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Escarpment Magaz ine Spr ing 2012
Oh, don’t you just love the change of seasons? Bring it on!!!
Now is the time to welcome Vitamin D, friends, good food, BBQ’s
and patio wines. I will touch here on some beauties that are per-
fectly wonderful on these warm days and nights with grilled Salmon
steak and of course a gorgeous Pizza Pie and all the many freshly
luscious tastes of Spring. So much fun, I can hardly take it!!
Riesling- France, Germany, Ontario
- Riesling does well in
cool climates and goes quite well with spicy foods. As long as I can detect that
acidity and crisp green apple note I am happy.
Petrol of course comes in there too. Quite a tasting note isn’t it? Funny, when I
began tasting & really thinking about the wine before tasting it, I thought to myself,
“Why in the world would anyone want to smell petrol — one of the aromas in a
Riesling?” Well, it simply is a characteristic of Riesling and that’s that. I have since
grown quite attached to the nose of a good Riesling and would reiterate as above
that Germany, Ontario and Alsace all do them very well.
Try...
Ontario - Cave Spring Estate Bottle Riesling 2008 $17.95
Alsatian Riesling (France)
Domaine Eblin-Fuchs Zellenberg Riesling (Christian & José Eblin) --
is certified organic by
ECOCERT and also fully follow the principals of biodynamism. This always seems
to give people a “feel good” message when they consume wine so I always think
it is a nice selling point to include in any story about wine.
There are aromas of citrus, peach, pear, mineral and apricot. Rieslings can age
anywhere from 3-5 years depending, and are a great pairing with Seafood or
even food with some spice.
Sue Ann Staff Riesling - Vintages LCBO - $17.95-24.95 -
on the sweeter side (semi dry) but
has such a cutting acidity that the tartness and overall flavour and mouth feel is in-
toxicating to me. Very light colour with a typical cool climate green hue. Very aro-
matic with aromas of citrus -- such as lemon juice, lime leaf, followed by minerality,
that is typical of the cool climate in Niagara. The semi-dry, refreshing palate is
clean and fruit driven. Not only does the citrus present itself on the palate, it is joined
by Granny Smith apple, white peach and honey. Zippy and mouth-watering.
Not kidding. This Riesling would be great with poultry, seafood, fish, mild cheese,
or on its own.
NOTE: A good Riesling can get pricey but is worth paying a little more for the com-
plexity of the wine. It is not to say that you can’t find a Riesling for less or any varietal
for that matter, generally, the price does reflect the liquid in the bottle.
Rosé
-
The LCBO does a magnificent job at promoting Rosé during the Spring
and Early summer. I personally feel emotionally lifted just going in to the LCBO
and seeing the advertisements. It truly is just the essence of Spring/Summer.
There are many beautiful Rosés — France, Italy, Argentina and Ontario to mention
a few. For the sake of ease, I will go to Rosés that are easily accessible. I do like to
promote the local Ontario scene as well, so here goes:
Ladybug Rosé - Malivoire - LCBO- Vintages $15.95 -
Ladybug Rosé is a blend of Cabernet
Franc, Gamay, and the remaining 8-9% are other vinifera. The grapes were hand
harvested and sorted to achieve an average sugar level of 21.9° brix - (Perfecto!!)
- soaked on the skins for an average 18 hours—followed by fermenting in cool stain-
less steel and then blended to create this rich rosé. This Rosé goes with just about
everything.
escarpment
EPICURE
TASTING WITH JENNIFER VIPOND
Jennifer Vipond is the owner of Bruce Wine Bar in Thornbury
and is currently enrolled at George Brown for the CAPS
(Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers)