Sparklies for the New Year!

Hello hello my sweetie peaches!

Here we are, another Christmas over and the New Year looms right around the corner.  I am actually for the first time in years going to a real, live, grown-up party on New Year's Eve.  No Dora or Mario Bros. or cheese-only pizza--a real party with real adults.  Okay, we might BEHAVE like children after a drink or two, but that's what parents do when there are no kids to mind.  But I'm getting ahead of myself; I should talk about Christmas wine...

So between my dad, my sister and I, there was more wine than you could wave a poopy stick at this Christmas.  I tasted my sister's Cab Sauv but didn't catch the name (was it the Bonterra organic?  Help me, sister!).  After that my dad and I tucked into the Cave Spring Riesling, which was everything apricoty and yummy as it always is (Dad said it reminded him of his trip to Germany).  Following that, we all made short work of the Cuvée Catherine Sparkling Rosé (Brut).  And when that was all gone, we mmm'd and ahhh'd over a CduP that Lorri brought, and again I didn't catch the name.  I wasn't paying much attention to labels; I was having too good a time!  But what a wonderful way to wheedle away the day, drinking delicious wines, laughing, playing music and lots of talking.  Since then, I've only tried one other wine--Karen and I split a bottle of Malivoire's Guilty Men 2008 Red today while watching Young Victoria.  I think the only thing Malivoire is guilty of here is over-exaggerating on their back label, which reads: "Roguishly fruity, cunningly dry, guilefully supple and wickedly good, Guilty Men Red is for all occasions."  I didn't find much that was roguish or cunning about this wine; it was good, not great, and now it's gone.  I liked their other red blend much better, to tell you the truth. 

But back to New Year's Eve; I'm having trouble deciding which sparkly to bring!  The Henry of Pelham's Cuvée Catherine Sparking Rosé Brut was very dry, pretty and quaffable---inexpensive too (I think the bottle was less than $30).  But I am secretly hoping I can find a bottle of that Mumm's Napa at our LCBO; I had it earlier this year and truly loved it.  Or, maybe this is the time to try something else, like Spanish Cava or Italian Asti.  There's a sparkling red I'm very curious to try, though I haven't any hope of finding it here I'm sure; red Spumante from Piedmont is made from barbera or nebbiolo and is apparently quite delicious. I here German Sekt can be very refreshing (I'll have to find out for myself someday). Crémant and sparkling Saumur come from France's Loire region; they're made in the same method as Champagne, but usually with chenin blanc instead of pinot noir.  Australia, South Africa and New Zealand all make sparkling wine too.  I guess what I'm trying to illustrate here is that one need not break the bank on French Champagne when there are so many other kinds of sparklies from the world over.  If you try something fizzy and different this New Year's Eve, do tell me about it  I would love to hear about your bubbly wine experiences!

I'm off to give myself a facial and do all of those other prettying-up things a girl does before a party.  But before I do, I will leave you with a big HAPPY NEW YEAR!  And please, if you're marinading yourselves from the inside-out with sparkling wine or any other alcoholic beverage this New Year's Eve, don't drive.  I think you'd have a very hard time keeping up with my blog from prison if you do, and those jumpsuits are so drab!

Kiss kiss,

B.

Odds and sods, or should I say drips and drops?

Too many days between posts means I'll be rambling about a mish-mash of catch-up news. 

I am the elated new-owner of a 33 bottle capacity wine fridge!  Oh Santa, you shouldn't have!  Does this mean I will start buying Bordeaux futures now that I have a safe place to put them?  Probably not, but I could if I wanted too (My new temperature-controlled fridge will allow me to store wine at a perfect 55 degrees).  No, what I will likely do is endeavour to fill it with as many different kinds of wine as possible, so I always have the right wine for the right occasion.  I know 33 bottles will seem piddly to some of you folk, but if I reserve the fridge for special 'I'll drink them later' wines and use my wine rack for more immediate- drinking wine, I could end up with a nice little stash.  I'll be quite happy to slowly, thoughtfully fill the fridge over the course of the year.  There's no rush.  Although I say that right on the heels of a little spending spree at the liquor store...

...or rather, I should say my Dad's spending spree at the liquor store.  I was just there to point at stuff for him to put in the cart.  Last Saturday morning, I got a call at 9 o'clock from my mother.  "We're in your driveway.  Dad wants to go to the lcbo."  Sure, what the hell, nothing like shopping for wines and spirits first thing in the morning! It was unexpected, but I was very happy to go on this little field trip; I've wanted to wine shop with my dad for a long time.  He doesn't get out a whole lot, and he loves wine, and I think that he loves that I love wine too.  So away we went to check out the Penetang lcbo for the first time.  People, I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but the Midland liquor store actually has a better wine selection than Penetang.  Although this is not much of an accomplishment; I am really just surprised that it can get worse.  The 'Welcome to Penetanguishene' sign should have " I heart Rye" written over it.  Their Vintages 'section' is a round rack with about 12 wines, plus and aisle end-cap full of ice-wine.  Dad was in fine form, stocking up on his wine for the year; I'd say, "This wine is yummy" and he'd say "Get 4." What a rock star!  Dad is donating a portion of our haul to my wine rack as an early 'not-a-Christmas-present' present, so Dad, if you're reading this--THANK YOU!  And I promise to take you to Barrie for our next wine spending spree.

It's the middle of the night, and I am up because I've been very bad...in a good way.  I spent the day with Karen.  My son Neil brought his new video camera, so the kids spent the day making a movie, pretending they were in Egypt, running around, squealing and talking with British accents (?!), whilst the mummies ate Brie and Camembert on baguette slices and gabbed.  We slowly enjoyed the bottle of Domaine du Haut des Terre Blanche 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape (gorgeous!  Every yummy thing a CduP should be) over the course of the day, and finished it off with a dinner of boeuf bourguignon, followed by red velvet cheesecake.  Lawd I am so, so, SO lucky to have a friend like Karen.  Not only is she pretty much awesome in every way, I am learning a lot about food and cooking from her.  I will never, ever be able to match her mad skills in the kitchen, but I will happily benefit from them as often as she will allow.  Of course I made a complete pig of myself, and am now up rambling in the middle of the night with too much food in my belly.  Methinks I see an hour on the cross trainer in my immediate future.

Alright, I should try and sleep.  Nite nite peeps,

Barb

Garnacha.  Garnacha, Garnacha, Garnacha, Garnacha, Garnacha. 
Did you every take a word and repeat it until it just sounds like a bunch of nonsense?  Usually you pick something familiar, like your name, but it's fun with Garnacha.  Garnacha, Garnacha, Garnacha.  And NO, I'm not drunk, I'm just a deep thinker like that.

With over 5000 grape varietals in the world, there's plenty of wine names out there for us to make fun of.  Cork'd lists a ton of grapes on their website; my favourites to snicker over are:

Garnacha
Albalonga
Juhfark
Bastardo
Scuppernog
Uva Rara
Blauburgunder
Dinka
Foch
Gaglioppo
Hondarribi Zuri
Ladikino
Rotberger

Mmmm, pass me some of that delicious Rotberger.

Okay, back to Garnacha.  I had a little spendy spree at the Midland LCBO a couple of nights ago.  Pigs are surely flying, because they actually had some new and interesting pickins this go 'round.  Must be on account of the holidays being right around the corner; they're stocked up on lots of 'gifty' wines and spirits.  Usually their Vintages section has lots of $20 meh-to-okay wine, but they've taken it up a notch with some good looking offerings in the $40-$50 range.  I bought some Brunello, some Rioja, some Barbaresco and--you guessed it--Garnacha (Grenache to you and me).  Specifically, Las Rocas 2008 Garnacha, which I've since tried.  Las Rocas is from Spain, which is a region I have no experience with; this is the bottle that took my Spanish wine virginity! It was a very unusual wine for me; it tasted a lot  like Grenadine or kirsch, and a bit of licorice too.  Unfortunately it didn't really go with any of the food I paired it with, and I might not choose to drink it on its own as it's pretty high in alcohol (14.1%).  I'm glad to have the opportunity, and I probably will have another glass tonight, but I won't be repeating my purchase with this one. 

Garnacha Albolonga everyone!

Barb

And the winner is....

Allison Menegoni--you win the knuckle duster corkscrew!  Congratulations!  Thank you very much to all who entered; I truly enjoyed reading your wine anecdotes. 

Allison-- you're a rock star!  I'll be contacting you shortly.  Everyone else--if you haven't had the chance to read the winning entry, please enjoy the following:

"It was 1995 and I was piss-poor, living in the heart of the Okanagan Valley wine region in Penticton, British Columbia, working as a server at a local restaurant.



In a desperate effort to educate the slightly hooligan-esque serving staff, our Manager had convinced a Vintner from one of the local wineries to offer us a wine tasting. We were duly seated, a polite, albeit ignorant audience of twenty, breathless in the anticipation of getting hammed for free on a weekday at 10am.


The Vintner was a tall, elegant woman with sharp features and expensive shoes. We were captivated by this strange and alien creature. It all started smoothly. She taught us how to hold our glasses, how to swirl and marvel at the sugary legs, and how to enjoy the bouquet of the wine by sticking one’s entire snot-locker right into the glass. We were impressed.


For the first while, we followed correct wine-tasting etiquette; a few refined sips from the vintage being presented, then into the swill bucket with the remainder. A new glass, a new wine. Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chianti, Cabernet… this was the “No Wine Left Behind” tasting.


We were well on our way to being nicely drunk when the tasting took a left turn.


The Vintner, having really hit her stride, took a particularly enthusiastic slurp of wine and held it in her mouth, drawing air over it with the classic wine snob’s “puckered slurp”. We looked on with mild interest as the unfortunate Vintner then got a panicked look on her face. Her colour went increasingly deeper shades of crimson, and then she choked completely, blowing a firehose of wine out of her nose, soaking both her delicate white blouse, and the entire first row of her audience in a jaunty Beaujolais.


The tension broken, we cheered with delight, losing whatever faux-dignity we had managed to pull off to that point, clapping and hooting wildly. Mayhem ensued. Bottles were passed mouth to mouth as we milled around, hysterical with giggles, stealing bottles off each other’s tables.


After blowing her nose in a tea-towel the completely flustered Vintner tried to regain order, but it was no use. I signaled the formal end to the wine tasting by standing on a chair, tipping a swill bucket up to my lips and drinking the contents.


It had been a very educational wine-tasting indeed."
 
My hero!
 
'Til next time,
 
Barb
 
 

Edible Hibiscus

My hibiscus and champagne cocktail.  La-di-da!

You know when you have one of those really, really crummy days, and then something extra shitty happens to turn it up a notch?  That was my day yesterday.  I was at my store, not feeling at my most chipper, and when a customer needlessly freaked out at me.  I was ready to say "That's enough of this day, I'm going to the pub!", when my husband talked to said customer, and you know what?  The same person who had just yelled at me a half-hour before was as sweet as pie to my hubby.  I know, wtf, right?

A woman had just wandered into the store and the following is an abbreviated excerpt from our following conversation:

Trevor: (laughing into phone) Okay!  Bye now!

Me: Was that X on the phone who just yelled at me?

Trevor: Yup.  X is fine.

Me: (incredulous) What the hell?  Why was X nice to you? (To lady who just walked in) Excuse my language, but what an xxxhole!

Customer:  Ha ha!  You sound like me!

Me:  Good!  Then what I meant was "What a xxxxing xxxhole!"

Customer:  X probably has small xxxxx syndrome.

And thus a friendship was born..

Bindy is a New Zealand transplant, a gorgeous and funky designer-type who is just one of those great people you instantly get along with.  We gabbed for 40 minutes or so; she is hilarious and interesting and she enthused about her new favourite treat: edible hibiscus.

Edible hibiscus is this neat little flower from Australia that you can eat.  They're preserved in a cane-sugar syrup (the syrup taste is a lot like grenadine).  You pop one of these little lovelies into your champagne flute, pour in your bubbles and the flower unfurls.  Streams of bubbles rush up from the blossom, making it extra pretty.

Bindy was good enough to come back later and bring me some hibiscus from her own stash (THANK YOU!!), and I immediately had Trevor pick me up a small bottle of bubbly so I could conduct my own taste test.  Now Trevor picked a sweet champagne, so the concoction turned out as sweet as a soft-drink; I would recommend something drier if you're going to try it yourself.  Still, it was a lovely little sweet treat; I imagine you'd enjoy this the same way you would icewine--a little with dessert to finish off the evening.  With a drier champagne, this would make a nice starter to go with apps.

A cozy night in with hibiscus champagne was the perfect antidote to my blahs.  Thanks Bindy for making me laugh, and introducing me to this very tasty, pretty treat.

If you are interested in buying edible hibiscus, this is a good place to start.

'Til next time,

Barb

Pffft. Big deal. Let's see her do it with a magnum of champagne.

Prepare to laugh hard.  Sort of NSFWish.  Enjoy.

Amendment

Hey kids,

Just read a little thank-you from Peller Estates for including their Ice Cuvée Rosé in my top 12 wines of the year.  I have happy news--I made a mistake!  You do not have to go to the winery if you want to purchase this wine.  You can buy it from Peller Estates online--thank you!  Here's the link: http://www.peller.com/niagara/product-details.php?Products_Category_ID=&options_ID=3&options_values_ID=621&Products_ID=489

I guess I know what I'm drinking this New Year's Eve.

xoxo

Barb

Barb's Top 12 of 2010

All of the following wines receive 10/10 on Barb's Alan Rickman Scale of Wine Worthiness.

Here we are. December. The months have whizzed by and Christmas is at our door. I’ve spent the better part of this year trying as much new wine as my liver and pocketbook could stand. I know it’s not quite over yet, but now is as good a time as any to reflect on my top 12 wines of 2010. These are my most memorable wines of the year; some by virtue of what I was doing at the time I tried them, all by virtue of how they tasted. Counting down from 12, they are:

12. Malivoire 2008 Red. What value! This Merlot, Gamay and Cabernet blend was super juicy with hints of cedar, oakey vanilla and spice. Definitely wins the 2010 Most-Bang-for-your-Buck Award.



11. Chimères Chateau Saint-Roch 2007. This wine taught me that Grenache, Syrah and Carignan mixed together is sexy-times in a bottle. Toasty, spicy, lush wine, (picked by Karen), I’d be happy to drink it all winter.



10. Mission Hill Pinot Blanc (no vintage on menu, my guess it was 2008). I tried this grape for the first time in the most excellent pasta restaurant ever in Quebec City. I was really surprised at how this wine was both refreshing and sweet at the same time. It made me want to try more Pinot Blanc (and mark my words, I will!).



9. Il Coroncino Fattoria 2007. A Verdicchio from a winery near Ancona, Italy. This wine really grew on me. It was a lovely golden yellow colour and was extremely refreshing to drink. It smelled like apples, nectarine and lime. Taste was wah-hoo! Racy, acidic, limey and slightly bitter in a curiously pleasing way.



8. Peller Estates Ice Cuvée Rosé. A present from Karen for watching her kids one weekend. I tried a lot of yummy rosé this year, but this sparkler was the standout for me. I wish, I wish, I wish I had a bottle right now! Can only be purchased at the winery (boo!), but gives us an excuse for a road trip to said winery (yay!).



7. Domaine du Haut des Terres Blanches 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape. Not my first introduction to the wines of this famous region, but definitely the best. Full of rich red fruit and deep caramel. Chewy, with a long finish with fascinating flavours that unfolded on my tongue. The most complex wine I’ve tried all year. Tasting this wine made me understand the obsession over region. I’ll try and find more for Christmas day.



6. Le Clos Jordanne (Grand Clos) 2008 Chardonnay. If you follow the blog, you’ll know I just posted about this wine in the entry previous to this one. I won’t go on about it, except to say THANK YOU to the winemakers at Le Clos Jordanne for making me love Chardonnay after having been burned by so many others.



5. Domaine Chevallier Chablis 2007. This is the first wine of the year that I remember going absolutely koo-koo-ka-ka for. Also the first unoaked Chardonnay I ever tried. I can practically taste the sea-shell minerality now. Drink it and you’re instantly transported to the ocean. A must have the next time I go on a seafood binge.



4. Fleur Pinot Noir 2007. Catherine Deneuve in a glass. So incredibly elegant. And yet there was a hint of that sunshine flavour that says “I am from California”. Like stepping into the most amazing, lush rose garden after the rain, I’d bathe in it if I could.



3. Cave Sprints Riesling Dolomite 2008. This ranks high on the list partly because I enjoyed it at the start of my road trip to Cambridge. Karen and I stopped in Jordan for lunch, and went to the winery restaurant. I could have sat there all day drinking the most gorgeous Riesling that ever touched my lips. I would have too, if we didn’t have to shake a leg and continue our travels south. I had it with a blue cheese and pecan spinach salad with Riesling poached pears. I remember ever bite. A great wine and a great memory.



2. Aia dei Columbi Falanghina 2008. I could weep just typing those words. What a wine! Lorri, Karen and I were in our room at the swankiest hotel imaginable in Harvard Square when we cracked this bottle. I remember how crazy excited we were upon the first sip. Beyond delicious with butter, cream and citrus flavours, it was unlike any wine I had ever tried. Falanghina is hard to find up here in the land of ice and snow, so I will make it one of my life’s missions to go to Campania, lie on the beach and drink nothing but Falanghina for a week. Yes, you can come too.



1. Was there ever any doubt? Belle Pente Yamhill-Carlton 2007 Pinot Noir is my #1 best wine of the year. I screamed. I jumped up and down. I paced. I raved like a lunatic. I took the lord’s name in vain about a hundred times. I’m sure the neighbours thought we were filming a porno by the sounds I was making. I called my sister and yelled into my cellphone for a half an hour about how good this wine was. If I hadn’t been at the cottage at the time, I would have immediately rushed to the airport, flown to Oregon, found Belle Pente, kneeled in the vineyard, bowed over and over again and chanted “I am not worthy! I am not worthy!” I truly, madly, deeply hope I get to try more from these amazing winemakers again. I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but like Capt. Picard, I’ll just have to ‘Make it so.’



There was one Honourable Mention: Les Aphillanthes L’Ancestrale du Puits 2007 Carianne Côtes du Rhône-Village. The first Côtes du Rhône I loved (but not the last). The sultry, leathery, smoky Syrah blend makes me want to undo a few buttons and recline in front of the fire. Never, ever be without Côtes du Rhône in the wine rack—EVER.


And there it is. My bestest of the best. Six reds (including the honourable mention), six whites, one rosé. Two in the top five were Pinot Noir. French and Canadian wines dominated the list, and all but two wines were cool-climate. Clearly I like both refreshing and complex, spicy wines. I’m discovering my palate! This is progress!


In 2011 I’d like to branch out more into other parts of the world. I’ll endeavour to drink more from Italy, Spain, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia--they are all on my short list. Okay, okay that’s a long list. But I’m in for a penny, in for a pound. I can’t stop now! Leave no grape untasted!

'Til next time,

Barb

Chardonnay Redemption

Chardonnay. It's like the little girl with the little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she's good she's very, very good, and when she's bad she is horrid (Unlike me. When I'm bad, I'm very, very, VERY good.).

I cannot think of a single wine that I have had more bad experiences with than Chardonnay. Some are downright hateful. Burning, fuming with alcohol, bitter as a runner-up in the Miss America pageant, bad Chardonnay will violate your taste buds and burn off your nose hair. Others are so oakey you might as well throw it to the beavers.

Can I tell you how elated, how overjoyed I am to have finally tried a truly wonderful Chardonnay? And it from ONTARIO. La!

Now if you'll remember, I was not fond of Le Clos Jordanne Pinot Noir.  But after trying their Chardonnay, I'm going to buy a bottle and give the Pinot Noir another chance.  Because the Chardonnay (Le Grand Clos 2007) was OUT OF SIGHT.  No lie.  Maybe I drank the Pinot Noir too early.  I'll tuck it in the wine rack and wait patiently for a year or two.

The Chardonnay is perhaps the most elegant wine I've experienced to date.  So perfectly balanced with mineral, fruit and buttery richness, the exact flavours are hard to put a finger on.  The mineral taste I can't describe, it's just not in my taste repertoire (until now).  The fruit seemed yellow/orange stone fruit, like apricots or yellow plums.  And there was a rich, not buttery but somehow like that flavour, somewhere in the caramel spectrum of things but I can't place it exactly.  Not honey, not butterscotch, not butter, but something really, really good.  Go find out for yourself; waggle down to the LCBO, plonk down two twenties and take a bottle home.  It's worth it.

Switching gears, I had the pleasure of having lunch with one of my favourite people--Mlle. Karen--at one of my favourite restaurants--The Explorer's Café.  Thank Dionysus for the Explorer's!  It's the only restaurant in town that cares about serving good, interesting wine.  And I am so pleased to report that along with their new lunch menu, they have some new wine.  I washed down my squid salad with Accuro Torrontés 2009.  Very floral and refreshing, and Torrontés is a new grape to me!  This is a signature grape in Argentina.  A little online snooping and I found photos of the winery:

I want to go to there.

Seriously, Mendoza, Argentina, sunshine, mountains, wine, me, forever...Heavy sigh.  I am ready for my wine adventure.

'Til next time,

Barb

Who's in?

Road trip, Prince Edward County, winery tour. Correction--Fifth Town Cheese factory is in PEC, so we'd have to make it a wine AND cheese tour. Perhaps an overnighter? We could finally go visit Long Dog and taste their Pinot Noir! Dates flexible. Who's in?

Visit here to learn more about Prince Edward County and its excellent wineries.

Ps. You've got 10 days to cobble together your contest entry! Tell me your most memorable wine experience for a chance to win a Knuckle-Duster Corkscrew! Post your story in the comments section here.

P.p.s. Happy Birthday James!

Well, we already know Chianti goes with human liver...

Apparantly Pinot Grigio is the appropriate choice for human brains. Who knew? If you don't believe me, watch this cartoon:



People, I am getting a kick out of reading the contest entries, so keep 'em coming! Enter by posting your most memorable wine experience in the comments section here, and you might wine the awesome Knuckle-Duster Corkscrew!

Happy December all! I've got lots planned for the blog this month, so keep checking in!

'Til next time,

Barb

***CONTEST!!!*** Win a badass corkscrew!

Hello Winos!

I've been threatening to hold a contest for a while now, and for those of you who didn't think I was good for it, I say PHOO! Behold, the first ever Know-Nothing Wine Contest, where you can win this badass sucker:



You know you want it. Impress women and make men fear you as you wrench corks out of bottles with your awesome knuckle power. Protect your precious wine from would be thieves. Slick back your hair, slide this bad boy over your fingers and start a street gang called "The Sour Grapes". You're as tough as you wanna be with this superior Knuckle Duster Corkscrew.

What do you have to do to become the owner of this treasure? Read on:

1)You have to be a follower of this blog. This means I need to see your little icon deely under 'Followers'.

2)You need to submit a minimum 250 word description of your best/funniest/most-memorable wine experience. Please post your submission in the Comments section of this thread.

3)The winning submission will be selected by an esteemed panel of judges (likely me and a buddy as we kill a bottle of wine).

4)The winner will be announced on this blog on December 15th, 2010, at which time the winner will email me their mailing address. With any luck, you'll have this piece of awesomeness in your hands before Christmas.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get writing! I want them wine stories!


'Til next time,

Barb

Better Know an Appellation: Chianti

"I enjoyed his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti!"

I had big plans of going to my Dad's this weekend and drinking Beaujolais-Nouveau (as it turns out, Dad loves it and buys it every year! Who knew?). Well, apologies to Dad as I spend the weekend as playground to a nasty, nasty cold virus. So instead, I languish at home bathing my hands in anti-bacterial gel and nursing an eye that looks like a cherry tomato. Trevor had the brilliant idea of escaping with the kids to First Light (a festival of light and local culture at Ste. Marie-Among-the-Hurons), and not to be denied my wine experience for the weekend, I decided it was time for part 2 of my series, Better Know an Appellation. The winner this time: Chianti.

Until now, the only thing I've known about Chianti is that Dr. Lecter enjoys it with human liver and fava beans (This is where you suck in air through your teeth. Go ahead, I'll wait 'til you're done.). You may also know Chianti as that palate-curdling wine your parents drank in the 60's and 70's--you know, the one that came in the funky bottle with the raffia on the outside. If you look in your parent's basement you'll find one with a candle stuck in it:



Ooooh, so that's Chianti! Well, yes. And no. Chianti doesn't necessarily come in that bottle anymore, and it's not that brow-singeing plonk of decades past. Let me explain.

Remember how we've discussed in previous posts how Europeans love to confuse the rest of the world by giving a wine and place the same name? This is the case with Chianti. Chianti is a region in Tuscany. In fact, I have read that when people talk about wanting to go to Tuscany, what they really mean is they want to go to Chianti. I'll have to go see for myself sometime, but in the interim I believe it. Go to Google Images and search Chianti and see for yourself. I want to go to there!

Chianti is also a wine made from no less than 80% Sangiovese grapes (da rules state small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Canaiolo and small amounts of the white grape Trebbiano are allowed). Tuck that nugget of information into your brains: Chianti=Sangiovese. By law, only wine from this region that adheres to the rules of what goes into Chianti may be called Chianti.

A long, long time ago, in the 1950's, Chianti was a serviceable wine popular with Americans because it was cheap and quaffable. Along came the 60's, and Chianti rose in popularity--partly due to the BoHo chic of that bottle-in-a-basket--but sadly it plummeted in quality. High demand for cheap Chianti resulted overplanting unsuitable grapes and un-saavy blending practices, which just about pooched the region's reputation forever. Concerned Chianti wine producers saw the writing on the wall, and decided to steer the ship in a different direction. I'm so glad they did!

Chianti today is a yummy, earthy, smoke and leathery, red-fruity wine made from a Sangiovese clone. In fact, Sangiovese is this region's Alan Rickman--a superstar capable of morphing into many pleasing incarnations (yes, I can work Alan into any conversation). Sangiovese has the ability to spontaneously change its genetics. Apparantly, there are hundreds of Sangiovese clones in that region alone that have just 'appeared' because of the plants' remarkable adaptability.

So you want to try some Chianti RIGHT NOW? Alright already, don't get your knickers in a twist! Go to the LCBO Vintages section and pick up a bottle of San Michele a Torri Chianti 2007. It's got a cute illustration of an Italian soldier holding a pointy-looking sword. Let it breathe a little bit, and then enjoy the red cherry, smokey goodness. Don't live in Ontario? Look for bottles of Chianti that say Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (or DOCG for short). If you can afford a bottle that says Riserva or Chianti Classico, go for it. Or hop on a plane to Italy, bicycle over to Chianti, park yourself under an olive tree and enjoy a glass there. Yeah, that last option, that's the one...

Putting my sick-ass self to bed. Happy drinking all!

'Til next time,

Barb

My Favourite WIne Commercials!

Guess what, my little champagne bubbles? It's nostalgia time!

I've had the Hochtaler lady song stuck in my head for a few days now (yes, I'm a child of the 80's). Remember the Hochtaler lady?



She was pretty hot, but what about that Spumante Bambino lady? She's charming in her chiffon, but it's the pianist--no, that moustache--who is the real star. RWOR!




Those were the most memorable examples from my 80's childhood, but what of earlier decades? Let's turn back the time machine a little further, and enjoy this wine commercial from the 50's. I always love it when Marie Antoinette comes to Thanksgiving:



Moving up a decade, the 60's were clearly a time of invention. Apparently the Gallo family created something called 'Pink Chablis'. I'm pretty sure they've made a deal with the devil, because if any other winery tried this kind of fuckery, they'd dry up faster than a fallen grape in the sun:



Were people not drinking wine in the 70's? I can't find much in the way of wine commercials for this decade, but I did find this commercial for something called 'Thunderbird'. I have no idea what it is, but it makes me want to get down!!




Scooting back up to the 80's, remember Riunite? It's a wine rainbow! And I'm staggered by their GENIUS marketing slogan 'Riunite is nice'. Brilliant!



And finally, if these vintage commercials have caused you to go on a bender, watch this LLBO PSA from the 80's, and decide whether you're acting as badly as the dad in this commercial:



'Til next time,

Barb

What's the Big Whoop: Beaujolais Nouveau

Hello my juicy little grapes. Welcome to my other new series: What's the Big Whoop? In this series I will be sharing with my fellow know-nothings the scoop on wines that are supposed to be "kind of a big deal around here". And it's perfect timing too, because every 3rd week of November there are loads of people who go koo-koo ka-ka over release of Beaujolais-Nouveau. What is Beaujolais-Nouveau? I'm so glad you asked!

Perhaps it'd be a good idea to take a step back and ask, what is Beaujolais? Well, in fact it's two things: a place and a wine. Beaujolais the region is North of Lyon and South of Burgundy. It is unique in that this region produces wine from one grape only--Gamay. Now Gamay is grown in all kinds of places the world over, but it grows particularly happily in this little nook of France. By law, only wine from this region is permitted to be called Beaujolais; the French name their wines after the region not the grape, so tuck it into your little brains, Beaujolais=Gamay.

Beaujolais the wine has been called "the gateway drug into the world of red wine". I totally get that. If you've been following the blog all along, you'll remember my initial posts were about Beaujolais, and how it roped me in to trying more wines. It's because its just so dang different than any other wine out there. If your wine experiences have largely been the vinegary u-brew your uncle Charlie made for your sister's wedding/the pink champagne you barfed at your after-prom party/the mouth-puckering tannin blaster you pretended to like because the guy you had a crush on said it was his favourite (circle all that apply), then a wine like Beaujolais is a breath of fresh air. It's as light and fruity as Johnny Weir; there's virtually no tannin, no complex smells or aftertastes, just simple, gulpable wine. Beaujolais likes to be chilled a bit before you drink it (15 minutes in the freezer will do).

So what of Beaujolais-Nouveau? Technically, it's the first Beaujolais made at the end of the harvest season. By law, the grapes are super carefully hand-picked so as to preserve the bunches intact. After harvesting, the whole grapes are places in cement or stainless steel tanks, where they are fermented for just a few days. Keeping the grapes intact causes the fermentation process to happen inside the grapes themselves. Wine fermented this way turns out very fruity and lacks tannin, thus upping its quaffability quotient. Beaujolais-Nouveau is released just 6-8 weeks after harvest. The French make a party of it; “Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!” is the traditional celebratory decree. There are parades and parties and p.r. moments, all toasted with this very new, fruity wine. Oddly enough, it's become a traditional Thanksgiving wine with Americans, who celebrate that holiday right around the time Beaujolais-Nouveau is released.

There's only so much Beaujolais-Nouveau made, so once its gone, its gone (for another year at least). If a bottle found its way into your wine rack this week, don't hang onto it much past Christmas. It's meant to be drunk right away; leave it too long and it'll go yucky on you (lack of tannin means it doesn't age well).

What did I scoop up in the way of Beaujolais-Nouveau this weekend? I was sucked in by the colourful label of Georges DuBoeuf, and plucked a much more conservative-looking bottle of Joseph Drouhin off the shelf. Both are Beaujolais-Villages, which is supposed to be slightly higher quality than Beaujolais (I'd tell you why but you'd get bored and stop reading). I'll let you know which one I liked best when they're gone.

Off to bed now. Me, not you. You can stay up if you like. I however am done for the day. If you're inclined to stay awake and drink Beaujolais-Nouveau, send me a note and tell me your thoughts on the stuff.

'Til next time,

B.

Post on the fly

All week I've been running like crazy person, preparing for this weekend's artisan show. I sell my artwork to the public at a few of these shows every year, just for fun and a little extra income. My sales have been crazy good this weekend; people are jostling and snatching and handing over great fistfuls of money--HOORAY!! (if you need a refresher on what I do, click here). It's exhilarating and exhausting work, and at the end of the day all I want to do is put on my old tracks and drink a glass of wine. BUT despite the koo-koo ka-ka of the last few days, I insisted Trevor go home via the Bayfield LCBO in Barrie, so I could swipe a couple of bottles of Beaujolais-Village Nouveau. My email from Vintages alerted me that this annual treat was just released in stores, and is available while quantities last (which is not long). I didn't want to miss out; once it's gone it's gone for another year, so I picked up two bottles, plus a Chianti that sommelier hottie John Szabo gave a score of 89, and a something special for Mlle. K (but I'm not saying what! Heh heh! Neener neener!).

Off to bed with me, so forgive the light posting this week and please enjoy this video of Steven Seagal practicing the art of subtle innuendo with Kelly LeBrock. Enjoy!

The Rickman Rating System

Hello Winos,

I'm happy to announce that I am introducing the International Alan Rickman Wine Rating System to this blog. Who needs those damned 100 pt. scales when we have the thousand faces of the World's Greatest Actor to tell us what to think about wine? If you're not an Alan Rickman fan and have trouble interpreting this scale of wine-worthiness, you're probably some rye-drinking jerk who watches the Jackass movies, so get the hell off my blog. If, however, you think Alan Rickman is a living treasure and the epitome of mature hotness, please enjoy the following wine scores:

Clos LaChance Hummingbird Series 2006 Merlot from the central coast of California was a very jolly, drinkable wine. I gave it one smouldering Rickman, two dapper Rickmans and a Rickman snuggling up to a door (oh how I wish I were that door!).



Next up, we have Spier Vintage Selection Pinotage 2006 from South Africa. This smokey, intensely tobacco wine was hot, so I gave it four smouldering Rickmans in Period Costume.



Moving along, Wine by Joe's 2007 Pinot Gris from Oregon was fruity and a little tart. Lots of peach flavour but it made my mouth pucker. I gave it one Alan cuddling the door, one sexy young Alan making love to you with his eyes, and one Alan with forehead ridges.



Lastly, we have a wine from upstate New York: Caywood Vineyards 2008 Estate bottled Dry Riesling. As much as I loves the Finger Lakes, this wine was not my bag. I gave it one Severus Snape.



I hope this gives you a clear insight to my completely subjective responses to these wines/my Alan Rickman obsession. I'm sure this new method of grading wine will make sense to women in their 30's everywhere. And while I don't think it'll be replacing Robert Parker's 100 pt. scale any time soon, I for one think it's much, much hotter, n'est pas?

xoxo

'Til next time,

Barb

Trudy sent me this..

Thank you, Trudy, for sending me a link to this clip. I don't know who any of these people are, and the two douchebags on the right are pretty funny, but the bald guy on the left is a FUCKING COMEDY GENIUS. I am not kidding. Enjoy.

Lorri Drinks Across America: The Chicago Edition

Lorri's 'Home Away from Home' whilst in Chicago. Nice shack!


Lucky me! I am away for the weekend, selling me photographs at market, but Lorri was able to step up to the plate AGAIN and write another blog entry. Seems she's determined to drink in every state; now if only we can get her to try something other than Californian wine!! (I tease you , sister! I tease because I love).

Lorri writes:

Greetings from Chick-cahh-go.
I hope you won’t mind me crashing Barb’s blog so frequently, but all the travel this month has allowed me to sample wines, at Barb’s strict instructions of course.

Is Chicago a wine region? I thought I would find out. Well I do know for sure they serve wine in Chicago, so off I go.

Before I get to the wine part, can I just say that I am staying at the most ridiculously lavish hotel I have ever stayed in – the Trump International Towers in Chicago. I believe it is the tallest building on the Chicago skyline.

I stepped out of my sweaty airport shuttle to find a SWAT team of bellhops, personal assistants and concierge’s taking control of my suitcase while offering me a hot lemon and ginger towel on a bamboo board as I stepped to the reservation desk. I think someone at the beginning asked my name, which I must have mumbled in shock, because by the time I got to the reservation desk, they were already well underway to checking me in. Wow. I suddenly wished I had taken extra care that morning to pick all the dog hairs off my coat and use a more expensive set of luggage.

I rode the glass and brass elevator up to my room on the 17th floor to a room that reminded me more of a spa with a spectacular view of Chicago than a hotel room. I have never seen a hotel room like this – I have a stainless steel DISHWASHER in my room, okay?? My bathroom really does look like a spa . There is a television built into the surface of the mirror in the bathroom…a full bathtub with class enclosed floor shower along with jets that threaten to “bidet you” if you’re not careful….several brands of designer water (mom would laugh at the “Bling” water, which comes in a rhinestone encrusted bottle – at $25USD per 750ml bottle), full stocked martini fridge with fine vodkas ….a bed that looks like a puffy cloud…. A full kitchen with granite countertop, cupboards of complete fine glassware and table ware, another cupboard full of high end gourmet snacks, an expensive looking espresso maker....the lunch menu has a lobster clubhouse for only $37USD (gulp). I just ate the gourmet chocolate chip cookies out of the bar fridge...that probably just cost me about $23 bucks ...but they were good. So you get the idea – Wow –wheee-wow-wow. And what a view.

I hook up to the high speed to get ready to do some work and realize that it’s noon somewhere, and open a mini bottle of wine that comes with the room. I’m vaguely worried that it may cost me something like $85 for the glass of wine I am about to try, which I hope is not true.

The corked halfie was labelled “FRANCISCAN ESTATE – MAGNIFICAT – 2007 Napa Valley Meritage, Red Wine”. Strange I thought that the label did not specify Merlot, Cabernet, etc etc...so I checked the label on the back and read:

“Napa Valley, Meritage, Red Wine
As a seamless and harmonious as the Bach masterwork it honors in name we crafted Magnificat to be a blend of the vintage’s finest lots from our Estate and other select vineyards. This Meritage shows layered aromas of cassis and plum, with ripe black fruit flavours and hints of vanilla and spice. (Remember, Know-Nothings, if you read my label-decoding post, you'll know that Meritage means a Bordeaux-style blend. Expect blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and to a lesser extent, Petit Verdot and Malbec.--B.).
Well there is my answer – it’s a blend. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a blend before. (n.b. You probably have.--B.) So I popped the cork and let ‘er rip – or is that let er’ sip. I noticed it’s a very dark wine...took a big taste...and...my official response................ “Meh”.

It was okay, but just okay. I don’t think I would buy this wine on purpose. Kind of a surprise, given my love of Californian wines, I say nay on this one.

Later that evening, I had to attend a welcome reception for the event, and moved up to the bar to examine a different red to report on. And what to my wondering eyes did appear but a delightful HESS label – but this time a white Chardonnay. You may recall from my initial blog my delightful experience with the HESS Cabernet – so I changed my focus from red to white wine. I must say I was not at all disappointed – a delightfully dry refreshing yet very flavourful white wine. When I drink white I usually drink Pinot Grigio, but this was an amazing Chardonnay. So a score of two-and-oh for Hess wines – another fabulous home run. Mental note to consider a winery sampling trip to Hess Vineyards next time I visit California.

Final note – dinner the next night with my classmates involved surf and turf – given my great experience with Chardonnay the previous day, I asked for a glass of the Chardonnay, however didn’t get a chance to ask which brand. Anyhoo, didn’t even finish the glass – it tasted like sweet applejuice wine. Yuck. Will have to study this one a bit more.

Off to bed, an early morning tomorrow as I head to Ottawa. I wonder if Ottawa is a wine region?

(I didn't think Ottawa grew anything but snowbanks and crooked politicians, but apparently there are five wineries to discover in the region. You can find out more here: http://www.wineriesontario.com/ottawa--B.

Pinot Purgatory

I am caught in Pinot Purgatory. Having tasted what was possibly the best wine I've ever had (Belle Pente's Pinot Noir), it's been a never ending search, always reaching, never finding another quite as good. Can you hear my soul wail at it despairs at being separated from the Divine One forever? Where are you, excellent Pinot Noir? Where? Where? Where?...(her voice trailing off into a whisper, Barb's pale visage sinks backward into a dense fog. End scene).

I've picked up a few bottles recently and here's my completely subjective opinion. All of these wines are available from a well-stocked LCBO (which means if you're from Midland, you'll have to go to Barrie. Quel Suprise.).

Le Clos Jordanne Pinot Noir 2007
This wine is supposedly some of the very best, award winning Pinot Noir Ontario has to offer. I had high hopes. They were dashed, or rather slowly deflated like air being let out of a balloon. I tried this wine 3 times to be sure. IMO, it was not worth the $40 I paid for it.
Darkish colour, very perfumey smelling, like walking into the florist shop. The smell I liked.
Taste: alcohol burn, strawberry, mouth puckery raw peas. Verging on the edge of bitter. Ok, not great, I expected better.

Andrew Rich 2007 Pinot Noir Wilamette Valley Cuvee B
I found this Oregon Pinot Noir in the California section of the Barrie liquor store. I'm sure Oregon doesn't mind being considered part of California, right? Oregon is like California's very stylish hat. If you protest, write the LCBO and tell them to give Oregon its own dang section!!!
Colour: very, very light and super clear. Unbelievably clear. It looked like someone ran a Photoshop filter over it to make it appear clear and sharp.
Nose: lush, ripe strawberries from the garden, fresh and mossy smelling
Taste: super-smooth---UNBELIEVABLY smooth; very fresh strawberry; soft, ripe camembert; creme brulee. Gorgeous. Not the orgasmathon experience I had with Belle Pente's offering, but still, really, really good.

Cave Spring Pinot Noir 2008
I had high hopes for this next offering. Cave Springs makes the most excellent Riesling evah, so it was my hope that their Pinot Noir was equally as good. They didn't disappoint me.
Colour: dark!
Nose: Rose for sure, and maybe a bit of cocoa?
Taste: If the Oregon Pinot Noir was pretty, this wine is sexy. Intense flavour, like fresh, crushed raspberries. There's a bit of minerality there. Nice and smooth going down, no scrape across your tongue bitterness. I think this has the distinction of being the nicest Ontario Pinot Noir I've had so far. Not break the bank either; I think it was around $17.

Final assessment: there's a good, an even gooder and a forgetter. Still searching for that holy grail Pinot Noir though. I may have to sashay over to Oregon to get it. Yes, sashaying is my primary method of transportation.

I'll leave you with this Kate Bush video, which is eerie, because this is EXACTLY the dance I do Saturday nights whilst wandering the moors, looking for that delicious, elusive, perfect Pinot Noir. In fact, if you exchange the words 'Kathy' for 'Barb, and 'Heathcliff' for 'Pinot Noir', you have a song that precisely describes my condition. It's like Kate Bush used a time machine to travel into the future, spied on me, then travelled back to her own time and wrote this song.

Guest Blog: Lorri in San Francisco, Part Deux

Part Deux - Ho Hum

Well after immense peer pressure, let me submit Part Deux from my travels to San Francisco, which I fear may be somewhat anticlimactic at this point. Note the delay between blog posts - and this is exactly why I don`t blog - my dear readers would unfortunately forget my name in between posts. So I am quite happy to ride on Barb`s Know Nothing coat tails, and contribute where I can. I may be somewhat overqualified to contribute to this blog - I really do know nothing about wine, much much less that Barb at this point.

May I just point out however at this point she may have to rename her blog to Know Some-things Blog - I have learned some most interesting facts and trivia from my dear sister thanks to this blog - and now I dub thee the Cliff Clavin of the wine world. Thank you for all the interesting and obscure wine trivia. (And you didn't even have to ask. You're welcome!--B.)

Back to San Fran.
Well in my last blog I promised to tackle the French side of the menu - which I never made it to on the last night of my trip, so very sorry to disappoint. I must at least in part blame it on my classmate Kristine, a fabulous successful thirty something from Chicago in the same industry as myself - we gabbed for hours over the most delicious Cosmos - and forgot all about the wine.

I had to fly home at the end of the next day - but had some time to kill before my flight, so I called Barb for a lifeline on which French wines to try - she hmmm`d over the list while I secretly decided to steal one last glass of that delightful Hess instead of risking another glass of heartburn before heading off on the airport shuttle. Why mess with a good thing? So I sat in front of a beautiful fireplace in my Parisian hotel, with free fast wireless, typing up all my new inspiration over a glass of Hess Cabernet Sauvignon. One of those `moments`in life, you know what I mean?

In conclusion dear reader, I confess I am guilty of shirking my wine homework..... I need to study harder.....Much harder...... :D

PS - Heading to Chicago this week...is that a wine region?

(Apparently every state makes wine, including Illinois. I've never tried any, but you can view the Illinois wine-maker's website here.--B.)

Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee!

Happy November everyone! I trust you've all had a fun and safe Halloween. It was cold, but the kids got their candy and I got a kick out of my adorable children dressing up as a black cat and jester. And I'm proud to say I haven't eaten even one Halloween treat out of their bags! Discipline!

Let's start the month off with a little music, shall we? I've just found the next song I'm going to learn on my gee-tar; it's called Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee, by Stick McGhee (later covered by Jerry Lee Lewis)

Enjoy, my lovey doves! (Next post is a face off between Ontario and Oregon Pinot Noir!)



'Til next time,

Barb

A Grape by Any Other Name.....

Hey wine darlings!

So I'm talking to my sister on the phone the other day, and we're gabbing about Cabernet Sauvignon. She'd tried something yummy whilst in California, and was thinking about sampling the same grape but from a different country, just to compare. When I suggested some Bordeaux, she got the confuseds--she didn't realize that Bordeaux is pretty much synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Sauvignon blends. And for what its worth, I didn't know it either until I started writing about wine. And why would a person know that?! Grape varieties are not printed on French labels! For the life of me I don't know why there can't be some sort of worldwide wine-label standard, but until I'm queen of the universe we'll all just have to familiarize ourselves with the different wine pseudonyms. Here's a cheat sheet for some of the most popular grape varieties. Print it out and tuck it in your wallet, so you have it handy the next time you're in the liquor store trying to figure out what Meritage is. FYI, for this I am using Wikipedia and What's a Wine Lover To Do ? by Wes Marshall as references (I'll write a little review of the book in a future blog post, but in the meantime just take my word for it and buy this book, it's a good 'un!).

Shiraz is aka: Syrah, Hermitage; Crozes-Hermitage; St-Joseph; Côte-Rôtie; Cornas.

Pinot Noir is aka: Pinot Nero (Italy); Spatburgunder (Germany); Blauburgunder (Austria, Switzerland); Burgundy (France). Special Note: Champagne is usually made with Pinot Noir.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Bordeaux (is often a blended with smaller amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Left-Bank Bordeaux usually has a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon); Meritage (means Bordeaux-style blend).

Sauvignon Blanc is aka: Sauvignon; Sancerre; Pouilly Fume; Saint-Bris; Fume Blanc.

Chardonnay is aka: Chablis; Pouilly Fuisse; Batard-Monrachet; Meursault; Côte d'Or. Special Note: Blanc de Blancs means champagne made from only Chardonnay grapes.

Pinot Grigio is aka: Pinot Gris.

Gamay is aka: Beaujolais; Beaujolais-Villages; Beaujolais-Nouveau.

Sangiovese is aka: Brunello; Sangiovese Grosso; Chianti (which is70%-100% Sangiovese).

Malbec is aka: Auxerrois; Côt Noir; Pressac. Special Note: if your wine bottle says Mendoza and it's red wine, it's probably Malbec (the Mendoza region is becoming synonymous with Malbec, although it does produce other good wines like Tempranillo and Chardonnay).

Tempranillo is aka: Rioja

I'm relying on you more experienced winos to fill in the blanks for me. I'm sure I've made some egregious omissions!

Now off with you, go wine shopping! It's almost the weekend for heaven's sakes!

'Til next time,

Barb

Better Know an Appellation: Châteauneuf du Pape

Appellation: A legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine are grown. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, such as what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors, may also apply before an appellation name and may legally appear on a wine bottle label. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced. (adapted from Wikipedia definition).

With a nod to the witty and adorable Stephen Colbert (whose 'Better Know a District series is always good for a larf), I give you the inaugural 'Better Know an Appellation' post. A little wine edumacation won't hurt, I swear. You'll be able to use your newfound wine knowledge to impress girls at parties. After that, you're on your own.

So you ask, what's the BFD about Châteauneuf du Pape? We all see that high-brow, lonely looking wine on the shelf, waiting there with its expensive price tag but getting nary a second glance. It's the one everyone is curious about and nobody buys. You city dwellers--and particularly city dwellers outside of Ontario--may not get this. Let me explain. It wasn't until recently that I even knew there was more than one kind of Châteauneuf du Pape. I thought it was the name of a winery, not a whole appellation. Why is that? I'll tell you: it's because all you ever see on the shelves representing the whole appellation is a single offering from one winery. That's it, that's our selection--a selection of 1. If you're from Ontario you know what I mean. It's the bottle with big fancy lettering on the label, and it's kind of old looking and costs around thirty bucks. And the row it stands in is always full, because it's usually sitting next to $10-$15 wine that looks less pretentious and perfectly drinkable. There's nothing to declare it's special, apart from the high price tag. Maybe this is not the case in your bustling metropoli with you big fancy liquor stores, but this is what we have to contend with in the land of tallboys and reservation cigarettes. Although I will say, the Midland LCBO has stepped it up and introduced a second Châteauneuf du Pape. It's in a funny bottle that's made to look antiquey and dusty, and has a weird shaped neck (I'm sorry, but how stupid do they think we are? "Haw haw haw!" laughs the opportunistic French winemaker! "We'll put zees wine into zee funny shape bottle and charge 5 times what its worth! Stupide North Americans! Haw haw!"). I'm sure many of these bottles will enjoy long lives as tapered candle holders in the windows of dorm rooms across the land.

I bought a bottle of Châteauneuf du Pape on our last liquor haul in Barrie. Happily this store is better stocked: they had several to choose from (the dusty, funny shaped bottle was nowhere in sight). I bought it because I'm committed to trying wines I've never experienced before. I'll continue to buy it because it's as delicious as Alan Rickman in a man-blouse. I've really never experienced anything like it, ever. It's unbelievable. It's haunting. But more on that later.

Châteauneuf du Pape is an appellation in the Southern Rhône district. It's warm and sunshiney, but with wicked mistral winds. Said winds cool the vines (and sometimes destroy them), whilst they receive lots of Mediterranean sunshine. This makes for unique, favourable growing conditions. The soil is crummy, or rocky to be more precise--it's the leftover rubble from ancient glaciers and receding shoreline. Perfectly round rocks of all sizes are everywhere. The land is tough to work, but get this: those plentiful round rocks retain heat, warming vines at night, thus facilitating the ripening process. And those same rocks help keep moisture trapped in the soil, so thirsty vines have lots to drink in hot summers. Can you imagine how lush these grapes must be come harvest time? And as if these conditions for super-ripeness weren't enough, wine growers heavily prune back their vines so that their harvests are very low yield. The plant energy is diverted to fewer bunches, which makes for even more lush, dense fruit. This is, by the way, the law of the land. Châteauneuf du Pape legally requires vineyards to yield no more than 35 hectoliters per hectare (this is very low). It sounds strict, but the law ensures that only the absolute highest quality grapes go into the region's wine, thus protecting its reputation.

So what kind of grapes are we talking about here? Well, legally speaking, red Châteauneuf du Pape may be made up of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, Muscardin, Counoise, Vaccarèse and Terret Noir. Most of those I hadn't heard of until now. But for reals, the most important one on that list is Grenache, because by law, all red wines have to be 50% from this grape. The other three important ones on that list are Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsaut. There are laws surrounding grapes for white wines too, but I think I'll leave it out altogether, as 90% of the wine out of this appellation is red.

Okay, so what becomes of unique growing conditions and strict laws surrounding production? Un-bee-freaking-lievable wine, that's what. People, dig deeper this week and buy a bottle. Please. You will thank me. Truly, I've never tasted wine more fascinating and complex. This week, the wine I enjoyed specifically was Domaine du Haut des Terres Blanches 2007. I paid around $37 for it at the Barrie LCBO on Bayfield (it was in the Vintages section). There's a photograph of the label at the beginning of this post: memorize it and go seek it out. If it helps, there's a wee circle on the top right hand side of the label declaring that this wine scored 91/100 with Robert Parker. Deeply, deeply flavourful, this wine unravels itself on your tongue. It has a beginning, middle and end, with surprising twists in the middle, like a good novel. I was skeptical at first as it didn't smell like much, but this wine was just holding out on me until I committed to the first sip. At first there's a surprising, bright whoosh! of minerals and red berries across your palate. It then evolves into a mouthful of tantalizingly rich, red fruit flavours. Then a wonderful spiciness starts to tease the edge of your tongue. Finally for an achingly good finish, your mouth fills with deep caramel flavours. You can practically chew this wine's flavour. Utterly, utterly fascinating. It was so rich and complex--perfect for fall weather, when you want your food to be really extra nourishing and satisfying. This wine is the sweat off the neck of your lover during a night of passion. You want this wine.

I hope you've enjoyed the first installment of Better Know an Appellation. It'll be a regular gig on this blog.

'Til next time,

Barb

Guest Post: Lorri Soaks up the good stuff in California.

Hi Di Ho, guest blogger from from San Francissss-co.

Barb asked me to do some reconnaissance on Californian wines while I’m out here on a course, and assigned me the kind of homework you don’t mind doing – taste as many wines as possible, and report back!

Can I first say that although I am trapped in class within this hotel for 13 hours a day for four days straight (not kidding – Barb warned it could be a cult – no sign of Tom Cruise so far , phew). The hotel is spectacular – Sofitel – which looks and feels like it was transported straight from Paris. Even the staff here speak French. God Bless boutique hotels. They have gone to every extravagance in this hotel to make it feel like you ARE in Paris. Except you are in California.

So how could I say no – of course I took Barb up on her challenge to head up a good old fashion Smackdown, pitting wine mecca against wine mecca – France vs. California.

(Barb – take note – Canadian wines not mentioned here whatsoever. Sorry)



The first night I tried a Hess Cabernet Sauvignon - $14 a glass I thought this better be good.

Oh my goodness, this wine embodied everything you dream about Californian Cabernet’s - I do confess I have a personal bias for Californian Cabernet Sauvignons.

To channel Barb for a moment, the wine smelled rich and fruity but had an amazing velvety texture like drinking liquid velvet, with an amazing deep oak-ey finishing taste – positively sensual from beginning to end. She would probably say that it is almost as nice as Alan Rickman’s armpits or something like that – well if that is good, then she is right. It made me crave brie wrapped in smoked salmon (the wine, not his armpits). My perfect wine, really. A TKO in Smackdown terms – really spectacular. I actually sampled the wine on a break which seemed to end far too quickly; as they called us back into class, yes I did bring my wine back to class with me – hell, no way I was giving up that last 3-4 sips of liquid gold. The nice thing about travelling outside of Canada is that local people think that you are exotic and excuse your behaviour, writing it off to cultural differences. Charming. Oh those Canadians are so European! Yep, I milked that one all the way. Oh...what do you mean you can’t drink wine in class? Oh sorry about that, well it’s gone anyways. Tee Hee Hee! However the few fellow Canadians that attended the conference were completely on to me and were either laughing or said – Hah – nice one! You look like fun, I’m sitting with you tomorrow.

End of Thursday.

Next.....Friday.... Zinfandel!

I was dragging my ass Friday afternoon in class – still screwed up from the time difference, and a long 1.5 hours till our short dinner break when an intriguing text message comes in from Barb. “SONOMA ZINFANDEL – Try some tonite and tell me what you think!” She was drinking chateau neuf du pape at the time, which I’m sure we will all be reading about sometime soon.(n.b.--yes you will! B.) She loves those fruity wines.

So, of course doing what I’m told, I order a glass of Seven Deadly Sins Zinfandel from Sonoma, and highly recommended from our austere looking lounge hostess (Note - not a waitress – a lounge hostess). Also $14 a glass, so given my previous evening experience I have high expectations of heaven part deux.

The bouquet was very promising – definitely had a strong, inviting aroma, the kind that really makes you look forward to savoring that first tasty sip. And, I never stick my nostrils in my glass – unlike someone else we know – but just setting it down on the table suddenly made the room smell like the Glade Air Fresheners were Zinfandel scented and had just spurted out a mist of Zinfandel from one of their timed room scent fresheners. Well I am sorry to say that is where the fun ends.

In hindsight, I should have never tried anything that rhymes with Death to the Infidels. You just know you are in for a whole lot of trouble. The first sip started fine, and suddenly I could feel the acidic reaction building in momentum. As it snaked its way into my gullet I could instantly feel it rising again in the form of instant severe heartburn. After the third sip, I could feel cankers forming in my mouth, and giant subterranean zits starting to form on my face.

I Know Less Than Nothing about wine – so I can’t even use the right terms – but I can tell you: Eww yuck. Me no likey.

And I don’t know if it’s because it’s a Zinfandel grapes, or because of the winery, or the year or whatever – all I know is me no likey.

So far – the Ying and Yang of what California has to offer. 1 Good, 1 Evil.

Tonite I tackle the French side of the menu, and see if their wines have a better success then their military history.

--Lorri

Borat + Wine = My best day ever.

Looky what I found on YouTube! Borat goes to a wine tasting! This is going to be a great day, I can tell.

Enjoy!



'Til next time,

B.

I'm Cured

I've been playing with my new iPhone (sexy!) and snapped this pic of Jimmy eyeing up the dinner table. Bad boy! Get away from Mommy's wine!


I took my dose of Alan Rickman like a good sick wino, and lo and behold I'm back in the rosé! Happily no one else in my home has it (yay!), but unfortunately my Dad is now housing the angry tummy troll (boo!). So Dad, if you're reading this, get better and I'll bring you something delicious to drink.


Two fermented grape nectars have passed my lips recently, both from Ontario: one ok, the other MWAH! gorgeous! They're two from the haul Karen and I brought back from Barrie a couple of weeks ago. You should have seen us filling our shopping cart with Vintages wine. It was so full you could barely push it. None of it bargain wine either--nope! This was our holiday haul, and damned if we were going to be stuck with Midland LCBO wine as our only option. There were a few raised eyebrows as we went through the checkout with that assload of wine at 11 a.m., but phooey. It's not like we were buying two tallboys for breakfast (the Midland early bird special). This is for RESEARCH, haters! Research for my very important self-created imaginary project with no supervision, deadline or grades. So angry snaps to you!

ANYWAY, on with the wines! First up was Château des Charmes St. David's Bench Vineyard VQA 2008 Gamay Noir 'Droit'. Gamay Noir Droit, you ask? What is this Gamay Noir Droit? Well I'll tell you, it is in fact Canada's first 'vinifera'. Born in the Château des Charmes vineyard, Gamay Noir Droit matures more quickly than Gamay Noir, and has more colour and sugar. Okay, cool, but is it yummy? Sure. It has that characteristic berry fruitiness of Gamay, but is smokier, and more savory. The sweet and savory flavours together reminded me of teriyaki or spicy plum sauce. I'd try it again with Chinese food, just fer fun.

The next wine, and the real standout for me, was Malivoire 2008 Red. SISTER--pay attention! I know you think there is no worthwhile Ontario wine to be had, but this wine will change your mind, trust! I give this wine two thumbs up, one hell ya and one of these:



A blend of Merlot, Cabernet and Gamay, this wine has a lovely, juicy fruitiness to it, but enough tannin to give it a backbone. Cedar, a bit of oakey vanilla and spicy cocoa hit your palate too. AND its not a Vintages wine! It was only about $14, and regular LCBO stock (unless--you guessed it--you live in Midland. Sorry.). I think this wine is an extremely good value and I won't be sorry when a few more bottles find their way into my wine rack.


Playing with my new iPhone camera again. You're looking at tomorrow night's dinner. It's duck, marinading in a lovely bath of red wine, cranberry juice, cranberries, mint, fresh ginger, lemon, lime, orange and sea salt. Le drool. I'll let you know how it turns out.

In honour of being cured of the flu--and of a divine Ontario wine--I'll leave you with The Cure:

There's an angry troll in my tummy..

Oh flu, flu, why hath thou chosen me?

Absolutely nothing about wine in this post. Just a little eyeball medicine to help me feel a tiny fraction of a bit better.



See? I'm improving already...

'Til next time (when I evict the evil, stabbing troll from my belly),

B.

I Smell.

I have a huge honkin' nose. Not the long, elegant kind either. Nope, no ski-slopes here. I have one of those round, pudgy noses that resembles the GE lightbulb. If Karl Malden and Ginger from Gilligan's Island made a baby, it'd look like me.






Yup, that's me in a nutshell. Glamorous ain't it? It's probably just as well; I'm vain as it is already. If I had a pretty nose I'd be unbearable.

I've always detested 'Bulby', but besides keeping me humble (ha!), it turns out my honker has another, newfound purpose. If you guessed my crater nostrils are really good for trapping wine molecules, then ding! ding! ding! You win a prize (not really)!

My rudimentary research (me surfing the internet, drinking coffee and Bailey's instead of going to work) shows that our sense of smell is far more acute than our other senses. And women, it seems, can detect odours in smaller concentrations than men. My husband jokes that I can smell through time; I can detect dirty diapers and dog poops on the carpet before they even happen. I no longer have children in diapers (wahoo!), but I do have the joy of living with a farty Boxer named Jimmy, who fuels his butt-tank by doing things like eating a dozen butter tarts at a time (he's the ultimate food scavenger). Is it any wonder I shove my nose into a wine glass at any given opportunity?

I've threatened in previous posts to give my nose a workout, so today I'm going for it. I've been sticking my nose in all sorts of interesting things (get your mind out of the gutter). Things like hay and leaves, see?




I accidentally snorted cilantro up my nose (achoo!). I huffed chopped onion at dinner, to the bewilderment of my son. I practically got a grape tomato stuck up there. Coriander, I learned, smells like pickles. Fresh basil smells a little bit like licorice. Timothy hay smells really sweet (no wonder the guinea pigs love it.). And while I give my nose a major workout, I'm trying to peg the different scents by visualizing the thing that I'm smelling, so I won't struggle for the right word when I'm trying to describe wine.

While Bulby and I do our homework, please enjoy this vintage commercial of Ginger selling gasoline:



'Til next time,

Barb