Ontario - Niagara on the Lake - Two Sisters Vineyards

Two Sisters Vineyards - (August 2016) Due to some Canadian Law, we could not start tasting until 11 am.

My wife started with Lush, their sparkling wine made from chardonnay, but having a rose color due to the process. It was explained that when the fermentation was completed, the bottle is allowed to settle and when the sediment is removed, the winemaker adds in wine, usually a red, to top off the bottle. Each bottle is different based on the amount removed, amount added and which wine is added. My wife's glass fizzed a pale pink color. I started with the Riesling. The dry version was crisp and had the faint Granny Smith apple aroma.

My wife then had the Vidal ice wine. Similar to Inniskillin, there was something about the taste that she did not like. I tried the Eleventh Post, a 50% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon, 25% cabernet franc
blend. This was done old‐world style where the wine is blended prior to fermentation and aging. It was well‐balanced and fruit flavorful.

Our last wine tastes were the cabernet sauvignon ice wine for my wife and the cabernet franc for
me. My wife enjoyed the ice wine as it did not have the characteristics of a typical cabernet
sauvignon, but was not as sweet as she expected. I enjoyed the cabernet franc. It had a fresh, right
out of the garden pepper aroma and the same for the finish, which lingered just as it does on your
palate when eating the real thing. (After some wine classes, this is not something you want in your wine, but it was still good.)

While we were there, we decided to have lunch. The entire menu was interesting. My wife decided on the heirloom beet carpaccio while I got the grilled octopus. For an entrée, we would share the
prosciutto and arugula pizza. I asked to have a glass of the unoaked chardonnay, as suggested,
with the octopus. The beets were good, but I still think they taste like dirt. The octopus was a surprise in that it was definitely larger than squid, but its tentacle texture was like lobster. The various radishes that were an accompaniment added the crunch and spice to go with the sweetness of the octopus. Shaved celery also came as part of the dish, but it did do the same for the octopus.

By the time the entree came, our table was entirely in the sun and the silverware hot. We each ate two pieces of our pizza and decided to take the remainder with us. Our server asked if we wanted to move, but we asked to take the pizza with us. As part of their lunch purchase, we were able to go back to the tasting room and try one addition taste at no charge.

Our tasting host recognized us from earlier and asked how lunch was. We explained what we had for lunch and they were not familiar with the octopus; we sold them on it. I decided to try the merlot and my wife the Riesling ice wine. The merlot was full‐bodied, but not as good as the cabernet franc. She liked the ice wine.