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.