Niagara-on-the Lake … glorious afternoon for a little wine, a “Vidal pizza” and a Vidal truffle!

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Niagara-on-the Lake … glorious afternoon for a stroll, a little wine, a “Vidal pizza” and a Vidal truffle!

Taking the ride down to NOTL for a morning meeting ended up being the perfect excuse to stay on, enjoy a light lunch, take in a couple of wineries and explore our FIX for chocolate!

First post-meeting stop was for a bite to eat. We decide on The Old Winery Restaurant, which we know immediately was a good choice based on the fresh thin crust pizzas we see exiting the wood burning oven and the waft of enticing smells that surround us.

Just as we are seated outside on the patio, our server promptly arrives with a smile, the wine list and menu.

Photo of Susanne holding up the wine list

Shawna, is awesome! Our choice for pizza is the Vidal, tomato sauce, blackfigs, pancetta and fiore di latte and honey Dijon drizzle. What’s fiore? It’s a wonderfully flavorful and software type of mozzarella also made from cow's milk, super delish!

Pic here of us sitting without the pizza yet

The Vidal sounds amazing! But what about the wine? This is the Old Winery Restaurant with a good selection of wines by the glass to choose from too.

Georgia ‘s thinking Pinot Noir and Susanne a Shiraz

pic of Shawa showing the Cattail Creek Estate Pinot Noir

Cattail Creek Estate Winery Pinot Noir 2009 VQA Four Mile Creek -very aromatic, red cherry with plum, lively and spicey.

Creekside  Estate Winery – Shiraz  2009

Black raspberry and plum, spicey with notes of oak and vanilla

pic here of Creekside

Our "Vidal Pizza" arrives, doesn't it look to die for?

pic of pizza here

 

Aruba Winemaker, The Wizard, Vincente Kock

Aruba winemaker, Meet The Wine Wizard, The Wine Ladies TV

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Aruba a paradise of sandy white beaches, sparkling turqoise waters, amazing food and wine!

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Aruba beckons… although small in size, just 30 km long and 8 km wide, this stunning Caribbean island is big on beauty, with long stretches of white sandy beaches, sensuous sparkling turquoise waters and gentle trade winds that caress and cool the skin while enjoying the rays of the tropical sun. We are returning to this incredible island, after many, many years, as our father’s identical twin started the very first hotel here, called the Manchebo Beach Hotel.  Aruba has become an incredibly desirable destination with so much to offer and to celebrate including an annual Wine, Food and Art Festival, held at The Westin Resort and Casino, Aruba right up our alley!

Watch The Wine Ladies TV and our adventures in Aruba here.

We look forward to a having an awesome week of a little R&R, some fun and some seriously yummy eating…accompanied by some fine wines of course!  All this with our friends, a group of five fun loving ladies who also happen to be quite the foodies!

`Aruba Good Morning in over 100 languages! WOW

We are welcomed by broad smiles and happy faces with an aim to please. The native “Aruban”  speaks three to four  languages, is friendly and engaging, “bon bini” is how you are greeted, followed with Bon dia, Bon tardi, and Bon nochi as the sunset approaches. This is the vocab from the local language here, Papiamento, a creole language derived from African languages and either Portuguese or Spanish, with some influences from Amerindian languages, English and Dutch. We met one local, Romeo who could say this in almost any language known to mankind! Check out this talented man here. It’s pretty cool!

Aruba… One Happy Island

We will soon discover, there is definitely fabulous food here, and they even have a  winemaker on the island, sought after by international media, knocking on the barrel cellar door, anxious to discover and sample the wines made here in such an arid climate. How does he do it? Vincente Kock of Vino Vince, located in Santa Cruz, Aruba.

Vincente explains how he became the Wine Wizard during our interview.

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The Wine Ladies Wine Pick, It’s amore! Or is that Amarone?

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Not quite, but it is a “Ripasso” which referments Valpolicella Classico on dried Amarone grapes. The result deeper colour, bigger body, more intense flavour! Our Wine Pick, the Remo Farina Ripasso 2009 Valpolicella Classico Superiore. Look for cherries and spice on the nose, good length,full flavour. Really enjoyed with our pork loin and grilled veggies. Lots going on in the glass, great value for $16.95 (Ontario) @TheWineLadies

 

TINHORN CREEK, Oldfield Series Pinot Noir 2008…. South Okanagan Valley, BC, The Wine Ladies Pick

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Had the palate pleasure to enjoy this PinotNoir, with one of our favorites, sockeye salmon on the BBQ!  Great, never mind good Pinot Noirs are routinely more difficult to find, at a reasonable price point than most other mainstream grape varieties. Here, no shrinking violet, this Pinot delivers big black cherry, vanilla and a touch of spice on the palate while clocking in at 13.9% alcohol. Aged one year in French oak and three years in bottle, good weight, complexity, flavour and finish.
 
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards has been owned and operated by the Shaunessy and Oldfield families since 1993. The winery is located south of Oliver, BC, in the famed Golden Mile wine-growing district.
Tinhorn Creek sources fruit exclusively from its own vineyards: 150 acres of prime land on two very distinct benches.
The 100-acre Diamondback Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench and the 50-acre Tinhorn Creek Vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench. Winemaker Sandra Oldfield, produces the Oldfield Series from grapes carefully selected at harvest and hand crafted in the cellar.  Enjoy! @TinhornCreek @TheWineLadies
 

Daily Wine Pick; Ooh la la, this Voluptuous Viognier has oomph! From Napa Valley’s Stags’ Leap Winery

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This 2011 Viognier reminds us how much we love luxurious, full bodied, aromatic and seductive wines, particularly when the nose presents itself with a summer blend of peach and melon and fresh flowers. Swirl and sniff, then delight in a mouth filling delectable flavor suggestive of fresh apricot, more peach, hint of grapefruit backed up with freshness and bright acidity ending with a lingering finish.

Stags’ Leap Winery is one of California’s earliest wine estates, dating back to 1893. It is seven miles north of Napa on the valley’s eastern side and has 90 acres of vineyards planted. Long established as a winery true to its terroir Stags’ Leap is known for its elegant wines and intensity.

For years the winery included a small amount of Viognier in their Petite Syrah and only produced a tiny amount of Viognier for family and friends. We are so glad they decided to share with the rest of us, and have now been releasing this deliciously fresh and fragrant wine for over ten years. Locally available in Ontario $34.95 @thewineladies @Wine_Ambassador www.stagsleapwinery.com

 

2012 BUICK REGAL eAssist, The Wine Ladies Zip n Sip Adventure

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It’s an exciting day, new experiences await us; as we hit the road in our new sporty Buick Regal eAssist, http://www.gm.ca/gm/english/vehicles/buick/regal/overview which we are test driving and loving already. On the road to the “South Coast” an upcoming wine region, soon to be Ontario’s newest designated viticultural area, we are headed for an exhilarating day of adventure for not only our palates, but our body and soul too!

On a mission to experience first hand the excitement and rush of zip lining and rappelling, followed by a luxurious lunch and beautiful wine tasting at Burning Kiln Winery. http://www.burningkilnwinery.ca/  If all goes according to plan we’ll be leading a tour here sharing this unique adventure and culinary treat.

It’s a two-hour drive from Toronto, we fill up the tank and our coolers and drive in style, with the tunes rocking and the AC purring and keeping us “tres cool”! Our GPS set to Long Point, on the north shore of Lake Erie, where our adventure will take place, designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

Our action-packed excursion begins at Long Point Eco-Adventures http://www.lpfun.ca/  offering up unique and exciting experiences including breathtaking zip lines, rappelling, mountain bike tours, kayaking and more.  We are greeted by our two guides Adam and Dillon, who have laid out the necessary apparatus for us to suit up, complete with harness and helmet. This zip lining is serious business, with clips and buckles being checked, double checked and checked again.

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CEV Late Harvest Vidal

Cookies for Canada Day… Oh so good! Spiced just right and served up to our delight with Colio Estate Vineyards Late Harvest Vidal, a wine pick of The Wine Ladies

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We hope you all had a fabulous celebration with friends, family, fine food and wine, in honor of our nation’s 145th birthday! We sure did, and totally enjoyed with our dessert sipping on Colio Estate Winery’s Late Harvest Vidal, Ultra Premium VQA.

 
A little sweetness is always welcomed, whether in the glass or on the plate, or both!
 
A perfectly delightful pairing we enjoyed was the CEV Late Harvest Vidal; with an assortment of freshly baked cookies including spiced ginger cookies and mouth watering almond biscuits! The wine gives up a yummy bouquet of apricot and peach, with a touch of honey on the palate. Well chilled and exuberantly received by our flag waving, fellow Canucks enjoying this wine from Lake Erie North Shore. www.coliowinery.com for more info
$9.85 for 375 ml.