As part of a much-needed vacation I will travel to Ontario's wine country in southwestern Ontario.
As part of a guided tour, we will visit wineries plus attend wine and food pairing dinners. We will likely be encouraged to purchase wines from the various vintners' arrays.
It will be difficult homework. ;o) I'm going to need some help.
Here's the deal: Last weekend, I scored a beginner's wine rack at a community garage sale. It's empty. I look forward to filling it up. To be successful in this quest, I will need recommendations from family, friends and followers.
The rack will hold ten bottles. I would like to fill it with delicious wine to enjoy over the winter. I would also like to share the love with friends - old and new.
The first ten people to offer help will be rewarded with a bottle of the wine they recommend (or a close substitute). I must know you in person. Sorry, no anonymous requests.
Here's how to help, by submitting a comment at the bottom of this blog post:
- Clearly state the name, colour and year of the wine you recommend (Hey, all I know is White, Red and Rosé);
- List the vineyard / winery name and approximate geographic location;
- Provide a web site link for the vineyard / winery if you have it.
Wine is featured often in my novel, The Year of the Rabbit. I regret that I didn't get in enough research time before publishing it :o) Maybe I can enhance the second print edition with proper terminology.
Visit the novel's blog.
Follow @FlotTLyon as she Tweets progress using the #WineResearch hashtag.
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If that didn't get your attention then here's a picture of a cat.
This little feline accosted me on my Artist Date walk last night. The Cat Lady in me almost took it home.
Thanks for dropping by. Remember to claim your gift on the way out.
T
Posts
This is so cool - oh no ice wines, right? I also took home a wine rack, a modern curved metal one. It also needs filling, so I might be on the same quest, except not going on such a fabulous tour. I will need to do some research before recommending. I prefer a gentle red, but would have to find a Canadian one to recommend.
ReplyDeleteSure, Iris. You can recommend ice wines and reds too. I may end up gifting my bottles to someone. There just may be an ice wine out there that I will like :o) and find not too sweet. It's a demanding task that I'm willing to try.
ReplyDeleteFolks can begin their research by visiting http://winecountryontario.ca/.
T
ELDERBERRY WINE will bring ZING to your life. Aloha
ReplyDeleteWine is best stored in the original oak barrel, NOT in glass bottles. The preferred taste would be buying directly from the vintner where wine ages in the ideal temperature and conditions. aloha
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice.
ReplyDeleteI have liked only a couple of wines that came from oak barrels. Most recently, I enjoyed the taste of one from Lavender Ridge that was oaked for only 6 months. Otherwise, I find them too... "oaky".
T
The wise vintner chooses oak barrels that were used in the rum industry. The wine absorbs the flavour of the complex aromatic qualities of the sugar cane. Wine should be stored in cool, dark cellars. aloha
ReplyDeleteThe Magic Winery Bus presents a wonderful experience to wine your way along the Annapolis Valley. Spectacular panoramic scenery, fresh catch lobster and corn cooked in seaweed, and wine made in heaven. aloha
ReplyDeleteMaking my list and checking it twice.
ReplyDeleteLife would be so sweet if one could be paid handsomely to write about travel and wine. I have so much to learn, to see and explore :o)
T
Post-tour notes:
ReplyDeleteBack home and resting :o) During the group tour, I purchased a total of 12 bottles of wine, one bottle of maple syrup and two jars of jam. I will be contacting folks regarding logistics in delivering their gifts of red, white, ice wine and fruit wines.
While at the Niagara College Canada, I really enjoyed their ice wine. During a pairing dinner the night before, I enjoyed the Peller Estates late harvest ice wine too. I suppose it's an acquired taste.
Watch this blog for a wee travel journal and photographs from the tour.
Cheers!
T