August 3rd:Two In A Vineyard Goes Niagara: Day One
A New Adventure Begins!
Lunch and Tasting at Jackson-Triggs Winery
With the Austrian adventure under our belts, a totally Canadian production seemed in order. Our tour started early on Tuesday morning which saw us off to Niagara. The trip up was basically uneventful all the way to Jackson-Triggs winery. Located within five minutes of the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the ultra modern and energy efficient winery designed to look like a barn from the outside is the showpiece of Niagara-----and it is an amazing innovative showpiece!
This winery started its life in 1993 as a brand name for Vincor--then a Canadian company under the direction of Donald Triggs and Allan Jackson. A state of the art winery with the same name was built later under. Jackson-Triggs is now under the Vincor ownership of Constellation.
We arrived at Jackson-Triggs at around noon and mere met by Public Relations Manager and my close friend for years---Debi Pratt. Two other individuals that I had much pleasant history with were Del Rollo, National Director of Hospital for Vincor and Stacey Mulholland, Regional Manager of Hospitality, Eastern Estates. A lunch matched with wine had been prepared by Executive Chef, David Penny. David, all 6'6' of him could have easily become an actor with rugged good looks and an excellent speaking voice. His talents definitely flowed into the cooking realm as the food her prepared was delicious.
The Lunch Meal
Lunch started with Golden Beet Soup and Fresh Chive Cream matched with a 2010 Silver Series Sauvignon Blanc. An excellent match--- matching the herbal/apricot/citrus qualities of the wine with the soup.
The Heirloom Tomato Salad withe Ontario Buffalo Mozzarella/Purple Basil/Olive Oil went very well with the 2009 Proprietors' Reserve Sparkling Cuvee Close (Charmat as compared to Classique). It showed the remarkable diverseness of sparkling wines which are really limited in their use as a food wine.
Jackson Triggs Ham and Cheese Sandwich with Smoked Vidal "Canadian Bacon/Upper Canada Haloumi/Icewine Mustard was the final course and matched with 2008 Le Clos Jordanne Village Reserve Pinot Noir---a wine that speaks for itself and an amazing food wine with dishes as the above and also a large number of other food items.
Sandie interviewed David Penny about his career and work at Jackson Triggs.
J/T Amphitheatre
The amphitheatre was built some time after the winery was built but looks like it always was there. Very original in its design, it also had amazing acoustics which did not need the use any sound enhancing device.
Del Rollo was interviewed on stage by Sandie and he discussed his position and career with the Jackson Triggs and Vincor Company. Del as usual was very modest only talked about his important and very responsible position with the company when prodded . However, it did not take much to find out how important his work responsibility was.
The Amphitheatre itself is of Greco-Roman design and is an open air theatre made up of a central slightly elevated stage and surrounded by ascending rock seating arranged in a semi-circular format with up to twelve to fifteen rows and capable of holding up to 700 people.
Many of Canada's best entertainers have performed at the Jackson-Triggs Amphitheatre whose 2011 Concert Series will feature such acts as Serena Ryder, Sam Roberts, Spirit of the West and Gord Downie.
After the interview, Del had to get on with his business and Chef David Penny gave us a tour of his wine garden which was planted immediately in front of the winery. It was then time to go down to the wine barrel cellar and meet Marco Piccoli, the head winemaker at Jackson-Triggs. Here the topic was sparkling wines and Jackson-Triggs' new product made in the classical vein was discussed. Entourage Silver Series Brut Methode Classique is a sparkling wine that is very reminiscent of Champagne. Made in the same method, the final product is fine lasting bubbles, full flavours of apple, nuts, pineapple, citrus and mineral. Marco discussed the making of the wine. Marco also introduced the Jackson-Triggs Entourage Gold Series Sparkling Merlot and Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc offer the characteristics of the grape varieties plus the fine bubbles and toastiness that comes with a Methode Classique wine.
Greenlane Estates Winery
After our visit to Jackson Triggs we went back to the "Bench" along South Service Road to visit Greenlane Estates Winery. The winery itself is a small boutique winery which started out as Birchwood Estates Winery back in 1999/2000. Winery President, Sommelier and self professed "Wine Geek" Robert Paul met us and introduced us to his lovely wine maker Diane Smith.
Robert told us that he worked in the trade for many years and always wanted to own a winery. He also knew that the winery had a reputation for good fruit production and had a good soil structure that had excellent drainage and rocky soil that retained heat.
Greenlane produces premium quality Greenlane Estate Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. It also produces some "second label" wines (Greetings) from sourced Ontario grapes combined with those of Greenlane.
Winemaker Diane Smith introduced herself and tutored a wine tasting of the Premium Estate Wines along with Barrel samples. All had great fruit and a special minerality that was superb.
Diane, who has degrees from Brock University, became interested in wine and furthered her studies culminating in a BA degree in Biology from South Florida University and Viticulture/Winemaking from Niagara College. Diane practice with many well known wineries in various parts of the globe as well as Ontario. She is also well known advocate of Toronto Animal Rescue, SPCA and Diabetes Foundation. She also makes delicious wines! The practice at Greenlane, under Diane's supervision, is totally organic and bio dynamic.
Robert Paul knew of our plans to visit Prince Edward Island and made a very interesting point was that when doing the legal research for the name "Greenlane", he found that the only challenge that could be made was the house of "Green Gables" of novel fame. He obviously was in the clear to use the "Greenlane" credential.
The day was fast coming to a close so we decided to head back to our Bed and Breakfast called "The House By The Side Of The Road"
"The House", located across Highway 81 from Malivoire Winery was outstanding and one of the nicest B&B's that I have ever stayed in. Roy and Sandie were absolutely thrilled with it also. The new building was built on the site and foundation of an much older establishment. The design is intricate and the display magnificent. Each room is themed accurately to the very last detail all the rooms with excellent views of the spacious garden, Tawse Vineyards and countryside. A spacious veranda surrounds the house and encourages relaxation and discussion. Each of the rooms has a bathroom en suite and is immaculate. Here, cleanliness is the rule and service the smile. There is also a "Spa" in the lower area and an entertainment area complete with a seven foot screen television!!!
The best thing about the place was its owner, Christine McAlpine. This former nurse is a gregarious genuine and generous individual who is a pleasure to be around. Christine went out of her way to make us feel at home and -------we did.
The group of us went to a local diner for supper and then returned to have a sip of wine and sit at the back----enjoying each others' company. It was a great way to start the tour and we know that more good things were to come.
Lunch and Tasting at Jackson-Triggs Winery
With the Austrian adventure under our belts, a totally Canadian production seemed in order. Our tour started early on Tuesday morning which saw us off to Niagara. The trip up was basically uneventful all the way to Jackson-Triggs winery. Located within five minutes of the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the ultra modern and energy efficient winery designed to look like a barn from the outside is the showpiece of Niagara-----and it is an amazing innovative showpiece!
This winery started its life in 1993 as a brand name for Vincor--then a Canadian company under the direction of Donald Triggs and Allan Jackson. A state of the art winery with the same name was built later under. Jackson-Triggs is now under the Vincor ownership of Constellation.
We arrived at Jackson-Triggs at around noon and mere met by Public Relations Manager and my close friend for years---Debi Pratt. Two other individuals that I had much pleasant history with were Del Rollo, National Director of Hospital for Vincor and Stacey Mulholland, Regional Manager of Hospitality, Eastern Estates. A lunch matched with wine had been prepared by Executive Chef, David Penny. David, all 6'6' of him could have easily become an actor with rugged good looks and an excellent speaking voice. His talents definitely flowed into the cooking realm as the food her prepared was delicious.
The Lunch Meal
Lunch started with Golden Beet Soup and Fresh Chive Cream matched with a 2010 Silver Series Sauvignon Blanc. An excellent match--- matching the herbal/apricot/citrus qualities of the wine with the soup.
The Heirloom Tomato Salad withe Ontario Buffalo Mozzarella/Purple Basil/Olive Oil went very well with the 2009 Proprietors' Reserve Sparkling Cuvee Close (Charmat as compared to Classique). It showed the remarkable diverseness of sparkling wines which are really limited in their use as a food wine.
Jackson Triggs Ham and Cheese Sandwich with Smoked Vidal "Canadian Bacon/Upper Canada Haloumi/Icewine Mustard was the final course and matched with 2008 Le Clos Jordanne Village Reserve Pinot Noir---a wine that speaks for itself and an amazing food wine with dishes as the above and also a large number of other food items.
Sandie interviewed David Penny about his career and work at Jackson Triggs.
J/T Amphitheatre
The amphitheatre was built some time after the winery was built but looks like it always was there. Very original in its design, it also had amazing acoustics which did not need the use any sound enhancing device.
Del Rollo was interviewed on stage by Sandie and he discussed his position and career with the Jackson Triggs and Vincor Company. Del as usual was very modest only talked about his important and very responsible position with the company when prodded . However, it did not take much to find out how important his work responsibility was.
The Amphitheatre itself is of Greco-Roman design and is an open air theatre made up of a central slightly elevated stage and surrounded by ascending rock seating arranged in a semi-circular format with up to twelve to fifteen rows and capable of holding up to 700 people.
Many of Canada's best entertainers have performed at the Jackson-Triggs Amphitheatre whose 2011 Concert Series will feature such acts as Serena Ryder, Sam Roberts, Spirit of the West and Gord Downie.
After the interview, Del had to get on with his business and Chef David Penny gave us a tour of his wine garden which was planted immediately in front of the winery. It was then time to go down to the wine barrel cellar and meet Marco Piccoli, the head winemaker at Jackson-Triggs. Here the topic was sparkling wines and Jackson-Triggs' new product made in the classical vein was discussed. Entourage Silver Series Brut Methode Classique is a sparkling wine that is very reminiscent of Champagne. Made in the same method, the final product is fine lasting bubbles, full flavours of apple, nuts, pineapple, citrus and mineral. Marco discussed the making of the wine. Marco also introduced the Jackson-Triggs Entourage Gold Series Sparkling Merlot and Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc offer the characteristics of the grape varieties plus the fine bubbles and toastiness that comes with a Methode Classique wine.
Greenlane Estates Winery
After our visit to Jackson Triggs we went back to the "Bench" along South Service Road to visit Greenlane Estates Winery. The winery itself is a small boutique winery which started out as Birchwood Estates Winery back in 1999/2000. Winery President, Sommelier and self professed "Wine Geek" Robert Paul met us and introduced us to his lovely wine maker Diane Smith.
Robert told us that he worked in the trade for many years and always wanted to own a winery. He also knew that the winery had a reputation for good fruit production and had a good soil structure that had excellent drainage and rocky soil that retained heat.
Greenlane produces premium quality Greenlane Estate Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. It also produces some "second label" wines (Greetings) from sourced Ontario grapes combined with those of Greenlane.
Winemaker Diane Smith introduced herself and tutored a wine tasting of the Premium Estate Wines along with Barrel samples. All had great fruit and a special minerality that was superb.
Diane, who has degrees from Brock University, became interested in wine and furthered her studies culminating in a BA degree in Biology from South Florida University and Viticulture/Winemaking from Niagara College. Diane practice with many well known wineries in various parts of the globe as well as Ontario. She is also well known advocate of Toronto Animal Rescue, SPCA and Diabetes Foundation. She also makes delicious wines! The practice at Greenlane, under Diane's supervision, is totally organic and bio dynamic.
Robert Paul knew of our plans to visit Prince Edward Island and made a very interesting point was that when doing the legal research for the name "Greenlane", he found that the only challenge that could be made was the house of "Green Gables" of novel fame. He obviously was in the clear to use the "Greenlane" credential.
The day was fast coming to a close so we decided to head back to our Bed and Breakfast called "The House By The Side Of The Road"
"The House", located across Highway 81 from Malivoire Winery was outstanding and one of the nicest B&B's that I have ever stayed in. Roy and Sandie were absolutely thrilled with it also. The new building was built on the site and foundation of an much older establishment. The design is intricate and the display magnificent. Each room is themed accurately to the very last detail all the rooms with excellent views of the spacious garden, Tawse Vineyards and countryside. A spacious veranda surrounds the house and encourages relaxation and discussion. Each of the rooms has a bathroom en suite and is immaculate. Here, cleanliness is the rule and service the smile. There is also a "Spa" in the lower area and an entertainment area complete with a seven foot screen television!!!
The best thing about the place was its owner, Christine McAlpine. This former nurse is a gregarious genuine and generous individual who is a pleasure to be around. Christine went out of her way to make us feel at home and -------we did.
The group of us went to a local diner for supper and then returned to have a sip of wine and sit at the back----enjoying each others' company. It was a great way to start the tour and we know that more good things were to come.
posted by Chuck Byers - Wine Consultant | 7:47 PM
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