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THE FRUGAL
OENOPHILE |
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Once Is Not Enough I fondly remember an evening spent with friends who were anxious to show off slides of their recent trip. They had just returned from a 3-week tour of Europe, where they visited their respective ancestral homelands, capping it off with a leisurely trip down the Rhine River. The majority of their slide show was of the last leg of the trip -- tranquil boat rides from one wine-producing village to another, with frequent stops at local restaurants, hotels, wineries, and hostels, where they walked the trails, visited the vintners, and generally revelled in the ambience and idyllic scenery. For most of us, such a trip might be a once in a lifetime experience, if we could afford the trip at all. We might have to be content to do this sort of thing once and then spend our remaining years looking back, remembering our all-too-short journey to one of the world's great wine regions. The wines we sample on any given day would be restricted to those made available by local retailers. Our chances of discovering a treasure at some out-of-the-way winery would evaporate. And how many treasures are lurking out there waiting for some astute wanderer to grab them up? We'll never know, because most importers only bring in the top sellers. Not a very colourful picture and certainly not one that you would develop a slide show around. So while we're dreaming about some past or future wine trip -- about afternoons spent sipping a delightful wine in an open air café overlooking the vineyards -- consider this: most North Americans live within a few hours drive of some sort of wine region. Here in Southern Ontario, we have some exceptional locales to choose from. I can leave my house at 10:00 a.m. and be at any Niagara winery in time for their 11:00 a.m. opening. Pelee Island and Erie North Shore are a bit further, but still under four hours travel time. And I could easily plan a weekend trip around visits to either Erie's South Shore or New York's Finger Lakes region. A visit to a winery is special, but it shouldn't be so special that we only do it one time or once every few years. An afternoon or evening is all it takes to visit a couple of local wineries and enjoy a meal at one of the many nearby or on-site restaurants. And since wineries are popular tourist destinations, the regions typically are rife with special events and attractions. Look for jazz concerts, "champagne" balloon rides, winemaker dinners, special tastings, winery tours, even bird watching in the vineyards. There's a bit of something for everyone. But above all, wineries are about wine - the rest is just a bonus. Now, imagine going to some highly rated wine region, tasting some exceptional wines and then walking away without buying a bottle or two. Oddly this is what many winery visitors do. They seem to have forgotten that a winery is where you get wine. If you taste a terrific wine at a winery, prepare to be disappointed if you decide you'll wait and buy some when you get home. Your local wine shop probably won't have it, and may never have it. The best part about wineries is that they let you "try on" their wines. They hope you'll like them enough to buy. And why wouldn't you? It's a great way to support a local wine industry since there are no middlemen (middle-persons?) chopping away at the profits. But the real benefit is being able to sample a variety of wines, talking to the staff and perhaps even the winemaker, and then buying wine you know you'll like. It's too easy to take for granted those little pleasures that seem too accessible. Why bother visiting the wineries this weekend, or even this year? There's always next year. Besides, isn't imported wine better? I can only speak for Ontario wines. I routinely pit Ontario wines against imported wines of comparable quality and have yet to see a good Ontario wine take a back seat to an import. Given a choice between a good local wine and a so-so imported wine of similar price, there is no contest. So, go to the wineries. Go often. And when you find a wine
you like, buy it. Not some other time, but there and then. My
recommendation is to try to fill a case on each visit. When you
find that treasure, buy three or four bottles. When the case
is full, take it home and add it to your cellar. Then you can
tell your friends you have a cellar filled with hand-selected,
top-rated wines straight from the winery. It's something we in
Ontario certainly need to start bragging about. Winery Etiquette IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO, we're privileged to have some 60 excellent wineries within a short drive of Toronto. Most wineries gladly open their doors to visitors. And since our wineries are such great hosts, it makes sense for visitors to be great guests. So here are a few pointers for your next winery visit. First, find out when visitors are welcome. During "the season," roughly from May to September, you can expect most wineries to have their tasting rooms open and tours regularly scheduled. A phone call to the winery or a visit to their website can tell you whether and when they are set up to receive you. Some will require an appointment for a tour, or even a tasting. Most require advanced notice of a group tour or tasting, and will usually have special arrangements available. Consider scheduling your visit on a weekday. Not only will you avoid the crowds that can be so common on weekends and holidays, but you will stand out. Wineries tend to treat weekday visitors a bit more like guests than tourists. The first thing to do when you arrive at the winery is park the car. You will help the winery and other visitors if you park the way you would like others to park. Stay out of loading zones and driveways, and don't block access to buildings or other parking spaces. Once you're inside the winery tasting room or gift shop, you are under no obligation to the winery. But don't use that as an excuse to be anything less than the ideal guest. If the winery charges for samples (many do), don't complain about it. They just want to stay in business. Also, you are restricted by law to four one-ounce samples. As a courtesy to the winery, don't put them in an awkward spot by asking for special treatment. (My wife and I sometimes get around this by sharing our samples. This way we can try up to eight wines per visit, but rarely do.) Don't forget to be polite to the other guests as well. After all they, like you, are wine enthusiasts. As you travel from winery to winery, be aware of your consumption. That's the reason for the four-sample rule. Don't feel that you need to finish every sample that's put in front of you. You don't want to become dangerous after your third or fourth stop. Don't hesitate to dump what you don't want to drink. Spitting is an option, although there's a good chance you'll be the only one, (and never, ever spit on the floor). The tradition in some wine regions is to drink only one sample, usually the last one, and spit or dump the rest. Unless you're a wine critic and being paid for your opinion, don't insult or otherwise denigrate the wines or the winery. Even if you are a critic, save it for your next column. These are hard working people who are proud of their businesses and their wines. If you don't like what they have to offer, just quietly move on. While you're not obligated to buy anything at a winery, it's a nice gesture to make some sort of purchase. Most will have a decent bottle at the low end of the range, often below $10. You may find an interesting item in the gift shop that would make a good stocking stuffer for someone. Why not start a collection of souvenir wineglasses, one from each winery you visit? And if you fall in love with a particular wine, treat yourself to a bottle or two, or even a case. There's nothing stopping you from partronizing a winery a bit more. Many wineries have good restaurants. You could visit two or three wineries in the morning and then stop at a fourth for a tasty lunch. Above all, enjoy yourself, enjoy the wineries, enjoy the people,
and enjoy our terrific Ontario wines. It's a Matter of Style Most wine grapes have more than one name, but one grape has caused more confusion than any other with just two names. Syrah has gained a reputation for producing rich, full-bodied red wines that have great ageing potential. In fact, some consider Syrah second only to Cabernet Sauvignon in nobility. A mainstay of France's Rhône region, Syrah is the dominant or only grape in Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, and is an important ingredient in both Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe and Côtes du Rhône. Any of these wines will offer a raw-edged richness today, but will mature handsomely over 5 to 15 years in the cellar. If we look instead to New World wine regions, we see a grape called Shiraz. It turns out that this, too, is Syrah. But there is an important difference that can be inferred from the name, as we shall see shortly. The best explanation for the name lies in the grape's history. The vine appears to have evolved in the Middle East and may have taken its name from the city of Shiraz. When the grape emigrated to France, it was re-christened Syrah. However no explanation is available for why it was renamed Shiraz when it made the trip from France to Australia in the early 1800s. The Shiraz grape is ubiquitous in Australia, where it has flourished. Its sheer vigour may account for a profile that was, until recently, quite humble. Australian vignerons didn't take the grape that seriously, and it has been used mainly for low-end table wines and fortified wines. In 1951, Max Schubert, who was winemaker for Penfolds at the time, saw the potential in Shiraz and used it to create Penfolds Grange, a legendary wine that rivals and often resembles the best reds of Bordeaux. Curiously, Penfolds' owners were not keen on Grange and attempted to abandon the wine, but neither Max nor local wine connoisseurs would allow it. More recently, Shiraz has had an easy time of it, with winemakers around the globe making lush, fruit-driven examples at every price point, sometimes blending it with Cabernet Sauvignon. The grape has now set down roots in California, Argentina and South Africa, and even a few wineries in Niagara are trying their hand at it. At its best, Syrah yields a muscular, concentrated and complex wine that can last for years, and deserves to be held until at least its fifth birthday. Along with its trademark aroma of black pepper, the wine can also show burnt rubber, spices, leather, tar, and a variety of red and black berries. New World Shiraz tends to be more fruity and may suggest chocolate. The wine always benefits from some time spent in oak. This hefty wine works well with equally hefty foods. Try it with game, beef in red wine, venison, rich stews, and roast duck or goose. It will stand up to blue cheeses and garlic, yet it can also be enjoyed as a fireside wine. The best way to interpret the name you see on the label is to compare Old World and New World styles. Expect a wine called Syrah to have Old World structure and elegance. The tannin will be harder and the fruit more subtle. It may also need a significant amount of ageing. If it's called Shiraz, it's likely to be fat and juicy, and very fruit-forward: obvious rather than elegant, smoother and ready to drink sooner. You won't often see the grape name on a wine label from France, although there are a few Vin de Pays Shiraz varietals available, these tend to be good value. If you find a New World wine called Syrah, the winemaker is telling you that he or she is trying for an Old World style. Either way, you're in for a treat.
Recently Recommended Shiraz/Syrah Houghton
Shiraz - $ 15.95 Subtle but quite complex; Fat and juicy.
(LCBO 338673) Mondavi
Woodbridge Syrah 1999 - $ 13.95 A good time wine that lacks
seriousness, but that is its strength! (LCBO 594176) St. Esprit Côtes-du-Rhône 1999 - $12.95 Very approachable and a tremendous bargain. (Vintages 729962) From "The Frugal Oenophile's Lexicon of Wine Tasting Terms" Integrated
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