The April Wine Tasting meeting was held at the home of Ruth Warren and was co-hosted by Ruth and Murray and Pat Wood. We were pleased to have all four members who are on our waitlist in attendance for this session. We like to extend an invitation to people on the wait list when some of our regular members are unable to attend a particular event.
Considering the political climate, the hosts chose to try only Ontario wines, concentrating on smaller and less known wineries. The four wines we tasted were:
2020 Chardonnay from Pelee Island Winery ($16.95)
This wine is an unoaked Chardonnay from Pelee Island from 2020 that sells for $16.95. It has a 12% alcohol content, and was described as a tart light wine having a fruit flavour. Overall, it was considered acceptable by the majority of the group, but not a favourite choice.
2023 Pinot Grigio from the Peninsula Ridge Estate Winery ($16.95)
The Peninsula Ridge Winery is located in Beamsville in the Niagara region. The wine tasters noted that this Pinot Grigio was a light wine both in colour and consistency, had a simple flavour and was refreshing. The wine has 12.5% alcohol and sells for $16.95.
The Winery says that this Pinot Grigio emulates the style found in many parts of Northern Italy. This light-coloured wine presents strong notes of white peach, nectarine, and honey. Offering a little weight on your mid-palate, the 2021 Pinot Grigio is well-rounded and brilliantly refreshing with just a twinkle of acidity. It is sure to be a sipping favourite on a hot summer’s day. They recommend that if served for Lunch or Dinner, it would go well with Salads, Sausages on a Bun, or your best grilled dishes. If served with Appetizers or Snacks, it pairs well with Prosciutto wrapped Melon, Summer Soups and an Artichoke Dip.
This was the second most popular wine with the group with 6 saying that they would buy it, 5 who might buy it, and 2 who would not.
2022 Merlot/Cabernet from the Speck Brothers Family Tree Winery ($17.95)
Family Tree winery’s ‘The Padré’ is a Cabernet/Merlot blend that comes from St. Catherines. The LCBO says that is named in honour of Paul Speck Sr. who was a ‘Padré’ before starting a winery; and that this wine is too sinful to be served in church! Heavenly aromas of red and black berry fruit, dark plum and grilled savoury herbs rise from the glass; medium-plus bodied with tones of juicy Bing cherries and bramble berry. It should be paired with prime rib, served with duck fat roasted potatoes, charred balsamic asparagus, and horseradish cream (as recommended by the winery).
This wine was from 2020 and has an alcohol content of 13%. It sells for $17.95. The LCBO notes that it gets a score of 91 out of 100 (winecurrent.com, Sept 11, 2021).
The Merlot/Cabernet was by far the most well received with 10 of the 14 present saying they would buy it.
2023 Shiraz from the Konzelmann Estate Winery ($16.95)
This 2023 Shiraz from the Konzelmann estate winery was descibed by the wine tasters as being medium bodied, with smooth tannis, and fruit flavours. The LCBO says that nose shows forward aromas of cooked strawberry, complemented by white pepper, smoke and floral notes. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins and jammy dark berry fruit flavours. Pair with lamb chops.
It sells for $16.95 and has an alcohol content of 12.5%. Overall, it was considered acceptable by the majority of the group, but was not a favourite choice.
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 