Disappointment

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish made from a small, hand-sized tortilla—usually corn or wheat—folded or rolled around a filling. It's typically eaten by hand and can be filled with a wide variety of ingredients. The most popular being ground beef.

On Thursday evening, my wife declared she would like to have a Taco for dinner. It sounded good to me..

We went to a new restaurant in White Rock called Taco Fino. By the time I got to their door, I was already frustrated. The restaurant was located in a residential mall courtyard. A place where retail occupies the bottom floors and the residents live above. What got my dandruff up was the Pay For Parking!

Parking was not close to the restaurant, we had to walk around the fountain. Once inside, I wanted to leave. It was a restaurant where you ordered from the counter. The seats looked extremely uncomfortable. The menu did not offer anything that in my opinion fit the definition of a Taco. We had a difficult time ordering because the cashier spoke in such a soft voice that we couldn't hear her.

There were no ground beef tacos or hard-shell tacos

They offered beer but no wine. We settled on a non alcoholic cocktail that was far too sweet. Barbara did not drink hers. 

We sat in our uncomfortable chairs, eating our meal, which I gave a B grade to. At no time did anyone check to see if we were enjoying our overpriced Tacos(?).

This maybe a great place for young folks to grab a quick takeout meal/ But Tacofino is not for us.

Proper Storage

and

Shelf Life of Wines 

The age old question is, "how long can you store a bottle of wine before it will die?" The life expectancy of most wines is only a few years. Most are made to be drunk within months of bottling. If a wine is suitable for aging it will also depend upon the external conditions of how the wine is stored. 

Sure, French wines stored in caves come to mind, but here in Canada we do not have underground wine caves suitable for storing. Even in France there is no guarantee the wine would not die.

There is no chart, no standard, no direction beyond perfect storage and a few winemaker tricks to ensure that wine can be aged. It may be safe to say that sweet wines age better than dry wines. Do whites age better than red; apparently not.

Red wines are produced by using the skin of the grape. Tannins are the key in aging red wines and come mostly from the skin of the grape. The quality and quantity of tannins depends upon the grape varieties. The tannins act as a preservative. Thicker skin grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah have better aging prospects.

Other factors also enter the picture, dry summer weather improves the aging prospect, the talents of the winemaker or vineyard manger also comes into play. Low yields increase the tannins along with longer skin contact and barrel aging has its effects too. It is also important as to when the grapes are harvested. Mature grapes have better aging potential.

So now we know why winemakers go to school and spend years learning their trade. Winemaking can be simple or it can be very complex. My personal recommendation is to ask at the winery which wines the winemaker has determined should be aged.

The date on a bottle of wine refers to its vintage, the year the grapes were harvested. Often a wine is not released until three or four years after harvest. That's when the winemaker determines it's ready to be enjoyed.

Aging wine in a cellar demands little or no exposure to oxygen and light; the temperature at which you store wine is also very important. Wine should never be stored above 59% F or (15 C) * A wine cellar can also be too cold. 25 C or 17 F is far too cold and will damage the wine. Temperature fluctuation is a also a major concern. Allowing the temperature to fluctuate, the bottle begins to breathe the liquid and air expands and contracts, this results in either the wine being forced out the neck of the bottle, or air (oxygen) to enter. This is known as weeping.

Humidity is also an important factor in wine storage. The humidity should be between 75% and 85%, if not, the cork will dry out and harmful oxygen will be able to enter. Humidity used to be very harmful to a label, today's labels can handle this concern.

Ultraviolet rays can also change the wine, most wines are sold in coloured bottles that help filter the light. Never allow sunlight to enter your cellar, avoid artificial lights when possible and no fluoresced lights should be used.

Wines should be stored on their side; especially corked wines. Today's screw caps and Stelvin caps help preserve wines 

The ideal temperature for long-term wine storage is generally 55°F. This allows for slow and proper aging of the wine. A temperature that is too hot will increase the speed of aging and a temperature too low will slow the pace of aging. However, rapid changes in temperature are more damaging to your wine than a steady high or low temperature in the cellar.

The proper humidity level has been determined to be 60 to 65 percent relative humidity. A humidity level any higher (at a temperature of 55°F) will be too humid and cause mold issues and deterioration of labels. A humidity level that is too low will result in a dry cork, which allows the opportunity for oxygen to reach your wine and cause oxidation.

Old cellar vaults with a natural earth or stone floor, high humidity and temperatures that stay constant provide the best conditions for storage. 

Adding Sulfites to Wine

Sulfites are a naturally occurring compound that nature uses to prevent microbial growth. They are found naturally on grapes, onions, garlic, and many other growing plants. 

Winemakers have been adding additional sulfites to wines for millennia. The Greeks and Romans used sulfur candles to sterilize their wine barrels and amphorae. Sulfur protects damage to the wine from oxygen, and again helps prevent organisms from growing in the wine. This allows the wine to "last longer" also, which lets it age and develop all of those complex flavours we all enjoy so much. If sulfites weren't added, wine would turn into vinegar in a matter of months. 

If you make wine without adding sulfur, it's going to be more fragile. It will start to lose its aroma sooner, start to lose its colour and eventually become muddy or cloudy. That can take years in some cases, but it can also be as little as a few months. When obtaining wine unless you have proper storage it is best to consume the wine within a few weeks of purchase.

But what about the shelf life of wine after the bottle is open

My best advice is drink the wine within a few days especially for whites. Oxygen is the enemy of wine; as is light and temperature. Sometimes a wine that is not perfect can be enhanced by a few extra days in the fridge. Once a bottle has been opened proper resealing helps preserve the wine an extra day or so. There are numerous products on the market that claim to extend shelf life.

One expert wrote: 

No matter how logical storing wine in the refrigerator may seem, the short answer is an emphatic, "No." A typical household refrigerator does not provide optimum conditions for storing wine for more than one or two days.

The common kitchen refrigerator maintains a chilly 35 F to 38 F temperature, with relatively low levels of humidity in the 30 percent range.

Optimum temperatures for storing wine range from 45 F to 60 F, with ideal levels of humidity hovering around 70 percent to 90 percent.

Wine Coolers

Dual zone wine fridge, are the best idea. Although these units are often more expensive white wines and red wines are best stored at different temperatures. For Reds aim for around 12-13 degrees Celsius (54 – 56 degrees Fahrenheit), 

Light white wines should be served at a temperature between 44 – 50 ̊ F (7 – 10 ̊ C)

Full-bodied white wines should be served at a temperature between 50 – 55 ̊ F (10 – 13 ̊ C)

Sparkling wines should be served at a temperature between 42 – 50 ̊ F (6 – 10 ̊ C)

Never easy is it..

Dessert Wines 

Wines with higher sugar residual tend to be better suited to long-term cellaring than dry wines. The higher the sugar count the better for aging the wine. Some dessert whites can develop for ten years. Chenin Blanc has good aging qualities, but once opened a few days of shelf life is the best you can expect. 

Icewine 

With such a brief history, determining the ability of icewines to improve with time is open to conjecture. Sweet wines must have good acidity to gain complexity, so good balance is essential for long-term storage. Icewines are so attractive when young that there are few examples to assess (and those are very expensive). The best method for choosing an appropriate icewine to cellar is to base your choice on the grape variety used to make the wine. Icewines made with the Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes should be consumed when young. Gewürztraminer and Ehrenfelser can frequently be low in acid, and while they will keep for 3-5 years, they are not good candidates for the cellar. Vidal is good for 5-7 years, although Inniskillin Ontario has Vidal Icewines from the 1980's that are reportedly superb. 

For long-term aging, Riesling offers the best chance. The great, long-lived dessert wines of Germany are Rieslings, and the grape's ability to retain acidity, even in the hottest years, make Riesling icewines the best bet for long-term cellaring. As with any other wine, good cellar conditions (constant, cool temperature) are crucial to allow the wine to develop its full potential. 

Icewines can be enjoyed in their youth or aged for many years. Icewine in its youth will display classic fresh fruit characteristics and are crisp and clean. As they age, the wines tend to have a greater degree of complexity and depth, and begin to offer up a wider range of intense aromatics. During the aging process, the naturally concentrated acidity helps to maintain the structure and balance of the vintage. Icewines will also darken to a rich deep yellow/honey color as they age and if they are handled and stored correctly, they will also increase in value. Icewine unopened and stored on it side in a consistent and cool place (55-65 °F or 12-18 °C ) and away from vibrations can keep for many years. 

Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser two pioneers in the making of icewine say in their book "Icewine Extreme Winemaking" that " Much depends on the initial sugar concentration of the juice and total acidity. It is a good bet that Icewines made from grapes with low pH, high acidity and reasonable alcohol could live for 50 years or longer if cellared properly and kept very cool 10 to 13 C 55F"

How long will an open bottle of Icewine last? 

Due to the high sugar content, an open bottle of icewine will last 3-5 days after opening if re-corked and stored in the fridge. Why this would happen is beyond me. In our house, once a bottle is opened it is considered gone from the cellar!

The Chemistry of Aging Wine 

Wine is a complex combination of many chemical compounds, which change as they interact with each other and their environment. Intricate reactions between the acids, sugars, alcohols, esters and phenolic compounds in wine are what modify the aromas in the bottle. When wine is aged, we hope for changes that cause the wine to mature well by gaining a complex mix of complimentary flavours. As the chemical reactions that take place during aging vary between grape varietals, regions, and even crops from year to year, they are not easily quantifiable, and we are not yet at a point from which we can predict exactly what flavours a wine will develop as it ages. But what is known is that as the compounds in wine react over time, they create new flavours, changing the original product into something more complex and subtle. A correctly aged Pinot Noir can gain aromas of truffles; a Syrah can become fragrant with rich spices. It is theorized that grapes evolved aromatic compounds as a means to entice pollinating insects, it's lucky for us that they did, for without the primary aromas from the grapes, the chemical reactions that take place during aging would have no materials to work on, and we'd never end up with tertiary flavours like leather, earth, and nuts that give a properly aged wine its complexity 

 Light Reds

Light red wines generally have a lower alcohol content of less than 12.5 percent. They also have less tannins than medium- or full-bodied wines.

Light-bodied wines are more delicate and leaner. They typically contain the lowest amount of alcohol content, and they are lighter in the mouth. Due to their lightness, many people find that light-bodied wines are more approachable and pair well with lighter foods, such as white meat, seafood, or salads.

A wine drink who prefers white wine is more likely to enjoy a Light Red than a medium or full body red.

The body of the wine is "how the wine feels in your mouth" The reason alcohol is the main contributor to a wine’s body is because alcohol is what gives a wine its viscosity and is responsible for either the heavy or light mouthfeel we experience when we sip a wine. Viscosity is that term we learned in high school science, which is used to define a liquid in terms of how easily it responds to stress (e.g., water is less viscous than honey because it has less weight and moves more easily).

As a wine contains more and more alcohol, it becomes more viscous (i.e., it becomes heavier, and thereby feels fuller in our mouths). This is why we call a heavily viscous wine full-bodied and a low viscosity wine light-bodied.

Gamay is one of the best example of a light red.

Gamay is a purple-coloured grape variety used to make red wines , most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar , mentioned as long ago as the 15th century. It has been often cultivated because it makes for abundant production; however, it can produce wines of distinction when planted on acidic soils, which help to soften the grape's naturally high acidity 

Gamay is grown in the BC Okanagan, and Ontario 

Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards . DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštelanski and as well as Tribidrag the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia (the "heel" of Italy ), where it was introduced in the 18th century. The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, and became known by variations of the name "Zinfandel", a name of uncertain origin. 

The grapes typically produce a robust red wine, although a semi-sweet rosé (blush-style) wine called White Zinfandel has six times the sales of the red wine in the United States. The grape's high sugar content can be fermented into levels of alcohol exceeding 15 percent. 

The taste of the red wine depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruit flavours like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas

Pinot Noir , Gamay's more elegant cousin, is a popular and versatile light to medium bodied wine also produced around the world in countries including, Canada, US, France, Italy, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. It's packed with red fruits like raspberries and cherries on the nose and delivers a long smooth finish on the palate. 

Nebbiolo is an Italian red wine grape variety predominantly associated with its native Piedmont region. Nebbiolo can be found in the Okanagan and Ontario but seems to have higher tannins and alcohol content than the Italian regions. Some would move Bebbilio to the medium bodied wines.

Perhaps the light red of all is Lambrusco, which is the name of several wine grapes native to Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy (Same region as Parmigiano-Reggiano). There are about 15 kinds of Lambrusco grapes. Some call it the perfect wine to pair with Turkey.

Zweigelt is a red wine grape variety developed in 1922, at the Federal Institute for Viticulture and Pomology Austria , by Fritz Zweigelt . It was a crossing of St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch . It is now the most widely-grown red grape variety in Austria. The grape has practical mild disease resistance to the common mildews and is relatively cold hardy to approximately -20c.

Zweigelt vines have made in roads in the Canadian wine regions of Ontario 's Niagara Peninsula and of British Columbia. Stonehill (no longer open) planted the first Zweigelt in British Columbia in 1997 Arrowleaf Cellars among the first planting 2 acres in 1999. Other producers include Kalala Organic Estate Winery

Isabella winery in Richmond has a Zweigelt icewine as does Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Kelowna. 

St. Laurent an Austrian grape is in the same family as Pinot Noir! Wines are typically darker and richer than Pinot Noir. Some BC wineries and Ontario (PEC) are planting the grape. Saxon Estate in the Okanagan grows some. Nichols on the Naramata Bench grows some. Harwood Estate in Ontario has St Laurent.

Pinotage a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety. It was bred there in 1925 as a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut (Cinsaut was known as "Hermitage" in South Africa during that time, hence the portmanteau name of Pinotage). It typically produces deep red varietal wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavours, sometimes with notes of bananas and tropical fruit . Pinotage is often blended, and also made into fortified wine and even red sparkling wine . The grape is a viticultural cross of two varieties of Vitis vinifera , not a hybrid . 

Lake Breeze Vineyards may have been the first winery in Canada to grow and produce Pinotage, Pinotage in BC is produced by The View Winery, Stoneboat, , Hillside and Inniskillin Okanagan. Del Gatto Estates and the Cape in Ontario produce a Pinotage.

Grenache (pronounced gren-aash ) is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain , the south of France , and California. It is generally spicy, berry-flavoured and soft on the palate with a relatively high alcohol content , but it needs careful control of yields for best results. It tends to lack acid , tannin and color , and is usually blended with other varieties such as Syrah , Carignan , Tempranillo and Cinsaut . 

Its use in BC is more experimental. Stag Hallow release a Grenache.

There a few other light red grapes, they are not common to Canada. They include Cinsault common to the south of France. Primitivo an Italian grape. Blaufränkisch which is a German grape.Some wineries have tried in Canada.

Landot noir has been tested in Quebec. Landot 4511 a hybrid grapes created in 1950 after crossing several grapes. It can be found in New York state Ontario and Quebec. Used for blending. 

Wines Under 12.5% alcohol (the alcohol percentage should always be written on the wine’s label) are said to light-bodied. These are generally the white wines we think of as crisp and refreshing.

Wines between 12.5% and 13.5% are considered medium-bodied. Good examples of these wines are Rose, French Burgundy, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.

Finally, any wine over 13.5% alcohol is considered full-bodied. Some wines that are normally over this alcohol level and considered full-bodied are Syrah/Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec. While the majority of wines over 13.5% alcohol are usually red, Chardonnay is a great example of a white that often can also be considered full-bodied.

 Looking Back

Looking back I can recall my adventure into the wonderful world of wine began in 1992. My wife and I were married in Lake Tahoe on our honeymoon we traveled to Yosemite National Park. After touring the park our plan was to head back on the same road we arrived on, however that did not happen. But luckily this road led us to the Napa Valley of California. Here is where we spend the remainder of our honeymoon. What an exciting time it was!

Prior to our stay in Napa we were not huge wine drinks. In fact we seldom had alcohol in the house. But boy those wines were good. Back home I began to teach myself to create a website. It was just a fun site no special topic. However one day we decided to buy some wine at the local store. Barbara came to me with a pamphlet about BC wineries. She said "Why don't you do a website on Wine".

My wife is a good influence I took her advise and began to build a site on a free hosting service, popular at the time. I called my site Wines of the World. Here, based on a book Wine by Andre Domaine I listed all the wine regions around the world. Canada was not listed in the book. 

Once that was done I started to list all the BC wineries in the Pamphlet. Little did I know it had a number of errors. For example it listed Sandra Oldfield as winemaker at Crowsnest. Sandra began and finished her Winemaking career at Tinhorn Creek. Thankfully the winery notified me of the error.

There were no websites to Google back then. I found two books to help me, one by Tony Adler and the other by John Schreiner. I realized just how little I knew about the Canadian wine Industry. There were more wineries and more wine regions all across Canada, there was work to be done

This meant a change in my website. The Wines of the World was too big a subject to cover and we changed to Wines of Canada. I was amazed to find the domaine name was available. Our tag line Wines of Canada Challenging the World.

There was only one other website covering Canada's wine industry. I was more of a chat room than an information site. It soon disappeared. I was the only website dedicated to our wines and wineries. This last for a few years before other regional sites popped up. In 1994 I was quite excited to get thirty hits a day. Today thats a disappointing number for just one hour.

In 94 we took our first trip to the Okanagan based mostly upon the wine route in a Pamphlet . Our first stop was Crownest Winery in the Similkameen Valley. We found the lane with a chain across it and the driveway covered in vegetation. It had been closed for sometime. The winery did re-open with new owners and are doing quite well.

Our next stop was St. Laszlo Vineyards Estate Winery our first experience with Fruit wines. Here we were warmly greeted by Joe Ritlop and enjoyed a wonderful tasting experience.

We were now off to Kelowna. Our first winery we visited in Kelowna was Mission Hill. It was perhaps the most talked about winery of the day. Although this was before its rebuild and architecture it is know for today. We took the tour. It was not the greatest experience too many people in a small space with a guide hired for the summer. I do not remember the tasting room experience. 

In 1994 Mission Hill Family Estate put the Okanagan Valley on the map by winning the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London for 'Best Chardonnay in the World' and at the time the Master of Wine Judges were in such disbelief they re-tasted all of the wines and Mission Hill won a second time. 

From Mission hill we went to Quails' Gate Estate Winery in Kelowna, in which had opened in 1989. We were impressed by the winery, the staff and the wines. 

The following day we visited Summerhill Pyramid Winery. The organic winery was opened in 1987. I do not recall if the restaurant was open on that trip. However we never miss having lunch at the winery on all our Okanagan trips.

From there we visited St Hubertus and Oak Bay Vineyards which originally planted in 1928 by J.W. Hughes during a time when good agricultural land was plentiful. Since 1984, the Gebert Family use sustainable farming practices on their 76 acre vineyard. By chance I came across Leo Gebert who gave me a tour of the winery and vineyards. Barbara was in the gift shop.

Finally we spend the evening at the Okanagan Wine Festval event in Kelowna. I remember it been crowed and the room been rather small. Here is where I first met John Schreiner who was there signing his book. It was also here we met the owners of Hainle estate winery. I was very excited about that since they were known for Ice Wine. The winery dates back to 1988 with the real story beginning in 1972, when the winery's original founder, Walter Hainle, produced North America's first icewine. 

They invited us to visit the winery which we did the next day on our way home. We had a most enjoyable time there.

So now we were home with new insights and new information. On that trip no one knew about Winesofcanada.com. But that would change by 2004 we were close to three million hits a year. By 2010 the blogger began to arrive.

We have been blessed to be Canada's number one wine website. It was a hobby perused mostly during the winter months. As we went from a handful of wineries to over 800 (counting Meaderies and Cideries) now its a daily task often without much reward.

Today we are THE website representing Canad's wine industry. We like to take about the wines, the winery and people of the wineries. Since all provinces license cideries and meaderies along with wineries we list them too. It means we have our eyes on over 800 business. It is a huge task.

We are non profit our reward is the kind words received by our many visitors and people in the industry

 A pioneer, winemaker and winery owner.

As one of very few female winemakers in the Okanagan, at the time,Vera was incredibly influential and highly respected for producing exceptional wines. She and her husband Bohumir were instrumental to the wine industry in the Okanagan as the original owners, operators, and creators of Hillside Estate.Vera extended her skills for winemaking, consulting and management into, Quebec, Oregon and Michigan.

Klokocka, Bohumir (1935-1995) and Vera (1942-): The founders of Hillside Cellars, the Klokockas both worked for the Czech state airline (he as a mechanic, she as a ticket clerk) until they defected in 1968, coming to Canada that fall after several months as refugees in Austria. Skiing enthusiasts, they moved to the Okanagan to work at the Big White resort near Kelowna. Bohumir ultimately resumed his trade as a sheet metal worker in the Western Star truck plant in Kelowna.

In 1979 they purchased an orchard on Naramata Road and after converting it to grapes in 1984, Vera Klokocka taught herself to become a winemaker. After she had become a skilled amateur vintner Vera made wines home consumption at first but began to wonder if she could operate like the small wineries of Europe and sell her wines. She found that Kristina and Gunthur Lang had the same idea. The Krugers founders of Wild Goose Winery were also communicating with the Government to sell their wines. she emerged as a leader of the band of farm winemakers that successfully pressed the provincial government in 1989 to create the farmgate winery license for ambitious producers with vineyards too small for the estate winery category. (Others included Adolf Kruger and Gunther Lang.) 

Hillside Cellars was a sucess story untill Bohumir became ill.

The story continues as told by Vera Klkocka:

It was a very sad and hard time for our family. I, finally, sold the winery the following summer to John Fletcher and his business partner, John Hromyk. It was disappointing to have to do so, but my children were not interested in carrying on what my husband and I had started. It had been our dream to continue. In order to do that, I faced the fact that I would have to expand which meant borrowing money and employing people. I would have done that if my children had stayed. But, as that was not the situation, I elected to sell. I was just too tired after 2 years of my husband's illness to continue to run the winery alone.

My husband Bohumir passed away in December 1995 after suffering for two years with lung cancer.

After the sale of the winery, a friend of mine invited me to spend some time in Montreal and the Eastern Townships of Quebec. I needed some time for myself so I accepted the invitation and moved to the other end of Canada. I fell in love with the new environment and the French culture and, of course, the great city of Montreal. I made lots of friends. I, also, traveled back home to the Czech Republic and traveled throughout Europe. I, then, spent the winter in Florida. I just needed to heal myself.

In 1998 I bought a house in the Eastern Townships in Sutton. I loved to ski - so here I was close to the ski hill. But I, still, needed something to do, so I decided to buy a Pub in a nearby village just because Mordecai Ritchler used to go there every Tuesday! It was fun for a while but I had a business partner involved and the partnership wasn't working out. I, eventually, sold my share to him and started looking for something else to do. 

I met a young winemaker named Patrick in the village of Dunham. He was experimenting with apple ice wine. His product was fabulous. We became friends. I let him know that I was looking for a winemaking or consulting position. The following week I found a note in my door, inviting me to visit Domaine de Cote d'Ardois (1) which was a winery in Dunham. It was run by an amazing plastic surgeon - Dr. Jacques Papillon. This was in the fall of 1998. Cote d'Ardoise was double the size of Hillside and Dr. Papillon was in urgent need of a full-time winemaker!

During the summer of 1998, I also met with my future partner - John Fletcher. His business partnership with John Hromyk had fallen apart, and he intended to, permanently, join me in the Eastern Townships after finishing up his business in the Okanagan. In the meantime, he traveled back and forth. I debated the proposal from Cote D'Ardoise with John and we agreed to take the position, as a team, on a consulting basis. We started with the 1998 vintage and improved everything that we could. This resulted in our winning 5 medals in a Quebec tasting. Our reward was an additional "medal fee".

Our season at the winery started in late September and we worked until everything was bottled in April. During the summer, in the Townships, we started buying, fixing, and selling houses. It's hard to believe how much energy we had then...If that wasn't enough, we also consulted for Henrietta Anthony on a vineyard start-up at Chapelle St. Agnes.

In the spring of 2000 I was invited by the organizer of the Selection Mondial Des Vins Du Canada to judge the competition. I did so with pleasure. 

We, also, started consulting for Callahan Ridge winery in Oregon - where we, basically, repaired and improved neglected wines. We worked there for one week a month. Our efforts paid off as the winery received a couple of medals for the wines we fixed. In 2001, while working for Cote D'Ardoise, we also consulted at Blanc Coteaux winery (the young winemaker who got me the job at Cote D'Ardois). We continued consulting in Callahan Ridge. At the same time we wrote a business plan for Pinnacle Ice Cider which became one of the largest producers of Ice Apple Cider in Quebec.

In the fall of 2001 we got tired of the cold weather and, after finding a new winemaker for Dr. Papillon, John accepted a winemaking position at the Lakeridge Winery in Claremont Florida. Pardon our ignorance but we did not know they had wineries in Florida! We sold the house, stored our possessions, and moved to Florida. It was not the best move as the grapes were not real grapes (they use Muscadine grapes) half ripe, half green. John worked from 6 am until 10 pm every day. One day while unloading the press - he found a rattle snake in the press!

After one month of this life, John had lost 20 lbs and I rarely ever saw him, so I decided that is it! He quit the job and we spent a month driving through Florida with our beloved Volkswagen Westfalia named Daisy. (We are on our second one now).

It was the spring of 2002 when we returned to Quebec and stayed in a rented place for a while. We then went to Nova Scotia to investigate what to do next. We were offered a winemaking position in Habitant Winery in Canning, NS. but declined. 

We traveled across the country in search of our next place to live. We had decided not to stay in Quebec as it was not getting any easier to communicate in the French language and the separatism movement did not appeal to us. We checked a few places in Ontario but nothing appealed to us. We continued all the way back to BC and all the way to Vancouver Island. There, we were offered a winemaking position at Cherry Point but decided not to stay on the Island. We, finally, ended up in Penticton again and bought a lovely home at Farleigh Lake - on the way to Apex Mountain.

As soon as we established ourselves there, we were offered a consulting position at Chateau de Leelanau in Traverse City, Michigan. We accepted. We fell in love with the beauty of the area and continued to commute and consult there until the end of 2004. 

We, finally, got tired of commuting and John accepted a position as General Manager of Therapy Vineyards in Naramata. He did the startup for John McBean. 

During the summer of 2005 we received the sad news that one of the partners of Chateau de Leelanau had passed away. John was offered a full position as General Manager and Winemaker there, and we accepted. The winery was owned by Dr. Roberta Kurtz who was still working full time and unable to manage the winery at the same time.

Besides working at the winery, we had some wonderful times there. We met some very nice people and interesting characters there like Winemaker Larry Mauwby who produced a sparkling wine called "SEX". We, also, met Madonna's father Tony Cicconi and his wife Joanne. Of course, we had to buy a sailboat, as Lake Michigan is famous for sailing with it's Caribbean blue waters. 

In 2006 we bought a home in Nova Scotia but were still living in the USA. We combined our Canadian and US life until 2010 when we assisted Dr. Kurtz with selling her winery. We retired in the Annapolis Valley - Nova Scotia in 2010. After buying and selling a few properties here we settled in Canning - a village near Wolfville - the home of Acadia University. We are gardening and growing a few grapes and apple trees. We went to Ecuador last year and discovered South America and the "real food" that the poor people eat there. 

We are now debating what "poverty" really means. Every one there seems to be happy and healthy. So next project???? Try to free ourselves of anything processed, eat healthy, and maybe .... try to produce some really good Apple Ice Wine! 

 On a hot summers night in early July two couples friends from Belgium and England are sitting down for dinner at a Cafe in the city of Bordeaux France. They conduct their conversation in English. The conversation turns to the wine selection. The friends scroll down the wine list. It features, of course, wines from France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece, Chile, Spain, Hungrey and California.

One of the friends notices at the bottom an Icewine from Canada. He comments. " They have an icewine from Canada perhaps after dinner we could try it" Another speaks "wounder if they make other wines there or is it too cold"

At a nearby table another couple is enjoying their dinner. They smile at each other, the man speaks to his wife. " Canada does make some nice wines from two very lovely regions" His wife speaks; "One is the Okanagan I forgot the other." "Niagara"; he responds.

At a third table sits a couple from Canada. They live in Picton Ontario. Picton is an unincorporated community located in Prince Edward County in southeastern Ontario, roughly 160 km (99 mi) east of Toronto.

The couple from Canada are also wine enthusiast. They have respected the region they are visiting and are enjoying a wine from Bordeaux. They have compared the wine to many varieties of wines from PEC that they have frequently enjoyed back home. The man speaks loudly "I should tell them about winesofcanada.com" His wife smiles " or Intervin international wine awards or Decanter World Wine Awards they would be amazed by all the wineries in Canada winning awards."

The couple goes on to reflect on the wineries they visited in PEC this summer.

Prince Edward County has close to fifty wineries and is a major wine producing region in the country. Among the oldest wineries is Waupoos Estate Winery. Ed Neuser and Rita Kaimins opened their winery in 2001 the first all grape winery in the region. They named the winery after the local village.

Other notable wineries include the Grange of Prince Edward Estate Winery a family run business established in 2002 by Robert Granger and his daughter Caroline. With 60 acres of vineyards, a pastoral setting and a dramatic tasting room housed in a lovingly restored 1826 barn.

By Chadsey's Cairns Winery and Vineyard, named after Ira Chadsey 1828-1905, who was the rather idiosyncratic owner of our 215 acre farm. He was said to have believed that he would be reincarnated as a white horse. As a result, he built Cairns or stone monuments around the horse field behind the original home on the property marking it clearly enough that he would know he was home when he was transformed. Fourteen of the cairns still exist today. When we first arrived on the farm in 1995 we bought a light grey Arabian and she spooked a number of our older neighbours who were sure that Ira was back. 

Richard Johnston and his wife Vida Zalnieriunas, have grand plans for their 215-acre farm and are firm believers in the potential of the Prince Edward County wine industry. They began planting vines in 1999 with 3000 Riesling in the field next to the Applehouse Ira built in about 1850, which now houses their tasting room and store. 

Closson Chase began back in 1998 with seven hectares when Geoff Heinrick and Deborah Paskus studied the soil of Prince Edward County determining that outstanding Burgundian could do well.

After producing successful wines Seaton Mclean and his wife Sonja Smits who had purchase a country home in the area offered to back Deborah leading to the open of Closson Chase in 2004

This charming winery is housed in a heritage barn that has been restored and refurbished to accommodate a tasting room, a shop offering a connoisseur's selection of exclusive wine accessories, crystal and glassware as well as the processing facilities 

Karlo Estates Winery is the first Certified Vegan winery in the World. This vegan certification is a result of their belief in the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle on health and environmental welfare. Sherry Karlo is the owner.

Huff Estates Winery one of the larger wineries with a state-of-the-art facility. The doors officially opened on June 12, 2004. The winery is owned by Frank (Lanny) Huff.

Recently creating a buzz for his high quality wine is Dan Sullivan of Rosenhall Run.

Here are all of Prince Edward County Wineries

Major Wine Producing Regions 

Niagara Peninsula 

Prince Edward County

Lake Erie North Shore

South Georgian Bay Region

Okanagan 

Similkameen 

Naramata Bench

Vancouver Island

Fraser Valley/Lower Mainland

 

 

Soie d’Ivoire Chenin Blanc

Wines are always more special when they are a gift from a good friend. On thid occasion a bottle of La Lisse Soie d'Ivoire from the Haute Valley De L'Aude of Southern France.

From the south of France "soie d'ivoire" or "ivory silk," shows us just how versatile Chenin Blanc can be. Naturally high in acid, Chenin Blanc keeps its freshness even in warm temperatures

Chenin Blanc is a white or sparkling, dry or sweet wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. It’s typically redolent of fruit, vivid with mouthwatering acidity, or — in the best cases — both. The popularity of Chenin Blanc has been growing for years, especially among so-called New World producers who are finding exciting locations from South Africa to California to grow it and creative, often forward-thinking ways to make it, whether through inventive work with the lees, experimenting with aging vessels, and more. No matter what style you’re considering, Chenin Blanc wines offer the potential to appeal to a range of taste and texture preferences.

This is a wonderful wine featuring a silky lemony densey fruit filled long lasting delighful experience. The smooth finish is also exciting.