2008 Heartland Shiraz (Australia) - Wine Review

It's time for another wine review. This one was purchase only a few days ago from the latest Vintages Release.

HEARTLAND SHIRAZ 2008 - Langhorne Creek/Limestone Coast, South Australia, Australia (#661934) (D) - $19.95

Tasting Note:
Warm aromas of mint, eucalyptus, wet earth. Flavours of sweet red fruits (raspberry and cherry), herbs, pepper. Medium-bodied. Screw-top. Very uncomplicated. A good wine, but probably doesn't warrant the rating of 91 points given by Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh of the The Big Red Wine Book. Will be having this with one of my favs - simple rice and lentils dish with chaas (yogurt mixed with water, salt & cumin) called khichdi.

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Magnificent Sparkling in Massachusetts?

Tucked inside the shores of Buzzard’s Bay, 80 acres of chardonnay, pinot noir, riesling, rkatsiteli, and several other varietals surround a first class winery operation on what was once a potato farm. This close to the coast, the warm ocean temperatures moderate the New England winter, bringing less snowfall to damage the vines.

In spring, cooler ocean water moderates early warm spikes, delaying bud break and preventing frost damage from retarding growth. And in fall, the warmer water extends the growing season, allowing a later harvest here than in other New England vineyards. Combine this microclimate with a family dedicated to quality wines and you have Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery, the gem of New England winemaking that has won dozens of Gold Medals and been raved about by local, national and international press.

A friend urged me to visit Westport Rivers when researching my novel Sin & Vengeance, saying that the wines were as good as anything grown in the Napa Valley and that the family would welcome me with open arms. He was right on both counts.

The Russell family taught me so much about wines and winemaking my readers assume I’ve been an enthusiast for years. I am so enamored with their fruity sparkling wines I serve them at every function and book group meeting I attend. My guests can’t believe the sparkling is produced right here in Massachusetts and many go on to explore the vineyard for themselves.

Three times I’ve brought my readers to tour the vineyard. We discuss the action from my novel Sin & Vengeance and the script for the Sin & Vengeance movie, both of which are set on the property. The Russell family delights the crowd with information about winemaking and a touch of family history.

As my friend before me, I urge you to visit Westport Rivers Winery on your next trip to Massachusetts. It’s about 30 minutes from the excellent restaurants in Providence, a few miles from Horseneck Beach, and about 40 minutes from the bridges to Cape Cod. Throw in a bed and breakfast and you’ve got a fantastic weekend getaway.

CJ West is the author of 5 thrillers set in New England. Find him at www.22wb.com.

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2009 Terredora Loggia della Serra Greco di Tufo (Italy) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine was purchased only a couple of weeks ago from the July 23 Vintages Release. Normally, I'm not a fan of white wines from Italy, but this was one I HAD to try. I'm glad I did - it was worth it! I would go even as far to say that this is the best white wine I've ever had from Italy.

TERREDORA LOGGIA DELLA SERRA GRECO DI TUFO 2009 - DOCG, Campania, Italy (#983197) (XD) - $17.95

Tasting Note:
Lime, minerals, flowers and wet earth aromas all come through on the palate. Well integrated. Dry and delicious. Creamy long finish (even the bottle was creamy, for some strange reason. LOL.) Very highly recommended if you like dry white wines. Will be enjoying the rest of this wine with whiting fish fried in masala.

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Tastes of Chile + BC Crafters: August 6 Vintages Wine Release

The next Vintages Release on Saturday, August 6 focuses on the tastes of Chile. It's great to see the secondary feature of this release highlighting 5 of our friends from out west (we don't get enough wines from our fellow countrymen & women in British Columbia). However, most of the wines from B.C. in this release are extremely pricey and don't provide great value.

Lots of good Chilean wines to choose from. I'm a sucker for Carmenère - if you haven't tried this grape before, then check out the Siegel (#237859). Normally, I'm not a big fan of Zinfandels, but the Kunde from California looks big enough to try.

Among the whites, the Riesling Spatlese from Mosel stands apart from the rest. For those that prefer unoaked whites, 'Unplugged' Chadonnay from Flat Rock is unoaked.

Enjoy this week's picks, and let me know if you try any of these!

Red Wine:

• HEARTLAND SHIRAZ 2008 - Langhorne Creek/Limestone Coast, South Australia, Australia (#661934) (D) - $19.95
• DOMAINE ARMAND SOLEÏADOR CAIRANNE CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2009 - AC, Rhône, France (#237560) (XD) - $16.95
• GEHRINGER BROTHERS DRY ROCK VINEYARDS MERLOT 2009 - VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#229898) (XD) - $18.95
• SIEGEL CRUCERO RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2008 - Colchagua Valley, Chile (#237859) (XD) - $13.95
• KUNDE ZINFANDEL 2007 - Sonoma Valley, California, USA (#965921) (XD) - $16.95
• EMILIANA ADOBE RESERVA SYRAH 2009 - Rapel Valley, Chile (#213553) (XD) - $12.95

White Wine:

• HOFFMANN-SIMON RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2009 - Prädikatswein, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Mosel, Germany (#216499) (MD) - $19.95
• ANAKENA LILÉN SINGLE VINEYARD VIOGNIER 2010 - Requínoa, Chile (#45138) (XD) - $13.95
• GÉRARD BERTRAND RÉSERVE SPÉCIALE DRY MUSCAT 2009 - IGP Pays d’Oc, Southwest, France (#234674) (D) - $13.95
• MONTES ALPHA CHARDONNAY 2009 - Casablanca Valley, Chile (#390203) (XD) - $19.95
• FLAT ROCK UNPLUGGED CHARDONNAY 2010 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#68015) (D) - $15.95

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2008 Zuccardi Q Tempranillo (Argentina) - Wine Review

Last night's wine was purchased from the June 25 Vintages Release, which had a major focus on wines from Argentina.

ZUCCARDI Q TEMPRANILLO 2008 - Santa Rosa Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina (#973503) - $19.95

Tasting Note:
Made with grapes from 40 year-old vines. Aromas of red berries, blackberry join the flavour profile with lots of pepper/spice, and a touch of cola. Letting the wine breathe in glass relieves some of the spiciness. Chewy tannins will reward ageing another 1-2 years. This is definitely a good wine for the BBQ. I enjoyed this wine with chicken shish kebabs and wings prepared over a charcoal BBQ.

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How to Host Your Own Wine Tasting

I find myself slightly envious of those who live downtown, surrounded by an endless supply of restaurants, patios, and other potential dining opportunities. Need a glass of wine? Just text a friend and hook-up in, say 20 minutes at the bistro around the corner. On occasion though, even these folks ask themselves: What would it take to host a wine tasting in my own home?

I’ll let you in on a little secret; it’s not that difficult. Let me give you a few pointers, but first, some background: I don’t live downtown. In fact, I’m so far removed from the concrete jungle that modern amenities like fibre optic phone lines and natural gas are a figment of my imagination. But rather than make the trek southbound to the urban sprawl for a regular dose of the wine tasting experience, I took it upon myself to recreate the same concept closer to home. I call it North of 9 Fine Wine.

Hosting a wine tasting in your own home or at a local restaurant does involve some preparation and planning. To simplify the process, I’ll break the necessary considerations down as a step-by-step checklist to ensure that we cover all the bases.

Planning:

• Choose a style of wine or a region that you wish to profile
• Pick a theme: stand-up and mingle or sit-down and focused
• How many people will attend? ____
• 1 standard bottle will serve 12 people a 2-ounce pour
• Food should always be available when alcohol is served (at the very least, a sliced baguette)
• Consider the legalities and liquor laws in your area

Preparation:

• Select 4 to 6 different labels to represent your theme
• Consider food pairings to compliment your wine choices
• If ranking the wines, provide grading sheets and pencils
• Select your stemware (something large enough to swirl but not too cumbersome to handle).
  7 oz. / 200 mL ISO tasting glasses cost ~ $4 each
• Consider separate glasses for each wine or one glass with a rinse station
• Provide wine charms if using one glass per person or use a paint marker to write each person’s name on the base of their glass
• Labelled placemats will help keep multiple glasses organized
• Spittoons should be made available as an option
• Whites and sparkling wines may require ice buckets for chilling
• Provide drinking water in a separate glass or bottle
• Have a plan if someone has too much to drink i.e. a key bowl, taxi phone#

Presentation:

• Know your material
• As your guests arrive, consider serving a glass of sparkling wine. The bubbly will give them something to discuss while you fine tune last minute details.
• Consider your crowd and set the tone: fun/informative or wine snobbery (there is a place for each)
• Reinforce the need to consume responsibly before you begin
• Explain the basics (not everyone will be comfortable with the concept)
• Taste in order of dry to sweet and light to full bodied
• Consider the use of props such as decanters, various corkscrews, maps and literature related to your subject
• When finished, allow some social time between the last wine sample and your guests’ departure by offering tea, coffee, and a selection of baked goods.

Coordinating a wine tasting at an establishment outside of your home involves taking the concept to the next level and I recommend that you hire a BYOB licensed restaurant for the event. Initially, the thought might seem intimidating but in actuality, much of pressure to perform is alleviated by leaving the food prep and wine service to the restaurant staff. Consider reserving a small room for your group and rather than a large meal, prearrange several rounds of appetizers specifically chosen to pair with your wine selections. As you conduct the tasting with the group, the staff will circulate with the food and wine which will make you look like a real hotshot!

Enjoy yourself and have some fun with it! That’s why we drink the stuff in the first place.

- Cheers
Tyler is the founder of North of 9 Fine Wine and also writes about wine in Footprints Magazine.

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2009 Château Ste. Michelle Chardonnay (Washington) - Wine Review

I've always been a fan of wines from Washington State. It's a shame we don't get many more offerings from Washington here in Ontario. This fine wine was purchased last month.

CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE CHARDONNAY 2009 - Columbia Valley, Washington, USA (#232439) - $17.95

Tasting Note:
Grapefruit, lemon, herbal, mineral/stone aromas. Buttered popcorn, green apple flavours. Oak evident, but definitely in the background. Medium-bodied. Quality Chard that's well-made. Due to the power outage, I almost had grilled salmon on the BBQ. Instead, I will be having this with pan-fried salmon dusted with cajun. I think it will pair well. ;)

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