…and getting better all the time.
When
I first introduced fruit wines to our readers, it was just after
Downey’s Farm Market had won 11 medals at the
Toronto Wine & Cheese Show back
in 2003. A marvelous and admittedly great achievement is what
John Downey, president of the winery and head of the Downey
family mentioned at more than one occasion. He also mentioned
that he couldn’t have done it without the help of his resident
winemaker – or oenologist – Brian Moreau, who had made this rise
to the top possible - an
unprecedented number of awards for a new winery in Canada. The
crowning glory for the new winery was the gold award and
best-of-show dry fruit wine honor for the 2002 Black Currant
table wine! Now they are
not only the first winery in Caledon, but have also been
acclaimed as one of the best in Canada – and they haven’t looked
back yet! Some of the
flavors: Black Currant; Raspberry; Blackberry; Cranberry; Apple; Golden
 Plum; I Elderberry; Strawberry; Plum;
Cherry; Mead; Gooseberry; Rhubarb; various ice wines and much,
much more.
Downey’s Estate Winery, in Caledon – on Heart Lake Road,
north of Brampton, was really my first realization that fruit
wines exist. I knew quite a bit about regular wines – from
grapes, of course – since a number of our clients were wine
makers and I had brief acquaintances with wines before I even
came to Canada. The only “acquaintance” with fruit wine however,
was when my wife and I visited a friend near Lake Starnberg,
south of Munich, to taste some of the wine that he had made
himself with Raspberries. It was excellent and so tasty, that my
wife had to drive home. We
were never invited there again – maybe he ran out of wine!
Since I visit Downey’s at least once each month, I had occasion
to learn more about fruit wines. I had a good teacher – Ed Roy,
who reigns in the tasting bar – and showroom – of the winery
part of the Farm Market. I
asked him why fruit wine is becoming ever more popular. “Well”
he explained, “one of the reasons could be the popularity of
‘Ice Wines’ as ‘after dinner’ beverages”. They are produced from
grapes that were frozen on the vine to enrich the sugar content
required. Now, almost every winery offers an ‘Ice Wine’ – at a
hefty price. Since fruit wines are made from fruit where the
sugar content is a natural part of the fruit itself”. The result
is a delicious beverage that can be served in the same way and
in a much more affordable price range! Since you can taste them at
Downey’s before you
decide on a purchase, the choice is up to you, the consumer.
Something you cannot do at the LCBO store!
If you need an excuse to visit the winery, claim you want to
shop at the Farm Market – since this is one of the best-run –
and Kid-friendly - markets I’ve seen. Visit their website at
www.downeysfarm.on.ca and get a list of Downey’s events throughout the year,
such as Special Events on Holidays, Birthday Parties, School
Tours, Corporate Picnics, Crop Reports and much more. Open from
May to the end of October and weekends until Christmas.
As always
Dick Altermann
Dick reports about community, historical,
cultural, ethnic events within the distribution area of Echo Germanica
from a German-Canadian perspective.
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