November 14, 2013
IWFS Oakville Wine Tour
September 28, 2013
Niagara Wineries
On Saturday September 28th, thirty-five members and guests departed the Oakville GO Station via a chartered coach for a day of nosing, sipping, spitting and, yes, tasting wines on the IWFS Oakville Chapter’s annual fall wine tour. This year, the tour returned to Niagara county and visited six wineries chosen for the quality and variety of their production, providing plenty of opportunities to taste and purchase inexpensive wines for early consumption and higher-end bottles demonstrating the best skills of Niagara winemakers for laying down to savor on special occasions in the future.
First up on the tour, the participants split into two groups to visit Coyote’s Run Estate Winery and the Lowery Vineyard (Five Rows Craft Wines), two smaller producers that were not able to handle the full tour at one time. At Coyote’s Run, Carrie Milne explained the history of the winery and described the different soils found in the vineyard that resulted in the Black Paw and Red Paw designations that are applied to many of their wines. At Five Rows, Wilma Lowery discussed the development of the limited production wines that are produced by her family, including her son Wes Lowery, who is the winemaker. These wines are crafted in small batches and the winery has such a loyal following of consumers and restaurant owners that they are typically available only at the winery and often sell out completely between vintages.
Following the initial two winery visits, the group headed to Ravine Vineyard for a light
, three course lunch in the barrel cellar accompanied by a tutored tasting of four of the winery’s Sand and Gravel series wines. The tasting was conducted by the winery’s young winemaker, Gillian Tinsley, whose vivacious personality and knowledge of the history of the winery, the grape varieties, the terroir, the individual wines and their ability to match well with the foods during the lunch could be felt by everyone in the group. Following the lunch, the group was given a tasting of three of the winery’s Estate Series wines, providing an opportunity to compare the differences and similarities of these higher-end products with those tasted during the lunch.
Next up on the tour, the group travelled to Marynissen Estate Winery and Pondview Estate Winery, providing a contrast between a long established Niagara cellar and one that has more recently come on the scene. At Marynissen, the group was provided with a unique opportunity to taste a 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2002 Merlot from the winery’s library collection. Unfortunately, while the Merlot was an excellent example of its type, the Cabernet Sauvignon had not cellared well, pointing out the risks inherent in laying down and storing wines for extended periods of time. At Pondview, Joseph Barbera conducted a tasting of their Bella Terra Meritage and Cabernet Sauvignon wines in the winery’s recently completed production facility, explaining the story of the transition from a vineyard to one of the Niagara region’s up and coming estate wineries.
Last, but by no means least, the tour ended the day at Vignoble Rancourt where the winery’s new winemaker, Eric Pearson, presented some very interesting wines before and during an excellent four course beef tenderloin dinner prepared on-site by Chef Robyn Goorevitch of Dining In Chez Vous. Wines sampled included new releases of Gewurztraminer, Malbec (one of the few wineries in Ontario growing this grape), a number of Meritage selections and a Cabernet Sauvignon ice wine. The group concluded that Eric Pearson and Rancourt Winery are certainly to be watched in the future.
Following dinner, the group boarded the coach for the last time, arriving back in Oakville with memories of a wonderful day in Niagara wine country. Most participants returned home with several cases of wine that will extend the pleasures of the tour at least until next fall when the Oakville IWFS Chapter once again hits the road to discover new wineries, interesting winemakers and excellent wines.
