UPDATE - Waterfront BIA

HarbourSide UPDATEP a g e 13GLEN’S WINE COLUMNPhilosophy of Wine: PartII – Weekend WinesLast month I discussed mythree categories of wines –‗everyday‘ wines, ‗everyweek or weekend‘ winesand ‗special occasion‘wines.Everyday wines are simple,straightforward and uncomplicated.You open them upand serve them without givingthem too much thought.Every week wines are alittle more serious. Theywill have bigger bolder flavoursand will be morecomplicated than everydaywines. They will also cost alittle more but they are moreexpensive to make due tothe differences in the waythe wines are produced.Grape vines, if not controlled,will produce anabundance of sweet grapesthat have very little flavour.The winery, on the otherhand, is interested in havinglots of flavour so they willdecide how many bunchesof grapes the vines shouldproduce. For entry-levelwines, the vines will bepruned to produce betweenfive and ten tons per acre,while the crop will be furtherreduced to three to fivetons per acre for the weekendwines. When the croplevel is reduced, the grapesthat are left on the vines getmore of the nutrients so theflavours become more concentratedbut you get fewerbottles of wine.In the winery, the everydaywines are fermented in steeltanks and then left to maturefor four or five months inolder barrels before bottling.Every week wines are alsofermented in steel but thenthey are aged eight to 12months in one- and twoyear-oldbarrels. The longeraging allows the wine todevelop more flavours andaromas, or more complexity.All this extra time andextra handling raises productioncosts but the wine ismore interesting.Here are a few wines that Iwould consider as weekendwines. They are all availableto order from the winerywebsites.Calamus Estate WineryStarstruck 2007 VQAVinemount Ridge - $19.95This off-dry sparkling wineis made from Riesling andhas a sweet nose of yellowapple and lime citrus, withsome aromas of fresh breadcoming from the soft bubbles.The flavours also showsome green apple and somelemon-lime notes. This winewould be popular with peoplewho find most sparklingwines too harsh on theirpalettes as this one is quitesoft in the mouth. This sparklerwould be welcome atany get-together.Featherstone Estate WineryCanadian Oak Chardonnay2009 VQA TwentyMile Bench - $21.95This is a ‗wild ferment‘Chardonnay which meansthat the winemaker didn‘tadd yeast to the juice. Afterhand-picking, the grapeswere crushed and the winemakerwaited to see whatwould happen with the naturallyoccurring yeasts thatare on the grape skins.Although risky, the flavoursthat develop during the wildferment are worth it. Thebuttery rich aromas and flavoursfeature soft apple andvanilla with a hint of pineapplewith some woody oaknotes. This would matchwell with a soft creamy Brieor pan-fried trout with analmond-butter sauce.Niagara College TeachingWinery Cabernet Sauvignon2007 VQA Niagaraon-the-Lake- $18.95The hot summer of 2007 isreflected in the forwardnessof the aromas of dark redfruits, smoke, toasted oakand spice in the nose of thisCabernet Sauvignon.While soft on the palate,there is sufficient acidity tobrighten the flavours ofblack currant and darkplums, carrying through tothe finish and leaving cranberryand strawberry lingeringon your tongue. Servethis with lamb, big, juicyburgers or steak.Written by :Glen Siegel, ISGNOVEMBER 2011