Add Pizzazz To Your Next Vacation in Wine Countries
Ah! Summer is finally at arm’s reach. Time to gear up, explore the great outdoors and challenge yourself in new and fun ways. And that includes leaving your comfort zone to taste wines made with grape varieties you are not familiar with. Not only will it add pizzazz to your vacation, but you may also just discover new favourite wines. How more gratifying can that be?
There are over 10,000 grape varieties that are known to make good wines, which is a lot more than the 10 or so we know too well, such as the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Tasting new wines is fun, self- indulgent, yet educational and may result in a wider selection of new favourite wines. Here are a few Canadian suggestions worth looking into. They are the results of vine species crossings with others to develop new characteristics such as making them more resilient to climate and diseases but also taste characteristics.
The Ehrenfelser is a German white wine grape created in 1929 by crossing Riesling and Knipperlé vines. The wine made with Ehrenfelser is aromatic, with citrus, peach, apricot and honey nose, and its texture is soft on the palate making it easy to enjoy. The wine is usually vinified off-dry, meaning the grape juice is not entirely fermented, leaving some natural residual sugar in the bottle. This wine is perfect for mildly spiced dishes such as Thai cuisine or a plate of soft cheeses and fresh fruits. Examples of this wine are found in the Okanagan (Gray Monk, Summerhill, Gehringer Brothers, Mt Boucherie and many more).
Maréchal Foch is a red grape varietal resulting from a cross between French and American grapes. It was developed in Alsace as a potential solution to the phylloxera infestation that nearly killed all French vines in the 19th century. The hope then was to create a plant that could survive the attacks of the tiny aphid on the root system. The resulting vine is hardy and does well in cold climates, making it a suitable choice in Canada. The wines improve with the age of the vines meaning if you buy a bottle of Maréchal Foch made with “old vines,” you may be up for a treat. It is commonly vinified as a full-body wine with blueberries, dark fruits, smoke, vanilla, spice, good acidity, and a round finish. A perfect wine for a steak or roast or old cheddar. Incidentally, the grape is not recognized in Europe as it is not a pure Vitis vinifera. Examples of this wine can be found in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and the Okanagan (Lang Vineyards, St Hubertus and Oak and Bay and Summerhill)
Siegerrebe is a white grape from Germany. The vine is well suited for cold climates and produces a pleasantly perfumed wine similar to the muscat or Gewürztraminer. Because it tends to be lower in acidity, it is often blended with other grape varietals to balance the wine’s body. While in Germany, it is used to make dessert wines, we mainly use it as table wine. The wine is usually intense displaying rose petals, spices and grapefruit and hints of tangerine aromas, off-dry and suitable for mildly spiced curry dishes, creamy cheeses and sea food. (Gray Monk, Sunnybray and Waterside).
There are many more grape varieties with names that are hard to pronounce but, please, do not let it intimate you. Just go for it. Next time you find yourself in a winery, have a look at the wine list, pick a mysterious wine or two, order samples and ask questions. The staff will welcome your curiosity and be happy to indulge you.
Cheers!
Renée Delorme, Sommelier
www.tastingpleasures.ca
403.200.9961
mail@tastingpleasures.ca
Indulge in the pleasures of private tastings
