Twilight In The Vineyard Meets Canada AM
Jackson Triggs and the Eberspaechers Too!
As you may know from my previous columns about California, I a) do not really like driving long distances and b) when I have an appointment, I like to leave early----real early! Things didn't change much when Darlene and I got a very generous invitation to attend Niagara Jackson Triggs Winery's highly successful "Twilight in the Vineyard" series of events featuring some of Canada's greatest entertainers. This time we would be quintuple blessed! But back to that in a moment.
Our friends, Wine, Food and Travel writers/authors Alex and Judy Eberspaecher invited us to drive up to the event with them. Being in their company is something always to be cherished but to have them drive also was a real treat.
Getting to the Eberspaechers' was not what you'd call easy---I like to leave early and, well, Darlene doesn't. Showing up late from one of her shopping sprees Darlene had to get ready quickly and by the time we left, we had about 1 hour to make it to their Oakville home on time. This was from Whitby which was about 1.5 hours away!
On the way, we had to stop for gas since I forgot to fill up and if that wasn't bad enough, we hit two separate accidents on the 401 West not far from Oakville. We managed to arrive about 15 minutes late and some of the Eberspaehers' plans of stopping at Southbrook Winery on the way up had to be cancelled. My fault----should have insisted that we leave about 2 hours or so ahead of time. As it was, we got to the event just a few minutes late (5:45 pm) but not late enough to do any harm.
On arriving, we were met by Del Rollo, Jackson Triggs National Hospitality Director who directed us to the main desk where Lois Chapman, Wine Club and Box Office Administrator made sure that we were taken care of! We all went down to the J-T Barrel Cellar which is a wonder to see at any time. We were greeted with a glass of Jackson Triggs Cuvee Close, an excellent sparkler that I have used many times in my own wine tastings (such as the latest BMO Nesbitt Burns function in Mississauga) which was served along with a cheese platter. This set the stage for the meal to begin.
Now I mentioned that there were five things that we were blessed in at this event. The first was of course coming with the Eberspaechers. The second was the dry weather. This was one of he few "Twilights" this year that was not rained on. The third was the attendance of Vincor CEO Jay Wright and Jackson Triggs co-founder Allan Jackson. Both dropped over to our table and chat. The fine meal and perfect evening were fourth and fifth.
A Fine Meal!
The meal was delivered with class! The Jackson Triggs Cabernet Franc Rose was very compatible with the BLT appetizer that came first. The second course featuring a delicious Corn Chowder was actually my favourite of the whole meal. Two things made it so. First, my favourite Chardonnay Jackson Triggs Proprietor's Grand Reserve Chardonnay from the best year ever (2007) was served along side it. Tasting the wine by itself: a beautiful brilliant golden colour with the aromas of heated butter, lychee, pineapple and toasted oak on the nose and apple, citrus (mandarin) and pear on the palate was an experience though I thought that it was quite young and further aging would bring out much more integration. With the Corn Chowder with its butter taste, there was a merging of flavours that was exquisite.
Alex suggested that we put a bit of the wine into the soup. It made it all that better. Being an experimenter par excellence, he added some of the Rose to the soup and that went well also. Pretty soon we were experimenting with everything-------well not really!
Next on the agenda was a J T Pinot Noir matched up with Cornish Hen with Carrots. The Pinot with its light red berry flavours, clove and smoke went well with the Hen.
The crowning touch of the whole meal was the Peach/Blueberry Crumble that was presented along side of the Jackson Triggs Icewine. The initial aroma of the Icewine with its aroma of appricot, peach and petrol aromas set the stage for the welcoming sweetness of the wine which was complemented with the delicious dessert. The meal ended with a congratulatory clap to the Good Earth Cooking School that prepared the meal and the Jackson Triggs Team that organized the event. It was then off to see the talent at the Amphitheatre.
Seamus O'Regan Introduces Gordie Sampson and Kim Stockwood.
Canada AM's Seamus O'Regan introduced the talents of singers Gordie Sampson and Kim Stockwood. Both are "Down Easterners" Gordie being from Cape Breton Island and Kim from Newfoundland (which also happens to be Seamus O'Regan's). Both are well known in the international scene as well as the national. Gordie won a Grammy for Best Country Song Of The Year in 2007 and a Juno for Songwriter Of The Year. I had a particular preference for Kim because she was by far the prettier of the two! The evening went well with no lull in the entertainment and a very exuberant crowd many of whom danced their way to the music.
The weather behaved itself such that the full moon gave a luster to the going's on below. However, all good things must end and the concert wrapped up around 11ish.
Twilight in the Vineyard and other events at Jackson Triggs such as Savour The Sights and Custom Corporate Entertaining Events are economical and highly regarded events that are more than worth the price of admission. Contact 905-468-4637 for your inquiries.
As you may know from my previous columns about California, I a) do not really like driving long distances and b) when I have an appointment, I like to leave early----real early! Things didn't change much when Darlene and I got a very generous invitation to attend Niagara Jackson Triggs Winery's highly successful "Twilight in the Vineyard" series of events featuring some of Canada's greatest entertainers. This time we would be quintuple blessed! But back to that in a moment.
Our friends, Wine, Food and Travel writers/authors Alex and Judy Eberspaecher invited us to drive up to the event with them. Being in their company is something always to be cherished but to have them drive also was a real treat.
Getting to the Eberspaechers' was not what you'd call easy---I like to leave early and, well, Darlene doesn't. Showing up late from one of her shopping sprees Darlene had to get ready quickly and by the time we left, we had about 1 hour to make it to their Oakville home on time. This was from Whitby which was about 1.5 hours away!
On the way, we had to stop for gas since I forgot to fill up and if that wasn't bad enough, we hit two separate accidents on the 401 West not far from Oakville. We managed to arrive about 15 minutes late and some of the Eberspaehers' plans of stopping at Southbrook Winery on the way up had to be cancelled. My fault----should have insisted that we leave about 2 hours or so ahead of time. As it was, we got to the event just a few minutes late (5:45 pm) but not late enough to do any harm.
On arriving, we were met by Del Rollo, Jackson Triggs National Hospitality Director who directed us to the main desk where Lois Chapman, Wine Club and Box Office Administrator made sure that we were taken care of! We all went down to the J-T Barrel Cellar which is a wonder to see at any time. We were greeted with a glass of Jackson Triggs Cuvee Close, an excellent sparkler that I have used many times in my own wine tastings (such as the latest BMO Nesbitt Burns function in Mississauga) which was served along with a cheese platter. This set the stage for the meal to begin.
Now I mentioned that there were five things that we were blessed in at this event. The first was of course coming with the Eberspaechers. The second was the dry weather. This was one of he few "Twilights" this year that was not rained on. The third was the attendance of Vincor CEO Jay Wright and Jackson Triggs co-founder Allan Jackson. Both dropped over to our table and chat. The fine meal and perfect evening were fourth and fifth.
A Fine Meal!
The meal was delivered with class! The Jackson Triggs Cabernet Franc Rose was very compatible with the BLT appetizer that came first. The second course featuring a delicious Corn Chowder was actually my favourite of the whole meal. Two things made it so. First, my favourite Chardonnay Jackson Triggs Proprietor's Grand Reserve Chardonnay from the best year ever (2007) was served along side it. Tasting the wine by itself: a beautiful brilliant golden colour with the aromas of heated butter, lychee, pineapple and toasted oak on the nose and apple, citrus (mandarin) and pear on the palate was an experience though I thought that it was quite young and further aging would bring out much more integration. With the Corn Chowder with its butter taste, there was a merging of flavours that was exquisite.
Alex suggested that we put a bit of the wine into the soup. It made it all that better. Being an experimenter par excellence, he added some of the Rose to the soup and that went well also. Pretty soon we were experimenting with everything-------well not really!
Next on the agenda was a J T Pinot Noir matched up with Cornish Hen with Carrots. The Pinot with its light red berry flavours, clove and smoke went well with the Hen.
The crowning touch of the whole meal was the Peach/Blueberry Crumble that was presented along side of the Jackson Triggs Icewine. The initial aroma of the Icewine with its aroma of appricot, peach and petrol aromas set the stage for the welcoming sweetness of the wine which was complemented with the delicious dessert. The meal ended with a congratulatory clap to the Good Earth Cooking School that prepared the meal and the Jackson Triggs Team that organized the event. It was then off to see the talent at the Amphitheatre.
Seamus O'Regan Introduces Gordie Sampson and Kim Stockwood.
Canada AM's Seamus O'Regan introduced the talents of singers Gordie Sampson and Kim Stockwood. Both are "Down Easterners" Gordie being from Cape Breton Island and Kim from Newfoundland (which also happens to be Seamus O'Regan's). Both are well known in the international scene as well as the national. Gordie won a Grammy for Best Country Song Of The Year in 2007 and a Juno for Songwriter Of The Year. I had a particular preference for Kim because she was by far the prettier of the two! The evening went well with no lull in the entertainment and a very exuberant crowd many of whom danced their way to the music.
The weather behaved itself such that the full moon gave a luster to the going's on below. However, all good things must end and the concert wrapped up around 11ish.
Twilight in the Vineyard and other events at Jackson Triggs such as Savour The Sights and Custom Corporate Entertaining Events are economical and highly regarded events that are more than worth the price of admission. Contact 905-468-4637 for your inquiries.
posted by Chuck Byers - Wine Consultant | 8:10 AM
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