Finally finished up my notes on the annual NiagaraCOOL Picnic. It was good meeting a number of you folks for the first time and seeing others from previous year's events. I can honestly say that I am already looking forward to next year!
The 2007 NiagaraCOOL Sunday Picnic in North Tonawanda, New York
___________________________________________________________
(Note: For those who may have difficulties opening a PDF file, I've copied just the text of my write-up below. This should also make the core content searchable.)
Sunday, June 24th saw the third annual NiagaraCOOL picnic at West Canal Marina Park in North Tonawanda, New York. As in previous years, participants gathered at the park for a pleasant afternoon of wine tasting, good company, and good eats prepared by our ever genial, ever heroic host and home winemaker, Howie Hart. NiagaraCOOL is a weekend event, and the previous day saw NiagaraCOOLers visit a number of Finger Lakes wineries – a trip that I had previously wanted to join, but had to forego.
As always, it was a pleasure to see old friends – as it was to meet some other WLDGers for the first time in person: Bruce Hayes, James Roscoe and Mark Criden. In addition, the weather was a notable contrast to last year’s, when the “cool” aspect of our gathering really materialized: it was downright chilly last year. This time, though, we had plenty of summer heat – and I remarked at various points during the day that if such weather continues through September, we should have the conditions for some very fine local reds in Ontario and the Northeastern U.S. Time will tell, but I am certainly looking forward to such a year after “the September that wasn’t” in 2006.
No sooner had I arrived than Howie presented me with a glass of bubbly: his very own 2004 Hart Cellars Sparkling Cuvée, a blend of locally sourced Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Rich straw in colour, this was a most fitting refreshment, being crisp and invigorating, beautifully dry and substantive on the mid-palate, with plenty of savoury-biscuit character that was most enjoyable. Based on this excellent sparkler, I have resolved to drink more bubbly over the summer – it is the perfect palate-cleanser and makes for wonderful refreshment in the summer heat, as it did at the picnic. At the time of this writing I still have one of Howie’s “Celebration” dry Cayuga sparklers; I think I’ll open it soon and celebrate the talents of a fine winemaker and host.
Of course, no NiagaraCOOL picnic would be complete without the usual array of unusual vinous suspects – and soon after arriving I was scanning the tables to see what goodies there were. Now, by “unusual” suspects, I’m referring to the vinous underdogs – varieties that, more often than not, have at least one evolutionary foot in the North American continent but that, despite their heirloom status, are rather limited in their distribution and, consequently, in the extent to which they are popularly known. Among these I certainly count Norton (also known as Cynthiana) and Diamond, as these grapes have been around for a long time. I don’t quite count the newer hybrids as underdogs since they have not been on the scene nearly as long and it has yet to be seen what posterity – and history – have in store for them. But more on the newer hybrids in a moment.
It was remarked that the 2001 Horton Norton James brought was oxidized; I have to say, concurring with a couple of other folks that I humbly disagree: I actually thought it was mature, but in no way found it to have the sherry-like aromas of a truly oxidized wine. To my palate, this Norton was comparable to an aged Maréchal Foch, but with more body on the mid-palate. This is no surprise, as I have found this to be the case in the past too: Norton and Foch seem quite similar (you can taste and see their North American “wild grape” origins), though Norton is a denser wine and seems to bespeak its warmer-climate terroir in contrast to the examples of Foch that I’ve tried, which by virtue of where this latter variety is typically grown, have been more medium-bodied (notable exceptions include Malivoire’s inaugural 1998 Old Vines Foch and Quails’ Gate versions from British Columbia). Norton is a perennial favourite of this Canadian; it is an authentically American wine that, unfortunately, isn’t readily available to Canadian wine lovers.
After going back and forth to enjoy the fine cheeses and finger foods laid out on the table, I made a bee-line for the 2006 Salt City Cellars Diamond, made by home winemaker Dan Smothergill (in the picture is Ed). Every time Dan brings this wine, I have this image of him holding a massive diamond his hands – because Dan’s Diamond really is a gem of a wine. I have been consistently impressed by the quality of this grape and its wine – and, by extension, Dan’s knowledge of how to handle it. Crisp and fruity, Dan’s varietal Diamond is reminiscent of both Delaware and Niagara; perhaps more of the latter, though Niagara on its own is an aromatic powerhouse. Crisp, fruity, always clean and dry, Dan’s Diamond is exemplary. I can’t understand why a wine of this quality isn’t being made commercially someplace – it is clearly a grape that works when made into a dry table wine, and could grace many a picnic table in the summer months. What I must mention here is the incredible finish: long after I emptied the glass, there remained in it the most beautiful aroma of linden flowers that I have ever experienced in any wine. Well done again, Dan.
The theme of the blind tasting held at this year’s picnic was Cabernet Franc – and there was a long line of twenty bagged wines on the table, which participants tried in sequence, rating and scoring them as they went along. Due to the timing of my arrival and departure, I had to pace my wine sampling and with considerable regret chose to bypass the Cab Franc tasting, preferring to try the truly rare wines that with reasonable certainty I know I cannot readily get in Ontario. In the accompanying photo we see the blind tasting in action. As I didn’t take any notes on these wines, I humbly defer to those who did, and who will have posted their results on the forum.
Some time back, Howie had mentioned on the forum that he had a varietal Noiret that he was going to bring to the picnic. Now, if you’re wondering what that is, don’t worry – most of us have not yet heard of this variety since although the hybrid crossing was made some 34 years ago, it was only recently released by Cornell University. According to New York’s Food and Life Sciences Bulletin, Number 160, 2006 (ISSN 0362-0069), Noiret is “a complex interspecific hybrid red wine grape resulting from a cross made in 1973 between NY65.0467.08 (NY33277 x ‘Chancellor’) and ‘Steuben’”. To read the entire bulletin with full information on the grape’s development, including its pedigree, varietal character and vineyard performance, I recommend downloading the bulletin, available at this link (note: this is a PDF file).
The 2005 Presque Isle Wine Cellars Noiret from Pennsylvania was a revelation. I fully concur with the official description of the wine: it is very peppery and meaty, and is genuinely a hybrid that makes a completely vinifera-like red wine. Had I not known what I was trying, my first guess would have been Blauer Zweigelt from Austria for the peppery spice and the deep, dark cherry-ruby colour (something that would have ruled out Blaufränkisch – also known as Lemberger – for me, since it doesn’t usually get that dark despite the similarity of aromas). My second guess would have been a locally produced Syrah from an exceptional vintage. Noiret has a fully vinifera-like aromatic and flavour profile and has vinifera-like tannin structure too; this is contrasted by the traditional hybrids, which produce wines with acid-defined structures and minimal tannin. I believe that this grape, once it becomes more widespread in the Northeast (and possibly in Canada, should wineries here take note of its potential) might finally bridge the wide divide between the vinifera and old-line hybrid schools of thought – simply because, although it is a hybrid and amenable to our terroir, it possesses the familiar flavours of classic Old World varieties that don’t require what is an uncomfortable paradigm shift for significant numbers of wine fanciers. This is an exciting development, and I will certainly be eager to try Cornell’s other recent red hybrid release, Corot Noir.
Next up, I tried another of Howie’s wines: the 2006 Hart Cellars Vignoles. Vignoles, of course, has had time to make the vinous rounds across the American heartland, and participants in our inaugural NiagaraCOOL Picnic in 2005 will remember Alan Wolfe’s lineup of Vignoles stickies, which were wonderful. That said, Vignoles clearly makes a most enjoyable table wine too, as evidenced by Howie’s example. I have consistently picked up a strong, pin-point pineapple nose in Vignoles table wines – including those from Michigan – and that same aroma was there in all its glory in Howie’s wine. Vignoles is all about fruit – and that’s what makes it an interesting and versatile variety. We do not have any wineries producing commercial Vignoles in Ontario, and personally I think it is a pity, since this is yet another suitable grape.
Right after trying Howie’s Vignoles, I poured myself a sample of the 2006 Johnson Estate “Freelings Creek” Estate Grown Traminette. This variety, as many already know, is another aromatic white hybrid – and one of its parents is Gewürztraminer. I’ve traditionally had mixed experiences with varietal Traminette; I’ve tried some from Michigan that really didn’t live up to the promise of a fantastic Gewürz-like nose – yet this example from Johnson Estate did yield that aroma in ample measure. However, it wasn’t just the spicy rosewater nose of its Gewürztraminer parent that struck me about this Traminette: there was also a telltale hint of smoky buckwheat (torrefazione) – something that the riparia hybrids provide on occasion. It’s an intriguing blend of aromas that bespeaks the heritage of this grape.
By this time, dinner was served. Earlier, I made sure to take a break to enjoy Howie’s legendary Beans and Greens Soup – and it was superb as always. With lots of greens and plenty of spice, it’s hearty comfort food and tastes great year after year. For dinner, I particularly enjoyed the steaks that Howie cooked up so perfectly on the grill.
The hot weather persisted – and so did the merriment. As I glanced across the park grounds from time to time, it was clear that summer, which had just officially begun some three days earlier, was in full swing. Should this dry heat continue into the fall, I think we can expect some very nice reds across the board in our region. This was a thought that kept coming to me throughout the day.
Later in the day, the results of the Cab Franc blind tasting were revealed. Folks who had been taking notes and scoring the individual wines could now compare their results and see what it was they liked and what they didn’t. There were diverse examples of Cab Franc on the table, with offerings from the Loire to Virginia, to Ontario, to New York – one even being a blend of Cab Franc and Lemberger from the Finger Lakes. I was most inspired to see an example from North Carolina of all places, though I didn’t sample it.
And, so went another NiagaraCOOL Picnic. I extend a big thank-you to Howie and his crew for organizing the day, and to all the fine folks whose acquaintance it was a pleasure to make. This is a tasting that I eagerly look forward to each year, and I can’t understate my pleasure at there being a venue at which wine lovers can gather to learn, compare and contrast a multitude of wines – especially those from our general part of the continent.
