Warm lake

Friday night: the weather was sultry, warm, and close. I was dashing to meet a girlfriend at the Niagara Arts Council. Imagine my happy suprise when I note that Warm Lake Estates is doing a tasting at the event. Warm Lake is part of the Niagara Wines Region, and the owner is the head of the tourist concerns in the area. As I tasted his pinot noir he told me about his vineyard and his tours, and we exchanged cards. Here's a link to the site: http://www.warmlakeestate.com/events_niagara_wine_trail.html

The wine itself was smooth and very drinkable, with very light tannins. It was what I have come to recognize as a characteristic pinot noir: medium body with light tannins, fruit flavors like cherry, plum, and currant, and a silky character. The owner grows only pinot noir grapes, but makes brandy and icewines as well (something Niagara and Ontario are known for).

Pinot noir can be an intimidating varietal for someone like me: it's a "cult" grape mostly known for wine lovers, and as it's red, it can be harder to pair with food., as opposed to, say, pinot grigio, which happily bonds with almost any old thing. However, most pinot noirs are silky, light, and pair well with food- they are not the heavy "philosophical" wines like tassicia, or sassicia, which are smoky, tarry, and heavy, with high tannins and layers and layers of flavors. Pinot noir is also the grape of red Burgandies, which are considered some of the finest wines in the world- fyi. I would call pinot noir a "friendship" wine- a good wine for those of you cautiously moving from pinot grigio to chardonnay, then into the world of reds. Give it a try.

I've added a link to my store's home page, and will most likely cross link this blog from there as well. Happy trails and long legs!