New Posts Added

Vintages Release (blog)
Report for March 2, 2013 is ready


Advertising

For those feeling the need to fill the void left by Wine Access – Take Note:

Tidings has reduced their subscription price from $36 to $16.95 till June 30th.
That's more than half off the regular subscription price.

http://www.tidingsmag.com/tidings-great-deal.html

Advertising


OntarioWineReview: Revisiting Publishing – Feedback from Newsletter #198

There were quite a few of you who had plenty to say about Newsletter #198 - Ontario Government to the Publishing Industry: “Screw You”; in fact others in the media took notice as well, including Jim Richards (CFRB News Talk 1010) and David Menzies (SunTV) – both of which had me on as a guest to discuss the issue.  Now it’s time to hear what OntarioWineReview readers had to say – also interesting to note that none will miss Wine Access – as you will soon read:

“I've been a Wine Access subscriber since their early days.  My perception is that it's been slowly going downhill since RedPoint took over.  Under their stewardship, the magazine became more glossy and superficial in its coverage of the wine scene.  In recent times, a large part of the content has been huge "advertising features" that are dressed up to look like articles and run on for pages and pages.  The actual articles tended to be fluff pieces with little useful content.  I had already decided not to renew my subscription this year before I learned they were ceasing publication.
It seems likely that competition from the taxpayer-subsidized Food & Drink mag was a contributing factor in their demise, but I think it's too simplistic to put all of the blame there.  I'd say mismanagement by RedPoint also played a large part.  It's sad to see the magazine go, but considering what it had become, I can't say I'll miss it much.”
Barry (Ottawa)

“Great article on Wine Access and I wish something like this would be published in the papers. I was a W.A. reader back when David and his wife would create it in the basement of their house. Many of us wine guys would line up at the LCBO on Saturday mornings with his notes in hand, and hunt down the wine he wrote about … He sold to another company first who couldn't make any money, and then to Red Point. You're right, the Food & Drink is killing private enterprise and it’s not right.”
Gary (Toronto)

“I'm with [your wife], drooling over the damn thing, but I always hate myself for doing it.”
Sadie (Toronto)

“Your point about Food and Drink is spot-on. But at the same time, Wine Access did nothing to endear itself to the Ontario industry. There will be few wineries shedding tears over the closing of this magazine.”
Jeff (St. Catharines)

“Your point of government competition with private enterprise is well taken, but you ignore one dimension.  The LCBO employs a fair number of people to create the mag and there is undoubtedly a lot of contracting and sub-contracting into the private market to create the ads, articles, recipes, etc., etc., etc., that you see in all those pages.  Fair enough to talk about competitive impact, but for an apples-to-apples comparison you need to consider how much of the money is sent back into the private economy in order to create the LCBO's magazine.  If LCBO ceases publishing that, how many people lose their jobs?  How many ad agencies down-size or close?  How many writers lose income through loss of an outlet for their articles?”
Marty (Michigan)

“Read the insight you provided on the partial cause of the demise of   Wine Access Magazine. I believe you may have missed some of the dots you were following in your analysis. The wine writers/reviewers themselves are also a large part of the changing publishing industry. Your profession publishes reviews on line, in print subscriptions and via online subscription. We load up the electronic copies on our "kindle" type devices (the poor printers are not happy). Some advertise on these independent sites. The funds also come from the finite pool of advertising revenue thus taking from the printed publications (newspapers are in deep trouble as well as their advertisers re-invent where to effectively to spend their finite resources).  The publishing industry is changing and the medium is changing. As a consequence the landscape will change.”
John (Toronto)

[Editor's Note] As a contributor to Tidings Magazine I was interested to received this email from them in the wake of the Wine Access affair, which I was told I could share with my readers:

"Our story has always been circulation. Paid subscriptions were up last year and we've invested heavily in the copies going to Air Canada lounges and the waiting room program. This has placed our readers per copy at over 590,000 from last year's 270,000."
"We can be proud of our strong focus on unbiased food and wine writing. We can highlight our high readers per copy over half a million across Canada. With your help we can paint a new picture of what food and wine writing means in this country."
Tidings Magazine


Wine Event Spotlight: Upcoming and On-Going Events

The New Cuvee ... March 1, 2013 - http://cuvee.ca/


OntarioWineReview’s bi-weekly newsletter is devoted to the love, enjoyment and promotion of the wines of Ontario and the wineries that make them.

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