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The Niagara Wine Festival: A delicious discovery of local food and wine

 

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By Mike Lowe

An exciting taste adventure awaits holders of Niagara Wine Festival Discovery Passes during this year’s festival.

Wonderful wine tastings and delicious food and wine pairings, designed to tempt even the most discriminating palate, are offered at 32 participating wineries.

I spent the better part of the first Saturday of the festival touring wineries in the Twenty Valley area, tasting my way through my Discovery Pass. Here’s a sample of what’s available this year.

Creekside’s pulled beef and slaw

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Creekside Estate Winery was offering a pulled beef slider topped with tangy coleslaw prepared by Chef Mark Hand. The small, smoky sandwich is big on taste and a perfect match with the 2007 Merlot reserve.

Tasting line-up at Tawse

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At Tawse things were kept simple. The wines being the focus, and rightly so. Paired with cheeses that express the wine’s characteristics, rather than competing with them — the decision is a good one.

Ridgepoint’s potpie duo

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At Ridgepoint, a couple of savoury potpies, one filled with tender chunks of beef and butternut squash, the other a melange of seafood were on the menu. The dishes paired gracefully with the 2010 Cabernet Merlot and 2011 Rose respectively.

Vineland Estates tasting trio

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Vineland Estates also used the traditional wine and cheese approach, showcasing the mineral and stone-fruit character of their 2011 St. Urban Riesling, the floral and apple-laced 2008 Chardonnay Musque and the 2009 Cabernet.

Hernder “Turkey Bites”

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The afternoon of tasting finished at Hernder while devouring a crostini topped with roasted sweet potato and turkey meatball with cranberry reduction. The combination was a natural with the 2009 Cabernet Franc.

Most of the pairings at participating wineries cost $10 without a Discovery Pass, making the $30 price tag (for six pairings) a great value. A full listing of Discovery Pass offerings is available here.

Justine at Malivoire pouring Old Vines Foch

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A weekend of celebrating the wine festival would not be complete without a visit to Montebello Park. Sunday’s visit confirmed a great selection of grub is to be had there too.

Pig-Out Roasters’ pulled pork sliders

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With each circumnavigation of the park, I soldiered my way through everything from pulled pork to pasta, from pizza to poutine, loving every bite along the way.

Wood-fired Cran’ Brie pizza from Avella’s

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With another weekend of festival activities just around the corner, there’s still plenty of time to taste your way through the food and wines of Niagara.

Smoke’s Poutine

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