ANNOUNCEMENT

NIAGARA SINGLE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY RELEASE

The Towne Winer Chardonnay Vintage Program 2012

The Winer is not inoculating with malo-lactic culture to keep the finished wine bright, crisp and fruit forward as possible with enhanced sensory complexity.

Small lots of the chardonnay assemblage is left "naked", that is, non-oaked treated to maintain its mineral signature and fruit forward varietal character.

We still want to do oak maturation/conditioning and vinting "sur lies" style in our freshly re-coopered 300 Liter French oak barrel for enhanced mouthfeel/complexity and butterscotch/vanilla profile.

Both lots will then be blended.

The '08 chardonnay is just lightly fined to enhance clarity and provide non-oxidative benefits.

As soon as cold stabilization has been completed the wine will be only lightly filtered.

The French describe these techniques as non-interventionist - the less the handling the better!

Gentle gravity-fed bottling will be utilized when barrel quantities are allotted.

Minimum order:
23 Liter Allotments = 30 x 750ml. bottles of finished wine

Unit Cost:
12.33/Liter =$283.67/23Liters. NB

Release Date:
Late 2009 – early 2010 Limited Quantities

A TOWNE WINER EXCLUSIVE!

A MÉLANGE BLANC OF VQA QUALITY & DISTINCTION

The Winer is at his specialty again: creating unique wines of quality and value!

Because of the overwhelming demand and great response for past harvests, The Winer is vinting again this melange of what the Niagara Region produces best: world class varietal & hybrid white wines grown in cool temperature viticulture.

The Star Grapes are: German Kerner ~ German Riesling ~ French Vidal

This white wine’s signature is vinted in the French “Alsation” style: fresh, bright, dry, racy and fruity in an elegant bouquet of flavours.

Expect the initial taste to be crisp and clean accompanied by a citrus profile with a burnt almond finish.

Pale straw in appearance, this medium bodied wine is dry to very dry with an overall firm structure

Food Pairing: Will compliment your special appetizers and hors d’oeuvre, fish and seafood entrees, white fowl with cream sauces and spicy Asian cuisine.

This commercial quality wine belongs in any well planned wine cellar. It is a very versatile aperitif wine for all occasions. You can be proud to serve this wine as an ideal companion for all your social gatherings.  

The Process:
Cool Temperature Vinification Minimal Filtration and Fining
Vinification Period: 3 Months Non-Oaked Barrel Fermentation

Minimum Order:
23 Liters = 30 x 750ml. Bottles of Finished Wine

Unit Cost:
$8.37/LITER =$192.37/23 LITERS.

The Best Part:
When to Enjoy: Delicious when young. Start pouring 1 month after bottling.
Serve at 16 degrees Celsius.
This wine is age-worthy due to its crisp acidity.
Harmony, balance and complexity will be enhanced with further maturation.
Gee this sounds like something The Winer could use...

Salute! Proust! Cheers! Wine On!
Your Towne Winers!

Cellar Craft Specials and New Products

CELLAR CRAFT 2012 LIMITED RELEASE COLLECTION

PINOT NOIR

The Sonoma Coast is California’s “hottest” Pinot Noir region because it is California’s coolest temperature wine region where soils are generally demanding with high rock, gravel and clay content. These conditions result in low crop yields and wines which are concentrated, complex and elegant with ageing and attracting a rush of new plantings within the region. The Bella Sonoma Vineyard in the south-west part of the region has rocky, shallow soil and was planted 15-16 years ago with a variety of Dijon clones. It is heavily influenced by marine fogs which flow freely inland though the Petaluma Gap keeping temperatures low for ideal flavour development. This bright ruby-hued wine is medium-bodied with classic aromatics dominated by bright cherry, fresh raspberry, elegant spice and subtle notes from medium toast Hungarian oak introduced post-fermentation. The palate shows more cherry, a suggestion of black fruits and licorice with a balance of vibrant coastal acidity and fine tannins. Sensory refinement and elegance will begin to develop after 12 months and should continue through the third or forth years of cellaring to become a very special Pinot. With moderate tannins and bright coastal acidity the wine will compliment a wide range of foods - from white fish to beef steaks and most dishes in between. Classic pairings include coq au vin, duck, pheasant, rabbit, salmon, shellfish, and smoked foods. Of course, it is also the first choice as a red, social sipper for your special guests. Don’t fuss it – just serve it!

The Nebbiolo grape is most famous for being the primary varietal in Italian Barolo and Barbaresco wines. It has also been slowly making inroads in California vineyards. We have been running trials with Nebbiolo grapes from Erickson Farm in Madera, California for nearly a year and are pleased to now offer you the chance to discover Nebbiolo in our take on an American-style Barolo in this year’s Limited Release program.

The wine that we present captures the classic profile of Barolo and Barbaresco. It is indeed a very BIG wine with deep, brooding red colour, dense and traditional in style with highly extracted ripe fruit, dark spice, tobacco notes, high alcohol and very pointed tannins that give a sense of power and majesty.

The secret that enabled us to achieve this lofty profile was found when we introduced some rich Syrah juice from Rattlesnake Valley Vineyard in Yakima Valley, Washington into the main bladder and blended Yakima Syrah skins with the Nebbiolo skins into the crushed grape pack. Fermentation on robust crushed grapes seems to be essential to make this blend achieve the levels of intensity that is found in Barolos. The assertive tannins do demand that this wine be aged at least a year (most Italian Barolo or Barbaresco wines require 5-10 or more years before they are considered approachable) but the rewards for patience are high.

After a year the cherry fruit aromas and flavours begin to show balanced integration with the spice notes, the 2- stage Hungarian oaks, the maturing tannins and the elevated alcohol level. Further ageing will pay further rewards but the wine does retain its signature chewy, dry texture. This BIG wine demands big foods as pairings. Think game meats (venison, duck, and pheasant), braised beef and lamb, cured meats, truffles and mushrooms, heavy tomato-sauced pasta, rich risottos or break the bank and serve with foie gras. Appropriate cheeses would include Pecorino Romano and a favourite blue cheese.

This wine without borders looks to 3 grapes originally from 3 French areas – Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Loire Valley and uniquely blends them together in a new world fashion. The result is fabulous wine that still cannot be produced in their most important French Homelands.

Our exclusive blend is 37% Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County California; 35% California Semillon and 28% Chardonnay from California and Yakima Valley, Wash. Sauvignon Blanc from cooler climate Lake County establishes a base with gooseberry, citrus and grassy notes amid a bright framework. Semillon adds lushness, softness and fullness to the mouth feel. Chardonnay contributes apple, pear, melon and more structure. A flavour Reserve of Chenin Blanc is included for recommended, but optional, use.

American toasted oak is included and is optional based upon personal preference. Our panel was evenly split. This wine drinks well after 2 or 3 months and is best enjoyed with 18 months. The wine is a great social sipper and cries out for goat cheese as appetizers or in salads. Pairs nicely with fish, scallop, chicken, pork, veal, pasta and vegetable dishes. Serve lightly chilled.

Each of these Red Mountain varieties has been offered in prior Limited Release offerings to great acclaim. Red Mountain Cabernet has been awarded more gold medals than any other Cabernet in recent competitions and both the Syrah and Merlot have shown similar success.

While Red Mountain Cabs, Syrahs and Merlots continue to receive acclaim as single varietal wines, Red Mountain has been developing an identity and solid reputation for unique blends combing all three, as we are doing with this offering. This offering has been styled by our Washington supplier to mimic his most successful blend: 50% Cabernet; 35% Syrah and 15% Merlot... Both juices and skins will share these proportions.

Of particular note, the Syrah stock will include a combination of Cote Rotie and Hermitage clones which have proven to be particularly well suited to Red Mountain. The wine will be truly special and unique on several levels!

The wine will be of the highest quality stock available anywhere. The power of RM Cab with its black currant, unique notes of orange essence and notable minerality and chalk will drive the blend. Syrah will add brightness, black fruit and peppery spice while Merlot helps integrate and soften the whole for earlier approachability.

Two-stage Hungarian oak treatment will add its distinctive nuances and provide the structure upon which the fruit will be built. To say that we are excited to be able to offer this wine is an understatement. Cellar at least a year and up to 3 or 4. Food pairings include your favourite beef, lamb, game and pork dishes as well as hearty pastas, fowl, pizza or wherever you would be reaching for a red wine but want to make the meal more special.

I made my first batch of wine with Towne Winer, and I have to say that they made it a very enjoyable experience……they spend a lot of time with me to make sure that I was getting the wine that I liked and I was not just settling with anything

Paul Paul Paquette
AMJ Campbell Moving

I continue to enjoy making wine at the Towne Winer and getting all my sponsorship gift baskets made up there.
The quality of the wine is superb and I’ve had many compliments. The baskets are always unique and contain both my TW wine and interesting wine accessories.
I heartily recommend the whole Towne Winer Experience!

Barbara E Fisk,
Certified Travel & Cruise Counsellor
Travel Professionals International
www.tpiqualitytravel.ca

Always great wines. We have yet to have a batch we were not thrilled with. Good enough to convince my wine-snob sister-in-law that non-commercial wines are not to be shunned! And there's generally a good conversation while you're bottling too!

Barney Tracy
Tracy Group Benefits & Financial Services
www.groupbenefits.on.ca/

Elizabeth Reemeyer, a Cambridge client and long-time friend of The Winer and Liz says what sets The Towne Winer apart from the other DIY on-premise places is how clean everything is kept.

"When you're making a food product, cleanliness is not optional, it's essential. The music is on, the expert is on-site if I have any questions. The Winer has great instincts when it comes to knowing what to do to bring out the best in a varietal."