WHINE # 51

Yet another word on bubbly:   Last time I made fun of leading men from the movies of the 50’s and 60’s drinking “Champagne” from sherbet dishes.  I argued that sparkling wine should only be drunk from narrow fluted glasses in order to prevent the effervescence from escaping.   Shortly after I posted that blog one of my sons drew my attention to an article arguing against the flute.  It was noted that some prefer to drink their bubbly from a large pinot noir glass so that they have a greater mouth sensation of the escaping bubbles.   An ancillary argument put forth by the Riedel glass company centered on the fact that Champagne is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  I remain unconvinced.  I suppose if you want a quick hit from the alcohol, then let the escaping carbon dioxide aid in quick absorption  into the bloodstream.  For me, however, I’ll stick to the flute so that I can slowly enjoy the wine without it going flat.

Restaurant surprises in New Brunswick:  While returning last week from Ontario we got storm stayed in N.B.  As it turned out we discovered two superb restaurants which deserve mention for any of you who might be travelling through that greatly underappreciated province.

We drove into Edmundston just as it was getting dark and Betty spotted Chantal’s Steakhouse from the highway.   We turned off to check it out.  The night was miserable and snowbanks were piled elephant high. No one appeared to be eating and Betty asked if the restaurant would still be open after we had checked into a hotel.  “Don’t worry, take your time, we’ll stay open for you”, said the very pleasant greeter who turned out to be Chantal herself.

By the time we had returned there were two tables enjoying their meals and we were warmly greeted by Chantal, who asked if we had brought wine.  As it turned out I did have a bottle of thin merlot, still in a suitcase that had come with us from New Zealand.  The meal was much better than the wine.  I thoroughly enjoyed my escargot, stuffed salmon and sugar pie.  Betty said her steak was the best ever.

The restaurant is beautifully decorated and Chantal told us a bit about herself.  A couple of years ago she had lost her job, and as a single mother was facing very difficult times.  However, she took out a second mortgage on her house and opened the restaurant.  Now she is bursting with pride at her beautiful and successful venture.  And, the corkage fee for the bottle of wine was 99 cents.  I can’t wait to get back to Edmundston.

The next afternoon the weather has worsened to the point that the highway to Nova Scotia was closed so we were forced to stop in Moncton.  The restaurant we had decided to try was also closed.  However, Betty spotted “Le Petit Cavalier” next door to the closed place and it was open.  “Le Petit Cavalier” is a French restaurant in a lovely old house in a slightly seedy part of the downtown area.   There was nothing seedy about the restaurant, however.  The menu was enticing and we both ordered the Table d’hote.  For  $35 I got a taste of soup, a great Caesar (admittedly  Caesar Salad is American and not French), a keylime sorbet, a beautifully  prepared lamb shank, and a very nice crème brulee.  All in all it was a great meal professionally served in a very elegant dining room.

The wine list was especially interesting.  It was quite extensive and had 8 (I counted them) wines that would very nicely complement the lamb.  All were under $ 40.  Unlike some more pretentious French restaurants that only list unaffordable French wines on the carte, there were great choices from South America, Italy and California.  Those of you who know my biases know that I want a big, robust wine to accompany lamb and French wine doesn’t cut it for me so I ordered a very good Argentinian wine for $ 28.

In sum, being stranded in New Brunswick is not such a bad thing.

ONE EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF RUM:    There are lots of expensive wines that one can enjoy on a special occasion.   A good vintage of a top wine from South America can be had (Don Melchor from Chile or Finca Altamira from Argentina) for $ 150 or so.  A 2006 Penfold’s Grange from Australia can set one back $ 600.  Top California wines (e.g. Ghost Horse Vineyard or Screaming Eagle) can run up to $ 1500.   If you win a lottery you can get a bottle of 2005 Chateau Petrus (France) for $ 4,000.  If you don’t want to drink it, but merely want to display it because of its rarity you can pay $ 27,000. for an 1865 double magnam of Chateau Lafite.

Most of the above are out of my price range but I can at least imagine drinking them.  What I can’t imagine is buying a $ 5,000. bottle of rum.  Yet, when I visited my local Antigonish liquor store yesterday I was shown a bottle of 50 year old Appleton rum.  Yes, the price listed was indeed 5k. and one of the clerks to whom I chatted  believes that the bottle will sell.  And I thought I lived in a provincial backwater where people envy someone being paid a teacher’s salary.  I am going to keep checking back to see if that bottle of rum actually sells.

Wines of the Yarra Valley:  When one thinks of Australian wines one tends to think of big, spicy bottles of Shiraz, or possibly smooth, but tannic Cabernet Sauvignons.  These heavy reds come from such great wine producing areas as Margaret River or Coonawaara.  Of course the best big wines come from hot, dry climates where the grapes can stay on the vines until they are loaded with sugar.

On the other hand, there are lots and lots of cool climate wine areas where the shorter growing season leads vintners to specialize in white wines and reds such as Pinot Noirs. 

Recently I had the opportunity to do a wine tour of the Yarra Valley, near Melbourne.  Here I tasted some great sparkling wines, some very good Chardonnays and a lot of Pinots.  Highlights of our tour were the wineries at Oakridge (voted the best winery in Australia in 2012) and Domaine Chandon.  Domaine Chandon is wholly owned by Moet and Chandon, one of the largest producers in Champagne.  They are  famous for their Dom Perignon.  Moet and Chandon also make sparkling wine in Napa Valley and more recently in the Yarra Valley.  In both Napa and Yarra the sparkling wines are made to be as similar to their more famous Champagnes as is possible.  I had the opportunity to try both the Australian version and the Napa version and to my taste they were identical.  Not wanting to spring $ 200. for a bottle of Dom Perignon I didn’t do that comparison.  However,  I strongly suspect that one bottle of Champagne is not anywhere near worth 5-10 bottles of Domaine Chandon.

OPIMIAN OFFERING 225:  I have considerable trouble making recommendations for this offering.  2013 was not a particularly good year in Bordeaux.  Perhaps for that reason Opimian is not offering their usual selections.  I am not familiar with most of what they are offering.  That does not mean that they are not worth buying, just that I cannot recommend them.  One exception to that is 7647 Clos Cantenac.  This St. Emilion Grand Cru is very expensive, but would make a nice addition to anyone’s cellar.  For someone who wants a Beaujolais I would recommend 7598 Domaine de Milhomme.

WHINE # 50

BUBBLY:   North Americans were introduced to “bubbly” wine in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s by Hollywood movies.  The major movie makers knew a lot about entertainment but almost nothing about wine.  The first mistake made by Cary Grant, Clark Gable and even Jimmy Stewart was to “pop” the cork and then watch the wine foam down the sides of the bottle.  We now know that a sparkling wine cork should be removed only with a “whisper.”  Not only does this avoid injury from a flying cork, it prevents loss of effervescence.

Secondly, whatever wine was left in the bottle by one of these leading men was then poured into a sherbet dish rather than a proper Champagne flute.  This, of course, leads to quick dissipation of the remaining fizz.  A “flat” Champagne is about as tasty as “flat” Coca-Cola.

Finally, the movie makers convinced us that Champagne, or whatever sparkling wine they pretended to be Champagne, was a drink that was reserved for special occasions, and they showed it being drunk by itself.

Sparkling wine is too good to have only when one has got a promotion, or when one has scored or is hoping to score in some other fashion.  Sparkling wine is tremendously versatile and can be drunk almost anytime.  In addition, it goes very well with a wide variety of food; my favorite accompaniment is  boiled Nova Scotia lobster.

CHAMPAGNE VERSUS OTHER SPARKLING WINE:  While we sometimes refer to any sparkling wine as “Champagne” it should be noted that the French have been quite successful in protecting the word itself.  To be called Champagne the wine must come from an AOC demarcated area in the far north of Burgundy.  In fact Champagne is the most northerly wine-growing area in France.

Other parts of France also produce excellent sparkling wines but they can’t be called “Champagne.”  The Limoux area of Languedoc Roussilion in the south of France claims to have made sparkling wine well before Champagne.   My personal preference for a French sparkler is a Brut de Blanc from Saumur in the Loire Valley west of Paris.   These wines cost a third the price of Champagne and are almost as good.

Spain produces wonderful sparkling wine, most of which comes from Penedes, where it is called Cava.  Italy is another producer of sparkling wine, the most famous being Asti.  Finally, very good bubbly can also come from California or from Argentina.

METHOD OF PRODUCTION:  Sparkling wine can be made in at least three ways.  Methode Champenoise is the most expensive.  In this technique a still white blended wine has added, after its final racking, a mixture of sugar, yeast and yeast nutrients.  The bottles are then corked and a second fermentation occurs leading to a high level of carbon dioxide in the wine (the bubbles).  The bottles must then be rotated daily to prevent the buildup of sediment.  Traditionally this was done by hand but now there are machines to do the work.  This method is usually called Methode Traditionelle outside of Champagne itself.  Sometimes a sparkling wine from California will say “individually fermented in this bottle.”

The second method is to have the second fermentation occur in barrels, rather than in the bottles themselves.  This method, frequently used in Italy, is less expensive and leads to wines that do not age as long, but which can be quite high in fruit flavour.  Sparkling wines from Argentina can be either barrel or bottle fermented.

Finally, sparkling wine can be produced by simply infusing carbon dioxide into a still white wine.  This method, most often used in Germany, leads to inferior sparkling wine.

VARIETALS:  Sparkling wines can be made from a number of different grape varieties, depending on the climate of the area.  In Champagne itself, the wine is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  In Asti, an area of Piedmont, Italy sparkling wines are made entirely of the Muscat grape.  The second area in Italy that produces much sparkling wine is eastern Veneto where the Prosecco grape is used.  Prosecco is also the name of a town.  In Spain the climate is generally too warm for the growth of Chardonnay so the Spanish producers, after much experimentation, settled on a blend of three grapes for their Cavas:  Xarello, Parellada and Macabeo.   Because different grapes are used the taste of Champagne will not be quite the same as the taste of Prosecco, which will not be the same as the taste of Cava.  It is a matter of one’s taste that should dictate which sparkling you buy.

SOME IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY:  As noted above sparkling wines vary in method of production as well as in the varietals used.  Sparkling wines also vary on two other important dimensions.  First, sparkling wines will be “fully sparkling” when made with bottle fermentation.  Also, wines may be less than “fully sparkling.”  In Italy the term “frizzante” refers to a partial sparkle and “spumante” refers to full sparkle.  In Portugal Vinho Verde has a very slight sparkle, which comes from the first fermentation—there being no second fermentation.  This wine is called a “crackling” wine rather than a “sparkling” wine.

Secondly, sparkling wines are made along a dimension that goes from quite sweet to bone dry.  Of course, how much residual sugar you want in your glass is a matter of taste.  However, the terminology that indicates the sugar level is very odd indeed, despite the fact that the same terminology is used throughout Europe as well as much of the rest of the world.  If you are only going to remember one thing from this Whine pay careful attention to what comes next.  The term “Demi-sec” indicates that the wine will be very sweet (I know “sec” is French for “dry” but don’t believe it when it comes to sparkling wine.)  “Demi-Sec” means that the wine contains 33-50 grams of sugar per litre. “Sec” means that the wine contains 17-35 grams of sugar per litre and is still quite sweet.  “Extra-sec” has 12-20 grams per litre and is still not dry enough for my taste.  “Brut” may contain up to 15 grams of sugar whereas “Extra Brut cannot contain more than 6.  Finally “Brut Nature” refers to a wine that has no more than 3 grams per litre.  I only have ever found the term “Brut Nature” on wine coming from Argentina, and even that is hard to find.  Experimentation will lead you to discover what level of sugar matches your taste.  After that you will always know what to buy.

SOME FINAL COMMENTS:   Although not absolutely necessary I think a bottle of sparkling wine is best chilled in an ice bucket for a couple of hours before serving.  Also, being able to return the partially emptied bottle to a mixture of water and ice keeps the wine well chilled for your second glass.

When you are ready to open be careful.  First, remove the foil but do not remove the wire cage.  Loosen the wire but leave it over the cork as this provides an extra grip.  If you are right-handed place your left hand over the wire and cork and then very slowly twist the bottle with your right hand.  This way the cork will finally be removed with a “whisper” rather than a “pop.”

Once the cork has been removed pour the wine into a proper Flute that is held at an angle so the wine can be poured down the inside of the glass.  This will prevent the wine from bubbling up and overflowing the glass.  A proper “Flute” is a tall, narrow glass with a long stem.  The narrow vessel means that there will be a small surface area keeping the fizz in the wine from dissipating too quickly.  The long stem allows you to hold the glass so that your hot, sweaty fist will not cause the wine to lose its chill.

You should not pay more for a sparkling wine than you would pay for a still wine.  If you are willing to pay $ 15-$ 20 for a still to pair with the main course, then buy sparkling wine in the same price range.  If you are not averse to paying $ 75. for your Cabernet Sauvignon, then French Champagne could be your choice of sparkling wine.  

OPIMIAN CELLAR OFFERING 224:  I am not very excited by this offering.  However, if you cellar is empty here are a couple of choices.  For everyday drinking try:

7545 Negroamaro or 7592 Montepulciano

If money is not an object these two wines are about as good as Italian wine gets:

7588 Brunello di Montalcino or 7581 Amarone

 

 

Sparkling wine makes a great “reception” wine to serve your guest before they sit down to dinner.  But don’t forget sparkling wine also goes well with many different foods and unlike Cary Grant you can actually sit at the table with a plate of your favorite food in front of you and a flute of sparkling wine next to the plate.

 

WHINE # 49

 

 

 

A DUMMY’S GUIDE TO MATCHING FOOD AND WINE:  One can easily get carried away in an attempt to find the perfect wine for your dinner table.  For example, Opimian recommends that Barolo be served with Kale-stuffed squab breast, with squab ragout and Castelmagno cheese.  I’m afraid my bottle of Barolo might get quite dusty waiting for Betty to whip up that particular meal.  Just as easily one may pay no attention to what is served with what.  And that does no favors to either the food or the wine.

Wine always is better with the right food, and food is certainly better with a well-matched wine.  Are there some easy rules to follow?  Yes, it’s quite simple.  First, serve full-bodied wines with robust food and pair light wines with foods that are delicate.  Second, match acidic wines with foods high in acid content, such as meats served with tomato or lemon sauces; and serve tannic wines with foods high in protein, such as red meat.  Finally, if the wine is for sipping and is not accompanied by food serve something that is not particularly high in either acid or tannins.

By way of review, acid in wine (and all wines contain acid) give the wine a sharp, slightly sour taste that makes our mouths water and is noticeable on the side of the tongue.  Tannins in wine leave a slightly bitter taste and make the mouth feel particularly dry.  Both sensations are pleasant in the right context.

Some examples of wines high in acidity are Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Grenache and Sauvignon Blanc.  Low acid wines include Merlot, Chardonnay and Viognier.  Wines high in tannins include Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.  Low tannin wines include Pinot Noir, Gamay and Grenache.  Finally, Malbec is medium in both tannins and acid.  If in doubt try Semillon for a White and definitely Malbec for a Red.  South American Malbecs will match almost any food.

WHAT DID I DRINK LAST YEAR:  In my last Whine (# 48) I gave some data on what wines Canadians are drinking.  Looking back through my wine diary I clearly am not in line with my compatriots.  For example I drank almost no Canadian wine and my bias toward New World wines is clearly much greater than that of other Nova Scotians.

Two-thirds of all the entries in my diary are from the New World with almost 30% of all the wines I drank coming from Argentina.  Chile ranked second at 16%.  In terms of Old World wines Spain was my favorite at 13%, squeaking ahead of France (12%), California (11%) and Italy (10%).  However, I have to confess that my good wife and drinking partner heavily influences my choices and complains whenever I choose an Old World wine, except when we are having pasta and then she wants an acidic Italian.

MY FAVORITES IN 2013:  As I have mentioned several times I keep a wine diary.  I like to make brief notes on each bottle I open and to rate the wine on a 10 point scale.   Most of the wines I drink score between “7” and “9” but occasionally I give a wine a “10.”  In 2012 I only gave 6 “10’s” but in 2013 I was more generous.  Here are the wines that I scored at “10”.  The ones with asterisks were also on my 2012 list.  Note the about half of these wines were from South America, but then I drank more South American wines than anything else.

2004   Familia Schroeder Pinot/Malbec (Argentina)

2003* Alfa Crux Tempranillo/Malbec/Merlot  (Argentina)

2004   Perdriel Single Vineyard Malbec/Cabernet/Merlot (Argentina)

2007* Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)

2008   Finca Flichman Gestos  Malbec (Argentina)

2006   Long Flats Destinations Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)

2007* Louis Martini Napa Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

2008* Villard Special Blend (Chile)

2008   Marques Casa Conca Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)

2005* Legaris Reserva Tempranillo (Spain)

2004  Gran Dama de Toro Tempranillo (Spain)

OPIMIAN CELLAR OFFERING 223:  My recommendations this time include three relatively inexpensive wines and one a little pricier.

7467  Serra Vinho Verde 2013 is a wine I recommend every year.  I frequently serve it as a reception wine but it is also good as a summer sipper.

7486  My next Whine will be entirely devoted to sparkling wines but in the meantime here is a Cava that is well worth the modest price.

7492  Ramon Bilbao Single Vineyard.  You might want to keep this a year or two when it will become a great food wine.

7528  Chateau de Montmirail Gigondas.  Very similar to Chateauneuf-du-Pape but perhaps even better.

WHINE # 48

Welcome to new Whine reader Larry Harbour of Dallas Texas.

WINE KNOWLEDGE:   One of the great truisms of exploring wines is that no matter how much you read, taste and learn, you will quickly be humbled by someone else who knows so much more.  Perhaps that’s not true for someone like Robert Parker, but it is certainly true for me.

On the other hand, one can be just as surprised at just how many people have very little experience with the joy of drinking wine.  A few weeks ago I was asked to be an after lunch speaker.  My topic was “Mistakes one makes when drinking red wine.”  My audience of about 20 was attentive and I hoped I might even have been erudite.  Then, the Chair asked if there were any questions for the speaker.  I got three:  (1) Are there different kinds of grapes; (2) Is the wine sold at the Antigonish Farmers’ Market really, really good? (actually it’s really, really bad); and (3) Is port the same as wine?

WINE EXPORT TRENDS:  Many wine producing countries are very protectionist in terms of their domestic markets.  Thus, if you are visiting Spain or Chile, for example, you will only find domestic wine in restaurants and wine shops.  Wine importing countries such as Canada are also protectionist, but to a much lesser extent.    Because of this one can get a better sense of trends in wine taste or preferences by looking at data on wine imports, rather than looking at data on wine production.  From what countries do we buy wine, and is there a change from historical patterns?

Next to dividing wines into Reds and Whites, the most useful distinction is between Old World Wines and New World Wines.  At a recent wine tasting my guests attempted to determine whether the wines that they tasted were New or Old World, what varietal was in their glasses, and the country of origin.  Although lots of mistakes were made in identifying the country and the varietal, almost everyone was able to correctly distinguish the New Worlds from the Old Worlds.  As an aside, the New Worlds were significantly preferred by almost everyone, despite the fact that on average they were less expensive.

Although Old Worlds wines still dominate the export market, there have been some major changes in the past 15 years.  For example, from 1999 to 2005 exports of New World wines increased from 16% to 29% of world totals while Old World wines dropped from 79% to 69%.  It is hard to get more recent data but perhaps it is safe to say that the trend toward New World wines has continued since 2005, but at a considerably slower pace.  The other major shift to notice is that France is no longer number one in exports; in fact not only has Italy replaced France as the top exporter of wine world-wide, Spain has edged into second place.   The decline in preference for French wine would have been even greater had the Chinese not dramatically increased their purchases of high-end wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy.

WHAT WINES DO CANADIANS IMPORT?  Getting accurate information on imports into Canada is not as easy as googling the question.  However, I did find some information in the annual reports of Liquor Control Boards of three of our 10 provinces.  In Nova Scotia our most popular wine is in fact Canadian (30 per cent of NSLC sales).  In terms of imports our favorite wine comes from Australia (16.9 %).  12.1 per cent of the wines we drink are from Italy.  Next comes the United States (11.5 %).  From these figures it is clear that we are ahead of the pack in shifting to New World wines.  What really surprised me, however, is that in Nova Scotia we drink more Nova Scotian wine (7.6%) than we drink French wine (5.5%).  Finally we drink the same amount (5.5%) of Argentinian wine as we drink French wine.  The single most popular Nova Scotian wine is Benjamin Bridge’s Nova 7, a medium priced ($ 24.99) sparkler that I personally find a little too sweet.  However, I am happy to see a local producer having financial success.

In Ontario the top seller is again Canadian wine; no surprise, given the large wine industry on the Niagara Peninsula.  Ontarians favorite import is Italian, followed by Australian, and then by wine from the United States.   It appears, however, that Ontarians like Old World wines with Italy being the favorite and French wine coming in 4^th in terms of imports.  Closely following imports of French wine are wines from Chile and Argentina, and then South Africa.

The only other province from which I could get reliable data is Manitoba.  Manitoba is interesting, nonetheless, for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, Manitoba is not a producer of wine (grape vines don’t do well at 40 below) so I was quite surprised to learn that even in Manitoba Canadian wines are the most popular.  In terms of imports first place goes to the U.S., which is followed by Australia and then Chile.  Clearly New Worlds are heavily favored over Old Worlds.  Fourth and fifth places go to Italy and Argentina and then a real shocker, for sixth place German wines beat out French wines.  Does cold weather increase one’s need for sugar?

OPIMIAN CELLAR OFFERING 222:  This offering is somewhat unique because it includes wines from Brazil.  I have never had a Brazilian wine so I certainly can’t make a recommendation.  However, I am going to order a case of sparkling and will let you know at some point what I think.

Otherwise I have two recommendations for less expensive wines.  Since it is offered for less than $ 20. I think # 7436 Cotes du Rhone is worth picking up a case.  Even cheaper are two of the Chilean Paulita wines (#7446 and 7447.)  I have found these to be of  very great value when drunk with food.  Finally, let me make a negative recommendation.  Avoid # 7425 the Passetoutgrains.  I can’t tell this wine from coloured water, and not much colour at that.

 

Whine # 47 (Christmas 2013)

WELCOME  to the following new readers of the Whine:  Marcel Comeau of Saulnierville, N.S.; Kim Corkum of Antigonish, N.S.; and Ken Popowich of Halifax.

 

DRINKING WINE IN BUSINESS CLASS:   Most of the time I travel economy class.  Usually this means that I don’t bother ordering overpriced low-grade wine, but simply stick to tomato juice.  However, every couple of years I have enough accumulated aeroplan points for an upgrade to business class.  This brings the pleasure of good food, being able to stretch out, and the enjoyment of several glasses of decent wine.

Last month we flew Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Toronto.  Not only were we offered real Champagne (Jacquart Brut) but we were given the choice with our meal of a reasonably aged Medoc (2008 Chateau Mazail) or a forgettable Austrian. 

One of the tricks in ordering wine in business class is that they usually have a special wine that is not listed on the menu, but which they appear happy to serve in whatever quantities one wishes.  When I asked if they had a special wine, I was offered a 2008 Viu Manent Single Vineyard (LaCapilla).  This I greatly enjoyed despite it’s being only slightly more expensive than the Medoc if purchased at NSLC.  I found it interesting that Lufthansa clearly considered the Chilean Cabernet to be superior to the Bordeaux.  But then Lufthansa is definitely not a French airline.

WINES OF SICILY:   Last month Betty and I were fortunate enough to spend a couple of days in Sicily.  A day in Erice/Trapani and a day in Palermo were just enough to make us add this beautiful island to our bucket list of places to which we wish to return.

Sicily has a long history of wine production, but until relatively recently most of the wine was produced in bulk and sent north for blending.  However, vintners are now stressing quality over quantity.  If you are looking for value,  consider seeking out a Sicilian wine at your local wine store.

The most famous Sicilian wine is Marsala, a sweet fortified wine.  I am not into sweet, fortified wines but Betty is never without a bottle of Marsala in her cooking cupboard.  If you have never prepared Veal Marsala, then let me suggest you google for any one of scores of great recipes.  This relatively easy to prepare dish will impress even the pickiest eater.

To accompany your Veal Marsala I suggest you pick up a bottle of Sicilian Nero D’Avola.  The almost black Nero D’Avola grape is indigenous to Sicily.  The wine is heavy, with lots of tannins, yet only medium in its acidity.   Although unrelated to the Syrah grape, many argue that Nero D’Avola tastes almost the same as a good-priced Australian Shiraz.

The best part is that decent bottles of Nero D’Avola can be had for anywhere from $ 12. To $ 18. in such places  as the NSLC or the LCBO.

While in Erice I picked up a bottle of Nerello Mascalese which was made from grapes grown on the slopes of Mount Etna.  This unique wine from the 2002 vintage set me back a princely 7 Euros.  What a treat.  Unfortunately, I may have to return to Sicily to get another bottle.

PENFOLD’S GRANGE:   Once a year Port of Wines in Halifax brings in a few cases of Penfold’s Grange.  Despite being very, very expensive this wine sells out almost immediately.  Penfold’s Grange is a Shiraz and is considered by many to be Australia’s very best wine.  Some even consider it to be the best wine in the world.  I have never tasted it.

This year Port of Wines offered the 2005 vintage for $ 375. (that’s a bottle, not a case) and the 2008, to which Robert Parker and others assigned 100 points, for $ 699. per bottle.  The 2005 is almost ready to drink and is expected to be at its peak around 2020.   The day the Penfold’s went on sale was my son’s anniversary and he bought a bottle of the 2005 as a gift for his wife.  I decided that I just had to buy a bottle as well.

Some of you know how the psychological construct “cognitive dissonance” allows one to convince oneself that the right choice was made after a difficult decision.  Basically you keep looking for what’s good about your choice.  For example, if you just bought a new Honda you now only read the Honda ads and ignore the Volkswagon pitches.

Nonetheless, I kept thinking:  “If I am only going to try Penfold’s Grange once in this lifetime, maybe I should have sprung for a bottle of the 2008.”  Then I learned from the Port of Wines expert that the 2008 would only be ready to drink after 2030.  My dissonance directed me to calculate the odds of my being around in the 2030’s and I soon realized that the chances that I would ever get to sip the 2008 were next to none.  Now, my dissonance is resolved and I just have to concentrate on surviving until 2020.

OPIMIUM CELLAR OFFERING 221:   Opimian issues seven offerings (catalogues) each year.  I am almost, but not quite, tempted to recommend that you ignore six of the offerings and clean out your bank account by ordering many cases of these great South American wines.  Among my favorites are: 7361 Blason de San Carlos Tempranillo; 7368 Casa Nueva Gran Reserva Carmenere; 7370 Casa Nueva Gran Reserva Cabernet Saugivnon/Merlot; 7380  Expresion Reserve Pinot Noir; and 7394 Cornellana Barrel Reserve Malbec.  AND, since its Christmas, treat yourself and your loved ones to 7364 Alfa Crux Malbec.  I know its pricey, but for the past two years an Alfa Crux has made my list of the 10 best wines I drank in the previous 12 months.

 

WHINE # 46

Welcome  Leslie Pierpont of Jacksonville, Florida to the Whine.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT WINE AREA?   There are many factors that determine wine quality.  These include “terroir”, sunshine, and rainfall, to say nothing about the vintner’s efforts and expertise.  The French talk endlessly about “terroir” or soil type, perhaps with considerable justification.  Soils can be alluvial (clay, silt and gravel), calcareous (high in chalk and limestone), jory ( volcanic soil of mostly basalt), etc.  Knowingly little about geology I shall not continue, other than to note that those who know more than me argue that the best wine-growing soils in the world are in Burgundy (lots of limestone), Bordeaux (lots of gravel), Napa (mineral deposits on top of limestone), Tuscany (volcanic soil with sandstone and clay), Priorat, Spain (unique in the world with dark slate and quartzite), Coonawarra, Australia (iron deposits over limestone) and, of course Mendoza (mainly alluvial).

Perhaps easier to understand is sunshine.  Long growing varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon need a long warm (but not too hot) growing season with lots of sunshine and little rain as the grapes ripen.  Of the major wine areas Mendoza has it best with at least 320 days of sunshine per year (2871 hours).  Argentina is followed by Rioja in Spain (300 days of sunshine), Napa (260), New South Wales in Australia (240 days), Tuscany (220).  Bordeaux has only 192 days of sun and Burgundy only 1649 hours of sunshine.  Thus, Burgundy specializes in cool weather varietals such as Pinot Noir.

With the exception of the Okanagan Valley, Canada’s wine areas have too few sunny growing days to produce varietals such as Cabernet, Shiraz or Malbec.  While Ontario, and to a lesser extent Nova Scotia, has the potential to make very good white wines, consumers seem to be rapidly moving toward reds, giving cold weather growers a very large headache.

In addition to good soils and warm days with lots of sunshine, water is an essential ingredient.  Here Argentina has a huge advantage.  The area around Mendoza is essentially a desert with constant sunshine.  However, the melting snows from the Andes are carefully directed through a series of canals to the vineyards, providing all the necessary moisture without the harmful rainfall.  People from Mendoza say that the most important person in Argentina in not the President but the head of the water authority.

THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE:   We hear so often about pending climate change that it is tempting to shut our ears and ignore what’s coming.   While at my advanced age there may be little threat to my personal welfare, I can’t help but fear for my grandsons’ futures. 

Since it takes 20-25 years for grapevines to produce good wine, vintners are already looking at where to plant.  For example, producers in Champagne are already buying up properties in Sussex, England on the expectation that by mid-century many of the traditional top wine producing areas will either be too hot or too dry.  On the other hand, as temperatures rise some marginal wine-growing areas may be ideally suited to producing top grapes.  Who knows, Canada may even be able to produce top reds by 2050.

It is expected that high altitude areas will be least negatively affected by climate change, while lower areas, and those areas not close to the sea, will be the biggest losers.

Areas that are predicted to benefit from climate change will be the northwestern United States (Washington and Oregon), the Rhine Valley in Germany, the Mendoza Province of Argentina and all of New Zealand.

On the other hand the biggest loser may be Bordeaux which is expected to have a compressed growing season.  South Africa and Australia will probably produce few wines because of drought.

So, if you are thinking of investing in a vineyard pay attention to not just the present, but to life in the future.

RED WINE AND HEALTH:   It has long been argued that red wine drunk in moderation is good for you.  Research, however, is still in its infancy and most of the scientific evidence comes from research on mice.  No, they don’t have mice sipping from crystal glasses filled with aged Malbecs.  Rather the researchers gives daily doses of resveratrol to their squeaky subjects, in amounts equivalent to two glasses per day for humans.  Mice fed this amount of resveratrol have a 50% lower chance of developing cancerous tumors.

Resveratrol is polyphenol found in red wines.  This antioxidant compound is also found in dark-skinned berries such as blueberries.  In addition to the above benefits of reduced tumor growth, other studies indicate that moderate amounts of all types of alcohol raise high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and prevent damage caused by the bad type (low-density) of cholesterol.

So, the argument is that red wine has benefits in prevention of both cancer and heart disease.  How much benefit is an open question, and some have argued that to get the positive effects described above one would have to consume so much red wine that one’s liver would give out long before one’s heart. 

Perhaps over the next few years, researchers will be able to tell precisely the benefits of red wine consumption, or perhaps like the mice we’ll just take resveratrol supplements along with our corn flakes (of course, it is a well-known fact that corn flakes are bad for one’s health due to high levels of sodium).

Now, if you are rationalizing your red wine consumption as a health benefit you might consider which wines are the best choices.  High levels of resveratrol are found in wines from the South of France, in Malbecs from Argentina, in Tannats from California.  Low levels are found in Australian reds.

The highest levels, by far, are found in Pinot Noirs from colder climates such as New York State and the Province of Ontario.  There, I have finally found a reason to drink Ontario reds.  Didn’t think it was possible.

WINES OF THE RHONE VALLEY:  Despite the fact that France is still the world’s largest wine exporter, consumption of French wine is in decline in North America (but on the increase in China).  I think there are two reasons for the fact that I can’t remember the last time that I was at someone’s house and was offered a glass of French wine.  First, French wines, particularly those from the famous areas of Bordeaux and Burgundy, are grossly overpriced.  Second, French wines seem “thin” to those of us used to the more robust wines of California and South America.

On the other hand, there are affordable French wines that are both interesting and with body.  In a future Whine I shall do a more complete survey of the wines of Southern France, but in the meantime my recommendation is that you do not overlook the wines of the Rhone Valley.  These wines are good for both sipping and with food.  Wines from the Rhone Valley are blends of many varieties but the primary grape is Grenache Noir.

There are four grades of Rhone wines:  At the bottom level is Cotes du Rhone offering a variety of possibilities from a huge area.  Next is Cotes du Rhone Villages, followed by the wines from single villages such as Signargues or Cairanne.  At the top level are the 16 Crus.  These include such famous names as Chateauneuf-de-Pape and Gigondas.

For those of you from Ontario my son recommends the 2010 Terres D’Avignon Reserve des Armoiries as good value.  It is currently listed at $ 15.95.   Although I am unfamiliar with this particular Cotes du Rhone I suspect it might be considered as a “poor man’s Chateauneuf”.

OFFERING # 220:  I do not find this offering very exciting, perhaps because I am not a huge fan of South African wines, and I have yet to find a New Zealand red that impresses.  However, here are a couple of recommendations for those who are desperate to spend some money.  7302 Foundstone is a very interesting blend of Chardonnay and Viognier.  I expect it will match very well with scallops or lobster.  7327 GMH Meritage is a blend that is complex, but one that will not overpower like so many Australian reds.  A good value for everyday drinking.

 

WHINE # 45

 

A GREAT WINE FOR THE BARBECUE:   On a warm summer afternoon one usually seeks out a cold, cold beer for the first drink of the day.   If, however, you prefer a glass of wine, then it is usually something light; a chilled white, a rose, or a light, low-alcohol sipping red such as a Beaujolais.

Next, you think about firing up the barbecue and tossing on a nice steak, some ribs, or even a sausage or two.  Here the matching drink will be quite different.  You will want to pair your meat with a heavier wine, preferably one with nice tannins to match the protein in the meat.  Usually the choice is a well-aged Cabernet Sauvignon or a medium-priced Australian Shiraz.

As a change let me recommend a Spanish Monastrell.   Monastrell is the second grape of Spain (after Tempranillo) and is a big, tannic wine that can be an incredible value.  Monastrell is grown in various parts of Spain but particularly in Jumilla.   This varietal is also grown in south of France where it has been re-named Mouverdre.  Mouverdre is usually used for blending and is one of the many varietals that make up the famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  This varietal has also made its way to Portugal where it is called Mataro.

Monastrell is a very late ripening grape requiring lots of sun.  Spain has better growing conditions than France.  For that reason, in my view, Monastrell wins hands down over Mouverdre.  And, not only does it taste better, it is cheaper.

Finally, let me add a word of caution.  If you pick up a bottle, don’t pour yourself a glass as a pre-dinner sipping wine.  Have a glass of beer or a lighter wine and then enjoy your big, full-bodied, highly tannic Monastrell with your steak, cooked perfectly rare.

WINE TEMPERATURES:  We all like our coffee hot and our lemonade cold, but what about wine?  The old belief that white wine is to be served chilled and red to be drunk at room temperature is an insufficient guide.  Of course sparkling wines (Cava, Prosecco) are best placed in a bucket of ice for 30 minutes or more.   Still whites should also be cold, but not necessarily ice cold.

The problem, however, is with reds.   Room temperature of 21 or 22 degrees (in a centrally heated house) is too warm.  In the summer it is even worse.  Most North Americans do not have wine cellars and store their wines in a closet or perhaps even on the kitchen counter.  It is almost a crime to serve a wine at 25 or 26 degrees, but I bet that is frequently done.

Light, thin reds (such as Beaujolais) are best served at 14 or 15 degrees.  Heavier reds, such as Monastrell (see above) or Cabernet Sauvignon are quite lovely at slightly higher temperatures (say 18 degrees).

If you are about to uncork a bottle of red that is the temperature of a moderately warm room I suggest you place the bottle in your freezer for 10 minutes.  If the wine gets a little too cold that is not a problem.  It will quickly warm to a suitable temperature once it has been poured into a glass.  However, don’t forget and leave your wine in the freezer.   Making wine popsicles is not a good use of an aged Napa Cabernet.

SOME MEDICAL ADVICE:  Many thanks to Judi Travis of Florida for sending along this bit of medical wisdom.

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?  Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?  Do you suffer from shyness?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Cabernet Sauvignon.  Cabernet Sauvignon is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions.  It can help leave you willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of Cabernet Sauvignon almost immediately, and, with a regimen of regular doses, you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to life.  Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.  Stop hiding and start living.

Cabernet Sauvignon may not be right for everyone.  Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use it.  However, women who wouldn’t mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effect may include:  dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, loss of motor control, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke all night.

WARNINGS:  The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may make you think you are whispering when you are not.  The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.  The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may cause you to think you can sing.  The consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

Similar benefits may accrue from the consumption of less expensive Monastrell (see above).

 

O.S. Special Offering 52:  Once a year Opimian offers wine in 500 ml bottles.  It is sometimes very convenient to have such smaller bottles on hand.  In this offering none of the wines are particularly expensive and most can be drunk almost immediately.  I think any of the offerings would be worth having, but I’ll list the ones that I have personally tried and will thus recommend:  Lot 7258 (the two wines from Puglia are particularly good); Lot7259 (the French Chablis is excellent); Lot 7262 (one can never go wrong with wines from Chile’s Central Valley).