PELLER ESTATES WINERY
Andrew Peller Signature Series Ice Cuvée | Candied Bacon and Chocolate Sponge Toffee
Peller Estates Winery
Peller Estates is a rather common wine found in the LCBO, but actually seeing the winery was quite a memorable experience. Even with a blanket of snow covering most of the property, pulling up to the winery was breathtakingly grand. I got a tingly sensation just driving up the long pathway leading to what could only be described as a castle. Well worth a visit!
Peller Estates Winery
Andrew Peller Signature Series Ice Cuvée
Andrew Peller Signature Series Ice Cuvée
Candied Bacon and Chocolate Sponge Toffee
If I had to choose one most memorable chocolate treat out of the entire touring pass, I'd have to say Peller Estates comes out on top. Instead of offering desserts prepared by the local bakery, they actually had their in-house pastry chef stir up a suitable creation. The result? This mouthwatering Bacon and Chocolate Sponge Toffee. I was only half listening to the server who was explaining how these were made, because secretly I wanted to take another while she wasn't looking. Delicious! Kudos to the chef!
REIF ESTATE WINERY
"The Magician" 2011 Pinot Shiraz | Chocolate Chili Corn
Reif Estate Winery
"The Magician" 2011 Pinot Shiraz
Rob and I end up spending the most time at Reif Estate, even though neither of us was familiar with this winery. I could've been the kind gentleman helping us, or maybe because he kept offering us wine. On top of "The Magician" Pinot Shiraz that was part of the pairing, we had the pleasure of trying some of Reif's other popular wines. I ended up buying a bottle called "The Hangman". These names are quite original!
"The Magician" 2011 Pinot Shiraz and Chocolate Chili Corn
INNISKILLIN WINES
2008 Vidal Icewine | Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
Inniskillin Wines
Being the sister winery of Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin has built a specialized reputation for producing some of the best ice wines.
Inniskillin Wines
2008 Vidal Icewine
A bottle of ice wine here runs upwards of $50 dollars, and I was actually surprised to see that the ice wine offered for our pairing was one of the more expensive bottles.
2008 Vidal Icewine
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
2008 Vidal Icewine and Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
If you're into stimulating your sweet taste buds, then Inniskillin's pairing is definitely not for you. Everything about this pairing is sweet. The Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls are a heavy and rich dessert, which was still outdone by the Vidal. A very crisp wine that just went down like candy.
MARYNISSEN ESTATES WINERY
2007 Merlot | Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Marynissen Estates Winery
2007 Merlot
Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie
2007 Merlot and Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie
RIVERVIEW CELLARS ESTATE WINERY
2011 Rosso Cabernet Merlot | Chocolate Chili Brownies
2011 Rosso Cabernet Merlot
After a while all the desserts and brownies start tasting the same (since most desserts were provided by the same local bakery), but the Chocolate Chili Brownie chosen by Riverview Cellars stood out from the rest by having an unexpected spicy kick. The brownie didn't taste all that great on it's own, but was a flavorful compliment to the acidic wine.
PONDVIEW ESTATE WINERY
2011 Select Late Harvest Vidal | Banana Chocolate Tart
Pondview Estate Winery
Pondview Estate Winery
Pondview Vidal Late Harvest, Vidal Icewine, and Banana Chocolate Tart
The tasting at Pondview was a little bit different, where you actually had an option of two wines to choose from. A Select Late Harvest Vidal, or a Vidal Ice Wine. While both are sweeter dessert wines, they have different requirements mandated by the Ontario's Vinters Quality Alliance (VQA). Ice wine grapes are required to be harvested at a specific temperature, which is lower than late harvest grapes. The cooler temperature draws out more moisture from the grapes, making the wines sweeter.
Select Late Harvest Vidal and Vidal Icewine
LAILEY VINEYARD 2011 Cabernet Merlot | Chocolate Surprise
Lailey Vineyard
2011 Cabernet Merlot
2011 Cabernet Merlot and Chocolate Surprise
SOUTHBROOK VINEYARDS
2007 Matchmakers Cabernet Merlot Shiraz | "ChocoLoco Chicken Mole"
Southbrook Vineyards
2007 Matchmakers Cabernet Merlot Shiraz
The pot of ChocoLoco Chicken Mole
Southbrook Vineyards took a completely different approach to the chocolate theme, and made a savory chocolate pairing. A big pot filled with pulled chicken, chocolate, and peanutbutter. Sounds a little weird, but it was oh-so delicious! It was also a bonus to have something warm in the stomach coming inside from the cold!
2007 Matchmakers Cabernet Merlot Shiraz
Devouring the delicious ChocoLoco Chicken Mole
ChocoLoco Chicken Mole Recipe
In no time at all, my serving of ChocoLoco Chicken had vanished. I then proceeded to ask for a recipe, which the lady was happy to surrender to me. I can see this being an awesome casserole or even as a hot sandwich. A big thank you to Southbrook Vineyards for sharing your top secret recipe! :)
After two days of driving through narrow, unmaintained, snow-covered winery roads, we only managed to reach 14 of the 28 wineries. While I may not be bringing home the trooper's trophy, I definitely leave knowing a little bit more of Niagara's local wines. The touring pass provides a great opportunity to try different varietals, and get exposure to wineries that one may not normally purchase from. Many of my favourites this weekend were from wineries I didn't know existed until now!
There are still a couple weekends left in February, so if you're chocolate fanatic like me (or a wine fanatic like Rob), there's definitely still time to purchase tickets! For those of you who aren't big fans of winter cold or chocolate, not to fear! The Niagara on the Lake wineries run a Wine & Herb festival in the warmer months of May, which pairs savory bites with suitable wines. I may not enjoy savoury as much as sweet, but I am definitely looking forward to this already! :)
