Graze the Bench (Organized Crime)

Graze the Bench is a very different wine event from those we typically frequent.  First, only the six wineries on the Beamsville Bench participate.  At each winery, you receive a full serving of your choice of two wines, paired with a light lunch.  The entire event is outdoors, and each venue hosts its own live music.  To top it off, the wineries are (mostly) close enough to walk between, and the new Beamsville Bench Vineyard Trail allows you to take the vineyard filled scenic route rather than the road.  Like most events in Ontario's wine country though, the event was poorly promoted.  We only knew about it because we'd seen the flyers during last year's Wine & Herb festival and knew to watch for it this year.

The Organized Crime Winery

As we approached the wine boutique to buy our event tickets, I grew concerned about my winery choice as some neighbourhood cats had clearly been having a turf war over the surrounding bushes.  Fortunately, though, the food and the band were on the other side of the building, where it smelled much nicer.  As Organized Crime doesn't have its own kitchen, it hosted a food truck, El Gastromundo Vagabundo, who served charcoal grilled chicken with guacamole and hot smoked pineapple habanero hot sauce with herb salad.  The food was yummy, but just a little too spicy for either of the wines - or any other wine I can think of for that matter!

So that we could try both wines on offer, Chris ordered the red and I the white.  The red, a 2011 blend called The Pipedown, went surprisingly better with the food, but it tasted more like sangria than it did a "classic Bordeaux style blend."  Its predominant features are its nose of black pepper, clove and vine-ripened tomatoes, and its already mellowing tannins.  We rated it an 82 without knowing the price as the bottle isn't listed on the winery's web page.  Realistically, I probably wouldn't buy this wine at any price, unless I wanted sangria in the first place!

The white, another 2011 blend  of gewürztraminer and viognier called The Mischief, was much more enjoyable.  Since I agree with the winery's tasting notes on this one, I'll copy them here; "Voluptuous, big and rich in both appearance and on the palate.  Very complex beginning with spice, ginger and a floral hint progressing to a bountiful ripe basket of tropical and stone fruits finishing with grapefruit acidity."  In my own notes, I commented that its a nice balance of crisp but full, and that my mouth was watering near the finish.  At a score of 85, I would pay up to $24 for this wine, which also is not listed on the company's web site.  I also remarked that I would rather have this white blend than those we tried at Stratus for Cuvee.  Overall the winery created a great atmosphere for the afternoon, with the help of a Latin inspired band, Los Caballeros del Son.  The music set a relaxed, festive tone but was not so loud as to prohibit conversation.  For that reason, although we did walk the trail and graze elsewhere, we came back to end our day there.