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.

#CDNWineDay: Backroads and Downpours in the County

Not even a two-day deluge could keep me from a Canadian Wine Day weekend in the County. And let me tell you, it RAINED. And then it rained some more. And then more on top of that. You'd figure rain would mean a lack of tourists, right? On the contrary, rainy days send the crowds to the tasting rooms en masse. I mean, what else are you going to do when your beach plans at Sandbanks are waterlogged? Go drinking, of course!

Clockwise from top L: affogato at Drake Devonshire; the Golden Grape; dessert at The Hubb;
Terra Cello Winery; Traynor Vineyards; Red Tail Vineyards

Mothering

May was a long month. I ain't gonna lie.

Just in case you were wondering where I've been ... Hubby was in New York for a marathon session at the UN. From the end of April until just last weekend. A month. Me and the kiddies. Single Mom Detail™ of epic proportions.

Everything But The Chard

The California Wine Show was in Ottawa on its annual tour this week. This time around, I carefully studied and plotted a route on my map, checked the map against the list in the catalogue, checked the list against the layout at the door. Because this time I had a plan and I was sticking to it.

Whites. Everything but Chardonnay. (Ok, so I tried *one* Chardonnay, but it was so lively, zesty and fun it hardly qualifies in the same league as the over-oaked cedar boxes that usually dominate the market.)

And if I had time for reds, anything but cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir.  So what else does Cali do other than the Big Three? Here's what:

County (at the top of) the Capital

Hang on, lemme wait until the room stops spinning ...

Wait. It's still spinning. WTF?

I was driving that night, so I knew that uncomfortable sense of vertigo wasn't from the wine. It was from the room itself - the revolving Summit Room atop Ottawa's Marriott Hotel.

I'm sure in its heyday revolving rooms were the thing, but it wasn't quite my thing. One minute I was standing perfectly straight (and sober); the next, I had lurched over sideways, spilling some of my wine in the process. I looked like a drunk. Except I wasn't! Really! (Well, this time at least ...)

Taste of the Commonwealth

Q: What two things do Uganda, Malta and England have in common?
A: They're Commonwealth countries. And they make wine. (No, really!)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the 85th anniversary of the first Commonwealth Games, and international Commonwealth Day (which is today), the Ottawa branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) held its inaugural Taste of the Commonwealth event on Sunday, March 8, at City Hall's Jean Pigott Place.

My Bunker Valentine

Because nothin' says lovin' like visiting a fallout shelter.

Seventy-five feet beneath the frozen tundra of Carp, Ontario, in the dead of a most miserable winter, there was a party going on. Deep in the bowels of the Diefenbunker, a crowd of wineaux, Cold War enthusiasts, chocolate lovers and cheese aficionados were gathered for Savvy Company's 3 Steps to Survival: Wine, Cheese and Chocolate. 

Looking Ahead Through a Glass Half-Full

The year kicked off just right, with Lighthall Vineyards 2013 Progression in hand. We made it to midnight (albeit barely), toasted 2015 and went to bed. Yup, my wild New Year's Eve celebrations put Times Square to shame, don't they? What two kids will do to you.

I saved up the energy for a week-long family trip in Punta Cana, where I learned that those same two kids are not at all interested in long, relaxing days on the beach. Good thing the resort had a water park ... conveniently equipped with its own bar. Winning for everyone.

Now back home in the deep cold of another Ice Age, I've been keeping my eye on the horizon for vinous (and hoppy) happenings around town.

Night Out for Grown-Ups

I hopped off the bus in the downtown core, bottle in hand. I was on my way to a real, grown-up cocktail party in a trendy Centretown condo with real grown-ups who drink wine and talk about real grown-up stuff (when they aren't talking about their kids.)

Rules were simple: everyone bring a bottle, perhaps something to nosh on, and enjoy! I chose a Peller Estates Iced Cuvee for my charming hostess, a gal who loves her some bubbles. She greeted her guests in the hospitality suite, stylish (as always) in a Mad Men-inspired dress, gave a quick layout of where things were and resumed her welcoming duties while we all got acquainted. I poured myself a glass of Cono Sur rosé sparkling and looked around.

It only took a couple of friendly rounds of getting-to-know-you and Six Degrees of Separation before the conversation and laughter (like the wine) was flowing with ease. Folks crowded around the bar or the snack table, or lounged about on leather settees, or flitted between groups to catch snippets of gossip, the latest on the municipal election, or animated dialogue on 80s music.

Turned out to be a great night of exciting vinous discoveries as well, these two being my top faves:

Castillo de Almansa 2010 Reserva (Spain; $12.95; 13.5% abv) - This was my favourite find. Predominantly Tempranillo blend with some Montastrell and Garnacha thrown in. A wild nose of spicy salumi, tobacco leaf, cigar smoke, peppercorn and blackberry jam. On the palate: dry, with firm tannins and a meaty, chewy mouthfeel. A brambly mixture of raisins and stewed fruit with a dusty finish. Impressive wine and a great value!

Kunde 2012 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel (California; #23.95; 14.5% abv) - Not your typical fruit-bomb zin. The aromas spilling out of the glass brought frying bacon to mind, along with suggestions of green pepper, black peppercorn and ripe black cherry. The fruit comes out on the palate with aggressive sour cherry and spicy pepper. Grippy tannins and a lingering acidity stick around on the long finish.

Arrivederci Violi's

We pulled up to the border, rolled down the windows and handed over our passports.
The guard ran them through the computer, looking us over with a critical eye.

"Where ya'll from?"
"Cornwall."
"Where ya'll going?"
"To Violi's, for dinner."

A smile of fond recollection flitted across the guard's face.

"For the last time," my dad said.

The smile dropped. "What's that, now? They're closing?"

"Yup. End of the month."

He hands back the passports with a sigh and waves us through. "Ya'll have a good evening now ..."

Clearly I'm not the only one with a heavy heart over Violi's closing for good this weekend. Even the border guards know it, whether they've been there themselves or from waving through visitors who have nothing more to declare than a Styrofoam box filled with half-eaten cheesecake and a full belly.

Oh Canada!

The nation turned 147 years old today, but us Canadian wine fans have been partying it up for a few days now.

June 28 was the second annual Canadian Wine Day, the anniversary of Bill C-311, which brought an end to Prohibition-era restrictions on the inter-provincial movement of wine. Notwithstanding some provinces still balking at the idea (without actually having a legal leg to stand on) we celebrated with plenty of samples from coast to coast.

Rosé among the Roses (and peonies, bleeding hearts, impatients ...)

PINK! For whatever reason, the wine world screams pink when summer comes along, and suddenly the LCBO is awash in a tidal wave of blush. While I try not to limit rosés to the warm months (since there are so few of them in this Canadian climate) I gladly accepted an invitation to Jane's Place for a tasting of all things pink.

In conversation: WineWire Pop-Up Wine Shop

WineWire Pop-Up Shop107 Murray Street (in the Byward Market), Ottawa. Friday, 12-8 p.m. 

The evening has been nothing less than perfect. Dinner at your favourite restaurant, where the chef creates impeccable constructs of culinary art, where the gracious staff are there to attend to your every need, where the wine pairs perfectly with each delicious morsel.

That wine. What was it again? Where did the sommelier say it was from? Oh right. But you can't get it at the LCBO ...

That wine. Must find that wine.

Enter WineWire.ca

Chardonnay Day for the ABC type: Trialto and 10Fourteen

It's #ChardDay in the Twitterverse, but as you know, I'm more of an anything-but-chardonnay kinda gal. I'll drink it, sure, but it's got to be a) steel-fermented, unoaked or 'inox'; b) from a cooler climate; or c) free, with a side of mind-blowingly good food and shared in the company of good tweeps.

Lucky me, I got friends in great places (thank you, Shawn!)

Just *smell* the Somewhereness in that one

Somewhereness. That sense of place and time measured in a glass; the effect of soil and rocks, wind and water, and shifting seasons on the grapes. Flavours imparted by million-year-old shelves of limestone and clay. Sun and rain changing from vintage to vintage. The essence of terroir, right here in Ontario.

Down on the (Experimental) Farm

My glass of bubbly for a pair of rubber boots. The mud and gravel in the parking lot of the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum just begged for it. But there I was in heels. Good thing the rest of the tasting was being held inside.

As I walked through the yard at Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm, I took a deep whiff. Wet straw, damp barn, sodden earth and undergrowth. Yup, smelled like a good pinot.

Walking the Red Carpet with West Coast Wines

The California Wine Fair is very much like the red-carpet premiere of a soon-to-be blockbuster. The who's who of the industry are there in all manner of attire, three-inch heels included. Cameras flash,  there's the odd squeal of delighted recognition between one celebrity and another. Handshakes, air kisses, business cards and winks are exchanged, and then everyone gets down to business with the wines. 

Ottawa's Food Fest: Eat Drink Spring!

The inaugural Spring edition of the Ottawa Wine and Food Festival launched at the EY Centre in Ottawa this past weekend. Joan Culliton, director of the festival, and her crew rolled out the welcome tulips to bring a much-needed burst of colour and light to us poor snow-bound masses.

Fyne Wyne at the Yawt Club

Selections from Nova Scotia's
Benjamin Bridge

Me: So, you wanna come with me to a wine tasting?
Hubby: Sure. Where's it going to be?
Me: At the Britannia Yacht Club.
Hubby: Oh ... (delivered in his best Thurston Howell the Third voice) The Yawt Club? Bryllyant, lovey, simply smashing. Do have a lovely time, will you?

You have to admit, telling someone you're going to a wine tasting at a yacht club sounds a little high-brow, n'est-ce pas? But this tasting was far from being pretentious. The west- and east-coast hospitality of Ann Sperling and Peter Gamble just doesn't work that way.

Spring: Are We There Yet?

Yesterday, it was 4 degrees Celsius. The sun was shining, there were birds singing, snow was melting and ... could it possibly be true? ... there was GRASS along the side of the road.

Today, they're calling for upwards of 15cms of snow and a wind chill of -26.

Want spring? Can't have it. Quit renting space in my brain, Mother Nature.