culture
Unwined at the Farmers’ Markets
This year marks the second year of a pilot program from the government that allows wineries to sell wine at farmers’ markets. This means that wineries who currently don’t have space on LCBO shelves get a chance to sell their wines outside of the wineries themselves, and that those wineries that do have LCBO representation can offer varieties not normally available in stores. A farmers’ market may be the best place in Toronto to discover a new favourite wine. Markets that currently have wineries pouring are Trinity Bellwoods, Dufferin Grove, Wychwood Barns, Junction, Liberty Village, Bloor-Borden, East Lynn Park, Humber Shores, St Lawrence Market, Toronto Botanical Gardens, and Leslieville (to name just some).
The Evergreen Brickworks’ farmers’ market is one of the best to visit because, most weeks, there are five wineries in attendance. Among these is Stratus Winery, which offers two wines that are only available at the Brickworks market. A portion of the proceeds from each bottle of the winery’s 2008 Evergreen Red and White goes toward environmental programming through the Evergreen organization.
Here are the wineries you can find at Evergreen for the months of June and July:
June 6
Flat Rock, Tawse, Malivoire, Southbrook, Stratus
June 13
Flat Rock, Southbrook, 13th Street , Stratus, Hinterland
June 20
Tawse, Cave Spring, Southbrook, Stratus, Norman Hardie
June 27
Tawse, Cave Spring, Malivoire, Southbrook, Stratus
July 4
Flat Rock, Tawse, Southbrook, 13th Street, Stratus
July 11
Cave Spring, Southbrook, Stratus, Hinterland, Norman Hardie
July 18
Tawse, Malivoire, Southbrook, Stratus
July 25
Flat Rock, Tawse, Cave Spring, Southbrook, 13th Street
If heading to the market isn’t enough to whet your whistle there are some great wines recently released through vintages to get you through your weekend.
2012 Henry of Pelham Family Tree Red – Vintages 247881 – $18.95 – ****+ – Juicy, ripe and delicious with flavours of blackberry, dark plum, currant, and mocha with nice pepper on the finish. I last tasted this wine in 2014 and needless to say this still has a few years left in the cellar for it to improve. This is another great value wine to add to your budding collection — while at the same time if you’re impatient (like I am) you can drink this right now. The best way to enjoy this wine is to open it at least a half an hour before serving, or put it in a decanter. You can pair this with steak, lamb, or pizza. To be frank, this is the sort of wine that is good enough to serve at any occasion when you want your table set to impress your guests or you can settle down on the patio or at the cottage with a bottle and enjoy on its own.
2013 Calamus Pinot Gris – Vintages 349456 – $16.95 – **** – The thing about Pinot Gris is that it is an essential summer wine. It might not be the most exciting or challenging wine in the world, but because of this it’s a crowd pleaser. There is nothing better on a very hot day then a glass of Pinot Gris on a patio, dock or on a picnic. With a beautiful oily texture that clings to your mouth you get flavours of peach, pear and subtle honeydew. There is just a touch of sweetness on the finish that’s balanced perfectly with nice acidity. A perfect match to pickerel or trout, or light pasta dishes.
2014 Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling – Vintages 80234 – $16.95 – **** – Keeping the bar high at Featherstone the new Black Sheep Riesling is granny smith and golden delicious apple on the nose. In the glass you have lime, apple with a nice mineral note on the finish. This wine is off dry with a nice sweetness to it but it still strikes a perfect balance between acidity and sugar. This wine is the essential hot weather Riesling for your summer. A fun fact about this wine is that the name comes from the sheep that roam the vineyards at Featherstone and help take care of pruning and fertilizing.
2012 Sue-Ann Staff Merlot – Vintages 358416 – $19.95 – ****+ – This is the sort of wine that will make a perfect addition to your spring/summer entertaining. Merlot is a great crowd pleaser because it is easy drinking and doesn’t have quite the bite that you would find in Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec. The tannin gives nice structure to the wine but isn’t too firm, which allows this wine to drink easily right from the moment you pop the cork. By the time you get to your second glass you should start to notice slight hints of mocha that rise to the roof of your mouth on the finish. You will want to pair this with steak or burgers. This is another great wine to add to your collection and will age for five to seven years.
2014 13th Street Pink Palette – Vintages 275834 – $15.95 – ***1/2+ – This is what we refer to as a kitchen sink blend: the contents of this bottle are made from six different types of grape. There is just a touch of sweetness in the wine balanced with perfect acidity. With all the different grapes in your glass you would expect this to be a party in your mouth, and it definitely delivers. The nose is strawberry with a heavier earthy note that you wouldn’t expect from a Rosé. Once the wine is in your mouth you are treated to liquid strawberry rhubarb pie that finishes clean. As is the case with well made Rosé you can pair this with anything. But it will be most at home at a picnic, or with grilled pork or chicken.