Holiday wines

Looks like all of my good intentions to keep this blog updated have gone out the window. I hope to be blogging more regularly in the New Year, but this will likely be my last post until after Christmas.

My basement is full of good wine right now, so I hope to have some tasting notes ready for next week. Just off the top of my head, here is what will be gracing my table at Christmas.

Segura Viudas Reserve Brut (Spain)

This is my house bubbly. Not a holiday goes by without a bottle of this chilling in the fridge. It’s loaded with toasty goodness and stands up against many more expensive bubblies. Don’t let this one pass you by. Made by the fine folks at Freixenet (who know their bubbly), it’s only $12.71 at the MLCC, but worth far more.

Mirassou Chardonnay (Monterey County, California)

On Christmas Day, we’re having a decidedly non-traditional meal of seabass with a scallop and shrimp risotto on the side. The obvious choice is a Chardonnay, and I hope this cool-climate Chard does the trick. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it, so I am looking forward to filling my glass. $18 at most private wine stores.

J. Lohr “Seven Oaks” Cabernet Sauvignon

One of my all-time favourite Cabernets, the J. Lohr Seven Oaks packs a cherry and oak-laden punch. Big, brawny and oh so tasty. Plus the price went down recently (thanks to the strength of the loonie). $23 at private wine stores.

Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz-Grenache

If you’re looking for a red wine to pair with turkey (which I’m not), you would do well to pick up this little treat from Peter Lehmann. It’s got all of the spicy Shiraz goodness you expect, but the addition of some Grenache helps to lighten it up and reduce the fruit-bomb factor. Priced at just under $17, it’s also a good bargain. And it has a screwtop (a.k.a Stelvin closure), which makes the whole process of opening it a lot less complicated.

Penfolds “Club” Tawny Port (Australia)

This really is fruitcake in a glass. I’m a big fan of fruitcake, so it always goes down well. The Penfolds Club shows classic tawny port flavours of dried fruit and caramel, with hints of spice to make it interesting. For under $13, it’s also the best Port bargain out there. You’ll find it at the Kenaston Wine Market.

So there you have it. More wines will likely be opened throughout the season, but these are the ones that I have planned for now. Enjoy your holidays and look for more regular updates in 2006!

Bliss in a glass

No, I’m not waxing poetic here. I just thought I’d write about the wine currently residing in my glass. As you might have guessed from the title, it’s called “Bliss”. More accurately, it’s the “Bliss” 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, which hails from the sunny hillsides of Mendocino County (California).

To be honest, there’s nothing really special about it. It does have lots of nice light fruit (strawberries and raspberries), and very few (if any) tannins. A nice sweet nose and a long finish make it enjoyable. It’s very easy-drinking, and will probably go well with the big pot of chicken vegetable soup currently bubbling away on the stove.

But for $15.13 at the MLCC, it’s pricey compared to other wines in this class. There are plenty of great Cabernets priced around $15. Even the Little Penguin Cabernet shows more varietal character. And if I want a real Californian experience, I can find any number of decent California Cabernets for just a few dollars more. In fact, I recently picked up the J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet for $22 and change at the Kenaston Wine Market. That one is being saved for Christmas dinner though.

In other news, I tasted the 2004 Spy Valley Riesling (New Zealand) while I was visiting DeLuca’s this afternoon. At $23, it’s a notch above what I would normally pay for a Riesling, except that it was simply amazing and worth the price. I only had a tiny glass while standing up in a busy store, so I’ll wait to post notes until I have had time to enjoy this one. And I plan to pick one up for myself as a holiday treat!

Multiple tasting notes

I worked a tasting at my friendly neighbourhood wine store a few weeks back. As I’ve been busy at work lately and haven’t finished any of the four posts I have on the go right now, I thought I’d just post the notes I took that night.

There were 13 wines tasted in total, but because of where I was standing, I only tried seven of them (poor me). The highlight for me was the Jumilla - it was amazing. Anyways, enough of my blathering. Here are my notes:

Evans & Tate “Gnangara” Chardonnay (Australia)

Shows off lots of beautiful, fresh tropical fruit flavours. Unoaked, but richer (and crisper) than I expected. Although at a price of $16 (CDN), it wouldn’t be my first choice for a Chardonnay.

Robert’s Rock Sauvignon Blanc/Chenin Blanc (South Africa)

Blah, blah and more blah. I guess “neutral” would be the kindest way to describe this. No point in wasting any more valuable typing time on this one. It’s a crowd pleaser, if only because it’s under $10 and nobody will be offended by it. I doubt anybody will really enjoy it either, but c’est la vie. There are many better South African wines at the same price range - don’t bother with this one.

Bojo ‘Anno’ Beaujolais (France)

Really really tasty (really), with lots of rich (for a Beaujolais) fruit flavours. Should be chilled for 5-10 minutes, and pair it with lighter food - no steak for this one! Much nicer than the typical Beaujolais you find on the market these days.

J. Lohr ‘Cypress’ Merlot (California)

Holy freakin’ tannins Batman! I don’t usually get this much backbone from a California Merlot. It is really good, with richer fruit flavours (more currant than plum) than I expected. The price ($1 is a bit steep, considering that you can get many Australian or Canadian Merlots for much less. But, if someone brings this over for dinner, be sure to thank them for it. It is a real treat at this time of the year.

Crianza Castillo de Jumilla (Spain)

Mmmmm…..Spanish wine…..my favourite. The nose was funkier than a Maceo Parker box set, and it reminded me of nothing more than a good Pinot Noir. In the mouth, it showed off a medium-bodied flavour, with lots of cherries and coffee. Hints of oak, but very well-balanced and extremely tasty. At $14 I’d call it the best bargain of the night. Good with food and good on it’s own. I hope Santa fills my stocking with this little treat.

Delaforce Tawny Port

My notes were a bit messy by this point (spilling the Jumilla on my sheet didn’t help), but I think I really liked this one. Lots of exclamation points and a big ‘WOW’ at the top. I remember typical tawny port flavours (caramel, dried fruit and spices), and I also remember that it went really well with the Toblerone bars we put out (so did the Jumilla). I love tawny port, and for $16 or $17 (I can’t read what I wrote), this is a steal. A big glass of this will make even the coldest night bearable.