WHINE # 34
ANTIGONISH WINE SHOW: In April we attended the fourth
annual Antigonish Wine Show. This is a special event in which the NSLC
provides wines; Mark Gabrieau provides food, and the show raises money for St.
Martha’s Hospital Foundation.
The food was superb, as were the wines. This year there were wines to sample from 8
countries (Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Italy, Spain, and the
USA). As there were 3 reds from each
country, I didn’t have capacity to sample any whites.
What was interesting about the reds is that the 3 wines from
each country were in the low ($ 20), medium ($ 40), or high ($ 60) price range.
At the end of the night we were able to purchase any of the
wines. Given that option I wondered what
wines would be the big sellers. Unlike a
wine tasting where the wines were rated on a piece of paper, this time the
choice was made with one’s credit card.
I think this was a great test of the wines in terms of what countries
produce wines that are favored by the people of Antigonish. One of my friends who is on the Board of the
NSLC was able to get me a sales report from the evening. Of the $ 25,000 worth of wine that was sold, these
were the favorite reds.
1. Audrey Wilkinson Shiraz from Australia ($
27.29)
2. Predator Old Vine Zinfandel from California
(($ 27.29)
3. Dona Paula Estate Malbec from Argentina ($ 17.99)
4. Montecillo Reserva from Spain (($ 24.99)
5. Trapiche Jorge Miralle Single Vineyard Malbec
from Argentina ($ 42.99)
The top selling white wine was a Nimbus Sauvignon Blanc from
Chile. Incidentally my personal favorite
was Gallo Frei Ranch Cabernet from California ($ 52.49).
MORE ON AGING WINE: It’s always a mistake to drink wines that are
too young. On the other hand, it’s an
even bigger mistake to drink wines that have been kept too long. Once a wine reaches its peak it begins to
deteriorate. At first you will notice a
slight brown coloring at the rim where your wine meets your glass. Then the wine will take on a musty
flavor. Finally, the wine turns to
vinegar.
Most of you fall into one of three categories. You may have a full cellar with a software
program that keeps track of your wines. Or, you may be one of those people whose stock
of wines amounts to three bottles at the back of your kitchen counter. In either of these cases I have no advice for
you. On the other hand, you may have 50
or 75 bottles stored in cardboard boxes in the back of a closet or on your basement
floor. If you fall into this last group
my advice is to spend a few minutes looking through your wines and setting
aside any that have been kept beyond the recommended date for drinking. Drink these right away so that you can avoid
having good wine go bad.
For those of you who are members of the Opimian Society, go
on the website and click “Your wine file”.
There you will be given a drinkability and a maturity rating for every
wine you have ever ordered. I find this
service very, very useful. Since these
reviews were just completed for 2012 I have set aside all my 10/10 wines and
those will be gone in the next couple of weeks.
THE EXTREMES OF WINE
LISTS: Betty and I recently ate on
successive evenings in restaurants that represented the extremes of wine
choices. Staying at The Inn at
Thornhill, in Jackson, New Hampshire we had a very good meal (albeit we were
the only people eating there that night) and we were very surprised at the wine
list. Over 500 choices offered wines
ranging in price from $ 16. To $ 1060.
One could even choose the vintage for Chateau Petrus. Although we chose a wine near to the bottom
of the price range, it was just fine.
The next evening we dined at Bistro 33 in Moncton, New
Brunswick. This small café had excellent
seafood, a good atmosphere, and quick service.
However, the ½ dozen wines on offer seemed to have been selected to
represent the worst that could be offered from France, Italy and
Australia. I suggested to the Owner/Chef
that he might want to expand his offerings.
I bet, however, that if and when we return we’ll find the same disappointing
offerings.
NEXT MONTH’S
WHINE: I am hoping to convince my
friend Gerard (from Aix-en-Provence) to write a piece on long cellaring French
wines.
OPIMIAN OFFERING #
210: I don’t have many wines to
recommend from this offering, but the following two are affordable and are both
good food wines.
# 6686 Chateau
Blomas, AOP Minervois, 2010. You will
need to cellar this wine for at least a couple of years.
# 6706 Chateau
Salitis, Cuvee Premium, AOC Cabardes 2010.
This is an old favorite of mine.
It will go very nicely with spicy meats and bar-b-ques.
