Uncorked Ontario

RED WINE

HENRY OF PELHAM RESERVE
PINOT NOIR 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula

Another exceptional wine from the great 2007 vintage, this reserve Pinot from Henry of Pelham shows classic, almost Burgundian aromas of cherry, beetroot, and raspberry, plus hints of clove and tobacco. This lovely, long-finishing wine is a good match for pork liver pâté, grilled tuna or salmon, and game bird.
268391 (D) 750 mL $24.95

WHITE WINE

INNISKILLIN WINEMAKER’S SERIES
TWO VINEYARDS RIESLING 2008
VQA Niagara Peninsula

Enjoy this racy wonder with planked salmon or grilled prawns.
TASTING NOTE: Straw-lime colour with an aromatic bouquet of grapefruit and honey with a floral grace note. Light to medium-bodied, off-dry with a spicy (almost Gewurztraminer-like) flavour of grapefruit and tangerine. Good tension between sweetness and balancing acidity. Score: 89 (Tony Aspler, A Wine Lover’s Diary, April 20, 2010)
105387 (MD) 750 mL $17.95

ROSÉ WINE

TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA
ROSÉ 2009
VQA Niagara Peninsula

TASTING NOTE: Produced from a blend of fairly equal quantities of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot, this is a lovely rosé with ripe berry flavours and aromas – cherry and raspberry – along with underlying notes of mineral and graphite. It’s light-medium bodied with a crisp texture and a refreshing fruit-filled finish. Scrumptious on its own, pair with pizza or spicy Italian sausage. Score: HHHHJ (Susan Desjardins, WineCuurent.com May 1, 2010)
172643 (D) 750 mL $14.95

What a great idea. I do hope the Muscedere’s do this again.

On Sunday afternoon Wanda and I ventured over to Muscedere Vineyards for a couple reasons. They were releasing their new vintage white wines and they were offering grilled pizza on their backyard patio.

Sure Wanda and I enjoying visiting wineries to sample their new wines and to buy a few bottles to bring home and enjoy at a later date but what we did today was different, enjoyable, and I hope that the Muscedere’s continue to offer pizza on the patio.

Chef Shawn Newmaster from Il Cavallino Bistro (Windsor) prepared tasty grilled pizza on the BBQ’ed. I never would have guessed that BBQ’ed pizza could taste so good. Wanda and I sat outside on Muscere’s patio, ate some pizza, had a glass of wine and chatted with members of the Muscere family. It was a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.

When I suggested that they should do this every weekend Fabio Muscedere said they are experimenting and will consider doing this more often if there is enough demand.

The other reason we visited the winery was to sample their new vintage wine wines. They are fantastic this year. We tasted the 2009 Vidal Blanc, 2009 Riesling, 2008 Sauvignon Blanc and the 2009 Rose.

The 2009 Vidal Blanc is a must try. The tropical nose and mango taste were so unusual for this area one would think this was a hot climate wine. 2009 was a cool summer, so I asked Rob Muscedere were this taste comes from. Rob stated that the low yields and hand harvesting of the grapes allows for only the highest quality grapes to make it into the wine. The lower yields allows each grape to ripen to reach it’s full potential. The result is an incredible white wine (2010 All Canadian Award Winner by the way).

The Muscedere’s have been making excellent wines now for several years. Add pizza and a sunny weekend afternoon to the list as another reason to visit the winery.

Gary Killops