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- Antinori Solaia 2006, this is a classic Super Tuscan, not only in varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangionvese and Cabernet Franc, but also in price $244.95. This wine was rated 97 by James Suckling from Wine Spectator and should be best drunk after 2014. LCBO #987586
- Concha Y Toro Trio Reserva Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio/Pinot Blanc 2008, Chile: This wine was rated 90 and is an excellent example of a good wine at an inexpensive price, $12.95. LCBO #433938
- Concha Y Toro Trio Reserva Merlot/Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Chile: This red Trio also received a rating of 90 and is also a great price $14.95 LCBO #433920
- Wynns Coonawarra Estate Vintage Release Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Australia: This Ausie Cab is rated high at 95 points and should be good to drink for the next 4 years. $24.95 LCBO #084996
- Small Gully Wines The Formula Robert’s Shiraz 2005, Australia: This 90 point shiraz should pair well with steak and can be enjoyed until 2015. $16.95 LCBO #142935
- Delas Freres Saint-Esprit Cotes Du Rhone 2007, France: This Syrah and Grenache blend received a rating of 90 points and is a very economical $14.95 LCBO #729962
- Reinhold Haart Riesling Kabinett 2007, Germany: This riesling is medium in sweetness and scored 91 points. It will pair wonderfully with sushi and spicy foods. $19.95 LCBO #727461
- Renato Ratti Marcenasco Barolo 2005, Italy: This rich barolo comes highly recommended at 96 points and is also very affordable at $49.95. This is also an excellent wine if you are wanting to start a wine cellar and will show best after 2013. LCBO #713479
- Chocalan Gran Reserva Malbec 2006, Chile: This malbec rated 91 points and while it is great to drink now, should do nicely with a little cellaring for the next 10 years or so. $24.95 LCBO #144394
- Alta Vista Atemporal Assemblage 2007, Argentina: This wine received a rating of 90 points and is a delicious blend of malbec, cab sauv, syrah and petit verdot. $19.95 LCBO #144352
- Piemonte Cantina San Pancrazio Brachetto 2008, Italy: At $16.95 this medium sweet red sparkler is perfect for Valentine’s Day to be paired with any dessert, but most especially strawberries. LCBO #159566
- Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava Sparkling, Spain: This full bodied sparkler has a sugar code of 1 and should go great with anything you have planned for Valentine’s Day or any other day. $14.95 LCBO #158493
- Chateau Des Charmes Brut Methode Traditionelle, VQA Ontario Canada: This general list sparkling Ontario wine is a little more pricey than the other sparkling wines at $22.95, but considering it is made using the traditional champagne method it is an increadible value to make any event special. LCBO #145409
- Sherry, Alvear’s Amontillado, Spain: This off-dry sherry pair wonderfully with fruit desserts and nuts. $10.95 LCBO #112789
- Taylor Fladgate 10-Year-Old Tawny Port/20-Year-Old Tawny Port, Portugal: I have listed both the 10 and 20 year old ports here with the major difference between them being that the 20 year old port has deeper and richer flavours. This is a time when you can let either your wallet or your pallet do the talking. Either way, both of these ports will pair perfectly with nuts and rich, dark, chocolate. $35.95 LCBO #121749, $67.95 LCBO #149047
Posts Tagged ‘wine’
Go Local – Go Loco with Third Wall Theatre Company
Wednesday evening the Third Wall Theater Company (@thirdwall) held an “un-gala” event at the Westboro Wall Space Art Gallery (@wallspacetweet) to launch its “Go Local – Go Loco” campaign.
Go Local - Go Loco
The event, a fundraiser for Third Wall’s 10th Anniversary Season, featured Prince Edward County (PEC) wineries, a PEC cidery, a local fine food store, and special guests.
Guests included Rod Phillips (a noted wine author and columnist for the Ottawa Citizen newspaper), Bill Milliken (PEC Ambassador), Andrew King (a noted visual artist), and many of Third Wall’s actors. The ticket price, $40.
Since it was an “un-gala” (anti-gala, depending on who you speak with) neither ties nor heels were welcome. Even Vice-Chair of Third Wall’s Board of Directors, Brian Carrol, was held to the informality. His tie was cut off during the event.
Brian Carrol, Relieved of his Tie
Third Wall’s founders James Richardson and Ryan Anderson fared much better.
James Richardson and Ryan Anderson
The campaign celebrates Third Wall’s productions supporting local businesses. Sets, props, costumes, and lighting are all sourced locally. In the same “Go Local” vein, the fundraiser was held in an independent art gallery that showcases local artists.
Wallspace in the Westboro Village
On display that evening was a spring exhibition by painters Nathalie Mantha and Wellington West’s own Alison Fowler.
Works by Alison Fowler
As someone who has visited Fowler’s AliCat Art Studio, it was a pleasure to see her floral works exhibited in a large space.
Regarding guest Andrew King, only two of his works were on display that evening, Wallspace having exhibited his “Manhattan Project” collection earlier this year. The exhibition was wildly successful.
Artist, Andrew King with his Four Sheets work
A PEC native himself, King was happy to attend the event. He later told me he delivered 5 new works to Wallspace, all awaiting display.
Wine Ratings 101
Wine ratings can be very confusing given there are so many different ways that reviewers rate wines. There is what is considered the “classic” 100 point system, the 25 point system, 5 stars and so on. What it all breaks down to is one question: Does the wine show all of its attributes perfectly and thus receive a perfect score?
Since most wine is not perfect, we then must decide how close to perfection it is. The higher the score, the closer to perfection the wine is and the lower the score the worse the wine is. We all get these basic ideas, but, where the trouble comes is in just how these rating scales are used. The classic 100 point scale is really more of a 25 point scale in that anything rated below 75 is considered undrinkable. This is where many sommeliers clash as some think this rating system is excellent and others think it just doesn’t work.
I believe that the rating system doesn’t really matter so much as an accurate description of the wine. It’s all fine and dandy to say that a wine is rated above 90, but, if it doesn’t fit the description of what I like, then it could be rated 100, and I still wouldn’t like it. That having been said, the ratings can lead me in a different direction and inspire me to try something new. The idea is that a wine rated 90+ is close to perfection and we always want to achieve perfection, or at the very least, taste it.
This brings me to essence of this article, the LCBO’s Vintages release for this Saturday, the 6th of February, is featuring affordable 90+ wines. It’s an exciting opportunity to taste wine that is close to perfection, without spending an arm and a leg to do it. There are at least 33 wines being made available that range in rating from 90 to 97 and priced from as low as $12.95 and as high as
$244.95. The average price is in the $20 to $50 range. I’m going to list my top 10 picks that I would go out of my way to purchase. Remember that these are MY picks and not neccessarily yours, but as you try these wines and compare your notes to mine, you’ll get a better idea of how close your opinions are to mine. I will also give some suggestions for Valentine’s Day. I have picked out some very delicious and romantic wines.
So, here are the wines that I plan to go out and buy, and a few that I wish I could buy!
Here are a few suggestions for sparkling and dessert wines to share with the one you love on Valentine’s day. Keep in mind that while true French Champagnes are good, they are also expensive and very dry.
I also want to include my favourite wine and food pairing rule here, anything you would eat with beer, you can eat with champagne/sparkling wine! While I would not pair potato chips or hotdogs with a $200 Dom Perignon, both would taste great with an inexspensive Italian Proseco or Spanish Cava.
Photo by Bob.Fornal on Flickr
Taste of Winterlude
PRESS RELEASE: Taste of Winterlude:
UNIQUE Fine dining experiences in Canada’s capital region
Canada’s Capital Region ¾ The National Capital Commission (NCC) and American Express would like to invite residents and visitors to experience Taste of Winterlude and discover the many flavours of Canada’s Capital Region.
From January 28 to February 21, 2010 some of the best local restaurants will be offering exclusive prix-fixe menus, fine dining experiences, wine pairings and other culinary delights.
As of Saturday, December 5, 2009, food and wine enthusiasts will be able to register for Taste of Winterlude’s fine dining experiences – a great holiday gift idea for foodies and wine lovers. Restaurants create unique dining events that feature chefs, sommeliers or winemakers. These multi-course dinner concepts featuring wine pairings with each course and many culinary delights are the perfect opportunity to warm up to Winterlude, to gather up some first-rate company and savour the long winter nights. Please consult the enclosed listing which provides the details for all of the very different experiences on the menu.
Taste of Winterlude is presented by American Express in collaboration with the National Capital Commission. This program showcases, for the fifth year, some of the region’s top restaurants while providing great value to consumers, and aims to entice residents and visitors to dine out during January and February, and enjoy Winterlude activities.
Members of the public who would like to register or offer a fine dining experience as the perfect Christmas gift, may call 613-715-9399 or email events@groovygrapes.com. American Express Cardmembers can go to the Front Of The Line to book early reservations for the fine dining experience, from November 30 to December 4, 2009. For more information on these special events, please visit the NCC’s website at Winterlude.gc.ca/taste.
A New Year
Christmas has come and gone and now we are entering a whole new year. I probably don’t
need to remind you all, but it never hurts being repeated, if you are hosting a party,
make sure you have driving arrangements made for your guests…Don’t Drink and Drive!
This is the time when we are all making resolutions; be it to quit smoking, go on a
diet or improve our health, we look to the new year as a new start and a new opportunity
to try new things and this year is no different! So, here are my resolutions for this
new year and years to come.
1. Drink more wine. I know this sounds a little silly coming from a sommelier, but I
really don’t drink that much wine. So this resolution includes attending more wine
tastings in the Ottawa area and doing more tastings here at home.
2. Get out of my comfort zone. If there is one thing that I will constantly harp on
is getting people to move out of their comfort zones with wine and alcohol in general.
This entails buying more wine from regions other than Australia, Argentina and Chile as
well as buying different varietals that I’m normally not particularly fond of.
3. Write tasting notes! I know this sounds silly too, but I tend to get a little lax
in this department, especially when it’s a wine I’ve had before. If I’m asking you
to take notes, then I should take notes. ‘Nuff said.
4. Include a wine review with each of my articles. While I do recommend a great deal
of wine, ones I have tried and ones I would like to try, by including my tasting notes
each week it will help me and you to take better tasting notes.
5. Try more white wines. It used to be all I drank was white wine and no red and things
have definitely changed. In this vein I will also endeavor to include more chardonnay
in my wine cellar. I have, in the past, been a member of the ABC club, “Anything But
Chardonnay”. That having been said, this really comes down to moving out of my
comfort zone, but, because it is such a big part of it, I am giving it a place of
it’s own.
So, to finish this article, the last of 2009 and the first of 2010, let me tell you
the 5 wines I plan to buy from Vintages at the LCBO in their next release on
Saturday, January 9th, 2010.
1. Cabeco da Pedra 2007 This red from Portugal is a blend of Castelao and Tinto Roriz
(Tempranillo) is an inexpensive $11.95 and is recommended to go with pizza and spicy
foods.
2. D’Arenberg The Stump Jump Lightly Wooded Chardonnay 2008 Australia Again this is
another inexpensive wine and at just $14.95 I don’t mind taking this one for a spin.
3. La Fee Violine Malbec Cahors 2005 The Malbec grape originated in the Cahors region
of France and this should be an excellent example of how well the French treat this grape.
At just $12.95, here’s another reason not to pass on Vintages wines.
4. L.A. Cetto Petite Sirah 2007 Anytime that Vintages gets this wine in I always grab a
bottle or two! This $11.95 Mexican wine not only goes well with Mexican cuisine, but
also goes well with a nice rare steak.
5. Stoney Ridgte Dim Vineyard Riesling 2008 Canada This medium dry Riesling is only
$14.00 and while I tend to prefer a slightly sweeter Riesling, I suspect that this one
should be crisp and delicious.
Well, there you have it…good bye to 2009 and hello to 2010. May all your resolutions
be easy and all your wines perfect!
Nancy’s Wine Time #3 – Food and Wine Show
Nancy attended the Ottawa Wine and Food Show for Ottawa Tonight and put together this report on the good, the not-so-good and a couple of wine recommendations that are available at the Ontario LCBO.
And here’s the recipe from Heritage Brewing for those amazing Heritage Braised Lamb Shanks!
Nancy’s Wine Time – Green Gables Winery
For episode #2 we take an afternoon trip about 40 km south of Ottawa on highway 416 to the Green Gables Winery. Winemakers John and Gaye Spencer tell us about their vineyard and their wines and allow me to taste some of the wines that are for sale right now.
It is one week before harvest and the grapes are ripe and plump.
You can follow Nancy on Twitter at @Nancyztaste
Nancy’s Wine Time: Episode 1: 10 Great Bottles for Under $100
In the premiere episode of Nancy’s Wine Time, Nancy Thompson, a Certified Sommelier from Ottawa takes you through 10 good bottles of wine for under $100.00.
You don’t need to spend big bucks to get good wine. Nancy’s General List Stockup has several good bottles of imported red and white wines under $10.00 that are just as good or better than similar types in the $30 – $40 range.
All wines in this episode are available at the LCBO.
