Outside of Jack Dempsey’s Restaurant, circa early 1970s
By Malco23 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Joseph Temple

The year was 1935.  While America struggled through the Great Depression, “Cinderella Man” James J. Braddock proved that there was still some hope for the little guy when he beat Max Baer for the heavyweight championship of the world in one of the greatest upsets in the history of pugilism.  And across the street from Madison Square Garden—the undisputed Mecca of boxing—William Harrison “Jack” Dempsey, arguably the best prizefighter of all time, traded in his gloves for the role of restaurateur at the corner of Fiftieth Street and Eighth Avenue.

Featuring live bands, dancing and no minimum charge, Jack Dempsey’s Restaurant, which eventually moved to 1619 Broadway quickly became a landmark watering hole for both native New Yorkers and fight fans eager to see the world-famous “Manassa Mauler” in person.  Boxing historian Bert Sugar recalls, “I was walking up Broadway and I saw Dempsey in the window.  Dempsey himself!  I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was a cut-out.”

Greeting patrons with a genial “Hiya, pal,” Dempsey could usually be spotted in the corner booth where he eagerly signed autographs and posed for photographs (long before sports memorabilia became such a lucrative business).  Of course, for any boxing fan, it must’ve been a dream come true to sit down over a Tom Collins while Dempsey told you the story of his epic battle against Georges Carpentier, marking the sport’s first million-dollar gate.  Or how about eating Maine lobster while Dempsey described his version of the infamous “Long Count” during the rematch with Gene Tunney in 1927.  Few places in the Big Apple could match the atmosphere like the one at this restaurant.

“Bubbling over with Music, Gaiety and Good Food,” wrote Charles Sievert for the World Telegram.  “Jack Dempsey’s Broadway Restaurant attracts record ‘gates’ for the same reason the Manassa Mauler did in his Champ Days—plenty of action and color to be found,” according to Earl Wilson of the New York Post.

For over thirty years, after entering and seeing a giant painting of Dempsey’s championship fight with Jess Willard hanging on the wall, patrons could enjoy appetizers of stuffed celery, shrimp cocktail, and chicken gumbo, entrees of soft shell crab on toast, pot roast, and schnitzel a la Holstein, finished with a dessert of Fruit Jell-O or Pie with cheese.  The menu was relatively short by today’s standards, but was certainly an example of the times – a mixture of American and French cuisine.

Being such an iconic spot, Jack Dempsey’s even served as a backdrop for one memorable scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece The Godfather.  As Michael Corleone waits to be picked up by Sollozzo and McClusky outside the restaurant, the signage illuminates what is about to happen next—a life and death struggle.

Unfortunately, just as Manhattan entered a period of sharp decline as soaring crime rates and urban decay plagued the city, Jack Dempsey’s suffered along with it, having to close its doors for the last time in 1974.  But looking back at the restaurant’s nearly forty-year history, Dempsey was certainly a trailblazer in successfully transitioning himself from the boxing ring to the dining room.  Long before other celebrities decided to invest in the restaurant industry, Dempsey proved it could be done through a powerful one-two combo of an irresistible atmosphere and a larger-than-life host eager to please his legions of adoring fans.  The food came second.

Sources:

Kahn, Roger. A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring ’20s. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.
Miller, Donald L. Supreme City: How Jazz Age Manhattan Gave Birth to Modern America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014.
Vecchione, Joseph. New York Times Book of Sports Legends. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.

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Question: I just have been job transferred to Toronto and want to try some of the better Ontario whites made from the Riesling grape variety. What are a few of your present suggestions?

Answer: Lucky you. Go crazy with some of those brilliant Riesling wines! Here are 3 of my favourites among the many choices available:

1. 2012 Charles Baker (www.charlesbaker.ca) Riesling from the Picone Vineyard on Vinemount Ridge (sub region of Niagara) around $35. Charles is the Director of Sales & Marketing for Stratus winery but has the passion to make this low yield single vineyard older vines distinctive beauty. Delicious! So fragrant with wonderful balance from vibrant acidity and so textured. Also check out his new younger vines refreshing 2014 Ivan Vineyard around $27.

2. 2012 Thirty Bench (www.thirtybench.com) Riesling from small lots every year show the classic signatures of the Beamsville Bench. I really like their complex “Steel Post” and “Triangle Vineyard” – the one I see most of – and also “Wood Post”.

3. 2012 Flat Rock Cellars (www.flatrockcellars.com) Riesling from Nadja’s is worth seeking out. At LCBO their 2014 regular Riesling for $17. is a good entry example of the success of this variety in Ontario.

Experiment!

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Almost 10 years since Al Gore released his documentary An Inconvenient Truth warning us about global warming. At the time many of us took his advice with a grain of salt. Was it really that serious? Much has happened since then with the European Climate Change Adaptation Conferences in Warsaw 2013, Lima 2014, and 2015 in Copenhagen. Pope Francis just convened a selection of the world’s city mayors including Vancouver to focus on this topic. The G7 leaders have agreed on action to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius by reducing carbon emissions. We are all looking forward to some hopeful direction from the UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris November 30-December 11, 2015.

It is time for wineries and wine consumers to face the new reality as well. Many regions are experiencing weather extremes from hotter drier summers to sudden periods of violent rain storms. Look at the drought areas and the increasing hailstorms – check out the last few vintages in Burgundy! Forest fires are rampant presently all along the Pacific Coast of North America including California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Today there are 272 active forest fires (many perilously close to Okanagan wineries) throughout the province of BC. Grapes are sensitive to this smoke and of course all the other shifts in weather including hotter temperatures – as are the wild salmon which are suffering this year. What wine regions are affected most by these climate changes? Which are adversely affected? Which are benefiting?

Difficult to tie down specifically yet but something to be increasingly aware of. Certainly the older “perfect” spots of California (Central Valley plus Napa, Sonoma etc.), Australia (Hunter Valley, Barossa etc.), South Africa, Southern France, Rhone, Rioja, Tuscany and the more southern Italian regions, and even Bordeaux are almost becoming too hot. Cooler high altitude vineyards are becoming increasingly important – look at Catena in Argentina and Mount Etna in Sicily.  New most northerly and southerly regions are benefiting more and more from global warming. Look at the recognized potential from emerging areas of Tasmania, South of England, Canada, New York – maybe even the hills of Northern China are next! Terroir is changing in every vineyard in the world. Prize natural acidity. Be aware!

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By Joseph Temple

The Dominion of Canada is known around the world for many things: poutine, ice hockey and maple syrup just to name a few.  But what about wine?  With images of cascading snow and sub-zero temperatures, most people generally may not put the words wine and Canada in the same sentence.  So it might come as a surprise to some that in the Great White North, everything from Chardonnay to Pinot Noir is harvested.  That’s because just as 75% of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border, so lies a majority of its vineyards.  In Ontario, the frigid winters are moderated by two of the Great Lakes while in British Columbia, the Okanagan Valley allows the province to grow grapes similar to Napa and Sonoma.

Of course, the undisputed crown jewel of Canadian viticulture is Icewine.  Writer Tony Aspler notes, “Of all the wines made in Canada, Icewine is the wine the world knows best …  It appears on the exclusive wine lists of the world’s best restaurants, and you can now buy it in India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York City, London, Rome and Paris.  It’s the luxury gift that everyone loves to give and receive.”

Thrust onto the global stage in 1991 after the Inniskillin Winery won the Grand Prix d’Honneur, Canada is now the world’s largest producer of this dessert wine, surpassing both Germany and Austria. But before you buy a bottle, here’s five important things you should know about this great Canadian export:

By Dominic Rivard from Bangkok, Thailand (icewine grapes3) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Icewine harvest methods differ in that the grapes are left on the vines long after all the regular grapes are picked.  In order to start the process, temperatures must drop to -8°C (18°F) or below for at least 24 hours.  Picking the grapes by hand before sunrise and basket-pressed immediately, the juice usually settles for three to four days before fermentation.  Due to age and temperature, it is highly concentrated with each grape yielding only a drop or two.  That’s why Icewine vintners in Ontario only produce around 65,000 cases per season.
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By CJ (Flickr: Ice Wine Vidal Grapes) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Unlike German Eiswein, which uses mostly Riesling, the dominant grape variety for Canadian Icewine is Vidal [Blanc].  With its thick skin and ability to withstand the freezing temperatures without cracking, this hybrid is widely cultivated across Ontario for the winter harvest.  However, there are some Icewine vintners who have also started using other grapes such as Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

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By Craig Hatfield [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Without question, Niagara is the mecca for Icewine production in Canada.  With its hot summers, the grapes in this region contain on average a higher concentration of sugar and sweeter musts than German Eiswein.  And during the annual harvest, the freezing temperatures produce usually between 35° to 39° Brix, creating a sweet libation with a long finish and aromas that include dried fruits, apricots and honey.

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With Canadian Icewine being extremely popular abroad, a growing counterfeit market has popped up from Shanghai to Western Europe.  Now, if you’re buying a bottle directly from the winery or at a Canadian liquor store, you have nothing to worry about.  But overseas, you should be aware of cheap knockoffs.  One way to check is by looking for the VQA logo on the bottle, which stands for the Vintners Quality Alliance—the regulatory system for Canadian wines.

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By Craig Hatfield [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

As Icewine has gained in popularity across the world, it comes as no surprise that the Canadian government makes sure their producers follow a strict set of rules and regulations in order to maintain its reputation for quality.  In Ontario, any winery that violates the VQA Act can be subject to up to $100,000 in fines.  Additionally, in the year 2000, the Austria, Canada and Germany Wine Industry Association Agreement was signed into law, requiring each nation to use only the traditional and labor-intensive method for making Icewine, pledging never to use industrial freezers or any other shortcuts.

Sources:

Alig, Peter. The Everything Guide to Wine: From tasting tips to vineyard tours and everything in between. Avon: Adams Media, 2010.
Aspler, Tony. Canadian Wineries. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2013.
Cantor, Joanna. Fodor’s 2008 Toronto: With Niagara Falls & the Niagara Wine Region. New York: Random House, 2008.
Henderson, J. & Rex, Dellie. About Wine. Clifton Park: Cengage Learning, 2011.
Schriener, John. The Wines of Canada. London: Octopus Publishing, 2005.
Veseth, Mike. Extreme Wine: Searching the World for the Best, the Worst, the Outrageously Cheap, the Insanely Overpriced, and the Undiscovered. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013.

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Question: What do the terms racking, fining, and filtering mean in wine making?

Answer: Racking is the separation of the wine from the sediment that with time settles in the bottom of the tank or barrel. Usually done by hoses transferring it to another clean tank or barrel.

Fining is the addition of some substance (could be egg whites) to the wine to clear it of particles which are floating or in the wine itself.

Filtering is actually passing the wine through a filter. Controversial because depending on the filter size can strip the wine of important elements.

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