Providing a Unique & Affordable Selection of High Quality Red Wines and White Wines for Your Enjoyment. Also featured: Rosé, Port, Icewine, Champagne and Sparkling Wine for Special Occasions. Cheers!
On , I attended the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo VIP Preview Night. I arrived just after the show opened at 6 p.m. and the place was buzzing with lengthy lineups for sample tickets. Once I got upstairs to the main pavilion, I noticed the first few aisles were busy, while the rest of the venue was relatively quiet. I quickly seeked and found one of the many booths to purchase sample tickets - 1 sheet of 20 tickets cost $20 - and fortunately, this line was short.
My first stop was the Dreissigacker booth represented by K&S Wine Imports in the Fine Wine pavilion located in the northern part of the hall. I am regretting tasting only two of the lower-end Dreissigacker Rieslings as both were outstanding wines (full detailed reviews will be posted later). I can only imagine how good their top-tier wines are! Must check out if you enjoy German Rieslings! It's a shame these aren't available at the LCBO.
The next stop was Coyote's Run, also in the Fine Wine section, to taste their new Meritage. While it was good, it definitely needs at least 2 more years before it's drinkable. By now, it was time for me to head over to the Canadian Cheese Tasting.
This year's cheese tasting definitely seemed to have less interest than last year. Perhaps it's because they didn't serve any wine to pair with the cheese? Regardless, I had already tasted 2 of the cheeses on the menu previously. Upper Canada's Comfort Cream is a soft cheese that I tasted last month, while the Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar is a favourite of mine and was tasted back in July. The other delicious cheeses we tasted were the 14 Arpents semi-soft, and the Ménestrel firm and Aged Farmhouse firm cheeses. The final cheese tasting was the Le Rassembleu (blue cheese) and this was quite different from other blue cheeses - it was firm and had very earthy/hay/manure aromas. On the palate, the blue cheese was more traditional in flavours dominated by saltiness.
Following the cheese, my mouth was feeling quite dry, so it was definitely time to whet my taste buds with some wine. Walking around, I eventually found myself at the Cornerstone Estate Winery tasting quite a few wines from their expansive lineup. In case you didn't know, Cornerstone is also home to the 2012 Winemaker of the Year - Andrzej Lipinski. His influence is definitely felt in these wines as they were all above-average. The Gewurztraminer and the Chenin Blanc were my favourite. Definitely taste the Icewines if you visit this booth!
Next, I found myself at the Trialto booth to taste a big, primarily Merlot-based '09 Bordeaux. It's very nice! I love Malbec, and the Catena version at the Trialto booth also impressed me.
Over the past year, I learned that the Georgian region is the oldest wine-producing region in the world - going back 8,000 years. I had never tasted wine from this country before, and shows like this are a great opportunity to sample wines that you might not otherwise be adventurous and purchase. Georgia is known for making sweet red and white wines. I tasted one of each Thursday night and both are quite the experience. Both were different, but the Qvevris (white wine) was definitely more pleasurable for my palate.
Back to more traditional wine for my taste buds, I found myself at a French wine booth. A couple of low-end reds from Antonin Rodet were tasted, but I was left quite underwhelmed by both offerings. By now, I felt like I needed something to nosh on to get me through the last hour or so. I wandered around and bumped into a few friendly faces. One friend told me about lobster rolls that were located just around the corner from her booth. At 5 tickets, they were expensive and a bit small. But, they were delicious! Thanks for the suggestion, Lindsay!
I wandered around some more and eventually found my way to the WineAlign booth to chat with a few colleagues and other winos. Also got to meet John Szabo. While there, it was suggested I check out Hidden Bench Vineyards & Winery. I believe this was the first time I had tasted anything from Hidden Bench and I came away with only good feelings. Their Riesling is very good, while their Terroir Cache needs more time to settle. Soon after, the announcers started telling everyone to close shop and get out, politely of course. =)
The show continues to run today and Sunday, and I hope your visit will be enjoyable as you wade through the hundreds of wines that will be poured. As mentioned earlier, full reviews of the wines I tasted will be published in a future post. Cheers!
This very nice Syrah from Chile was purchased from the Vintages Release and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. If you're interested, this red wine is still available in the Vintages section at the LCBO.
Tasting Note:
Intense aromas of blueberry, raspberry, vanilla and hints of coffee. Medium-bodied and fruit forward with peppercorn leading to long, smooth finish. Quite well-balanced with refined tannins. Tasty!
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Rosewood Estates Winery Portfolio tasting hosted at The Chef's House in downtown Toronto. Rosewood is a family-operated winery and meadery based in Beamsville Bench.
Leading the Sales & Marketing for Rosewood and presenting the afternoon's event was Krystina Roman. Given Rosewood's family roots in beekeeping, everyone who works at winery is "blessed" with a bee nickname - Krystina is known as the "Social Bee". Also in attendance was then-winemaker Natalie Spytkowsky, who is doing a great job making naturally fermented table wine and mead.
I was very excited to be invited to this event as this was my very first time tasting mead (i.e. honey wine). This was also my first time tasting anything from Rosewood, and I came away quite impressed! I went into the tasting expecting mead to taste very much like Icewine, but much to my surprise, mead is not THAT sweet. It is still quite good, but is an acquired taste.
The tasting consisted of 10 mead and table wines paired with 4 tasting plates, plus a palate-cleansing mead cocktail after the 3rd tasting plate. The following are my reviews of the food & wine pairings:
ROSEWOOD HARVEST GOLD 2011 - Niagara Escarpment (#346767) (MD) - $15.00
Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. Raw, dry honey aromas. Off-dry on the palate with light floral and honey notes. Natural acidity takes over at mid-palate, while the finish is medium-long. This wine did pair well and was nicely balanced with the Chicken Tikka with Mango Chutney.
ROSEWOOD SÉMILLON 2011 - VQA Beamsville Bench (D) - $18.00
Clean and refreshing lime with hints of citrus aromas. Very bright acidity with aroma replays on the off-dry palate. Medium-length finish. Mouth was bursting of sweet lemons when paired with the White Fish Ceviche. Score: 87-88 pts
ROSEWOOD MIMA'S BLOCK RIESLING 2011 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench (D) - $18.00
Made from the Alsatian Riesling Clone 49 varietal (rare for Ontario) and named after their late Aunt Mima. Nose a bit closed, but nice aromas of white peach, apricot and lime. Lively acidity with more peach and tart lime on the palate. Off-dry with a medium-length finish. One of my favourites of the afternoon. It paired well with the fish as the acidity really cut into the lemon in the Ceviche. Score: 88-89 pts
ROSEWOOD SÜSSRESERVE RIESLING 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula (MD) - $15.00
Made using the more traditional (for Ontario) Weis 21B Riesling varietal. Relatively closed nose with aromas of lime, mineral, petrol and honey. Medium-dry on the palate with lots of minerality and some petrol and honey notes. Good acidity, and very-well balanced. Finish is sweet (but not too sweet or cloying) and long. The flavours and acidity balanced really well with strong lemon flavours from the Ceviche. Score: 88 pts
ROSEWOOD PINOT NOIR RESERVE 2009 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench (XD) - $40.00
Naturally fermented. Made in an old-world style with intense aromas of smoke, red fruits, earth and cedar. Light-to-medium bodied and bright acidity with ripe red fruits, sour red cherries and beet root on the palate. Has grippy tannins and a short finish. My kind of Pinot! Score: 90 pts
ROSEWOOD PINOT NOIR RESERVE 2010 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench (XD) - $40.00
Smooth, pure red fruit aromas and lightly oaked/spice aromas & flavours. Medium-bodied palate also has forest floor and mushroom flavours. Very lively acidity and a medium-length finish. Score: 88 pts
It was a treat to taste both the '09 and '10 Pinot's side-by-side. While the 2010 was a great vintage for Niagara, I thought the 2009 expressed the varietal better - perhaps the natural fermentation of the '09 had something to do with it. The complex flavours of the '09 lent itself to be paired quite well with the Crispy Fried Mushroom Arancini.
ROSEWOOD CABERNET FRANC 2010 - VQA Beamsville Bench (XD) - $22.00
Very nice and intense herbal, dark fruit and jammy aromas. Full-bodied with gobs of dark fruits on the palate. Slightly herbaceous as well. Quite well-balanced with mouth-watering acidity and integrated tannins. Very smooth and finishing long, this red wine is food-friendly, but can be enjoyed by itself as well. Yum! Score: 90 pts
ROSEWOOD MERLOT 2010 - VQA Niagara Escarpment (#211896) (XD) - $22.00
Sweet core of fruit aromas along with mulberry and hints of cocoa. Bright acidity with raspberry, cocoa on the palate. Tannins are very well-integrated and has a delicious, long finish. Score: 89 pts
ROSEWOOD MERLOT RESERVE 2010 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench (XD) - $36.00
Naturally fermented for 3-1/2 weeks, this wine has aromas of sweet vanillan, oak, and a juicy core of raspberry with very nice replays on palate. Well-integrated tannins have some grip that should reward with 1-2 years ageing. Score: 90 pts
All of three of these wines tasted great on their own, and paired really well with the Braised Lamb Shank Tortellini. The best pairing of the three was the Merlot Reserve - it was beautiful - as the tannins were cut by the gamey flavours of the lamb, bringing fruit to the fore and balancing the flavours from the dish.
ROSEWOOD MEAD ROYALE 2008 - Select Barrel Aged (#296178) (M) (500 mL) - $15.00
Elegant springflower and honeysuckle aromas. Medium-bodied and well-balanced with honeysuckle and mead notes on palate. Nice acidity. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel on a medium-length finish. Paired well with the Thunder Oak Aged Gouda served with fresh honeycomb. This honey wine is a good introduction to mead and was released in the Nov. 10 Vintages release.
It's been a hectic couple of weeks, so I have to keep this short with the release just a couple of days away.
The next Vintages wine release will be in LCBO outlets on across Ontario on . The main feature in this release is on wines for the holidays, such as for festive family dinners and gift-giving. The secondary feature is on wines from Piedmont, and while nearly all of them are good-to-great, the one that stands out is the Giacosa because it is outstanding and available at a relatively decent price point.
It's safe to say that this release has been the best in months, with some very good buys across a wide range of price points. Whatever is your pleasure, I am sure you will enjoy something from my wine picks below. Cheers!
Red Wine:
MONTGRAS QUATRO 2011 - Colchagua Valley, Chile (#050641) (XD) - $14.95
VALLE LAS ACEQUIAS OAK MALBEC 2007 - Estate Don Angelino, Medrano, Mendoza, Argentina (#138412) (XD) - $15.95
TILENUS ENVEJECIDO EN ROBLE 2007 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#297143) (XD) - $17.95
PIERRE AMADIEU LA GRANGELIÈRE VACQUEYRAS 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#076398) (XD) - $19.95
This red wine is from the fabulous 2010 Southern Rhône vintage and consists of approx. 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah. It was purchased from the Sept. 1 Vintages release.
CHÂTEAU DE GALIFAY CAIRANNE CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#290080) (XD) - $17.00
Tasting Note:
Plum and cherry wood aromas from cork. Very nice lavender, violet and toasty wood and licorice aromas. Medium-bodied with nicely integrated tannins. Sweet dark fruit flavours on the palate with some spice kicking in midway, leading to a smooth, herbal-note, medium-length finish. Very good acidity. An easy drinking red with some substance. Delicious. Going to enjoy this with lamb chops.
On the evening of , I had the pleasure of tasting some fabulous Canadian cheeses and pairing them with Ontario wine. Hosted by Natalie MacLean on Google+ Hangouts, I was joined by 9 others where we discussed the various cheeses and wines. Here is the video recording:
Details of the cheese, wine and participants can be found here.
Here are my impressions of the wines, as well as pairings with each cheese:
JACKSON-TRIGGS RESERVE MERLOT 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#618421) (D) - $13.95
Screw top. Light earthy, currant and red fruit and some smoke aromas from the glass. Medium-bodied and dry with red fruit, raspberry on the palate leads to peppery, medium-length finish with hints of dark chocolate.
Paired really well with the Madagascar Green Peppercorn as the pepper flavours in the cheese really bring out the pepper/spice notes in the Merlot, without being overwhelming. There is good balance and mouthfeel with the Alpindon as the cheese really softens and coats the pepper notes. The Comfort Cream camembert is also a good pairing. The Onion Cheddar really mixes and mingles nicely with the pepper/herbal/vegetal notes in the Merlot - good pairing. The Elizabeth Bleu and the 1608 overpowers this mild red.
JACKSON-TRIGGS RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2011 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#618413) (D) - $13.95
Screw top. Clean, refreshing lime gooseberry, and herbal aromas give way slight earthiness. Light-bodied with replays of lime, gooseberry, and grass on palate. Has a very fine acidic backbone, medium finish that is a touch hot.
The Alpindon softens the wine acidity and makes the pairing quite delicious. As well, the Green Peppercorn really brings out the herbal/vegetal notes in the wine and makes for an excellent pairing. Average pairing with the Camembert. The Onion cheddar is a bit strong for this Savvy. The 1608 dominates, while the flavours from the Elizabeth Bleu don't mesh.
OPEN CHARDONNAY 2011 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#305151) (M) - $11.95
Screw top. Almost no nose, some floral, melon aromas. Very faint honeysuckle, peach, melon on the palate. Medium-bodied with little acidity. Finishes with some spiciness. In a blind tasting, I would have trouble identifying this wine as a Chardonnay.
The sweetness level of this wine allows it to be paired with the 1608 and the Onion cheddar, but not quite enough for the Green Peppercorn or the Alpindon. It pairs well with the Camembert, but is completely killed by the Elizabeth Bleu.
OPEN CAB2-MERLOT 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#134957) (D) - $11.95
Screw top. Funky crushed red berry aromas, plus some vanilla, coconut and oak aromas. Medium-bodied, round mouthfeel with little acidity. Flavours of raspberry, coconut, vanilla and hints of oak spice. Mostly well-integrated tannins are slightly chalky. Finish is medium. Easy drinking red.
The easy-drinking nature of this wine lends itself to the Camembert and Alpindon, while the 1608 (with rind) is a bit strong for this Cab-Merlot. The Onion cheddar mutes the wines flavours, while the Green Peppercorn brings out the vanilla oak spice notes from the wine. The Elizabeth Bleu pairing really doesn't do well.
INNISKILLIN PINOT NOIR 2011 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#261099) (D) - $13.95
Red currant, iodine and smoke aromas. Light-to-medium bodied with currant, pomegranate, cranberry on the palate. Some plummy notes on the mid-palate, hints of raisin. Very good acidity with a medium finish. Chalky tannins need a couple of years, but easy drinking right now.
Again, an easy-drinking red that pairs well with the Camembert and the Alpindon. The 1608 and Onion cheddar dominate the flavour profile. Lots of spicy flavours when pairing this Pinot with the Green Peppercorn.
INNISKILLIN VIDAL SPARKLING ICEWINE 2011 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#560367) (S) - $79.95
Gorgeous peach, apricot and honey aromas with lots of aromas replays on palate dominated by honey. Medium-bodied with good acidity. Silky smooth, creamy mousse on the medium-long finish. In a word: WOW!
Lacking the acidity and finish to pair with the Camembert. Good pairing with the Alpindon, while the pairings with the 1608 and Green Peppercorn start well, but finish with the cheese flavours dominating the palate. This Vidal holds it own quite well against the Onion cheddar. The Elizabeth Bleu is a match made in heaven
JACKSON-TRIGGS RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2011 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#526251) (D) - $11.95
Screw top. Pear, orchard fruits and hints of barnyard from the glass. Medium-bodied with flavours of beeswax and pear. Dry. Well-balanced with bright acidity. Finish is long with spiced oak flavours and hints of vanilla.
This white wine brings out some earthy/mushroom flavours in the Camembert. A magic pairing with the Alpindon, nicely balanced and meshed. Pairs well with the 1608 until the wine leaves your mouth and you get a burst of flavour from the cheese. The Onion cheddar dominates the wine, while the Chardonnay does hold its own for a while with strong pepper/spice notes against the Green Peppercorn. The Elizabeth Bleu doesn't pair well.
JACKSON-TRIGGS RESERVE RIESLING 2011 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#526277) (M) - $11.45
Screw top. Mineral, floral apricot and honey aromas. Light-bodied with crisp mineral and lime on the palate. It's on the sweeter side, with good acidity, but has slight tart notes at the mid-palate and a short, supple finish. Would make a good apertif.
Average pairing with the Camembert and the Alpindon. The wine pairing with the 1608 was pleasant. The sweetness from this wine did subdue the onion from the Onion Cheddar. Really did not enjoy the pairing with the Green Peppercorn and the Elizabeth Bleu.
LE CLOS JORDANNE VILLAGE RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2009 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (#033936) (XD) - $30.00
Spring flower aromas from the cork. Silky aromas of buttered popcorn and French oak, with hints of vanilla. Also an intriguing sesame note. Creamy mouthfeel with refreshing acidity and extra dry flavours of minerality, oak and lemon rind. Very smooth with a lasting finish that goes on and on...
This Chardonnay glides smoothly over the Camembert and the Alpindon. However, once the Chardonnay leaves your mouth, there is a blast of flavour from the Alpindon - not bad. Nicely balanced pairing with the 1608. Also enjoyable was the Onion cheddar and Green Peppercorn, however, the Green Peppercorn flavours do last must longer than the wine. The pairing with the Elizabeth Bleu is not bad, but I would be hesitant to praise it, as it's a little harsh.
The next Vintages release will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on . The main feature in this release is on the critically-acclaimed 2009 Bordeaux vintage - once hailed as the "Vintage of the Century".
However, looking at the 16 red Bordeaux wines in this release, I was a little underwhelmed with the offerings - I was expecting greatness! I was more impressed with the two white Bordeauxs. The Château Toumilon - made using 60% Semillion and 40% Sauvignon Blanc, and the Château de Cruzeau - which is 100% Sauvignon Blanc are both outstanding. Among the reds, the Lestruelle is a good introduction to the vintage, consisting of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, while the Château Sénéjac is (likely) a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
The secondary feature in this release is on small, boutique wineries from California. Not surprisingly, they all come in at rather high price points. If money is no object, grab a few bottles of the Juslyn Spring Mountain Cab Sauv and open one every 5 years.
From the rest of the release, the Hecht & Bannier Minervois consists of mostly Syrah, some Grenache, and drops of Carignan. The Fattoi is, of course, 100% Sangiovese.
Among my white wine picks, the Simonnet-Febvre is, of course, 100% Chardonnay. Also, consider getting both the Preiss-Zimmer and the Dr. Loosen Rieslings and taste them side-by-side. Both are similar in sweetness levels, as the German wine is just off-dry (unusual for Mosel Rieslings) and would allow for a good comparison between these two fine Riesling wine regions.
Enjoy my picks for this week! Cheers!
Red Wine:
CHÂTEAU LESTRUELLE 2009 - AC Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#295840) (XD) - $18.95
TRAPICHE FINCAS LAS PALMAS MALBEC 2007 - Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#186668) (XD) - $17.95
CANEPA FINÍSIMO GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009 - Marchigüe, Colchagua Valley, Chile (#211920) (XD) - $17.95
Saturday, November 17, 2012
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