Wine tasting

I was invited by my friend Tallyia last night to a wine tasting by the Trialto wine group.

Going into it as a chef, I was hoping to taste some wines that would pair up with food in ways I hadnt imagined. What I wasn't expecting was to taste a wine and for the first time, be able to identify the country, region, and grape along with its vintage. But for the first time I recognized the canadian old vine riesling from the Okanagen valley in BC Canada.

Don't forget that I have visited wine regions and a few hundred wineries the last year when I was away in Europe, and although I was surprised to see only a few European wines (France, Italy and Portugal), they each had their own distinct flavour that definitely brought back good memories from my trip.

It was fun mingling, sharing opinions about the wine with fellow wine lovers in the crowd, but when I tasted a gerwertz from our own backyard in Niagara, probably the biggest smile broke out on my face, and I was speechless. The wine reminded me of a small cave in the center of a small town in Alsace called Ribeauville where when I went into the winery, the wine makers wife asked me which kind of wine I liked. When I explained I like mostly fruity, sweet wines, she said I didnt like it, but had to try something else. She poured me a glass of wine, and only after the first sip did I become so happy and excited did she tell me what it was. An old vine Riesling. I was so elated, that I baught a few bottles to bring back home with me. This Gewerrtz from Ravine Vineyard a barely two year old winery brought me back to my time in France and I was literally speechless. What makes these two wines so special? The wine makers dont play around with the grapes so much, they let the grape do the talking for themselves, and what shines through is in my opinion the two best white wines I have ever tasted.

All the above shouldnt put a damper on some of the other wines like the cabernet rose from Southbrook vineyards, where once again the wine maker lets the grape do the talking. The Renacer MAlbec from Argentina, the Port from Quinta do Vale Meao in Portugal near the spanish border, to mention a few. Although 85% of the wines that I tasted I would reccomend to buy the above mentioned wines are the ones that stand out for me from the 16 wineries showcased last night.