While staying at The Woodbourne Inn in St. Davids in the Niagara region in early November I expressed some reluctance to visit Chateau de Charmes winery a 5-minute drive away due to its Disneyland appearance and its less than stellar wines. It also has room for tourist buses! My friends at the Woodbourne Inn suggested visit the winery owned by a man with a big head, Andrzej Lipinski. He was a man with a big head and proud of it so he named a winery in honour of his big head. As one family member tells me I have a big head perhaps it was time to visit with my big-headed kin.
The winery was in the midst of putting the finishing touches on its new premises with tasting facilities and tanks and vats right behind the tasting room. An open concept tasting room if you like. Very impressive indeed. The wines were on the expensive side for those with a modest budget. Most of the wines were only available at the winery and online.
I asked to try the Chenin Blanc as that grape is rare in Ontario. Most of the Chenin Blanc these days is from South Africa and France. So it was with great curiosity I asked to try the Chenin Blanc being somewhat disappointed the man with the big head was not at the winery.
The wine is 24 karats golden in colour. The aroma presents apple, pear, pineapple and some mango. On the palate tropical prevails with pineapple upside down cake, peach, apricot with some creaminess. Impressive control of acidity makes this a borderline big wine. If peaches were in season pizza topped with peaches, mango and chicken would be perfect. As peaches are no longer in season it would suit a cauliflower and cod curry as local cauliflower can still be had. Pick a big-headed cauliflower to match this Big Head wine!
(Big Head 2020 Chenin Blanc, Big Head Wines, Niagara-on-the-Lake, $24.80, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine Rating 91/100).
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 