Celebrating everything from Grape…to… Vine to Wine 

September is one of my favourite months of the year. Why you ask? Well, it is the month that the Niagara region turns into a “Mecca” for wine and food lovers. There is an abundance of farm fresh fruit and vegetables available, the grapes are ripening, the last two weeks of the month are dedicated to the yearly Niagara Wine Festival and local restaurants are featuring fantastic seasonal menus. This is NOT the month to start a diet – unless you want to miss out on all the fun!

If you live in the Niagara Region you have most certainly have “your farmer” that sells the best fresh fruits and you go to your favourite restaurant to check out what ingredients the chef has sourced from the local fields. And if you really want to treat yourself, you make your way to Montebello Park in downtown St. Catharines, sit in a comfy lawn chair during Wine festivities and listen to live music while savouring the wines and sampling the food that is celebrated for two full weeks. Did I mention that I love September in Niagara!?

At this time of year I like to celebrate with the “easy drinking” wines. Nothing too complicated. The big reds and intricate white wines have their own seasons. It is still warm enough to enjoy some of the refreshing stainless steel fermented white wines, such as Pinot Grigio. Our 2007 Pinot Grigio will remind you of the warm and sunny summer we had in 2007. This Pillitteri Pinot Grigio has a salmon coloured hue which exhibits the ripeness of the grapes in 2007.  Green apple and melon characteristics dominate this wine and are accompanied by some nice lime and grapefruit acidity. The wine is bone dry but remarkably feels lush on the palate.

Pinot Grigio is one of our “hot sellers” and I know that many of my friends will be raising a glass or bottle and two over the next couple of weeks to celebrate the culinary abundance that Niagara has to offer.

Visit www.niagarawinefestival.com or jump on our calander to find out more and come celebrate with us.

Cheers,

Marcel Morgenstern
Estate Sommelier
 

2007 Pinot Grigio