Archive for September, 2010

LCBO Vintages Saturday October 2

by Kato on September 30, 2010 in Vintages Picks, Wine Picks with No comments

THE LOW DOWN: I found something to recommend in all three of the catalogue ‘features’ – Australia, Italy and Thanksgiving. Consider buying my Aussie reds for a snapshot of the four principal wine styles produced in that country.

Quintarelli is a wine folk hero and always worth the experience. You are sure to please putting Malivoire’s Rosé on the Thanksgiving table. (And any of my white picks would be popular too.) Chateau St. Jean is a must for Pinot addicts.

ladybugROSE
wine style: dry rosé
MALIVOIRE 09 Rosé ‘Ladybug’, VQA Niagara 559088 $15.95
Delicious fruitiness and some richness. Perfect for Thanksgiving and stock up for Christmas too. Dry Rosé is a great food wine in general.

lehmannWHITES
wine style: fresh white
PETER LEHMANN 08 Riesling, Eden Valley, Australia 186361 $14.95
Tart, super refreshing with a tease of citrusy flavours. Unusually understated and low alcohol for an Aussie. Aperitif.

soellerwine style: nice & easy white
SOELLNER ‘Toni’ Grüner Veltliner, Austria 184085 $14.95
Zippy, spicy with a gentle and friendly feeling. Better than a happy pill.

torreswine style: rich white
TORRES ‘Gran Vina Sol’ 08 Chardonnay, Penedes, Spain 171660 $14.95
Semi-rich Chardonnay with a refreshing tartness. And a solid earthy feeling. Built for food, not glamour. Good value.

yerlingREDS
wine style: rustic red
LITTLE YERING 08 Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Australia 188094 $14.95
A great buy for fans of ‘barnyard’ Pinots. Raunchy and very Burgundian. Needs food. Check out more value wines from this winery on the regular LCBO shelves.

stJEANwine style: rich red
CHATEAU ST. JEAN 07 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, California 687970 $19.95
Big, lush and seductive. Very Californian. Would impress at a fancy dinner. St. Jean always does well with Pinot.
valpolicellawine style: rich red
QUINTARELLI 01 Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy 986117 $84.95
Vapolicella that thinks it’s Tawny Port. Lush, spicy, earthy and full of mystery. More exciting, and more rare, than most Amarones or any wine at this price. Quintarelli delivers the goods. Treat yourself, or gift a good friend. Sip after dinner.

visanwine style: rich red
LES COTEAUX 07 ‘Visan’, Cotes du Rhone-Village, France 179226 $13.95
A yummy, spicy, peppery, rich red for those who missed the Rhone special a few weeks ago.
chickywine style: rich red
CHARLES CIMICKY 06 Shiraz ‘Trumps’, Barossa Valley, Australia 07383 $24.95
Dark, dense and solid. With a plummy, Port-like warmth. I’d pour this after dinner.

wynnwine style: rich red
WYNNS 06 Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Australia 84996 $24.95
Wynns Coonawarra is an Australian classic. Modeled on Bordeaux, it combines boldness with some seriousness. As formal as it gets down under. Needs beef, of course.

fourroadswine style: rich red
MAXWELL 08 Shiraz/Grenache/Viognier ‘Four Roads’, McLaren Valley, Australia 57000 $19.95
Cotes du Rhone in style with extra ripeness and richness. Guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser with any hearty meal.

Pinot Sent Packing

by Kato on September 27, 2010 in Wine Picks with No comments

feudoArancioPinot Noir is the elusive one in the red wine world. Hard to track down, and even harder to pin down. Because heft and richness are not part of the Pinot experience it’s not as easy to measure as with blockbuster reds. You have to feel it more than think it. It’s the abstract art of the wine world. Not everyone gets it. 

Everyday priced Pinots are hard to find and there will be one less when the current inventory of this Sicilian runs out as it’s being delisted.

Arancio is a shade New world in richness but with a hit of Italian realness. Not a bad combination. Especially on a fall evening.

GRAB THIS!! It’s a great red for the price.

wine-style: semi-rich red
Feudo Arancio 08 Pinot Noir, Sicily 113902 $12.95

Good & Fun in Niagara

by Kato on September 23, 2010 in Billy's World, Food & Restaurants, Wine Picks with No comments

This is the time of year when you hear and see lots of promo for local wines. It’s Ontario month at the LCBO and naturally I’m going to do my part and tell you about some of my favourite local stuff. Wines and wineries to visit.

If you’re headed to Niagara this fall here’s two locations to put on your list.

ravineRavine Winery and Café/Food Shop for the quality of food and novel  rustic setting. It’s a bit like being at a cottage that had Jamie Kennedy cooking in the basement! Sit in the food shop or on the huge wrap-around porch with views of the pizza oven and vineyards. Take home some of the best bread in Ontario. You’ll find the winery next door in a handsome, tastefully restored Georgian house. A delightful contrast to the café. Excellent, French inspired reds. Ravine reminds me of the wonderful rustic-meets-upscale places you find in California. So great to have the experience closer to home. Bravo to the Harder family for this exciting enterprise. ravinevineyard.com

elgastroAnother Niagara GOOD + FUN experience is the Gastronomo Vegabundo food truck at Flat Rock winery. El Gastro serves up delicious gourmet tacos, tapas, southeast Asian dishes, salads and desserts which you can enjoy alongside Flat Rock wines in the picnic area. Gourmet food from a truck is all the rage in the US and is now in Niagara. (Wish El Gastro was in every city – including Prince Edward County!)

Flat Rock is one of the highest elevated wineries on the Beamsville Bench, with spectacular views of the vineyards and Lake Ontario. Check out the outstanding Nadja’s Riesling ($19.95) and Sparkling Brut ($35) with a beer cap. www.flatrockcellars.com

Win! A County Wine Day with Billy

by Kato on September 21, 2010 in Events with 2 Comments

WINEday-1

A Wine Day in The County

with Billy Munnelly

Hop on board the bus and spend a Fall wine day in Prince Edward County with Billy Munnelly – wine writer and County resident. This lighthearted adventure will consist of education, meeting with County wine personalities, tasting a great variety of wines and a leisurely bistro-style lunch. Wine lovers of all levels and ages welcome.

DATE: Tuesday 28 September, 2010

10:00 am to 4:30pm

COST: $125 includes all wines, luncheon and transportation

Start and finish at Huff Estates Winery

10:00 am. Morning class: Experience Billy’s unique wine philosophy/tasting crash course. Followed by a barrel sampling of Chardonnays. Huff Chardonnay won Best Local Wine award at this year’s Ontario Wine Championships.

Visit and tasting of Pinot Noir at the French-inspired Old Third Winery.

Time for lunch, but not before a you-won’t-believe sparkling tasting at Hinterland Winery. A Bistro-style lunch will be served in the beautiful old barn – with Karlo Estates red wines.

Visit and tasting at the Norman Hardie Estate. Before selecting the County to open his winery, Norm worked in South Africa, California and France.

If you’re thinking that Chardonnay is passé wait till you taste the wines at our final call, Closson Chase.

4:30pm. Return to Huff Estates for a glass of Late Harvest, and wrap-up.

Email me and TELL ME WHY YOU WANT TO COME!

Bonnet is Back!

by Kato on September 21, 2010 in Uncategorized with No comments

After two decades of popularity, Chateau Bonnet was canned by the LCBO in 2009. But now they’re brought it back which is sure to please all the folks who wrote asking me “what happen to my favourite white”.

BONNETChateau Bonnet is one of the friendliest, easy-drinking Sauvignons in the world. Pretty Muscadelle and Semillon grapes are blended with the wild Sauvignon guy for a tune that all your friends can enjoy. To start the evening and sip with appetizers. Or house wine.

Wine style: nice ‘n easy white
Chateau Bonnet 08 Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France 83709 $13.95

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