WINE DOWN NIAGARA WAYStory and Photo by Pamela A. Campbell It's time to say "Cheers" to Niagara, time to uncork the bottles and start toasting... with Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Riesling, and of course, the internationally acclaimed Ice Wines. The Niagara area boasts wineries that have taken the world by storm and have reaped a gamut of prestigious awards at major wine festivals. Wine-tasting tours are a major attraction for visitors to the region, and seasonal events throughout the year include vineyard tours, biking trips, hiking tours, vineyard theatre productions, live concerts and cooking classes. Nature is the vintner's ally in this area blessed with mineral-rich soil, excellent exposure and a micro-climate ideally suited to growing vinifera grapes, but the rest depends on the winemaker whose creativity borders on science, knowledge and taste. In 1989 Ontario established the Vintner's Quality Alliance, a wine appellation system with stringent requirements recognized around the world as a guarantee of quality wine. PILLITTERI ESTATES WINERY At this family run winery we learn the four elements of tasting - vision, smell, taste and finish. "Although age, color and alcohol viscosity of the wine are important, the sensation on the nose comprises 50 per cent of the tasting," the winery's Connie Slingerland says. "If you don't smell the wine, you're not really going to have fulfillment of the wine. The taste is really just the closing statement." Pillitteri's use American oak barrels from Michigan for their red wines, resulting in a spicy red pepper, black pepper flavor. French oak barrels from Nevier and Alliers are used for Chardonnay and Merlot because the vanilla overtone tends to give the wine a rounder and softer finish, not as spicy or prominent in the mouth. Their 1995 Riesling Icewine won a gold medal at the 1996 Challenge International du Vin in Blaye-Bourge, France then went on to become the first Canadian winery to win the coveted Civart Trophee. HILLEBRAND ESTATES WINERY Since opening in 1982, Hillebrand Estates has won more than 300 medals. The winery promotes "fine wines, great food and good music" as a complete wine country experience, attracting over 175,000 visitors annually. We had lunch at the Vineyard
Café, where Chef Tony DeLuca's creations competed with the picturesque
vineyards for our attention. The venison and apricot pate with sesame
crisps and local baby lettuce won me over. Equally attractive were my Our tutored tasting lesson with tour guide Christine was fun, but informative. One tip I recall, when dining out, is to check for a moist cork, which says whether the wine has been properly stored. STREWN WINERY This small winery produced 15 prize-winning wines last year, including five gold medal awards. The former fruit-canning plant now houses the winery and a cooking school. Winemaker Joe Will and his wife Jane Langdon think their wines should be enjoyed with good, healthy food. Their plans include cooking vacations with guest chefs and a hands-on kitchen for participants, and a new restaurant will soon open on the property. CAVE SPRING CELLARS Located in the town of Jordan, this winery specializes in Rieslings and Chardonnays. They recently won a gold medal at the 1998 Air Ontario Wine Awards for the Dry Riesling Reserve 1995. We sampled their wines at dinner at their On the Twenty restaurant. Chef Michael Olson's P.E.I. Mussels steamed in lager with thyme, shallots and tomatoes and the Radichio and endives in toasted hazelnut vinaigrette whetted our appetites for more of his creations. His rendition of Atlantic salmon with carrot-parsnip Rosti and Shiso Riesling butter sauce was a hit. So was the Grilled Beef Filet with blue cheese Port sauce and pepper toasted walnuts. This was topped off with tea and coffee and dessert selections of lemon poppyseed torte with meringue cap and blueberry sauce and chocolate hazelnut truffle tartlet and vanilla apricot glaze. The finale? Delicious Cave Springs Icewine! We recommend staying at the Vintner's Inn, maybe the Garden Suite with its own private garden on the ground floor. Enjoy the luxury of a king-sized bed tucked in a columned sleeping alcove and a Jacuzzi in the bathroom with heated floors. VINELAND ESTATES WINERY This is the crème-de-la crème location for wining and dining in Niagara. How often can you sip wine, have a great meal and enjoy a panoramic view of Lake Ontario on the horizon as you sit overlooking lush vineyards? Hospitality will always be in style at Vineland if winemaker and general manager Allan Schmidt has his way. "We're in a trade show 365 days a year and our booth is 3620 Moyer Rd. and we want people to come up to the property and experience it," says Schmidt. Chef Mark Picone's artistry extends from the kitchen to the table, a gastronomic delight. The verkades piquante roasted tomato bisque, fresh herbs and Mediterranean splash and the Cookstown tender greens under a Smith Farm chevre soufflé with caramelized onion and sweet pepper coulis were simply delicious. Savoring the slow braised duck confit, cranberries and salad sprout on golden flax/oatmeal cylinder with a "Fines Herbs" vinaigrette was a culinary odyssey of sorts. Likewise, the Riesling steamed fresh Atlantic halibut on St. David's sweet bell pepper linguine, black turtle beans and Italian parsley got rave reviews. The frozen chilly café soufflé, Seville orange marmalade and chocolate coulis looked almost too pretty to eat and the delicious due chef - fantasy on a theme, well, it was too tempting to resist. If you'd like to explore the area, Vineland's Bed and Breakfast cottage is a casual, cozy place to stay. HENRY OF PELHAM This historic family estate winery has gained distinction as specialty winemakers with numerous award-winning wines, but president Paul Speck has plans to expand the winemaking facility to educate visitors about the production of fine wines. This is a wine tour that takes a nostalgic look at the life and times of the Speck family some 150 years ago, but state of the art technology also exists here, resulting in some of the best vintages on the market. A personal favorite, the 1996 Baco Noir, is a hearty, fruit flavored wine, aged to perfection in American oak barrels. For additional information contact travel editor Pamela Campbell at editor@travel-travel-travel.com |
companions' selection of East Coast mussels with smoked chicken and
Malpeque oyster 'gratinee.'