inspired by snow

So, a vote of non-confidence and an election, I finished my book and I could ignore the wine blog no more. Why the procrastination? Well, I recycled a bottle before I wrote the vintage in my notebook (marked below), and there is no way I was driving across town to the store I bought it in to look at a label, and I am too lazy to pick up the phone. I am going to guesstimate on the vintage, if anyone has had the wine recently please confirm.

When the snow flies all that white sends me back to the fridge, back to white wine. We stay home (cocoon) a bit more, we entertain a bit more, we cook a bit more. I have always found white wine & food a bit more of a challenge, and I like a challenge.

The following white wines are all posted in the 'so to sun it up' format:

J.Lohr's Riverstone Chardonnay
Grape(s): Chardonnay
Vintage: 2003
Appellation: Monterey, California
Closure: Trad. Cork
Format: Standard, 750ml
Price: $22
Had With: Peter Mansbridge, okay he wasn't actually here but he was on TV. We had a veggie pasta that didn't do the wine justice. Golden colour, creamy texture, hints of pear.
Recommend: Buy. Why? Every once in a while I get a hankering for a Chard so oaky I can pull splinters from my gums; this is that wine, vintage after vintage after vintage.

Pascual Toso
Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2003, recycled
Appellation: Mendoza, Argentina
Closure: Cork, neoprene
Format: standard
Price: $12
Had With: Take away veggie pizza with feta cheese, watched Grosse Point Blank.
Recommend: Maybe, good Wednesday wine?

Thornbury Estate
Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2003
Appellation: Marlborough, New Zealand
Closure: Stelvin
Format: standard
Price: $20
Had with: conversation; 3 people while preparing dinner, we meant for it to last through dinner but, well this wine went down smooth. Great acidity, wowing citrus, hint of kiwi and passionfruit. Very yummy.
Recommend: Yes, do not pass go, just take your $20 and go directly to wine store.

Lingenfelder's Fish Label
Grape(s): Riesling
Vintage: 2003
Apellation: Mosel, Germany
Closure: Stelvin
Format: standard
Had With: Tilapia & spinach salad. A very enjoyable wine. Great ripeness, hints of gala apple and pear nectar, sploosh of honey.
Recommend: Yes, this is a great example of what a good Riesling can be. Don't be afraid of Riesling, it is magical when it is spot on.

...so are the days of our lives

Have you ever bought mediocre wine? No, really think about it -
has every wine you have bought been great or did the atmosphere make the wine great? Case in point - bought a cheap & chipper Orvieto from a large, well-known Italian producer, bought an already roasted chicken from the pre-cooked meals section of the local super market and made some pasta-feta salad to go with, sat down and ate dinner and watched a news program. The food was comfy, the news was the shits (well GS was worth watching) and the wine was okay. And by okay, it was just okay.

This made me think about how experience changes wines. Take Matues Rose ('70's bottle floating upside down...) I never would have bought this and looked forward to the experience - went to the lake this summer & a friend brought it. It was humid-hot & getting close to dinner, we decided to open it as our appetizer wine. We were all laughing eating munchies and the wine tasted great. And by great, we bought a bottle when we got home. The second bottle was good but not great. The laughing and camaraderie really made the wine. Will I buy it again? Yes, every time I taste it I remember the lake. Sometimes you need that memory when you see your car covered in snow and the pile of ice 20cm high the plow has left for you to navigate over, after you've uncovered your car...

So was the Antinori Orvieto really just okay? Probably, but I'm going to try it again. I had a crap day at work, was grumpy, the news was the news and I didn't pair the best food with it; it deserves a second chance. I know from experience that all of these factors added to my wine tasting reaction.

I'm not going to 'Sum it up' as I usually do - I am going to try the wine again. Fair is fair, and if it's okay I'll blog it as okay, but on its own terms.



...I mentioned to Wine in the Peg we are going to try (again) the Thornbury Sauvignon Blanc in the next few days. My next post will probably be a series of different wines (mostly white) that we have tried over the last week or two.

reading in the wine world - the 3rd 'R'

When first getting into wine I improved my awareness of one passion by indulging in another- Reading. As I continue to learn about wine I have used the following method.

1 - Purchase 5 good reference books.
The books I list are suggestions for my reading style, you should select books that suit your needs. I have found these were great books to start with:
1xregion (worldwide)'World Atlas of Wine' (H.Johnson & J. Robinson); another great way to get a quick bite of this info is in the annual H. Johnson 'Pocket Wine Book'
1xgrape 'Guide to Wine Grapes' (J. Robinson)
1xhistory 'Vintage: The Story of Wine' (H. Johnson)
1xfood & wine 'Wine with Food' (J. Simon)
1xvintage 'Wine Vintages' (M. Broadbent)
As you can see I have a preference for a couple of authors - remember to find the ones that you like. I like authors that provide reliable information and get to the point. Nothing is worse than bad information or over information to confuse any student. The 'Peg has some great bookstores and a pretty good library system, there is lots of information available, however I don't feel it is necessary to buy every book that hits the market. How many Atlas do you need? How many books on the Wines of Canada? Buy what you need when you need it and always keep your bookshelf moderately up-to-date.
2 - Once you know a bit find books that help you explore more.
This is where you can focus on region, grape, food & wine combos, histories, bios, trends, the list goes on & on & on & on & on...
I like the Mitchell Beazley guides for quick regional focus. Solid information, various authors and inexpensive. For food pairing Andrea Immer Robinson is excellent. Histories, bios and trends I have purchased when a whim takes me in the book store. You can read about wine everyday to stay on top in tasting notes and vintage updates, regional law changes, etc, etc, etc without touching the last 3. I recently indulged my historical curiosity in a used book shop and purchased 'Wine & War' (D.&P. Kladstrup) - a very interesting perspective of French wine during WWII. There are many other books I enjoy in this genre but you should find yours.
3 - The 'zines.
Periodicals a.k.a. magazines - whether they have advertisements or not are usually attached to critics and ratings. I always read these while holding a grain of salt in one hand and counting the advertisements with the other. Usually the information provided is up to date and accurate, harvest reports, focus on regions, grapes, wineries, winemakers, winelists. I am careful about the ratings - you may not taste the same as the person or panel who rated the wine. I have enjoyed many wine that have scored lower than 90 points and not enjoyed wines that have scored close to 100. Newspapers can often be a good source for wines that are available in your market, ours changed yesterday, looks to be interesting. Remember whether the author is local, national or international personal preference, experience and environment play a key role - more on this when I write about the first 'R' - drinking.
4 - Hang Ten
Surf the web. Winery websites are good sources of information that a winery wants you to have. Just remember they normally never tell you that their wine is bad. Magazines and authors also have good websites with good information. I use the web almost every day when it comes to wine, I have made good and bad purchases based on the information that I have come across. I obviously enjoy the blogs & am always looking for more Wpg. bloggers - if you know of any send them this way.
5 - Other Media.
A lot of fictional novels, TV Dramas/Sitcoms & Movies reference wine. Remember this info may not be completely accurate - the author may not be a wine geek. Have some fun with these and research the validity yourself - you never know what you might find.

Thus ends my opinion on reading about Wine. Sorry, now wine review today - commitments beckon.

cold in winnipeg?

I woke up this morning to the radio announcer discussing snow, and I thought to myself why is it going to get colder just as I am getting over a cold? Yes folks for the last 2 weeks I have suffered through the autumn cold. Other than upping my personal consumption of president's choice tissue it downed my consumption of wine, leaving me little to wine blog about. It did leave me time to appreciate cough syrups, sweet elixirs of relief. Left the swirl, sniff, swallow routine behind for speed gulping off a teaspoon over the bathroom sink(Vancouver 2010 featured event?).

I also did some wine shopping and picked up what will hopefully be some great wines to ease back with. A Mosel Riesling, a Shiraz-Grenache, a Pinot Gris and an Italian Red or 2.

I also did some book shopping. You'll see a post on the 3rd R of wine first.

friday night fixin' s

Saturday morning, enjoying my coffee, listening to CBC, contemplating doing some laundry, procrastinating by posting to blog.

After a mini-long week we decided to stay in last night and relax. Which wine to drink? Popped by one of Wpg.'s private wine merchants and picked up a bottle of Casa Silva's Dona Dominga Single Vineyard La Hijuela Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon 2005. Long name for what I would describe as a great wine with an outstanding price. We also grabbed some avocados, fresh local tomatoes, a purple onion and made some chunky guacamole to snack on while we made dinner.

When poured, the wine glowed with brilliance in the glass. The aroma also jumped out - fresh pear, peach and a hint of honey. All of these flavours followed through on the first taste, the wine was crisp with a delicate acidity. I thought detected a bit of citrus towards the back. The finish was clean. I also enjoyed the feel of this wine - it had a creamy texture without the creamy flavours.

I checked out the website this morning and was impressed by what the winery stated. The website was easy to navigate and had a soothing background music (which I turned off as I was listening to CBC). What did I discover? Well, the tasting note for the 2005 is not up yet so I peeked at the 2004: 50/50 split between Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon; 100% hand harvested; hand sorting of grapes; stainless steel fermentation. There is nothing wrong with machine harvesting, though there is some debate on if it damages the grapes or not (future blog topic?). I also learned a lot about the winery and their commitment to their vineyards and their appellation. One of my favourite parts was the location map, it shows vineyard location within the region.

Casa Silva appears to be a winery with a commitment to making good quality, easy drinking wines. I love the fact that this wine was hand harvested, single vineyard, single appellation and affordable, you can taste the difference care makes, even in wines under $20. It was priced below many of the label-driven-wines I try to avoid (see price of wine post in September 2005). I also discovered Casa Silva makes some interesting wines including Chile's only 100% Sauvignon Gris from vines planted pre-WWI, has a Viognier and a Carmenere. I also liked that it was next to a number of reds on the shelf, I will definitely be checking these out in the near future.

So to sum it up...
Casa Silva's Dona Dominga
Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon
Vintage: 2005
Appellation: Single Vineyard - La Hijuela, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Closure: Trad. Cork
Format: Standard bottle
Price: $11 plus taxes
Had With: Homemade Southern Fried Chicken and whipped potatoes; chunky guacamole & tortilla chips; sipped after while reading on the chesterfield.
Recommend: Buy a case, you won't regret it. And don't be one of those ninnys I always end up behind in line and ask for a discount; if you are entitled to one the customer service person will let you know.

The last word...
Day 2 of the Cono Sur Merlot (magnum). Stood tall, the flavours were still there, though the finish softened a smidge, though not a problem. I stand by the assessment of this being a good wine to have on hand. I also think this would be an excellent house wine (hint-hint, nudge-nudge restaurant readers).

not the day i planned

My plan yesterday was to arrive home and cook a fabulous meal and enjoy a lovely bottle of wine, life is not always what you plan. I arrived home an hour and a half late and tired, dinner turned from sublime to simple, as did the wine.

The dinner turned into grilled ribeye with simple seasoning (S&P) accompanied by mashed parmesan potatoes and a creamy carrot, lettuce and pomegranate salad. Dessert was sliced fruit, cheese and a movie in the DVD. The wine went from a new acquisition on the wine rack to a magnum of Merlot we picked up to try as a vin de maison - Cono Sur's Origen Merlot 2004 (Central Valley, Chile).

Ever wondered where Central Valley is? Central Valley is the big growing region in Chile, it encompasses all the smaller areas (Aconcagua, Maipo, Rapel, Curico, Maule, Casablanca Valleys, to name a few). More on Chile's appellations and their laws in another blog.

The Merlot was simple and predictable. Soft plums, hints of blueberry, sharp spice though not pepper, more clove and nutty-walnut. The finish had an interesting touch and it took a while for us to name it - dried dill. There was something else there, I think a little of Cab. Sauv. may have been there to add depth in colour and aroma. All round a pleasant, easy drink, definitely a crowd pleaser, a house wine. We have over half the bottle left, I will post how it changed after being open for a day.

So to sum it up:
Cono Sur 'Origen' Merlot
Grape(s): bottle says Merlot however, I could not find this exact wine on the website to verify.
Vintage: 2004
Appellation: Central Valley, Chile
Closure: Trad. Cork
Format: Magnum a.k.a. the 1.5L
Price: $16 plus tax
Had with: Ribeye steak, a traditional meat & potaoes meal. Could also be good with fajita or stew. Was very good to sip on its own.
Recommend: Yes. This is an excellent wine to have sitting on the counter for lazy days, to drink or to cook with and to serve when friends and family show up.

the 5R's of wine

You are probaly wondering what the 5R's of wine are.

Simply put my 5R's are:
(d)rinking
(a)rithmetic
(r)eading
(w)riting
(t)ravel.
Over the next few months; in between my wine review posts I plan on fleshing out the 5R's and their importance to growth in personal wine appreciation. Don't worry - I have not missed Food & Wine, it factors into every one of my 5R's.

For dinner tonight we are having organic ribeye steaks with a crumbly blue cheese sauce (yum). We are debating between 2 wines on the rack - a Costieres de Nimes & an Aussie Shiraz, though I may grab a Pinot Noir on the way home. I'll let you know how the debate ends and how the wine paired with the meal.

the price of wine

What is it that attracts people to wine?

For me it was simple, wine always changes, each bottle is an enigma. Will it be good? Will it be as good as everyone says it is? Is it corked? Will it go with my Sushi take-away? Will my friends enjoy it? Or will it be plonk I buy for the occasional Spaghetti sauce?

The endless combinations. Grape, Soil, Climate, Treatment, Winemaker, Barrel, Closure. All of the factors that make up a bottle of wine remind me of the constant growth of wine. Even if you read everything printed on wine you would never know it all. Even if you tasted every wine you would never know it all, as each bottle, each wine changes with every moment in time. There is that constant knowledge that no matter how much you think you know you will never know it all, wine is humbling.

Wine enchants, not just people but food. Magical combinations abound and secrets pour out. Whether it is Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese or Merlot and gossip something happens. With all these possibilities why is generality winning the popularity race? With all that there is to learn, from the wine, the people and the food we seem to be directed to the price tag & package.

Can we afford to buy a wine where the marketing campaign costs as much as the juice?

Yes. Remember the first wine you bought and why you bought it, the label probably played a factor but you kept buying more and eventually you were hooked. So the package led to the purchase, the purchase led to the experience and the experience led to the thirst for knowledge and those magical combinations but eventually we go back. This step back can lead down a new path and new discoveries of grape or region. And sometimes they don't.

And No. Wine is the one area where we can afford to 'play the field', the only thing you might catch is a bad hang-over. Diversity of region and grape keeps innovation happening. It also keeps the market competitive and growing. By overly supporting and promoting formulated, packaged wines do we contribute to the demise of vino diversity? Personally I do not want to drink what the critics and marketers made for me, the consumer. I think I can use my limited wine budget to explore new regions, to go where no wine dictator has gone before, to not buy a wine made for the masses. I've never been a sheep, or a penguin for that matter.

Many of the local wine writers have an enthusiasm for inexpensive wines, inexpensive wines with animals on the label, inexpensive wines plugged over and over and over again. One even suggests you can make Piesporter by mixing (cheap) apple juice and a shot of Vodka. This one has never experienced the magic of a Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese. Wine is not juice and alcohol, wine is alchemy.

Wine review...I decided to try a new wine with EcoCert on the label, I have seen a lot of these lately. No fancy label, a tree and a sun. What an enjoyable little wine, bright nectarine and lime flavours balanced by a honied texture and a splash of acidity.
So to sum it up...
Domaine de L'Olivette Blanc
Grape(s): listed as Grenache & Marsanne. I think the Grenache is Grenache Rose or Grenache Gris.
Vintage: 2003
Appellation: Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Cabrerisse , (Southern) France
Closure: Trad. Cork
Price: Under $15 but more than $12; I misplaced the receipt.
Had With: light meal - mushroom & spinach frittata; we had this and it worked well but the wine also made me think of cold roasted chicken salad.
Recommend: Buy & try.

www woops

With CBC being down I was craving information and surfing the web. Alas, when I tried linking off of this blog and I discovered I am less computer savvy than I thought. My links didn't work, my apologies. Don't worry I fixed them & decided to add a 'Winery Links' section to my blog. I will do my best to add the winery links of the wines I try and blog on a semi-regular basis.

I did have some fun surfing the web and decided the following sites are worth a peak, if you have a chance.
Site#1: Bonny Doon Vineyard Bonny Doon
Thoughts: Big House Pink? Flamingos. Dooniversity - check out the Screwcap section.
Recommend: If you have a lot of time. Speaking of Cap: Screw...

Site#2: Stelvin Stelvin
Thoughts: I love this website! Shows a bit about aging and differentiates between Stelvin & Stelvin+. It also tells you some of the wineries using this closure, including Inniskillin.
Recommend: Looking for good info on a new closure you have encountered?

Well, onto Site#3: Rock Rabbit Winery
I recently purchased the Sauvignon Blanc but have not had opportunity to try it so I checked out the website Rock Rabbit Winery.
Thoughts: Load is slow..the ORANGE is blinding.
Recommend: Let you know after I try the wine.

Site#4: Don Sebastiani & Sons Don&Sons
It is no secret I started blogging after reading other wpg. bloggers. One of these bloggers winnipeg wine blog recommended the Smoking Loon Viognier and I thought before I try the wine I will try the website (Damn you CBC, I am reading about wine and not drinking it!)
Thoughts: Kinda fun, easy to find information.
Recommend: Yes & more on their other wines later.

Site#5: Freixenet (pronounced fresh-a-net?) Freixenet
I have been known to enjoy a bit of Carta Nevada while playing Poker.
Thoughts: Pick Great Britain - the commercials are fun. Pick Russia - if only I could read Russian as well as my computer screen displays it. Pick Germany - Ausgezeichnet, you can log in and 'flirt' with other Freixenet lovers! Pick Canada - does all of Spain find us this boring?
Recommend: Yes, but only after you have had a bit too musch bubbly on a Tooshday.

Site#6: The Little Penguin tlp
Thoughts: just go to 'the penguin zone' and do the 2 quizzes. Quiz#1 aka Personality Test 'If you were a wine what would you be'. Apparently I am Chardonnay but that is only because they don't make Riesling! Quiz#2 - Blush Quiz. I am rarely rose.
Recommend: Fun, relax at work (say 4:45pm on Friday) and just play with this site.

pickerel pickings

Over the last couple weeks some fine filleted Manitoba fish has been enjoyed with some fine wines purchased at various locations through the city. I made some notes and are posting those thoughts in the 'So to sum it up...' format.

Combination: Pickerel in a Green Curry Sauce with Fetzer 'Valley Oaks' Gewurztraminer
Grape(s): Gewurztraminer
Vintage: 2004
Appellation: Listed on bottle as California but website boasts Monterey, Santa Barbara & Mendocino
Closure: Cork
Price: $14 plus tax
Recommend: Yum. Buy but needs flavourful food, is a bit much on its own. This is an old stand 'buy' for spicy fare at our house.
Fetzer

Combination: Corn Flake Crusted Pickerel with Concha y Toro 'Casillero del Diablo' Sauvignon Blanc
Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2004
Appellation: Listed on Bottle as Central Valley, Chile but website lists Maule, Maipo & Casablanca with %
Closure: Cork
Price: $11.5 plus tax
Recommend: Good to buy and leave in fridge for any occasion. Decent with pickerel but probably should be paired with a different crusting or style, was more enjoyable solo.
Concha y Toro


Combination: Pickerel lightly floured and cast-iron fried with butter, served with lemon wedges. Wine with was Cave Spring' Off-Dry' Riesling
Grape(s): Riesling
Vintage: 2004
Appellation: VQA Niagara Peninsula (Beamsville Bench, Creek Shores, Jordan Bench)
Closure: Cork
Price: $13 plus tax
Recommend: Very, very tasty. The acidity was refreshing and cut through the butter.
Cave Spring

grab the bull by the horns

You can read the paragraph or skip to 'So to sum it up...'

Yet another Fedora has been thrown into the proverbial ring, or so I thought. Priced to compete in the 'animal-on-the-label' category is Bleasedale's Langhorne Crossing Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz. Yes, there is an animal (looks Angus) on the label but it is understated and has history to it. What I liked about this number was the ripe berry-fruit and a hint of caramel toast, but not over fruity and sticky sweet. Very yummy, very drinkable while we were cooking and very tasty with the salmon burgers we prepared. My favourite part is this little number is 100% single appellation fruit (Langhorne Creek), no generic 'South Australia' here and the winery also lists the oak - French & American.

So to sum it up...
Bleasedale Langhorne Crossing Red
Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Vintage: 2003
Appellation: Langhorne Creek, Australia
Closure: Stelvin
Price: $11.5 (before tax)
Recommend: good on own or with comfort fare. Definite Buy.
Bleasdale

One More

After perusing the local (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) wine writings (web & others), I have decided to sporadically add my opinion to the many available. Will it be of value? Will my opinion be accepted into the community? Only time will tell.