Chateau des Charmes (Day 1 of Wine and Chocolate)

Chateau des Charmes was our final stop on day 1, and ended our search for a cab franc to rival our current favourite. If you haven't already, read more about how the day started. Otherwise, here's how it ended ...

Keep in mind that this was the 5th wine we'd tasted in about 2 hours, which might explain the ensuing confusion. The cab franc we tasted instantly identified itself as a contender to Tawse. We thoroughly enjoyed the taste, enthusiastically chatting about it much more than usual, but all I wrote down was cocoa, prune, bell pepper, and more tannin (compared to Ravine Vineyard). In hindsight, I'm not sure how much of that was describing the taste versus the smell. We promptly decided to buy 2 bottles to consume alongside the Tawse, once in the near future, then once again after a few years, and we were shocked when we got to the boutique to discover that the price on this wine is only $13.95.

Here's the problem; I'm not actually sure which vintage we tasted. When I started writing this, I checked my touring pass to make sure I would get all the names correct.  It lists the winery's 2008 Estate Bottled Cabernet Franc.  Panicked, I ran upstairs to the wine fridge, confirming that we'd actually bought the 2009 instead, but I distinctly remember verifying with the boutique staff that this was what we had tasted.  Then I checked the winery's website, and found that only the 2009 is available for purchase.  So, either Chateau des Charmes was showcasing a wine that it no longer actually sells, or there was a typo in the touring pass.  Either way, the winery has a good reputation for cab franc; I found an exceptional review of the 2007 at OntarioWineReview.com. 

This is definitely a winery worth further investigation, both for its high quality and for its low prices.  Chris also wants me to clarify that my lower ranking for its atmosphere only reflects on how much we liked Pondview and Ravine Vineyard, and not on any defect of Chateau des Charmes.  The estate mansion is both spacious and opulent with several rooms available to host simultaneous functions.  The rooms also function as gallery spaces with local artwork on display and available for purchase.  You might perceive a certain country-club stuffiness, but the staff work to avoid this; there is a greeter at the front door to help navigate the various wings and staircases and our server, a delightfully friendly French-Canadian woman, kept things refreshingly down to earth.

Ravine Vineyard (Day 1 of Wine and Chocolate)

Stop 3 of the day was Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery. Now, apparently one of my three blog followers was disapointed that I didn't give a more detailed explanation of my ranking of Pondview the way I did for Inniskillin, so I'll return to that format as I continue to share our search for cabernet francs comparabe to (but cheaper than) our beloved 2009 Tawse Grower's Blend.

THE WINE - The 2010 Sand and Gravel cab franc was one of many nice surprises of this visit, but Chris and I disagreed about it on many fronts. We both found it fuller bodied than what we'd just had at Inniskillin. Oddly enough though, Chris noticed a hint of tobacco when all I tasted was big purple grapes and juicy black plums. He wanted a cleaner finish but I felt it was just right, as reds with less acidity are supposed to stay longer on the tongue. He said it tasted young, but I pointed out that it is younger than all the others we've tried. We agreed to try it again after a  year or so.

THE CHOCOLATE - Although chocolate covered pretzels just might be the perfect snack, this sweet and salty flavour combination neither added to, nor took away from the flavour of the wine. This might be because the wine's flavours were very accessible on their own and didn't need any help. 

THE VALUE - On one hand, the wine serving was more generous than many others have been. On the other hand, a single chocolate covered pretzel looks lonely.

THE ATMOSPHERE - Overall, it had the same feel as the movie Bottle Shock: elegant but eclectic country with a flair of modern hippy. To park, you drive through the vineyards, past an antique rusted-out truck (on which they apparently barbecue in the summer,) before arriving at two buildings each steeped in history. One, a former packing shed originally built in the 1920s, now houses the bistro and the occasional live music event. The other, a residence originally built around 1802 is home to the wine boutique, the tasting bar, and, in the summer, a gourmet fresh bakery of sorts.

 

THE STAFF - Aside from being friendly, the staff seemed to really like wine, really like people and really like working at the winery. They were eager to tell us about the wines and the company history, without making us feel like we were being sold to.

Pondview Estate Winery (Day 1 of Wine and Chocolate)

Pondview served its 2010 Cabernet Franc Rose with a truffle filled with dark chocolate cranberry ganache. This coral coloured wine carries a sharp, yeasty nose. It has an acidic taste  that bites the front of the tongue, before a sourness hits its sides. Apparently this is called tannin, which I've never been able to identify before. Chris, more familiar with this sensation, called it a mild tannin, noting that it stopped this wine's berry flavours from being too sweet. I did find it tough to identify if that crisp berry flavour was strawberry or cranberry, or both, because of the cranberry in the truffle. Overall, this very refreshing, drinkable wine is a serious contender to replace East Dell's Summer Rose on my wine rack.

The winery itself has a lot of potential, including a wide wraparound porch looking out at the vineyards. The tasting bar runs the whole width of the spa-like interior featuring lots of natural stone and rustic wooden accents, including a cozy fireplace and some bistro tables. It would be a great venue for a cocktail reception, but seems to be underutilized. The winery has no restaurant, and so far as I can tell, the space is not available for rent.

Inniskillin (Day 1 of Wine and Chocolate)

Who knew Inniskillin made something other than icewine? This was our first stop of our Cabernet Franc tour, which I summarized earlier; you can read it here. Now I'll explain the somewhat surprising rankings I gave it. Remember that I ranked each winery from 1 (best) to 4 (worst) on 5 different criteria:

THE WINE - Although the 2009 Three Vineyards Cab Franc had a beautiful aroma, it was quite complex, so hard to define. Chris said dried flowers or pot-pourri, I said maybe leather, the server said hint of chocolate and the winery advertises raspberry, currant and hints of tobacco. I wish I'd read that ahead of time because my first gulp of the wine flooded my mouth  with that woody taste that has me fleeing from cabernet sauvignon. Chris disagreed, and thinks I'm just overly sensitive to the flavour of tobacco.

THE CHOCOLATE - The hazelnut biscotti dipped in dark chocolate was yummy, and not as dry as I'd feared.  (I didn't think you should have to dip the biscotti in wine the way you do in coffee!)  More importantly, the dark chocolate overpowered the tobacco and the wine's flavour changed to spicy raspberry. 

THE VALUE - Although this wasn't advertised in the touring pass, Inniskillin also gave each taster a sample of its 2007 Ruby Reserve Cabernet Franc Icewine.  The wine's dominant flavour of maraschino cherry was apparent from the very first taste.  Chris felt this made it thin or simple tasting.  I thought it was a sign of good aging.  Either way, we found it interesting and enjoyable, but not the usual icewine exemplar that Inniskillin tends to provide.

THE ATMOSPHERE - Had I not wanted to try  this cab franc in particular, we would have driven right past the winery when we saw that the parking lot was crowded with vehicles, including a rather large tour bus.  All tastings were being done in the boutique as the building we'd visited last time was booked for a private function.  Despite Inniskillin's extensive facilities, overall I had the feeling of being herded like cattle.

THE STAFF - Noticing that four different wineries had chosen a cab franc to accompany their assigned chocolate pairing, I asked the server why these two things go so well together.  I was expecting an insightful answer about sugar levels, alcohol content or terroir like those we'd received at Tawse or Magnotta, both who use the festivals as opportunities to educate their consumers.  What I got were lines such as "red wine goes with chocolate," "the wine sort of smells like chocolate," and "then there's the whole Valentine's Day thing."  Now, I have a talent for recognizing when someone is making up an answer; you might say I do it for a living, so I don't appreciate it on my weekends.  As best as I can figure, many cab francs have a note of raspberry in them, and raspberry and dark chocolate complement each other quite nicely.

Days of Wine & Chocolate

This event is slightly different from the icewine festival, which allowed passport holders to visit any 6 wineries from Beamsville to Niagara over three weekends in January.  This touring pass only includes the 28 Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries, but you can visit each of them once and have all 4 weekends in February to do so.  According to the festival's website, touring passes are available only at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce, but en route we discovered you can purchase them at any of the participating wineries.

 We're starting to learn some things about participating in these festivals.

• Dress for what will be comfortable inside the boutiques; I've taken to leaving my coat and other winter-wear in the car. I'd rather be uncomfortably cold for the 30 second jolt across the parking lot than uncomfortably hot for the rest of the visit.
• Bring some water bottles for the car. It's easy to forget that you're consuming 1-2 oz of alcohol at each stop and I've ended a few of these tour days with a wicked headache. I might add Advil and maybe bread or crackers to the packing list too.
• Drive vigilantly. We met a couple today who had toured all 28 wineries in two days without hiring a car service. (Note that we have yet to see a RIDE program and assume that the OPP looks the other way on Niagara's biggest - read "only" - industry.)

We visited 4 wineries today: Inniskillin, Pondview Estate, Ravine Vineyard, and Chateau des Charmes.  Our purpose was to learn more about Ontario's Cabernet Franc, constantly comparing them to the 2009 Tawse Grower's Blend that absolutely wowed us.  Before reviewing any one of these visits, I thought I'd summarize our day, so the table below ranks our experiences at each winery across 5 different dimensions with 1 being the best rank.

	The Wine		The Winery		The Event
	price*	rank	staff	feel***	chocolate	passport value
Inniskillin	$22.95	3	4	4	1	1
Pondview	$15.20	n/a**	3	2	2	2
Ravine	$18.95	2	2	1	3	3
Chateau des Charmes	$13.95	1	1	3	4	4

*By comparison, the Tawse 2009 Grower's Blend Cab Franc was $25.70 per bottle.
**Pondview served a rose; comparing to the other 3 wouldn't be meaningful.
***Overall atmosphere

Tawse Encore

Our actual purpose for visiting Tawse during the icewine festival was to taste, buy, and lay down its 2009 pinot noir after reading some very favourable reviews. I must admit I know very little about this grape; my experience with reds centres on cabernet sauvignon. Unfortunately after drinking a bottle of 2006 Liberty School not too long ago, all I can taste in these anymore is tobacco. So, after hearing that Ontario's 2009 pinot noir harvest was exceptional, I've been stocking up to learn about a new red. (Currently we're sitting on 2 bottles of Angels Gate, 2 from Flat Rock and 1 from Tawse.)

My initial impressions of pinot noir included a flowery smell and some berry flavours, but not overly sweet berries. (I know that's not very descriptive but I already told you I'm new at this)! Chris and I both laughed when we realized how well this wine would have paired with last night's dinner; under the mistaken impression that all rieslings go with all salads, I served a less-than-perfect combination that you can read about on our guest's blog, Zippy Sauce.  Because the salad had peppery flavours like arugula and radicchio, it needed a red to stand up to them, but a lighter red so as not to overpower the goat's cheese.  Being used to bigger, heavier reds, I noticed what at first I thought was a watery or thin body, but then realized that's what makes this wine much more drinkable on its own as opposed to with a meal.  I asked the server if it would get fuller with age and she said no, but that I could expect the flavours to blend more, bringing out the earthy undertones.

Based on my comments, we were also offered a taste of the winery's not-yet-released 2009 Grower's Blend Cabernet Franc.  Right away the difference in colour was apparent, the pinot noir being a ruby red but the cab franc more of a purple.  (I foolishly thought this explained the label colours!)  Although the flavours were similar to the pinot, the flavour was both fuller and smokier.  My wine encyclopedia tells me that cab francs are "slightly softer and less rich in tannin" than their cousin, the cab sauvignon.  I loved this wine right away, bought 2 bottles and now have a different "new red" to get to know.  Apparently it goes well with chocolate because this months Days of Wine and Chocolate tour in Niagara features 4 different wineries offering this pair.  We'll be visiting them next weekend and are looking forward to seeing the variety of tastes this grape has to offer.

2012 Niagara Icewine Festival (6 of 6)

Final stop: Magnotta Winery

We saw Magnotta as a learning opportunity as it offered a 'horizontal' tasting of 3 dessert wines, each made with vidal grapes harvested at different times of the season. (On a side note, we had only recently tried a regular harvest, table wine vidal for the first time, a 2009 Pelee Island Winery Vidal Monarch. We really enjoyed experiencing the vidal flavour without the concentrated sweetness of dessert wine, since its sugar level is only 1.) By comparison, Magnotta's first offering was its 2010 Harvest Moon Vidal, with a sugar level of 7. It's a fun wine, very fruity with an acidity that bites the tongue like limonade, an Italian blend of carbonated water and lemonade. They served it with a creamy brie that cut right through the sweetness and acidity to reveal a pleasant banana flavour. Anyone who likes pink wine would like this one!

Next up, instead of a late harvest, was a vidal passito with a sugar rating of 10. Passito is an Italian dessert wine that concentrates the juice by letting the grapes bake in the sun, instead of waiting for them to freeze as with icewine. That's probably why I found the predominant taste to be of gold, juicy raisins. Chris categorized it as "sherry made from vidal grapes". It was served with fontina cheese, and the salt affected this wine just like the cream did the last one, by breaking through the sweetness and the high alcohol content. Finally, we sampled the 2007 vidal icewine, a 23 on the sugar scale. It opens with a taste of honey which gives way to dramatic peach and apricot flavours; if you have this bottle, drink it now because it wont develop any more than this. Chris even thinks it's reached its cooking years, and suggests using it in a marinade, a salad dressing or over ice cream. (I'm not sure he's ever tried any of those things before, but they all sound like good ideas!)

So we left empty handed.  As for Magnotta's wine store itself, the phrase "lipstick on a pig" comes to mind. The floor space is divided between carefully arranged displays of icewines and utilitarian shelving to store its large stock. They seem to keep bottles of everything they make on hand, and they make a lot; local grape varieties, imported grape blends, aperitifs, iced fruit wines, and port. You can even buy wine making supplies, or stock up on its most popular labels in 4L boxes! The signage and shelf cards are not overly helpful, acting more as an inventory management system than a marketing tool. The tasting bar and cash register area are filled with high margin kitsch, but I admit I was impressed at their selection of Riedel glasses. Even the private tasting room for the festival was awkward, as other customers would inadvertently walk in but then get shooed out by the server.  The next time I taste Magnotta wines will be at the LCBO.