Tuesday 29 May 2012

Food and Wine Review

On Friday night my girlfriend and I, along with my parents attended the Food and Wine Expo. Aside from Elizabeth it was our first time at a food and wine expo and it was a great experience that I wish I could afford to go to everyday. Be prepared to spend a good bit of money as it is $8 -$12 per ticket (depending on if you use a coupon or not) for general admission.

One of the first vendors that we stopped at had samples of Italian wine. As you can see below, most were indeed Voga wines but there were a few other wineries as well. Unfortunately, I was not able to taste each of these but luckily all the tasting notes were provided.

Montresor: Amarone della Valpolicella - Dark ruby-red colour; floral, dried fruit (fig and date), cherry, chocolate and cedar aromas and flavours; dry, full bodied, with balanced acidity, ripe tannins and good length.

Ca' De Riva: Valpolicella Ripasso - Deep ruby red colour;plum, black cherry, dired herbs, vanilla and spice, aromas;medium body, ripe berry sweetness, balanced acidity and spice notes in flavour and soft tannins in medium length finish.

Angel by Giorgio & Gianni: Nero d'Avola Organic  - Very dark purple with a reddish-violet edge, typical of this grape. Explosive rush of aromas of black fruit and spices.

Voga: Quattro - Deep ruby-purple colour; black fruit with a touch of mineral; dry, full body; ripe black fruit flavours with long spicy finish.

Voga: Moscato - Refreshingly sweet with a bubbly feeling. The grape's natural sugar and flavour intensity are the key feature. Imagine fresh grapes, that's exactly what Moscato tastes like.

Voga: Pinto Grigio - Pale golden yellow colour; light aromas of pear, apple, fresh peach and spice; dry, light to medium bodied, fresh stone fruit and citrus flavours, crisp acidity on finish.

Voga: Sparkling Pinot Grigio - A light golden colour and fine perlage give way to aromas of white blossom and ripe fruit. It is very smooth in the mouth with pronounce fruit flavours and crisp citrusy finish.

Si Soave: Soave Classico - Clear, bright straw colour; pear apple and touch of citrus aromas; dry, light body; soft fruit and clean citrus finish.

Si Pinot Grigio - Si Pinot Grigio - This unique and exciting pinot grigio must be served chilled to express its true character. Its typical, bright straw colour, with sweet delicate tropical fruit aromas and luscious persistent finish, make this pinot grigio an irresistible white wine.

I did, however, taste the Sparkling Pinot Grigio. It was very bubbly and delicious. Not too acidity or sweet but just right.

My favourite winery of the night was definitely Palatine Hills Estate Winery. I had never drunk there wine before but I'm glad I gave it a try. Unlike the other stations that had multiple, young and exuberant servers, at Palatine's there was just one quiet, older man. I was first attracted to the winery because of there lack of customers. After getting acquainted with Scott I decided to go with the 1812 Collection's Cabernet. Not only was the wine delicious and colourful with a long finish, Scott provided my father and I with samples that were atleast double the standard 2 ounces. Needless to say I tried a couple of their wines because of the quantity of the samples. The other wine I tried was the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. It was also very delicious, with a medium body, great red fruit flavours and a smooth, slightly dry finish. I think it was even more delicious than the other Cabernet.
Each sample cost only 2 tickets aka $2. Palatine winery has some very well made wines and the staff from what I saw are super friendly. I even worked up the courage to ask if they hired students who are interested in or studying Viticulture in school. As I qualify in both categories, I was extremely happy by his response. He handed me the winemakers card and told me they had some students on staff at the present but are always looking for more. Score!

to be continued...



Saturday 26 May 2012

Niagara Food and Wine Expo 2012

Hey everyone! I have returned from my longer than planned staycation. I have been more than unfaithful to my readers (if I have any) with the lack of entries I've been making. Fortunately for me the Food and Wine Expo came to town and gave me something to write about.
If you haven't heard, the Niagara Food and Wood Expo is on right now! It started Friday May 25th and will run until Sunday May 27th. I definitely recommend giving it a try even though it costs $12 for general admission and in my opinion there was not enough "free" samples to make up for those $12. But on the plus side, I am hear to warn you off an online coupon for when you buy your tickets. Go to the Food and Wine Expo website and scroll down until you see "download coupon" on the left hand side. This coupon will give you $2 off any ticket you buy at the door or $4 off any ticket you purchase online. There is a sort of catch about buying online, there is a service charge of $1.50 per ticket however if you do the math buying online is still more savings.
I have many more comments to make about the event but overall it was a very pleasant experience. I will provide a review of my likes and dislikes later today. Cheers!