Teaching Winery - Top Five Wines for Summer

It is official--summer has finally arrived! Along with the sizzling hot weather, the summer season brings with it the opportunity to get together with family and friends for backyard barbecues, patio parties and the enjoyment of food and drink.

Here are my 'Top Five Wines for Summer' produced here at Niagara College Teaching Winery that are guaranteed to be a hit at any backyard bash this summer.

2007 Unoaked Chardonnay

A very light white wine with beautiful aromas of citrus and pear. Flavours of green apple and fresh lemon dance on the palate and concludes with crisp and refreshing finish.

Try this wine with grilled scallops, shrimp or crab.

2008 College White

A Chardonnay/Vidal blend offering aromas of peach and orange blossoms. This wine is nicely balanced, with mild acidity and offers flavours of tropical fruit on the palate.

Try this wine with grilled shrimp with pineapple salsa, mango salad or enjoy on its own on a sunny patio.

2008 Pinot Noir

This Pinot provides aromas of black cherry and earth, followed by flavours of cherry and vanilla bean. Light-medium bodied, with smooth tannins and a lingering finish.

Try this wine with cedar plank salmon, served with grilled portobello mushrooms.

2006 Merlot

With aromas of plum and black cherry, this Merlot offers firm yet ripe tannins and flavours of blackberry and currants. Nice finish.

Try this wine with a grilled pizza.

2007 Cabernet Franc
This rich Cabernet Franc has an expressive nose of blackberry jam and creme de cassis. It is medium-full bodied, with firm yet supple tannins. Flavours of black fruit, baking spice and black licorice coat the palate, with a pleasant balance between fruit, tannin and acidity. Lovely finish.

Try this wine with homemade hamburgers or grilled steak.

We hope that you enjoy the summer season with some fantastic food and wine!

Cheers everyone.

Award Winning Wine: 2007 Dean's List Meritage

We are proud to announce that our 2007 Dean's List Meritage won silver recently at the 2010 Ontario Wine Awards. This powerhouse Meritage also won Double Gold at the All Canadian Wine Championships in May.

This Meritage is a part of the unique Canadian Oak Project which was developed in an effort to define the distinct characteristics of Canadian Oak, and its use, including flavour profiles and terrior inherent in this unique barrel style.

This complex Meritage offers black currants, plum and cedar on the nose, with flavours of cassis, dark chocolate and blackberry. It is full bodied, with a strong tannic structure and concludes with a long and lingering finish.

The blend for this Meritage consists of 42% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. The wine was aged in French, American and Canadian Oak barrels. Around 300 cases were made of this unique wine.

Try this wine with braised short ribs, new york strip steak or grilled veal chop.

Available for tasting and purchase at the Wine Visitor + Education Centre.

The Great Debate: Does Stemware Really Make a Difference?

For the summer season, we are featuring Mini Seminars every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. These interactive seminars allow our guests to learn about varying topics ranging from stemware, to wine closures, to vineyard management.

This month we are delving into the great debate of stemware and asking the question..Does Stemware Really Make a Difference? This seminar will allow guests to conduct interactive and comparative tastings of four wines in four different types of stemware.

It has been found that the shape, size and make-up of glassware can make a dramatic difference in expressing the true aroma, taste and sensation of wine consumption. Specific types of glassware are designed to allow the wine to express the proper aroma, and land properly on the palate to reveal the true personality of the wine.

Wine is an extremely expressive beverage, and the key is to find balance between it's qualities such as fruit, acidity, tannin and alcohol. It has been suggested that a wine glass is more than a glass, it is a vessel that allows the consumer to receive full enjoyment from their wine.

For our seminar we are featuring an aromatic glass, a burgundy glass, a Bordeaux glass and a dessert wine glass.

Aromatic:

Aromatic Whites tend to be higher in acidity, therefore, the shape of the glass directs the wine to the front of the palate. This shape accentuates the fruit characteristics of the wine, and de-emphasizes the acidity. This should help create a nice balance. The aromatic glass is also designed to emphasize and showcase the beautiful aromas of the wine.

Burgundy:
Burgundy glasses are fantastic for lighter-fruitier reds with medium tannin and higher acidity. This glass directs the wine to the tip of the tongue which will accentuate the fruit, and de-empasize the acidity of the wine.


Bordeaux:
This type of glass is designed for heavier bodied red wines with lower acidity and higher tannin. The size of the glass allows the wine to essentially 'decant' within the glass as it has a larger surface area which allows oxygen to get to the wine. The shape of the glass directs the wine to the mid-palate which creates a nice balance of fruit, tannin, alcohol and acidity.

Dessert:

Using Icewine as an example (which is a sweet dessert wine), the glass is designed to direct the wine past the sweet receptors (which are at the tip of your tongue) and hit the mid-back palate. This creates a nice balance between fruit, alcohol and acidity.

We are holding these seminars for two more weekends on June 19/20 and 26/27. There is limited seating so we ask you make reservations by calling 1-905-641-2252 ext 4070.

July Mini Seminar:
Everyone needs closure right? Wine is no exception. Without the proper closure a wine can lose all of it's distinctive characteristics that make it stand out in the vast world of wine.

Join us as we conduct an interactive seminar as we investigate why cork is not always the perfect answer and what other options are available today for wine closures.

Seminar is complimentary for wine club members.

Limited Seating Available

R.S.V.P to winestore@niagaracollege.ca or to 905-642-2252/ext 4070

For more information visit our website @ nctwinery.ca

Until next time,

Cheers.