August/september 2010 issue no. 24 www.eatdrink.ca 59 Wine

Business and Pleasure

Prime Pairings, at

Peller Estates Winery

By Rick VanSickle Wine is serious business in Niagara. But it's just not enough anymore to produce a great bottle of wine. Consumers are looking for much more than that. Wine is a lifestyle ingredient and represents only one aspect of healthy living and enjoyment. One of the other key ingredients is food. And the harmonious marriage of food and wine is what more and more wineries in Niagara have decided they want you to experience when you come and visit their wineries. One winery that has tailored its entire program to the fusion of food and wine is Peller Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the- Lake. This gorgeous jewel, set amongst the peaceful estate vineyards just off the Niagara Parkway, close to the historic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, is a spectacular example of how chef and winemaker can come together to create a food and wine experience like no other. With a rich program of pairing food and wine, both in the winery restaurant and with special events often taking place right in the vineyards, chef Jason Parsons and winemaker Lawrence Buhler are working together to achieve the highest standards imaginable. Mark Torrance, director of estate wineries at Peller, calls them "two peas in a pod." Winemaker Lawrence Buhler Torrance says "food and wine is at our core," and having the chef and winemaker working in unison towards that ultimate goal has made the experience at the winery successful. "The length of time people spend at the winery is growing and growing," he says. Food is so critical at Peller that all involved with the winery made a conscientious decision a few years ago to grow grapes and make wines that were more food-friendly. "The freshness of the wines, the acidity in the wines, has drifted up," says Torrance, who adds that the wines were softer four years ago with the generous

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