OCTA_licious at the Ontario Wine Society Sip and Try Event!
By Danielle Heft on December 6th, 2011
This past Wednesday, Danielle and Agatha from the OCTA_licious Team attended the Ontario Wine Society’s Toronto Chapter of Sip and Try Before You Buy. There were 43 Ontario Wineries at the event showcasing their bests to create over 150 VQA wines to sample and pre-purchase just in time for the holiday season!
The evening was a no-frills, serious, but FUN and educational event. With over 150 wines to sample, it was hard to choose which ones to try!
Danielle, coming from a wine background decided to come up with a plan for her and Agatha to tackle the event. Start with Sparkling wines, sample a few Whites, taste some Reds, and end the night with a sip of dessert wine.
Each winery had something amazing to offer, and the staff representatives were incredibly informative about the wines that they were showcasing.
Danielle’s favorites of the evening included: Legends Estates Sparkling Rose – a pretty pink dry Sparkling wine with a light cranberry taste and crisp finish, Smith and Wilson Estates Silver Medal Winner 2010 Sauvignon Blanc – dry yet loaded with tropical and citrus fruit flavour, and Pillitteri Estates 2007 Exclamation Reserve Cabernet Franc – one of the best Niagara grape varietals from one of the best red wine vintage years Niagara had ever seen!
Agatha did not have a hard time picking out her favorite wines either, which included the 2008 Niagara College Teaching Winery Riesling – dry, and loaded with flavours of citrus and apple, Good Earth’s 2010 Rose – a medium bodied rose made from 100% cabernet franc grapes, and Sandbanks Estate Winery Reserve 2009 Baco Noir – aged in a toasted oak barrel which gives it a slight dark chocolate and berry flavour.
And who would of thought that after the Ice Wine revolution had taken over, that Port wines could be making a comeback? Karlo Estates Winery had two different Ports to offer which offered a good kick of alcohol (18%) and a touch of sweetness. A perfect aperitif (hence their amazing cheese pairings)!
Another phenomenon of the evening was the fruit wine, which is normally underestimated. But the Three Belles fruit wine from Smith and Wilson Estate Winery was excellent! It was light and fruity without being “sweet” and had an intense cherry flavour!
The Ontario Wine Society has a long list of upcoming 2012 events, so keep checking back to the OCTA website as well at with the OCTA_licious Team to be in the know about the upcoming wine tasting events throughout Ontario!
