* ‘Stage’ is a French term for an internship/apprenticeship*
Over the coming few months this blog is going to take a change of course as I have decided to dedicate myself to posting about my experiences working for Keint-He Winery and Vineyards in Prince Edward County. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Geoff Heinricks, Keint-He, Ontario, Organic, Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County, Sparkling Wine, The Old Third
Again apologies for not having posted in a while, it has been a very busy summer and will likely be an even busier fall.
On Saturday July 23rd I attended the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration luncheon, held at Southbrook Vineyards. The celebration was organized by some prominent producers here in Niagara to “reinstate the dignity of Chardonnay”. They started a non-profit organization and then decided to hold a weekend long celebration inviting some great Chardonnay producers from around the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Biodynamic, Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, New Zealand, Niagara, Ontario, Oregon, Organic, Prince Edward County, Southbrook
I have realized that I have not posted a blog in a month and a half and I must apologize about that. My life has become extremely busy lately, but I should have been more on top of my blogging.
There are two major reasons that I have not posted in such a long time. First, I am working this summer with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada working as a grapevine disease researcher. The job is fantastic and I am gaining massive amounts of knowledge and practical abilities. The job, however, is also very demanding and I have been prioritizing it over other things. I have really enjoying it so far as I am gaining skills in vineyard management, spray regimens, disease identification, research and overall a real sense as to how a vineyard functions over a season.
The second major reason I have not posted is that I am now contributing to the online wine magazine Palate Press. I have now done two stories for them one “wine conversation” piece on the rare Côte Rôtie vareity Sérine and one feature length article on Prince Edward County Pinot Noir. Here are the links to both stories, they are also available on my “Features” page.
Finding Sérine: The Rediscovery of Côte Rôtie’s Forgotten Grape
Pinot Noir Shines on the Edge in Prince Edward County
I will continue to write for Palate Press and will update everyone on the stories I write for them. As for this blog I have a some stories that are long over due for writing so expect some more frequent posting in the next little bit. That is until harvest of course, when I will have no time at all.
As a final note the picture at the top of this post is of Jean Michel Stephan’s old Sérine vines. I wanted this picture for my Palate Press story but could not get it on time. So enjoy I love the old bush vine trellising system with such a rare variety.
On April 12th I was lucky enough to attend the Wines of Jura Tasting event held in Toronto. I have always been a fan of the wines from Jura. In fact not that long ago I wrote a piece about a great Jura Chardonnay I had from Domaine Andre et Mirielle Tissot. For those of you not familiar with the region, I will provide a brief background. In my opinion Jura is responsible for some of the most interesting, delicious and vastly unappreciated wines in the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Biodynamic, Chardonnay, Jura, Organic, Pinot Noir, Ploussard, Savagnin, Trousseau, Vin de Paille, Vin Jaune
Over the past several weeks I have been thinking about why we invest so much time and energy into wine. People write about it, make it, grow grapes, have heated debates about it. Blood, sweat and tears go into it. It is the only consumable commodity that holds such a prestigious position, but why? Why has human kind become so obsessed with wine? Out of my own personal interest I have come up with a list, albeit an incomplete one, of some of the major reasons I think this is so.
Tags: Wine, Wine Thoughts
Terry Theise is right, farmer fizz rocks! Theise, of course, is the one who coined the term “farmer fizz” to refer to the grower Champagne he imports into the United States. He is also the one who has really put grower Champagne on the map over the past 10-15 years. There is now more of this small scale product available throughout North America and I think the wine world is a better place because of it. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Champagne, Chardonnay, Niagara, Ontario, Pinot Noir
Wine is painfully contextual. I say painfully because as much as we would like to believe we are objective tasters, it just isn’t true. When we taste wine it is always informed by context, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. I think this fact is often not acknowledged as much as it should be. There is no doubt in my mind that we taste the same wine very differently based on factors like surrounding environment, mood, company etc. This fact really struck me over this past summer when we went visiting a friend on a perfect summer day in Northern Ontario. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Context, Grenache, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Spain, Tempranillo
There is something special about the Jura region of France. The more I read about it and the more I taste wines from there, the more impressed I am. There is something so independent and self expressive about the producers from this region. It isn’t just the fact that they have very interesting indigenous grapes like Poulsard and Savignin or styles like Vin Jaune. But even when it comes to ‘international’ varieties like Chardonnay, they have this amazing individual expression. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Biodynamic, Chardonnay, Jura, Organic
First and foremost Happy New Year. It has been while since I last blogged and I apologize for that. December was an extremely hectic month, full of final exams in wine school, along with holiday obligations and the like. I had originally intended to write a reflection piece, just after New Years, about my life in wine over the past 12 months. This past year I began attending wine school in an attempt to forge out a career growing grapes and making wine. I have tasted some really special bottles that have changed the way I perceive wine and I have met some amazing grape growers and winemakers who have already shared a wealth of experience and knowledge. However, when I began trying to write the piece I just became more and more unsatisfied with it especially due to the fact that I wasn’t properly capturing what I had taken away from this past year. In the end I finally decided to scrap the idea as I figured what I have taken away from this past year will end up in my writings and ideas this year. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Fake Wine, Oregon, Pinot Noir, Real Wine
Three and a half weeks ago I visited one of Canada’s most impressive wineries Le Clos Jordanne. Those versed in the Canadian wine industry have likely heard the name before. It has, in its short history, been one of the most talked about producers in the region as well as regarded as one of Canada’s great producers. Just last year influential wine writer Jancis Robinson named Le Clos Jordanne and Closson Chase as Ontario’s two finest wineries. Being a huge fan of top-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Ontario I thought it was time to pay this most prestigious producer a visit. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Chardonnay, Le Clos Jordanne, Niagara, Ontario, Organic, Pinot Noir
