Things have been a bit quiet around here. But I’m still enjoying great wine – I’m just looking for a different way to share my thoughts for now. So I tried something new last night.

I’ve been using Twitter for the last few months, and last night I used it in real time (so to speak) at a wine tasting. The theme of the tasting was non-red Pinots, and there were some great wines. We tried two Pinot Blancs (one from Alsace and one from British Columbia), two Pinot Grigios (Italy and British Columbia) and two Pinot Gris (Ontario and British Columbia).

Since I had left my notebook at home, I decided to Twitter my thoughts as I tried the wines. It was fun, although I found it kind of limiting. I can be a bit wordy, and the 140-character limit made it difficult.

Anyways, you’ll find my Twitter feed on the right-hand side of the page. Or you can sign up directly to follow me at:  http://twitter.com/alecstuart

For the record, the two Pinot Blancs were the winners of the night. I’ve never been a big fan of Pinot Blanc and I’ve always dismissed it as being kind of boring at best. I made the mistake of announcing this at the beginning of the night.

Wow. Did I ever have to eat my words. The first wine – Ganton & Larsen’s “Birch Canoe” Pinot Blanc (British Columbia VQA) – absolutely blew me away. What’s even more surprising is that it was the 2006 vintage. I always thought that Pinot Blanc was best within the first year or two and this one was harvested almost three years ago.

The Birch Canoe (how Canadian) had a huge nose with tonnes of tropical fruit (canned pineapples, but in a good way). In the mouth it was rich and almost silky, with a neat apricot/honey combo going on and a nice long finish. And for $13.95, I’d have a hard time finding a better BC white. Highly recommended.

And the other wine of the night (no picture available) was from the Opimian Society. It was the Hunawihr Pinot Blanc (there was more to the name but Twitter can only handle so much), from Alsace (2005 vintage). The nose showed off a hint of botrytis (???), and the mouth was rich and honeyed but with a neat layer of acidity to cut through it. It was delicious and a real surprise. I’ve never had a Pinot Blanc this rich before.

I’d sooner pair this with dinner, but it showed really well on its own. And it’s a real shame that it will be so hard to find a bottle of this one again.

I recently added a Twitter feed to the sidebar. You’ll find a few wine reviews in there mixed in with the usual nonsensical Twitter stuff.

Thought I’d do a bit of promotion here. If you’re in or near Winnipeg on May 21st and want to enjoy some fabulous food and wine, why not come to the “Swing into Spring” tasting that I’m hosting at Mise Bistro.

Although it may not seem like it today, spring really will be in full swing very soon. Mise Bistro is opening a new patio, and so we’re taking advantage of the change in seasons to host a great wine dinner on May 21st at 7:30 PM.

Here’s the menu and wine pairings:

1) Reception (Cruz Garcia Real Sangria, Spain)

2) Candied Salmon with pea shoots, sour cherry yogurt chese and watermelon (Le Rose de Phelan Sagur 2007, Bordeaux)

3) Carta Fata Pickerel & Spot Prawns (Laurenz V. “Friendly” Gruner Veltliner, Austria)

4) Grilled Chicken Pita with Tzatziki (Wildass Riesling, Ontario)

5) Grilled Beef Tenderloin with mini baked potato and grilled zucchini (Punto Final Reserva Malbec, Argentina AND Magnanimous Wines ‘Ukiah’ Cabernet Sauvignon, California)

6) Sorbet Trio – Blackberry & Cinnamon, Mango & Star Anise, Lemon & Basil (Yellowglen Brut “Yellow”, Australia)

7) Cheese Platter (Boolaroo Shiraz, Australia)

I don’t think I have to tell anyone that “Reception” means “the glass of wine that you’re handed when you take your seat”.

If you’re interested, call Mise (284-7916) or Kenaston (488-9463). There’s even a Facebook event page set up if you’d care to respond that way:

Swing into Spring

Not sure what the relevance of the term ‘coastal’ is, since I thought most of California’s Zin vineyards (Zinyards??) are inland. But whatever they call it, BV has done a great job with this wine.

This is a really tasty little fruit bomb, and a great introduction to Zinfandel. It’s priced fairly at $13.99 and is available at the private wine stores. Now don’t expect a lot of complexity here. It’s not at the level that Ridge or Cline can produce. But do expect a lot of tasty berry flavours, a little earthiness and enough tannins to keep it interesting. Definitely one of the better entry-level Zins that I’ve tried.

I paired this up very sucessfully with a smoked Cheddar in a recent tasting. Based on that, I’d say that it would be a perfect match for home-made burgers fresh off the BBQ or even something a little spicier.

In the time between my last post and now, the site just hit 30,000 page views. Considering how rarely I’ve been able to post over the last year or so, that’s not bad at all!

I never quite knew what would happen to this site when I started it four years ago, but I’m glad that people keep dropping by. With a big career change in early April (and hopefully a reduction in work-related stress), maybe I’ll even have time and energy to start posting more.

In the meantime, I’ll go pour myself a glass of wine to celebrate hitting 30,000 page views.

Now what wine goes best with that?

I finally got a chance to run a tasting in the new Mise location (Corydon at Lilac). They’ve done a great job of fixing the place up and one of the bonuses is that they are running a store alongside the restaurant. A store that sells many varieties of great cheese. And they have a private room upstairs which is perfectly suited for wine tastings.

Cheese. Wine. I’m sure you see where this is headed. This post is a little longer than normal, but I really enjoyed this tasting and wanted to share my thoughts.

We held the tasting in the private room upstairs (great for small functions by the way). Chef Terry helped us pick out eight great cheeses and they were paired with eight wines. Some of the pairings were “classic” but others were a little edgier. Here are my thoughts.

1. Francis Ford Coppola ‘Sofia’ Blanc de Blancs (California) paired with the Delice de Bourgogne Triple Cream Brie (France).

The wine was OK. A little light and on the sweeter side (it’s a blend of Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc with some Muscat Blanc for fun). The cheese was unbelievable. I tried hard to restrain myself, but I overindulged on this one. The pairing was good, but I could have paired this cheese with Lucky Lager and still enjoyed it.

2. Marrenon Sauvignon Blanc (France) paired with Drunken Goat (Spain)

The wine was pretty good on its own. Nice herbal flavours and I found it a lot richer than the average French Sauv Blanc. And the cheese (a semi-soft Cheddar-like goat cheese) was pretty damn good too. But together they took on a whole new dimension of decadence. Goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc. Can’t go wrong with that.

3. Peninsula Ridge ‘Inox’ Chardonnay (Ontario) paired with a cave-aged Gruyere (Switzerland).

In this case, the wine dominated. I really like Peninsula Ridge and this is one of their best. Just pure Chardonnay goodness, thanks to the deft hand of their winemaker and a complete lack of oak ageing. It beat out the cheese in the individual competition (although the Gruyere was very nice) and together they made beautiful music. Another classic pairing.

4. Mazzei ‘Poggio alla Badiola’ (Tuscany) paired with Appenzeller (Switzerland).

I struggled with this pairing for quite some time. Appenzeller is a pretty overwhelming cheese and I got lots of conflicting advice on what would be best. After much deliberation (actually done at the last minute), my colleague and I decided that a sharp and tannic Super Tuscan would be the best route. That made the wine choice easy. For under $20, this blend of Sangiovese (90%) and Merlot (10%) is hard to beat. The cheese was good too, although it’s a bit overwhelming in a “what died in here” way when served in a small room. It’s a spicy beast of a cheese, but the Badiola held its own. Not the best pairing, but both the wine & cheese were soo good on their own that it didn’t matter as much.

5. Beaulieu Vineyards Coastal Estate Zinfandel (California) paired with applewood-smoked Cheddar (England)

One of the surprises of the night. We made this pairing by looking at the dominant flavour in the cheese, which was smoke. To me, smoke = BBQ and nothing beats a good Zinfandel with that. For $14, this is a very good Zinfandel, with tonnes of gorgeous soft fruit flavours. And the smoked Cheddar was nearly perfect too. Together they were even better.

6. i Capitani ‘Eme’ (Campania) paired with an aged Provolone.

Before I start this one, I have a confession to make. I’ve always viewed Provolone as the Italian equivalent of marble cheese. Simple, bland and best served in a sandwich with stronger flavours. But this aged version converted me. It literally tasted electric. And the wine was amazing. The Eme is a blend of Sangiovese, Aglianico and Piedirosso (a grape native to Southern Italy). It was rich and complex, with beautiful tannins and all sorts of great flavours. Again, an unusual pairing. But they were both delicious on their own and even better together.  

7. Kurt Darting Riesling Spätlese (Germany) paired with Stilton.

This was a winner. We worked off the theory that rich, sweet dessert wines work really well with Stilton. Working down from there, we thought we’d see if a rich yet sharp German Spätlese might also work well. And it did. I’m not a Stilton fan but I love German Rieslings and this wine made the Stilton

8. Cline Late Harvest Mourvèdre paired with Buche Riblaire and Sambuca-poached figs

This dish was the only actual menu item we served during the whole evening. In all other cases, the cheese was served with baguettes and various types of fruit. But this dish consisted of a piece of goat cheese served with sambuca-poached figs. It’s a Mise staple and it is delicious. Normally I’d pair it with a Port, but we decided to push the limits again and go with this unusual late harvest Mourvèdre. It’s very Port-like, but has some neat coffee and spice flavours which paired perfectly with the Sambuca and figs. Dee-licious.

So there you have it. Eight cheeses. Eight wines and eighteen very full people. I may never be able to eat cheese again, but it was so worth it.

Looking back at the evening, my favourite wine was the i Capitani ‘Eme’, but the biggest surprise was the Beaulieu Coastal Zinfandel (a steal at $13.99). The best cheese was a toss-up between the triple cream Brie and the aged Provolone. And the best pairing was probably the Eme and the Provolone.

If you’re interested, all of the wines are available at the Kenaston Wine Market and all of the cheeses are available at the deli counter at Mise.

I’m a sucker for flashy packaging, so there was no way I could pass up this red. Not only was it a Beaujolais (a wine I’ve always enjoyed), but it comes in a neat aluminum bottle and features a little dot on the label that tells you when the wine is chilled. Even though the rest of graphics on the label did nothing for me (clearly it’s not aimed at my marketing demographic) I couldn’t resist this wine.

So I took it home, dropped it in the fridge and when the little dot turned blue, I filled a glass and toasted the end of winter. The colour was beautiful, a really neat shade of red. And yes, the nose has the typical hint of bananas that Beaujolais often shows off, along with some spices and fruit.
 
Clocking in at a mere 12% ABV, this wine is very light and dry. Not a lot of acidity and very few tannins to get in the way of the soft red berry flavours. The finish was a bit short but that didn’t matter. It’s so light and drinkable that you can just take another sip.
 
There are lots of other things to like here. I love the aluminum bottle because it’s light, easily recyclable and it chills the wine faster. The whole “Cool Dot” thing is really nice too. It’s always good to know when your wine reaches the perfect temperature.
 
So kudos to Mommessin for their innovative packaging and the Cool Dot. You’ll find this wine at your local LC along with the companion Chardonnay for only $13.95.
 
Overall, did I like it? Yes, but not now. This isn’t a wine for February. It’s too light and soft for the cold days of late winter. But come June or July, I think this well-priced little red will be a regular in my fridge. My only issue is the use of the term “Grande Reserve” on the label. It sounds rather grand, but I don’t think this has anything to do with actual French wine laws.
 
And on another note, I’ve never recommended any books in this blog. No real reason, just that I haven’t gotten around to it yet. So I’ll start by recommending ‘A Year of Wine’, the new book by Tyler Colman (a.k.a Dr. Vino). It’s all about the seasonal enjoyment of wine, something I really appreciate.
 
His writing style keeps your attention and he brings a fresh perspective to the topic of wine. I’m about a third of the way into it and am just loving it. It’s a fabulous read and is highly recommended.

I should have known that Valentine’s Day was coming when I saw this wine in my local MLCC. It wasn’t so much the name as the picture of the black (indigo?) rose on the label. Sheesh. It made me long for my old Siouxsie and the Banshees records.

But $12ish for a Sangiovese blend from a reputable producer isn’t bad. So 80’s goth flashbacks aside, I picked up a bottle last weekend.

First note, it’s from Sicily. That’s new. I didn’t realize there was a lot of Sangiovese growing down there. In the glass, it showed off a beautiful colour, more purple than red. The nose displayed some hints of spices along with the expected cherries (it is a Sangiovese blend after all). So far, so good.

In the mouth, I picked up more spices and cherries with well-balanced tannins and a really interesting hint of earthiness. Decent finish too, it went very well with the tomato sauce I served over some fresh pasta (thank you DeLuca’s) with steamed broccolini and tuna.

I kept it in the fridge overnight and on the second day, I found that chilling it was a good idea. This brought down the tannins and lifted the acidity a bit. But even at room temperature, there was still plenty of zip to this wine and a nice medium-bodied weight to it. There was very little loss of flavour too, just a hint more earthiness and a little less fruit than on the first day.

The Zonin website shows the blend to be 60% Sangiovese and 40% Merlot, and they also have a Pinot Grigio under the same Primo Amore label (which I believe is also available at the MLCC).

The verdict? Look past the kitschy label and you’ll find a well-priced, food-friendly and very tasty wine. Zonin has done a good job with this wine and I’d recommend it

Yes, it’s been a long time, but I’m going to stop making excuses. Those who know me will know why I’ve been quiet for so long.  And while there are no new tasting notes right now, you can expect a whole pile of them soon. I’ve got two good tastings coming up in the next few weeks.

This Saturday I’m attending “Any Port in a Storm”, an annual celebration of all things sweet, sticky and port-like. Oceans of sweet wine will be enjoyed and much chocolate and blue cheese will be consumed. I expect my teeth to hurt for days. If I can read my notes, I’ll post something the next day.

I’m bringing something a little different though, the “Le Souleilla’ Vin Doux Natural from Domaine de la Serre. It’s a Grenache-based VDN (2001 vintage) from the Maury AOC. I couldn’t find much information on the wine itself, but I did find this blurb about the region:

Bad translations aside, I think this is going to be good! I’ll be pairing it with a huge slab of dark chocolate and I’ll have to find a way to roll myself home afterwards.

…

The next bright spot in my calendar is a tasting called “Joy to the World – Wine’s Gift to Humankind” which will happen a few Fridays from now in the depths of December. The theme is “celebrating the season by bringing our favourite wines”.

I’ve picked out the 2001 vintage of the Wolf Blass Grey Label Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s the last one in my cellar and I love this wine so much that I may shed a few tears when the bottle is empty. But I’ll console myself by enjoying the wines brought by the other folks at this tasting.

There was a great article in yesterday’s Globe and Mail about the federal laws covering the shipping of wine.

I rarely comment on the laws or politics surrounding wine and liquor in general, but I couldn’t pass this chance up. As someone who makes a habit of bringing back wine when I visit other provinces, it’s nice to see the issue getting some media attention.

Wine drinkers are voters too

Will it make a difference? I can’t imagine that reforming liquor laws is high on the list of priorities for any of the candidates in the current election. But it would be nice to see some changes here.

I’d love to be able to order wine legally from other provinces, but I don’t expect it to happen soon. I was once lucky enough to have a case of wine shipped to me from a noted B.C winery.

But if it wasn’t for the fact that a family friend owned the winery and was willing to accept the risk – I would never have been able to enjoy the wine. That’s a shame, and the fact that the winery took a risk in shipping the wine to me reflects how out-of-touch our wine laws are.

I understand there are legal issues involved, but some American states seem to have no problem in doing this (although not all). For more information, check out this great site:

Wine Law in Canada & B.C