Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Preview of … The Niagara-on-the-Lake 2010 Taste the Season Event – October 2010

This year, as I have done for the past half dozen or so, I will be touring the wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake for the Taste the Season event (details can be found here) – this is one of the premier tasting and touring events in the region.  In the past I have brought my girlfriend / fiancée (now wife) along and in some years mom has come with – usually separately, though we have done the tour together once.  This year we’ll be touring together again through the back-roads of Niagara-on-the-Lake in search of the best wine and food pairings as well as the best wine and food individually.

This year’s list of pairings has already been posted on the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake website and I invite you to take a look and pick out your potential favourites, because that is exactly what we did this year.  I printed off the list and gave one to mom (Gloria) and one to my wife (Erica) and asked them to pick, independently, their “potential” top 5 choices they are most looking forward to … I want to see if the expectations of what is written on paper is matched by what we receive in person, or will there be a surprise that no one saw coming.  Then, after our tour of the wineries and tasting of the pairings, when I write my review, we’ll see who lived up to the hype, who did not and who surprised us with their efforts.

Below is what we’re thinking will be the top pairing of the weekend (in alphabetical order):

Gloria (the mom) …
Cattail Creek Estate Winery: 2006 Cabernet Merlot paired with Beef Brisket topped with Caramelized Onions and Cabernet Merlot Sauce
Coyote's Run Estate Winery: 2008 Cabernet Merlot paired with Slow braised Ontario Lamb Shank with Du Puy Lentil Ragout
Lailey Vineyard: 2008 Vidal Icewine paired with Apricot Cheesecake
Peller Estate: Andrew Peller Signature Series Ice Cuvée paired with Three Sweet and Savoury Scones
Southbrook: 2007 Cabernet Merlot Shiraz paired with Stone Road Grille Cassoulet with Cabernet Bread

Erica (the wife) …
Cattail Creek Estate Winery: 2006 Cabernet Merlot paired with Beef Brisket topped with Caramelized Onions and Cabernet Merlot Sauce
Château des Charmes: 2008 Estate Bottled Riesling paired with Cucumber and Yam Tempura with Cream Cheese and Spicy Sauce Sushi Roll
Coyote's Run Estate Winery: 2008 Cabernet Merlot paired with Slow braised Ontario Lamb Shank with Du Puy Lentil Ragout
Marynissen Estates Winery: 2008 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay paired with Squash Soup
Niagara College Teaching Winery: 2007 Cabernet Franc paired with Caramelized Apple and Chicken Ragout garnished with Aged White Cheddar
Southbrook: 2007 Cabernet Merlot Shiraz paired with Stone Road Grille Cassoulet with Cabernet Bread

Michael (the Grape Guy) …
Cattail Creek Estate Winery: 2006 Cabernet Merlot paired with Beef Brisket topped with Caramelized Onions and Cabernet Merlot Sauce
Coyote's Run Estate Winery: 2008 Cabernet Merlot paired with Slow braised Ontario Lamb Shank with Du Puy Lentil Ragout
Inniskillin Wines: 2007 Vidal Icewine paired with Blue Benedictine Mousse & Vidal Poached Apple
Niagara College Teaching Winery: 2007 Cabernet Franc paired with Caramelized Apple and Chicken Ragout garnished with Aged White Cheddar
Stonechurch Vineyards: 2007 Quintet paired with Bistro Beef Canape

Happy touring and tasting, and we’ll talk again in November.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the news, Michael. The usual suspects and I will be hitting this year's Taste for the fifth or sixth year (I'm too old to count - we do the spring wine and herb, too). The weather for the tour in late May was unseasonably warm and fabulous. My friend and formidable driver prepares a color-coded map for each outing, since we have two vegetarians in the group. Great wine, great food, great cause.