Boxing Day 2011

WHINE # 31

December 2011

Welcome to the Whine:  Brian Mazerall, Aaron Savage and Matthew Savage, all of Fredericton, New Brunswick.  Also welcome to Elizabeth Ridley of Toronto.  Hope you enjoy my personal biases.

Bargains in French wine:  Don’t hold your breath:  Variability in wine prices is based on three factors:  supply, demand and exchange rates.  In terms of supply France remains the world’s largest producer of wine at somewhere between 7 and 8 billion bottles, so there is definitely no shortage.

Those of us in Canada have benefitted from the rise of the Canadian dollar.  At present it costs a little more than $ 1.30 to buy a Euro, down from $ 1.65 only a couple of years ago.

Demand for French wine is falling worldwide, including at home.  Young French people drink much less wine than their grandparents, preferring an occasional wine as opposed to a bottle with each meal.  Also, the younger French are experimenting with other alcoholic beverages.  Nonetheless, when they do drink wine, they drink only French wine.  There is little or no international market for non-domestic wine in France, which I think ultimately, hurts the domestic industry.  The French know little of international wines and it is almost impossible to buy a non-French wine in France.  If there were more wines available there would be more experimentation and ultimately more consumption.

Traditional export markets are also in decline.  The Brits, who for centuries have loved their Clarets (a silly English name for Bordeaux) have discovered bargain wines from Australia and South America.  In North America French wine consumption has dropped for the same reason.  Good French wine is too expensive and Bad French wine is just that.

All of the above should lead us to expect falling prices for French wine.  But I have left out one factor, the Chinese.  The burgeoning middle class in China have discovered wine and more importantly they have discovered wine snobbery.  The newly rich look for ways to demonstrate status, and status comes from having expensive Bordeaux on the table. The more expensive the more popular.  Recently one Chinese buyer paid $ 140,000 for two cases of the 2009 Chateau Lafite Rothschild.

Classes are given in wine drinking, where the Chinese learn such basics as “don’t drink the entire glass in one gulp.”  China now imports as much wine as Britain, and in fact, imports more French wine.  

  

So where does that leave us?  First, the best French wines may get even more expensive.  Although the prices for Vin Ordinaire may not increase, but compared to a $ 10 - $ 15 Argentinian Malbec or an entry level Carmenere from Chile, the kind of French wine dumped on those of us in places like Nova Scotia will still not be any bargain.

Ron's Believe It or Not.  This Nova Scotia wine is currently selling for $ 89.95 and is sold out of many stores.  Perhaps in a future Whine I'll tell you how it was.

Wines I drank in 2011.  This past year my consumption of wine has not declined.  However, my choices have more often gone to South American wines and less often to Old World wines.   Chile led my consumption list at 23%, followed closely with Argentina at 19%.  As the Canadian Buck rose against the American Dollar I increased my consumption of Californian wines to 17%.  French wine dropped to 4^th place at 15%.  Ten per cent of my wines came from Spain and only 7% were from Italy.  The remaining 5 % was evenly divided among wines from Australia, Austria, Canada, Portugal, South Africa and Washington State.  How many bottles does that add up to?  My secret!

My price range in wine usually falls between $ 15 and $ 45.  So what was good this past year in that range?  Here are the 10 best wines I drank this past year:

10      Spain:            07  Cava Parxet Brut Reserva – see Offerings section below

9     Chile:            05 Montes Alpha (Cabernet Sauvignon)  -- a bargain at $ 25.

8     Argentina:     03 Alpha Crux (Tempranillo, Malbec, Merlot)

7     France:          09 Chablis Premier Cru “Beauroy” (Chardonnay)

 6    California:     05 Belle Gros Clark & Telephone (Pinot Noir)

 5    Italy:              99 Sartori Amarone

 4    Chile:             05 Traverso Memorable (Cab Sauv, Carmernere, Merlot)

 3    Argentina:     06 Gran Dante (Malbec)

 2    California:     06 Camus (Zinfandel)

 1    California:     06 Amicus Reserve (Cabernet).  This wine was # 4 on my 2010 list but another year in the cellar definitely made it even better.

Opimian Offering # 206.

6418    2008 Parxet Brut Reserva.  BUY!  BUY!  BUY!  This is a great sparkling wine at a bargain price.  If you don’t like this Cava, send me the cork and I’ll eat it.

6421    2009 Mo salina Monastrell.  This is an inexpensive everyday wine with substance.  The French call this Mourvedre.

6427  2009 Faustina Seleccion de Familia.  Not quite ready yet this wine is a good earthy

    Tempranillo.

6464      2011 Pouilly Fuisse.   French Chardonnays are in a class by themselves, but

           keep this for a year or two.

Whine # 30 November, 2011

Whine # 30


Welcome Pat Kaufhold of New Jersey and Judi Travis of New Jersey to the Whine.

COOKING WITH WINE: Although any good chef uses a lot of wine in cooking, not all that comes out of the bottle goes into the recipe.

While the alcohol in the wine helps to bring out the flavours of the ingredients, the more important reason to cook with wine is because of the complex flavours added by the wine itself.

The question here is what wine should one use when cooking? The standard answer is “never cook with a wine that you wouldn’t drink by itself”. That is sometimes interpreted to mean that you should use the exact wine in the food as you will be serving with the food. That I think is silly. I am not going to do anything but pour my last bottle of Don Melchor into a glass and enjoy. And if I owned a bottle of Chateau Petrus I definitely wouldn’t use it in cooking.

Certainly a wine that is unpleasant to drink should not go into your favorite recipe for lamb shank, braised beef, or coq-au-vin. And definitely don’t use a leftover wine that has sat for several days and is well on its way to vinegar.

On the other hand, an everyday drinking wine should be adequate. My suggestion is that you decide what wine you will be serving with the end product, then add a cheaper version in the recipe. For example, if I am going to serve a Gran Reserva Rioja with the meat course, then a cheaper Rioja will do just fine in the cooking. A cheap Argentinian Cabernet in the lamb shank sauce will complement the best Napa Cabernet that you have saved to serve your favorite guests.

My rule of thumb is to never spend more than $ 15 on a cooking wine, and never drink any wine that costs less than that.

ANNUAL WARNING: Each year I warn my readers not to even think about buying any Beaujolais Nouveau, which is released with great hype at the end of November. For new readers of the Whine I suggest you scroll back to Whine # 13 (November 2009) to get the full trashing of Beaujolais Nouveau. For the rest of you here is the only Beaujolais Nouveau joke that I know.

John: “Did you know that 60% of Beaujolais Nouveau is sold to the Japanese?”

Bill: “What happens to the other 40%?”

John: “It isn’t sold.”

WINES OF CROATIA: I recently had a chance to sample wines along the Dalmatian Coast. However, since these wines are not available in Canada I shall not attempt an inventory. On the other hand, there is one wine that needs special mention. Plavic Mali from Croatia is a wonderful wine that can rival the best of either Old or New World wines.

I had my first glass of Plavic Mali when visiting Zagreb in May. Last week Betty and I stopped at a Wine Bar in Dubrovnik and tried two Plavic Malis; one from Postup, the other from Dingac. Both were excellent.

Plavic Mali is a blend of two indigenous grapes (Crljenak and Dobricia). Crljenak is the same grape as Zinfandel and no doubt the source of the wines that are so loved in California. For years it was thought that Primitivo from Italy was the source of Zinfandel, but genetic testing has come down on the side of Croatia.

Now if only NSLC or LCBO would bring in some of this great wine.

THE GLASS IS NEVER HALF EMPTY: When Betty and I decided to take an off-season cruise in the Adriatic we specifically chose a ship that offered free wine with lunch and dinner. We were not disappointed as many of the wines were from Australia and very good, although we were occasionally served an acidic Chianti.

When free wine was advertised we didn’t realize just how free. The game seemed to be that the hovering waiter topped up one’s glass as soon as the second sip was taken. There must have been a rule that no glass was ever allowed to be empty. Most nights I enjoyed the challenge of trying to empty my glass while the waiter was busy with someone else. I rarely succeeded.

The real contest took place on our last night. As we had unused credits in our shipboard account I decided to have a $27. glass of Caymus Cabernet at a pay-bar as a pre-dinner drink. Shortly after this magnificent nectar arrived we were called to dinner. I carried my glass (or had it carried) to the table.

No sooner were we seated than the waiter tried to top up my Caymus with a very ordinary Sangiovese. If I were looking to the right he would sneak up on my left. My whole attention was directed towards protecting my remaining sips of the rich Cab. At one point I ordered a glass of Chardonnay as a distraction but the waiter was undeterred. Finally I realized defeat and simply quaffed the Caymus.

OPIMIAN SPECIAL OFFERING # 50: I don’t have any real bargains to suggest this time, but here are some suggestions for you to consider.

6411 Armagnac: I have several bottles of this distilled brandy on hand and I tend to serve a small glass to delighted guests at the end of an evening of wine and food. Armagnac is very similar to Cognac (I think even better) but is less expensive.

6345 Chablis Vielles Vignes: Not cheap but as good as white wine gets (better than almost any Californian Chardonnay).

6337 Hopler St. Laurent: I am gambling a bit on this recommendation as I have never had this St. Laurent (similar to Pinot Noir). However, I have never been disappointed in a Hopler offering and am guessing this will be a pleasant surprise.

WHINE # 29

Welcome Nancy Sullivan from Ontario to the Whine.

Sipping Wine:   Wine makes food taste better.  Food makes wine taste better.   Finding the right match between the food and the wine is one of those very pleasant challenges that we face almost daily.  In fact, food and wine are so united that in some cultures wine is not drunk without food.

The question is what does one drink prior to the arrival of the food.  In much of southern Europe the pre-dinner drink of choice is a bitter liqueur.  In Provence the preferred aperitif is Pastis, while in much of Italy the favourite apertivo is Campari.

Here in North America many have moved away from the pre-dinner cocktail or the single malt as the pre-dinner drink.  When the host asks “What can I get you to drink?” the response is frequently “red wine” or “white wine”.

What wine do you then serve pre-dinner, or any other time when the wine is to be sipped sans food?  Sparkling wine is always an excellent choice.  Starting the evening with a well-chilled Cava or a frigid Champagne is never a mistake.  Still whites are also a good choice.  Chablis would be my first choice in still whites.

All of this leads up to question “what is an appropriate red for the first wine, particularly prior to the arrival of any food?”  The answer should be easy to remember:  “Light and low in acidity”

A high acid wine such as a Tuscan Sangiovese may be wonderful when paired with a tomato-sauced pasta or with a perfect pizza.  By itself it will burn all the way down.   Similarly you should not start with a heavy tannic wine, such as an Australian or Californian Cabernet Sauvignon.  These wines will gradually taste better as you drink more.  Nonetheless, they are best kept for the meat course, when they will match perfectly with your medium-rare prime rib.

My choices for sipping wines are Merlot or Tempranillo.  Pinot Noir can also be a good choice, but before you offer a Pinot make certain it is a good one.  Cheap Pinot is rarely a hit, while an expensive Pinot is light and wonderfully complex.

They don’t drink wine in Yarmouth:   This item comes with a warning.  Although it is about ordering a bottle of wine, it is as much a political comment as it is a wine story.  Many of you readers don’t vote for the parties that I support, so you may not care about the way I tell this story.

Betty and I found ourselves in the Nova Scotian town of Yarmouth on a Monday evening.  We were staying in Meteghan River and we drove to Yarmouth looking for dinner.  In the past we had some great meals at an Austrian restaurant and more recently discovered a wonderful little bistro on the main drag.

As many of you know Yarmouth has recently fallen on hard times.  The final blow came when our newly elected provincial government cancelled the subsidy to the Yarmouth-Bar Harbour (Maine) ferry.  This ferry was the life blood of both the tourism and trucking industry.  This decision was made by the same politicians who dump millions into a foreign-owned railway that runs empty cars to Sydney on a daily basis.   Go figure!

Back to my story.  On arrival in Yarmouth we discovered that our Austrian restaurant is now closed on Mondays and Tuesday and that our Bistro has moved across the street and has become a pizza joint.

After travelling virtually every street looking for a restaurant that hadn’t gone out of business we ended down by the empty waterfront in a restaurant that is attached to a beautiful but closed hotel that went out of business when the ferry stopped.

Although the restaurant was soon to close we were greeted by a friendly waitress.  There was one other table occupied and a large group of men were in another room working on their hockey pool.

I asked if they had any house wine by the glass and our waitress said there was but she had no idea what it was.  Betty then asked if they had wine by the bottle and after responding positively the waitress went off to the bar to look.  After rooting around under the bar she said that she couldn’t find any red wine.  I noticed that there were three bottles above the bar mixed in with the hard liquors. 

I chose the dusty bottle of Merlot and returned to our table.  After struggling with the corkscrew the waitress apologized that she couldn’t get the cork out.   I offered to help and removed the foil and then extracted the cork.  The waitress was a tad embarrassed and commented that it must have been six months since anyone had ordered wine.  I guess the unemployed of Yarmouth simply can’t afford wine.

The Merlot was fine and it went well both with Betty’s hot lobster sandwich and with my Rappie Pie (Rapture in Acadian French).  By the way, Rappie Pie is a unique and wonderful dish that takes a few servings for one to learn to appreciate.  Try it the next time you are in an Acadian part of southern Nova Scotia.

We left Yarmouth feeling somewhat sad.  No wonder the government candidate ran a distant third in the last by-election.

Corkage Fee:  Now that Nova Scotian restaurants are obliged to allow customers to bring their own wine, the result has not been consumer friendly.  Many restaurants discourage the practice by establishing excessive fees ($25. or more).  Thus it was a pleasant surprise to find that the lovely Tulloch Inn on the banks of Lake Ainslee on Cape Breton Island charged no corkage fee at all.

Opimian Offering # 205:  This offering is exclusively from New Zealand and Australia.  As I find New Zealand reds to be astringent and as the whites here offered are a tad pricey, I have no recommendations.  As far as Australia goes my recommendations are all reds.  First the 6386 GMH Meritage is a wine that I have found to be well worth the price.  If you are unfamiliar with the term “Meritage” I suggest you scroll down to Whine # 17 and read the item there.

6306 96 Points should be an interesting wine for two reasons.  One it is claimed to be ready to drink and two, the often overly spicy Australian Shiraz has been softened with a small amount of Viognier.

Finally, I shall go out on a limb and recommend a wine I have not tried.  6319 Reserve Cabernet Sauvigon from Coonawarra should be a classic Cabernet.  Australian winemakers after all do know how to make Cabs.

WHINE # 28 – August, 2011

Fruit Flies Prefer French Wine: Not long ago I opened a bottle of home-made wine that I had been avoiding for some time. One sip convinced me that this might be used in fruit fly traps. As most of you have discovered bowls of fresh fruit (peaches, plums, etc.) attract multitudes of tiny fruit flies. Usually these miniscule pests can be trapped by covering a saucer of wine with plastic wrap in which slits have been made with a sharp knife.

Shortly after the traps had been placed on our kitchen counter Betty and I hosted 14 members of my “Red Jacket” Club for a dinner of grilled salmon. This event was cut short when one of the guests heart stopped. Within minutes our dining room was overtaken by paramedics and the RCMP. I am happy to report that my friend’s defibulator re-started his heart and after prompt medical attention at St. Martha’s in Antigonish and The Infirmary in Halifax he is fine and back on the golf course.

While I was cleaning up the morning after this ill-fated dinner party I noticed many partially-full glasses of Coteaux du Languedoc that we had been drinking with the meal. This leftover wine allowed me to make more fruit-fly traps.

What is the point of this story? Well, a quick glance of the countertop revealed that scores, if not 100’s of fruit flies were trapped in the wine from the South of France and only one lost fly managed to drown in the home-made stuff. Apparently, even fruit flies have sophisticated taste when it comes to choosing wine. I hope no one else gives me any home-made wine because I now can’t think of any use for it at all.

Ordering Wine in a Canadian restaurant: There are three types of Canadian restaurants when it comes to ordering wine.

TYPE ONE: Here one is offered the choice of “Red or White”. Frequently the Red is either Comtessa or something else equally unpalatable The choice is easy; these restaurants always have well-chilled Keiths, light or regular.

TYPE TWO: A small number of restaurants pride themselves on extensive wine lists. The problem is that many of these wines are marked up by 50 – 70 per cent. Do you pay $ 25. For an $ 11. wine; $ 45. For a $ 20 wine; or $ 90. For a $ 40 wine. Since the $ 11. valued wine will probably detract from the good food, and since $ 50. seems an obscene amount for corkage, my choice is usually the $ 20. wine accepting the $ 25. surcharge. However, check carefully the wine when it arrives; particularly the date. If you have ordered an ’06 and an ’08 arrives, do not accept.

TYPE THREE: This is the most common. You will find 15-20 wines on a list. No vintage is given so you can assume that the wine is relatively young because the restaurant has limited space and is selling the wine as soon as it has purchased. The key is to order a wine that can be drunk young, because young wine is all you are going to get. Almost any white wine will be fine, but if you want a nice red you should avoid anything that has tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon is out, as is Malbec and Zinfandel. Anything Spanish is o.k because Spain ages its wines before release. Merlot is a good bet.

WHY ARGENTINA? I’ve often said that if I could only get wine from one country, that country would be Argentina. The reason is that I think Argentina offers the best value in wine, particularly if one likes the big, bold taste New World taste of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.

Although Argentina has long been one of the biggest producers of wine, it has only been since the 1990’s that the quality of the wine has caught the world’s attentions. Prior to 1990 most of the wine produced was of low quality with much being for domestic consumption.

Around 1990 the so-called “Flying Wine Makers” discovered that Argentina, and in particular Mendoza province, was the perfect place to produce high quality wine. Since then investors from Belgium, France, the United States and Canada have poured billions into the Argentinian wine industry.

Argentina has several advantages. First the terroir is classic with alluvial clay mixed with sand and rock. Second the slopes of the Andes provide warm days and cool nights. Most important, however, is the sun. Mendoza, for example, has 330 days of sun per year (compare that to Bordeaux with only 190).
Finally, with all that sun, why isn’t Mendoza a desert? Well, in fact it is, but the melting snows of the Andies provide all the water that is needed for irrigation, turning the desert into the lushest vineyards anywhere.
Combine the above with a currency that was devalued not so long ago and you have the reason why no one can match the quality of Argentinian wines in the $ 15.-$ 20 range.

SPECIAL OFFER 49:  For those of you who are members of the Opimian Society, you will have recently received an offering of Bordeaux Futures. Twelve wines are offered; you pay a deposit up front and next year you will pay the to-be-determined balance. Should you order any of these wines?

First, if you do not have a cellar, don’t bother. Most of these wines will be at their best many years from now.

 Second, these wines are expensive. If you don’t want to commit $ 50. - $ 90. per bottle then, these Futures are not for you.

Finally, if you want a half dozen bottles of excellent Bordeaux to lay down so you can show them to guests (carefully noting that they are not ready just yet) then I suggest you blow your kids’ inheritance on a case of the Pomerol or one of the St. Emilion Grand Cru.

Whine # 27, June - 2011

Welcome John Embree of Antigonish to the Whine.

THE WINES OF EASTERN EUROPE: For centuries wine has been produced in those Eastern European countries that have a sufficient number of growing days for grapes to ripen. While most of the production has been for domestic consumption, bargain wines have long been exported to England and North America. In Canada most of us have drunk, at least on occasion, the famous Egri Bikaver (Bull’s Blood) from Hungary.

Egri Bikaver has been around a long, long time and supposedly dates back to 1552 when the Turks, led by Suleiman the Magnificent, had Eger castle under siege. The small group of defenders were given copious amounts of red wine to boost their spirits. The Turks observed the defenders quaffing this red liquid and rumor spread among the Turks that the defenders were downing bulls’ blood in order to give them extra strength. This belief so intimidated the Turks that they abandoned the siege.

Unfortunately for wine producers of the Balkans and Hungary, the rise of Communism resulted in great pressure for increased production. Eventually, the quality declined to the point where the only reason to drink the wine was if there were no alternatives.

After Communism collapsed wine producers realized that the only strategy that would result in the re-establishment of export markets would be one of increasing quality.

Betty and I recently returned from a tour of Eastern Europe. This was a chance for us to sample the local wines and we did this nightly. Here are some reflections on our experiences. Austria: As Austria is a relatively cold country the majority of wine produced is white. However, the dominant red grape is “Zweigelt” which produces a watery wine that can be downed in large quantities whenever one is out of beer. On the other hand, Austria now produces some excellent pinot noirs that rival in quality those from the more famous regions of Burgundy and Oregon. Slovenia is perhaps one of the best bets for finding a decent red. Merlot is the major grape. Last week I served a bottle of relatively expensive Slovenian Merlot to guests, without telling the origin. Opinions were split as to quality, but all agreed that there was less fruit flavour than the more familiar New World Merlots. In Croatia I tasted some really awful wines before reading in my hotel room that the best Croatian wines came from the varietal Plavac Mali. The bottle that I ordered in the restaurant that night was the best wine of the whole trip, reminding me of a top level Californian Zinfandel. Hungary: Despite the macho-sounding name of Bull’s Blood, Egri Bikaver is really quite a wimpy wine. Thin and lacking in much flavour, this is an everyday drinking wine that costs little and offers not a lot. However, my negative opinion of this wine is not shared by my spouse.
In sum, my brief foray into the wines of Eastern Europe has led me to conclude that these countries still have a long way to go before they can challenge any of the better-known wine producing countries.

Monastrell/Mourvedre: One of my daughters-in-law does not like Spanish wine. Even when I pour from a decanter she is not often fooled. However, I think that what she really doesn’t like is Tempranillo. Nearly half of all red wines produced in Spain are from the Tempranillo grape (also known as Ojo de Liebre, or Cencibel, or Rinto Fino, or Tinto del Toro) This low acid wine has an earthy or barnyard flavour that is either loved or hated.

But not all Spanish wines are Tempranillos. Spain makes lots of Garnacha (Grenache) and also lots of Monastrell. Monastrell is sometimes referred to as a man’s wine. This varietal grows best in hot climates and the resulting wine is high in alcohol content, high in tannins, and bursting in flavour. On the other hand, Monastrell ages very well and has great lasting potential (perhaps making it a woman’s wine as well).

This grape is widely grown in the south of France where it is called Mourvedre. However, it is rarely if ever sold as a single varietal, but is usually blended with Grenache and Syrah. The famous wine from Avignon (Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape) contains lots of Mourvedre.

For those of you who like big, bold wines and think you can only find them in Australia, Argentina or the Napa Valley, this is a wine for you to try. There are many Spanish Monastrells available in Canada at modest prices.

Possibly a true story: As I complete this Whine I am aware that tonight is the final game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We all know that the Boston fans will be crowded around their big screen TV’s with mugs filled with Budweiser. While some of the Canuck fans will be also quaffing beer, at least a few will be sipping some of those good wines from the Okanagan.

By the end of the second period my Vancouver fan has twice re-filled his Riedel . At this point his wife joins him on the couch. To her surprise he whispers “I love you”. Not used to such proclamations she looks him square on and says: “Is that you talking or is it the wine talking?” “Why it’s me talking” responds the husband, “to my wine.” Finally, I hope neither my hero nor his spouse were part of the riots that followed Vancouver’s loss.

Opimian Offering 204

: This offering has a number of good wines at affordable prices. My recommendations include 6210 and/or 6211 Butterfly Ridge Merlot and Butterfly Ridge Zinfandel. These wines will be ready for drinking when received. Also from California I recommend 6227 Castoro Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Only slightly more expensive than the Butterfly Ridge wines, this one will need about one year in your cellar. From Spain I strongly recommend 6244 Ramon Bilboa Single Vineyard. I served the 2005 version of this wine to guests last night and it was very well received. For an everyday drinking wine at a good price I suggest 6254 from Nero D’Avola. Finally, I would definitely avoid all of the wines offered from Pelee Island.

Whine # 26 - April, 2011

Welcome Gene Smith of Antigonish to the Whine

MORE ON THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LIQUOR STORE: In my last Whine I talked about the great bargains at the state-run New Hampshire Liquor stores, suggesting that you should never bypass a chance to pick up some of these great values. Since that posting I have heard from my friend Leslie Thistle, a former wine retailer in Maine. She told me the story behind these great deals.

Due to New Hampshire distribution laws “the suppliers have to sell from warehouses and have to rent space by the square foot for the pallets on which the wine is stored. If through their regular marketing to restaurants or retail stores a particular wine doesn’t move, or if the inventory just sits for one reason or another, it begins to cost the supplier more than the wine is worth. The fastest way to move it and make way for something new to sit on those pallets is to deeply discount it and put in in those liquor stores.” One complaint seems to be that one can not necessarily return to pick up a great bargain because once the wine is gone, it is gone. In the meantime, to again quote Leslie: “it is an amazing place to look for deals!”

RIPASSO COMES TO THE NEW WORLD: Back in Whine # 22 I explained a process called ripasso, which was invented by the Italian conglomerate Masi. In order to make this rich flavorful wine Valpolicella undergoes a second fermentation while in contact with the lees left from making Amarone.

Well, the folks at Masi have now taken the process to South America. Masi co-owns several vineyards in Argentina and they have worked on a process whereby Malbec is double fermented with a percentage of slightly dried Corvina grapes. Incidentally Corvina is not a grape normally grown in Argentina. The first result of Masi’s experimentation is now available in Canada (at least in Nova Scotia and Ontario). Masi’s Tupungato Passo Doble is inexpensive and is a great food wine. It is very slightly acidic and perhaps not best suited to just sipping. However, it has the advantage of not needing to cellar (unlike the Italian Ripassos). If you live in a province where this wine is available I suggest you pick up a bottle to enjoy with robust food.

A POSSIBLE END TO A PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER: Some years ago while visiting friends in Paris I was stricken with a severe case of Corkscrew Envy. This syndrome can appear at any time in the adult male and is usually triggered by visual stimuli. The symptoms can be mild or severe and may include anxiety, sweating, inability to look another male in the eye, and in some cases erectile dysfunction. The disorder is at least partially dependent on culture with the highest frequencies in France and Italy. Australia, for reasons noted below, has had no new cases in recent years. Corkscrew Envy, like most male problems, does not respond to psychotherapy.

 In my case I quickly found relief by scouring the streets of Paris until I found a tiny shop that sold me the beautiful device hereby pictured. Once I realized that my corkscrew was as large as my friend Gerard’s, and in fact was larger than those belonging to any other males that I knew, I had no further problems. As you can tell by the picture I take daily pleasure in using my corkscrew, but worry that it may soon be relegated to a cork and screw museum, as the future of the wine cork is in some doubt. But I digress.

The corkscrew was invented in the middle of the 17th century shortly following the first use of cork as a bottle stop. The first mention of the corkscrew was in 1681 when an N. Grew described it as “a steel worm used for drawing corks out of bottles.” Prior to the 17th century bottles were only used to transport wine from the barrel to the table. There was no practical way to seal the bottle which meant that the wine quickly oxidized and became undrinkable. A successful wine merchant was one who could get his wine most quickly from the vineyard to the table. Wines would have been truly awful by today’s high standards.

Once it was discovered that the outer bark of the cork oak “Quercus suber” was light, clean, and available in vast quantities the world of wine dramatically changed. Cork is unaffected by temperature, it rarely rots, and most importantly, it is uniquely elastic. Thus, you can squeeze a cork enough so it will slip into the neck of a bottle and then expand to form a tight seal. Only a small amount of oxygen is sealed in, and the wine can be kept, and allowed to mature for years. Gradually vintners discovered that they could focus on taste and aroma, they could blend varietals and mostly age the wine until all roughness disappeared.

Jump ahead 300 years and the world undergoes another change. Wine drinking has become so popular that the demand has outstripped the supply of high quality cork. In fact, wine spoiled because of lower grade cork has become ever more frequent. Some estimates run as high as 10% of wines being “corked” or oxidized. Two substitutes are currently used by vintners. First, many cheaper bottles are “stopped” by plastic corks. Unfortunately these corks lack in elasticity and in order to completely seal the bottle the “cork” is so tight that only athletic waiters have the strength to withdraw. On the other hand, more and more wines are sealed in screw-top bottles. No longer is “screw-top” wine associated with cheaper brands. In fact, virtually 100% of Australian wines now come in screw-tops. After all, the Australians have always led the world when it comes to wine innovation.

A side effect is that if there are no corks, then there are no cork-screws and those macho Australians now have to envy their mates for other reasons than stiff worms. The French and Italians are much more traditional and still purchase tons of cork from Portugal, not realizing that their psyches are at risk. What does the future hold? I predict that over the next few years, fewer and fewer affordable wines will come in bottles with corks. I fear that my beautiful appendage will be relegated to storage and no longer be a source of envy among my peers.

TORRONTES: If you think that Malbec is the only wine that Argentina has given the world, think again. Not only are the red Malbecs exceptional value, Argentina produces an even better value white wine. This varietal is called Torrontes and it is virtually exclusive to Argentina (although the vines may or may not have originally come from Spain). The wine is dry, aromatic and has a slight taste of lemon. Some writers describe the taste as a cross between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, if you can imagine such a thing. This wine, which should be available in most provincial stores, sells for between $10 and $15 and in Ontario there is even one Torrontes available for $8.95.

Torrontes can be either a sipping wine or it can be a perfect match for the right food. In my case I really enjoy a glass of Torrontes with Veal Picatta. If you like the flavour of lemon you will find it both in the wine and in the dish.

Here is the recipe for VEAL PICATTA. Risotto is the perfect side dish.

½ cup flour                                      1 cup white wine (or red)
1 tsp salt                                          1 garlic clove, chopped
½ tsp pepper                                   1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ Tbsp olive oil                            1 Tbsp capers, drained
5 Tbsp butter                                   1 Tbsp chopped parsley
½ cup chicken stock                        4 veal scallops, pounded to ½” thickness

Combine flour, salt and pepper in bowl. Dredge veal. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Add 1 ½ Tbsp butter. Cook veal until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Transfer veal to a plate and set aside. Deglaze pan with wine, and bring to boil, reducing to half. Add chicken stock, garlic, lemon juice and capers, and cook 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Whisk in remaining 3 ½ Tbsp butter and parsley. Return veal to pan and cook until heated through and sauce has thickened, about 1 minute.

OPIMIAN OFFERING # 202: For a long time France has produced the world’s most prestigious wines. Perhaps the most famous, and certainly the most expensive wines come from the great Chateaux of Bordeaux. Offering 202 is a catalogue of good and very good Bordeaux. If you are into wine snobbery, then serve a well-aged Margaux or a St. Emilion. As an aside, my host at a dinner party last evening served a great 1995 St. Emilion Grand Cru. It was delightful, and certainly not too old.

On the other hand, if you are looking for value, then skip this offering. There is nothing here for you. Offering 202 is for those with (1) deep pockets, and (2) a cool, dark, quiet place to store the wines for several years. Finally, if you do want to have a few bottles of very good Bordeaux in your cellar (and if your bank loan has come through) then I would suggest # 6109 Chateau Hortevie Saint-Julian. In about 5 years this wine will be absolutely superb.

WHINE # 25

Welcome Charlie Angelakos of Toronto to the Whine!

SUPER TUSCANS: The first rebels

One of the most basic distinctions between styles of wine is between “Old World” and “New World” wines. Generally the “New World” wines of California, Australia, Chile and Argentina are more robust, fruitier, and have higher alcohol content than those of the “Old World” countries of France, Italy and Spain. These “in your face” wines, on the other hand, may lack the complexity or subtlety of a classic Burgundy or Rioja.

Two of the reasons for this basic difference lie (1) in the climate allowing “New World” grapes to be picked at greater maturity, and (2) in the style of the wine-maker who chooses to produce wines that need less time in the cellar, therefore being more suitable to the western consumer who likes to pick up a bottle 30 minutes prior to consumption.

Another difference comes from the wine laws enacted many, many years ago in most European countries. For example 58% of French wine production is classified as “Appellation d’Origine Controllee” This means that the grapes are guaranteed to have been grown in the AOC area, and also specified are the varieties used, the viticultural methods, harvest and yield restrictions, and winemaking techniques. Wines labelled Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure (17% of French production) and Vin de Pays (31% of production) have progressively lower restrictions.

This classification system provides a certain guarantee of authenticity to the consumer, but also has two disadvantages. First, the consumer may have difficulty understanding a label that does not specify the varieties blended therein; and more importantly, these laws restrict severely the winemaker’s opportunity to experiment with different varietals and different blends. For example, a bottle with “Appellation Saint-Emilion Controlee” tells the purchaser that the wine comes from the village of Saint-Emilion or surrounding area. The label does not tell, however, that this wine is a blend of 60% Merlot with lesser amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It does not tell that the wine needs to age from 2-6 years, nor that the best wines of Saint-Emilion are labelled Grand Cru.

The Italian equivalent is DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) or DOCG (denominazaione dorigine controllata e garantita). Thus a DOC Chianti label means that the wine came from the Chianti region of Tuscany and that it contains 75-100% Sangiovese, with up to 10% Canaiolo and up to 6 % of two white varieties (Trebbiano and Malvasia). Wines labelled IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) are generally from larger areas and are less restricted in varietals, for example. The presumed lowest quality wines are simply labelled “Vino daTavola”.

“Old World Wines” can be described as tradition bound. However, as “New World Wines” began to be recognized as of at least as good quality, some European wine-makers rebelled against the restrictive labelling laws.

The first rebellion took place in Tuscany about 30 years ago when growers realized that they could produce better wines (and demand higher prices) if only they could blend in such non-traditional varieties as Cabernet Sauvignon with the dominant and frequently low quality Sangioveses. Legally they could no longer label their wines as DOC. These new blends (mimicking in some cases the wines of California) came to be known as the “Super Tuscans”. In fact, producers made such interesting wines that they found that they could demand very high prices indeed.

Today, some of the very best Italian wines fall into this category as wine makers reserve their best grapes for these blends. Sometimes they give the wines fanciful names (but never as silly as the names used by Australians). They charge a lot and frequently use heavy bottles. The irony is that these IGT wines are better than the DOC or DOCG wines of the traditional labelling system. By the way, these Super Tuscans seem more like “New World” than “Old World” wines.

Smaller rebellions against restrictive laws have occurred in Spain; in particular in La Mancha. Even in France a few winemakers, particularly in the south, are making goods wines that are only labelled Vin de Pays.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: The place to buy wine

Betty and I just returned to Nova Scotia after a 3-week golf holiday in the Low Country (Georgia and South Carolina). Admittedly these states are not known as having wine cultures. I doubt anybody ever takes a Super Tuscan to a tail-gate party.

However, getting between N.S. and the southern U.S. means that one inevitably passes along that 20 click stretch of I-95 that traverses the southeast corner of New Hampshire. Along that stretch are 3 large New Hampshire Liquor Stores.

The parking lots are always full and most of the cars seem to be from out-of-state; predominantly from New York and Massachusetts. These visitors are stuffing their vans and SUVs with bargain booze.

These stores have shelves of great wines, including lots of French wine at prices lower than those along the Seine. However, the real bargains are in wines from California. All I can do is walk along the rows of Cabernets feeling ever more sad that I am not going to be able to get the purchases I should like to make across the US/Canadian border. Maybe that awful state slogan “Live free or die” could be replaced with “wine almost free, die happy”.

OPIMIAN OFFERING # 201

6019: I have had a couple of cases of this Austrian Pinot. Pinot is never inexpensive but I think this one will stand up to all but the most expensive Burgundies and is definitely better than the over-priced Pinots from Oregon.

6038: I am partial to Negroamaros and suspect this would make a great accompaniment for most Italian meal.

6067: This is inexpensive for a Super Tuscan. I haven’t tried this particular one but I shall squeeze a case into my own small cellar.

6076: My favourite Italian varietal is Nero D’Avola (from Sicily). This is a food wine - so good it might have come from Argentina.

Whine # 24 - February, 2011

WHINE # 24

To Flute or not to Flute: A few of you will remember my complaining way back in Whine # 7 about old Hollywood movies where Champagne was being drunk from a sherbet glass instead of a flute. Well, the complaint still holds. The other night someone in my house (surely it couldn't have been me with such poor taste in the film arts) was watching the 1998 Meg Ryan movie "Addicted to Love". There she was drinking some sort of sparkling wine from what appeared to be a small bird bath with a glass stem. The wine must have gone flat in less than 20 seconds.

However, some experts now suggest that the flute (a very tall, narrow glass) may not be the ideal vessel for enjoying one's favorite Champagne or Cava. The argument (thanks to Marie-Claude Gleize for bringing a recent Le Monde article to my attention) is that the flute is too narrow. Supposedly the escaping effervescence goes up one's nose and blocks the aroma of the wine itself.

So if the sherbet dish has too wide a surface area making the wine lose all its bubbles in a few seconds and the flute holds the effervescence but brings on a series of robust sneezes, are you reduced to drinking straight from the bottle? The recommended solution is a tulip-shaped glass that is relatively narrow at the top. One expert suggests that the glass should look a bit like a rugby ball standing upright on a tee but with the top end expunged.

No doubt it will be awhile before this new generation of Champagne glasses reaches the shelves of your local WalMart. In the meantime, hold your nose and continue drinking from your favorite flute.

Scallops and Chardonnay: Yes, I'm pushing Chardonnay again (Chablis if you can afford the French version). Although some of you find Chardonnay overly rich and prefer a more crisp, citrus-flavoured wine, perhaps you haven't matched Chardonnay with a perfectly complementary food. First of all, Chardonnay goes with butter; in fact to quote Ron Crooks "Chardonnay loves Butter".

As you know Chardonnay can be either oaked or unoaked (and there should be an indication on the label), the oaked version sometimes having an overly rich flavour that has frequently resulted in the "ABC" request ("Anything But Chardonnay").

Here are two recipes that I've stolen from Ron Crooks, who, by the way, is the manager of Halifax's Port of Wines and who is one of the region's most wine-knowledgeable persons. Mr. Crook's suggests that scallops make an ideal match for Chardonnay. The first recipe is quite simple and is suggested as a match with the less rich unoaked wine. The second recipe takes a little more effort to make but when paired with a richly flavoured oaked Chardonnay will result in the kind of contentment that red wine lovers feel following a rare prime rib matched with a well-aged Cabernet.

Recipe # 1 (with the unoaked wine)

Sear some scallops in a pan with a little butter and oil, then saute some mushrooms and shallots. Combine the scallops, mushrooms and shallots and sprinkle some buttery bread crumbs (melt a couple of tbsp. of butter and toss with 1/4 cup crumbs) over the top and crisp up in the oven for 10 minutes or so.

Recipe # 2 (Coquille St. Jacques with oaked Chardonnay

Bechamel Sauce: 2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
Salt and Pepper
Juice from 1/4 lemon (optional)
Pinch nutmeg (optional)

Melt butter over medium heat, stir in flour. DO NOT LET MIXTURE BROWN. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until thickened. Set aside.

Scallops: 1 lb. Digby scallops (rinsed and patted dry with paper towel)
1 cup dry white wine
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Bring wine and scallops to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer one minute. Remove scallops with slotted spoon and set aside. Add shallots to the wine. Cook over medium heat until wine is reduced by half.

Preheat broiler, then slowly stir the wine/shallots mixture into the Bechamel Sauce. Stir in cheeses, heat until cheese is melted. Add scallops and remove from heat. Turn mixture into buttered oven-proof dish or individual scallop shells. Broil 2-3 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: Arguably the best bargain in Italian wine can be a bottle of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Montepulciano is the reigning grape of Abruzzo. This grape makes a dark, fragrant, tannic, and sturdy red wine with naturally low acidity (unlike other inexpensive Italian wines) that's capable of some aging. Montepulciano is the fifth most planted grape in Italy, after Sangiovese, Barbera, Merlot, and Negroamaro. However, Montepuliano is also the name of a town in Tuscany. However, the wine of this Tuscan town is called Vino Nobile and bears no relation to Montepulciano. Confused? Don't worry, the Vino Nobile is rarely available in Canada and if you could find it you wouldn't pay the price anyway.

Opimian Offering 200: Once a year Opimian offers great wines from South America. How can one resist ordering everything in the catalogue? To make matters worse there are also some decent Rhone wines in the same catalogue. In fact, every year Betty complains that I didn't order enough from this particular offering, while ordering too many wines from other places. So my advice to you is to say "the hell with my melting Visa card" and place your order.

With great difficulty I have narrowed my recommendations to the following:

5956: Chateau de Montmirail Gigondas. A little less expensive than Chateauneuf-du-Pape this wine, although not exactly a bargain, will please. I have ordered from this winery several times in the past.

5963: Domaine Gilles Flacher, Saint Joseph. This is a great Syrah from the Northern Rhone. In fact, it made my list of top ten wines of 2010 in last month's Whine.

5972: Tematico Reserva Malbec. I have not tried this one but I'm going to trust the quote in the catalogue "if you only ever try one Malbec try this"

5986 and 5987: These two reserve wines from Villard should be great buys in the under $20. category. I've had Villard Expresion Reserve Pinot on several occasions and think it is one of the best Pinots from anywhere. Hopefully the Merlots and Cabernets are equally good.

6005 and 6006: I am a great fan of Cornellana Barrel Reserves. In fact I've paired these wines on several occasions and had dinner guest prefer them to more expensive wines.