WHINE #  38

Welcome to the Whine:  Paul Veitch of Antigonish .

HOLIDAY WINE TASTING:  Just before Christmas Betty and I invited a few friends for an evening of wine tasting.  After a small glass of crackling wine everyone (except me) blind-tasted 7 wines which were arranged in two flights.  Wines were presented in decanters simply labelled A, B, etc. and tasters were encouraged to try a bit of each wine and then return for a second or third sip.

Flight I:  We started with 3 slightly chilled Pinot Noirs from Chile, France and New Zealand.  The French wine was a 2008 Cuvee 8 from the village of Hunawihr in Alsace.  This wine was a Founder’s Choice Selection and had been promoted by the Opimian Society as a top Pinot.   Only 25-year old vines had been chosen from Grands Crus vineyards.

The New Zealand entrant was a 2008 Mud House from Marlborough.  Robert Parker rated the 2008 at 86/100. 

Villard’s 2008 Grand Vin from Chile is one of my favorite Pinots.  User reviews averaged 90.7.

Pinot Results:  My blind tasters were simply asked to rank the three wines, and their rankings could not have been more consistent.   The Chilean wine was the first choice of 13 out of 17, and was the second choice of 2 others.  The New Zealand wine had 3 first place votes and 11 second choices.  The French Pinot was only preferred by one guest and only 3 gave it a second rank, with the other 12 ranking it in last place.  I should note that the French and Chilean wines were similarly priced at around $ 40, with the New Zealand wine at a somewhat lower price.

Flight II:  After a short break the tasters were presented with three Cabernet/Merlot blends and one unblended Cabernet.  All of the wines were similarly priced but were considerably cheaper ($ 20 range) than the Pinots.

Tasters tried a 2009 Chateau Lamothe de Haux Cotes de Bordeaux; a 2008 a Geoff Hardy GMH Meritage from Australia; a 2008 Cornellana Reserve Cabernet/Merlot from Chile; and a 2009 Paso Creek Cabernet Sauvignon from California.  User ratings for these wines were all close to 85/100.

Second Flight Results:  My tasters did not indicate a clear winner this time, although the Californian Cabernet was perhaps at the top of the list.  Seven ranked it first, with 6 choosing it second and four third.  In other words no one ranked it last.  A close second went to the Australian Meritage, which also had  7 first place picks.  However, only two tasters had it as their second choice.  The Chilean got 2 first place votes, 5 second place votes and 7 third place picks.  Again the French wine did not fare well with 2 firsts, 2 seconds and 3 thirds.  In other words 10 of the 17 raters had it dead last out of the four wines.

Perhaps this simple experiment reinforced my bias that French Reds cannot compete with New World wines in the same price range.  It was interesting to note that several of my guests commented that they also had low expectations for the French wines.    Fortunately for French wine producers the Chinese are still snapping up any expensive French wine; and there are certainly more Chinese than there are Canadians.

Comparison of two sparkling wines:  I am not a big fan of Nova Scotia wines but last Christmas I was given a bottle of Benjamin Bridge Brut Reserve.   This wine sold last December for $ 85 and is still getting rave reviews from both inside and outside Nova Scotia.  Prior to dinner the other night I served  this sparkling wine to five guests.   I also blind presented a French Champagne (Pol Roger) for comparison, currently priced at $ 62.  This time the French wine came out on top with 4 out of 5 preferring it.  The good news is that I don’t have to run out and buy more of the over-priced Benjamin Bridge.

SAD REPORT:  You may recall that I recently fell in love with Brunello di Montalcino.  Thus I was horrified at the following story that appeared in the major newspapers,  just after we returned from Tuscany.   My heart bleeds for the vintner.

ROME (AP)—Suspected vandals have dumped almost the entire 2007-2012 production of one of Italy’s most sought-after wines—the limited edition Soldera Brunello di Montalcino.

Giuseppe Soldera, owner of the Tuscan vineyard, said Tuesday that the vandals broke into his Case Basse cantina between Sunday night and Monday morning, opened the spigots on the vats and fled.  They didn’t take a single bottle.

He estimated the loss of the 62,600 litres of prized Sangiovese at several million euros.  A bottle of Soldera’s 2006 Brunello reserve starts at 180 euros ($ 235) on the market.  That’s a markup from the 110 euros ($130) he sells them for.

Soldera said only “a little bit” remained of the production, and he wasn’t sure what he would do with it.  Police had no suspects.

WHAT I LIKED IN 2012:  At the end of each year I go through my wine journal to see what I drank and what wines really impressed.  In 2012 I continued to purchase and drink more South American wines than any others,  but this time Argentina replaced Chile with a full 25% of my consumed wines coming from that country.  My third most frequently consumed wines came from France with California close behind.  Next came Spain and finally Italy.  I expect , however, that in 2013 my consumption of Italian wines will increase.

In 2011 my journal indicated that I rated 10 wines at 10/10.  In 2012 I only gave my top marks to 6 wines.  Of course, my ratings are no doubt very subjective and are influenced by the food pairing, my overall mood, and any number of other factors.   Below in no particular order are the 6 wines that I wish were more in evidence in my small cellar:

2003 Alfa Crux (Tempranillo/Malbec/Merlot) from Argentina.  This is the only repeat from 2011.

2007 Trapiche Finca Las Palmas (Cabernet Sauvignon) from Argentina. 

2007 Trapiche Finca Las Palmas (Malbec) from Argentina.  These two Trapiche’s were incredible bargains at just over $ 20.  Unfortunately they are no longer available in Nova Scotia, and they are also sold out in Ontario.

2006 Louis Martini (Cabernet Sauvignon) from Napa Valley in California.  Also, a great $ 20 bargain.

2004 Legaris Ribero del Duero (Tempanillo) from Spain.

2008 Villard Founders’ Choice Special Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah/Petit Verdot/Merlot) from Chile.  Note that this wine is from the same vineyard as the Pinot that so impressed at my recent tasting.  Unfortunately, this wine was a special offering only available to Founders’ Choice members.

OFFERING # 213:   I have several recommendations from this Offering.  For those who want an everyday red that is ready to drink I suggest # 6872 Clos Montblanc Xipella, Premium.  If you have a little more money to spend the 6885 Gran Colegiata Reserva is one of Spain’s bests and it is close to ready.

For an inexpensive sparkling wine you can’t go wrong with # 6888 Parxet Edicion Limitada Brut Reserva.  I always like to have a few bottles of this on hand.

Finally, my strongest recommendation is for the bargain crackling wine from Portugal.  # 6898 Serra Vinho Verde.   This very light wine is great for summer sipping or as reception wine.  I recommend this wine every year (and also buy a case every year).  I can’t imagine that you would not like it.