Bellissima

Gosh the peaches and nectarines have been excellent this summer. We have eaten baskets and baskets of these delectable stone fruits. Freestone. Clingstone. Baby gold peaches. White nectarines. Give me a moment please to wipe the nectar off my chin.

To make the most of the short season I have taken several trips to Niagara’s Twenty Valley. I like to get close to the source. The fruit out there is beautiful. Rows and rows. Acres and acres. Bunches and bunches.

Oh hang on. Let me have a closer look.

I suppose peaches aren’t the only reason to drive out to Niagara. The vineyards are at their peak! The vines are bushy. The grapes are plump.

I had a chance to get a good look at these ripening beauties on my way to a Bruce Trail entrance close to Megalomaniac Wines. My Mom and I were headed to Ridgepoint Wines for lunch but first we worked up an appetite on the rocky trail. The vineyards between the two neighbouring wineries were spectacular.

Once seated on the patio at Ridgepoint Wines, I had rows of Merlot in front of me and Cabernet Franc behind me. Our server Avril, who oversees wine marketing and sales, pointed out these varietals to me. She was a wealth of knowledge on the many grape varietals Ridgepoint grows on their small plot of land. She introduced us to a new grape: Glera. It’s the “Prosecco” grape. Ridgepoint is the only winery to use this grape in North America.

She peaked my curiosity so back home I continued my investigation and discovered this grape is new to Ontario wines. Sparkling new! The regulation under the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) Act was amended in 2021 to add Glera to the list of grape varieties allowed in the production of VQA wines. I was compelled to look up the regulation (so you don’t have to) and further discovered there are over 100 authorized grape varietals. I had no idea there were so many. My head is spinning!

Enough regulatory talk Andrea, how did it taste?

Yummy.

It’s fresh and fruity, off-dry, with distinct citrus notes like grapefruit and orange rind. Bellissima!

Oh yes, that’s the name of this lovely sparkling wine: Bellissima. Even though it’s made in the Charmat method using primarily Glera grapes it can’t be technically be labelled as Prosecco. My lack of Italian is holding me back from searching up those labelling laws. I will simply have to visit the Veneto and Friuli regions of Northern Italy someday to get to the root of the matter.

Ridgepoint is a wonderful winery to visit if you are interested in Italian grapes that you may not find anywhere else in Ontario. They grow Nebbiolo and Corvina, challenging grapes at our northern latitude as they are more sensitive to temperature drops.

I was quite happy to discover Glera on the patio at Ridgepoint. The sparkling wine was delicious and a nice accompaniment to my sausage and rapini fettuccine. The pasta was fresh and the sausage flavourful. Avril made me a nice strong double shot cappuccino to cap off my meal.

Bellissima!