Thank you Vintages for offering the excellent Irish whiskeys from the Cooley distillery.

WHITES
wine style: fresh white . . . upscale
CHARLES BAKER 08 Riesling ‘Picone Vineyard’, VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara 126433 $35.20
Flinty dry with just a tease of flavour. Delicate but characterful. Classic local Dry Riesling from one of the best vineyards in Niagara. Worth the splurge for a special summer lunch.

wine style: fresh white . . . refresher
THELEMA SUTHERLAND 08 Sauvignon Blanc, Elgin, South Africa 203877 $13.95
Exuberant Sauv with some tropical fruit flavours. A good partner for well spiced white meat dishes.

wine style: fresh white . . . classy
CH. de la GREFFIERE 09 Macon-la-Roche Vineuse, Burgundy, France 205898 $14.95
Beautiful non-oaked Chardonnay with the perfect mix of vitality, friutiness and gulpability. Ideal all-evening white.

wine style: nice & easy white . . . house white
CARUSO & MININI Grillo ‘Timpune’, Sicily, Italy 203943 $13.95
Not a singing duo but a delicious all-round white. A lot of luxury for the price. Would be a good introduction to the Grillo grape, and to the high quality of Sicilian whites in general.

wine style: rich white . . . manly
CONCHA y TORO 07 Chardonnay Reserva ‘Maycas del Limari’, Chile 162040 $19.95
Super rich with the earthy character of a mature Burgundy. Great white wine experience. The opposite end of the spectrum from today’s popular fruity-style Chardonnays.

REDS
wine style: fresh red . . . novel
ERMETE MEDICI A FIGLI 09 Lambrusco ‘Concerto’, Emilia-Romagna, Italy 208967 $14.95
This off-dry sparkling red wine hails from the home of proscuitto. Naturally they’re good partners, as are any foods from the deli counter. Low in alcohol. One of my favourite alfresco lunch wines.

wine style: rustic red . . . different
PISONI 08 Teroldego, Alto Adige, Italy 209353 $14.95
Teroldego is the Baco of Italy. Lively, slightly odd red that will grow on you – or not. Refreshing and a very good food partner for everyday foods. Lightly chill.

wine style: rich red . . . amazing value
CONCHA y TORO 09 Syrah Reserva, ‘Maycas del Limari’, Chile 209916 $14.95
New World ripeness and richness but there’s no mistaking Syrah’s Rhone Valley ancestory. Very appetizing. Very good and very reasonably priced.

wine style: rich red . . . charmer
VINA LEYDA 09 Pinot Noir ‘Las Brisas’, Chile 209908 $16.95
Rich, spicy/sweet style Pinot. Very seductive and a great partner for hot and spicy foods, or times.

wine style: rich red . . . warmhearted
DOMAINE des MASCARONS 09 Cotes du Rhones-Villages, France 142174 $15.95
Blockbuster, super-rich and smooth Rhone. Fireside red.

IRISH WHISKEY Take a break from the smooth Jameson and explore the wilder side of Irish with these rogues from a real Irish distillery

COOLEY DISTILLERY ‘Connemara’ Peated Single Malt 27946 $54.95
. . . not only peat but wild, mountain herbal flavours.

COOLEY DISTILLERY Locke’s 8-Year-Old Single Malt 913475 $54.95
. . . more vigour here. manly and tangy.

COOLEY DISTILLERY ‘Inishowen’ Peated Single Malt 656017 $34.95
. . . some peat but lots of other stuff too. Spirited and exciting for the price.

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.

WHITES
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.

wine 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.

wine 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.

REDS
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.

wine 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’

wine 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.