The
New Vintage Festival is a similar structure to the Icewine Festival in January; for $30, you get 6 tastings at any of the participating wineries. Because June was a hectic month, Chris and I split a passport, and spent one Sunday afternoon touring
Vineland Estates, returning to Hillebrand Estates and shopping once again at Tawse Winery. Although Chris and I had never toured Vineland, we knew it was our friend Carrie's favourite stop on the wine route and now we can see why.
The winery entrance takes you through the combined wine boutique / gift shop which is definitely on the higher end, not to mention eclectic end, of those we've visited. It's a fun one to just wander around, and when you're done, head up to the market area in the loft. There you'll find an impressive assortment of fresh local cheeses and meats, including bresaola. That's a big deal, as this is the only store in Ontario I've found that regularly keeps it on hand, and I've been looking for 3 years! The market's shelves also offer an array of high quality oils and vinegars.
The festival tasting was set up in the production facility. We tasted two chardonnays, the 2011 Unoaked Chardonnay and the 2008 Chardonnay Musque, which is also unoaked. I previously didn't know that chardonnay musque is actually a different kind of grape; I thought it had something to do with the wine making process. A toasted pita crisp with warmed strawberry-rhubarb compote and Guernsey Girl cheese accompanied the wines. We both liked the musque better than the regular chardonnay, but we're unsure if this is due to the grape or the age. Either way, Chris found it fruitier, and I found is bigger bodied. Although these were not our favourite two Ontario wines, (or even Ontario chards,) we will be back to shop at the market and to dine at its world class restaurant, so I'm sure we'll sample many more of Vineland's wines.
As an unexpected bonus, the server took us through the winery's barrel cellar, giving us a lesson about the kinds of oak used for aging wine. He explained that Vineland prefers French over American Oak. Apparently, oak trees in more northern climates grow slower, resulting in a tighter wood grain, and ultimately having a smoother influence on the wine, often imparting a vanilla like flavour. He suggested that we should look for that flavour in Vineland's reds. He also explained that the odd shaped structure surrounding the barrel cellar is actually a sewer casing; apparently the family that owns the winery is in that line of business, so knew it would provide the optimal temperature and humidity for both the barrels, and for the other treasures stored there. Once you walk to the back of the cellar, past all of the barrels, you can see Vineland's wine library, a selection of its wines dating back at least to the early 1990s. There may have been older ones but we were asked not to pick up any of the bottles as both vibration and body heat can damage the wine. As you can see from the dust on the bottles, it looks like guests have been respecting that rule for a long time!
The New Vintage Festival is a similar structure to the Icewine Festival in January; for $30, you get 6 tastings at any of the participating wineries. Because June was a hectic month, Chris and I split a passport, and spent one Sunday afternoon touring Vineland Estates, returning to Hillebrand Estates and shopping once again at Tawse Winery. Although Chris and I had never toured Vineland, we knew it was our friend Carrie's favourite stop on the wine route and now we can see why.
The winery entrance takes you through the combined wine boutique / gift shop which is definitely on the higher end, not to mention eclectic end, of those we've visited. It's a fun one to just wander around, and when you're done, head up to the market area in the loft. There you'll find an impressive assortment of fresh local cheeses and meats, including bresaola. That's a big deal, as this is the only store in Ontario I've found that regularly keeps it on hand, and I've been looking for 3 years! The market's shelves also offer an array of high quality oils and vinegars.
The festival tasting was set up in the production facility. We tasted two chardonnays, the 2011 Unoaked Chardonnay and the 2008 Chardonnay Musque, which is also unoaked. I previously didn't know that chardonnay musque is actually a different kind of grape; I thought it had something to do with the wine making process. A toasted pita crisp with warmed strawberry-rhubarb compote and Guernsey Girl cheese accompanied the wines. We both liked the musque better than the regular chardonnay, but we're unsure if this is due to the grape or the age. Either way, Chris found it fruitier, and I found is bigger bodied. Although these were not our favourite two Ontario wines, (or even Ontario chards,) we will be back to shop at the market and to dine at its world class restaurant, so I'm sure we'll sample many more of Vineland's wines.
As an unexpected bonus, the server took us through the winery's barrel cellar, giving us a lesson about the kinds of oak used for aging wine. He explained that Vineland prefers French over American Oak. Apparently, oak trees in more northern climates grow slower, resulting in a tighter wood grain, and ultimately having a smoother influence on the wine, often imparting a vanilla like flavour. He suggested that we should look for that flavour in Vineland's reds. He also explained that the odd shaped structure surrounding the barrel cellar is actually a sewer casing; apparently the family that owns the winery is in that line of business, so knew it would provide the optimal temperature and humidity for both the barrels, and for the other treasures stored there. Once you walk to the back of the cellar, past all of the barrels, you can see Vineland's wine library, a selection of its wines dating back at least to the early 1990s. There may have been older ones but we were asked not to pick up any of the bottles as both vibration and body heat can damage the wine. As you can see from the dust on the bottles, it looks like guests have been respecting that rule for a long time!
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