Firing off a quick mobile blog post on the go:
From the Veneto, this dry, fruity summer sipper is packed with orchard fruit flavours, zesty exotic citrus, a hint of apricot kernel bitterness, and clean green plum acidity, amid a fairly weighty body (it’s 13% alcohol). It’s great on its own as well as a tasty pairing with savoury dishes such as ceviche, salade Niçoise, grilled asparagus, and sardines fried or grilled with garlic, mint and chilies. $15 in Vintages Essentials.
Opened on December 29, 2010. A blend of Baco Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. I haven’t had too many good examples of Baco Noir, and this wine basically confirmed that I will probably never be a fan of the grape, which is a hybrid variety.
Most wines you see on store shelves, particularly European wines that only allow specific grapes, are made of vitis vinifera varieties only – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are popular examples.
Today Baco Noir and other hybrid wine grapes (those bred between vitis vinifera and other species; Vidal and Maréchal Foch among the most widely known) are generally grown in North America, where their hardiness copes well with the extreme northern climates and potential vineyard diseases, and local regulations allow for wine to be produced commercially out of these grapes.
It is said that non-vitis vinifera grapes tend to produce wines of a “foxy” aroma and palate, which can be a unique characteristic. Unfortunately, the trait doesn’t appeal to me at all, and is exactly what I detected out of this bottle of EastDell Black Cab.
However, this wine is also quite typical for the varietals and region, with its cool climate greenness on the nose and palate, and so for the sake of education is probably worth a try.
Unavailable in British Columbia, as far as I know, but if you have a friend returning from Ontario, get them to bring a bottle home for you.
Deep ruby purple in the glass, this wine exudes youthful black fruits, berries, currants and red fruits on the nose which is veiled by a slightly musky or skunky tone. The palate is dry, with ample acidity, low tannins and a fairly light body that carries youthful, green flavours of sour cherry, unripe berries, herbs, asparagus and hints of metal and oak that finish short. Drink now and forever hold your peace. $13 in Ontario.
I got this a couple of summers ago while driving through Summerland. I recommend visiting the winery if you get a chance, it’s one of the more idyllic cottagey shops in the area and has a nice tasting bar. The people working there are really nice and also have good knowledge of the winery’s history as well as that of the locale.
Rich citrus, ripe apple verging on stone fruit aromas with hints of biscuit combine in the mouth to form a juicy, ripe palate with a clean finish. Easy drinking, approachable Chardonnay with just the slightest touch of oak aging. $25
This elegant sparkling cocktail was concocted by me, but derives its crazy moniker from the brain of Sean Minogue.
I served this and the Naughty Chardonnay at a holiday dinner with the family, and was pleasantly surprised at how quaffable the former was as an apéritif.
The recipe is simple, and serves up to 8 per 750 ml bottle (by the way, Henkell Rosé is around $15):
Anyone remember that old IHOP chestnut? I think the moniker accurately describes two of the finds I picked up at this year’s Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.
Not only were the wines rooty, tooty, fresh and fruity, the prices were right too – you can buy these wines and have your (pan)cake too!
Interested Vancouverites can try to pick these up while there may still be a small amount leftover from the fest:
I met winemaker Gustavo Bauzá at Playhouse, who seemed to be very proud to pour this wine for me, almost more so than his signature Mendoza Malbecs and reserve Malbecs. With that much good faith, I had to take home a bottle of this for myself.
This refreshing white offers a fruit salad nose with dry, crisp flavours of green Thompson grapes, citrus and fresh, sweet wheatgrass on the palate. Clean, stretched out acidity from start to finish makes this a perfect wine for summer food. Opened on Mother’s Day (May 9). $15
I did end up having spot prawns with this wine, as I was hoping to, which worked out beautifully, as did the other dishes I made for Mom: Curried fresh tomato gazpacho soup with cucumber and Saltspring Island mussels cooked in the same wine. Yum!
El Portillo also makes a sparkling wine in the traditional method with Champagne varietals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which I’m very curious to try.
This wine is from a little biodynamic winery in the Loire Valley with about 19 hectares of vineyards, up from an original 6 ha when it was founded in 1936. Domaines des Cèdres produces a Vin de Pays red, Vin de Pays rosé, an AOC Côtes du Rhône red and an AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages red.
I opened this last week to celebrate a recent achievement, and was rewarded with delicate flower petal aromas, fresh strawberries and sweet rhubarb coming off the nose. On the palate, this medium-bodied salmon-coloured beauty was dry – more dry than one would expect from the juicy nose – although the round fruity flavours remained right into the finish. $18
Ed.: See? What’d I tell you about the rooty part? Well, rhubarb… Stalk, root; whatever.
All I had for food that night, sadly, was a box of Vietnamese takeout, because I had no time to cook. But the bun thit nuong’s grilled pork with fresh raw vegetables on warm vermicelli in a sweet/sour/salty fish sauce (nam pla) formed an inspired East-West pairing with this Loire rosé.
Links
Finca El Portillo www.bodegasalentein.com
Domaines des Cèdres www.domainedescedres.fr