Going Away and the Winnipeg Wine Festival

Well, this will likely be my last update for some time. After all, this blog is intended to be all about wine in Winnipeg (hence the creative title on the masthead). And I have to go to Ontario for the next ten days. I hope to pick up a few nice bottles at the nearby LCBO, and I’ll post my notes when I return. Or sooner if I have both time and Internet access out there.

I noticed that our local wine columnist talked about the upcoming Winnipeg Wine Festival (hey – another creative name!), which takes place on May 6th and 7th. While I don’t always agree with his opinion, I have to say that he’s right on the money with today’s column, which was all about maximizing your time at the festival. If you’re shelling out for a ticket, don’t drop by the Concha Y Toro booth for a taste of their Casillero del Diablo Carmenere ($11.30). Instead, try their considerably more expensive (and tastier) Don Melchor Cabernet. And don’t go for the Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet, even if it’s your favourite. Try their $84 Black Label Cabernet instead (trust me on that one).

It’s good advice for events like this. Tickets aren’t cheap ($35/evening or $60 for both nights) so maximize your efforts with the more expensive wines. Try and get a copy of the program beforehand, so you can map out your route. And my recommendation would be to start with the lighter wines first (sparkling wine is a great start) and finish with the big reds, the ports and the icewines. On the other hand, there’s a school of thought that says to go right for the big reds and stay there all night. And that’s an appealing thought as well. Just don’t mix your Silver Oak with the Pelee Island Scheurebe. It would be like chewing Juicy Fruit as you chow down on a piece of prime rib.

Above all, have fun. That’s what wine is supposed to be all about. I’ll be working at the festival, but I plan to try as much wine as I can - within limits of course.

MLCC Bin End Sale Update

The latest find from the MLCC’s bin-end sale is…(drum roll please)

Buitenverwachting 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa)

Extra points if you can pronounce it. But don’t waste your time trying - just hustle down to your local MLCC and pick up a bottle of it for $12.99. As my partner-in-wine put it so bluntly; “That’s a f***ing Sauvignon Blanc!”. And she’s so right (as usual!)

It’s a pale golden-green (anyone remember that Wonderstuff song?) in the glass. The nose is flint, minerals and a bit of grass. In the mouth, it showed off crisp grapefruit, hints of lime and an underlying layer of delicious minerals and herbs. In short, your typical South African Sauvignon Blanc. But like many of the Cape’s finest Sauvignon Blancs, it’s not for the faint of heart. Try only this if you love the grape.

What I like most about South African Sauvignon Blancs is how they take the best characteristics of French Sauvignon Blanc (minerals, smoke) and combine it with the beautiful sharp grass and citrus flavours I find in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. But in some ways, I prefer South Africa’s combination of the two to either of the other flavour profiles. Given that South Africa sells for less than the Loire or New Zealand, I’m perfectly happy with that. And it’s worth noting for anyone who loves the grape. Your Canadian dollar will go further with the fruit of a South African vine.

And I will go ten rounds in a no-holds barred cage match with anyone who doesn’t think that the Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc (Elgin or Groenkloof) is the best in the world.

Line up now.

Restaurants and Wine

One of the biggest challenges for wine-lovers in Winnipeg is in finding a restaurant that serves good wine at a good price. Especially by the glass. I’ve never understood why some restaurants charge a 200-300% markup on their wines. And it can be worse by the glass. One restaurant here charges $6.95 for a small glass of Lindeman’s Bin 65, which costs $10.99 in the store. I estimate that they pour about six glasses per bottle - so a $10.99 bottle will net them $41.70. Not a bad profit for the restaurant, but I don’t like paying those prices.

I understand that when you buy wine in a restaurant, you’re also paying for the atmosphere, for the service, etc. Fine. But I’m much more likely to spend money on wine if it’s fairly priced. If I see a wine on the list for $36, but I know it sells for $12 in the store for $12. Atmosphere be damned, I don’t like being ripped off on wine. I tend to buy a lot more wine in restaurants if they price it well. Maybe the restaurant will make less money off each bottle, but they can move the wine a lot more quickly.

And luckily, there are some restaurants in Winnipeg that recognize this. Off the top of my head, I am happy to give shouts out to Fusion Grill (wonderful all-Canadian wine list), Mise, InFerno’s, Spuntino, Bonfire Bistro, the Velvet Glove ($15/bottle markup across the board - also available at the neighbouring lounge) and Earl’s. All of these restaurants serve good wine at a fair price, and they all have excellent food too.

And yes, I did say Earl’s. The chain known more for the attire (or lack thereof) of its wait-staff. Don’t laugh - they have excellent food and they know their wine. Their house wine (at a reasonable $5.35 CDN per glass) is an excellent Cotes-du-Rhone from the Perrin family. They have two tiers of pricing for their wines by the glass - $7.25 and $7.95. The wines are always fresh and they give very generous pours. If you want a decent meal (they prepare fish better than almost anyone else in town) and a good glass of wine, you’d do well to dine at Earl’s.

I had the pleasure of dining at my local Earl’s last night. While my wine was actually pretty boring (the Barossa Valley Estates Spires Shiraz), my dinner companion had a glass of the Yalumba ‘Y’ Series Cabernet Sauvignon. She had to order a second, because I ended up drinking most of her first glass – it was that good!

Actually, I’ll go out on a limb and say that it was stunning. The nose was limited at first, but opened up quickly. I found lots of mint and a few hints of red-fruit and cedar. In the mouth, it showed itself to be a bit lighter than I expected, but it had delicious red-currant and chocolate flavours, with just enough oak and tannins to make it really interesting. Having never tried the wine before, I was really impressed. From what I remember, I think it runs around $20-$22 in the private stores here in Winnipeg. Well worth it. And it went really well with a nice slab of medium-rare prime rib.

Yalumba also makes the Oxford Landing series, which has gotten better and better over the years. I’m especially fond of their Sauvignon Blanc, but the Shiraz is also very good. You pay a bit more (they run around $14 in the private stores), but it’s worth the price. Their Chardonnay and Cabernet-Merlot are widely available in the MLCC for around $11-$12.

Hardy’s in the Bargain Bin

I noticed that the MLCC is clearing out a lot of wine in preparation for the Winnipeg Wine Festival. They do this every April, so I keep my eyes open for the good stuff. Last year, I scored some Fetzer Fume Blanc for $5.99. This year, they had some nice wines on sale (including the Hawthorne Mountain Vineyard VQA Chardonnay for $12.99 and a different producer’s VQA Reserve Riesling for the same price).

However, I’m feeling broke. And I am broke as a matter of fact, so I stayed below $10. So far, here’s what I’ve picked up in their bin end sale. I’m going to head down to one of the more isolated stores after work, as they usually have the best wine left. But this is what I’ve found:

Hardy’s 2002 Nottage Hill Chardonnay ($6.99).

A simple, easy-drinking Australian Chardonnay. Not as good as Bin 65 or the Little Penguin Chardonnay. But for $4 less, how can you complain. Nice crisp nose with a hint of melons. Very little oak in the mouth, but some luscious fruit flavours. Short finish, but a certain crispness remains in your mouth for awhile. Serve it cold and buy a few extra bottles for the heat of summer (if you can wait that long). I wouldn’t recommend this at the listed price of $10.31, but for $7 - it’s a steal. At three years old, it’s almost past the peak. Don’t keep it too long.

Hardy’s 2002 Nottage Hill Merlot ($8.99)

Again, there’s nothing special about this wine, but it does the job. Has a nice flavour - very lush and plummy - with a surprisingly long finish. Shows a slightly alcoholic nose, and the wine really changes character after being open for a day or two. But it’s worth the nine bucks plus tax that you’ll pay. Just don’t leave it open for more than a day.

I also have a Spanish Tempranillo (can’t remember the producer) that I got for $5.99. It could be a real stinker, but I’m sure it will make nice Sangria if nothing else. And on a sad note, the MLCC is also selling Newcastle Brown Ale for $1.99 a can. The price isn’t sad (it’s fine with me), but the presence in the bin-end sale means that it won’t be carried any more.

Incidently, I will be working at the wine festival. For the first time ever, all of the private stores are taking part. And I understand that we’ll be pouring Silver Oak for people. I expect our booth will be pretty popular. And if not, I’ll be drinking lots of Silver Oak that weekend!

Graham Beck Brut

I’ve always been a huge fan of South African wines. There’s something about them that I find really appealing (and it’s not just the price!). In 1994, when I worked over Christmas at the MLCC, I didn’t know much about wine. I picked up a bottle of the Neethlingshof Estate “Neethlingshoffer”, a simple, easy-drinking white blend. And I was hooked.

So when I noticed the Graham Beck Brut at my local liquor store, I had to pick it up. I don’t think $16.71 is unreasonable for a good sparkling wine, since I love real Champagne, but only if someone else is buying. Decent Champagnes in this part of the world will generally cost you at least $50. A good Napa Valley sparkling wine will set you back around $25, and the better Spanish wines are around $13 or $14.

On to the wine. The Graham Beck Brut is made from Pinot Noir (50%) and Chardonnay (50%). It’s made in the traditional Champagne style (fermented in the bottle), which is called “Méthode Cap Classique” in South Africa. Since only wines from the Champagne region in France can legally be called Champagne (although this rule is widely ignored), many countries have come up with their own terms for sparkling wine.

In the glass, it shows a pale golden yellow; with a very fine mousse (“mousse” refers to the size of the bubbles, or beads as they are known). Typically, the finer the mousse, the better the wine. You can tell the quality of a sparkling wine by the size of the bubbles.

The nose (a more refined way of saying “smell”) is like a bakery in the morning with lots of yeast and butter. This follows through in the mouth, with a rich, almost creamy flavour and lots of nice little bubbles to roll over your tastebuds. The richness comes from the Pinot Noir, while the creaminess comes from the Chardonnay. And it’s got a very long finish to top it all off. An excellent sparkling wine and worth $16.71 ($19.05 after taxes).