A Short History of Wine in Niagara The history of wine in Niagara is short measured by the time scale of the wine world, which is in centuries. Its history has been the most interesting starting in the 1970s and 1980s. It transformed from producing low quality wine using native Labrusca grapes such as Concord to hybrids like Marechal Foch,…
Wine reviews and thoughts on local food from the Farmer’s Market
With the heat kicking in, the lighter, fresher wines that can be served cooler are more appealing. Our food and where we eat shifts as well; we eat more light foods like salads and we dine outdoors more often. Light to medium bodied sparkling, reds, roses and whites are more attractive to drink alone or to pair with dinner while sitting out in the sun.
Inniskillin is a winery that played a pivotal role in transforming the Ontario wine industry.
Is there sugar in red wine? It’s an interesting subject and the short answer is yes, but let me give you the background to the question. A few weeks ago some friends were having a conversation about calories and sugar in wine, particularly red wine, since they were looking to lose some COVID pounds. Most felt red wine was the…
Let’s explore another Niagara winery: Henry of Pelham. You may know the name, but do you know the history? The winery is family owned and operated by the Speck brothers: Paul, Matthew, and Daniel. When they were kids they helped replant the vineyard with Riesling and Chardonnay for their father and mother, Paul (Sr.) and Bobbi in the mid 80s…
Wine has had some fascination innovations over the centuries, which begs the question: What are the most revolutionary improvements to wine making in the last 500 years? Two items that we take for granted stand out – the wine bottle and the cork. It has been known since the time of the Romans that wines changed when stored exposed to…
This month’s virtual journey takes us to Malivoire Wine Company located near Beamsville on the Niagara bench lands. The story of their founding resonates with me. Martin Malivoire did not plan a wine career, but it found him nonetheless. It’s the same for many of us in the wine world! Malivoire’s initial vocation was special effects in cinema, where he…
This month’s feature, The Roost, is a boutique winery located in a place where you may not think of grape growing – The Blue Mountains, near Collingwood. It’s owned by the husband and wife team, Jessica, the winemaker, and Michael, the vineyard manager. They planted their home vineyard in 2013/14 and The Roost opened to the public in 2017. With…
This month we’ll take a journey back in time to see who we should thank for the wine we’ll be enjoying this Christmas season. This idea came from a book by wine writer Oz Clarke that proposes the ancient civilization responsible for the “discovery” of wine. The usual suspects are the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. There is certainly evidence that…
On our ongoing journey exploring local wineries,let’s take a look at another long time Niagara resident, Vineland Estates. Vineland’s story began in 1979 when Hermann Weis, a German winegrower, planted Riesling on the site. The first winery was established in the original farmhouse in 1983 by Dieter Guttler and he sold the winery to the Weiss family in 1988. In…
We continue to focus on local since we have so many amazing Ontario wineries to explore. This month we feature Niagara’s 13th Street. The winery is owned by the Whitty family and their patriarch, Doug, is both the President and the Vineyard Manager. As a 3rd generation grape grower, he takes vineyard management seriously and completely identifies with the philosophy…