What's New: Local Grapes, Cold Climate Success

Going "off-vine" for a few months leaves me woefully clueless on what's new in the world of wine. So it's no surprise that I've only recently heard of (relative) newcomers Stone Crop Acres and Clos du Vully.

Stone Crop Acres Winery and Vineyard is based in Morrisburg, Ontario. Owner and certified sommelier Norene Hyatt-Gervais planted her vines in 2007, laying in cold climate varieties like Marquette, Louise Swenson and Frontenac Gris. Initially, Hyatt-Gervais sold off her fruit to other buyers, but in 2016, she decided it was time to start making her own wine. (Back in the day, her dad was buying grapes for his home brew, which percolated in demi-johns in the basement ... not like what some folks do, with the whole Rubbermaid bins covered in cheesecloth ...)

The first vintages were released this year, just in time for the grand opening in July of the tasting room and retail shop. Four whites and a Nouveau-style red that sold out in a month. Stone Crop's first barrel-aged red, a Frontenac Noir/Cabernet Franc blend, will be the highlight at the winery's Christmas Cheer event, starting this Saturday, December 9.

Vignoble Clos du Vully is run by winemaker and grape grower Jan Daniel-Etter with his partner Anne Grenon. Together they tend five thousand vines of cold-hardy grapes and craft artisanal whites, reds and rosés, both sweet and dry, from their own fruit and from extra procured from growers in Niagara-on-the-Lake. In May 2016, they opened the doors of their barn-turned-tasting room and welcome guests every Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., year-round. Gift baskets, gift certificates and wine (of course!) are all available for purchase.

Need some other ideas for the holidays? Skip the malls and day-trip to some of these local gems for great wine and merrymaking:

Domaine Perrault, Navan - Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11-5, until December 24. Marilys has got to be one of my favourite rosés; the reds are big, robust and perfect for long winter nights.

Jabulani Vineyard and Winery, Richmond - The winery's annual Christmas event will be held on December 9-10 and 16-17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy mulled wine, hot chocolate and nibbles with a side of live music. All it costs is a donation (either cash or non-perishable food items) to the Richmond Food Bank.

KIN Vineyards, of Carp, Ontario, will be at the Christmas edition of the Ottawa Farmers' Market this year. Find them in the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne this weekend and next.

Wordless (Wine) Wednesday: Okanagan

There is no shortage of beauty in the Okanagan. Breathtaking, heart-swelling, silent, awesome and indescribable views so magnificent that even pictures can't do it justice. But I'll try.

Hubby Speaks! A Taste of Alan Doyle and City Winery NYC

A few times a year, Hubby gets sent off on business somewhere in the world (while yours truly pulls Single Mom Detail ™ at home). In between never-ending meetings, chats with bigwigs and the like, he ventures out to discover something new about where he is. This is his latest adventure ...

On a recent trip to New York, I made my way over to the trendy SOHO/West Village neighbourhood to visit City Winery NYC, the only fully functioning winery in Manhattan. It also doubles as a restaurant and live music venue. That night’s featured performer was Alan Doyle, former frontman of Great Big Sea, who was touring to promote his recently released solo album So Let's Go. I figured this was as good a place as any to have a full-fledged “New York moment” complete with celebrity cameos, strangers that become part of a one-night entourage, and a bone-deep contentment brought about by great food, great wine and great music.

Canadian Wine Three-Sixty-Five

The first Canadian Wine Day was on June 28, 2013—the one-year anniversary of Bill C-311 coming into force. The feds had finally made it legal for wine to move across provincial borders, from coast to coast to coast. (If the provinces would just follow suit, that would be great.)

WBC13: Okanagan-bound

Over the next five days, I'm going to be trying a lot of wine. A LOT of wine. Then I'm going to talk about wine, write about wine, do everything short of bathe in the stuff (although who knows where some of those surprise excursions will lead to?) It's all wine, all the time, at the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference in Penticton, British Columbia.

Photo courtesy of Tourism Kelowna

Wine Wednesday: The County in conversation

It was late in the afternoon, too late really for "lunch", but we managed to find a table at Wellington's Tall Poppy Cafe. I went off in search of the loo, while Mum perused the menu. Suddenly a woman plunked herself down in the other chair, tangle of hair wisping about a broad smile and flushed cheeks. "Whew, I'm tired," she said, fanning herself with a napkin. "Are you here with someone?" Mum, caught off guard but delighted by the surprise company, said no. As I came in, the woman rose and smiled broadly, gesturing towards the chair. "Just keeping it warm for you."

That's County folk. Keeping it warm for you.

Clockwise from top right: French Onion grilled cheese, Tall Poppy Cafe; County motto;
trees in bloom at Glenora Ferry; dry stone bridge at Karlo Estates

Wine Wednesday: Judging

Found myself back at Algonquin again, at Liam Doody's invitation, to judge the students' final pairing project in the wine and food matching course. Yeah, I know. I've got it so tough.

Seriously though, three-and-a-half hours and 17 courses, with wines, is no small task. Loved the format this time around, having the chance to ask the students about their choices and dishes. Some pairings were better than others, but the food was consistently ohmnomnom-my. Feast your eyes on this ... I'm still trying to digest.


Vichyssoise w Truffle Oil / Lobster & Double-Smoked-Bacon Mac n' Cheese / Cad o' Gratn
Duck Sausage / Pepper Lemon Shrimp / Walnut & Wild Mushroom Goat Cheese
Beef Curry / Duck Confit / Ahi Tuna w Shiitake Cream Sauce

And then there was dessert ...

Wine Country Casual

When it comes to packing for a trip, the women in my family (my mom's side, anyway) are notoriously ready for everything. Weeks before the actual departure date, the spare bedroom is claimed as Advance Prep Headquarters, the luggage is brought up from the basement, and the packing list is penned. Clothes are triaged according to occasion, mix-and-matchability, climate and the notorious "what ifs": What if it's cold at night? What if there is an unplanned fancy dinner added to the itinerary? What if the zombie apocalypse strikes while I'm away?

Wine Wednesday: Validation

Writers' egos are delicate, fragile things. Buried under heaps of self-deprecating humour and vital layers of Teflon-grade thick skin, the soul of a writer survives on the sustenance of a geek-level obsession with a particular subject and the words of other, more talented writers. Lacking in confidence, the writer's ego timidly emerges from the groundhog hole on only the rarest occasions, bracing itself for the sight of its shadow. It spends the rest of the time burrowed away, curled up with a keyboard, typing into the void. There, wrapped in solitude, beyond the judging eyes of naysayers, may they safely create.

Ok, so maybe that's just me.

Wine Wednesday: Less trick, more treat

Lots of posts floating around about pairing wine with Halloween candy. Seriously though, why would you do that to your wine? Or your candy, for that matter? I think about as far as I'd go with ghoulish-goody matching would be to pop a couple of Rockets into a glass of cheap sparkling wine. I think I'll just keep the snacks and drinks separate this Halloween, thanks just the same.

Speaking of drinks, here are a few goodies (of the non-spooky variety) I've sampled and enjoyed lately ...

Wine Wednesday: The Real New Year

The seasons have turned again. Back to school, back to work, back to the vineyards, presses, bottling lines. January 1 may be the official start of a new calendar year, but September seems like a more fitting launch into the annual life cycle, with all its busy goings-on. It's harvest time, after all, when a summer's worth of hard work in the fields yields the provisions for a long winter (wine being an essential provision in my house, that's for sure.)

Wordless Wednesday: Winetripping

One whole day of sunlit splendour among the vineyards in Niagara wine country. That's a vacation in and of itself. The caseload of superb wines we brought home with us was a nice bonus.

Vineyards and Bistro at Good Earth

Still trying to #freemygrapes

In the 20 minutes or so that it's taken me to write this post, 151 new tweets with the hashtag #freemygrapes have flooded the Internet. Why? Because this Wine Wednesday is devoted to bringing an end to provincial barriers blocking the distribution of all the glorious wine that's out there, in regions flourishing from one coast to another.

Bet you're thinking, wasn't that what Bill C-311 was for? Not so simple. As we wait to see if it clears the Senate (which is likely) the provinces are mincing words and trying to find loopholes that will let them slap restrictions on what/how much someone can take or bring into a province on their person.

On their person. Uh, what about direct-to-consumer, online shopping?

While the bill's lengthy bureaucratese does make reference to shipping direct ("causes it to be brought") the provinces are balking at the alleged huge loss of revenue they'll face. Awwww. Cry me a river.

So if you're on Twitter tonight between 9 pm and midnight, have your say and tweet with #freemygrapes (which is trending across Canada right now, I might add.)

If you're not the tweeting type, I've compiled a list of all the provincial liquor boards' contact information below - email, fax, phone, even names in some cases. Make your voice heard! Tell them you want the spirit of Bill C-311 honoured!

Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission
British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch
Liquor Control Board of Ontario
Manitoba Liquor Control Commission
Northwest Territories Liquor Commission
Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation
New Brunswick Liquor Corporation
Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation
Prince Edward Island Liquor Control Commission
Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority
Societe des alcools du Quebec
Yukon Liquor Corporation

Wine Wednesday: Free My Grapes

The big deal on Twitter tonight is Bill C-311. For those of you who aren't in the know (what rock are you living under?) this bill, introduced by Okanagan MP Dan Albas, will make it legal for wine to cross provincial borders. Personal exemptions will be set for individuals bringing in wine for their own consumption, and it will be easier for wineries to ship direct to customers. Common sense, n'est-ce pas?

Wine Wednesday: Chile Two Ways

Rather than kill two birds with one stone, I'll drink with them instead. Today is Wine Wednesday in the winosphere (aka Inter-Web, Twitter, Facebook, et-chet-er-ahhh ...) The main events: Wine Blogging Wednesday and the weekly Twitter #winechat.

Two events. One wine. Blog post: Done, and done.

Wine Wednesday: Random Quaffing

Just a few things I've had lately ...

Kacaba 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay (Niagara) - Crisp, lemony, zesty with firm acidity. This refreshing number is showing all the natural charm of the grape; one of the reasons why I love a good unoaked chard. But as you'll recall from the Wine and Food Show this year, Kacaba's oaked versions are just as - if not, more so - tantalizing.

Wine Wednesday: Holiday Imbibery

Recovering from the holidays is always such a drag. Bleary-eyed, we woke up Tuesday morning to the obnoxious noise of the alarm clock, heralding the first day back at work. The kids desperately clung to the last vestiges of Christmas, mewing plaintively for one more story, one more ride on the rocking horse, one more look at the tree. The blast of sub-zero windchill didn't help matters, either. What happened to a mild winter?

So to cheer myself up, I'm dedicating the first Wine Wednesday of 2012 to a review of the last two weeks' most memorable quaffs.

Wine Wednesday: I don't normally like this, but ...

I'll give you the moral of the story up front: even if you think you're not going to like it, try it anyway.

Wine Wednesday: Random Quaffing

"Oh the weather outside is ... balmy?" Doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
"Frosty the Snowman ... melt."

It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it's still warm out, with nary a snowbank in sight. I don't miss the shovelling, but it seems odd to be walking around in sneakers in mid-December. And it makes it difficult to explain to a six-year-old that she still has to wear snow pants. ("But MOooooo-ooooom, there's no SNOW!")

 While we wait for a chance of flurries, here are a few random notes on wines I've had lately:

Wordless Wine Wednesday: Bottle Wall

Intriguing décor at Play Food and Wine
(I need to get my hands on a bottle of that anarchy wine, top right)