All posts tagged Flat Rock

LCBO Vintages Saturday November 27

by Kato on November 26, 2010 in Vintages Picks with 1 Comment

THE LOW DOWN: It’s getting close to the Holidays and Vintages is cranking up its offering of high priced glamour wines. You’re bound to be tempted by the beautiful catalog. I tasted all of the $100+ offerings and will not be buying. If you need a sure fire hit for a gift item – that’s going to be opened, go with Wolf Blass Black Label Cab/Shiraz (#960468 $95.95).

I’ve included a few semi-expensive picks for Holiday treats, or gifts. And a few wines from the November 13 release. Along with my usual bargains.

Enjoy.

P.S. Keep checking here for lots of Holiday picks at regular LCBOs.

WHITES

soligowine style: fresh white
SOLIGO 09 Pinot Grigio, Piave, Italy 181560 $13.95
The fresh, fruity and fun character of good PInot Grigio. Ideal Holiday season house white.

flatrockwine style: fresh white
FLATROCK 09 Riesling ‘Nadja’s Vineyard, VQA 20 Mile Bench 578625 $19.95 (Nov 13)
One of Ontario’s best dry Rieslings. Very sharp, very pure and very good for aperitif.

zenatowine style: nice & easy white
ZENATO 09 Lugana, Lombardy, Italy 707158 $13.95
Zenato’s Lugana is the Michael Buble of white wine. One of the nicest drinks on the planet. Shades of non-oaked Chard.

hiddenbenchwine style: rich white
HIDDEN BENCH 07 Chardonnay, VQA Beamsville Bench 68817 $35.20
Super lush, rich, exotic. Glam local Chardonnay in HD. Fireside sipper.

stratusWhitewine style: rich white
STRATUS 07 White, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake 660704 $44.20 (Nov 13)
A multi grape blend with amazing flavour concentration. The hit of a big Chardonnay but with a greater variety of flavours. Vibrant and refreshing too. Something special for sure.

santaritawine style: rich white
SANTA RITA 08 Chardonnay ‘Medalla Real’, Limari Valley, Chile 303628 $17.95
Santa Rita is the master of blockbuster wines at Honest Ed prices. Get the rich Chardonnay experience for less than twenty bucks.

SPARKLING

mummnapawine style: sparkling Rosé
MUMM NAPA Brut Rosé, California 205641 $29.95
Tart, with a delicious tease of berry flavours. Classic and classy aperitif. Treat yourself and your best friends.

REDS

madonnawine style: rustic red
GEMMA 09 Dolcetto D’Alba ‘Madonna Della Neve’, Piedmont, Italy 185017 $13.95
Tart, vigorous, earthy – pure Italian. Lasagna or burgers.
capraiawine style: rustic red
TENUTA di CAPRAIA 06 Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany, Italy 23374 $28.95
Hail to the original Chianti. Earthy, rustic and challenging. Next best thing to being at a farm house in Tuscany. Wild boar on the spit? Enjoy with any grilled red meat.

macRostiewine style: rich red
MacROSTIE 07 Pinot Noir, Carneros, California 674911 $24.95
Rich, spicy sweet, Californian Pinot. Very seductive, very pretty, very easy. The mood for cuddles.

galevanwine style: rich red
DOMAINE GALEVAN 07 Cotes du Rhone ‘Paroles de Femme’, France 125930 $15.00
The French edition of Shiraz – spicy sweet, nourishing and very yummy. Perfect for Holiday entertaining.

closduVALwine style: rich red
CLOS DU VAL 08 Zinfandel, Napa Valley, California 590216 $22.95
Zin in a pure, Pinot Noir style. Bright flavours and invigorating personality. Refreshing and charming. My favourite combination in red wine.

stratusredwine style: rich red
STRATUS 07 Red, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake 131037 $44.20
Niagara’s edition of traditional red Bordeaux – solid and serious. A bit tight and tuxedo-ish right now, but would be perfect for a formal event in 3-5 years. Start planning! The perfect gift for a wine geek.

torreswine style: rich red
TORRES 05 Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Mas La Plana’. Penedes, Spain 129676 $44.95 (Nov 13)
Wonderful solid Cabernet expression. But not taking itself too seriously. Enjoy now or could be aged. This is the wine that beat the Bordeaux boys in a famous tasting several years ago.

SWEET WINE, PORT & BOOZE

essensiaQUADY 07 Orange Muscat ‘Essensia’, California 299552 375ml/$13.95 (Nov 13)
A huge blast of delicious apricot and orange sweetness. But not sticky. You’ll not find a more crowdpleasing and value priced sweet wine. Great to see Essensia back on the shelf.

delaforceDELAFORCE Vintage Port 1994, Portugal 163063 $69.95
Huge flavour concentration and sweetness. Late evening sipper, solo or with aged cheddar. Decant. Great value for the Port lover.

stgermainST. GERMAIN Delice De Sureau, France 180695 $49.95
An elderflower infused eau-de-vie in one of the most beautiful bottles I’ve ever seen. Fruity herbal flavours combine with a mix of freshness and sweetness. Very delicate, very delicious. On the rocks or mix with sparkling wine or mineral water. Something new and different for the Holidays. For cocktail recipes visit www.stgermain.fr

greenspotGREEN SPOT, IRISH WHISKEY 699827 $84.95
For those who enjoy a dry, earthy style whiskey. Unique and very nourishing. A very pleasant way to support the struggling Irish economy.

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

Post Gourmet Era

by Kato on August 14, 2010 in Travel Notes with No comments

In case you haven’t noticed we’re in the post-gourmet era. We have graduated from Haute Cuisine/French Cuisine/Californian Cuisine, Nouvelle Cuisine/Fusion Cuisine, etc, and now we’re ready to embrace the Europeans love of Rustic. Good ingredients simply prepared and enjoyed in everyday surroundings. We’re ready for a little roughness, quirkyness and other stuff that satisfies the soul as well as the belly. At last, we’re ready to lighten up.

Charcuterie Cafés, Gastro Pubs and BBQ Pits are all the rage in Toronto, and Niagara’s Flat Rock Winery has gone a step further with a Gastro Truck. Tacos, tapas, Asian dishes, and garden fresh salads are dished up at the window by a professional chef. All part of the message that good food and fun can coexist. Read more about the truck here.

www.flatrockcellars.com

A Little Sweetness = Sales

by Kato on July 2, 2009 in Wine Picks with No comments

siblingrivalry1A little sweetness sells a lot of wine.

Niagara Wineries are finding great success with white wines that contain a little sweetness. And in many cases the spicy, exotic flavours of the Gewurztraminer. Flat Rock’s Twisted, Hillebrand’s Trius White and Inniskillin’s Brae Blanc have a big following and are likely to be joined by Henry of Pelham’s Sibling Rivalry 08 White (#4001353 $13.95).

This kid is very zesty, very pretty and very summery. A crowd-pleaser for sure, but there is a simplicity that may find you wanting something else after your first glass. Sibling Rivalry 07 Red is also crafted in the want-to-win-you-over style – with spicy/sweet flavours and softness we associate with Aussie reds.

Pelham is obviously going after the novice drinker with these wines and the question of the day is, does a winery with a reputation for quality and tradition risk damaging its reputation by introducing lighthearted brands?

 

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