I rambled on for so long in my last post about the reds I drink on a regular basis that I didn’t leave time to talk about whites. I don’t tend to open whites “just for the heck of it” as often as I do with reds, but that’s not to say I don’t have a few that I go back to.
Vidal is such a versatile hybrid grape, I really love it. This is less sweet than most, rates a 2 on the scale, and has just the lightest floral aroma. One wine characteristic that I have a really hard time with is floral... if I can describe a wine as “tasting like flowers”, I’m not likely to enjoy it. This Vidal does not taste like flowers, thank goodness, but rather like honeyed citrus. This is a lovely sipper and I also like to serve this with salads topped with fruit, nuts and cheese.
Flat Rock is one of the coolest wineries I have had the pleasure of visiting. They were among the first to use a gravity flow system to limit grape handling and reduce the energy consumption while the grapes take their delicious journey from vine to glass.
Their Chardonnay is smoky and sultry with a nice autumn feel to it. I don’t subscribe to the snobbery that often surrounds Chardonnay, and this example fits that nicely. Serve on its own or with chicken and root vegetable stew.
Vineland Estates is my favourite local Riesling maker. I had the opportunity to taste what’s called a vertical flight at the estate back in 2006. A vertical flight showcases several different vintages (years) of the same grape from the same winery. While there were substantial differences across the vintages relating to the growing seasons and winemaking techniques, each one was a very quality beverage and I know that regardless of the vintage, Vineland Riesling doesn’t disappoint. I particularly enjoy this selection as a pre-dinner drink, or served with spicy chili shrimp.
Well my friends, it appears that I only have 3 commercial white wines to write about today, a situation I will be working hard to remedy over the next few weeks. I see that true to my usual form, I have stayed rather close to home with my routine selections. I guess I prefer to patronize the wineries I've had a chance to visit since I feel like I know a little bit more about them, but as I've written previously, I risk missing out on greatness (I almost typed grapeness, but that's to cheesy, even for me) from other regions. I've been doing a great deal of reading lately about some mouth watering Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand that I believe will be the next to reach my glass, and I must also sample the LCBO Vintages' more popular selection, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio.
Please stay tuned for some exciting news in the next few weeks as my journey from glass to keyboard continues.
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