No, I’m not transferring anything to a clean vessel. I’m referring to the tasty wines I acquired for the ol’ wine rack during this year’s Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival (April 19 – 25)!
My wineglass soon runneth over.
Humberto Canale Estate Malbec 2008, Patagonia, Argentina
Easily one of the deals of the festival at $18. Ripe bunches of black fruit on the nose reverberate on the palate with lush tannins and rich flavours of cocoa and espresso with a long, satisfying finish. Let your tastebuds do the tango with some steak a la plancha. Sweet tooths, on the other hand, will enjoy this with a nibble of the darkest chocolate.
Better yet, enjoy this puppy solo. A sensuous acquaintance, who does not wish to be quoted, suggests this wine would be “best enjoyed… In the nude.”
I got myself a few bottles of this to test its “lay-down” potential.
Tomero Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Mendoza, Argentina
From the same makers as Vistalba wines in the town of Lujan de Cuyo comes the Tomero label. The thing that stuck out to me the most when I tasted this wine was its spicy oak character, the sweet, woody piquancy tickling my palate from start to finish. (This wine is 80% aged in stainless steel, 20% in French oak for eight months.) I think this badass wine deserves an equally braggadocio spicy sausage or chorizo pizza. $20
Le sigh: I also wanted to purchase some of the Tomero Malbec Rosé, a bold and dense wine, packed with sun-ripened strawberries and bramble, yet with an almost effervescent mouthfeel and finish. Sadly, it was sold out before I could get my hands on any.
Xumek Reserve Blend 2006, Zonda Valley, Argentina
I enjoyed a bottle of Xumek Reserve Malbec over the last New Year’s Eve, so I was most delighted to see the Blend, a combination of Malbec and Syrah, available at this year’s wine festival. We snagged this bottle just as someone else in the festival store waffled and chose against buying it. Their loss! This was plush and balanced with incredible depth of flavour. I find this label’s wines very consistent, even at the basic level. I recommend picking up anything by Xumek next time you’re in the mood for Argentina. $30
Bodegas de Salentein Finca El Portillo Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Mendoza, Argentina
An enthusiastic festival-goer approached this booth a little bit after I had already sampled the wines on offer. The winemaker asked the guest what he could pour for him. The guest replied, “What are you the most proud of?” At a table full of Malbecs (never mind an entire section of Argentinean wines), the winemaker pulled out this little beauty of a Savi. That’s why they say, “Leave it to the experts,” folks!
Crisp, clean acidity provides huge refreshment, and a unique, dry fruitiness emerges which I can only guess may be the fingerprint of terroir. As for food, thank heavens it’s spot prawn season! $14
On a side note: I have to say, I had been in the mood to buy lots of definitive Kiwi Sauv Blanc this festival, given the 2010 theme countries of New Zealand and Argentina, but I found myself more attracted to New Zealand reds and Argentinean whites than the more typical opposite.
Domaine des Cèdres Rosé de Loire 2008, Loire Valley, France
This is one of those wines I can’t really explain buying other than for the fact that when I tasted it, I enjoyed it viscerally: The sweet garden aromas, the cool red berries and rhubarb notes, the mental escape to thoughts of a fantastic picnic with charcuterie and said bottle in hand. I had to have it.
Anyway, this wine is from Anjou and contains 80% Grolleau and 20% Cabernet Franc. I say it contains 100% fun. $18