Billy Munnelly’s recommendations for LCBO Vintages, Saturday November 12, 2011
I’m entertaining more expensive and classic wines as we head into the holiday season. Treats for yourself, to share, or give as gifts. This is a good time of the year to use Vintages.
All posts tagged Portugal
LCBO Vintages Saturday Nov 12
LCBO Vintages Saturday March 19
THE LOW DOWN: One great thing about Vintages is the opportunity to expand our repertoire of white wines – to experience ‘something different’ in the first bottle of the evening. Check out the trio below. My Bordeaux pair and Santa Barbara Pinot are red wine-styles not found at regular LCBOs. As is the Beaujolais. Many of my picks have a summer season feeling, so stock up!
WHITES
Wine style: Fresh white
LEIRA 09 Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain 115816 $16.95
Refreshment plus. Lemon/lime flavours combined with spiciness and richness. Very appealing and complete without any oak influence. From Spain’s land of seafood.
Wine style: Fresh/Rich white
VARANDA do CONDE 09 Vinho Verde, Portugal 966663 $13.95
Great blast of lemony freshness. High spirited refresher. Needs hot weather to show its stuff – buy a stash for Summer afternoons or evenings. A classic Vinho Verde produced from Alvarinho (Albarino in Spain) and Trajadura grapes
Wine style: Rich white
SELLA & MOSCA 09 Vermentino di Gallura, ‘Monteoro’, Sardinia, Italy 203422 $16.95
Semi-rich with an appetizing, savoury character. Shades of Sem/Sauv. Low-keyed in a good way. Different. Really good all evening white. Vermentino is just one of Italy’s many wonderful indigenous white grape varieties.
REDS
Wine style: Rustic red
MALIVOIRE 09 Old Vines Foch, VQA Ontario 551036 $19.95
This dark, hard and tart wine is not for everyone. But if you’re up for wine adventure and enjoy the back roads, Mr Foch will take you there. Needs food and should never be poured at a party – unless you’re pulling the plug on the event.
Wine style: Rustic red
VILLA PONCIAGO 09 Beaujolais-Villages, France 207449 $15.95
Fruity meets refreshment, meets rustic. While you get the lighthearted feeling of Beaujolais there is also character to grab on to. Interest to keep you drinking. And happy. One sip and you’ll be thinking French bistro. One glass and you’ll be there. Would be one hell of a great Summer red. Lightly chilled of course.
P.S. Produced by Bouchard Pere et Fils using traditional vinification as opposed to the normal carbonic maceration – hence the rustic edge and extra shot of character.
Wine style: Rustic reds
CH. de FONTENILLE 08 Bordeaux, France 199109 $14.95
CH. COTES de SAINT CLAIR 06 Bordeaux, France 199026 $14.95
It’s becoming rare to find traditional style Bordeaux at a reasonable price but here are two. Hurrah! Expect dusty dryness, herbaceous flavours and lots of vigor. Along with lower than normal alcohol levels and an invitation to gulp. Forget the Chateau designation and think gutsy, earthy, French Country wine. Fontenille is the lighter and the Saint Clair more hearty. Naturally both are food, not party, wines. These would be an eye opener for anyone who has never tasted Merlot/Cabernet in a pure form.
Wine style: rustic red
QUINTA NOVA ‘Pomares’ 08 Douro, Portugal 214007 $16.95
Rustic with a capital R. As with many Douro reds there is a resemblance to the dry, rustic character of Bordeaux. Draws you in – engaging you and your appetite. Wonderful partner for red meats, a hearty appetite and earthy company. Or just a good friend.
Wine style: Rich red
PASQUA 08 Valpolicella Ripasso ‘Black Label’, Italy 203968 $18.95
Warm, toasty Amarone-like feelings for less than $20! Rich, earthy, late nigh supper wine. Pasqua is one of the great Valpolicella houses but this is the first time we’ve seen their Ripasso.
Wine style: rich red
PERRIN & FILS 08 Vinsobres ‘Les Cornuds’, Rhone, France 566844 $17.95
Perrin’s ‘Cru’ Rhone reds are among the most reliable wines in the world. Rich but never overbearing or overworked. Expect the peppery, spicy character of Rhone-Villages plus a little extra to engage the imagination with some mystery. Enjoy with almost any food. Could be cellared a year or two.
Wine style: rich red
SANTA BARBARA 09 Pinot Noir, California 194332 $19.95
Californian Pinot that’s not too sweet nor pricey. Dry, lively in the Burgundy style. Very refreshing and fun to gulp. If you enjoy vitality in your reds, get this. Yummy, yummy stuff. Lightly chill.
Online Wine School Lesson 4
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
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’!
Lesson #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.
LCBO Vintages Saturday January 9, 2010
THE LOW DOWN: Best Vintages release in a long time. Lots of great tasting and distinctive wines for only $12.95. But you must try the Rasteau for $15.
anytime sipper
wine style: fresh white
RAPAURA SPRINGS 08 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, N.Z. 142919 $14.95 New Zealand Sauv in a mellow mood. Well, almost. The usual exuberance is tempered with fruitiness and a little richness. Gentle refreshment. An anytime sipper.
yummy white
wine style: nice & easy white
ANAKENA 09 Viognier, Chile 45138 $12.95 Zesty, fruity and pleasant. All in moderation. The nice guy/girl. The perfect party pleaser. Yummy champion for the month.
great value Chard
wine style: rich white
DONA PAULA 08 Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina 93898 $12.95 Rich, exotic flavoured Chard. Manages to feel both citrussy dry and seductively rich – with charm to burn. Go get it.
rich Chardonnay alternative
wine style: rich white
MICHEL GASSIER 08 Viognier ‘Les Piliers’, VDP d’Oc, France 669531 $16.95 A whopper! Super rich white wine in the Chardonnay style. Warming, spicy and quite seductive. White meats or fish with lots of herbs.
seafood partner
wine style: fresh white
DOM de la SEIGNEURIE des TOURNELLES 08 Saumur Blanc, Loire, France 141879 $12.95 Wow! Takes your breath away – seriously tart and dry along with an earthy sense of place. A great example of cool climate wine. Challenging, a bit raunchy and in need of a platter of seafood. Produced from the Chenin Blanc grape.
buy for summer
wine style: fresh white
QUINTA de AZEVEDO 08 Vinho Verde, Portugal 727115 $11.95 White wine doesn’t get more refreshing and exuberant. Low alcohol, lighthearted and dying for seafood on a hot summer evening. Worth the wait.
buy for summer
wine style: fresh white
PACO de TEIXEIRO 08, Minho, Portugal 21469 $12.95 Vinho Verde style – light and tart with the herbaceous flavours of Sauvignon Blanc. Another wine to buy for summer guzzling.
winter warmer
wine style: rich red
TERRA d’ALIGI 06 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ‘Tatone’, Abruzzo, Italy 994616 $15.95 A blockbuster. Deep and hearty with an old world, rustic feeling.
bistro red
wine style: rich red
Ch. de VAUGELAS 07 Corbieres ‘Le Prieuré’, France 154617 $12.95 Lots of warmth and richness, backed up with a rustic tang. Bistro wine. Enjoy with hearty winter foods.
vive la France!
wine style: rich red
CAVE de RASTEAU 08 Rasteau ‘Ortas’, Cotes du Rhône-Villages’, France 998716 $15.00 Plush and lush. Lots of comfort, peppery flavours and a warmhearted feeling. Chateauneuf-style wine at a THIRD of the price. Wonderful stuff. You may never buy another Aussie Shiraz. (**Kato’s favourite pick!)
