My Picks: Vintages Release ─ December 8 2012

We arrive at this week’s release at Vintages, the third of 3 with a holiday theme. This one is Fine Wines and Sparklers for Festive Get-Togethers, which makes me think that the marketing folks at Vintages must be getting tired. Blah, humbug! This is the last release before 2013 (or the last release ever if that Mayan calendar is right). Already looking forward to the Smart Buys in the next release.

There are some expensive items again in this release but at least, among the wines, there’s nothing over $100 and just 10 items over $50. Small mercies.

There’s good variety among the sparkling wines but nothing that makes My Picks, although one merits an Honourable Mention.

Of the 8 wines that do make my list, it’s once again the usual suspects who consistently bring value to your table: Italy, southern France, and Spain. Don’t miss the Mencia from Bierzo.

Organic

 

AMASTUOLA PRIMITIVO 2010, IGP Puglia (Italy); #300004; Price $15.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Primitivo, what the Italians call Zinfandel. Harvested at night to reduce heat stress. Fermented in stainless steel vats with 3 weeks of maceration. Aged in stainless steel tanks with micro-oxygenation. Certified organic grape production.

Off the Beaten Track

Whites
 
ROBERT MONDAVI FUMÉ BLANC 2009, Napa Valley (California); #221887; Price $22.95; 13.9% ABV
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (90%, sourced from 2 vineyards) and Semillon (10%). Fumé Blanc is a term invented by Robert Mondavi in 1966 to distinguish this dry style from sweeter versions that were then in vogue. 60% barrel fermented. Aged, sur lie, in French oak. Look for tropical and tree fruit flavours with refreshing acidity. Drink within a year.

Reds

E. GUIGAL 2009, AC Crozes-Hermitage (Northern Rhone); #704908; Price $24.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Syrah. Fermented for 3 weeks. Aged 24 months in oak barrels. Look for flavours of cassis and vanilla (from the oak).
 
CHÂTEAU EUGÉNIE CUVÉE RÉSERVÉE DE L'AÏEUL CAHORS 2008, AC Cahors (South West France); #295949; Price $19.95; 13.5% ABV
A blend of Malbec (85%) and Tannat (15%). Fermentation on its skins for 20 days in stainless steel vats. Aged 18 months in oak barrels (1/3 new). Unfiltered (so decant). Look for red fruit, earthy aromas. (Terre de nos aïeux!) Ideal with a winter lamb or game stew. You can drink this one now or put it in the cellar for the next 10 years.
 
TERREDORA AGLIANICO 2009, IGT Campania (Italy); #602284; Price $15.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Aglianico. Maceration for 7 days. Aged in a combination of oak and stainless steel tanks. Look for aromas of red berries, violets and meat. Not a BIG Aglianico but ideal with hearty winter fare, such as stews and pasta.
 
BODEGAS DEL ABAD DOM BUENO MENCÍA 2008, DO Bierzo (Spain); #291989; Price $15.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Mencia, a grape that’s indigenous to Bierzo in northwest Spain. Fermented for 10 days in stainless steel tanks; maceration for 20 days. Aged 5 months in American and French oak barrels. Meant for aging. BEST VALUE.
 
LAN CRIANZA 2008, DOCa Rioja (Spain); #166538; Price $15.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Tempranillo. Aged in American and French oak barrels for 12 months, then several months in the bottle. Not every pizza wine comes from Italy!
 
LEALTANZA RESERVA 2007, DOCa Rioja (Spain); #208223; Price $19.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Tempranillo. Fermented in stainless steel tanks for 15 days, plus 10 days maceration. Malolactic conversion in French oak vats. Aged 18 months in French oak casks (1 or 2 years old) and then 3 more months in larger French oak vats. Look for aromas of black fruits, spices, and coffee. The winemakers suggest trying it with salmon.

Honourable Mentions

 NATURA UNOAKED CHARDONNAY 2011, Casablanca Valley (Chile); #61895; Price $14.95; 13.5% ABV
Chardonnay... yes but …organic (from Emiliana) and unoaked.

JIM BARRY THE LODGE HILL DRY RIESLING 2011, Clare Valley (Australia); #262469; Price $19.95; 12.0% ABV
100% Riesling from the Clare Valley (one of my favourites), a region known for high acid, steely, minerally Rieslings with citrus and floral aromas. Harvested at night. Capable of cellaring for 5 years.

JACQUES DEPAGNEUX CÔTE DU PY MORGON 2011, AC Beaujolais (France); #299925; Price $18.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Gamay. Morgon is the Beaujolais Cru that has the best capability for aging.

JACKSON-TRIGGS ENTOURAGE GRAND RESERVE MÉTHODE CLASSIQUE BRUT 2008, VQA Niagara Peninsula; #234161; Price $22.95; 12.0% ABV
A blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. As the label says, it’s a sparkling made using the classic method, as in Champagne.

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For Your Next Visit to Monaco

A short film about the wine cellar at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, courtesy of Michelin.  Not for the 99%.

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Sitting In Judgement

I’ve said it before: finding a perfect match of wine with food is an elusive thing.  But it’s a challenge that sommeliers and foodies love to pursue.  It’s the motivation that drives members of both groups to sign up for the Wine and Food Matching course at Algonquin College in ever larger numbers.

For the final exam of this course, teams of students prepare a food dish and match it with the wine that they think works best.  The teams submit a paper that describes why they chose the food dish, how they chose the matching wine, and why they think this match is the best.

The final exam isn’t just a paper exercise.  The teams must prepare the food dish, either at home beforehand or in the kitchen at Algonquin's Restaurant International, and serve it with their chosen wine to a panel of judges, a la Master Chef.

When the course instructor – Liam Doody – again invited me to be a judge for the final exam on Monday evening, I happily accepted.  (You can read about my previous experiences here.)   Working your way through 15(!) different wine and food matches, put together by teams of students, is a great way to spend a Monday evening.

In return, I only have to offer an opinion, together with my fellow judge, on the merits on each match and award a medal to deserving participants.  My judging partner this time around was fellow sommelier, Éva Nagy, who hangs out at sit. sip. savour. and has a few other irons in the fire.  (My sincere thanks to Éva for supplying a couple of the photos shown below.  Sometimes I get so absorbed in the wine and food that I forget to take a picture!)

After tasting each dish with its matching wine, we awarded "medals" based on the following criteria:

• Gold:  The wine and food pairing adds to the enjoyment of the wine AND the cuisine.

• Silver:  The wine and food pairing adds to either the enjoyment of the wine OR the cuisine, but not both.
• Bronze:  The wine and food pairing does not add to, nor detract from, the enjoyment of either the wine or the cuisine.
• No Certificate:  The wine and food pairing detracts from either, or both, the enjoyment of the wine or the cuisine.

Many things have to come together to receive a gold medal.  The food has to be well prepared.  The wine has to show its best features.  It's not meant to be easy.

Here are the interesting food and wine matches that we sampled and upon which we rendered our verdicts.  Congratulations to all!  (And my apologies to one team of students for which I failed to capture a photo of their entry.  As I said before, sometimes the photos get overlooked in the excitement of judging.)





 

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Guacamole with Domaine de la Chanaise Morgon 2010 

The goal was to fire up the effect of the chilies in the guacamole. 

Mission accomplished.

 

 

 

 

(no photo, sorry)

Crostini, Chèvre, Prosciutto with Bisol Credi Brut Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore NV

Here's a match where texture is everything.  The Prosecco has initial green apple acidity (matching the salty tang of the prosciutto) but finishes with a creamy texture (harmonizing with the creamy chèvre texture).  So absorbing you forget the damn camera!

 

 

 

 

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Mushroom Crostini with Kim Crawford Pinot Noir 2011

A classic Old World match with a New World twist.  It's an Earthy Kit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cheese Plate (Brie, Cheddar, Parmigiano Reggiano, Danish Blue)

with Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

The contrasting cheese textures and flavours made for a challenging match.

 

 

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Icelandic Lobster Soup with Cave Spring Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Northern Exposure.  A recipe brought back from a recent trip to Iceland (easily the bravest food attempt of the evening) paired with a crisp Niagara white.

 

 

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Potato Leek Soup with House Wine Company Vidal Moscato 2011

When you just gotta have wine with soup.

Soup's earthy flavours meet up with an off-dry fruity white.  Success!

 

 

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Curried Prawns with Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer 2010

A classic match.  The off-dry, oily-textured wine calms the spicy heat of the food.  Just what the doctors ordered.

 

 

 

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Mac + Cheese with Trius Sparkling Brut NV

Mac + Cheese...you've come a long way baby.

Underused with food, this shows just how versatile sparkling can be.  Brut strength!

 

 

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Mac + Cheese Baconator with Nicolas Maillet Macon-Verzé 2009

Acidity of a Bourgogne Chardonnay cuts through the creamy cheese texture while matching the smoke of bacon.

 Doubling down on Mac + Cheese...am I back in university?

 



Photo courtesy of Éva Nagy

 

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Thai Curry Meatballs with Flat Rock Cellars Riesling 2011

Sommelier Secret Revealed:  Riesling is THE most food friendly wine and this match shows one reason why:  fruitiness calms the curry spice just enough and fits the coconut milk, ginger, and cilantro flavours like a glove.  Excellent!

  

 

 

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Beef Stew with Bonterra Zinfandel 2010

It's a classic stew with a spicy tomato kick that could overwhelm many wines, but not this organic Zin.

 

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Curried Lentil + Vegetable Stew with Pelee Island Gamay Noir Zweigelt 2010

It's the herbal aromas and flavours in both the wine and the food that makes this match work well.  This lighter-style stew also fits the light-bodied red wine.  An ideal autumn dish.

 

 

 

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Pear Apple Ginger Tart with Woodbridge Moscato 2011

Here's a wonderful tree-fruit flavour match:  pears and apples from the tart, peach from the off-dry wine, and spicy honey elements in both.  Delicious and light!

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Torte Caprese with Amabile Degli Angeli Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2007
    OK, full disclosure.  Both judges worked at DiVino Wine Studio as sommeliers-in-training but at different times.  So seeing this rarity (Recioto) wins us over immediately.  Ah, but the match is wonderful, matching 2 Italian classics:  flourless chocolate almond cake from Capri in the south with the medium sweet cherry and chocolate marvel from the north.  Fantastico!



Photo courtesy of Éva Nagy

    

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Bittersweet Chocolate Brownie + Raspberry Port Sauce with Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2010
20 years ago, the rage was chocolate matched with California Cab.  I was never convinced.  But last week I tasted a Douro red with a chocolate dessert.  And now comes Zinfandel with chocolate...makes delicious sense!

 

When Andrew Jefford Talks...

One thing of which there seems to be no shortage is wine bloggers.   There are even conferences for wine bloggers:  one in North America (next year in Penticton) and one in Europe.   I’m not sure why so many of us who appreciate wine feel the passion to write about it.  Perhaps it's the wine that primes the creative pump.  As the ancient Greek poet Cratinius said, "No verse can give pleasure for long, nor last, that is written by water drinkers."

With so many wine writers out there, it’s easy to find writing to admire.  One of my favourites is Andrew Jefford, who writes a blog weekly, published on Mondays, for the Decanter website.  It’s a must read for my Monday mornings.  (And so it must be for many others, as Andrew won the Online Wine Writer of the Year Award at the 2012 International Wine Writer’s Awards.)  It certainly helps that I find myself nodding in agreement with his opinions…and shaking my head with envy at how clearly he expresses them.

Andrew recently gave the keynote address at the European wine bloggers’ conference (aka Digital Wine Communications Conference).  You can read it here and if you’re a fellow wine blogger, consider it compulsory.

My takeaways from Andrew’s keynote address:

• Traditional short-form wine writing is dead.  It’s all digital now.
• Making money from wine writing alone is difficult and getting more so.  (Any blogger can tell you that.)
• You must tell a story well.  That’s the challenge.  Fortunately, there’s no shortage of source material.
• Be distinctive.  Keep faith with whatever it was that ignited your passion to write about wine in the first place.
• If there’s one thing lacking in wine writing, it’s irreverence and humour.   And since bloggers don’t answer to a publisher, that’s where we come in.  (I agree.  But just as most actors think that comedy is the most challenging, I think that humour writing is the most challenging form to do well.  It’s why I think that David Sedaris is a genius.)

But this is said much more eloquently by Andrew himself.   Reading it is time well spent.

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My Picks: Vintages Release ─ November 24 2012

The emphasis on holiday extravagance continues this week at Vintages, with the second of what should be 3 consecutive releases with lots of expensive - and often overpriced - offerings.

 

As always, your faithful servant has scoured the catalogue for worthy choices that meet the criteria for My Picks.  Not surprisingly, only 6 wines made the cut and all 6 come from Italy and southern France.  Even so, just 2 wines are less than $20. 

Off the Beaten Track

White

TORRE ROSAZZA FRIULANO 2010, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli (Italy); #289520; Price $19.95; 13.0% ABV

100% Friulano.  Fermented in steel.  Aged on its lees for 4 months in stainless steel.  Look for tree fruit and floral aromas with minerality.  Excellent as an aperitif, the winemaker bravely recommends matching it with eggs and asparagus!


Reds

DOMAINE MICHELAS ST-JEMMS SAINTE EPINE 2009, AC Saint-Joseph (Northern Rhone); #296772; Price $31.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Syrah.  Hand harvested.  Aged 12 months in oak.  Family-owned.  Not too expensive for a northern Rhone wine.  Try it with beef or game.

Up next, a couple of Southern Rhone reds, great with braised lamb.

DOMAINE GRAND VENEUR CLOS DE SIXTE 2010, AC Lirac (Southern Rhone); #76349; Price $22.95; 14.5% ABV
A blend of Grenache (50%), Syrah (35%), and Mourvèdre (15%).  Fermented in stainless steel vats with 18 days of maceration.  Family-owned.  Most Lirac producers, including this one, also produce Chateauneuf-du-Pape on the other side of the Rhone River.  But Lirac doesn’t carry the same cachet…or the same price.  Needs another year in the cellar.

PIERRE AMADIEU ROMANE MACHOTTE 2010, AC Gigondas (Southern Rhone); #17400; Price $23.95; 14.5% ABV
A blend of Grenache and Syrah.  Hand harvested.  30-day maceration.  Aged for 12 months, partly in two-year-old oak barrels and partly in larger oak casks.  Family-owned.  Look for dark fruits and dried herbs on the nose.

SALCHETO 2006; DOCG Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Tuscany); #685180; Price $24.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Prugnolo Gentile (aka Sangiovese).  Fermented in large Slovenian oak casks.  Aged partly in those Slovenian casks (18 months) and partly in French oak barrels (6 months), then another 6 months in bottle.  Despite that, this is one of those mystery bottles that turns up every so often at Vintages.  2006, where’s it been?  The winery is working towards being 100% energy self-sufficient, upping the cool factor.

MUSELLA VIGNE NUOVE 2009, DOC Valpolicella Superiore (Veneto); #205757; Price $15.95; 13.0% ABV
A blend of Corvina and Corvinone (70%), Rondinella (20%) and Barbera! (10%) from very young (5 and 10 years old) vineyards.  Maceration and fermentation for 12 days, followed by Malolactic conversion.  Aged for 12 months in 225-litre and 500-litre barrels “of various origins and essence”. Extremely versatile with food.  BEST VALUE!

Honourable Mentions

DOMAINE SPIROPOULOS 2011, PDO Mantinia (Greece); #710970; Price $14.95; 11.5% ABV

The grape variety is Moschofilero, organically grown in Mantinia, which gives the wine a faint pink colour (thanks to short maceration).  Family-owned.  Look for floral aromas (roses, lemon-blossom, bergamot) and crisp acidity.  Organic.

 

PEWSEY VALE RIESLING 2011, Eden Valley (Australia); #686600; Price $19.95; 12.5% ABV

Look for citrus fruit, white flowers, and minerality.  A taste of paradise.

 

EWALD GRUBER HUNDSPOINT GRÜNER VELTLINER 2011, Weinviertel (Austria); #298299; Price: $17.95; 13.0% ABV

Gruener Veltliner, the signature white grape variety of Austria.  Known for tree fruit and white pepper flavours with fresh acidity.

 

CICCHITTI EDICIÓN LIMITADA MALBEC 2008, Mendoza (Argentina); #260893; Price $24.95; 14.0% ABV

Malbec, the signature red variety of Argentina.

 

DAMALISCO CRIANZA 2008, DO Toro (Spain); #306589; Price $16.95; 14.0% ABV

100% Tinta de Toro (aka Tempranillo).  Aged 10 months in oak.


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