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To those who know me, it’s no secret I like love my wine. Going to university in Niagara Region was largely responsible for this – I’d never even opened a bottle of wine before heading to Brock, let alone been able to discern my pinots from each other, but going to university in Ontario’s wine country had a really big impact on me. I mean, when you have an annual grape stomp, an oenology and viticulture program, and an entire festival (or two or three) dedicated to vino every year it’s hard NOT to get caught up in it.
I long have dubbed the Cave Springs Gewürztraminer as my “all time, favourite wine” (next to, uh, every variety of ice wine I can find and consume in a 50 mile radius), but after this weekend I think it’s safe to say I found a few new (and smaller/local) options (even though to get the CS Gewürz you have to go to the winery in Jordan – I usually buy it by the case to, you know, stock up).
Thanks to one of those group buying deals, The Boy and I went on a four-winery “winter” ice wine tour (I use the term “winter” lightly since it was a balmy 22°C in Southern Ontario over the weekend!) and to a chocolate factory (hotel stay included) for a really great price. And, surprise – we (along with the others who bought the deal) were separated out onto the short tour bus, so there were simply 18 of us (instead of the usual 30 or so) who traveled around together.
Much wine was consumed.
Did you know…
- Icewine has to be picked at night, when it’s -10°C
- Icewine must be naturally produced – no artificial freezing
- Icewine was accidentally created in Germany in 1794 due to an exceptionally cold winter German icewine doesn’t meet the sweetness standard to sell in Canada today (must be a sweetness rating of 18+)
- Ice wine is made when frozen grapes are pressed and the sugar water is extracted.
- One vine might make a bottle of wine, but one vine only makes a glass of icewine – hence the expensive price tag!
Chocolate F/X - sooo amazingly tasty!
First, we stopped at Chocolate FX and learned about how the chocolate was made – I wish I could tell you more about this, but I was a bad tourist and stopped paying attention, as was evident when Mike was schooling me on chocolate knowledge while we were eating the AMAZINGLY delish raspberry chocolate covered coffee beans we bought (on sale! two for one! omg! and you can order online!) last night. Stopped paying attention largely because a) there was no one there working so the “tour” was staring at machines and b) because I was day dreaming about all the chocolate sampling we were about to do (which made up for the lame tour – my poor, poor stomach!).
Joseph's Estate Wineries
Our first winery was somewhat of a disappointment. The wines were not exceptional, the experience was blah, and I’m so glad this didn’t set the tone for the rest of the trip. Once we entered the winery, we were seated in a dimly lit, aesthetically unpleasing room. We had to move once seated, and then at the end I tried to look at one of the bottle for information and we were hurriedly ushered out of the room for “the next group”. The sales pitch at the end of the tasting was quite over-the-top and long as well.
- ‘06 Chenin Blanc (sweetness 1) — just okay. Hints of pineapple, which was nice.
- Vintage Country Red (3) — Loved it. Ended up coming home with a bottle. It was well-rounded, with a number of flavours and sweet (the way I like my red’s!)
- Cabernet Merlot (0) — ick. I’m not a red fan, and REALLY dislike dry red’s (unless in Sangria), so this was an expected miss.
- ‘02 Vidal Icewine (18) — delicious – how can ice wine NOT be? – but nothing special.
- Gewürztraminer-Reisling (1) — meh.
- Pinot Grigio — also meh. I actually struggled to remember which one we tasted, that’s how unmemorable this one was!
Caroline Cellars
By far my favourite winery of the day – Caroline Cellars looked exactly how I imagine wineries should look, and we sidled up to the bar in-store for the tastings. Instead of being presented three to four preselected wines, we were given an entire double-sided wine menu and got to choose the four wines we wanted to try, working down the menu from white, to rose, to red, and finally, to the dessert and icewines. Mike and I paired up and picked different wines each time, so we essentially each got to taste eight.
- Gewürztraminer (0) — If you haven’t figured it out, this is my favoruite kind of wine, so I have to try it everywhere. Rather good here, with notes of honey and lychee (yum, yum).
- Enchantment (2) — A Gewürz-Riesling blend, quite similar to the Gewürz, but sweeter and quite tasty.
- Pinot-Cherry (2) — the only sweet red on the list, I was sold by the “cherry” part of the blend, but it was a little disappointing. I can see how it would make an amazing Sangria though.
- Merlot (0) — I of course didn’t like this one (the Boy chose it), and neither did he, deciding he also prefers sweet reds, and the Pinot-Cherry was only okay, though I can see how it would make an amazing Sangria!
- ’08 Late Harvest Riesling (8) — I picked this one out for Mike, and we both loved it. It promised, and delivered, orange flavours.
- ’07 Late Harvest Videl Momentum (6) — This won a double gold medal for “Best in Category” in 2009. It was quite similar to an icewine, but had strong grapefruit notes which I really liked… though, to be honest, both Mike and I preferred his Riesling!
- ’07 Videl Icewine (25) — I chose this one, which is an award-winner, as I typically prefer a Videl Icewine, and this one was no exception. Buyer’s remorse at NOT taking a bottle home.
- ‘08 Riesling Icewine (25) — Mike choose this one, because “it’s more expensive!”. Hehe. Boys. Also an award winner, it was okay though I preferred the Video. Mike preferred this one, so it worked out.
On a non-tasting related note, Caroline Cellars had all sorts of nifty gift items, including some really awesome wine racks, and wire “wine bottles” and barrels for holding corks. My favourite was a tiny wine bottle ornament that holds just one cork, I thought it would make a great wedding/engagement gift — the couple could put the cork from their celebratory bottle into it as a keepsake. Totally had to refrain from coming home with a wire barrel to put all my corks in. Next time.
Reif Estate Winery
I really enjoyed visiting Reif Estate as well – they have a very interesting sensory garden, which unfortunately it was the off-season for. Typically, it offers visitors a chance to explore the sights, smells, etc of the characteristics used when tasting and describing various wines. I also liked that the grape vines were easily accessible/viewed from the winery store, and were clearly labeled with which vine was designated for which wine. I definitely want to go back and visit during growing season.
- Videl — it was quite grapefruity, which I really liked, and overall was a very nice white.
- Cabernet Merlot (0) — of course, I didn’t like it (see “not a Merlot fan” above). It was quite strong and dry, very earthy… just not my cup of tea.
- Videl Icewine — We tried this one twice, thanks to a FourSquare check in that got us a each a free tasting of icewine at the Reif bar, and I instantly fell in love (though not with the price tag – $25 for just 200ml!). It’s easy to see why this is an award-winning ice wine. It was sweet and crisp at the same time, with a delicious flavour – unlike, and better than, any other icewine I’ve ever tried… and I do like my icewines. I took home a tiny sample bottle, as I just couldn’t justify the hefty price tag on a “full” bottle at the moment, but I will be ordering and/or going back for one at a later date.
Caroline Cellars, again - missing a photo from Riverview
Our final stop of the day was Riverview Cellars, a fairly new winery that has only been in operation since 2000. Again, this winery pre-chose our wines, but we did hit up the tasting bar to try a few more (okay, almost all of them! ;) after.
Just two to note (mainly because I can’t remember most of the names of the others, and it’s not online to look up!) While I can’t remember specifics about a lot of them, I do remember their rose was quite delicious.
- Gewürztraminer (1) — this white was amazing, possibly even rivaling my Cave Springs favourite, though I didn’t take a bottle home.
- Cabernet Franc (0) — this red is an award-winning wine and… well, I didn’t like it. Surprise, surprise. I actually liked this one the least out of all the reds we tried today, but I finished my sample anyway (even though this particular winery was the only one to offer a “dumping bucket” if you didn’t like the wine… psh.)
Additionally, I ended up buying maple ice wine tea from here – I hate to say it, but even though I was SO excited to try it… I still haven’t! It’s just been so warm I haven’t really been in a “tea” mood, though it’s cooled down considerably in the last week so I have a feeling this tea is in my immediate future.
:)
Have you ever done a winery tour? What’s your favourite kind (or bottle) of wine? I love trying new ones, so feel free to leave your recommendations :)
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Over the (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, The Boy and I took a road trip to Boston, Massachusetts. I’ll be completely honest: 50% of the reason I pleaded to go to Boston until he caved (which wasn’t actually hard at all once I reminded him New England is like, the chowder capital of America) was so I could visit nearby Salem, the site of the 1692 Witchcraft Hysteria.
The path leading to the Witch Trials Memorial in Salem.
It’s no secret that, growing up, I had a fascination with the trials – I loved Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, and even directed it in my grade 12 high school Drama class; and in my Grade 11 American History class I wrote a comparison/contrast essay (by choice – I’ll admit I was a total nerd who LOVED compare/contrast essays, haha) for my ISU comparing the 1692 Witchcraft Trials to the McCarthyism era (Senator Joe McCarthy’s “witch hunt” of communists during the Cold War).
Thanks to our late arrival in Boston, and my inability to read a map correctly (yup) we didn’t quite get to do everything on my list – though I will also admit my “Salem To Do” list could have easily filled our entire 3 day trip.
Once we arrived, we walked the main street – which was filled with little ghouls and goblins and princesses trick or treating for, what we later discovered, was the “Mayor’s Trick or Treat” where businesses hand out candy to cute kids.
Fun items like this were everywhere in Salem - and not just because it was October!
We wandered some of the very unique shops on the street – a lot of Witch-related paraphernalia, fortune tellers, spirit healers, and other paranormal-related shops. I found Remember Salem Gifts, a (largely) Harry Potter themed store (while I’m not even remotely interested in Harry Potter, the store seemed pretty awesome for anyone who is – they even MAKE their own wands they sell that look authentically awesome). This discovery led to one of the most interesting parts of our Salem visit (to me, at least – The Boy mostly yawned and eye rolled through it): an actual Ghost Hunt conducted after-hours in the store.
The store, way back in the day, used to be a hair and makeup salon – but in the basement there was a quasi morgue/funeral home, where dead bodies would go and the salon staff would do their hair and makeup for the funeral. The owner of Remember Salem used to have his office in the basement, and some strange things happened – moved furniture, the door slamming shut, etc – until one day it was TRASHED overnight. He has always felt a bad vibe down there, but after this incident moved his office upstairs and now “the bad room” (as staff call it) is largely unused. Professional investigators have visited the shop, and the consensus is there’s a few presences down there – a sick or helpless man; a young girl who plays hide and seek (and there’s a picture of her – literally, it’s really spooky – you can see in-shop); and a “bad” presence. Anyway, we conducted our own “ghost hunt” in the basement – which was my first experience playing with EMF readers, EVP recorders, and the like. A few spikes, but nothing too interesting occurred - besides seeing a mysterious hand-print that had appeared weeks earlier and weird claw marks on the ceiling of “the bad room” – but it was still really enjoyable to spend time with an “expert” at the paranormal and other people interested in this stuff.
John Willard's memorial stones at the Salem Witch Trial Memorial
Me with Giles Corey's memorial stone. He turned in his own wife, and was later accused of witchcraft himself. He was pressed to death under stones, refusing to confess. His dying words were "more weight".
Hits:
- If you’re a Harry Potter Fanatic… Remember Salem Gifts
- If you want a truly creepy Ghost Hunt experience… Salem’s Paranormal Tour (at Remember Salem Gifts)
- For a tasty pub meal… The Old Spot, which had (according to The Boy) delicious chowder (I tried it, but I just can’t get into chowder); can’t remember what he had for dinner but my Beer Battered Haddock Sandwich was delish!
- If you’re even remotely interested in the Witchcraft Trials... The Salem Witch Trials Memorial, which was both somber and interesting; and the graveyard next to it was also interesting (albeit dark when we were there and therefore hard to find certain tombstones)
Misses:
- Unless you really, really want to learn the history of the Witchcraft Hysteria from somewhere other than Wikipedia… The Salem Witch Museum – A complete and utter waste of time, IMO. I should mention my boyfriend found it mildly interesting (historically), but you can learn that info elsewhere. You sit in a room, listen to statues “talk” about the trials as a light illuminates different “scenes” (they don’t move). Next, you go into a room where you learn about the history of witches – and how they’ve changed – until present day. Again, plastic statues “talk” to you – yawn. There were some interesting timelines, photos, etc on the wall; but our guide glossed over the information on them and ushered us through rather quickly (without much time to read them). The one interesting thing here was a beam from the original jail where the prisoners were kept, and that you can touch. But… $9 a person to touch a beam? No thanks.
Mike said I was a witch ;) Shackles for me.
- For fans of Bewitched… The Bewitched Statue, which you’ll probably walk by while there anyways, is kind of neat to look at – the nearby street lights give it a cool glow.
- If you’re looking for a fun, family-orientated ‘supernatureal’ show… The “Supernatural Show” at The Witches Cottage, was a fun, informative, and eye-catching two man performance. Why’s it a meh? Well, it would have been MUCH better (likely a hit) if we had not been sitting in the first row… honestly, the first three rows should probably not exist, sitting there RUINS the fun, unexpected, and “scary” parts of the show. Cheap way to get more people in, but for those who sit there… ugh. It was a silly, fun, ‘scary’ show… but yeah, don’t sit up front. They say it’s not for the faint of heart, etc – but I think younger kids could easily handle this show.
Next Time:
- If you want a historical, haunted walking tour… Salem Ghost Tours – we thought there was a 9pm tour, but it was only at 8 and we would not have made it to the start of the tour in time as we inquired about tickets at 7:55. Sad face.
- For an interactive, theatrical Witchcraft Trial experience… ‘Legacy of the Hanging Judge’ re-enacting the hysteria of the trials at The House of Seven Gables – looks like an amazing time, and I’m bummed we didn’t get over there… but we were only in Salem for an evening.
- For a building with direct ties to the hysteria… The Witch House, which was the home of the trial’s Judge Jonathan Corwin (the only structure in Salem with direct ties) – be warned, it closes early – at 5 p.m.
- For a quick, live reinactment and historical lesson… The Witch Dungeon Museum. This one features a 10-minute re-enactment of part of the trials (from historical records), and the “dungeon” (a re-creation of where the accused we held, since the real one is long gone)
- For delicious dinner… Rockafella’s. We almost went here, but a band was about to go on (loud and we were tired) and there was a cover charge since it was late – I’ve been told by more than one person we should have gone anyway as the food is apparently awesome.
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The crowd at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
The boy and I took a somewhat impromptu trip to Washington, DC on Halloween weekend to attend Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity and Stephan Colbert’s March to Keep Fear Alive. Although we couldn’t see much from where we were (we moved locations about 5 times, and finally gave up to sit and drink some water), and it was hard to hear at times, it was an overall great experience.
Me at the Rally
We met some people from all over America who were in attendance (and a few Canadians, as well) – who were all there for the same reason. They wanted to see some semblance of sanity restored to American politics. “Just because we don’t agree politically doesn’t mean we have to hate each other, or disrespect each other,” I overheard one man say.
And, from a Canadian perspective – I agree. Some of my closest friends don’t share the same political ideologies as I – hell, my own boyfriend and I are placed on opposite ends of the political spectrum – but that doesn’t mean we yell, or hate, or disrespect each other (well, except maybe in a heated debate on occasion ;). So why should America settle for a system where radical activists – on both sides – take things too far?
“I can’t control what people think this was. I can only tell you my intentions. This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith or people of activism or to look down our noses at the heartland or passionate argument or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies.” -Jon Stewart
You can view Stewart’s (rather passionate!) final speech at the rally on YouTube.
One American asked us why we, as Canadians, were there (besides the obvious reason that, come on, it’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert! ;). Whether we like to admit it or not, American politics play a huge part in our lives… both as Canadians, and on an international scale. It’s hard to be a leader in global economics, policy, and culture and NOT have your politics seep over into other parts of the world. So yes, even though I am Canadian – and even though I did largely attend the rally for fun, and because I have a huge crush on Colbert (shh, don’t tell the boy!), I also do care a lot (perhaps more than I should!) about American politics.
And, a little more on the light hearted side: Buzzfeed has the 100 Best Signs at the Rally (my personal favourite, although I didn’t see it there, is #7… my nerdiness is seeping out! ;)
You can check out my photos (as posted on Flickr) below.
(Oh, and PS: Our Mountie & Moose Halloween costumes were a TOTAL hit :)
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Burning Man 2010
What is there, really, that can be said about one’s first time at Burning Man?
My friend Laura has been going to, what I explained to people as, “a hippie dippy radical self reliant contemporary arts festival in the middle of the Nevada desert for a week” (although I know it’s so much more than that, it was really the best way to sum it up in a few words!), for a few years now- and this year the boy and I (along with a few other people) decided it was time to experience it for ourselves.
It was so many things- things I both expected, and did not expect.
I was prepared for the heat (and really, it was a dry heat which is MUCH nicer than the humidity we get in the city!).
I thought I was prepared for the cold, but (as my boyfriend so endearingly says) I’m extremely cold blooded and a long sleeved shirt, sweater, leggings, flannel PJ pants, slipper socks, and 4 comforters were simply not enough to keep me from shivering all night (note to self: in the future bring more blankets, a toque, and mittens!).
I was over-prepared to stay hydrated (which is certainly not a bad thing!). I drank more than 5 litres of water a day, and STILL had many jugs left over by the end of the week. While on the playa, I carried it around with me in my new BFF (this camelbak!)
I also thought I was prepared for the dust, but as I discovered (very regrettably!) the night the Man burned, simply a bandana does not help a panicked, lost girl having an asthma attack in a wicked, can’t-see-my-hand, worst-of-the-week dust storm. (Note to asthmatics: Skip the somewhat cool golf cart ride to the medical centre unable to breathe and invest in a carpenters mask! I’ll be doing this next time I go to BM: trust me on this one, your lungs will thank me.)
I won’t lie: the heat, extreame temperature changes (upwards of 40 degrees in the day, 7 degrees overnight), dust, lack of sleep, and noise can make people get cranky, VERY cranky; but it’s all a part of the Burning Man experience (or so I’m told) – so you need to be prepared for arguments and, uh, getting upset over things that, under normal circumstances, would not be upsetting in the slightest (like who ate my last pop tart ;)
Despite the hard parts of the week- it was an incredible experience I would not trade for anything. I would do some things differently next time (like getting a proper dust mask!), but I would most definitely adventure to the playa again… hopefully sooner rather than later.
There’s just something incredible about waking up in a hot desert, with 50,000+ (this year!) friends you haven’t made yet. As I said at the beginning of this post, I’m not sure I really have the words to describe what the week was like to someone who has never been.
I think I can best sum it up with a few pictures.
You can see many more over at my flickr page by searching the tag “Burning Man”.
In less than 72 hours I’ll be on a plane to one of my favourite North American cities (okay, despite the fact I haven’t been to very many!) – New York!
I’m going with a few friends (and a few more classmates) for the College Media Advisers conference, which is March 15th-17th. My friends and I decided to stay a few extra days on top of the actual conference, and will be there until the 20th.
There’s so many things I want to do, though I’m not sure I can squish them all into the week we’re spending there.
Central Park is a must – my roommate has never been to New York, so we’ll be spending quite a bit of time here I think – especially since we’re staying about a 5 minute walk away. And I definitaly want to check out the Central Park Zoo and Belvedere Castle (both should provide some great photo ops for my Canon Xti and I).
Last time I was in NYC, I visited Battery Park but sadly did not actually make it out to Ellis Island or the Statue of Liberty. Both are on the “to do” list for this trip. While we’re over there, we figure we’ll also visit the Ellis Island Immigration Museum (time permitting).
My roommate wants to visit the MOMA (among other galleries) – and although I love art, galleries are not really my thing. I think while half of our foursome is there, myself and Mike will head over to the UN (I can never get enough of that place!). I love how when you’re inside the UN, you’re no longer technically on American soil. We’re also going to visit Ground Zero (and the nearby memorials) – I’m looking forward to seeing how much progress has been made at the site over the year (I was last there at the end of April 2008).
We’re also going to make it our mission to visit as many bagel shops as possible, and hit up one (or more) of the celebrity-owned resturants in the city. I want to visit Harlem, and shop on Canal street. Macy’s is – of course – another shopping destination (just don’t tell my bank account).
I could go on, and on, and on with my list of things to do – catching a Broadway show, the St. Patricks day festivities (did I mention how much I’m looking forward to spending one of my favourite holidays in NYC?), Harlem, the Rockefeller Centre… But I think I’m going to stop here.
You can expect both hundreds of pictures, and a huge blog update when I return (and hey, maybe a few while I’m there if anything interesting happens).
