Pelee Island Winery is located on the Southerly most point in Canada.  It is on the same latitude as Northern California.  The climate is one of the mildest in Canada.  In fact, winemaking is not new to the area.  There is a history of winemaking there since the 1860’s.  Sadly the industry died out in the early 1900’s, but it came to life again in the 1980’s.  Thank goodness for that, otherwise we would have missed out on some very spiffy wine (technical terminology J). Map is courtesy of Norman Einstein

You know, in this industry we learn something new every day.  Although we have tried many of the Pelee Island wines, we did not know that the vineyards 550 acres make up Canada’s largest private estate.

One thing you will notice about the labels of Pelee Island wine is that there are various plants and animals on them.  The winery promotes the diversity of life on the island.  It is home to many rare insects, snails, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians as well. But still many more stop off at Pelee Island on their travels south.  It is the meeting place of two different migration routes.  The island is a major stopover point for many groups of birds and insects on their way to their winter homes down south.

Take for instance the Monarch Butterfly, which is featured on Pelee Island’s Monarch Vidal.  The butterfly stops at Pelee Island on its long journey to Mexico.  Isn’t that truly amazing how that tiny winged being takes that long journey!  The Egret is featured on the Umbrella Gewürztraminer-Riesling.  The islands are home to one of the largest populations of nesting Egrets in Canada.  These are just two small examples of the diversity of these islands… not just in the winemaking.  The viticulturist at Pelee Island works hand in hand with the World Wildlife Fund with regard to their pest management.  This gives you just a small glimpse into how Pelee Island Winery takes care of everything on the island from the ground up.

Pinot Noir Reserve VQA

Winery: Pelee Island Winery
Vintage: 2008
Location: Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
Alcohol: 13%
Blend: Pinot Noir
Tasting: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

They call the Pinot Noir grape the heartbreak grape.  It is a  very tough grape to grow.  As an example:  If the grapes don’t get enough heat, the wines can be very light and thin tasting.  If is gets too much heat the wines can taste more like cooked fruit.   When all goes right, however, it can make some of the most incredible wine and Champagne you have ever had the pleasure to try.  The price can vary from the teens to ad infinitum (infinity). Associated mostly with the region of Burgundy in France, the grape now grows in a number of countries around the world including our wonderful country of Canada.

This wine was matured for about eight to twelve months in European-style French Oak barrels with about 25 to 30% of the wine experiencing a malolactic fermentation (also known as MLF).   Why is that good and how does it change the wine?  The winemakers want to reduce the amount of the harsher acidity in the wine.  In order to do that, they will change some of the Malic Acid into the softer Lactic Acid.  This MLF takes place after the primary fermentation (during which the grape juice sugar is converted into alcohol).  The wine undergoes a secondary fermentation to change the Malic Acid into the Lactic Acid.  This not only reduces some of the acidity, but it makes the wine a little more balanced and palatable.  They also want to maintain the lovely fruit characteristics of the wine, so in this case only 25 to 30% of the wine goes through this MLF.

This is an easy drinking Pinot Noir and if people are just starting to drink red wine, Pinot Noir is a lovely place to start.  This wine is not overpowering, it is just simply pleasant.  You get some of the strawberry and other red berries, plus there is a wee bit of earth aromas in there too, and can be quite typical of Pinot Noir.

Food Pairing:

Turkey; salmon (broiled, roasted, grilled, or poached); grilled or roasted red meat; mushrooms (eg: grilled Portobello) and mushroom sauces; pork.

CSPC:     458521
Price:

$16.99 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Umbrella
GewÜrztraminer-Rielsing

Winery: Pelee Island Winery
Vintage: 2008
Location: Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
Alcohol: 12.5%
Blend: Gewürztraminer 50%, Riesling 50%
Tasting: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Okay, you have the best of both worlds here.  You have the Gewürztraminer and the Riesling.  Now I know that everyone thinks that there are basically two different colours of grapes, well there are other colours, as well.  The Gewürztraminer can actually be a pinkish colour. This grape ripens a bit on the earlier side.  The Riesling, on the other hand, is green in colour and it ripens rather late.  These two grapes make great wine all on their own, so bringing them together would bring out all the great qualities of each of them.

The history of Gewürztraminer  (guh-VOORTS-truh-MEE-nur)can be dated back to Italy near the village of Termino (Tramin) in Alto Adige.  It is considered to be an aromatic grape variety.  Now I know you are thinking that the name certainly doesn’t sound Italian, and you would be correct… it is German.  Gewürz in German is translated to mean ‘spicy’.  The grape is quite well known in the Region of Alsace in France, but can be found in California, Oregon, Washington, Germany (of course), Canada and recently New Zealand.

People think of Riesling and they think of Germany.  Though its history is a bit mysterious it can be said that Riesling goes back to the Rhine in Germany.  It too is considered an aromatic grape variety and brings a lot to the table when you get a whiff of the wine.  It grows quite well in cooler climates.  In Canada it is one of the grape varieties that we use for making Ice Wine… that yummy delicacy.

This Gewürztraminer-Riesling is considered off-dry, but it has a nice bit of acidity to it, so it isn’t going to taste as sweet as you would think.  There are some floral notes to the wine with a little honeysuckle and lychee and even a wee bit of rose.  The aromas of tropical fruit like mango are noticeable with some lovely peach, as well.   You will have fun pairing this wine with food.

Food Pairing:

  Baked ham; turkey; Thai, Chinese or Indian food; fresh fruit (especially tropical fruit); fish; pork.

CSPC:     738935
Price:

      $12.50 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Next week Richard and I are heading off to Marlborough, New Zealand.  Come join us.

Winery: Sokol Blosser
Location: Oregon, U.S.A.
Alcohol: 12%
Blend: 9 varietals (Evolution); Pinot Noir, Syrah &
Zinfandel (Meditrina)
Tasting: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

How do you spell fun?  We spell it S-o-k-o-l B-l-o-s-s-e-r.  You probably think we are a few bricks short of a load, but you will see what we mean once you read the following info and come by and enjoy the wines on Wednesday.

Sokol Blosser Winery was started by Susan and Bill Sokol Blosser in 1971.  They have taken a forward thinking approach to the land, the winery and the wine.  Not only were they USDA Certified Organic in 2005, LEEDS certified and are Salmon Safe, but they make some pretty fantastic wines.  The two we are talking about and tasting are the “whimsical” Evolution and Meditrina.  Most wines have a vintage on the label (2005, 1994 etc.).  Evolution and Meditrina are a little different.  They have “Editions”.  Evolution is on its “Lucky” Edition (13… but it doesn’t use that number anywhere on the label, only the word “lucky”), and the latest Meditrina is the 6^th Edition.

Evolution was first introduced 13 years ago.  The “fan base” for Evolution is all over North America and Europe.  Why are so many people enjoying this wine?  It has character.  Sokol Blosser Winery states that it wanted to “kick the wine world up a notch or two.”   This is a splendid wine, and not like any other white wine you have sipped.  The blend is a wonderful “merge” of:  Pinot Gris, Muller Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Muscat Canelli, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sylvaner.  Yes… you read it correctly - 9 different varietals.

Sokol Blosser has stated “It was with great intention that we created this off-dry, somewhat tropical wine with a crisp finish to be enjoyed year round.”  When Richard and I have tasted this wine previously there have been a number of interesting comments, but none more interesting than from a couple of ‘I only drink red wine’ customers.  One person said ‘you know I don’t drink whites, because there isn’t much to them.  This isn’t like any white I have ever tried.  There is something to it.’  Another customer commented ‘I thought white wines had no depth to them.  That was before I tried this wine.  There is a ton of flavour here.  This is a white wine I will drink.’

Food pairings for Evolution:

Thai, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Caribbean, and Spanish food (the blend of the spices used in these foods matches so beautifully with this wine); seafood, poultry dishes.

The first thing you will notice about Meditrina is the label.  It is a standout red label with a white stylized “M”.  As you look closer, you will notice an outline of a female.  This profile is of Meditrina, the Roman Goddess of wine.  The label is an eye catcher for sure, but that is not where the ‘standout’ ends.

The wine is a blend of Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel.   Our first thought on this wine before we tasted it was… that is an interesting blend of red grapes.  We weren’t sure what to expect.  What we found was a wine with a lot of red fruit and red berries and a little bit of spice.  One of our first thoughts was - this is going to be very food friendly.  And we weren’t wrong.   Decant this wine for 30 - 60 minutes before drinking.  This will bring out some of the appealing flavours that that each of these grapes brings to the wine.

Food Pairings:

Pasta, pizza, grilled chicken, pork, fish and grilled fish (grilled salmon is very good with this wine).

Price:

Evolution $23.99* (Minus Winesday 10% discount)
Meditrina $23.50* (Minus Winesday 10% discount)

*Price Correct at time of printing. Price subject to change without notice.