Let’s Wine
Together
As a certified sommelier with a
passion for the wines of the Lake Erie North Shore, I am not here to tell you
what you should drink; taste in wine is very personal. My goal is to open your
mind – and your palate – to different ideas and options.
Please submit wine-related questions
for publication and I will also share my experiences with local wines. You can
reach me at grapeaspirations@gmail.com, at www.facebook.com/GrapeAspirations
and on Twitter at @gr8grapz.
This month’s
question comes from PR, in Kingsville:
I confess to being a first-time
attendee at the Shores of Erie International Wine Festival this year. What tips
can you give me to make the most of my weekend pass?
The Shores
of Erie International Wine Festival is a great opportunity to sample wines from
almost all of the local wineries (14 will be represented), paired with 16
restaurants from Windsor and Essex County and live music from local musicians
and bands, including Merlin’s own sweetheart, Michelle Wright, and local favourites,
including Billy Raffoul.
On Saturday
and Sunday afternoons, my friend Gary Killops will be doing wine walk tours and
local chefs will be giving cooking demonstrations in the Culinary Pavilion.
The Festival
has come a long way in the nine years since its inception (with only three
wineries in attendance)… there’s even an app you can download for your mobile
phone or tablet!
The first tip
is to keep a close eye on the weather and dress appropriately with VERY
comfortable shoes; the terrain of Fort Malden National Historic Site is … well
… rugged in places and you don’t want any physical mishaps to ruin your
experience.
Number two:
PACE YOURSELF. With 14 wineries represented, there are a number of ways to
experience the fruits of their labours. At the Vine Pavilion, you can purchase
four tastings for $5. You can also purchase tokens at three points throughout
the park, which you then use to purchase glasses and bottles at each winery’s
booth (between the 14 wineries, they have 23 booths throughout the park.
It’s a great
opportunity to sample some wonderful food, too, from a variety of restaurants
(each restaurant’s booth will have several dishes available to purchase)… and
please let me know if you come up with any memorable pairings! And, of course,
enjoy the music and the views – the sunsets can be breathtaking.
Take
advantage of the opportunity to ask questions of the representatives at each
winery’s booth; this is a wonderful opportunity to get insight into the
winery’s winemaking process, their approach to pesticide and fertilizer use, as
well as their plans for the future, just to name a few.
I hope you
have a ticket for the Winemakers Dinner on Friday night… a wonderful
five-course meal served in an elegantly appointed open-air tent on the bank of
the Detroit river… each course accompanied, of course, by award-winning local
wines. And each table is hosted by a local winemaker… don’t forget your
notebook; it’s a rare treat to get into a winemaker’s head and get her or his
personal take on the local wines, the viability of different grape varieties
and, of course, why that wine is being served with that food. You’ll also want
to take notes on which wines you liked and why… the aromas, the flavours, the
colour… and, of course, the name so you can purchase more of it.
