Upset About Not Enough White

So this week has been yet another crazy week for me as I'm sure that it has been for many of us. On Wednesday I held a wine tasting event for about 16 people and there was a great time had by all.

However, at the beginning of the class, I went on to describe about some basics of wine tasting and how the participants can make the wine more memorable, one of the women was visibly upset at the white to red ratio.We were lucky enough to have 10 wines in total with 2 white and 8 red.
She was willing to stay for the event as we had already begun.

She was definitely enjoying the whites that we started with, a Sauvgion Blanc and a Reisling.

As we moved onto the reds she was a little hesitant. We starting with a Pinot Noir, a Cabernet Sauvgion, moving on to a Tempranillo, Shiraz, a few blends, and ending with a Barollo.

Once she tasted the Chateauneuf du Pape, she was warming up to the ideas of some smooth drinking well balanced reds.

Like many others, if you are a novice wine person, you find something that you like and you tend to stick with them. Just like she was doing. She liked her Pinot Grigo and that was it. She would occasionally have a Sauv. Blanc, but was scared to stray off from what she was comfortable with.

So how do you learn what you like without going broke on buying wines and discovering you hate it and dump it down the drain?

There are a few ways to figure out what you like, and many of them without spending a lot of money if any. Here is how I do a lot of discovering of different wines.

Dinner Parties:

Dinner Parties are awesome for trying new wines. People will usually bring a bottle of wine when they come for dinner. As the host, it isn't out of the question for you to make a request of your friends to bring a bottle that isn't what you normally drink.


Wine Tasting Classes:
Taking a wine tasting class is a great way in tasting a number of wines. It may be a themed class, such as all from South America, or a specific region in France, but they are usually fairly inexpensive and can be amazing. (See Classes and More to have me run a class for you.)

Join a Wine Club:
There are wine clubs in cities all over the world. These usually have an annual fee that you will have to pay, but it will include most of the tastings in that fee. The advantage of a wine club is that they may have their own inventory of wines that are at their peek and not available on the market any longer.

Visit a Winery:
Depending on where you live, this can be an amazing day trip. Most wineries have a tasting room where you can sample their wines for simple $1 per sample. If you find something you like and end up buying a bottle (or a case) they will usually not even bother charging you for the tastings. After all, that's what they want you to do. Sample a wine, love it, and take it home.

Many wineries also have coupons on their websites for a free tasting. I know that Coyote's Run and Black Prince, both have them on theirs. Because I live in Toronto, I'm luck enough to be able to do day trips to both Niagara and Prince Edward County.

So where did that leave the woman in my class?
Thrilled. She said that knowing some of the background of the wines and where they were coming from was as important to her as the wine itself. I tend to agree.

But the key thing in this whole blog is this. Don't be afraid to try new wines, and step out of your comfort zone.
You never know what you might end up liking.

After all, that's what wine is all about, the experience.

Let me know if you would like to share a bottle sometime so we can both enjoy a glass.
Matt

The Truth About VQA

When you are looking a at wine in the LCBO, or anywhere else for that matter, and you see that VQA logo on a bottle of wine and what does it mean?

For many of you it may be a bit of reassurance that the wine will be a least of a good quality in nature. Right?

Before I answer the question, let me give you some more background.

VQA in Ontario is a regional or Appellation system that clearly identifies that areas in Ontario where wines are produces. VQA also has some requirements on the varietal and contents to make a VQA wine.

There are 4 main regions in Ontario when it comes to VQA. Peele Island, Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara Peninsula, and Prince Edward County. For a detailed map take a look here.

VQA also has an operating committee that consists of 12 members that represent all the wineries in Ontario, from small to large. This committee basically decides how the wine industry in Ontario works, or at least to make a VQA wine.

There is also a list requirements on wine standards that must be met to be designated as a VQA wine.
From the type of bottle, no addition of water, accurate labels and 100% Ontario grown grapes.

Every VQA wine meets the following standard:

• Wine must be made from 100% fresh Ontario grown grapes — no concentrates are permitted - Grapes used must meet a quality standard for each variety (measured by natural sugar content in the ripe grapes)
• No water can be added in the winemaking process
• Labels must be truthful and accurately represent the wine in the bottle
• All wines except for sparkling wines must be vintage dated and meet vintage requirements
• All wines must be packaged in glass bottles with cork, synthetic or approved screwcap closures
• All finished wines are evaluated by an expert taste panel and a laboratory analysis and must meet minimum quality standards before release

In addition, regulations establish detailed standards for specific claims of origin and for each individual style and type of wine. Wine-making standards are described in full in regulations made under the VQA Act.

There are a lot more details about VQA that I won't get into. I'll let you learn more about it from their website.

So back to my original question. If an Ontario wine is a VQA wine, does that make it a good quality wine?

The short answer is NO.

Just because an Ontario wine is labeled VQA, it doesn't make it good. This is just like the many wines from other countries that have been labeled according to their country's system, such as AOC in France and DOC in Italy that aren't good.

Please don't get me wrong, there are many wines in Ontario that have come a long way since they started in the industry, but there is still a long way to go.

I do drink Ontario wines. I am very specific on where they come from, and how they are produced. We could be a leader in the world market and are in some areas, such as Ice Wine. There really isn't a country that can compete with us on that one. We are in Canada after all!

I do say keep drinking Ontario wines, but be specific. Find the good producers and support them. This will hopefully get the message that the others need to pull up there socks.

Enjoy a glass.
Matt

How I Drink Wine in the Winter

How many of you have been out in the typical Canadian weather in January and gone skating and thought to yourself. Man am I freezing!

The cold is a part of Canada. As much as we say we don't like it, it makes us who we are as Canadians.

So how do we cope? Well many of us will grab a coffee from Starbucks or Tim's and try and keep warm when we are having fun out in the winter.

But how can you have your favourite wine at the same time?

If you are lucky enough to have a backyard rink or a friend with one, it's easy to just jump inside and warm up with your favourite glass. I have 2 kids and by the time you get all their skating gear on (and take one off and put it back on again because they forgot to pee) you're freezing yourself. After all that, you take a deep breath and want a sip of your favourite Bordeaux while watching the kids skate.

A wine glass outside in the snow is really not a great idea for a number of reasons.

To begin with - SPILLAGE!!!! You have made the effort to enjoy a glass, the last thing you want to do is spill it!

Breakage - Cleaning up a broken wine glass in the snow is never easy or fun. Trust me on this one.

Wine Temperature - This isn't too much of a problem for whites, but a good Amarone looses a lot flavour when it gets too cold. After all you want to enjoy the wine you're drinking don't you?

So I've figured out great way, and maybe you have as well, to enjoy your wine while outside in the cold.

The only downside of this process is you will loose some of the nose as you enjoy your wine.

The coffee traveler. Or in my case the wine traveller.

This is a great way to keep your wine at about the right temperature in both winter and summer. It keeps it at about room temperature in the winter for reds and cold for whites.

This is similar to the one that I use.

For me this is one of the ways that I can enjoy my wine and the winter activities at the same time. I've gotta say that I really enjoy drinking my wine outside during winter activities.

Just a word of caution. This is the safety professional side of me coming out. Please make sure that if you are drinking while having some winter fun, know what your limit is. You do want to have another glass tomorrow don't you?

What are some of the ways that you enjoy your wine while doing winter activities? I would love to hear your ideas!

Enjoy a glass.

Matt