With the sunny summer coming to an end, I can't help but feel a little sad about patio season being over. Well, that's until I found out about LCBO's celebration of local Ontario Wines, available in stores from September 14th to October 11. They call it, Taste Local, an annual event during the harvest season, which features Ontario wines from each wine region district, allowing wine lovers to taste and discover a new favourite.
At the media preview of LCBO Taste Local, we met with the talented winemakers and sipped on their new vino offerings paired with delicious Ontario pies! Oh, did we also mention gourmet cheese?
Upon arrival, we were treated to a cocktail called the Niagara Sour - a perfectly appropriate cocktail name for the wine region event! From there, we headed to the Prince Edward County area featuring wines and winemakers from the youngest of the four Ontario wine regions. A rainier region than Niagara, but the sunshine allows their wines to have impressive ripeness.
Grange of Prince Edward Trumpour's Mill Gamay Noir ($14.95)
Light-bodied & fruity
Pie makers from the Sweet & Savoury Pie Company provided delicious lollipop shaped, tandoori-flavoured mini cutie-pies.
Speaking of pies, Wanda's Pie in the Sky also made bite-sized pies to go perfectly with some of the wines. These ones were pear & cranberry pies!
The next wines I sipped on were from the Niagara Escarpment, located west of St. Catharines. They have the highest number of vineyards on the slopes of the Escarpment.
Medium-bodied & dry
Right: The Foreign Affair: Conspiracy Ripasso Style Red ($19.95)
Full-bodied & smooth
Featherstone Cabernet Franc ($17.95)
Medium-bodied & fruity
Niagara-On-The-Lake is probably the most main stream & well-known wine region in Ontario. They're known to produce rich and approachable wines.
Left: Henry of Pelham Riesling Ice Wine ($49.95)
Lusciously Sweet
Right: Chateau Des Charmes Cabernet Sauvignon ($14.95)
Full-bodied & firm
Medium-bodied & fruity
There you have some of the wines tasted & enjoyed by yours truly! LCBO will be hosting four events so that you can also Taste Local:
1. Wine tastings in stores
2. At more than 150 Ontario restaurants
3. At Vintages' Taste Ontario Event on October 2 at the ROM (click for details)
4. Pie & Wine pop-up tasting on September 19 (click for details)
This fall, there won't be a dull moment with LCBO's various ways to Taste Local! Don't forget to share your #LCBOTasteLocal experiences with us on Twitter.
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