Ask The Wine Ladies… Is Icewine made the same as Sauternes?
DEAR THE WINE LADIES,
My husband and received a bottle of Sauternes as a gift. Our foodie friend Brenda told us it would remind us of our icewine. Brenda told us it is a special and pricey wine, due in part to how it is made. We don’t particularly favor sweet wines, but my mother-in-law is mad for them. So I thought it might be a great treat for Mother’s Day. Is icewine made the same way as Sauternes?
– KRISTY
DEAR KRISTY,
Indeed, a great treat, Sauternes is the “king” of all sweet wines! Sauternes can only come from France and be produced in the Grave district south of Bordeaux. Icewine is not restricted as to where it can be made although Canada is widely considered the authority on this luscious wine – the “Nectar of the Gods” as it is commonly referred to. Both are sweet, complex and delectable!
Both Sauternes and our icewine must adhere to a strict set of regulations as to how they are made, although the rules and methodology of production for the two are entirely different.
What defines Sauternes is “noble rot”. The uniqueness of Sauternes is due to the mesoclimate it enjoys which encourages a very special fungus called botrytis cinerea, otherwise known as “noble rot” to attack the grapes. It is this fungus that causes the grapes to shrivel and rot, and allows a wonderful concentration of tartaric acid and sugar to develop in the grapes resulting in a wine of great complexity. Layer upon layer of rich flavours, honey, mango, flowers, brioche and so on. Ever lasting and age worthy beyond decades, this is Sauternes.
There is one similarity between our icewine and Sauternes. Outside of being dessert wines they are both very expensive to produce. Icewine needs to meet certain conditions in order to be made. For our icewine one of the regulations is that the grapes cannot be picked until the temperature reaches a minimum of -8 Celsius. For Sauternes, it is not about the temperature but rather about this unique fungus that must infect the grapes. Both situations are risky. In Canada, the birds and deer feast on the grapes while winemakers patiently await the freeze, limiting the yield. In Sauternes, the viticulturists must await the infection of noble rot, and occasionally it just doesn’t happen, or it can come very late limiting the yield even more. So patience is a virtue in Sauternes, as it is in Canada!
ATMA White 2015 – “The Cinderella of Greek grapes”. Georgia’s Wine Pick.
ATMA White 2015
Latest wine find from the region of Naoussa in the hills of Macedonia in Northern Greece. In fact Naoussa became the first wine region in Greece to be given its own official appellation title. It was used as the basis for the entire Greek appellation system. The classic Naoussa wine is made from Macedonia’s flagship red-wine grape xyinomavro. Although my wine pick is a white wine, albeit made with this red grape along with the Malagousia white variety.
Described as ‘the Cinderella of Greek grapes’ by some, nearly an extinct variety, it was revived in the 1970’s and is now used extensively in many of the best selling white wines. Beautiful brightish golden in colour, it has a vibrant and seductive nose with light floral notes and those of peach and exotic fruit. On first swirl reminded us of a Torrontes grape or briefly of Viognier, both aromatic varietals as well.On the palate fresh and long and quite full of expression with a lingering aftertaste.
Producer: Thymiopoulos Vineyards
Agent:
Playground of the Gods Showcases Ancient Greece and Thalia Wines. We invite you to join us.
Ask The Wine Ladies – Is the sediment at the bottom of the bottle all right to drink?
DEAR THE WINE LADIES,
At a recent dinner party the hostess noticed a small amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. It looked like tiny pieces of glass. This wine was a white one from Germany. I was a little hesitant to drink the wine however one of the guests assured us the wine was fine and there was no cause to worry. What were those little pebble-like stones and are they really harmless?
– JACKIE
DEAR JACKIE,
You are describing pebble-like stones are commonly referred to as ‘WINE DIAMONDS’ or weinstein. This literally translates to “wine stones’ in German speaking countries. What exactly are they and how did they end up at the bottom of the bottle? These wine diamonds are actually harmless crystalline deposits that naturally separate from wines during fermentation and aging. Potassium acid tartrate, the potassium salt of tartaric acid is the major component of this sediment. The presence of tartaric acid, along with malic acid, are very important in winemaking as they help provide good structure, fruit flavors, crispness on the palate and an increased lifespan of the wine.
The majority of winemakers today recognize that the consumer is alarmed or put off by the presence of these crystalline deposits even though they are harmless. Rather than educating the public, many wineries employ a process called ‘Cold Stabilization’ prior to bottling. This involves chilling the wine to just below zero degrees, causing the potassium bitartrate to crystallize. The wine is then filtered and bottled. Having the wine undergo this process prior to leaving the winery assures a clean filtered wine with no sediment. In cases where the wines do not undergo cold stabilization at the winery, this precipitation of the tartrates could happen during cold weather transport or cold storage conditions in one’s cellar.
Ask The Wine Ladies- What was the 1855 Classification in France?
DEAR WINE LADIES,
My husband and I regularly enjoy a glass or two of wine with our meals with our favourites usually coming from either Australia or California. We never really got into French wines but just recently attended a tasting featuring a couple of wines from Bordeaux and absolutely loved them!
There was one in particular that we both really enjoyed and was within our budget. The name of the wine was Chåteau Larose Trintaudon, Cru Bourgeois. We purchased a couple of bottles to bring to an up coming dinner party and would like to know a little more about this wine including what Cru Bourgeois means? Perhaps a few words on the region of Bordeaux as well. Thanks Wine Ladies.
– Elizabeth
DEAR ELIZABETH,
Welcome to the world of French wines and to one of the most famous wine regions in the world, considered by many to be the greatest region for producing fine wines. Still till today the wines of Bordeaux are also seen as “benchmark” wines for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines being made around the globe.
Here is a little basic information on the region to start. Bordeaux is located in the southwest of France and is actually a very large wine growing region, which produces over 900 million bottles annually. The Gironde River basically divides the region, with the chateaux on the left side referred to as the “Left Bank” producing wines predominantly with the grape Cabernet Sauvignon, and those on the right, or Right Bank with a focus on Merlot. 
The Chåteau Larose Trintaudon you enjoyed comes from the Left Bank. Bordeaux produces both white and red wines with the majority – 90% being red.
Unlike the new world wine regions that state the grape, whether a Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet etc…on the label, the wines of Bordeaux do not. Bordeaux wines are typically blends which for the red can include any or all of the following; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, used much less today than in the past. One of the pivotal times in the history of Bordeaux and her wines was the famous 1855 Classification of the wines, a ranking system initiated by Emperor Napoleon the 3rd which still influences today’s market. A total of 58 Chateau were selected, four 1st Growths such as Chåteau Lafite Rothschild and Chåteau Margaux. The list included 12 seconds, 14 thirds, 11 fourths and 17 fifths. It is an interesting story how this all came about, should you decide to delve into it a little further.
Of course there are so many incredible Bordeaux wines to explore and enjoy, wines of suburb quality and at great value including the one you mentioned that we too were very impressed with, Chåteau Larose Trintaudon. The origins of this domain go as far back as 1719 but it was in 1817 that the vineyard was first planted on a gravelly hillside with a terroir that proved to be exceptional for the Bordeaux varietals. Today Chåteau Larose Trintaudon is one of the largest vineyards in the Medoc both in size and production and is recogn ized in the world over as a top quality Cru Bourgeois. The Chåteau was also one of the very first to earn this recognition to be classed as a Cru Bourgeois in 1932 of which the company is very proud. Chåteau Larose Trintaudon also owners of Chåteau Larose Perganson and Arnaud are one of the pioneers in Bordeaux in terms of practicing sustainability and have been credited with the highest evaluation in sustainability and earned the label “Responsible Vineyard” as one of the leaders in France.
Our appreciation and enjoyment of the wines Chåteau Larose Trintaudon and the Perganson has lead us to invite the Winemaker and CEO of the company Franck Bijon, from Bordeaux to join us here and lead a spectacular Winemakers Dinner. We invite you to join us on February 22nd for what will be an incredible four-course dinner created by Chopped Canada winner Executive Chef JohnRoss Woodland of Noble Bistro. Featuring these fabulous wines and a quintessentially French pastry the macaron, both sweet and savoury,this will be an evening to remember. For more details visit www.thewineladies.com
Ask The Wine Ladies- Can you tell us about the Valpolicella,Veneto?
DEAR WINE LADIES,
We used to drink Valpolicella from Classico quite a few years back. Recently we came across one you mentioned on one of your shows. The Negrar Ripasso which we very much enjoyed. I’d like to know a little more about this wine and the region. Thank you Wine Ladies!
– Jackie
DEAR JACKIE,
Vino from Veneto…love the wines, love the region! Valpolicella is a wine that comes from the region of Veneto, located in the north east of Italy, home of the “big gun” Amarone and Romeo and Juliet!
When a Valpolicella is classified as a Classico and done in the ripasso method, the wine reaches new heights in flavour, texture, body and aromatics! The designation of “classico” requires the grapes to come from the original Valpolicella production zone. In 1968 this zone was later adjusted.The great majority of grapes used are the same as for Amarone, the Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella varietals although small percentages of a few others are permitted.
The methodology of “ripasso” is an ancient wine making technique used for centuries in Valpolicella wineries, which gives the wine more structure, body and fuller flavour. How? Ripasso” literally means “re-passed”. Amarone is produced using grapes that have been dried for several months. These same skins of those dried grapes are then used for the production of Valpolicella Ripasso. These dried grape skins add body, character, complexity and a boost of alcohol strength.
The Negrar Ripasso Valpolicella Classico is dark ruby red in colour, is seductive in the nose with lush blackberry and black licorice notes and a hint of spice Full bodied, velvety smooth, rich and with a good finish.
Negrar is a cooperative winery founded in 1933 and located in th Classico area of Valpolicella. With 210 farmers/partners producing typical grapes for Vapolicella on a surface of 530 hectares, they are one of the major producers of Amarone, Valpolicella and Ripasso wines.
www.thewineladies.com
As read in Community Captured
Ask The Wine Ladies – Can you recommend a bicycle wine tour to Niagara-on-the-Lake?
DEAR THE WINE LADIES,
We have guests visiting from London this summer and we were thinking about doing a one-day bicycle wine tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake. We’d love to show off a few of our wineries. Just wondering if you’ve done any of these tours and might have some thoughts to share on your experience.
– Alyssa
DEAR ALYSSA,
Yes, we have had the opportunity to enjoy a winery tour on wheels and would highly recommend it. The best way to share our thoughts on this is by recounting our personal tour experience of last summer.
We booked through GRAPE ESCAPE WINE TOURS. They were kind enough to give us a personalized guided “ride”. Grape Escape Wine Tours has been awarded the TRIP ADVISOR’s Certificate of Excellence for 5 years running. It is family owned and operated and obviously do a fabulous job. They offer a great variety of guided wine tours for single participants, small groups, larger groups, either on foot, in a vehicle or on a bicycle.
HERE IS OUR STORY…
What a glorious day for a bike ride. The sun is shining brilliantly, there is a gentle cool breeze wafting through the trees and my shorts fit! Hallelujah! Niagara wine country here we come for our inaugural, abbreviated bicycle wine tour – we are excited!
It’s been a very hectic summer thus far and we are looking forward to experiencing a little relaxation, sunshine, stunning scenery, some wonderful wines, and just a tad of exercise. We are teaming up with Grape Escape Wine Tours for a private and privileged tour, on which we’ll visit three wineries, to sample a red wine, a white wine and an ice wine. The plan is to have a full facility tour at one of the wineries and enjoy a wine and cheese tasting to close off the afternoon. On this excursion, we will peddle close to 8kms at a leisurely pace, returning to our base camp in just under 2.5 hours.
For those who might like to consider a bicycle wine tour, the typical Grape Escape Wine Tour “afternoon bicycle tour” is lengthier. It is closer to 5 hours (12kms) and includes 4 wineries instead of our 3.
Our rendezvous point is Kurtz Orchard Farm & Marketplace where we are to meet our guide, get fitted with our bikes and our helmets. It turns out Kurtz is the perfect place to meet. The grounds are beautiful with an abundance of lush greenery, towering trees, glorious wild flowers, a quaint bridge over looking a small pond… the setting is an inspiration and quite suitable for even Monat or perhaps Sisley! We are feeling relaxed and invigorated already. Jacquie who will be our guide and we love her right from the start. She is full of zest, she suits us up, we test drive the bikes – it is all systems go.
Off along the Niagara Parkway we go full of enthusiasm.
There is a sense of the local beauty and bounty NOTL has to offer, with vineyards in view and fruit orchards dotted along the way, with rows upon rows of pear trees running parallel to our path. After a relaxing and scenic several kilometer ride, we arrive at our first winery. Here is a snapshot of the 3 wineries we enjoyed on our tour. This may or may not be the itinerary for the next group, or individual’s tour, as Grape Escape Wine Tours has a broad roster of wineries that they mix and match accordingly. They also have introduced several new tours this year including their “Ultimate Wine, Beer & Foodie Bicycle Tour”, as well as their “Wine, Beer & Tapas Vehicle Tour”.
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. Next month we will report on the 3 wineries we visited – Inniskillin Wines Inc., Pondview Estate Winery and FrogPond Farm Organic Winery. Stay Tuned!
thewineladies.com • tourniagarawineries.com
As read in Community Captured