WineWhine # 20
It’s been a couple of months since the last Whine, so it’s time for me to put my two fingers to a keyboard. I shall start with a review of a fabulous restaurant that I recently visited, then tell you a bit about the varietal Bonarda and finish with some comments on the new “special offer” from Opimian.
5 Etioles: For some reason most tourists coming to Atlantic Canada don’t find their way to Northeastern New Brunswick (instead they drive the four-lane highway from Quebec to Nova Scotia and then complain erroneously that New Brunswick is nothing but spruce trees). In any event Betty and I make an annual pilgrimage to St. Ignace (where there is a wonderful golf course) and this year was no different. On our way north from Moncton we stopped for a late lunch at Cocagne where you can buy two very large, very fresh lobster rolls for $ 8.99. On our way to our motel at Kouchiboquac we drove through the tiny Acadian village of St. Louis de Kent and were surprised to see a large restaurant in an old purple house.
We stopped to scout out the menu and when we noted that we might like to eat around 8:00 p.m. the young man in front made two comments that sold us on returning for dinner. First, he noted that we would need a reservation for that time of night, and second he told us in his best Franglais that we might like to visit “The Cave” before dinner, to select our wine.
Although it was a week night the restaurant was packed when we returned at 8:00. Our waiter invited us to visit “The Cave” and then proceeded to lead us through a small door shaped like a parallelogram rather than a rectangle. Interest was added by a door frame where the parallelogram was tilted in the opposite direction. The steep wooden steps would require caution for an agile 10-year old. Anyone older than 21 or taller than 4’ 10” has trouble on the stairs. Apparently building inspectors are not welcome in St. Louis.
Wine in The Cave were organized by price with multiple bottle bins marked in $ 5.00 increments starting at $ 25. and peaking out at $ 55. I said to the waiter that this looked like it might take some time and he noted that I should take all the time I needed as the restaurant was open until 11:00 p.m.
Never having mastered that crazy Caribbean dance (remember the limbo?) I cracked my head climbing back up the steps that were constructed of ancient unplaned spruce. Fortunately, I hung onto a fabulous bottle of Malbec from Cafayette ($ 45.).
The menu was largely Italian and we were told that the specialty was seafood pizza. Although this sounded awful we did notice that many smiling customers were eating pizza. I ordered a small caesar to start and it came with 3 good-sized and very fresh lobster claws on top. I followed this with a very tasty lasagna while Betty braved the pizza. Her thin crust was covered in large chucks of lobster, succulent scallops and a smaller number of shrimps. These delicacies were covered with a very, very mild white sauce and an even milder cheese. My knuckles are still sore from the being struck by Betty’s cutlery as I tried to snag some bites of the pizza. Apparently this restaurant has been packed by locals and the occasional tourist for the past 19 years. If you are ever at the north end of Kent County, get a reservation at “5 Etioles”.
The next morning we lost lots of balls at St. Ignace but the four lobster rolls we had for lunch on the way home were ample compensation.
Bonarda: There are 100’s of different grapes used to made red wine. However, those of us who love red wine tend to drink the same varietals over and over again. Part of the problem lies with the producers and importers who place the same bottles before us. However, part of the problem lies with us the consumers. In the last month, did you drink anything other than Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Shiraz. If you answered “No” then shame on you. If you answered “Yes” I bet you opened a Malbec, a Zinfadel, a Sangiovese or even a Tempranillo. Add in Pinot Noir and I’ll further bet that 99% of the red wines you drink are from these 8 varietals.
In past Whines I have written about Chile’s great Carmenere and Argentina’s Bonarda. Let me suggest again that you try a Bonarda. There are three reasons that you should:
1: Bonarda is great bar-b-que wine and the season will soon end.
2: Bonarda is very inexpensive.
3: Bonarda does not need to cellar and is good on the day of purchase.
Opimian Special Offer # 47: After you have purchased a few bottles of inexpensive Bonarda, you might think about investing in some fine Bordeaux. A good Bordeaux is wasted with heavy meat charred over a hot grill; it is anything but cheap, and its needs years in your cellar. On the other hand, there are those special times when you deserve the best, or you need a special gift for someone, or you know you are holding something of value when the stockmarket takes yet another slide.
Bordeaux wines are magnificent or ordinary depending on the year. Because the southwestern France has weather that is unreliable the wines of Bordeaux are very different from year to year. 2009 was a good year, perhaps a great year. This month Opimian is offering you some potentially wonderful wines from among other villages Saint-Julien, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. However, these wines are not ready to ship so you are being offered wine “futures”. In other words you pay 1/3 up front and the other 2/3 when the wine is ready to be shipped. The exact price, as noted in the offering, will depend on exchange rates, shipping costs, etc. MORE IMPORTANTLY, however, the approximate 2/3 that you will still owe will not be affected by whether or not 2009 turns out to be a good year or a great year. Thus, purchase commitment is a gamble. These wines may be much more expensive a year from now, or maybe not. In other words buying wine futures is just like buying shares on the market. In a few years you may feel like you own bank stocks. On the other hand your wine futures may feel like 1000 shares of Nortel.
By the way, I have bought wine futures in the past and my track record on the wine market is much better than my record on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
