01
May
2008
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
A few months ago, maybe more, I wrote a newsletter focusing in on 3 wineries in Prince Edward County (Newsletter #62) that were must visits if you were to trundle off to the County. They were/are leading the charge for County wines and showing great examples of what could be done on the Ontario-winemaking frontier. One of those wineries was Rosehall Run. Today they packed up the pick-up and brought, what seemed like, the whole famn damily along for this tasting of their portfolio – new and upcoming. I also should mention that the tasting took place at Allen’s on the Danforth – where visitors were treated to owner John Maxwell’s smiling face upon entry … I have to admit every time I see John I want to call him Allen, so John if you are reading this when I shake your hand and pause I am deciding between calling you John or Allen – I guess it’s better than calling him Joan Allen … now back to the Rosehall Tasting. There were 9 wines being poured this afternoon and a few really stood out in my mind when I left ... (Read more)
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
01
May
2008
- Details
-
Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
California, what a royal pain in the you know what … imagine if you will a large ballroom at the Royal York hotel in downtown Toronto. Now, put over 120 wineries in there and have them pour over 450 wines – now try to get through all of that in two-and-a-half hours. What a pain in the …
Try as I might, last year I never even came close. This year I had a plan – go through the tasting book beforehand, pick out the wines of interest, and limit it to about 1 wine per winery … this averaged out because at some wineries there was nothing and at others there was 2 or 3. And oh yeah, chuck the usual stuff like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay – ditch the Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc – forget the Pinot Noir as well … go for interesting names or bizarre grapes or blends, and definitely check out the Zinfandels. This left me with a total of 52 wines on my list to taste – very doable, or so I thought … I never got past the halfway point in the room. What a pain in the … You’d need two full days to even make a real dent in the place – they should, by all rights, break it up regionally or something. But anyway, I tried my best ladies and gentlemen, I sacrificed my tongue, my nose and my sobriety to bring you my list of interesting California wines from this year’s California Wine Fair. Some that I tasted were never on my original list and some on the list I never got a chance to taste – too many wines, not enough time – who’da thunk it.
* Indicates my top three wines in the category. The others also come recommended ... (Read more)
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
