The Wine Tribune Blog

By Carolyn Evans Hammond, February 8, 2010

Watching the Super Bowl holds about as much appeal for me as a watching a round of golf—though football may be slightly ahead.  Men running about in tights with exaggerated shoulders strikes me as slightly  more aesthetically pleasing—in a comic kind of way—than dawdling dandies in tasselled shoes.  I digress. 

As I was saying, while you were probably watching the big game, I was swirling, sipping and spitting the best Canadian white wine I think I’ve ever tasted.  Creamy lemon curd, apricot purée, tangerine, and white pepper aromas drew me toward a broad, almost viscous attack of juicy citrus, cooked and caramelised apple, and ripe peach flavours.  Great concentration raced toward a lingering orange oil and vanilla custard finish.  Out of control deliciousness.  What was it?

3630 Chardonnay 2007 from the Barnyard Wine Company.  Never heard of it?  Not surprising.  It’s the first wine released from the small family-run winery in Prince Edward County, Ontario.  But you can’t buy it; it’s sold out.  And frankly, many of the 300 bottles made were for wine writers to taste—nice PR move.  Most hacks who tasted it swooned and scribbled enthusiastic reviews because it’s way ahead of the pack—expect a quick sell-out next vintage too.  For me, it raised the bar for Ontario wine.  If I had bought it, it would have been well worth the $28.95 bottle price.  Note to football fans: it might even work with fried wings—hold the sauce.  That’s the first food and wine match promised by the title of this piece.

Also well worth the money is Southbrook Triomph Chardonnay 2007 from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario (LCBO#117572  $21.95).  Here’s a buttery, oaked, warm-you-up-in-all-the-right-places sort of wine.  Crisp citrus core of concentrated fruit imbued with vanilla and toasted nuts spiked with 13.4% alc.  Parisian gnocchi with a rich cream sauce would make a fabulous match.

If mouthcoating creaminess is the triumph of Triomph, lacy delicacy and restrained minerality is the charm of Chavet Menetou-Salon Blanc 2008 from the Loire, France (LCBO#0525048 $18.95).  Chicken roasted with rosemary and thyme would set off this Sauvignon Blanc with its natural herbaciousness and tight lime flavours.  

And if you‘re thinking of pan-frying a rib-eye, and deglazing the pan with the wine you’ll be drinking to make a quick pan sauce, go with the incredibly underpriced La Reserve De Crouzau St. Gervais 2007 (LCBO#0142943 $14.95), a rich Côtes du Rhône-Villages from France.  The concentration would make a fabulous reduction, especially finished with a knob of butter spun in to add sheen and body.  Plate it all with a dozen or so steamed green beans, a fistful of a baguette, and a bit of brie, and you might as well be in Paris.  If that doesn’t take the winter blues away, nothing will.

The wines noted show their Ontario product numbers and prices.  If you live outside of Ontario, go to http://www.wine-searcher.com and search for a stockist in your area.

Carolyn Evans Hammond’s latest book, Good Better Best Wines, hits shelves in April.  Her critical articles and reviews have appeared in such eminent magazines as Decanter and Wine & Spirit International in the United Kingdom, as well as Maclean’s, Taste, and Tidings in Canada. And her first book, 1000 Best Wine Secrets, earned critical acclaim and international distribution with the distinction of being a best-seller.  Qualified sommelier and seasoned journalist, Carolyn holds the Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and a BA from York University.  Carolyn has lived in many cities in North America and Europe, and now resides in Toronto, where she was born.

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