Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Pictures from the Wine And Herb Festival NOTL - May 22-23, 2010

Welcome to the photgraphic evidence of the 2010 edition of the Wine and Herb Festival put on by the 22 wineries of Niagara on the Lake - if you want to read the full review of the wine and food pairs please visit the June 10th Newsletter.

I have to admit looking at this picture, these Rosemary BBQ Burgers at Palatine Hills don't look all that appetizing but man they were good.

Every winery had an herb 'plant' on display to show off their particular herb, you could pick off a leaf and taste the actual herb to get a better sense of what that herb tasted like - and you could give a shot to those you didn't recognize (like cinnamon-basil).  I took this picture while we were spending thyme at Konzelmann.

At Strewn they called it a "Tomato and Cheese Pinwheel" but it looked like a mini pizza to me, and tasted like it too.

Jackson Triggs probably had the hottest temperature food with this Chevre and Arugula Tart, if you were too enthusiastic about eating it your tongue paid the price - thank goodness for the cooling effects of Gewurztraminer.

Niagara College had a great French Sorrel Vicyssoise, which could have been served hot or cold, but it didn't photograph well (what soup does?), so instead you get a look at their pretty stemware.

Keep in mind that I don't like tomatoes and you'll realize what a coup this was for Chateau des Charmes (Goat Cheese Tart with Oregano Marinated Grape Tomato), because I really liked this one - maybe I'll start with little pieces of tomato and work my way up.

You couldn't go wrong with this pairing at Maleta:  Lavender Infused Honey, Organic Cheddar Cheese on Wood Fired Pullman Bread - the bread was fresh and came from Ravine's (a winery on York Road) own bakery ... what a treat.

Here's your winner ladies and gentlemen.  It doesn't look like much (Asian Wontons topped with Lemon Basil Pesto paired with 2007 Chardonnay Musque) but this paired well with the wine and the herb just popped in the mouth.  I'm sure when you pull Lemon Basil out of a hat you wonder what the heck to do with it, well Cattail seems to have pulled off what many would have thought impossible.

To see the full story of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Wine and Herb Festival check out Newsletter #135.

No comments: