#64- Baco Noir

I haven't always liked wine. In fact, if you saw me 10 years ago, you'd have found me with a glass of rose (likely a white zinfandel) in my hand. It wasn't until a friend of mine dragged me to the Niagara Wine Festival in St. Catharines, Ontario that I began to appreciate wine. We went two weekends in a row- I drove down from Ottawa both times to attend. We bought our little festival passes and went to town in Montebello Park and tried wines from all over the Niagara wine region.

One such winery is Henry of Pelham Estates Winery. A well known Canadian winery,  Henry of Pelham makes a large variety of wines. For this review, I'm drinking their Baco Noir. The wine is very dark in colour, almost black (perhaps why it's named black grape), it had a nice spicy kick to it with a definite taste of currant. The wine was very nice to drink and was paired beautifully with a roast (one of my first peppered roasts) with couscous and green beans. The meal was delicious and the wine was a smooth compliment to the red meat, especially the peppered pieces. This was a meal that I'd definitely would have liked to have had with other people around but beggars can't be choosers...

The Baco Noir is unique to North America because it is a hybrid of a french grape and one in North America, though what that grape is can be debated. Often Baco Noirs have a caramel and fruit flavour to them and is quite acidic.  While it once grew in France, it is now restricted but flourishes in the United States and in Canada, in particular the Ontario region.

A great wine indeed, I recommend the wine to anyone who appreciates a deep and full bodied red. And if you're in the Niagara region, besides checking out Niagara Falls (the famous ones are on the Canadian side), do take the time to do some winery tours in the region. You won't regret it.