The following is a copy of my correspondence with the LCBO about getting good wine into our wee store:
To: Infoline
Subject: Question..
Hi there. I have the misfortune of being a wine lover who lives in a
community with a teeny-tiny lcbo. Is it possible for me to request
specific wines to be brought to my local store? I would love to be able
to purchase more Vintages wines, but don't want the inconvienience of
having to go all the way to Barrie to get them (not to mention I prefer
to spend money in my own community rather than having to go elsewhere).
Cheers,
Barb Rowlandson
the reply..
Dear Barb,
Thank you for your inquiry.
You may order specific VINTAGES products through the manager of your
local LCBO store. This is a service we provide for our customers who
live outside the Toronto and Ottawa areas.
* Important-customers must submit their 'requests' to their local
LCBO store by 11am the Tuesday before the Release date
* VINTAGES allocates a percentage of products in each release to
fulfill 'customer requests'. This does not guarantee availability as
VINTAGES products are purchased in finite quantities and are sometimes
extremely limited and/or in very high demand
* Store staff can order as many bottles as you require subject to
availability.
You may view our upcoming Vintages Release through our Vintages website
at www.vintages.com. Here is the direct link to the catalogue featuring
the next Vintages products to be released on May 1:
http://www.vintages.com/circular/circ_100501pdf.shtml
You may also order products from our Online Exclusives and have it
delivered to your local store. Online shopping is available via our
Vintages Online Store at www.vintagesshoponline.com These products are
delivered within 2-4 weeks.
Now isn't that good news? I know what I'm taking to bed tonight--wine porn aka. Vintages magazine! Do not disturb. ; )
'til next time,
Barb
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Conundrum 2008 California White Wine..a conundrum indeed.
My dearest, wonderful, wine-loving Karen. Don't hate me for saying it. You've picked some beautiful wines. And I've picked some dogs. And I didn't hate it, I just didn't LOVE it.
You see my conundrum? A dear friend brings over a bottle of expensive wine and you pledge to write about it, only to find it wasn't your fave. That's subjective taste for you. But I don't think Mlle. K. will disagree with the following review.
For me, this wine was soooo American! I know, duh, it's a Californian wine. But that's not what I mean. It's Pam Anderson as opposed to Catherine Deneuve. Have you ever had an over-the-counter painkiller in the U.S.? I did once, at a trade show in Atlanta. I had a horrible sinus cold and headache, and had to put up with all of the pressure changes from flying to boot. I ended up at a drugstore downtown and found some Tylenol, and to my surprise, they were sweet! Flavoured pain medication! How very odd. You'd think that maybe the Tylenol people would be against that sort of thing; I'd worry that children might think they're candy. Anyway, I'm veering off the path here, but this does in fact have something to do with the wine. In fact, you could say the very same thing about this wine: it's sweet, flavoured pain medication!
VANILLA! This wine screams it. Overwhelmingly. With underlying hearty shouts of FRUITY! FLOWERY! None of these things are unpleasant. It's just that there's so much of them. I sampled this wine over three seperate days, and yesterday I declare it tasted like sugarwater. I get the feeling this wine is trying to please everyone, and it probably is very palatable to most. It's not unpalatable. It's just, so...brassy. I crave wine that subtly caresses; this wine boldly slaps you with flavour. Too much for me, I'm afraid. Having said that, if you need to bring wine to a gathering and are in a total state with no idea how to pick a people pleasing wine, buy this one. It's not likely to offend anyone.
Conundrum 2008 California White Wine can be purchased at the LCBO for $24.95.
You see my conundrum? A dear friend brings over a bottle of expensive wine and you pledge to write about it, only to find it wasn't your fave. That's subjective taste for you. But I don't think Mlle. K. will disagree with the following review.
For me, this wine was soooo American! I know, duh, it's a Californian wine. But that's not what I mean. It's Pam Anderson as opposed to Catherine Deneuve. Have you ever had an over-the-counter painkiller in the U.S.? I did once, at a trade show in Atlanta. I had a horrible sinus cold and headache, and had to put up with all of the pressure changes from flying to boot. I ended up at a drugstore downtown and found some Tylenol, and to my surprise, they were sweet! Flavoured pain medication! How very odd. You'd think that maybe the Tylenol people would be against that sort of thing; I'd worry that children might think they're candy. Anyway, I'm veering off the path here, but this does in fact have something to do with the wine. In fact, you could say the very same thing about this wine: it's sweet, flavoured pain medication!
VANILLA! This wine screams it. Overwhelmingly. With underlying hearty shouts of FRUITY! FLOWERY! None of these things are unpleasant. It's just that there's so much of them. I sampled this wine over three seperate days, and yesterday I declare it tasted like sugarwater. I get the feeling this wine is trying to please everyone, and it probably is very palatable to most. It's not unpalatable. It's just, so...brassy. I crave wine that subtly caresses; this wine boldly slaps you with flavour. Too much for me, I'm afraid. Having said that, if you need to bring wine to a gathering and are in a total state with no idea how to pick a people pleasing wine, buy this one. It's not likely to offend anyone.
Conundrum 2008 California White Wine can be purchased at the LCBO for $24.95.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Dinner with the folks and two Canadian wines.
A weird day here in Midland. Cold to start; wore the jacket on my walk to the liquor store for tonights wine, and came out roasting as the thermometer climbed all the way up to 26 degrees (hello! It's April!). Forgive me for mentioning the weather; I am Canadian after all.
Anyhoo, tonight was my dinner with Dad. Well both parents actually. I don't mean to marginalize Mom (I love you Mama); it's just that Dad's the one in need of company, so we focus on him a bit more. Mom works and keeps busy and has lots to do, but Dad has Parkinson's disease and is stuck at home with the cat most days (though he wouldn't be if the cranky bastard wouldn't chase away the Red Cross nurse and refuse to go to the senior's centre). So, like I said, when we get together we kind of focus on Dad, 'cause he's the one who needs the tlc.
Dad likes wine. Not a connesieur or anything, he just likes wine. And food. Dad likes food. Dad was the one who taught us kids to be adventurous eaters. We used to wince at his fiddleheads and funny mushrooms, and those spanish onion & brown sugar & vinegar sandwiches (I love the first two, but still can't manage those sandwiches). Now all three of us kids love exciting food thanks to him. So, tonight I swapped our regular lunch out at the pub for evening in at his place cooking dinner.
Remember the fettucine with mushroom and sage and goat cheese I wrote about previously? I did a encore tonight. I so wanted to have an encore with the Domaine Chevallier Chablis, but alas, our teeny liquor store had NO Chablis whatsoever! Gah! There's a wall of Rye and all the Dr. McGillicudy's Teenage Panty Peeler you could ever want, but not one damned bottle of Chablis! What fresh hell is this?!
No matter, I switched gears and decided to get patriotic. I left the store with a bottle each of Creekside Life is Good Unoaked Chardonnay 2008 VQA and Mission Hill's 2007 Family Estate Pinot Noir VQA. I was especially keen to try the Pinor Noir, as I haven't come across one yet that I like (until now).
I got dinner rolling, bantering with Dad about the latest town gossip, tossing salad, steaming mussels and all that good stuff, and we cracked the Chardonnay first. I do declare, mama likes the unoaked chardonnay. Is this trendy? I see this in the liquor stores here and about. It's brighter, less smoky and sexy than the oakey stuff. Good for a chug a lug on a hot afternoon. I read recently that you should start with the brighter, vibrant wines and ease into the heavier stuff, so that was tonight's plan.
Dad approved of the Chardonnay. So did I. Not over the moon in love gush gush kiss kiss love, just like liked it. I'd drink it again gratefully. I'd say this is a really good value wine. It was cheap and cheerful, like around $12 at the LCBO, so if that's all you've got in your wallet and you're looking for something delish and refreshing, you should try this wine.
I splashed a little Chard into the cream sauce and poured Dad and I each a glass of the Pinot Noir I'd been decanting for an hour or so. It was just Dad and I drinking; those other heathens (Mom and Trevor) don't like wine. Bah. Fine. More for us I say. And hot damn people, this was good wine. Mom teased me for saying so about oh, 40 times at dinner, but damn damn damn, mama likes this wine.
Mission Hill 2007 Family Estate Pinot Noir, for me was velvety, velvety oooooohh like velvet. Spicy velvet. Corrr...drooling a la Homer thinking about it. I got fresh snow peas from it too, though that's totally not in the tasting notes. Who cares. Just go get it. Finally, a Pinot Noir that didn't disappoint. Thank you, Mission Hill! Loves you!
We wrapped up the night with me strumming my guitar, playing Patsy Cline tunes, loving it when Dad sang along. Mom and Trevor and the kids played downstairs. The house smelled like butter and garlic and cream. We took our full bellies home, hoping to do it all again next week. 'Round the block a few times first though. All this good livin' is murder on the waistline!
On a totally unrelated note, I'd like to post a picture of a dear, dear friend:
If you know me and you're over it already, I'm sorry, but I can't help myself. Above is my sweet Lara. It's with a sad, heavy heart I report that after nearly 9 wonderful years, we lost her on Tuesday. Full of cancer, we made the painful decision to put her to sleep before her life became more painful than it already was. Lara was a soft, loving, dear, dear dog who was such a special part of our lives. She'll always be in my heart. Dearest Lara, I raise my glass to you tonight. You're a good girl. Mama loves you.
'Til next time,
B.
Anyhoo, tonight was my dinner with Dad. Well both parents actually. I don't mean to marginalize Mom (I love you Mama); it's just that Dad's the one in need of company, so we focus on him a bit more. Mom works and keeps busy and has lots to do, but Dad has Parkinson's disease and is stuck at home with the cat most days (though he wouldn't be if the cranky bastard wouldn't chase away the Red Cross nurse and refuse to go to the senior's centre). So, like I said, when we get together we kind of focus on Dad, 'cause he's the one who needs the tlc.
Dad likes wine. Not a connesieur or anything, he just likes wine. And food. Dad likes food. Dad was the one who taught us kids to be adventurous eaters. We used to wince at his fiddleheads and funny mushrooms, and those spanish onion & brown sugar & vinegar sandwiches (I love the first two, but still can't manage those sandwiches). Now all three of us kids love exciting food thanks to him. So, tonight I swapped our regular lunch out at the pub for evening in at his place cooking dinner.
Remember the fettucine with mushroom and sage and goat cheese I wrote about previously? I did a encore tonight. I so wanted to have an encore with the Domaine Chevallier Chablis, but alas, our teeny liquor store had NO Chablis whatsoever! Gah! There's a wall of Rye and all the Dr. McGillicudy's Teenage Panty Peeler you could ever want, but not one damned bottle of Chablis! What fresh hell is this?!
No matter, I switched gears and decided to get patriotic. I left the store with a bottle each of Creekside Life is Good Unoaked Chardonnay 2008 VQA and Mission Hill's 2007 Family Estate Pinot Noir VQA. I was especially keen to try the Pinor Noir, as I haven't come across one yet that I like (until now).
I got dinner rolling, bantering with Dad about the latest town gossip, tossing salad, steaming mussels and all that good stuff, and we cracked the Chardonnay first. I do declare, mama likes the unoaked chardonnay. Is this trendy? I see this in the liquor stores here and about. It's brighter, less smoky and sexy than the oakey stuff. Good for a chug a lug on a hot afternoon. I read recently that you should start with the brighter, vibrant wines and ease into the heavier stuff, so that was tonight's plan.
Dad approved of the Chardonnay. So did I. Not over the moon in love gush gush kiss kiss love, just like liked it. I'd drink it again gratefully. I'd say this is a really good value wine. It was cheap and cheerful, like around $12 at the LCBO, so if that's all you've got in your wallet and you're looking for something delish and refreshing, you should try this wine.
I splashed a little Chard into the cream sauce and poured Dad and I each a glass of the Pinot Noir I'd been decanting for an hour or so. It was just Dad and I drinking; those other heathens (Mom and Trevor) don't like wine. Bah. Fine. More for us I say. And hot damn people, this was good wine. Mom teased me for saying so about oh, 40 times at dinner, but damn damn damn, mama likes this wine.
Mission Hill 2007 Family Estate Pinot Noir, for me was velvety, velvety oooooohh like velvet. Spicy velvet. Corrr...drooling a la Homer thinking about it. I got fresh snow peas from it too, though that's totally not in the tasting notes. Who cares. Just go get it. Finally, a Pinot Noir that didn't disappoint. Thank you, Mission Hill! Loves you!
We wrapped up the night with me strumming my guitar, playing Patsy Cline tunes, loving it when Dad sang along. Mom and Trevor and the kids played downstairs. The house smelled like butter and garlic and cream. We took our full bellies home, hoping to do it all again next week. 'Round the block a few times first though. All this good livin' is murder on the waistline!
On a totally unrelated note, I'd like to post a picture of a dear, dear friend:
If you know me and you're over it already, I'm sorry, but I can't help myself. Above is my sweet Lara. It's with a sad, heavy heart I report that after nearly 9 wonderful years, we lost her on Tuesday. Full of cancer, we made the painful decision to put her to sleep before her life became more painful than it already was. Lara was a soft, loving, dear, dear dog who was such a special part of our lives. She'll always be in my heart. Dearest Lara, I raise my glass to you tonight. You're a good girl. Mama loves you.
'Til next time,
B.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Buttinsky Wishes for a Time-Machine: note on Domaine Chevallier Chablis 2007.
If I can't have the time machine (why haven't the egg-heads got that down yet?) then at the very least another trip to the liqour store to buy a second bottle of Domaine Chevallier Chablis 2007.
I was passing through the "city" today, and a stop to the LCBO was required. While my husband marvelled at the different varieties of cider (his drink of choice), I floated over to the Vintages room. Ahhh...the romantic lighting, the glimmer of glass and foil, the promise of another delicious yet undiscovered wine. I am so hooked.
As I perused the Italian wines, an LCBO employee was guiding around a customer who was looking for a red and a white. With a red already in his clutch, she guided him over to the shelves of German wines. I couldn't hear what they were murmuring, but the staff member pulled out the very same bottle of Riesling I had last week, and the retailer in me took over. I totally butted in. I surprised them both by reaching in between the two of them with my pointed finger and moaned "OOooooh...get that one. That is a goooood wine." They looked over at me in astonishment; I guess it was kind of a bold move and made me seem like a wierdo eavesdropper. "You tried this wine?" asked the man. "Oh yes," I replied, "it was woonnnderfuulll. I had it last week." "What did you eat it with?" he asked. I told him about the ginger and apple chicken stir fry. He seemed a bit confused by my choice and asked how it was. "It was great," I told him, "it'd be a really nice wine with a light meal, seafood, shrimp would be awesome, anything with a cream sauce. It's really light and sweet and wonderful." "Oh," replied the customer, who then turned to the LCBO employee and said accusingly "well I guess it's her word against yours."
It was then that I notice the LCBO lady glaring directly at me. I shrunk away, embarrassed. Ooops. I guess she told him something different. I didn't mean to trump her expertise. After all, I'm a know-nothing, remember?
The man walked away with Riesling in hand and the LCBO lady walked up to me grumpily. Uh oh. "DO YOU neeeeeeeeed any help?" she sneered, when what I think she wanted to say was "You couldn't possibly want any of my expertise, could you, Miss smarty pants thinks she knows it all about wine?" I gave her my apologetic no and scurried over to the France section.
In the end, I'm so glad this little interaction took place, because if it hadn't I might not have gone to cower in amongst the French wines, and if I hadn't cowered there, I might not have found this super-delicious Chablis. I've never tried wine from Chablis, and never really knew what made a Chablis a Chablis. Now I know it's the name of a region in Northern Burgundy, France, famous for it's Chardonnay grapes. So technically this Chablis is a Chardonnay, but not all Chardonnay is Chablis. See, I'm learning! You can read more about the region and it's grapes by clicking on the link at the end of the post.
Anyhoo, I ended up picking this wine because of the year on the bottle--2007. I remembered reading that regions that have good grape growing weather in a particular year result in all wines from that area being better than usual. This is true for high end wines and low end wines. In good years, the good stuff gets great and the okay stuff gets good. I peered over to the shelf and saw that a 2007 wine from the same region that had been given a score of 90 from Robert Parker was completely sold out. Sooo, I glanced over the entire section and found another 2007 from the same general area that wasn't sold out. Mine! Into the brown bag and home it came.
Tonight we enjoyed a dinner of fresh linguine with a cream sauce, made with tons of butter, two kinds of mushroom, a hint of garlic and a splash of wine from the mason jar, topped with crumbled goat cheese and fresh, chopped sage. We paired it with Trevor's famous homemade cesaer salad and baguette slices. People, I am here to tell you that I could have this meal every single week, forever. I won't, because I wish for my pants to fit me, but good galloping grapes this was a well matched meal! The mushrooms and the slight fishiness of the salad were perfect with this wine. In fact, I can't imagine there's much that won't go with this wine. I think a wine like this one would make a good house white--versatile, goes with lots of foods, refreshing taste. It's lovely and light without being super-fruity. It's got no oakeyness at all, which was unexpected for me because I've never had a Chardonnay that wasn't at least a little bit oakey. For me, it was kind of the lemon Perrier of wine; it had a bit of a lemony taste, along with a mineral flavour that was oddly refreshing. The kind of refreshing you get when you stand next to the ocean. I would love to have this wine with mussels! Num!
When you're done reading about Chablis here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chablis_wine go trot on down to the LCBO and buy a bottle. But don't tell grumpy lady I sent you!
Until next time,
Barb
I was passing through the "city" today, and a stop to the LCBO was required. While my husband marvelled at the different varieties of cider (his drink of choice), I floated over to the Vintages room. Ahhh...the romantic lighting, the glimmer of glass and foil, the promise of another delicious yet undiscovered wine. I am so hooked.
As I perused the Italian wines, an LCBO employee was guiding around a customer who was looking for a red and a white. With a red already in his clutch, she guided him over to the shelves of German wines. I couldn't hear what they were murmuring, but the staff member pulled out the very same bottle of Riesling I had last week, and the retailer in me took over. I totally butted in. I surprised them both by reaching in between the two of them with my pointed finger and moaned "OOooooh...get that one. That is a goooood wine." They looked over at me in astonishment; I guess it was kind of a bold move and made me seem like a wierdo eavesdropper. "You tried this wine?" asked the man. "Oh yes," I replied, "it was woonnnderfuulll. I had it last week." "What did you eat it with?" he asked. I told him about the ginger and apple chicken stir fry. He seemed a bit confused by my choice and asked how it was. "It was great," I told him, "it'd be a really nice wine with a light meal, seafood, shrimp would be awesome, anything with a cream sauce. It's really light and sweet and wonderful." "Oh," replied the customer, who then turned to the LCBO employee and said accusingly "well I guess it's her word against yours."
It was then that I notice the LCBO lady glaring directly at me. I shrunk away, embarrassed. Ooops. I guess she told him something different. I didn't mean to trump her expertise. After all, I'm a know-nothing, remember?
The man walked away with Riesling in hand and the LCBO lady walked up to me grumpily. Uh oh. "DO YOU neeeeeeeeed any help?" she sneered, when what I think she wanted to say was "You couldn't possibly want any of my expertise, could you, Miss smarty pants thinks she knows it all about wine?" I gave her my apologetic no and scurried over to the France section.
In the end, I'm so glad this little interaction took place, because if it hadn't I might not have gone to cower in amongst the French wines, and if I hadn't cowered there, I might not have found this super-delicious Chablis. I've never tried wine from Chablis, and never really knew what made a Chablis a Chablis. Now I know it's the name of a region in Northern Burgundy, France, famous for it's Chardonnay grapes. So technically this Chablis is a Chardonnay, but not all Chardonnay is Chablis. See, I'm learning! You can read more about the region and it's grapes by clicking on the link at the end of the post.
Anyhoo, I ended up picking this wine because of the year on the bottle--2007. I remembered reading that regions that have good grape growing weather in a particular year result in all wines from that area being better than usual. This is true for high end wines and low end wines. In good years, the good stuff gets great and the okay stuff gets good. I peered over to the shelf and saw that a 2007 wine from the same region that had been given a score of 90 from Robert Parker was completely sold out. Sooo, I glanced over the entire section and found another 2007 from the same general area that wasn't sold out. Mine! Into the brown bag and home it came.
Tonight we enjoyed a dinner of fresh linguine with a cream sauce, made with tons of butter, two kinds of mushroom, a hint of garlic and a splash of wine from the mason jar, topped with crumbled goat cheese and fresh, chopped sage. We paired it with Trevor's famous homemade cesaer salad and baguette slices. People, I am here to tell you that I could have this meal every single week, forever. I won't, because I wish for my pants to fit me, but good galloping grapes this was a well matched meal! The mushrooms and the slight fishiness of the salad were perfect with this wine. In fact, I can't imagine there's much that won't go with this wine. I think a wine like this one would make a good house white--versatile, goes with lots of foods, refreshing taste. It's lovely and light without being super-fruity. It's got no oakeyness at all, which was unexpected for me because I've never had a Chardonnay that wasn't at least a little bit oakey. For me, it was kind of the lemon Perrier of wine; it had a bit of a lemony taste, along with a mineral flavour that was oddly refreshing. The kind of refreshing you get when you stand next to the ocean. I would love to have this wine with mussels! Num!
When you're done reading about Chablis here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chablis_wine go trot on down to the LCBO and buy a bottle. But don't tell grumpy lady I sent you!
Until next time,
Barb
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Good, the Bad and the Bubbly.
Well dollies, I have 5, yes 5 wines to write about this go 'round! I'm working hard to put the lush in lucious, let me tell you *wink* My wines from the 'city' are gone, and alas not all of them were enjoyable.
I brought my bottle of Monte Antico Toscana 2006 to Karen's last week. I was eager to crack this bottle, as it was the first blended wine I've purchased (a mix of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabrnet Sauvignon) AND it's made in Tuscany--where I'm determined to go this fall to do some photography. Karen and I fantisize with alarming regularity about our future lives in Tuscany. We mentally renovate our centuries old mill, pick olives from our grove and ride our bicycles through the countryside to market, in an ancient town on golden Italian mornings. We breeze about, picking bread and cheese and wine, and in our imaginations transport ourselves back to our mill home, where we sit on the stone terrace, sipping from our glasses and watch Marcello work in the garden with his shirt off. Believe me, this is a well fleshed out fantasy.
You can imagine my disappointment then, when I whiffed and sipped and sipped again and got nothing but a face full of sour. Try as I might, this wine could not make my tastebuds talk to my brain. Yeast, tannin and vinegar were the only discernable tastes to my palate. Giving up, I turned to the back of the bottle for help. 'Lush and fruity' I read allowed, to which Karen driley replied "it's about as lush as my front yard." (to be fair to Karen's yard, it is in a woodland and it's the first week of April). Down but not out, Karen offered up her bottle of Anselmi 2008 San Vincenzo. Another Italian wine, I looked to this pale golden bottle for a little redemption, but alas, the first sip felt..oh...just okay. We broke out some cheese which improved things, but overall my tongue just wasn't happy. Maybe the previous wine ruined it for me. Karen tried it with a bit of fruit, made a sour face and declared this wine to be as delicious as bathwater. I'm a little alarmed at this point. Two strike outs in a row, both Italian. Do I not like Italian wine? Should I be planning to go to Provence instead? No, I'll persevere. I will say this; those Italian wines did have me feeling a bit lusty after a couple of glasses. This must be why the Italians are so passionate!
A few days later I found myself back at Miss Karen's with my bottle of Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2008. This Chilean red has got some serious swagger. Delicious! A lovely drink alone or with food wine, I'm pretty certain the human equivalent of this wine is Antonio Banderas in tight pants. And can I tell you, I'm pretty damned pleased with myself; I blurted out a bunch of flavours upon trying this wine (Chocolate! Cherry! Pomegranate! Clove!), and sure enough, the tasting notes read: "Cherry, Pomegranate, Toasty Oak, Chocolate, Herbs and Spices." *patting self on the back* Maybe my tongue isn't so dumb after all!
The night wore on, and Karen and I felt there was more drinking and talking to be done. We'd been outside with our husbands, enjoying an unseasonably warm Spring evening, sitting on the patio, watching the sky turn from gold-pink to midnight blue. The empty decanter and a slight chill in the air sent us indoors, and pop! opened the next bottle--Frog Pond Farms Organic Cabernet Franc 2007. I wasn't too sure how I'd feel about this one after tight-pants Antonio Banderas, but oh! What a pleasant surprise! People, this was a very, very enjoyable wine. Lighter than the bottle that preceded it, this wine was full of plum and pepper. So nummy, people, go out and buy a bottle for the weekend. I'm awfully pleased this is the first Ontario VQA on my wine tasting adventure, and I'm keen to try more fare from my home province because of it!
Lastly, Easter celebrations had us all convoying up to my Aunt Nancy's house. I had to bring Karen with me; she's a writer and poet at heart, and Nancy's house is exactly the kind of place where a writer can find inspiration. Nancy and her husband Marc live in a farmhouse in Beaverton. That's right, beauty can be found anywhere, even in Beaverton! Nancy's house is everything that is worn and beautiful and loved. It's one of the homiest homes I've ever known, and probably the home I like to visit best. The kids raced over to the trampoline in the still-brown field and bounced in their Easter best, while adults went inside and ate pancakes and chocolate and first-run maple syrup. And thanks to Karen, we had champagne to chase it all down! Karen, not wanting to show up to a stranger's house on a holiday empty-handed, came bearing two bottles of Voga Sparkling Pinot Grigio. Okay, it's not champagne-champagne, but people, this is a delicious reasonable facsimile. My champagne experiences typically have not been great; they've pretty much been limited to President's at closing night cast parties in the theatre. There was that one excellent bottle my husband and I shared 10 years ago; I don't remember what it was, but he paid $40 for it, and it ended up resulting in my son, Neil. Anyhoo, this sparkling wine may or may not leave you pregnant, but it is delicious with or without orange juice (who put the orange juice in my mimosa?!), and at $18.50/bottle, it won't hurt your wallet the way French champagne does.
And thus ends another week of wine tasting. I'm keen to put together a proper wine tasting for friends, so more on that next go around.
'Til next time!
Barb
I brought my bottle of Monte Antico Toscana 2006 to Karen's last week. I was eager to crack this bottle, as it was the first blended wine I've purchased (a mix of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabrnet Sauvignon) AND it's made in Tuscany--where I'm determined to go this fall to do some photography. Karen and I fantisize with alarming regularity about our future lives in Tuscany. We mentally renovate our centuries old mill, pick olives from our grove and ride our bicycles through the countryside to market, in an ancient town on golden Italian mornings. We breeze about, picking bread and cheese and wine, and in our imaginations transport ourselves back to our mill home, where we sit on the stone terrace, sipping from our glasses and watch Marcello work in the garden with his shirt off. Believe me, this is a well fleshed out fantasy.
You can imagine my disappointment then, when I whiffed and sipped and sipped again and got nothing but a face full of sour. Try as I might, this wine could not make my tastebuds talk to my brain. Yeast, tannin and vinegar were the only discernable tastes to my palate. Giving up, I turned to the back of the bottle for help. 'Lush and fruity' I read allowed, to which Karen driley replied "it's about as lush as my front yard." (to be fair to Karen's yard, it is in a woodland and it's the first week of April). Down but not out, Karen offered up her bottle of Anselmi 2008 San Vincenzo. Another Italian wine, I looked to this pale golden bottle for a little redemption, but alas, the first sip felt..oh...just okay. We broke out some cheese which improved things, but overall my tongue just wasn't happy. Maybe the previous wine ruined it for me. Karen tried it with a bit of fruit, made a sour face and declared this wine to be as delicious as bathwater. I'm a little alarmed at this point. Two strike outs in a row, both Italian. Do I not like Italian wine? Should I be planning to go to Provence instead? No, I'll persevere. I will say this; those Italian wines did have me feeling a bit lusty after a couple of glasses. This must be why the Italians are so passionate!
A few days later I found myself back at Miss Karen's with my bottle of Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2008. This Chilean red has got some serious swagger. Delicious! A lovely drink alone or with food wine, I'm pretty certain the human equivalent of this wine is Antonio Banderas in tight pants. And can I tell you, I'm pretty damned pleased with myself; I blurted out a bunch of flavours upon trying this wine (Chocolate! Cherry! Pomegranate! Clove!), and sure enough, the tasting notes read: "Cherry, Pomegranate, Toasty Oak, Chocolate, Herbs and Spices." *patting self on the back* Maybe my tongue isn't so dumb after all!
The night wore on, and Karen and I felt there was more drinking and talking to be done. We'd been outside with our husbands, enjoying an unseasonably warm Spring evening, sitting on the patio, watching the sky turn from gold-pink to midnight blue. The empty decanter and a slight chill in the air sent us indoors, and pop! opened the next bottle--Frog Pond Farms Organic Cabernet Franc 2007. I wasn't too sure how I'd feel about this one after tight-pants Antonio Banderas, but oh! What a pleasant surprise! People, this was a very, very enjoyable wine. Lighter than the bottle that preceded it, this wine was full of plum and pepper. So nummy, people, go out and buy a bottle for the weekend. I'm awfully pleased this is the first Ontario VQA on my wine tasting adventure, and I'm keen to try more fare from my home province because of it!
Lastly, Easter celebrations had us all convoying up to my Aunt Nancy's house. I had to bring Karen with me; she's a writer and poet at heart, and Nancy's house is exactly the kind of place where a writer can find inspiration. Nancy and her husband Marc live in a farmhouse in Beaverton. That's right, beauty can be found anywhere, even in Beaverton! Nancy's house is everything that is worn and beautiful and loved. It's one of the homiest homes I've ever known, and probably the home I like to visit best. The kids raced over to the trampoline in the still-brown field and bounced in their Easter best, while adults went inside and ate pancakes and chocolate and first-run maple syrup. And thanks to Karen, we had champagne to chase it all down! Karen, not wanting to show up to a stranger's house on a holiday empty-handed, came bearing two bottles of Voga Sparkling Pinot Grigio. Okay, it's not champagne-champagne, but people, this is a delicious reasonable facsimile. My champagne experiences typically have not been great; they've pretty much been limited to President's at closing night cast parties in the theatre. There was that one excellent bottle my husband and I shared 10 years ago; I don't remember what it was, but he paid $40 for it, and it ended up resulting in my son, Neil. Anyhoo, this sparkling wine may or may not leave you pregnant, but it is delicious with or without orange juice (who put the orange juice in my mimosa?!), and at $18.50/bottle, it won't hurt your wallet the way French champagne does.
And thus ends another week of wine tasting. I'm keen to put together a proper wine tasting for friends, so more on that next go around.
'Til next time!
Barb
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Domdechant Werner 2007 Hochheimer Holle Riesling Kabinett. Let's just shorten that to "Give the bottle to Mommy."
Mommy likes. But it wasn't what I was expecting!
If you read yesterday's blog entry, you'll already know that Ginger-Apple Stir Fry and Lemon Souffle were on the menu. The recipe for the stir fry came from www.drinkriesling.com . It was okay, guests and hubby seemed to really like it a lot. I was just so-so on it; a bit bland for my taste, and they should have omitted pepper from the recipe! Pepper + Riesling= No! Next time I'll skip the pepper and add more apples. The Riesling wants something sweeter and milder to accompany it.
The tasting process is becoming familiar. Open bottle with greedy anticipation. Empty contents into Mason jar. Try not to pour self a bigger glass than my guests. Offer husband a splash, knowing he'll politely decline every time. Give the glass a little twirl. Stick nose in glass like I'm a dog drinking out of a water dish. Inhale. Mind races along, whirring through my mental index of a lifetime of sensory memories. Taste. Sensory whammy. Concentrate. Whiff and taste again. Repeat until the mental index goes ping and stops on the word I'm looking for.
During the process I try and remember to keep my place in the ongoing dinner conversation. I don't want my guests to think I'm some sniffing and gulping mental case. This can be hard! Fortunately I am a woman, and therefore used to multitasking. I manage to keep a toe in the conversation while my tastebuds talk to my brain.
Domdechant Werner's 2007 Hochheimer Holle Riesling Kabinett is It in the world of Riesling. Bow down, you other Rieslings! Could I have picked a better wine to take my Riesling virginity? No! Losing your Riesling virginity to this wine is like losing your actual virginity to a man with Daniel Craig's body, Colin Firth's face and Alan Rickman's voice.
First whiff was baffling. First taste was surprising. Much sweeter than what I expected! But not yucky sweet. Smooth, smooth, smooth. The first flavour that pinged was apricot, and for awhile that's all I could taste. It took awhile for the mental index to find the next flavour, which I interpreted as pear. Apricots and pear. My mind turned to sweet herbs, like mint or even basil, and I wished for some. I wished I had a lovely platter of delicate cheese and fruit, instead of ho-hum stir-fry. I saved a gulp to go along with my souffle and bleh! Lemon and Riesling are enemies.
Later on I checked the tasting notes on this wine, to see if my apricot, pear and herb appartitions were close to the critic's description. The official note: "clean, lively fruitiness. Rich aromas from mature apple, peach and apricot.." Well at least I got the apricot right. I guess I just need more practice *sigh*
: )
Domdechant Werner 2007 Hochheimer Holle Riesling Kabinett was purchased at the LCBO in Barrie, Ontario (Bayfield St.). $19.95.
Until next time,
Barb
p.s. you can read about this wine here: http://www.chamberswines.com/img/producer/D/DMD/DMD110_07_fs.pdf
If you read yesterday's blog entry, you'll already know that Ginger-Apple Stir Fry and Lemon Souffle were on the menu. The recipe for the stir fry came from www.drinkriesling.com . It was okay, guests and hubby seemed to really like it a lot. I was just so-so on it; a bit bland for my taste, and they should have omitted pepper from the recipe! Pepper + Riesling= No! Next time I'll skip the pepper and add more apples. The Riesling wants something sweeter and milder to accompany it.
The tasting process is becoming familiar. Open bottle with greedy anticipation. Empty contents into Mason jar. Try not to pour self a bigger glass than my guests. Offer husband a splash, knowing he'll politely decline every time. Give the glass a little twirl. Stick nose in glass like I'm a dog drinking out of a water dish. Inhale. Mind races along, whirring through my mental index of a lifetime of sensory memories. Taste. Sensory whammy. Concentrate. Whiff and taste again. Repeat until the mental index goes ping and stops on the word I'm looking for.
During the process I try and remember to keep my place in the ongoing dinner conversation. I don't want my guests to think I'm some sniffing and gulping mental case. This can be hard! Fortunately I am a woman, and therefore used to multitasking. I manage to keep a toe in the conversation while my tastebuds talk to my brain.
Domdechant Werner's 2007 Hochheimer Holle Riesling Kabinett is It in the world of Riesling. Bow down, you other Rieslings! Could I have picked a better wine to take my Riesling virginity? No! Losing your Riesling virginity to this wine is like losing your actual virginity to a man with Daniel Craig's body, Colin Firth's face and Alan Rickman's voice.
First whiff was baffling. First taste was surprising. Much sweeter than what I expected! But not yucky sweet. Smooth, smooth, smooth. The first flavour that pinged was apricot, and for awhile that's all I could taste. It took awhile for the mental index to find the next flavour, which I interpreted as pear. Apricots and pear. My mind turned to sweet herbs, like mint or even basil, and I wished for some. I wished I had a lovely platter of delicate cheese and fruit, instead of ho-hum stir-fry. I saved a gulp to go along with my souffle and bleh! Lemon and Riesling are enemies.
Later on I checked the tasting notes on this wine, to see if my apricot, pear and herb appartitions were close to the critic's description. The official note: "clean, lively fruitiness. Rich aromas from mature apple, peach and apricot.." Well at least I got the apricot right. I guess I just need more practice *sigh*
: )
Domdechant Werner 2007 Hochheimer Holle Riesling Kabinett was purchased at the LCBO in Barrie, Ontario (Bayfield St.). $19.95.
Until next time,
Barb
p.s. you can read about this wine here: http://www.chamberswines.com/img/producer/D/DMD/DMD110_07_fs.pdf
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