All posts in Billy’s Online Wine School

Billy’s Online Wine School

by Kato on April 13, 2010 in Billy's Online Wine School, Wine Picks with 3 Comments

Billy’s Online Wine School
Lesson #8 MAKE FRIENDS with RUSTIC REDS

lesson8There was a time when almost all red wines were rustic. Bone dry with a tangy bite. A bit challenging but refreshing and appetizing. Today’s fashion is for smooth, rich reds – and while these are delicious drinks they are not great companions at the dinner table. They try to upstage the food. And they tire, rather than stimulate the appetite.

So take a trip on the challenging side. Make rustic your friend and new dinner companion. Have second bottles on hand as the refreshing nature of rustic reds tend to keep us longer at the table. Italy is motherland of rustic red but some of our local wineries are not afraid to produce wines with an edge. Have with burgers, pizza, lasagna, casseroles, BBQ’d red meats and anything oven-roasted.

Creekside’s Shiraz is gutsy, down to earth and loaded with vim and vitality. An Ontario Chianti! Get food on the table and you’ll be in for the fun of a fast bottle.

The blend of Cabernet Franc and Shiraz from Angels Gate tastes like something you’d have at a French bistro. Hearty, earthy and very real. I’d love to see more local wine produced in this style.

CREEKSIDE 07 Shiraz, VQA Niagara 66654 $15.75
ANGELS GATE 07 Cabernet/Shiraz, VQA Niagara 146365 $14.75

Billy’s Online Wine School

by Kato on March 4, 2010 in Billy's Online Wine School, Wine Picks with 4 Comments

Wine School on the Web

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 week, typically Wednesday. Looking forward to hearing about your ‘homework’!

Lesson #6 EXPERIENCE NICE

Nice is the most wrongly used wine description. When we enjoy a wine we tend to call it nice. What we should be saying is “this wine is hitting the spot, right now”. On a hot day a shrill Sauvignon can feel heavenly, but it’s a mistake to describe the wine as NICE. It’s not nice – it’s a good wine when we’re thirsty.

But thLindemansPGere are wines that are NICE. Comfortable, gentle, polite, easy. Wines for relaxation, to sip ‘n chat – hanging out with friends. A lot of Pinot Grigio falls into this category. This week I’d like you to buy the two wines below, open and have both over several evenings. Experience NICE. And an amazing wine value from Gallo.

LINDEMANS 09 Pinot Grigio ‘Bin 85’, Australia 668947 $10.95
Pleasant fruitiness, zippy freshness and a lighthearted feeling. What could be nicer!. Very social, very party gulpable.

GALLO 08 Pinot Grigio ‘Family Vineyards’, California 82594 $7.95
Great blast of lemonade freshness and summer day on the beach feeling. Drier, and way better, than most Californians in the low price range. Bring on the summer party season. Great value.

Billy’s Online Wine School – Lesson #5

by Kato on February 17, 2010 in Billy's Online Wine School, Vintages Picks, Wine Picks with 1 Comment

If you’re just tuning in, check out the other lessons posted on Billy’s Online Wine School page to your left. Enjoy your homework!

WINE LESSON # 5  Côtes du Rhône

I want to repeat the first lesson because of the flood of Côtes du Rhône wines appearing at Vintages this Saturday. You must grab this opportunity to explore one of the great experience in red wine. And great values too. The wines won’t be around for long and when they’re they gone  – they’re gone.

Côtes du Rhône has a unique style that cannot be duplicated elsewhere. The sunny flavours  and feeling of the south of France pour out of each glass. Effortlessly. Lovingly. Côtes du Rhône is Cabernet’s alter ego. Wines crafted for charm over size. Spicy/sweetness over power.

So here’s what to do. This weekend, go to an LCBO that carries a decent Vintages selection. Buy one or two of my 5 recommended Côtes du Rhônes. Here they are. All my other Vintages picks will be posted here on FRIDAY, FEB 19th.

My 5 recommended Côtes du Rhônes released this Saturday, Feb. 20th.
DOMAINE de DIEUMERCY 07 Côtes du Rhône, France 155507 $12.95
LES VIGNERONS de ROAIX 07 Côtes du Rhône, France 156000 $13.95
TERRES d’AVIGNON 07 Côtes du Rhône ‘Les Cardinalices’, France 155473 $14.95
DOMAINE SAINT-PIERRE 06 Vacqueyras, Côtes du Rhône Villages, France 130013 $25.95
CAVE de RASTEAU 07 Gigondas ‘Ortas’, Côtes du Rhône Villages, France 155440 $23.95

And don’t overlook a previous recommendation posted on Jan 8 (Rasteau 08 ‘Ortas’ Côtes du Rhône Villages #998716 $15).

P.S. Next Wednesday I’m taking a break from school because I’m posting a lot of ‘Olympic Wine Picks’ in the coming week. Cheers.

Online Wine School Lesson 4

by Kato on February 3, 2010 in Billy's Online Wine School, Wine Picks with No comments

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)

Online Wine School – Lesson 3

by Kato on January 27, 2010 in Billy's Online Wine School, Wine Picks with 4 Comments

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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