It was on April 12 that was held at the beautiful Park Hyatt Hotel in the posh Yorkville Toronto neighbourhood the wine tasting event Taste Ontario to discover and/or rekindle with great VQA wines of Ontario.
The event started with a masterclass hosted by British Master of Wine Nick Jackson. The author of “Beyond Flavour” led a “Tasting by Structure” class where 6 VQA wines were explored:
The 3 white wines were:
- Hidden Bench Estate, Riesling, 2019
Followed the tasting of 3 red wines:
- Stratus Vineyards, Gamay, 2021
I liked all 3 red wines. I would start with the Gamay with an appetizer such as arancini, follow with the Cabernet Franc with steak, and end with the Pinot Noir and a light cheese. And pair a sweet dessert, let’s go with a s'mores bar, and the Sauvignon Blanc.
It was then time to move to the tasting room. There were 62 wineries participating from Ontario’s appellations of Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara Peninsula’s regional appellations Niagara Escarpment & Niagara-on-the-Lake, Prince Edward County and Emerging Regions.
I was particularly intrigued by the “Emerging Regions” section and was happy to find two of my favourite wineries there featuring some of their great wines:
- Adamo Estate Winery, located in Mono, in south-central Ontario, a small-batch boutique winery, using the best fruit from its estate and some of the top growers in Ontario. At Taste Ontario, I got to try their great 2019 Red Head Pinot Noir and their fantastic 2021 Bistro, a red wine blend of 5 grape varietals: 52% Cabernet Franc, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot.
- KIN Vineyards, a family estate winery located in Carp, in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, described as “the most northern Ontario Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Vineyard”. At Taste Ontario, I was able to try their 2019 Pinot Noir and their 2020 Gamay which I loved both.
I ended my walking tasting with the fabulous sparkling wine from Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, the Cuvée Catherine Estate Blanc de Blanc Carte Blanche 2017. What’s the story behind the name? As indicated on the winery’s website: “We have maintained a time honoured tradition by naming our sparkling wines after the widow and matriarch of the family. Named after Catharine Smith, Henry of Pelham's wife, Cuvée Catharine is an award-winning sparkling wine from Niagara”
What is your favourite VQA wine of Ontario?
#VQAontario #winecountryontario #tasteontario #gamay #cabernetfranc #pinotnoir #sauvignonblanc #chardonnay #riesling #niagarapeninsula #niagaraonthelake #princeedwardcounty
