I will never forget the phone call when I was asked to be the Sommelier for a private luncheon for her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her Canada Day visit to Ottawa. The caterers for this special event - Thyme & Again Creative Catering - requested that I handpick a selection of wines to pair with each course. The meal featured locally grown ingredients and produce - naturally, it was a prime opportunity to showcase Ontario wines and wow the guests.  

Below is the royal lunch menu and premium Ontario wine selection - enjoyed by her Majesty the Queen and 100 plus guests during the royal visit of the newly renovated Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa on Wednesday June 30, 2010.

~ Upon Arrival ~

13^th Street Winery Cuvée 13 Rosé VQA 2007, Niagara

A small number of Ontario’s 100+ wineries craft sparkling wine.  13^th Street Winery is a boutique winery situated on the Beamsville Bench (Niagara Escarpment) renown for their sparkling wines. This rare sparkling Rosé made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a splash of Syrah is extraordinary - dry, crisp with delicate aromas of wild strawberry, juicy red cherry with an elegant mousse that lingers as it refreshes. A delicious way to begin today’s celebration.

~ First Course ~

Green and White Asparagus Salad with Orange Segments,

Organic Baby Lettuces and Shaved Ontario Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Isabella’s Extreme Sheep’s Milk Cheese

Huff Estates South Bay Chardonnay VQA 2007, Prince Edward County

From Ontario’s fastest growing wine region – Prince Edward County – where over 20 wineries have emerged in the last 5 years and their wines are making a big impression in the wine world. This Chardonnay from Huff Estates won the prestigious White Wine of the Year from the annual Ontario Wine Awards and turned heads as it gained praises by British wine media last month when showcased at the Seriously Cool Chardonnay tasting at Canada House in London, England. This Chardonnay is a complex medium to full bodied wine, delicately threaded with French oak giving delicious tastes of vanilla custard, toasted nuts, warm spices with a hint of smoke.

~ Main Course ~

Roasted Breast of Barbarie Duck with Shredded Confit of Duck Leg
Mashed Potatoes with Wild Blueberry & Thyme Jus

Local Spring Vegetable Bundle

Stratus White VQA 2006, Niagara

Located in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Stratus Vineyards crafts an ‘assemblage’ using the estate’s best Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Semillon & Viognier grapes.  The blend composition changes with each vintage. The result in the 2006 vintage is a medium bodied wine with aromas of peach & pear with a delicate hint of orange blossom balanced with the acidity & plush mouthfeel that will complement the ingredients in the main course for those who prefer white wine.

Lailey Vineyard Canadian Oak Pinot Noir VQA 2007, Niagara

A truly Canadian wine – this Pinot Noir has been aged in barrels made with native Canadian oak trees – an innovation in the Canadian wine industry.  Lailey Vineyard is one of the original six wineries who were integral to this experiment. They now they craft four wines exclusively aged in Canadian oak barrels to rave reviews.  This elegant medium bodied wine has aromas of cherry, cranberry & earthy tones that grace the glass with a soft texture of red fruit & fresh ground white pepper that lingers on the palate. Selected by the Sommelier as roasted duck & Pinot Noir are a classic food & wine pairing.

~ Dessert Course ~

Fresh Local Strawberry Compote with Lemon Poppyseed Shortcake

Vanilla Mascarpone Mousse
Maple Shortbread

Coffee and Tea Service

Media Coverage

Read the article that appeared in the St Catherine’s Standard on July 2, 2010 ‘Some Niagara wines for the royal palatte’ featuring this luncheon event.

So many wines, so little time.  With the LCBO Vintages stocking their store shelves with new inventory of wines every 2 weeks, it can be mesmerizing to figure out which wines to purchase.  Unlike trying on a pair of new shoes or flipping through a book to read the author’s writing style, the tough part about wine shopping is that you really can’t try the wines before you decide to put them into your shopping cart.

Comes along my savvy idea of ‘If I only had $100, I would buy.” (go ahead & say this with the tune of the Barenaked Ladies song in your head!)

As part of the small community of wine writers & media, I am invited to sample the wines several weeks before they arrive on the store shelves at Vintages.  This means, I have made my list of ‘must buy wines’, weeks before the wines are in stock at your local LCBO. 

To help you navigate through the rows of newly released wines, I will post my ‘If I only had $100, I would buy” blog , before each Vintages release (the 2^nd and 4^th weekend of every month).  This is simply a list of good value wines that will amount to no more than $100. By no means do you have to buy what I suggest, this is simply my list of what I plan to buy.

Click here to download & print this handy shopping list.  Let me know if this is helpful or to pass along your wine tips.

Cheers & Enjoy,

-Debbie
Follow me: twitter.com/savvydebbie

If I only had $100, I would buy…

For the May 2, 2009 LCBO Vintages release

Can’t get enough of - Pierre Sparr Cremant d’Alsace Rosé, France (sparkling rosé)

$19.95    Check Inventory at LCBO Vintages

Outstanding! Refreshing, dry, crisp, well made & easy drinking with a nice light mousse (winespeak: fine bubbles). Made with Pinot Noir grapes, this salmon coloured bubbly is perfect for any occasion, welcome friends with a glass when you have a dinner party, or have on hand to unwind.  No need to wait for a celebration to pop a sparkling wine – life is too short!

My new House White Wine - Domaine Gérard Neumeyer Le Berger Pinot Gris, France

$18.95    Check Inventory at LCBO Vintages

Did you know that Pinot Gris is the same grape as the popular Italian Pinot Grigio?  In France, the Alsace region is famous for making dry, crisp, refreshing Pinot Gris wines….and this is a mighty fine example! Refreshing with pear, light floral aromas & a taste that reminds me of the yummy juice in a can of mandarin oranges.  The zippy acidity creates the clean taste with a long finish.   Serve chilled on its own, or with white fish or a meal of ham with sweet potato. Delicious!

My new House Red Wine - Santa Julia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

$13.95    Check Inventory at LCBO Vintages

Created by Familia Zuccardi Winery – the same winery that produces the ever popular FuZion Shiraz-Malbec red (that is only $7.45), this wine is another example that price tags are not indicators of quality.  Full bodied, with intense aromas & flavours of figs, delicious red fruit, cedar, vanilla with a hint of smoke (these last 3 characteristics come through because the wine has been aged in oak barrels).  Perfect for the nights when you fire up the BBQ to grill hamburgers, steak, sausages & pork chops. 

Go local - drink Ontario -  Niagara College Teaching Winery Unoaked Chardonnay 2006 VQA, Ontario

$14.95    Check Inventory at LCBO Vintages

Ontario continues impress & this is another fine example.  This is the college that many of Canada’s new winemakers are learning from the experts & getting their hands on training.  Believe it or not this wine is a class project!  Not to be overlooked as the college is turning many heads with the coveted awards it is winning for their wines.  This Chardonnay is light bodied with aromas that remind me of the first bite into a green apple with lively acidity & minerals (think a sandy beach).  Every sip is refreshing, with a lime & lemon finish.  At this price, it is easy to stock up your fridge. Chill to drink on its own or with rainbow trout, cold shrimp, sushi, or as you nibble on cheddar or parmesan cheese.  

INSIDE SCOOP: Niagara College Teaching Winery will be featured in our Savvy Selections wine of the month club. Every month, three different bottles of premium Canadian wine from a featured winemaker are delivered straight to your door. These are wines you won’t find at the LCBO or SAQ — handpicked by us for your enjoyment. Subscribe online at  www.savvyselections.ca

For your weekend BBQ - Porta Boldo Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

$21.95    Check Inventory at LCBO Vintages

Made with organically grown grapes, this big bold full bodied red wine is loaded with luscious flavours of blackberry, fig jam that warms you with every sip.  Delicious with a hint of mint & smoke as it lingers in your mouth.  This one is begging to be enjoyed with anything from the BBQ.  Fire it up!

GRAND TOTAL: $89.75

When people select, drink and enjoy wines these days, the concept of ’style’ plays a big role in the character, profile and experience of wine. It is a way of familiarizing the unknown. There are many ways of referencing style with wine as there is referencing style with people. One can talk about style with winemaking or growing or marketing or bottling or flavour…  just like you can with art or clothing or behaviour. Often, the concept of ‘New’ and ‘Old’ World styles run through discussions and pleasures that are a part of the wine experience too. There is no well-defined identity for one or the other, particularly now that vines and winemakers and techniques move from traditional Old World regions to New World regions and back again.

There is still value in referencing these styles because it helps to uncover the identities and assets of wines we might not be familiar with. In a way it is like discovering a tasting profile for wines. Here are some ideas that might clarify ‘Old’ from ‘New’ and “open up” some wines for you.

Old World:  These wines are usually wines that have a long, documented history and are primarily found in Europe and around the Mediterranean. Here the traditions of winemaking are very important to the production of wine. “Terroir” (the impact of soil, weather, nutrients, sunlight, agricultural method, etc.) also plays a large role in the way wine is made.

Austria, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland are wine regions with a long history of growing grapes for wine that would qualify as “Old World”.

New World: These wines are grown outside of the traditional wine regions of Europe. Each of these countries has its own history with wine that often is about the importation of vines in many cases ( often by the Church for various rituals). The growers brought their grape growing and winemaking traditions with them, but had to modify some of their procedures (like irrigation) to accommodate the conditions and resources of their new sites.

Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico and the United States are the more notale examples.

Style: Knowing this information is helpful.

Old World wines because of their reliance on tradition and terroir will display more of the characteristics of the soils and climates they are in like the foods grown right along side them. Much Old World wine, to oversimplify, is intended as a food partner, a wine whose crop yields, alcohol levels, acid levels, aging processes and geographical boundaries are highly regulated. Filtering of many of these wines is done with natural products like clay or egg whites so sediment levels tend to be higher and the wines tend to absorb rather than reflect light. These wines often show a minerality, an earthiness and a flavour profile that leans towards barrel flavours like vanilla and smoke or wood and they show tannic characteristics more readily. Intended to be food partners, Old World often improves its impact with local fare as an accompaniment.

New World, on the other hand, is more winemaker driven. It is intended to be more a “cocktail” experience. It is designed for the consumer with its fruit forward, high sugar and alcohol profile. These wines are grown to be drunk now. Longer growing seasons, less regulations, controlled irrigation and fertilization render bountiful crops and copious supplies of wine that is brilliantly reflective because of the .005 gauge screening it goes through when it is filtered. Drinking wine on its own suits the New World very well.

That is not to say that these are hard and fast rules for “Old” and “New”. Many is the Old World vintage that is tasty and sweet all by itself. Many is the New World vintage that marries very well with food. A lot of Old World wineries have New World winemakers and vice versa, but these characteristics are helpful in recognizing New and Old World ‘Styles’ of wine which may help you share your wine experiences with someone else or choose the right wine for someone you know. 

Cheers and Salute!
- Wayne

Do you have more ideas about styles of wine, New or Old World? Email me as I would like to hear from you.