A Vine Romance – Monday Feb 8

7th
Feb. × ’10

ValAre you in the mood for love? I’ll be your hot date for this pre-Valentine’s tasting at First Canadian Place. Taste 6 of my Valentine’s picks – bubbly, white, red and sweet wines from around the globe….covering an ideal Valentine’s day from breakfast to dinner, and beyond. Fun and informative.Presented in association with Indigospirit and The Duke of Westminster.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 8 from 5 to 7pm.
ONLY $25. My book, Billy’s Best Bottles Wines for 2010 will be on sale.

Register online at fcpevents.com

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Super Bowl N’Awlins Style

6th
Feb. × ’10
Tomorrow, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7th, Toronto’s favourite Cajun restaurant is going sporty to cheer on the Saints. Watch the game on a cinema-size screen and kick up your taste buds with gumbo, jambalaya, hush puppies and all things hot ‘n spicy. Should be fun and a good intro to Mardi Gras season coming up on the 16th. Pre-game action starts at 5:30.

Southern Accent Restaurant, 595 Markham Street, Toronto M6G 2L7 Bathurst subway, Markham Street exit
416 536 3211 www.southernaccent.com

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LCBO Vintages Saturday February 6

4th
Feb. × ’10

THE LOW DOWN: A very traditional Côtes du Rhône is my highlight of this release. Bistro at its best. Earthy but also rich is the Priorat from the North of Spain. Characterful stuff. For an interesting white wine experience check out Greco di Tufo from the south of Italy. This ancient Greek grape variety can hold its own with the worlds best whites. Speaking of best, Concha y Toro ‘Trio’ is a world campion value in rich whites. Finally, think about a spring picnic and grab a few Bordolino Chiaretto.

P.S. High scoring wines are the feature. While some are impressed with impact and richness, I found that most of the wines were overworked and the experience overwhelming. Port-like richness is not something I welcome in supper-table wines. Or party drinks. For an example of contrived, try Chimeres, Cotes du Roussillon-Villages (119354 $19.95) on page 11 in the catalogue. The taste description is a classic piece of wine gobbledegook.

angelsgateWHITES
wine style: fresh white
ANGELS GATE 08 Riesling, VQA Beamsville Bench 160523 $13.95
The super refreshing character of Dry Riesling. Tart, clean as a whistle and worth stocking for summer events. I like the pure, fresh flavours and reasonable prices of Angels Gate wines.

greccowine style: fresh white
TERREDORA di PAOLO 08 Greco di Tufo, Campania, Italy 983197 $19.95
Regular readers will be familiar with my fondness for indigenous Italian whites. Wines with so much character they never need oak ageing. Flavours are more eathy than fruity and there’s a refreshing mineral tang. Great partner for the world of seafood. On the patio overlooking a lake always works for me. Could be aged a few years.

triowine style: rich white
CONCHA y TORO 08 Reserva Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio/Pinot Blanc ‘Trio, Chile 433938 $12.95
The richness of New World Chardonnay with side notes from the other grapes. Glamour meets street smarts. Lemony freshness too. Wonderful stuff for the price.

roseREDS
wine style: dry rose
ZENATO 08 Bardolino Chiaretto, Italy 45203 $11.95
OK, it’s only February, but why not get started on your summer stash with this classic bistro Rosé? Tasty, refreshing and fun. Or you could have it with a Indian curry tonight. Rosé is an all season wine.

cotesrhoneDelaswine style: rich/rustic red
DELAS 07 Côtes du Rhône ‘Saint Esprit’, France 729962 $14.95
Unusually earthy, rustic edition of Côtes du Rhône due to the high Syrah content. Classic bistro red – invigorating, refreshing and a great partner for all the meat dishes. I love the traditional style int his wine – the ‘non smooth’

gwine style: rich red
BUIL & GINÉ 06 Priorat, Spain 67843 $17.95
Starts out lively, fruity and tart – shades of the Rhône (same grapes) but on the second glass there’s wonderful down ‘n dirty flavours that are the hallmark of the old vine wines from the Priorat region. Lots of character.

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Online Wine School Lesson 4

3rd
Feb. × ’10

Wine Lesson #4

Will that be rustic or rich? Playing around with a few Portuguese reds – fun on a winter night.

Sogrape is a big Portuguese winery that churns out some of the world’s great value reds. Really good wines at everyday prices. I’ve been recommending the following for ages but they have never tasted better. And I don’t know any other winery in the world that offers such a diverse trio. Vila Regia is gusty, rustic and invigorating – classic bistro red that invites you to get stuck into food. An LCBO best buy for over twenty years. Vila Regia Reserva is rich, mellow and yummy in the style of today’s popular reds. But it could also be mistaken for a high-priced Bordeaux. Sogrape’s Duque de Viseu is very old world – rich and rustic. The feeling of a slightly faded old hotel. Red velvet, old fashioned romantic. Set the scene with candles and a few cocktails. The old way.

The object of this lesson is for you to experience the differences between the rustic, bistro style and the rich style. The third wine is a combination of both styles. Each wine will tell you where it wants to be. Each has the potential for ‘best’.

Sogrape 07 Douro ‘Vila Regia’, Portugal 464388 $8.95 page 141 (has a new label)
Sogrape 06 Douro ‘Vila Regia’ Reserva, Portugal 613950 $12.50 (not in my book)
Sogrape 06 Dao ‘Duque de Viseu’, Portugal 546309 Vintages Essentials $13.95 page 181 (has new label)

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California Dreaming

1st
Feb. × ’10

stonecellarsTake a virtual trip to the sunshine state with the following white and red.  They’re not bargain priced but the pair will cost you less than the scussiest wine at your local restaurant. Beringer’s winemaker has found a perfect middle ground between niceness and character in these wines. Be prepared to be charmed.

Stone Cellar Chardonnay is a hedonistic hit of flavour and richness. But there’s great vitality too. Be happy wine that will take you to Malibu beach party! With platters of seafood of course. Merlot may be out of fashion but one sip of this guy and you’ll be a returned fan. Yummy flavours combine with a lively, lighthearted feeling. Fun wine for your party, and a good partner for steak, burgers or pizza.
BERINGER ‘Stone Cellars’ 08 Chardonnay, California 606806 $13.95
BERINGER ‘Stone Cellars’ 07 Merlot, California 462473 $13.95

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Ontario Game Dinner Feb 2

30th
Jan. × ’10

Ontario Game Dinner at Wine Bar/Hank’s ~ 9 Church St. ~ Toronto, ON.

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 7 p.m.

Slow Food Toronto Chefs joining us for this evening :
•    Joshna Maharaj (Food Studio)  – Charcuterie
•    Bertrand Alepee (Amuse Bouche) &  Scott Vivian (Wine Bar/Hank’s)  ~Venison
•    Jason Bangerter (Auberge du Pommier) & Mike Steh (Red’s) ~ Rabbit
•    Chris Brown (The Stop) & Jason Inniss (Amuse Bouche) – Squab
•    Jeff Crump, Scott Baily & Bettina Schormann (Ancaster Old Mill) ~ Wild Boar
•    Rachelle Vivian (Wine Bar/Hank’s) ~ Desserts

Tickets available through UofT Tix 416.978.8849, www.uofttix.ca
$60 for Slow Food Members*
$70 for Non Slow Food Member*
BYOB – no corkage

*Proceeds from the evening will help send our delegates to Terra Madre, Slow Food’s Bi-annual conference on sustainable world food economies in October 2010.

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Online Wine School – Lesson 3

27th
Jan. × ’10

Drink your way through Billy’s Best wine book – a bottle or two at a time.  Follow the instructions and you’ll be a wine wizard by Easter. New lessons are posted every Wednesday. Looking forward to hearing about your ‘homework’!

merlotLesson3Lesson #3  Does the situation call for the old wine camp or the new?

The old wine countries create very dry and challenging drinks, while new wine countries offer more friendly, less dry wines. This is a generalization of course but it’s useful to know that the two styles exist – and that choosing the appropriate one will go a long way in determining the success of your event. Or just your own drinking pleasure.

For this lesson you will need to buy and open both red wines below. Experience them side by side (yes, two glasses in front of you) so you can see the different experiences described below. Neither wine is better of course, but there will be a better ‘choice’ once you factor in a situation/mood/food. You could have the foods suggested with the two wines – on the same evening, or spread your lesson over two evenings.

OLD WORLD STYLE Red
CESARI 08 Merlot, Italy 572453 $7.25 page 149
(alternative: Alianca 06 Bairrada Reserve, Portugal 158741 $8.50)
very dry – an edge – earthy – challenging. Very refreshing and good at stimulating the palate – making you hungry, and keeping you hungry through the meal. Its strength is being good at helping you enjoy the meal. And not knocking you out with high alcohol. Could be likened to European movies that give you something to think about.
FOODS: Plain roasted or grilled red meats with fresh herbs. Tomato sauced pasta or pizza.
FYI: The traditional wines of France, Italy, Spain, etc are known as Old World.

NEW WORLD STYLE Red
CONO SUR 08 Shiraz, Chile 64295 $9.95 page 199
(alternative: Finca Flichman 08 Malbec ‘Misteria’, Argentina 28803 $7.80)
Smooth – fruity – spicy sweet – yummy. Instant pleasure and the ‘let’s party’ feeling. An invitation to relax – with food, or without. If there’s food, make sure it has kick-ass flavours. New World reds could be likened to Hollywood movies – lots of glitz and glam.
FOODS: Ribs, steaks or chops with spicy/sweet sauces. Burgers with all the fixins.
FYI: Australian, Chilean and Californian wines are categorized as New World.
P.S. Ontario is in this group technically, but most of our best wines are Old World and cool climate in style.

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LCBO Vintages Saturday Jan 23

22nd
Jan. × ’10

THE LOW DOWN: Six picks ranging in price from $15 to $25. Blockbuster, crowd-pleasing Argentinan wines are the feature but they are outdone by my Cotes du Rhone pick. France also scores with a Sauv Blanc. Malivoire Gamay and Southbrook Chard are outstanding locals.

saintbresWHITES
wine style: fresh white
LA CHABLISIENNE 08 Sauvignon, Saint-Bris, France 641753 $14.95
Seriously dry and sharp Sauvignon. Edgy and super-refreshing – but needs a hot summer day.

southbrookwine style: rich white
SOUTHBROOK 07 Chardonnay ‘Triomphe’, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake 117572 $21.95
Solid, manly Chard in the Burgundian style. Deep, earthy flavours, rich and very luxurious. Needs a special event and well seasoned food. Or just sip and enjoy. A wonderful wine experience at a reasonable price. Could be aged a year or three.

alamoswine style: nice & easy white
ALAMOS  08 Torrontes, Argentina 81539 $13.95
Torrentes is South America’s Muscat or Gewuztraminer. Exotic and spicy with a suggestion of sweetness. Fun stuff to sip between meals and at parties. And a really good partner for Sunday eggs.

malivoireREDS
wine style: lively red
MALIVOIRE 08 Gamay VQA Niagara 591313 $17.95
A lively, fruity, earthy edition of the Beaujolais grape. Very refreshing, very gulpable and a wonderful local expression. A bit expensive but you’ll feel awfully good drinking this on a picnic this summer.

selwine style: rich red
CLOS de LOS SIETE 07, Mendoza, Argentina 622571 $23.95
Argentinean edition of Bordeaux. Solid, manly red for beef or lamb. Best partnered with a formal mood.

crozauwine style: super-rich red
LA RÉSERVE du CROUZAU ST. GERVAIS 07 Cotes du Rhône-Villages, France 142943 $14.95
A blockbuster for sure. Super-rich red for fireside sipping. If you like Amarone try this – at a quarter of the price.

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On the Espresso Trail

21st
Jan. × ’10

IMG_9672Independent coffee bars are popping up all over the city. A good thing for sure. My latest ‘good espresso’ discovery was at Scratch, a neighbourhood, family spot that supplements coffee trade with handmade children’s clothing. Modern meets hippy – everyone is happy. Lovely long communal table, brick wall, local art. etc . . . and most importantly an Elektra machine.

Scratch Espresso Bar, 1358 Bathurst Street (a few blocks South of St Clair, west side)
scratchespresso.com

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Billy’s Online Wine School: Week 2

20th
Jan. × ’10

Welcome to Billy’s Online Wine School. Drink your way through my 2010 Billy’s Best Book billysbestbook.com – a bottle or two at a time, in the comfort of your own pad. Just follow the instructions and you’ll be a wine wizard by Easter. And thanks to all who got through lesson 1 and wrote in.

LESSON 2:  It’s the mood/situation that makes a wine ‘good’ – NOT personal taste.

You might find this a bit shocking but this is one of the most important things you can learn about wine. Personal taste tries to keep you in your comfort zone, depriving you of the potential magic of the moment. But you can overcome the limitations of personal taste simply by being more in the mood of the moment. When the wine is right for the moment you, and your friends, will enjoy it. Regardless of personal taste.

This week I’d like you to buy two styles of wine to illustrate this point. Two contrasting whites, each with the potential to hit the spot after work – depending on your mood. One is a ‘refresher’, the other a ‘relaxer’. Refrigerate and open both wines – pour a small glass of each before supper and see which works best for you.

Repeat the exercise on the next, and the next evening. Always noting how one wine works better than the other. But, and this is the lesson, your fondness is likely change from evening to evening, depending on your need for relaxation or refreshment. The moment/mood will determine the best wine, and over ride personal taste.

A REFRESHER
Mezzacorona 08 Pinot Grigio, Trentino, Italy 302380 $12.60  page 58
Alternative:  Winzer Krems 08 Gruner Veltliner, Austria 589002 $10.75  page 53

A RELAXER
Henry of Pelham 07 Non-Oaked Chardonnay, VQA Niagara 291211 $13.15  page 83
(Alternative: Ruffino 08 Orvieto, Umbria, Italy  31062 $11.50  page 78
week2

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