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Best Niagara picks from Vintages release: Pillitteri, Henry of Pelham, Vintage Ink, GreenLane

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Something very special is taking place in Niagara. Food trucks are popping up all over the place, serving up delicious gourmet eats right from the back of their trucks.

This new wave of “fast food” feasting in Niagara was pioneered by El Gastrónomo Vagabundo, a local food truck team that started slowly here and has become the poster boy for the food truck movement in Ontario.

In the early days, El Gastro parked itself at Flat Rock Cellars and dished up some mighty tasty gourmet tacos and salads that paired beautifully with the crisp white wines from Flat Rock.

Another Niagara food truck that is making waves these days is Tide and Vine, a tem devoted to fresh seafood including a selection of oysters, lobster and scallops fresh from the Atlantic Ocean.

ProtagonistOne of its regular stops is the Pilliterri winery on Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake every Friday.

I was there recently and loaded up on four different styles of oysters with a selection of three toppings and one that was a clever Niagara take on oysters Rockefeller called Lobsta-Feller (so delicious!). I also tried the amazing Atlantic Lobster Roll and the skewered scallops with peaches.

The food was amazing and worked perfectly with the white wines from Pillitteri that were being served.

One of those wines, the new Protaganist, is part of the Vintages release on Saturday. Here’s what’s coming out from Niagara in the release:

Pillitteri The Protagonist 2011 ($16, 87 points) — A nice, fresh marriage of Gewurztraminer and Riesling with the floral-honeysuckle and spice notes of Gewurz combined with the lime-citrus aromas of Riesling. This blend works because the Riesling offers up a wave of juicy acidity, just enough to prop up the usually soft notes of the exotic Gewurz. It sure went nice with the lobster roll served by the Tide and Vine food truck parked Fridays at Pillietteri.

HOP_BF_chard_10_bottle copyHenry of Pelham Estate Chardonnay 2010 ($20, 89 points) — Henry of Pelham scores a home run with this affordable and classy Chard from a warm vintage. The nose displays poached pear, butterscotch, vanilla and apple fruit in behind. It shows wonderful vibrancy and texture in the mouth with pear fruit mingling nicely with those lavish oak-spice and nutmeg notes.

Vintage Ink Mark of Passion Merlot-Cabernet 2010 ($18, 88 points) — The fruit (Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauv) was sourced from vineyards both on the Beamsville Bench in the lowlands of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The wine was aged for 16 months in oak. It has a powerful nose of cassis, blackcurrants, black cherry, roasted herbs and spice. It’s round on the palate and explodes with ripe black fruits and expressive spices. Very smooth delivery.

GreenLane Estate Pinot Gris-Riesling 2010 ($17, 88 points) — A Gris-like nose of melon and apple with hints of fresh citrus and guava fruits. It’s delicious on the palate with citrus-melon-grapefruit notes and just a kiss of honey.

Some other Niagara wines being released but not reviewed:

Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Estate Series Pinot Noir 2008 ($19)

13th Street Merlot 2010 ($18)

• Lailey Pinot Noir 2010 ($25)

• Angels Gate Old Vines Chardonnay 2010 ($24)

• Mike Weir Riesling 2010 ($15)