2004 Trio Red - Spain meets twist on French varieties

This little $13 bottle of wine is a definite winner in it's price category. I opened it up yesterday evening to make a little red wine sauce for my steak and then proceeded to drink the rest of the bottle along with my dinner guest. The blend of Syrah-Tempranillo-Cabernet Sauvignon gives this wine enough structure to hold it's own even with a meat based dinner but at the same time, it isn't a wine that is too demanding on the palate as far as complexity is concerned. Despite this, I did enjoy it's straightforward fruit, slight hints of leather and game, decent medium tannin, and low-medium body. It is a great easy drinking and enjoyable wine if being enjoyed by the glass. Even after using just over a glass for the sauce, we had a hard time enjoying the entirety of the bottle between two of us.
The wonderful thing about this wine, and Spanish wine in general, is the age. The legal ageing system in Spain means that it is easy for producers to hold on to their wines a little longer to give them that little something extra. The other great thing about that is that you end up with a decent wine with age on it for a really great price! As a comparison, most 2004 French wines, even the most basic, would likely be priced far above this little trio. I have seen some 10 year old Spanish wines of great quality and complexity coming onto the market at around $40. Unheard of from most other countries! Spain is a great region to keep in mind if looking for a wine with a bit of age but without the price tag imposed by most other countries.

This wine isn't a bad wine by any means, and especially for the price it gives a lot of itself. It is the perfect wine if you'll only be having a glass or two or to serve either at the beginning as a food friendly starter wine.
Price meets value and quality rating: this wine gets a solid B from me.

Portugal; tasting room searches out great values

Today at the metropolitan hotel in Vancouver, a few of the largest wineries in Portugal decided to come together to present some of their values and stars to see if BC consumers would be interested in seeing some of them on the shelves of some of our favorite stores. With many crowd pleasing wines in attendance, I'm sure we'll all start seeing a few more Portuguese wines creeping onto shelves as well as wine lists around the city.

Portugal has always been an area of extreme interest to me partly because we don't see or hear much about it here in the North American wine world and when we do, it's usually bulked in with Spain, as in the BCLDB catalogue.  Since I love learning about and discovering rare and out of the way things, it's no wonder that I had such a great time trying wines today.  Another nice thing about today was that because the tasting was so small, with only 7 tables, I had a chance to speak to many of the people directly associated with the wineries in Portugal including several wine makers.  I always enjoy it when the people who directly put their love and passion for wine into a bottle want to talk to me about what they made, how and why.  It makes the point that every bottle, even from the very beginning has a story to tell about it's terroir and it's maker.

Portugal as a wine making region should be on every value conscience wine consumers radar.  Because of it's status as small and little known, as well as usually clumped in with Spain, the prices for even the top wines is more than reasonable and within even the most modest budget.  Some of the best values of the year I'm sure will come from this area.
Only a few of the wines I tried today broke the $25 barrier and a good 1/2 of them were under $20.  Sadly however, most are still not available in BC, but since many are available in both Ontario and Quebec I'm quite confident we will be seeing at least a few of them fairly soon.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the wines I tried today and while I'd love to tell you about all of them, I will unfortunately have to limit myself to the weird, the cool and the best of the show.
I'll start with the weird and cool:
First on the list is the Lancers FREE White and Rose, cool because they are both non-alcoholic wines.  They start out as an alcoholic beverage and then through chemical as well as I'm sure a few other scientific processes that I really don't understand, they take away the alcohol from the wine.  A great option for the market especially with stricter laws on drinking and driving coming into effect here in BC.  The white tasted very similar to it's alcoholic parent but with more fruit coming through.  While the fruit was similar, the non-alcoholic version tasted more like juice than wine.  The rose however was quite surprisingly close to the alcoholic version.  I could smell the difference in volatile alcohol but the flavour profile was largely the same.  Very cool idea though.

Next cool item in the show was the series of wines from Bacalhoa.  I'll speak more about the quality of the wines later but it was the bottles that caught my attention at first because they all have braille on the label in addition to the visual words and designs.  It wasn't something I had seen before and I thought it was pretty cool.

Now onto my favorite white wine of the show; the Periquita White 2009, sadly not yet on the market here in BC but if it was, it would be around $11.  Since the Periquita red is currently available, I'm hoping the white isn't too far away!  It was light and fruity on the nose and incredibly food friendly and easy to drink.  Still light enough to be a summer wine but also more than appropriate in the winter months for lighter fare.

Casal Garcia DOC Vinho Verde, $10.99 BC Liquor Stores.  Out of all the Vinho Verde's I tried today, this was my favorite.  Maybe it's because I'm girly sometimes and like fruit in my wine but I'm going to say it's more because out of all of them, this was the one that tasted the most like what I expect a Vinho Verde to taste like.  I tried a couple of the single vintages and while good, they weren't the light, fruity and refreshing summer drinks I have learned to love from this area.  The Casal Garcia was exactly that with a ripe almost tropical fruit nose and refreshingly crisp on the palate.

I also really liked the Casal Garcia Rose from the DOC of Vinho Verde.  Off dry with an alcohol percentage of 10.5, it was aromatic and floral on the nose and not coyingly fruity.   A lot of the fruit came through on the palate but there was also a savory component which I quite enjoyed.  I'd love to try this wine out with a variety of foods.  This wine is not yet available in BC as far as I know, but I hope it is in time for next summer.

The red wines were a truly educational experience for me.  I had a chance to try a lot of different grape varieties that I hadn't encountered much in my wine adventures so far and many of the wines I tried today came from very different areas of Portugal with different cultures and climates.  I'm still not great with Portuguese geography but I'm starting to taste the differences in the wine and I think that's pretty cool!

The star of the show for me was the Quinta da Bacalhoa 2008 from the Peninsula de Setubal, along the coast in the southern part of the country.  Surprisingly, this wine wasn't made with traditional Portuguese grape varieties but instead with French grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and made in a Bordeaux style by blending the two grape varieties.  It was love at first taste and as good as some fine Bordeaux's I have had a chance to try.  I expected to be told that this wine would retail around $80 and was pleasantly surprised when I was told that it would probably be in the range of $35.  This wine sees 14 months of oak and has beautiful soft berries on the nose and palate with great balance and nice softly structured tannins.  A joy to drink and I'm sure it would also be a joy with dinner!

Another good one was the Quinta da Garrida 2007, spec item, approx $18.  This wine comes from DOC Dao so in the mid-northernish region of portugal and further inland.  The local varieties of Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz make up this wine.  I really enjoyed it for it's fruity tones with some hints of leather.  It was fresher than I expected it to be on the palate which made it fairly refreshing but it still had great fruit that held through and it was a nicely structured wine.  Not too 'in your face' but very nice and pleasant.

Other reds that I enjoyed were:
Follies Cabernet Sauvignon/Touriga Nacional 2008: Great fruit with nice spice, both carrying well onto the palate along with mild tannins.  Hopefully coming into our market at $16.
Quinta de Terrugem 2006: Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez and Trincadeira Preta are the varieties.  I liked it for its countryside feel and pleasant barnyard aromas.  Very light with solid fruit coming through.  A nice easy drinking wine.
Vista Tinta Roriz 2008 (with some Touriga Nacional): I really liked this wine for its fresh fruit which almost seemed candied on the nose.  Came through nicely without being too fruity on the palate with enough other stuff like tannin and spices to hold it up.
Vista Touriga Nacional 2008:  Similar to the Tinta Roriz but richer and a little jammier.  Had great structure and maintained its really nice rich fruits.

Now for the piece de resistance!!  Desert wines:
1999 Moscatel de Setubal:  Fantastic fruity aromas from the muscat grape, fortified and aged in old barrels to give it complexity and colour.   The alcohol is balanced so nicely with the acid in the grape that it's like drinking muscat syrup.  I hope to see this in our market soon and I hope my work place will carry it!

And there we have it, a brief overview of my day trying wines from Portugal.  It is such a great area for finding excellent wines at a relatively low price point that it's worth checking out what your local liquor store carries.  The quality over the past few years of Portuguese wines has increased so dramatically that knowledgeable consumers can find excellent quality wines for a fraction of the price you'd expect to pay for something of that caliber.  I highly recommend seeing what you can find and giving a few of these European gems a try sometime soon!  Enjoy :D

the shame of restaurant markups - but I guess they've got to pay the rent somehow...

I'm very proud of the fact that I try to focus on wines that are a great value and quality for under $20 and that everyone in any budget can have a cool and tasty wine for any occasion.....except maybe when you go out to a restaurant and are looking to enjoy a bottle of wine at the establishment. Most people are aware that restaurants generally mark up the price of wine by a little bit (or a lot) and most people are pretty accepting of it as a small sacrifice to be made if you want to enjoy wine with dinner in a restaurant. I still find it incredibly annoying however. Today for example I had an excellent opportunity to try a white blend of Viognier and Marsanne called Mon Ami Rascal. It caught my attention a while ago as something that might be worth trying since it retails at around $11. At first this wine kind of scared me partly because of my reservations towards trying anything with a funky name or label and also because I knew it was a blend made especially for the Earls restaurant chain by the Perrin Family in the Rhone Valley, making both a red and a white in a Southern Rhone style. Eventually I decided that since the Perrin Family is pretty reputable and Earls does generally have a reputation for good value, the wine might not be half bad and that I should at least give it a try before I judge. Anyway, it's $11 in stores so there wasn't much lost if I thought it was crap. Well, today I had my opportunity to try it but not from the store, instead I had the privilege of paying $27 a bottle at Earls restaurant on Robson. I could buy 2 bottles at that price in the store! Man, these restaurant mark ups really piss me off sometimes.
Anyway, my conclusion is that overall it's a pretty good wine. Easy to drink, fruity but not overly so and while there is some acid, it's not too overpowering which allows this wine to be extremely food friendly. A great wine to have available as a house wine (well done Earls). Definitely a great value for $11. Paying $27 for this bottle of wine however is a little annoying but still a decent value especially considering how much a bottle of wine generally goes for in restaurants.

IVSA Vancouver

About 4 times a year, the IVSA (Import Vinters and Spirits Association) put on a giant fair for buyers and sellers of wine, spirits and beer. Most of the hundreds of beverages on display are wine but it's not uncommon to find some unique spirits or cool beers being poured for the adventurous tasters.
I love going to the IVSA tasting because it gives me an opportunity to try about 100 wines in a 2-3 hour span, many of them products that I wouldn't seek out on my own. I usually keep an eye out for the weirdest and coolest new things on the market but I also like trying what's popular so that I'm up to date with consumer trends.
Yesterday was the fantastic fall IVSA and there were some pretty interesting drinks available to taste.
Below are a few of the products that I thought were worthy of mentioning, and worthy of checking out if you happen to come across them in the store.

Marani whites and reds from Georgia: This series of wines won my top award because of both their quality and their uniqueness in our market. All of the wines in this series except for one come in at just under $20, well within my blog range, and the quality is exceptional. This is yet another fine example of how high quality wines entering our market from places not usually associated with wine can be a fantastic value.
For the white wines, the first was the 2009 Mtsvane at $19.90. Fully dry yet refreshingly fruity on the nose and crisp on the palate. Interesting and almost reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc. This wine gets a solid 'A' from me!
2009 Tbilisuri; a semi-dry wine balanced with lots of acid. It had great floral and ripe fruit notes and was a joy to try. I gave it an 'A+', one of the two I gave all day.
2008 Tvishi; this was the one wine from Marani that was over the $20 mark but considering the extra effort taken to make it semi-sweet, the price increase is justified. This wine also got a solid 'A' from me for it's sweet dried fruit and honey notes. What was especially nice about this wine was that it was still very acidic and wasn't too syrupy like some semi-sweet wines can be.
There were also 2 red wines.
2008 Saperavi; I thought that this wine was the most common out of the flight. It was still good but it didn't stand out like the others. It had notes of dark fruit and its full-bodied charm made it a delightful drink especially at under $20 but it wasn't anything really special.
2008 Pirosmani; another solid 'A' wine and a really interesting wine in that it is a semi-dry red. It's full-bodied with lots of rich ripe red fruits and really good. It doesn't come off as semi-dry but the extra sugar adds a really nice balance to final product.
Who knew that wines like this could come from the interior of Georgia. Apparently the area of Kakheti, where these wines are made, has a peculiar micro-climate making it ideal for grape growing. I'm really excited to try these wines again!

Heitz Cellars 2008 Sauvignon Blanc: This is my other 'A+' rated wine and while I don't know the price range, I'm guessing it's a lot over $20. Heitz Cellars makes some great stuff and I always like to try their wines when I have a chance. They had their Cabernet Sauvignon as well as their Sauvignon Blanc available to try and while their Cab is great and worth the premium prices charged for it, I was more impressed with the quality and tone of their Sauvignon Blanc. It was crisp and full of great citrus, mineral and gooseberry flavours; typical of sauvignon blanc in general but there was something about the balance in the acidity and body in this wine that made it truly spectacular.

Camelback Shiraz Viognier from Australia: This wine gets a solid 'A' for its great flavours and structure and the uniqueness of the product being made. Adding Viognier to a wine is an age-old tradition in certain areas of the world, including in the Southern Rhone Valley where Viognier is often blended with Grenache, Syrah and several other grape varieties to add colour, body and aromas. Camelback has taken this basic idea and made it their own, and I think it works wonderfully. This wine is bright, not too heavy and really nice notes of pepper, spice and red fruits like cherries and some raspberries. Great to drink on it's own for it's depth and silkiness but also a great for pairing with a variety of different foods and meats.

Blackbird Vineyard Arise: Blackbird vineyards is another one of those amazing Californian producers that commands premium prices for it's fantastically concentrated and artistically crafted wines. Once a wine hits the premium price point, I often find that the product inside is rather disappointing considering the cost. At $84 a bottle, this is NOT one of those wines. In fact, it's worth every penny. A solid 'A' rating, it's rich but soft with notes of berries and pepper. A joy to drink.

Chateau D'Orignac: This is a really cool concept for a wine that is apparently very popular in France but has yet to make inroads in the North America market. It is a wine that is fortified with VSOP Cognac, giving a really nice complexity of flavour to this really nice but not too sweet fortified wine. In France, because this wine isn't too rich or sweet, it's often served as an aperitif instead of after dinner which is how we tend to do things in Canada. Under $40 in our market and worth investing in a bottle if you're looking to impress some future dinner guests.

Gran Feudo Edicion: 100% Tempranillo from Spain. It's easy to savour with it's light notes of dark fruit and peppery tones. It's not too full bodied and not too watery but it strikes a very nice balance in the middle ground. At $15, it's a bargain.

Other notable mentions go to:
Fetzer 2009 Gewurztraminer, California: easy to drink, off dry, yummy fruit and not too demanding.
Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon, California: Very rich and big, full of fruit and pepper. It is extremely typical of californian Cabs and is still only around $30. Great value for the quality and typicity it brings forth.
Heavyweight Red, California Cabernet Sauvignon: Really nice wine but the name is rather misleading. Much more approachable and much less 'heavy' than I thought it would be. There is a small percentage of Zinfindel which adds a lot of really nice and soft flavours to the mix. Not typical of a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon but still a really nice and kind of different wine.

Oregon Pinot Noir Tasting - in Vancouver

Pinot Noir grapes make some of my absolutely favorite wines in the world but as I was saying in my last post the difficulties associated with growing the grapes means the wines can unfortunately be pretty expensive. I'm always on the look out for great value and good quality Pinot Noir's for under $20 but out of all the different kind of wines out there, it's one of the hardest to find.
I'm telling you today about my love for Pinot Noir's and how sad I am that they have such a high price point because I had a great opportunity today to attend a fantastic tasting of Oregon Pinot Noir's, some that are available in our market and some that will be if there is enough interest from buyers. Oregon's coastal climate creates ideal conditions for growing Pinot Noir grapes. It's a little cooler, which the early ripening pinot likes, and the wines that come out of the region are full of flavour with great acidity and for the most part good body as well. Wine makers have the opportunity in this part of the world to experiment with vineyard conditions and wine making techniques that aren't available to many of the legally bound producers in France which means that a lot of the wines coming out of Oregon are unique and interesting, with a focus on making wines for the future instead of wines that represent the past.

Most Oregon Pinot's on our market at the moment are either 2006 or 2007, with the 2008's coming up within the next two months.
Most 2006's I tried today are ageing nicely and still show a lot of rich ripe fruit developing complexity and depth as they age. The good wines out of this year are, and will continue to be great for many years.
2007 was a tough vintage for Oregon growers as it was rainy and extremely wet during the harvest season. Many picked early and the resulting wines show tons of greenness. While many like the light style of wine produced in this year by most wine makers, I found most of them to be rather watery.
As for 2008, I'm really looking forward to drinking many more Oregon Pinot Noir's from that year. There's body, fruit, richness and many have a nice spiciness to them as well. Overall I enjoyed this vintage the most, a vintage in which the best wine makers will make legendary wines and the not so good wine makers will still make some pretty awesome stuff.

Here are a few wines I tried today that I thought were especially note-worthy:
Andrew Rich wines - I tried both their small production wine as well as their lower level 'cuvee B'. Both were quite good and they were both some of the best '07's I tried at this tasting.
Trisae '08 - I gave this one an all around A+ for quality, style and taste. The rich, ripe and almost candied fruit is extremely well balanced with the spicy pepperness and green notes in this wine. It was also delightfully full-bodied.
Trisaetum 'o7 - A solid 'A'. Another of hte good '07's in the room. It was light and vegetal like the others but the difference was that the Trisaetum didn't make it seem like a fault. It pulled the flavours and characteristics together like an elegant dancer.
Erath Winery:
Erath Pinot Noir Oregon - the most basic of their wines at this tasting and an A- wine from me. Typical '08 profile of fresh berries but with comparatively light body. Still a complex and structured wine especially at the $30 price point.
Erath Leland Pinot Noir 2006 - Did I mention I loved the 2006 Pinot's that were being poured at this tasting? This is no exception and is in fact probably one of my favorites. My tasting note for this wine is simply "oh wow" followed by a star and a clear A+ grade.

These wines are the ones that really stood out for me but as with any tasting, someone else I talk to will be wowed by completely different wines. Rarely is there a consensus of what the 'best' wine of the show was. Such is the human palate I suppose. I really enjoyed the '08 Vintage but I gave most of the '07's grades between B and A- for the very best. As always however, I met a few people whose favorite wines of the show were some of the 07's that I thought tasted too green and watery. As for the '06's the general consensus seemed to be that they are showing well and are a testament to the quality of wines being produced in such places as Oregon.

Red Burgundy - Sometimes a special event calls for a special wine

It's time to finally come back to writing this blog. I'm sorry I've been a little MIA for the past 2 or so months. I guess summer made time go by so quickly that I didn't fully realize how much I had been neglecting my posts. Well I'm back and I'm going to write about a wine that I wouldn't normally write about in this blog, a wine that is a little more expensive than my usual under $20 picks. I chose this specific wine because I feel that today, my first post in 2 months, qualifies as a special occasion so I splurged a little. Let's call this under $30 wine a "special occasions pick". For this special occasion I thought a nice little wine from Burgundy might be nice so I chose the 2006 Reserve De la Chevre Noire, Bourgogne AOC, Pinot Noir. Wines from the Pinot Noir grapes are generally pretty expensive and rarely can you find one of quality under $20. They are definitely out there and I'm always on the search for a quality Pinot under 20 but the truth is that thanks to how finicky the grape is to grow, it just doesn't come cheap. Anyway, this basic Burgundy AOC wine is a really enjoyable wine for this evening with it's fresh cherries, reminding me almost of candied fruit and green notes on the nose, light, fruity with sour cherries on the palate. Not too complex a wine but still not overly simple, a nice down the middle wine. In the mouth, it's light and fresh and not too tannic.
It's a great wine to drink on it's own, as most Pinot Noir's are, but it has enough complexity of flavour to stand up to light fare or chicken.
A great pick for a celebration wine and I'd definitely consider getting it again. For $30, I give this wine a solid A-. A great show for a basic Burgundy AOC.

cono sur Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere

I absolutely adore this wine, and this grape blend of Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon for that matter. I like it so much that I've sent people away from my store to go to another store to get it if I think it's exactly the kind of wine they're looking for. It is a wine that is worth that extra little trek and I hope you'll all have a chance to try it as well. I've reviewed another wine that is a blend of these two grapes in one of my first posts - the Mapu by Baron Phillipe de Rothschild.
Carmenere is a grape originally from Bordeaux that unfortunately never really took root in the region after the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century. Luckily it had already been introduced to the soils of Chile and here the grape variety has really come into it's own to make some fantastic varietal and blended wines. It's the magical combination of Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon that still gets me however and I'm happy to see that more and more wine makers are coming on board make more of this blend.
This wine is full of cherries and blackberries, ripe fruit, earth, chocolate and some typical Chilean green/vegetal notes on both the nose and the palate. It has a big structure generally expected from a Cabernet Sauvignon but it's nicely mellowed by the Carmenere, a little like a Merlot helps to soften Cabernet based Bordeaux blends. Together, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere merge to make an enjoyably smomoth, not overly tannic but still full-bodied enough to stand it's ground with red meats and heavier food thanks to the Cabernet component. It's also a great wine to enjoy on it's own, which is how I usually have it.

In general, I give this blend a solid A rating, especially since they usually come in at under $20. Some are better than others, but few are bad. If you want a perfect wine to bring to a dinner party where you don't know what's being served, this wine is a great choice! Enjoyable in every way. I hope you enjoy it too!

Hungaria Sparkling wine

Traditionally our society views sparkling wine as a luxury to be enjoyed on special occasions but with Hungaria coming onto the market at $15, I've decided that every occasion can be made into a special occasion!
I wasn't sure about this wine when it was recommended to me. It's made from the same grape varieties as the most famous sparkling wine, Champagne, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay dominating the blend. It's made in the traditional method, like they do in Champagne, the big difference is geography - where the grapes are grown - and that Hungaria is not aged on the less (dead yeast cells) for the minimum ageing period of 18 months that real Champagne is left for.
Time to try this wine that I'm absolutely skeptical about and my first impression is that it's absolutely amazing!! And not just for $15. It's actually pretty good and can stand up to a lot of new world traditional method sparkling wines as well as some cava's. The best Champagnes still knock it out of the water, but I guess that's why some people pay over $100 for those. It had similar fruit characters as other traditionally fermented sparkling wines and it was a bit fresher in the fruit, largely because it was lacking some of the yeastyness of a sparkling wine aged for a long period of time on the lees.

For quality, style, typicity and value for money, this wine gets my vote with a solid A+. Next time you're looking to celebrate, or just looking to drink some bubbly, search out Hungaria and give it a shot. It's worth the hunt!!

And a note to my Ontario friends, you can get this wine at the LCBO for $12. You lucky.....

Italian Pinot Grigio - Villa Chiopris

I have always loved how crisp and acidic and refreshing Italian Pinot Grigio`s tend to be but I never really thought all that much about it when I worked as a server. It was one of those wines you just order after work because it`s nice and it works for any occasion on the patio (or off the patio for that matter).
Italian Pinot Grigio's generally come from North Eastern Italy where the climate can be a little chilly thanks to the altitude form the mountains and it's proximity to Austria and Slovenia as you move north and east respectively. These conditions are perfect for making a wine that's very acidic, and full of green fruit and citrus.

I had a small taste of the wine I'm going to tell you about today - Villa Chiopris Pinot Grigio - several months ago when it was being served at a function I was working and I thought it was pretty nice. I also thought it was well worth the $30/bottle the host was paying. When I started working in a wine store, I realized this bottle actually sells for $18-$19. An even better value for the taste it provides.
Since it's so nice out, I decided to retry this wine and test out it's abilities to refresh on a summer's day. Unfortunately it's not quite as good as I remember it, but I think that might have been partly due to the different circumstances in which I tried this wine. It is, as I remembered, crisp with good minerality, strong green fruit notes like green apple and lime and a pleasant mouthfeel that's not too rich but not too thin.
While I think it's a wine best enjoyed with food, it's also not too bad on it's own. Although it might be what some people call a little too 'sour' on the palate due to the high acidity, citrus and green apple so common of these wines.

Another great thing about Italian Pinot Grigio's is that they are easy to find in our market at a relatively inexpensive price point. $15-$25 on average with a quality that's pretty stable across the board.

Enjoy!!

My favorite BC wines from the past few months

The province of British Columbia, especially around the area of the Okanagan Valley, has a few truly extraordinary wine makers who are making some amazing products. The quality of some of this wines is world class and I believe that this region of Canada could compete on equal footing with the some of the best wines in the world, for both red and white wines. Local demand for these wines however is so high that they rarely make their way out of the province and when they do, they sell for high or even premium prices. Even in BC, it is tricky to find quality local wines at under $20 which is why I so rarely blog about them.
I want to take this opportunity to tell you today about wines from my own backyard because over the summer I realized how unique and exciting these wines are. Coming from Ontario I only had an idea about BC wines and I only knew of a couple producers. I thought the wines were pretty lame and I had no idea of the scope of production and the influence of small wineries in the movement to make quality wine here in BC. It was exciting to learn about all the producers and the different regions in the Okanagan and learn about some of the really cool and interesting ideas that are being tried out on this new terrain.
Production in BC is still really small and local demand is really high so it will be a while before the rest of the world realizes the gem that is the Okanagan Valley but until then, we can enjoy quality, world class BC wines and revel in the fact that they are made only a few hours away from a fine city like Vancouver that loves fine food and wine.

BC wine makers and growers are still largely figuring out what grows best where and what kind of vinification methods contribute to making the best wines so we find a wide range of grape varieties, both red and white, in a wide range of style. I'm a fan of the aromatic white wines like Gerwurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris as I think these wines show really well in the cool continental climate of the Okanagan, but there are also many producers who are making undeniably fantastic and even age worthy red wines.

Since I tend to say that BC does Gewurztraminers the best I'll start here with some of my favorites.
Blasted Church 2009 Gewurztraminer:
Fantastic and under under $20!! (although just barely). It's fruity, yet crisp and dry on the finish. It is easy to drink on it's own but is also food friendly. This is probably one of my favorite wines, and was a classic go-to wine for me over this past summer. I hope their next vintage is just as awesome! I have been known to drink this wine out of a travel coffee mug on the bus on a way to a party. Believe it or not, when I tell that to customers who are looking for an easy drinking white wine, they'll usually buy it. Who knew that my ridiculous antics could work as a selling point!

Averill Creek 2009 Gewurztraminer:
This wine's unique selling point is that it comes from Vancouver Island. That and the fact that it's a surprisingly fantastic wine. I say surprising only because most people don't think of Vancouver island as an ideal climate for grape growing. This wine however is very crisp and soft with some lovely riper fruit that continues along the finish. It is still dry and fairly easy to pair with food. At just over $20, it was a nice summer sipper over the last few months.

other whites:
Kettle Valley 2009 Chardonnay:
Previous vintages of the Kettle Valley Chardonnay have been good but they haven't stood out of the crowd like their 2009. This latest vintage was exceptional for them. The oak was better integrated and while still creamy with light oak flavours, more of the fruit was allowed to show through for a delightful and rich Chardonnay. A truly powerful and beautiful wine for under $25. One of my top selling Chardonnays over the summer because of it's refreshing fruit but it has enough body and roundness to be enjoyed throughout the winter. Since it is not too oaked, it pairs well with a variety of foods and can be enjoyed in any weather.

Kettle Valley 2009 Pinot Gris:
This is not your average Pinot Gris. The juice is kept in contact with the skins for a short period of time giving it a slight pinky hue. While this unfortunately turns off some wine drinkers, the more adventurous will be rewarded with a fantastic and unique wine. The skin contact helps give the wine a bit more structure while still allowing it to be full of great citrus and stone fruits which Pinot Gris is so famous for. This wine I find to be especially great with foods such as salmon and other rich seafood's because of the extra body given to the wine by the skins.

Joie Farm:
I have been very happy with the white wines I've tried from Joie. I especially love their Riesling because of it's dry, crisp and fantastic ripe fruit. Like all their wines, it is a product of passion and the love of wine making and this dedication shines through in every glass.
The Joie Noble Blend is an extremely popular wine among connoisseurs in the Vancouver area and that's no surprise as this dry wine is full of great fruit and refreshing minerality. A blend inspired by the noble varieties of Alsace as well as other Germanic varieties which do so well in this particular climate, the 2009 vintage shows off the talents of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Auxerrois, and Riesling.
The Joie Rose has entered into a league of it's own in the BC rose market. Easily one of the top selling BC rose wines over the past summer, this wine has a cult following and for good reason. Nothing comes close to being able to compare to this not overly fruity, refreshing, dry, slightly frizzante and food friendly wine.
Joie also has a few Red wines on the BC market and although I find them interesting, I'd rather stick to their whites.

Black Widow:
Another winery with a portfolio worth writing about. This winery is located in the same area of the Okanagan as JoieFarm and as far as I'm concerned, does best with their white wines rather than their reds.
The oasis is a blend of aromatic grape varieties with Schonburger (a variety with characteristics similar to the Muscat grape) leading and Gewurztraminer in the background. Intensely fruity, refreshing and the perfect drink in the summer heat.
The Black Widow Pinot Gris is crisp, full of lemon and lime with bold minerality and acidic enough to be perfectly suited to patio's and BBQ's during the summer months.
Both wines were top choice of wine drinkers in Vancouver over the past summer. I :look forward to the next vintage of both the Oasis and the Pinot Gris. These wines are great buys at just over $20.

Now onto the reds
Herder Meritage:
A perfect Summer BBQ red that will bring you right into fall for Thanksgiving dinner. Don't forget to then put a couple bottles aside for the Christmas Holidays. At $22 a bottle, I cannot sing it's praise enough. I absolutely adore this wine. It has complexity, depth, fruit, it's round and bold and incredibly versatile with food. It is Merlot based with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec rounding it off and adding the finishing touches.
My top selling red of the summer and also the wine I bring as a gift whenever I go anywhere.

Church and State Quintessential:
This rich and bold wine is filled with Red and Black fruits as well as the complex aromas and flavours imparted by time spent in oak. I looked all over the church and state website but I couldn't find any specs on this wine like how much time it spent in oak, whether the oak was American, French or a mix and what the grape varieties are and in what proportion. Regardless of this lack of information, this wine is yumminess all over and what I would gladly call 'elegance in a glass'. At $50 a bottle, the price is a little hefty but it could prove to be the magical touch to a special evening.

kettle valley Malbec:
I'd love to try this wine in a blind taste taste against other Malbecs to see if it can hold it's own. It was an absolutely excellent example of this grape with great fruit and firm body but I don't know if I felt that it was great because of how it was actually made or because it was from BC and any success with a Malbec seems so unusual. This wine definitely has something going for it, I just wish it was more available in our market for me to have it again and try it against some of it's Argentinian counterparts. Worthy on uniqueness points if nothing else. A cool wine on all counts!

Well, there you have it. This summer was a great learning experience for me in terms of trying and understanding the complexities behind the BC wines and the market where we can find them. There are so many local wines to try and with new and innovative producers willing to try new things and take some risks, I look forward to some exiting wines in the future.

Vinho Verde

This beautiful weather here in BC is ensuring that I'm still on the lookout for some perfect summer wines. My search wouldn't be complete however without looking at Vinho Verde's from Portugal. This area of northwestern Portugal is well known for making light and refreshing wines that are meant to be drunk young. Generally these wines are fairly low in alcohol (8.5-11%) and often have a slight pétillance to them which adds to their refreshing character. I find these wines to be fairly neutral despite their distinct minerality and nice citrus fruit. In general they also have what I find to be somewhat green/grassy character which again only adds to the refreshing nature of this wine.

Overall, I don't think anyone could go wrong drinking a Vinho Verde on a warm and sunny summer's day.
What's also great about Vinho Verde's are the price point. Rarely will you find one over $20 and usually they'll be under $15. Both Gatao and Gazella, pictured above, are available at the BC liquor Stores for $10.99 each. I thoroughly enjoy both, with Gatao maybe having a bit more fruit to it and a somewhat fuller mouthfeel. It's still however deliciously light and fresh.
Ontario readers will also find a few excellent options at their local LCBO with most falling in the price range of $9.00-$15.00. Not a bad deal!!

Time for summer Reds.

With the sun finally shining in Vancouver and the forecast calling for temperatures in the 30's for the next few days, it's time to think refreshing. Finding a red wine for this heat can be a bit of a challenge because it would be too much to drink something heavily tannic and full bodied when it's so hot that you barely want to move away from the lawn chair or in my case, the beach. So what to do? Well, lucky for us, wines come in many different styles and there's a wine out there for every occasion.
One wine I would definitely recommend in this heat is the hobnob Pinot Noir from southern France (reviewed a couple months ago). While fruity, it's not cloying and the mouth feel is so delicate as to make it refreshing, on it's own or with light foods.

Another wine worth trying on a summer's eve would be the Rolling Hills Shiraz from Australia. This wine is so light that when I first tried it at the store, I wasn't sure it could hold up to much in terms of food and I must say, the tannins also had a weird feel when tried on it's own. My manager suggested that it might surprise us with food especially because of it's fairly simple fruit taste and apparent tannins. So I tried an experiment; I paired this wine with a medley of foods and had my friend comment on how things meshed together. We had everything from mozzarella and tomato salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil to seared ahi tuna in a Thai ginger sesame marinade. All kinds of different taste profiles and textures were available to see how this wine held up when faced with food.
I was pleasantly surprised when this wine retained it's pleasant yet simple fruit with so many of the different food items available. In fact, the only item it didn't go with was the tomatoes, but even then it wasn't bad. It went best with my steamed asparagus and prosciutto dish. It remained simple and refreshing and sometimes that's all you need to make your evening that much better.

Available at various specialty wine stores across Vancouver for under $20, as well as at a few BC liquor stores for $17. Unfortunately for those readers from Ontario, this wine isn't available to you.

Overall a very satisfactory wine great for certain occasions.

Verdicchio - worth a try this summer if you can find it!

Unfortunately for us, Verdicchio wines from Italy's Marche region, just to the east of Tuscany on the Adriatic coast, aren't exactly the most common wines around but luckily, there are a couple floating around the market here in BC as well as Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and all the other Canadian provinces. All I have to say about wines made from the Verdichio grape is this: if you come across them in your neighbourhood liquor store, they are definitely worth a try on a warm summer day when eating seafood, or just about any traditional light summer fare.
Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi is an appelation in Italy for crisp, refreshing unoaked white wines with surprising body and richness.

The wines I tried today were from one producer, Marotti Campi and his verdicchio wines are known under the name of Luzano Verdicchio Dei Castelli de Jesi. He ferments his wine on the lees (dead yeast cells) and allows them to stay there in steel vats for quite a long time. This adds a nice complexity and toasty/bready flavour to the wine. The tasting I went to today had the purpose of showing the ageability of these spectacular italian whites. While I thoroughly enjoyed the new 2008 vintage which was crisp with good minerality and some citrus notes along with a savory edge, it lost alot of it's glamor after I tried the older wines. Although it's still worth getting the 2008's and the 2007's that are on the market as they are thoroughly enjoyable now. Also, another thing to note about this area is that production varies immensely between producers so while some may make wines that are aged on the lees for complexity and to offer the possibility of longevity, others may opt for a more refreshingly crisp and simple route. I can't guarantee what you're getting from the store near you but either way, it's a wine for the summer months ahead; especially since most of the wines from this region seem to be under the $20 mark.

Here's a little look at how these wines developped with age. This was my first vertical tasting of this style and I hope you'll find my notes as educational as I found the tasting itself!
While the 2007 was still acidic and refreshing, it showed it's time on the lees significantly more than the 2008. It was again very mineraly with crisp citrus and savory notes but it was rounder and softer on the palate with a bit more zing. I also felt that there was a bit more ripe orchard fruit and maybe some grapefruit...but that's getting into the useless technicalities from hanging out with a bunch of wine geeks like myself all day!

The 2004 really took me by surprise. I thought that this wine would start to fall flat by this point but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was starting to develop some beautiful secondary notes distinctive of age. Again, it was charastically minerally but it started to show some honey and dried apricot notes. It went REALLY well with this albacore tuna that was served. To be fair to the other wines though, they pretty much all went well with Tuna - it was the sauces that made the difference.

On the 2002 I saw a lot of the same stuff as the 2004 but more so with a bit more honey and a bit of orange rind as well as a few toasty notes from the lees which were showing up well again (better than the '04 anyway). The acidity in this wine was still holding up fantastically and the complexities given to it by age made it phenomenal for food pairings.

Now onto the 2000 - by far my favorite of the flight. it was all honey, dried fruits, herbal/savory notes with some floral scents that made their way throughout each vintage. On the palate, this wine retained it's acidity so well I had to keep reminding myself that this wine was 10 years old. It was rich, crisp with similar notes to the nose. Slightly less herbal than the others which might be one of the benefits of age. Absolutely fantastic overall and sadly probably more than $20 - but hey, if you buy a case of good '07, it'll be like this in a few years!! This one went fantastically with Ahi Tuna - unfortunately I forget what kind of marinade it was in.

We then tried this winemakers first vintage - the 1999. This was the only one with oak on it. When i first tried it I thought it was severely lacking in something... maybe depth, body, acidity. Anyway, I thought this wine was dead. There was vertually no fruit left and nothing up front. Everything was in the back of the mouth. This wine however, surprised me when it came time for the food. We had very simply done, marinated BC scallops and when paired together, this 1999 just sparkled. Suddenly it felt like an explosion of flavours and texture. I couldn't beleive the transformation in this wine and I'd certainly never experienced anything like it before. It was simply spectacular.

So the moral of this tasting is; Turns out unoaked white wines can be aged if they are the right white wines. A good area to check out for ageable white wines is Marche in Italy. At least a few Verdicchio from classico areas in Marche can be found in all markets across Canada. Look for one that has had some time on the lees. The older it gets, the better it goes with simple seafood like scallops, tuna, halibut (classic pairing of the region).
Worth a try for all those wine adventurers out there!

As a side note, I poured the 2007 of this vintage recently at a BC Liquor Store and it had overall some really nice reviews. One person even commented that it would go well with Avocado and I would probably have to agree with that due to the creaminess found both in the wine and the avocado (guacamole and white wine anyone!!). I believe the '07 vintage is still available at quite a few BC Liquor stores in the lower mainland so check it out!

Estampa Malbec/Petit Sirah 2008

At $17 my first impression was that I had spent a little too much on this bottle of wine. I found the acidity in this wine to be a little off balance with very little other characteristics to counter the acid and make this wine palatable. Over the next 30 minutes or so of exposure to air I noticed a marked change in this wine. The acid became more integrated and the previously harsh powdery tannins smoothed right out. On the nose, the black fruit still held strong with some nice savoury spices and herbaceousness coming through. On the palate, after the overpowering acidity faded away, I found that black fruit and spice made this wine fairly enjoyable. Others said they liked this wine because of it's full body and spiciness.
Overall, not a bad wine and definitely a good choice to bring along to a dinner party. I think this wine shows itself best when paired with food, especially meats. It would also probably show really well at a BBQ.

This wine is pretty interesting in that Malbec is so rarely seen in Chilean wines but the grape does well in the Colchagua Valley of Chile and this area is gaining reputation as a producer of top world class wines. I expect we'll be seeing a lot more wines like this in the future here in the northern hemisphere.

This wine is available for $17.00 at Marquis Wine Cellars on Davie St. in Vancouver.

Awesome label and it's actually a good wine

Usually I'm scared off by labels that are flashy and cool but this wine was given to my manager as a blind taste and he thought it was a much higher end wine than it's actually classified as so I decided to give it a shot. After giving it a try, I have to agree! Even if you never try this wine, and you really souled since it's $15, check out this winery's website. It ROCKS! The wine is made by 2 girls out in California and what I love most about their philosophy towards wine is that it's best enjoyed when the pretentiousness is taken out of the mix. This allows them to make something fun and adventurous and when you consider that in this bottle you can find a mix of 5 grapes, one of which I've never even heard of before, fun and adventurous is definitely what you get.

This red wine has a very bright, dark, purplish but mostly brick red complexion. At first sniff, I found that the dark Merlot fruits had a dominant role to play in this blend of Petit Sirah, Zinfandel, Merlot, Tempranillo and Alicante Bouschet, a unique and increasingly rare grape variety that has Grenache as one of it's parents. On the nose I got a lot of berries, both black and red and also some blueberries thrown in the mix. I also smelled and tasted grape and to be honest, despite the fact that wine is made from grapes, I've never gotten grapes out of red wine. There's really a lot going on in this glass. Some chocolate powder, some pepper which is classic of Californian wine, especially Zinfandel's, some cedar-like woody smells. The layers just keep going. On the palate, this wine is berry filled and grapey, with chocolate making a proud showing. The tannins are a little rough around the edges at first but tone down with air and food. It has a medium mouthfeel that picks up around the finish and isn't as jammy as most Californian basic reds. Definitely a unique blend that changes and evolves in the glass giving the observant drinker a party for the senses. Overall, it has great fruit, great complexity, nice finish, balanced acidity and is well worth every penny of the $15 I paid for it. Something I will start recommending as an entry level Cali red.

I'll hobnob this wine anyday!

From Dictionary.com: hobnob\HAHB-nahb\ , intransitive verb;
1.To associate familiarly

And this Pinot Noir presents itself with familiarity right from the start. With it's bright brick red colour and clean, black cherry, red fruit and cedar nose and onto a red fruit filled palate it's elegance and charm makes you want to be friends with this wine from the very first sip. It's tannins are strong enough to hold up to many foods but it is so well integrated into the wine that it has the potential for great gastronomic versatility. It went surprisingly well with my avocado, jalapeno and Monterrey jack omelet sandwich. It had a lot more fresh fruit than what I'd have generally expected from something coming out of southern France but I'm really happy about that. It also opens up to more really nice red fruits if given a few extra minutes. The only thing that was a little disappointing in this wine was the first part of the mouthfeel that was almost watery. The wine picked up near the middle and finished off very nicely but just that first moment when it hit the tongue lacked a bit of weight. With food however, or even after the first few sips, this feeling starts to fade and this wine becomes an easy drinking, Sunday afternoon pleasure wine.

Light, easy drinking, versatile, elegant and under $20 bucks. Definitely a wine to go on the do not forget about me list.

Southern France has been coming out with some really great stuff over the past little while, partly due to a huge market, in France and world wide, for French wines that are more than your basic table wines and partly due to lots of investments and improvements in the wine making of the area. This wine promotes itself as a Vin de Pays d'Oc which means that it's slightly above the most basic of French wines (the table wine) and is therefore allowed to mark down the grape varieties in the bottle. Pinot Noir in this case. This region encompasses a good chunk of southern France around the Mediterranean coast from just west of Marseille through to to the Spanish border. The grapes can essentially come from anywhere in this area and what probably happened with this wine is that someone bought a bunch of grapes or grape juice and bottled it under their name, so really as a consumer we don't know exactly where the grapes came from in this vast area. However the juice got in the bottle, something right was done and we ended up with a product that I'd most definitely recommend and drink again.

$17 at a BC Liquor Store near you and $19.35 at my store if you feel like coming to visit! Worth checking out for your next dinner party or your next regular ol' get together.

Alright, I just pulled out all the wines that are backlogged that I want to try for my blog. Most of them are from the store I work at but some of them are not. Most importantly, they are all under $20.
I now have 15 bottles sitting in front of me and I must admit that the task of trying to decide which to taste and review first is a bit overwhelming. Therefore, I’m putting it to a poll. I’ll list the wines and trust you guys to tell me which you’re most interested in and I’ll go from there.

RED:
California;
Bear Flag Red Wine Blend #1, Moedesto California, 13% abv, Petit Sirah, Zinfandel, Alicante Bouschet, Merlot, Tempranillo blend, crazy art, super funky label, $14.75 Village wine store in Park Royal, $12.99 BC liquor stores

South America;
Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere blend 2008, 13.5% abv, Valle de Colchagua Chile, organically grown grapes and carbon neutral delivery, $17.05 Village Wine store in Park Royal, $14.99 BC Liquor Stores

Las Moras Reserve 2007 Tannat, 14% abv, San Juan Argentina, cool grape variety that I’ve never tried before :D, $17.?? Village Wine Store in Park Royal, $14.99 BC Liquor Stores

Australia;
Shot in the Dark Shiraz/Petite Sirah 2008, 14.5% abv, very generic but I’ve heard good things about it from knowledgeable people who had it stuck in a blind tasting. $15.85 Village Wine Store in Park Royal, $12.99 BC Liquor Stores,

Rolling 2008 Shiraz, 14% abv, Central Ranges Australia, whole bunch of awards given for this wine, $18.25 Village Wine Store in Park Royal

South Africa;
The Wolftrap Boekenhoutskloof 2008 Syrah (68%) Mourvedre (30%) Viognier (2%), 13.8% abv, Western Cape South Africa, Came recommended by a colleague, $17.?? Village Wine Store in Park Royal, $14.99 BC Liquor Stores, $13.95 LCBO

France;
Hob Nob 2008 Pinot Noir, 13% abv, Vin de Pays d’Oc Southern France, I got it because in class this week we’re studying southern France and I thought it would be good to give a wine from that region a go before going into class. $19.35 Village Wine Store in Park Royal, $16.99 (2007) BC Liquor Stores,

Domaine de La Renaudie 2008, Touraine AOC Loire Valley France, Could be a variety of grape varieties but probably Cabernet Franc based, 12% abv, $19.00 Marquis Wine Cellars

Mouton Cadet 2007 Bordeaux, 12.5% abv, as basic as they get for Bordeaux and a very unpretentious wine. I’ve had the 2005 and 2006 vintages and have enjoyed them. They are associated with the wine making empire of Baron Philippe de Rothschild and so will always guarantee a minimum of quality. Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot blend, $14.95 BC Liquor Stores, $14.25 LCBO

Italy;
Ricossa Antica Casa Barbera D’Asti DOC 2006, Piedmonte Italy, 13.5% abv, Barbera is the grape variety, Piedmonte wines are just magical in general which is why I’m excited for this wine, $18.20 Village Wine Store in Park Royal, $15.98 (05/06) BC Liquor Stores

Spain;
Trio 2004 Syrah-Tempranillo-Cabernet, 13.5% abv, one of the most popular wines in the stores so I figured there’s got to be some reason why people keep going back to it so I might as well give it a try. $13.65 Village Wine Store in Park Royal,

WHITES:
Italy;
Villa Chiopris Pinot Grigio 2008, Fruili DOC Italy, 12.5% abv, I’ve only ever had a sip of this wine and I thought it was way more expensive than it actually is so I want to explore it a bit more. $19.35 Village Wine Store in Park Royal, $18.95 LCBO

Portugal;
Sogrape Gazela 2009 Vinho Verde DOC, 9% abv, Neutral wine, great for summer, definitely a wine to be drunk on a sunny day. Super light and neutral, $12.50 Village Wine Store in Park Royal, $9.99 BC Liquor Stores, $8.95 LCBO

ROSE;
South America;
Pascual Toso 2009 Malbec Rose, Mendoza Argentina, 13% abv, I’m fascinated by the idea of making a rose out of malbec. I’m surprised by the high alcohol volume but hopefully this wine will turn out ok. $16.00 Village Wine Store in Park Royal, $13.99 BC Liquor Stores, 11.95 LCBO

OTHER;
South America;
Sua Lemon Sparkling Wine with natural Lemon pulp, 10.5% abv, sounds just fantastic. Who wouldn’t want to try this with summer coming up? $16.95 Village Liquor Store at Park Royal,

The simple joys of the Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine

Clocking in at $20 exactly, this wine is worth every penny, and maybe even more. All I have to say about this wine is that it is absolutely fantastic. Of course, with my tastes, it has that hint of eccentricity and one or two unique flavours that make it a rather obscure wine in most North American wine stores, but it can be found for those willing to seek it out.
The wine I'm here to tell you about today is another Loire Valley wine, but from the region just to the west of Tourraine where that Gamay from my last post was from. This wine is from the Nantais and carries the appellation name of Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine. Wines from this area must be made from 100% Melon de Bourgogne grapes and a common trend is for wine makers to employ lees stirring as a technique. This is essentially the process of aging the wine for a period of time of the deposits of dead or residual yeast cells and tends to add an extra layer of complexity to the wine as well as notes of bread and baked goods.
Domaine Pierre de la Grange, also sometimes referred to as Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin is widely recognized as a wine that provides excellent value for money. It is also on the list of wines imported by Louis/Dressner in the US, an importer who tends to bring over a lot of wines that appeal to my palate.
At 12%abv, it's not a heavily alcoholic wine but makes up it's body with what I feel are the flavours imparted by the lees stirring. It is a pale wine with notes of Baked bread, red apple/orchid fruits, stony and mineral with some white blossoms coming through. This wine kind of made me picture freshly baked apple pie. On the palate, it was pretty much the same as the nose. I felt that the lees added a nice bready complexity to the wine and also added some roundness and richness. I thought there might have been a hint of oak but I might have been confusing that with the yeast flavours. It turns out that there was some old wood aging which explains why it was such a background flavour and so well integrated. The finish was nice and long and I would have happily followed this bottle up with another of the same a few times over. A great wine and especially with summer coming around, a wine worth trying while enjoying the sunshine, the beach and the ocean.
Can't wait for the next bottle!!

Loire Valley meets the Gamay Grape

Gamay is just one of those grapes that's hard not to like, unless you don't like simple, honest and straightforward. It's a kind and peaceful wine that in my mind is perfect for just about any occasion. I've tried Gamay wines from Ontario, BC and of course also it's native homeland in Beaujolais which is in the southern part of Burgundy in France. All of them have pleased me for their delightful character and charm, their fresh fruitiness and uncomplicated persona. They aren't wines that want to slap you in the face or screw you over, they just want to help you forget about how evil the world can be for a little while.

When I came across the Domaine Octavie 2008 Gamay from Touraine in the Loire Valley, I immediately knew I would have to try this wine. The Loire Valley in France in a part of the wine world that I've only recently started exploring. It has a variety a climates and as a result produces a whole range of red, white, rose, sweet and sparkling wines.

I wasn't fully aware until I started researching this bottle that Gamay was much of a grape in the Loire Valley, and while it's not one of the main grapes of the area, it's common enough to at least get a mention in the litterature for the area.
Domaine Octavie is part of Terra Vitis which encompasses vitners and growers from around France who are working together to promote sustainable viticultural practices. This movement towards environmentally concious grape growing practice is a trend that seems to be taking root more in the Loire Valley than anywhere else in France, although many other areas such as Burgundy are seeing a growing trend in this direction. I personally beleive that it does make a difference in the wine and this is part of the reason why I love the Loire Valley so much. Plus, I just like alot of the wines from here. What's also nice about the Loire is that Robert Parker never really liked wines from this area so the prices are still reasonable and the winemakers tend to stick to the ideas they have for their wines instead of trying to create wine specifically for the Parkerized market. Consumers therefore end up with unique, terroir driven wines. This alone is a great reason to explore the Loire Valley.

Now about this wine; 100% Gamay grapes, 12% abv, It has the typical fruit forwardness of Gamay with the distinctly cherry, almost sour, kind of underripe cherry flavour I associate with cooler climate Gamay's like Ontario or BC instead of the warmer Beaujolais ones. It has also some distinct leathery/earthy tones that add a nice rusticness to this wine, as well as some slight peppery notes. It's medium body and elegant, well balances with tannins that aren't harsh at all. Overall a very enjoyable, easy drinking red wine. I imagine it would go well with a cheese and cold cut platter.
Have already had this bottle twice and would definately get it again. Worth trying for the adventurous and the cautious wine drinkers alike!

Carchelo 2008, round 2

Originally I told you all that I really didn't enjoy this wine. I found it manufactured and fake and overly fruity and oaky and over all really unbalanced. Well, that's still true, but I always like to give wine (and winemakers) the benefit of the doubt and try wines again a day or two after to see how they've opened up. This one was just as bad the second time around as it was the first time I tried it. I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone when I tried it this second time and he suggested that since it tasted so manufactured, it might go well with manufactured food....so, at 11pm I decided to take a little walk to my local McDonalds's for a cheeseburger. I would be hard pressed if I had to come up with any food that's more manufactured than good ol' MikeyD's. Now the problem with going to mcd's at 11pm in North Vancouver is that the walk in part is closed...which means I'm left with the drive thru. I don't have a car because I just don't need one and it would seem that for some reason they don't allow walk-thru's in the drive-thru. I even had the window shut on me when I tried to reason!! Thankfully my lucky car arrived after not too long a wait to save me from the non-walk-thru McDonalds and was kind enough to procure this food item for my experiment. So thank you kind samaritan! Your good deed helped to forward progress in the food and wine world and for that we will be eternally grateful :D
Sadly, however the burger and the wine formed a deplorable pair and I'll have to be reminded to only try this experiment again under controlled circumstances. It made the wine somewhat more palatable but it just wasn't strong enough to hold it's own against it. Maybe a thick rare steak with no extra marinade flavours might have worked, but even with that, I can think of a lot of other wines to pair with that dish that would make it way more enjoyable.

This wine still fails is my conclusion.

The Pinotage

Pinotage is an intersting grape variety in that it's exclusive to South Africa and was created for growing and making wine specifically in South Africa and as such is not found anywhere but here. It was bred as a cross between Pinot Noir, which is an extremely tricky grape to grow, and Cinsault (which is knows as Hermitage in South Africa), thus giving the grape the name of Pinotage and somehow this cross makes it ideal for the growing conditions i South Africa. I have only tried 2 Pinotages in my life, and both of them have been over the past month and while I thoroughly enjoy the gamy, leathery components of this grape variety, it really doesn't seem to sit well with a lot of other people. I brought it with me to a dinner party and while the other winos at the table thought it was fascinating no one really wanted to drink more than a glass, which means I had the whole bottle to myself! One of the vegitarians at the table said that all she could taste was leather in this wine. I thought it went pretty good with the steak we had for dinner but even with this meat, it was bordering on being too overpowering for something like Beef. Maybe it would go better with a heavier, thicker, richer meat of some sort, Giraffe was one of the suggested pairings from those at the dinner table. I've never had Giraffe and as far as I know neither has anyone I tried this wine with so this pairing is only speculation. All I know is that this wine really isn't for everyone and with it's meaty, earthy tones and leathery notes, I'm not surprised the vegitarian didn't enjoy this wine. It's uniqueness is essentially the reason I like it so much and the fact that the specific flavour combination don't exist in wines from any other regions makes it absolutely fascinating for me. Worth a try if you're into being adventurous with your wine but be forewarned of what to expect and you might just be plesantly surprised like I was!

What I also like about this wine is that just about any pinotage you see here in Canada is under $20. Plus what I like is that unlike some more popular varieties (like Australian Shiraz that differs so much from bottle to bottle) you can expect similar flavours and characteristics from most Pinotages in the store.

The bottle I had was the Beyerskloof Pinotage 2007 from Sellenbosch South Africa, 14%abv. The 05 and 06 vintages are available for $12.00 at BC Liquor stores and since this wine is supposed to age well, I might just head out and try an older vintage to see if it maybe soften's up enough to hold it's own against my steak.

Carchelo 2008, Jumilla Spain (#8)

Well, it seems we've reached a benchmark here today; I have a wine with me that I don't like. It's from Spain, which makes me think I'd like it, but it has a cool bottle and for me that's always a red flag telling me that some marketing genius is trying to sell these wines to unassuming consumers and what's in the bottle may not be great. Now we get the question of what is a good wine and the answer varies for absolutely everyone. I enjoy wines that express terroir, the sense of the place and really show me what the grape is made of but not everyone does and this wine, like many other that I don't like have been known to be extremely popular with people in general. So if you like this type of wine, big fruit filled with new oak, then this wine is for you. I find it's fairly reminiscent of Big Australian Reds.

Jumilla is an interesting area in Spain because it resisted the phylloxera outbreak that devastated vineyards all over Europe in the 19th century. It continued to make it's traditional wines under traditional circumstances until it was unexpectedly hit by the bug in 1989. While replanting it's vines on grafted American root stock, many wine makers in the area used this opportunity to update their machinery and wine making techniques. Hence, now most of the area's wineries are fully modernized and have adopted many of the new world techniques which some critics say takes away from the terroir of the wine.

The Bodegas Carchelo 'Carchelo' 2008 from Jumilla, Spain
40% Monastrell (also known as Mourvedre), 40% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.
To be honest, I really taste the Cab here. I'm getting deep red fruits and red berries (cherries, raspberries) on the nose with some hints of oak like vanilla and some coffee. This wine has apparently only spent 2 months aging in new french oak barrels but I'm guessing it comes out more strongly because of the warmer climate.

I taste some summer berries and a lot of oak. The tannins to be seem somewhat off balance but they aren't too strong which is nice. My friend and colleague likened the taste to grape jolly ranchers (with oak and cedar) and this wine definitely has that fake candied sweetness to it. I also feel like the acid is somewhat off, as if it's been toyed with in the winery. But again, that's just my view and as I said earlier, it reminds me a lot of big Australian reds so if those are the wines you like then you might just enjoy this one.

This wine however, as far as I know is not available in Ontario, and is not available in BC Liquor stores. Marquis Wine Cellars have it for $18.00 a bottle and I found out today that they only have a few cases left. To this information I say good riddance. I'm happy to see you out the door Bodegas Carchelo 2008 and you've almost scared me away from trying other Jumilla wines. Luckily for Jumilla I'll try just about anything so they stand a chance and if there's something good in the region, I hope to find it!

Adios!

Malbec! and I like it. (#7)

Malbec has got to be one of my all time favorite wine varietals. It's hard to mess this one up folks. Hit the store and pick any one of those gazillion bottles of Argentinian Malbec on the shelf and you'll likely find yourself lovingly caressing the bottle after the first glass. I decided to splurge a little and went for a slightly higher end Malbec this time around. I paid $16.99 at my local BC liquor store for a bottle of the Gascon 1884 Reserva 2008 Malbec. But a warning, it doesn't say Gascon anywhere on the label. It's identifiable only by it's bold 1884 Reservado label and listed attributes below. While seemingly widely available in BC, it sadly doesn't seem to be available in Ontario. You're missing out guys. But it was in Ontario that I discovered my love for Malbecs so I'm sure you'll be able to find something if you visit the Argentina section of your local LCBO store!

The Escorihuela Gascon winery apparently still functions on traditional principles and while I hope that's why I enjoy this wine so much, I'm currently reading a book that puts all of these "wine making traditions" into question. It looks at how many winemakers today use science to alter their wines (either for better or for worse depending on the critic) to better fit the market. If you're interested enough to read more, this book will bring you on an adventurous journey to find out how the world has diverged from this idea of traditional wine. The book is titled The Battle for Wine and Love or How I saved the world from Parkerization and it's by wine writer Alice Feiring. Either way, I'm enjoying this wine so I'm just gonna continue drinking it regardless of whether it's fully traditional or not.

This vibrantly coloured wine is perfect for just about any occasion. With it's black cherry, dark plum, slight cooking spice scents and flavours and soft, easy to drink medium tannins there's a wide array of food that it will go well with this wine. I'm just drinking it as is. No food, no messing around. Just this wine and me and my laptop will make this night wonderful. A word for those about to enjoy this wine, it opens up very nicely after a few minutes. This is usually the case with red wines, even cheap ones. A few minutes of exposure to the air will bring out a new dimension to the wine.

Enjoy!

welcome to the world of rieslings! (#6)

Rieslings. Also known as the Yum wine, or as I like the call it, the desert wine of poor people. Rieslings are always popular with a crowd for their distinct sweetness. But here's something tricky about Rieslings: most of us usually think of Rieslings as sweet and fruity but in reality, most of them are not. Most of the time, Riesling grapes in Germany or Alsace are used to make a dry, aromatic white wine. Somehow over time us people in Canada have come to equate Rieslings with sweet which is what we'll likely get when we pick something off the shelf. Sometimes though, Canadian consumers are surprised by the dryness of the purchased Riesling so it pays to be vigilant when looking at the label. While I'm a huge fan of dry Rieslings, and I really should review one for you one day since they really are fun to drink, I admit it would be a shock if I was expecting a yummy fruit filled wine.
The wine I'm about to tell you about however does deliver on the excellent fruity sweet goodness that most of us think about when we think Riesling, despite the fact that it technically is only a medium sweet wine.

Today we are looking at the Niersteiner Spatlese (Late Harvest) Riesling by Gustav Adolf Schumitt.
This Riesling from Nierstein on the river Rhine delivers on what, as your standard Canadian, I expect in a Riesling. Full of fruit and nectar and easy to drink. Light in alcohol, medium in body and tropical notes all around. It was beautifully seductive with it's tropical notes reminiscent of dried pineapple and mango and hints of red apple and orchid fruits. It had a nice floral scent coming through as well. While not fully sweet it had great acid and was medium in body which made it easy to pair with some heavier plain foods like potatoes. On the palate, the tropical notes translated really well making it really palatable and fun.
Not exactly a complex wine but one that I could enjoy time and time again. Although I don't think I could enjoy an entire bottle to myself again. While only 9% abv, the sugar was definitely getting to me by the last glass.

I decided to try and pair this wine with food. As a little side project, I'm trying to figure out a good wine for cadbury cream eggs so of course, I tried this Riesling with a cadbury cream egg. While not horrible, I wouldn't recommend it. The chocolate worked fine with this drink but the inside was just completely neutralized.
I then decided to do a German twist on foods. One of my favorite German foods is Rosti (something like a potato pancake). Since I lack the culinary skills to pull this dish off, I decided to try my Riesling with store bought Perogies and what a treat this was! I sauteed a few onions and added some sour cream and every heavy potato bite I had meshed so wonderfully well with this wine. It was a truly delightful combination.

A+ for this wine as a medium dry, super yummy, food friendly Riesling. I recommend this wine for pre dinner at dinner parties, or Ukrainian themed night since it goes so well with Perogies. Or, if you're like me, this wine rocks if you just want to drink whenever you want for no reason at all. At under $12 a bottle here in BC at your friendly neighbourhood BC Liquor Store, it's definitely a wine anyone can enjoy! For my readers in Ontario, you can find it at your local LCBO for a whole dollar cheaper than what we're paying out here in BC.

With Spring just around the corner, there's really no better way to celebrate the return of sunshine and warmth than with a nice glass of fruity, fun and sweet white wine.

A visit to Batasiolo in Piedmonte Italy; one red, one white! (#5)

I really don't know how but even though Italian wines are as Famous as French ones, Italy definately surpases France in making some of the greatest inexpensive wines from local and international varieties. When I think Italian wines I always think about how great a nice crisp and refreshing Italian Pinot Grigio can be on a hot summer's day when you're just enjoying the weather and sitting on a patio. Of course there's also Valpolicella, one of the most famous and widely drunk reds among my peers. Refreshing and inexpensive, it's a great wine for almost every occasion. And of course we can't forget Chianti. While some of these wines tend to run a little out of my budget, Chianti makes some awesome stuff that sells for under $20 here in Canada.

Today however I won't be talking about any of these wines. Instead we'll be visiting another area of Italy; Piedmonte in the northwest part of the country, nicely located at the foot of the Alps. This area is quite well known for it's wines. From here you can find Asti (Muscat wines like the sparkling wine I reviewed in my last post) or the prestigious Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

My first wine is the 2008 Sunsi, Langhe doc Bianco by Beni di Batasiolo. This Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc blend has grapes coming from vineyards located in the Langhe Albese which is situated at something like 300m altitude. This inevitably is going to give this wine some crisp super acidic awesome 'summer wine' qualities.
At first sniff I got some great minerality off this wine. Very mountainous and stony with flavours of peach and other stone fruits, some sweetness like honey and some nice crisp green apple-citrus acidity. This wine also had a fantastic straw yellow colour to it.
On the palate I was struck by the acidity right off the bat. The citrus and green apple stood out as the stars of this wine. It had a bit more of a 'buttery/creamy' mouthfeel than I'd expect in a wine this refreshing so I'd say definitely more of a patio food wine than a patio sipper. The finish was medium as was the body but overall it was just really clean, crisp and refreshing, which is how I love my white wines. At under $16.00, definitely a wine I will be looking for come patio time!

In reds I'm looking at the 2008 Dolcetto d'Alba, also by Beni di Batasiolo. On the nose I was immediately impressed by the notes of cherry and ripe dark fruits. The wine was crisp and fresh and light on the nose with a bit of earth and green characters. I noticed some fresh fruits on the palate and even though I was looking for ripeness and cherries I couldn't help but notice the blueberries and not really the ripeness. There was admittedly a bit of cherries but it didn't dominate. It's a light and crisp wine with medium body and nice, round soft tannins. You can definitely feel the altitude and the climate of the hills around Alba in this wine. At $16.00 this wine does a lot for me. Great for pairing with lighter fares and wonderfully easy to drink.

As far as I know, both of these wines are available in Vancouver only at Marquis wine Cellars on Davie St. and they are not available at all, as far as I know, in Ontario and Quebec even though both provinces carry other Batasiolo wines. Since I'm lucky enough to be in Vancouver, I think I might just have to pick up a bottle of these wines in anticipation of some summer fun. Even if you can't get these wines specifically, check out wines from Piemonte. Great deals for excellent wines. I looked at the Dolcetto grape variety today and while the Batasiolo brand may not be widely available, every provincial liquor store carries a few Dolcetto's and they worth checking out, especially with their price tags!
Piemonte is definitely a wine producing area to keep your eye on for the wine quality and the price and I hope I will have a chance to share some other wines from this area with you very soon.

Ciao Bella!