Ridge Road Estate Winery Niagara Peninsula

Located on top of the Niagara Escarpment this winery makes a variety of wines that we enjoyed very much.

Lacey Estates Winery Prince Edward County

I had forgotten we had visited this place and then recall how nicely we were welcomed when we were there. It was well worth visiting.

Reimer Vineyards Niagara on the Lake

A very nice little winery we visited. Check it out

Flavour Balancing the Full story

Sweet foods make a wine taste stronger, Sour foods make a wine taste milder has been the mantra of this site over the last decade. I have conveyed this concept based on the information that was publicly available but there was no where to go to find out all the effects of flavour balancing attempts on food and wine.
Recently I have had the opportunity to learn about all the effects and now I will give my take on it.
Before doing that, I just want to say that these are "generally established" principles and is not a guarantee that every person will experience the same thing in every instance. It would be fair to say that most people will experience most of the same effects most of the time.

Generally food will impact the taste of wine more than the other way around and the result will more often than not be negative.

Sweetness in Food

A taster will realize an increase in acidity and bitterness. They may also experience an increase in "alcohol burn". The fruit in a dry wine can be decreased and become unpleasantly acid. Generally a wine with a higher level of sweetness can prevent this.
A taster will realize a decrease in body, fruitiness and sweetness in a wine.

Umami

This is a delectable taste that is hard to isolate. It's distinct from other tastes. It is a Glutamate and found in Monosodium Glutamate (this is mixed with salt though). Foods that contain high amounts of it include asparagus, eggs, mushrooms, soft ripe cheeses and aged beef. Cooking methods can offset the Umami effect (ie cooking in salt water).
The effect on wine is exactly the same as sweetness, a taster will realize an increase in bitterness and acidity and alcohol burn and realize a decrease in sweetness body and fruitiness.

Acidity

A taster will realize and increase in fruitiness body and sweetness and a decrease in acidity. Foods with some acidity can balance a high acid wine and increase it's fruitiness. On the other hand low acid wines and high acid foods will put the wine out of balance and make it too sweet for a lot of people.

Salt in Food

A taster will realize an increase in the body of the wine and a decrease in the bitterness and acidity

Bitterness in Food

When bitterness exists in just the food or wine then the potential exists to balance it with salt or acidity. When it exists in both then all it does is build on each other to multiply the unpleasant effect.

Heat from Peppers (Chemesthesis)

A taster will realize an increase in bitterness, acidity and alcohol burn and a decrease in richness, body, sweetness and fruitiness.
The higher the alcohol in the wine the greater the reaction. Some people may actually
enjoy this and is similar in brain reaction to orgasm. (I am not kidding).

Balancing Extremes

Sweetness: Wine should have as much sweetness as the dish.

Umami: Highly fruity wines should be used with minimum tannin. Otherwise the tannins will become extenuated and a hindrance to the enjoyment of the wine unless salt and acidity can be used without changing the character of the dish.

Heat from Peppers: Wines that have higher sweetness. fruitiness, low tannin and alcohol give the best chance for success.

Other Issues

Flavour Intensity: Balancing wine and food with similar flavour intensity is preferable but sometimes exceptions happen such as light intensity desserts going with intensely flavoured wine (like Ice Wine).

Acid and Fat: A high acid wine cutting through a dish high in oil or fat can provide many with a pleasurable cleansing experience on the palate.

Sweet and Salty: A lot of people also like the combination of salt and sweetness (blue cheese and sweet wine).

Foods that are high in salt and acidity have a much higher success rate with wine in general however there should be caution when high acid food and low acid wines are put together.
Wines that are high in oak and skin tannins with complex flavors and high alcohol can be the most difficult to serve with food. This might not be so much with a Tolerant Taster but could be extremely so for a Sweet Taster.
The exact opposite can be said for unoaked whites that are very dry. If you can identify
a wine food match that you enjoy and then analyze why it succeeds with these principles, then you can find other wines that can bring the same enjoyment.

Dinner

Dinner: Beef Tenderloin, Lobster, Crabs Legs, Home Baked "Fries" and Peas. Wine. Casa Dea Chardonnay, Beronia Rioja Tempranillo 2010, Beso de Vino Old Vine Garnacha 2011

Coopering a dream come true

Here is a video of a gentleman in Prince edward county who has fulfilled his dream to be a fulltime barrel cooper

Why you like the Wines You like the Wines A Review

Listen to it on a new platform Wine Dining Blog Radio

Current Wine Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Colonel McQueen on BlogTalkRadio

Broken Stone Winery Prince Edward County

A new video has been posted for the Broken Stone Winery in Prince Edward County. It can be viewed on the Wine Dining Vlog or Wine Dining Channel. The links for both are across from this post

Hinterland Wine Company Prince Edward County

A new video has been posted for the Hinterland Wine Company in Prince Edward County. It can be viewed on the Wine Dining Vlog or Wine Dining Channel. The links for both are across from this post

The Old Third Vineyard Prince Edward County

A new video has been posted for the Old Third Vineyard in Prince Edward County. It can be viewed on the Wine Dining Vlog or Wine Dining Channel. The links for both are across from this post

LCBO to locate in Grocery Stores

A great move by the Liberal Government. The LCBO will be locating kiosks in grocery stores as well as VQA stand alone boutiques. This already works well with existing kiosks for wineries with grand fathered licenses. The public gets easier access to LCBO product, smaller Ontario wineries could very well get greater public access with Ontario made product and revenues for government will not be lost. A great win win situation          
For more info  click here

Megalomaniac John Howard Cellars of Distinction Niagara Peninsula

A new video has been posted for Megalomaniac Wines on the Beamsville Bench. It can be viewed on the Wine Dining Vlog of Wine Dining Channel. The links are to the right of this entry

Introducing Vinotype Harbour

I am going to try an experiment in social media with the introduction of a new community called Vinotype Harbour. The aim is to create a community of Internet wine entities that are diverse and know about the real facts that play in the influence and completion of our wine preferences. Where everyone from new by consumers to veteran experts can express their point of view to those who agree and disagree in an atmosphere of mutual respect, free from pretension unease and coercion.
(an example might be a blog that writes about fruit wines which are sweet and another on Bordeaux Reds) Your site can be personal or have a commercial aspect as long as there is an ongoing educational aspect to it. (as long as it is wine related._
The way it works is that if you sign on, your content will be sent to Vinotype Harbour where the title of your content and a line or two of what its about will show up on the page. Interested viewers will be directed to your blog or site to see your content  This is called push notification, it will push traffic towards your site and hopefully increase your numbers.
The hope is that all who join will put something called an orb on their site (although it is not a requirement). What this does is show the latest content that has been published  by all members and give everyone a chance to get extra traffic.
There is no charge or cost.  Your content can be written, video, audio or photos as long as its wine related. All submissions have to be screened in order to prevent spam, hate, obscenities, and all the other nasty things that can appear. If everything is legit then this is only a rubber stamp.
Here is what it would look like. I have my stuff on there to demonstrate how it works and looks.
If this is of interest to you send me an email at VinotypeHarbour@yahoo.ca with a link and brief description of your blog or site to see if this is a right fit.

    

The Passing of a County Icon

I was very saddened to hear the news of the passing of Ed Neuser founder of Waupoos Estate Winery. Back in 1998 when reading about the County, Ed's name was one of the first and foremost individuals mentioned that risked his money and efforts to make a go of growing grapes and producing wine in Prince Edward County. I recall visiting the County in 1999 on a Sunday and taking a picture of the Waupoos Winery Pavilion which was in a state of construction. His 2000 chardonnay which was one of his early public offerings is still the best vintage that I have tasted from him even until today. Larry Patterson introduced me to him at a viticulture association meeting in 2004 and he was very gracious when talking to him. He opened a winery restaurant on the grounds  and it proved to be an enjoyable experience when we went for lunch. He sold the venture a few years ago and the new owners have expanded the facilities, however they still operate it in a way where the patron still gets the same enjoyable experience.
I raise my wine glass to him.
Here is an article that goes over some more details of Ed's passing

Let the LCBO Handle it

I applaud the Federal government for freeing up restrictions on Interprovincial sales of wine. It would be really nice to simply go online and order a wine that you discovered and have it sent to you from a winery in another province. The LCBO will still have a final say on how much and what price you will pay for a wine purchased from outside Ontario. Since this is the case, then have the wine delivered to the LCBO branch that is closest to the person that ordered it. In the few cases where distance is a factor, alternate arangements can be made They can add any surcharge necessary to prevent revenue loss (this means to replace lost revenue and not add more than that) and the client can pick it up at their convenience. The LCBO should be compelled not to insist on a minimum order size.

Rockway Glen Golf Course & Estate Winery Niagara Peninsula

A new video has been posted for Rockway Glen Golf Course & Estate Winery Niagara Peninsula. It can be viewed on the Wine Dining Vlog or Wine Dining Channel. The links for oth are on the right of this entry

Aure Wines Niagara Peninsula

I'm a bit tardy with this but a new video has been posted for Aure Wines in the Niagara Peninsula. It can be viewed on either the Wine Dining Vlog or Wine Dining Channel. The links for both are on the right of this entry

North Humberland County Winery closes

I received an email from Ruslands Auction and Appraisals advising that there would be an auction at  Oak Heights Estate Winery in North Humberland County. Looking at the details it showed that everything at the winery was up for auction. After some surfing to confirm the implied closing I did find some mention of the closure although there were no details on what lead to it.
I went to this winery back in 2006 and was very impressed with the grounds and and the service that we had experienced. I had actually thought of having lunch thing to see how things are now but that was not to be.
It's sad that this venture didn't last because it takes a lot of courage to spend the big dollars necessary to establish a winery in an area that tradtionally isn't considered favourable for growing grapes. This site has nothing but the utmost respect and support for this and all attempts to start wineres in Ontario.
Who knows, maybe after this auction I might be commenting on a "Rising Phoenix" in North Humberland County. The auction details can found here:  

What do you have on Tap

You go into a pub and you hear the most common question of what beer is on tap.
Now some pubs are serving wine on tap and it turns out that it is quite effective in keeping it fresh. The wines served are decent quality though meant for immediate consumption. Click the title to get the full story

Cool Vids

I'm always on the lookout for intersting videos about Ontario wine and found this series that explores some wineries that are not large and are unique in their own way.