Niagara College Teaching Winery (Day 2 cont'd)

NC Teaching Winery served its 2008 Dean's List Chardonnay with a milk chocolate topped with cashew brittle.  Carrie picked this stop because she prefers whites over reds, and this was one of the few whites offered during Days of Wine and Chocolate.  (I think she'll like May's Wine & Herb tour better.)  I'm not going to comment on the wine because I don't really know Chardonnay well, but this turned out to be one of the better chocolates of the day!


As for the winery, there is not enough parking outside the store itself.  This wouldn't be a problem in nicer weather but I don't want to walk across the street from the College in February.  Also, the sheltered entrance apparently doubles as a smoker's cove and the smell on the way in is quite abrasive.  Inside, though, the circular tasting bar and panoramic windows to the vineyards gave both a welcoming and a professional impression.

The highlight of this visit, though, wasn't actually the wine, but a new product called Ice Syrup.  The entrepreneur who developed this idea was there to demo his product, which is essentially unfermented icewine to be used as a syrup for both sweet and savory dishes.  We tasted both varieties, the vidal and the cab franc.  I liked them both very much, but felt the vidal offered more diversity and could be served as part of an appetizer, entree or dessert.  I'm looking forward to wowing some unsuspecting dinner guests with this one.