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!