This year the Toronto iteration of the Oregon and Washington State Wine Expedition was hosted on April 8 at the El Mocambo historic venue with exhibitors spread over two floors. There were both first time exhibitors and others that have become fixtures of this yearly show. Upon arrival, we were led to the second floor of the venue (the main floor of the tasting). Food this time was pass-around and kept coming regularly.
Our focus this year were mainly white and rose wines, and wines one does not expect to find in the regions exhibited. So, upon arrival at the A to Z a winery, that we also sampled from last year, we started with the 2022 Oregon Rose Wine, a San Giovese Pinot Noir blend, a wine with nice acidity retailing at LCBO for $27.95. We continued with the Pinot Gris. a low acidity, smooth on the palate wine, retailing for $24.95.
We next stopped at Solena's stand, another winery that we sampled from before. Here we tried the Grande Cuvee Pinot Noir, a wine with a profund aroma, aged in oak for 8 months. We followed with the Domaine Danielle Laurent Pinot Noir, 28% aged in wood, with a fresher taste than the Grande Cuvee.
Our next target was Seven Hills Winery / Archery Summit, where we tried the Malbec, a wine one does not expect to find that often in the US northwest. It had lots of cherry notes and deep aroma. We continued with the Dundee Hills Pinot Noir a full-bodied wine, aged in concrete. We concluded with the Vireton, a light, good-acidiy white blend, retailing for $33.
We proceeded to Suzor Wines, where we tasted a light, crisp 2021 Chardonnay.
We now entered uncharted territory, since we opted to only try wineries that we never sampled from before. For many, it was their first time showing in Toronto. Rue Naujac, whose owner studied in the Bordeaux region and named his winery after a place there, was the first such winery that we sampled from. We first tried the Malbec (that contains a bit of Cab Sauvignon) with nice acidity and full body, and the Cab Sauvignon (that contains a bit of Malbec) where the oak is nicely felt. These wines are not at LCBO.
Next on our list of new wineries was Tome Wines where we tasted the Arzabal, a floral, slightly bubby Albarino.
At Sokol Blosser Winery's stand, we sampled the bubbly, made mostly of Pinot Gris, fermented for 13 months on lees, with a gently-textured foam.
We next hit Double Back where we had the 2021 Cab Sauvignon, a lighter, nice acidity wine.
From Cascadian Outfitters we tried their light, foamy bubbly in a can.
We moved on, to the Hedges Family Estate and we tasted their La Grande Cuvee, with earthy notes and low acidity. We also sampled the Red Mountain Syrah, with nice body, based on destemmed, partly crushed grapes; 42% fermented in new oak.
We next sampled the Band of Roses from the Wine Group, a crisp, dry rose.
We had a nice surprise at Del Rio Vineyards, the last stand we sampled from on the lower floor of the venue, by encountering some very interesting wines. First was their Grenache Rose, an aromatic wine with lots of fruit notes, our favorite rose of the day. Second was their Pinot Gris, a sweetish, light, low acidity wine.
We next climbed to the second floor and took a moment to enjoy the panorama of the floor below.
First winery on the second floor was Tirrids, a winery only producing bubblies. Here we tried the House Rose, sweet, with a smooth foam, perfect for sipping on a summer day, our favorite bubbly of the day.
At Palencia Wine Company, we sampled the Albarino, a light-acidity wine great with sea food and paella.
Lastly, we stopped at Grosgrain Vineyards, and we tasted the Grenache Blanc, a very smooth wine as well as the Semillon, a nice, perfect for summer wine.
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