Tawse & Terroir

We have spoken here before about the concept of Terroir in winemaking, and especially the passion that exists with some, if not many, of the winemakers in Ontario. I know we have spoken about Paul Pender, juice guru at Tawse Winery, and his insistence on Terroir as part of a holy trinity of winemaking. Terroir, growing grapes that suit the region, and process. Tawse invited some food bloggers out recently so Paul could preach the Tawse gospel, and bring people in to the loop on what made Tawse Winery 2010's winery of the year.

I have been lucky to spend some quality time with Paul in the past, and it is one of my favourite places to visit in Niagara. Not only is the property itself stunning, and the staff marvellous, but the wine is just stupendous. Paul has been an integral teacher as a part of my own personal journey to better appreciate wine, and the process that goes into making it. A gracious host, and a real good guy, Paul is truly a gem. What’s that, you say? I am kissing his ass? Not at all, I just speak the truth, and very much respect Paul and what he does.

We are lucky in Toronto that the majority of people blogging about food and wine are friends, and a core group of us do get to spend a lot of time together, as we did on the chilly Sunday when we hit the road early to meet up at Tawse. We learn and grow more as a group, and are great sounding boards for one another. I cherish this bond, and it has been helpful in my own journey to expressing how I feel about food and wine, and being able to share that with people who care. Great friends, great readers, and a great province in which to explore the scene, I am truly blessed.

Paul spent the majority of the morning with all of us, and showed us around the winery and a couple of the vineyards where Tawse grows grapes. Different sites, different or same varietal, different terroir and final product. Paul imparted on the group an in-depth knowledge of Bio-dynamic organic winemaking, and the different qualities that make up these wonderful pieces of land where they farm. Paul also provided us with insights into why they do what they do, which really gives you a unique understanding of the trials and tribulations of the industry, and the various ways in which the people who make our wine view the process and what and how they grow and produce.

We were also given a chance to put our knowledge to the test in a blind tasting of some varietals that were grown on the two sites we visited, to see if, based on the education we were provided with, that we could determine the source of the grapes in the wine. What a great exercise.

After all of the tasting was done we were treated to lunch by the great chefs behind The Only on King, from London. A simple, seasonal menu, sourced locally and executed flawlessly. Paul Harding and Jason Schubert are talented chefs, and if you are headed out to London be sure to check out their restaurant. They are doing the right thing and are for sure on to something. Also, we had a chance to chat with Moray Tawse, the owner and visionary behind the winery. Moray is very down to earth, and great to talk to as his wine knowledge is encyclopaedic.

I want to thank Suresh Doss for organizing this trip, and Daniel Lafleur, sales manager at Tawse for the part he played in organizing this great day for all of us. Do yourself a favour and visit Tawse when you are in Niagara, you will not be disappointed.