Baco Noir

I am a huge advocate of all things local. Local produce, local meats, local wine. I live in steel-town, Hamilton, Ontario. I am very proud of this under-dog city, that I live in. This city is a feast for the eyes for anyone who loves gothic-style architecture, history and yes, wine. 
I live 15 minutes away from the beautiful Niagara wineries. The wineries are almost in my backyard. D and I take the convertible to the wineries in the summer. In the winter, the winter car takes us to the wineries. I've been to Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California, and although the year-round weather is soooooo much better in California, Niagara has everything I need. In particular, Baco Noir. The Baco is a beautiful grape which I will compare to Shiraz or Cabernet. The Canadian climate here in the south of Ontario is perfect for growing this grape. Many wineries offer a blend of Baco Noir with something else, usually Cabernet (EastDell 2007 Black Cab - is AWESOME), but Henry of Pelham consistently makes a lovely pure Baco Noir. It is a full bodied wine, which has a slight caramel-ly taste that I love. 


Wine is a very subjective taste, much like food. I hate telling people what wines to drink. I, personally, love the full-bodied red wines.. but sometimes, I love other types of wines. Since this post is all about Henry of Pelham 2008 Baco Noir, I will focus on that. 
This bottle of wine is, like I said before, full-bodied, wonderfully oaky and just that little bit of caramel-ly. It doesn't have a harsh tannin finish and it goes down very well. (I'm obviously not an expert on wine and wine tasting, but I know what I like.)
I won't even pretend that I know what food to pair this with. I love food, I love wine. I love THIS wine. Who cares what it goes with?   Go and buy it (it's available in all LCBO's) and let me know if you like it too. Even better, go to the winery. Go to a few Niagara wineries. They are all beautiful, they are all unique, and they all have great wine. 


My current Niagara wine favourite is the Baco Noir. Give it a try, if you like it, leave a comment, if you hate it... well.. ok, leave a comment. :) 


I will leave you with one of my favourites quotes: 


"Everything in Moderation, Including Moderation." - Julia Child