House wine

I'm often asked "what is your favourite wine?"   What a loaded question! 

Everyone has a wine profile: their list of likes and dislikes when it comes to wine.  Some I've heard are either dislikes or strict adherence to particular wine regions ("I hate French wine" or "I only drink Australian Shiraz"), loyalty to only one varietal, etc.  Some poor, misguided souls even think that they don’t like wine at all.  

My suggestion for you if you seek to really learn and enjoy all that the wonderful world of wine has to offer is to open your mind and your wine profile.  Like I said in my last post, I tend to gravitate towards big, chewy reds, but that's not to say I can't enjoy the intricacies of a delicate Riesling or a light, fruity Gamay. 
I started this blog talking about Baco Noir, a relatively unpopular grape among the average drinker.  I suggest never, ever saying things like "I don't like Baco" or "White wine is only for the summer".  If you taste with an open mind, you never know what you might find.  I started my grape loving journey rather certain that I didn't like white wine at all.  Period.  What a crazy statement!  I have tasted so many fabulously crafted, delicious wines that I never would have tried if I stuck with my decision that white wasn't right.  I also temporarily boycotted Merlot following the release of the movie Sideways, agreeing with Paul Giamatti's character that Merlot was perhaps a lower class wine not to be enjoyed by those of us who "know something" about wine.  I cringe to think of what I may have missed out on during that sad, misguided time.

I can't say I have a favourite wine... reality is that I have a new favourite wine every time I taste something that perks up my taste buds and warms my mouth with that juicy, smooth, velvety deliciousness that a great wine provides.  I can, however, give you a few of my go-to wines and when I like to use them.  These are bottles I buy when I need to know what I'm getting myself into and am not particularly interested in a sensory adventure.  Let's start with the reds.

Jackson-Triggs Proprietor's Reserve Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon (VQA Niagara Peninsula)

This is a great "house wine".  It has bold flavour without overpowering your senses, and I like the interest the Franc brings to the nose and finish.  I serve this wine in the summer when we have BBQs because it is crowd pleasing and goes incredibly well with smoky BBQ fare.  This bottle typically retails for about $12.95, making it an affordable delight.

D'Arenberg D'Arry's Original Shiraz Grenache (Australia)

 This is a big red that I like to give as a gift to anyone who I know enjoys a spicy, slightly peppery wine with the most delightful ripe fruit flavour.  I also like to pull this wine out when cooking anything in the Greek, Moroccan or Middle Eastern vein.   

Trapiche Astica Merlot / Malbec (Argentina)

Especially considering the rising popularity (and the resulting rise in price) of Malbec, this is a really fantastic wine with a bargain price tag.  A 750ml bottle retails for $7.45, but this beauty is best enjoyed in its 1500ml form.  I like to buy this wine when I'm entertaining or when I know we're going to consume a quantity of wine and want to keep the price in check.  You can expect a fresh summer fruit and chlorophyll on the nose and a blast of jammy dark chocolate in your mouth.   

Pelee Island Gamay Noir / Zweigelt (VQA)

This lovely bottle (last time I purchased it, there was a picture of a flying squirrel on the label) is one of my favourite wines to offer to someone who says they don't like red wine.  The Gamay grape is reliable as a young, fresh fruit that often reminds me more of something I'd give my kids than booze.  It has a light body but the Zweigelt provides a little bit more structure than a standard Gamay.  I find this wine to have a mild smoky character, perfect for pairing with bacon wrapped scallops or herbed pancetta chicken.  It's also amazingly affordable at about $11... that's cheap enough to stagger back for another! 

Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages (France)

This is a very reliable Beaujolais (the Gamay grape grown in the Beaujolais region in France) that is vibrant and light, with high notes of strawberry and blueberry.  I would suggest chilling this wine for about 20 minutes, and I love serving this with typical “white wine food” like salmon or tuna steaks. 

Trius Red (Hillebrand Estates, Niagara VQA)

Trius Red is my go-to hostess gift.  At about $22 a bottle it is reasonably affordable, and I just love the long, smooth, sexy shape of the bottle.  But as pretty as it is on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.  The Trius line was created by a genius winemaker by the name of J. L. Groux, who now runs the show at Stratus (much, much more on this later).  This is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot (the percentages of each vary vintage to vintage) and is bold, complex and clean with great smoky cedar, vanilla and cherry notes.  While it pairs wonderfully with grilled meats and veggies, I prefer to enjoy with beauty on its own, or with a variety of sharp cheeses. 

It has become apparent to me that I have a lot of “favourite” wines, so I will follow up with my go-to white wine recommendations in my next post.

Until we drink again, cheers!

Hello and welcome!

Purple teeth, ever had 'em?  If you haven't, this blog may not be your cup of Cabernet.

It is for those of you who have experienced this particular phenomenon, brought on by the delightful consumption of a particular burgundy beverage, that I write this blog.  If your thirst for knowledge is second only to your thirst for Merlot, I encourage you to follow this blog and enjoy the ride.

I believe my first true experience with purple teeth came the weekend of my 25th birthday.  It was at a wine tasting event that I will get more into down the road, but it involved tasting a LOT of wine.  Again, I will go into more detail later, but you may be familiar with proper wine tasting technique and how one slurps, swishes and sucks on wine to get the full experience of the grape.  The result?  Purple teeth.  A temporary, hilarious ending to what I'm sure was a great time.  Or so I'm told.

My goal with this blog is to taste, educate, taste, share, taste and.... well, taste.  I have enjoyed wine for pretty much as long as I can remember.  I come from a long line of winemakers, so my wine loving tendencies come naturally, and really, who doesn't want to carry on family traditions?  It's my cross to bear, and bear it I shall.

Having been pregnant or breastfeeding for the better part of the last 5 years, I haven't been tasting as much as I would like, and that simply has to change.  So I'm turning a corner and making a commitment to taste something new and different at least every 2 weeks.  Much, much more if I have anything to say about it.
I will let everyone know that I am a lover of big, chewy red wines, so that is what I tend to gravitate towards, but I also love to try new and different wines and will write about everything I try.  Please feel free to comment if there is anything in particular you would like reviewed and I will do my best to accommodate.

Let's talk Baco Noir.
Baco Noir is not for everyone.  Baco is a hybrid grape that stands up to the harsher elements of cool climate growing regions, such as those we have here in Ontario, and other similar wine regions, like New York.  Baco is a strong tasting, fruit forward red, that often carries such discriptors as black fruit, tar, earth, even barnyard (think mud, straw).  It does not carry the tannic feel of other big reds like Cabernets or Merlots (tannins are what give that dry mouth sort of feeling) and is often blended with other hybrids, my favourite of which is Marechal Foch.
My dad and I often say that we judge a winemaker by his or her Baco.  It can tell you a lot about what a winemaker is trying to achieve.  If their Baco is light and fruity, they are likely attempting to achieve mass appeal, which for me is a total turn off.  Usually, the more "barnyard" qualities the Baco has, the better it suits me.  In terms of commercial offerings, I will suggest that Henry of Pelham is a good place to start (I suggest you go right now to get some because it's on sale until the 27th of February and I can't promise that I won't clear the shelf).  Their Baco is a little more commercial than others, but is true to the grape.  I enjoy pairing it with high flavour foods such as spicy BBQ steak or salad with blue cheese.  Lakeview Cellars make a stellar Baco, and I will be reviewing a few of their different vintages (same grape made in different years) soon.

My dad gave me a bottle of 2009 Baco Noir from Sandbanks Estate (VQA) in Prince Edward County.  This is a bit of an up-and-coming wine region here in Ontario (the Niagara Region and Lake Erie North Shore being the 2 commonly known regions in the province) and a really great one if you like delicious and affordable wine (you may want to close your browser window now if you don't).  This Baco has a whole lot of life in it, and I am likely going to invest in a number of bottles to taste over the next few years, as I think its best is yet to come.  It is very fruit forward with smoky black cherry notes and is fairly acidic.  I didn't pair this particular wine with food (it was used to combat some feelings of rage, and I must say, it worked quite well for this purpose) but would consider it with beef cooked in an Argentinian style with a chimi chiri sauce.  There is actually half a bottle left (I know, lightweight, I know) that will in all probability be used tonight as relaxation after a long day with the kids.

Until we drink again, cheers!