Those Hearty Canadians

I’m talking grapes here, not people. Apparently Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes like the cool climate. Although California has nothing to fear, Canada’s Ontario wine industry has flourished over the last 30 years, evolving into a niche maker of internationally respected late harvest wines and also Icewines, a concept that was new to us.

Calamus Winery

Looking for a nice white wine to accompany our smoked salmon brunch, Manny and I headed for the Calamus Estate Winery. In the picturesque wine tasting room housed beneath the original 1888 dairy farm’s rustic barn, we sampled a respectable Chardonnay and a Riesling, but chose a crisp fruit forward Pinot Gris to sip with our meal.

Next, we headed to a winery known for its view, its European ambiance and its eccentric owner. John Howard’s Megalomaniac Cellars (yes, you read correctly) invites his guests into the underground cellars to sample some noteworthy reds. We purchased a bottle of Pompous, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as much for its humorous label as for its taste.

Megalomaniac Wine Cellars

But the highlight of the day was meeting Ainsworth Pugh, who guided our visit at the Royal DeMaria winery, the premier producer of Icewine in the world. The owner, Joseph DeMaria, a former hairdresser in Toronto, bought 25 acres to start his vineyard. Specializing exclusively in Icewine can be a risky business, since the grapes require at least three consecutive days of -8 degrees Centigrade (about 17 degrees Fahrenheit) by January. The water inside the grape freezes, but not the sugar.

If the weather does not cooperate, that year’s vintage becomes virtually worthless. That fact explains why Icewines are some of the most expensive digestifs in the world, and perhaps why Queen Elizabeth purchased only 6 bottles for her jubilee visit in 2002.

Ainsworth Pugh, of Royal DeMaria Winery

Ainsworth poured us samples of Icewines ranging from the least expensive at $39 for a 350ml bottle to a 2006 Winter Harvest Malbec valued at $750. They have a sweet sherry or port-like quality, making them excellent dessert wines. The 2004 Riesling Icewine was served at the G8 Summit in Japan in 2008 and the 2008 Cabernet Franc was chosen as a gift from the Canadian government for the G20 Summit leaders in Toronto in 2010.

When we tried to cajole Ainsworth into letting us sample the most expensive Icewine in the world, the Royal DeMaria’s 2000 Chardonnay retailing at $250,000 a bottle, he just shook his head and flashed us his 1000 watt smile. “A lot of people ask that,” he said. Maybe next time, Ainsworth, maybe next time…