WINEWHINE # 19

Questionnaire: Many thanks to those of you who completed and returned my WineWhine questionnaire. Several of you made suggestions for items about which to write and I hope to be able to incorporate most of these suggestions in future blogs. Several people asked for names of “bargain” wines. This is an excellent idea but one that I may not be able to accommodate. As we have different selections in the wine stores in different provinces (and countries) I almost certainly may not be aware of bargains in your region. For that reason I am going to turn it back to you and ask you to e-mail me whenever you find a particularly decent wine at a bargain price. I’ll pass that along in the next Whine so that others in your region can pick up a bottle.

Sparkling wine: Several respondents made suggestions for more items on food and wine pairing. So I shall start with the wine that goes well with almost any food; that is, French Champagne or any good sparkling wine made in the traditional method (more below).

First, I should point out that Champagne is a region in France and the name Champagne can only legally refer to wine from that area. In fact, the French have been very litigious in protecting the name and their lawyers have been quite successful; unlike the Scottish lawyers attempts to keep the term “Glen” off the label of Nova Scotian single malt whiskey. In fact, there are good French sparkling wines from areas other than Champagne, such as Limoux (arguably producing sparkling wine before Dom Perignon started in Champagne) and Saumur. In Spain sparkling wines are called Cavas and in Italy many sparkling wines are simply called Prosecco which is the name of a grape.

Those of us in North America have had to overcome 3 myths that came from American movies of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Many of these old romantic movies featured a scene where Champagne was served. The cork was “popped”, the wine was poured into a flat sherbet dish, and a toast was made to celebrate some occasion or other.

First, the cork should not have been popped but rather eased out of the bottle with a bare whisper. This is done by grasping the metal cage surrounding the cork and carefully turning the bottle to slowly rotate the cork. Never, never, allow the wine to froth up out of the bottle. Second the wine, should only be served in high narrow glasses (called flutes) so that the wine does not lose its effervescence. Save those silly flat dishes for ice cream.

Third, while it is fine to drink a sparkling wine to celebrate some occasion, it is equally fine to drink sparkling wine with food. In fact sparkling wine makes great food wine, although most of us serve it too infrequently at the table.

Finally, and here I can’t blame the movie industry, we all too often drink sparkling wine at the wrong temperature. It should be very cold, and your refrigerator is insufficient. Take the wine out of the fridge and chill it for an hour or so in an ice bucket. Then gently open the bottle and enjoy.

There are two major methods for making sparkling wine. The traditional method (which used to be called Methode Champagnoise until those French lawyers stopped that term as well) is for a second fermentation to take place after the wine is bottled. This bottle fermentation creates the carbon dioxide (the tiny bubbles) that give the wine the wonderful feel in one’s mouth. All Champagne is made in this fashion, as are the Cavas from Spain and Proseccos from Italy. Unfortunately, a much cheaper method is to simply inject carbon dioxide into a bottle of still wine. Most German sparkling wines are made in this manner as are some cheaper American wines. Therefore, always look for some variation of the words “method traditional” on the label (metodo tradicional, metode tradicional, methode traditionnelle).

Also on the label will be words indicating the dryness of the wine. In my view the drier the better. The driest sparkling wines actually come from Argentina and are labelled Brut Nature. Next driest are wines labelled Brut Extra, followed by Brut, and then Sec (not very dry at all).

Now what are the foods that go well with sparkling wine? Asian food, fried food, caviar, bacon and eggs, chicken, ham, lobster, oysters, salmon, scallops, sushi, turkey, cherries.. In fact the only foods to be avoided are red meats and very sweet foods.

Good Champagne, and in fact not so good Champagne is very expensive. On the other hand, a decent sparkling wine (particularly Spanish Cavas) can be easily found in the $ 15. range. The important thing is to get a bottle with Brut on the label and make certain the wine has been made in the traditional fashion.

Since I am talking about Champagne and other sparkling wines I must add that Betty and I invited a couple of dozen people to a bar-b-que on Saturday. We didn’t tell the guests ahead of time that we were celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary. However, word does leak out in a small town and a few bottles of the very best French bubbly did show up at the party (see picture above).

Viognier: There seems to be a split in white wine drinkers between those who prefer a crisp, citric wine such as Saugivnon Blanc or Pinot Grigio and those who like a more aromatic, less crisp wine such as Chardonnay. Particularly for those who like Chardonnay I suggest you try a bottle of Viognier. This wine has a distinctive peachy flavour.

Viognier is a grape from the Northern Rhone and one which came near extinction in the 1970’s. In fact, in 1971 there were only about 35 acres of Viognier planted in the entire world. Since then, however, Viognier has reclaimed its status in the Rhone Valley and is now grown extensively in Australia and California and is currently being exported from Chile.

This past weekend I tried a blind tasting of a Chardonnay and a Viognier with two of my friends who are both Chardonnay lovers. Although they liked both wines there were split over which wine they preferred.

If you wish to try this wine it is easy to find in the $ 10. to $ 20. range.

Marechal Foch: Growing red wine in cold climates presents great challenges. For that reason white wines tend to be more successful in most Canadian provinces. One red variety favored by many producers in Nova Scotia and in British Columbia is the French hybrid Marechal Foch. This early producing, small grape wine is easy to grow in a short season and produces wine that is quite acidic as well as being tannic. However, there is a cult following for this wine and it can be a very pleasant drink, particularly if the vines are old.

Recently, a Whine reader from British Columbia sent me a bottle of 2007 Quails’ Gate Old Vines Foch. We had a special occasion with a couple of our wine loving friends and this bottle added immensely to the pleasure of the evening.

Opimian Offering # 197: For those of you looking for some bargain wines this offering has some good buys from California. For everyday drinking # 5704 Stone Valley Merlot would be a very good choice. Even cheaper is # 5690 Opimian California Red. On the other hand, I have not found this wine to be to my liking. It may be thin and lacking in much flavour. For those looking to spend a little more # 5712 Castoro Cellars Zinfandel should be a treat.

One of my favorite Spanish wines is again available. # 5726 Gran Colegiata from Toro is a great example of how good Spanish wines can be.

WINEWHINE # 18

Welcome Zoe Hayes of Antigonish to the Whine.

I have been writing this blog for almost two years and perhaps it is time to “take stock”. Perhaps the blog is serving a purpose or possibly the time has come to lay it to rest. Subsequently I am asking you, the reader, to complete the short questionnaire that was attached to the announcement message sent to the distribution list. Please, please, please, download the questionnaire, complete it and send it back to me.

CHARDONNAY: This past weekend we were invited by very old friends (I mean we have been friends for a very long time) to a dinner party. Because we have been there frequently I knew that the house system would be to open the wines brought by the guests and let the guests choose from those wines and also from wines provided by the hosts. I also knew that for the main course we would be eating Kassler (smoked pork chops)..

Choosing a wine to drink with smoked meat is never easy, but I eventually decided to take a bottle of lightly oaked Chilean Chardonnay. I was amused, but not surprised, to note that my Chardonnay was shunned by everyone. “Icky” was one of the more positive comments. In fact, Chardonnay is sometimes called the ABC of wines; in other words, “give me Anything But Chardonnay”

Chardonnay is one of the world’s most frequently grown grapes and there are many fans of Chardonnay. I also have friends who drink Chardonnay almost exclusively. Why is there such a diverse reaction?

Chardonnay is a non-aromatic, non-citric wine that lends itself to oaking. When aged in new oak barrels it takes on a very rich, buttery flavor that is loved by some and hated by others. Many Californian producers love to age their Chardonnay in new American oak barrels. On the other hand, the world’s greatest Chardonnays are produced in the Chablis region of Burgundy where they are still oaked, but in older barrels. These wines are lighter in colour, are more refreshing and do not have the “fatty” flavour.

If you are one of those who always avoids Chardonnay, may I suggest two things: First, try either a lightly-oaked Chardonnay, or one without any oak at all. The label should give you some indication of the oaking. In fact, I’ll bet that if you try an actual French Chablis you will have trouble maintaining your ABC attitude. My second suggestion is that you try a fully-oaked Chardonnay with freshly steamed lobster which has been dipped in melted butter. This is a match made in Heaven (i.e., Nova Scotia).

Finally, you might suspect that I am suggesting that wines should not be heavily oaked. Not so! A highly tannic wine, such a Cabernet Sauvignon, benefits from oaking. The flavour coming from the oak blends beautifully with the bitter flavour of the tannic acid that comes from the thick skins of the Cabernet grape.

NSLC. I have a love-hate relationship with the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission. First they are the agency that collects obscene amounts of tax on my wine purchases. Sometimes I feel that if I stopped drinking Nova Scotia would become the next Greece.

On the other hand, the good folks at NSLC try very hard to bring some of the world’s best wines to a store near me. Recently, the NSLC staged their second annual Antigonish Wine Show. This fund-raiser for St. Martha’s hospital provided a great selection of wines, fabulous food by Chef Mark Gabrieau, and good music performed by the Jazz Faculty of StFX. For those of you who live in or near Antigonish, get in line to buy your tickets for next year’s show. Any, by the way, the best wine in this year’s show was Alpha Crux from O’Fournier. The next time you visit me, ask very politely and I might even crack open a bottle of the 2002, or even the 2003.

WINES OF THE SOUTHERN RHONE: In the last two Whines I described the great Pinots of Burgundy and the Syrahs of the Northern Rhone. Farther down the Rhone Valley are the wines of the Southern Rhone. Once referred to as wines of the Midi, these bulk produced “vin ordinaires” did not have a very good reputation. However, the present production has improved in quality. Yet, all too often one can still buy a “Cotes du Rhone” that is thin and lacking in flavour. A much-better option is to choose a “Cotes du Rhone Villages” or even a wine from one of the 18 individual villages. You can recognize these wines as they will be indicated by “Appellation ‘village name’ Cotes du Rhone Villages Controlee”.

Wines from the Southern Rhone are always blends of several varieties of which Grenache is most often featured. Wines containing Grenache tend to be rich in flavour but with a strong taste of alcohol.

The most famous wine in the Southern Rhone is Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This rather expensive wine has 11 different varieties blended together. Again, however, Grenache tends to dominate. Some of you have seen the twisted and frosted bottle of Pere Anselme. However, the real sign of quality is whether or not a crest is embossed directly into the glass. In recent years Chateauneuf-du-Pape has lost a bit of its lustre and has fallen out of favour in North America. Still, for those of you who are patient (this wine requires long cellaring) it can be a rewarding experience.

For my money, however, better value comes from the Village of Gigondas (close to Avignon, the home of the Pope (Pape) during the dual papacy in the 14th century when Avignon rivaled Rome). These wines are a little cheaper, yet have great intensity with a full plumy flavour.

OPIMIAN CELLAR OFFERING 196: I have three recommendations this time. First for white wine drinkers who want to experiment with a lightly oaked Chardonnay I suggest# 5666 Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes-de-Beaune Blanc, AC, La Justice, 2009.

I have two very strong recommendations for the red wine drinkers. Both of these wines are between $ 15 and $20, depending on your province and are worth much more. Early this week I had a bottle of the 2007 Domain Castan and it was fabulous. Thus, I suspect that # 5628 Domaine Castan, AOP Coteaux du Languedoc, 2009 is a safe bet.

One of my favorite wines from the South of France (in fact from an obscure area near Carcassone) is Chateau Salitis, Cabardes. I have had two previous vintages and suggest that # 5629, the 2008, is no doubt worth trying. Even my son complimented me on an earlier recommendation of this wine.

WINEWHINE # 17

Welcome Jim Bickerton, Chris Bryne, Neil Foshay, and Mike Melchin all of Antigonish and Jack MacLeod of New Glasgow to the WineWhine.

What is Meritage? For about 40 years the wine producers of California have competed with the wine producers of France to make the world’s best wines. Although the two most famous regions in France are Bordeaux and Burgundy, California’s wine makers see Bordeaux as their major competition. Perhaps this is because Napa and Sonoma grow many of the same grape varieties as are grown in Bordeaux.

There are traditionally two major differences between good Bordeaux and good wines from Napa. First, Californians have more sun and their grapes are more fully ripe when picked. This gives the “New World” taste which is both heavier and fruitier. Secondly, the great wines of Bordeaux are always blends, whereas California has traditionally produced single varietals (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Zinfandel).

In 1988 a group of Californian producers banded together to produce Bordeaux-style blends. Typically these blends include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and occasionally Malbec. These growers coined the term “Meritage” to describe these wines. Presumably the wines have both “merit” and “heritage”.

Today you will find Meritage in better restaurants and better wine shops. Typically these wines are not cheap, but they are almost always good. Although mimicking French wine there is still a difference. Meritage has the traditional heavier feel of a new world wine and a sophisticated palate would not confuse these wines with the lighter wines of Bordeaux.

The Northern Rhone: South of Burgundy (and south of the city of Lyon) lies the Rhone Valley, one of the great wine producing areas of France. However, the wines of the Northern Rhone are quite different than those of the Southern Rhone. In the next Whine I’ll have a small section on the Southern Rhone.

North of Lyon (Burgundy) the Pinot Noir grape is dominant. However, just south of Lyon (Northern Rhone) the main grape is Syrah. Syrah has been grown in this region for perhaps 2000 years. For a long time it was thought that the grape originated in Persia (in a town called Shiraz) but recent DNA research has indicated the grape is indigenous to the Rhone Valley itself.

There are many sub-regions in the Northern Rhone. The wines that one is most likely to find in North American shops are Cote Rotie, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and St. Joseph. All of these wines benefit from aging. Crozes-Hermitage is usually more affordable than the others. By the way, the Nova Scotia Liqour Commission sells something called Rhone Heritage. Don’t be confused, that is a much inferior wine.

Many of you know that genetically Syrah is the same grape as Shiraz. Most of you are also familiar with the strong, peppery taste of Australian Shiraz. If you try a Syrah from the Northern Rhone you will find that the taste is very, very different. My guess is that if you like Australian Shiraz you will not be impressed with French Syrah and vice versa (I’m in the vice versa group).

Peru and Uruguay: Betty and I are just back from our third trip to South America. This time we were on a cruise that had stops among other places in Peru, Equador, Columbia and Brazil. As you might suspect this was not a wine-tasting holiday. We were too far north and too close to the equator for much grape production. Nonetheless, there are South American wines that don’t come from Argentina or Chile. Peru and Uruguay are trying to get into the mass wine market. I had a few chances to taste wine from these two countries and my initial impressions were not very positive for Uruguay (it may be too rainy there) and much more positive for my small samples of Peruvian wine.

A fun way to buy wine: We ate on board ship 27 nights. The wine list in all the ship’s restaurants was extensive with wines in all price ranges. Prices were similar to what you would find in many Canadian restaurants. About 3 days into the cruise there was an announcement of a “Wine Bazaar”. The chief sommelier had decided to change the wine menus and sell off many of the wines which were not to be included (for example a particular vintage where there were only a few bottles left) in the new listings. The deal was that the wines were discounted 30% from the menu price and whatever wine was purchased was kept in the cellar until the diner asked for his or her bottle to be brought up to accompany dinner. A huge crowd gathered at the beginning of the bazaar. However, as the morning progressed fewer people stayed around and with about an hour to go the prices started to drop. By the end customers were asked to make offers on any of the remaining wines. I started by buying wines at 30% off and ended by getting wines about two-thirds off. I was told that I purchased more wine than anybody else on the ship. With some effort I managed to drink it all before disembarking.

Price changes? Now that the Canadian dollar is at par with the American we should start to see some small price drops in our European and South American wines. At least I am hoping that this is true. On the other hand, the Chilean earthquake destroyed about 13 million bottles. Chilean wineries south of Santiago were most effected. I know at least one While reader has been stocking up on Montes Alphas on the expectation of a price rise. All Montes wines are good but the Alphas are extra special so I think I’ll find a spot to store an extra case or two.

Cellar Offering 195: Wow! Twenty-four pages of wines from Bordeaux and Bergerac. How does one choose? I am obliged to make at least a few suggestions so here they are:

For those of you who like a crisp, citrus-tasting white wine try # 5567 Chateau Moulin de Launay, AC Entre-Deax-Mers, 2008

For those of you with a little time to cellar a classic red Bordeaux try # 5561 Chateau de Sours Rouge, 2008.

If you want to drink it right away try one of my favorites # 5588 Chateau Chante Alouette, AC Fronsac, 2008

For those of you with deeper pockets you must have some Margaux in your cellar so try # 5595 Chateau Tavac, AC Margaus, Cru Bourgeois 2005. Expensive but ready to drink.

WineWhine # 16

March, 2010

Welcome Joseph Khoury of Antigonish and Mike Melchin of Antigonish to the WineWhine.

Illiteracy on the CBC: The other night I was watching an episode of “The Republic of Doyle”, a private eye series set in St. John’s, Newfoundland. If you haven’t watched this program it is worth checking it out just to see Doyle’s muscle car go up and down those St. John’s hills.

In the episode in question the rum-running villain was played by Order of Canada Newfie actor Gordon Pinsant. At one point he is followed to the island of Saint Pierre (part of France, just off the coast of Nfld) where he sits at a table in a bar, boasting that he is drinking Bordeaux. Unfortunately, the bottle shown in this scene is not a Bordeaux bottle but a Burgundy bottle. Shame, shame, shame on the CBC.

Perhaps I shouldn’t pick only on the CBC. While I snooze on the couch, Betty faithfully watches a current crime series on Bravo called “White Collar” She reports that in this series there is featured a Burgundy bottle labeled “Vin de Bordeaux”.

The bottles used in Bordeaux are high shouldered and cannot be confused with the sloped-shouldered bottles used in Burgundy and the Rhone Valley. See the pictures for examples of bottles and the appropriate matching wine glasses. I have included two pictures for your perusal. One shows two bottles. On the left is a Bordeaux bottle and on the right is a Burgundy bottle. See how different they are. The other photo is of two wine glasses. On the left is a glass appropriate for sipping Bordeaux. On the right a very different shaped glass that sends the less tannic Burgundy not as far back on the tongue.

The slope-shouldered bottles of Burgundy: A wonderful way to spend a week or 10 days is to take the two-day car drive from Paris to Aix-en-Provence. On route you pass through three different wine areas. Traveling southwest from Paris you first go through the magnificent wine country of Burgundy, where some of the world’s best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are to be found. At Lyon you encounter the Rhone River. Now traveling due south along the river you pass the wonderful Syrahs (Shiraz) of the Northern Rhone, eventually finding your way to Avignon on the southern Rhone where Grenache is the featured varietal in the famous blended wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. And you will not find a high-shouldered wine bottle during the entire trip.

The Wines of Burgundy (Bourgogne): Understanding the wines of Burgundy is at least as difficult as understanding the wines of Bordeaux. Generally speaking, however, the same principle applies; that is, the more specific the region that is named between the words Appellation and Controlee, the better the wine.

Before I elaborate, however, I need to point out that most vineyards in Burgundy are very, very small. This means that one could never ever get to know them all. The blame for this state of affairs is the French Revolution and its anti-clerical bias. Prior to the Revolution most of the wineries in Burgundy were owned by the Church, whereas the wineries in Bordeaux belonged to the Aristocracy and in some cases the Bourgeoisie. Above all else the Revolution was anti-church and the wineries were broken up into small holdings, which later became even smaller due to the odd nature of French succession laws (analogous to the creation of the very narrow farms along the St. Lawrence River in Quebec).

Now, back to present-day Burgundy. From north to south Burgundy is made up of several districts, the more important ones being Chablis, Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaunne, Maconnais and Beaujolais. In Chablis, the wines are exclusively white and are made from the Chardonnay grape. Traditional Chablis are not oaked and are quite acidic. They are clean and crisp and quite wonderful. Many of us are more familiar with the heavily oaked Chardonnay of California. These “buttery” wines are what many people find lacking in refreshment. Before you join the ABC crowd (Anything But Chardonnay), try a French Chablis. You won’t be disappointed.

At the very south of Burgundy is the huge area of Beaujolais where the wines are made almost exclusively from the Gamay grape. I have written several times about Beaujolais so I’ll refrain this time.

Between Chablis and Beaujolais the Pinot Noir Grape is king. These wines are soft with lots of finesse. Many would argue that the very best wines come from Cote D’Or (Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune). Within these districts there are many, many smaller Appellations, but I have a hint as to how you can tell if you are getting the very best. Just as academics know that they are more likely to get their research papers published if they have a COLON in the title, lovers of Burgundy wines know that the best communes have a HYPHEN in the name. Some examples are Chambolle-Musigny, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, and Chevalier-Montrachet.

Finally, I should point out that the great Pinot Noirs of Burgundy need some time in the cellar. I just wish I had a few more quietly waiting that special occasion.

Wine Fraud in France: As many of you know France is struggling with maintaining its position as the largest wine exporter in the world. Their problems were not helped by a court in Carcassone that recently convicted a dozen merchants and growers for “organized and structured” fraud. Apparently they blended Merlot and Syrah and exported it as Pinot Noir. What is absolutely amazing is that some of this wine was purchased by E & J. Gallo and sold under the brand name “Red Bicyclette”. I am surprised that the buyers at Gallo could even believe that a cold weather wine like Pinot could come from hot climate area such as Languedoc. In any event if any of you have any “Red Bicyclette” please save me a bottle. I’d love to have a bottle of fake wine in my cellar to go with some of the bottles that only taste like they are fake.

I don’t know what sentence the fraudsters received. However, Carcassone has a history of strong punishment. During the Albigensian Crusades in 1209 Simon de Montfort captured the fortress from the Occitan Cathars and burned hundreds of the defenders in one large pyre after they refused to acknowledge their heresy against the Catholic church. Perhaps a punishment only slightly less dramatic is in order.

WineWhine Tasting: Twenty-four wine lovers joined Betty and me on Feb. 13 for a tasting. Although we have hosted a number of wine tastings in the past this was the first tasting specifically designed for readers of my blog.

We started the evening with a glass of Vinho Verde and then moved on to the food and wine “matches and mismatches.” For each food offering I tried to find both a wine that would complement the food and one that would not. The first pair of wines was an acidic Chianti and a non-acidic Merlot. As expected guests found that the Chianti got better once they munched on some tomatoey pizza bites. Again as expected the Argentinean Malbec went well with the spicy and flavorful empanadas, while the much lighter Beaujolais was not up to the heavy food.

The surprise of the evening, however, was a Portuguese blend of Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca (2006 Cume Do Pereiro from Doura). I had not particularly liked this powerful wine, but like others found that it matched beautifully with the very hot and spicy Portuguese Chorizo. Everyone preferred this wine to the lighter Rioja and this wine got more compliments than any other that was served.

The final pair of wines that was served with food was offered blind. Both wines were Barrel Reserva Cabernets from Cornellana in Chile and I asked my guests to tell me if they were drinking the same wine or two different wines. By the way the wine was served with lamb chops and sirloin bites. Everyone agreed that although the wines were similar they were not identical. In fact they were two different vintages (2005 and 2006).

We ended the evening with a couple of blind tastings. There were prizes for those who were able to identify the Zinfandel and the Tempranillo and the most noticed prize was one given as challenge to find the appropriate wine match. The prize was a can of pickled porcupine peckers.

Opimian Offering # 194: This catalogue features wine from Austria, Germany and Italy. The Austrian wines are from one winery (Hopler). I have not tried any of them but have twice ordered Pinot Noirs from Hopler. They were excellent so I expect any of these wines will be good.

As you know I am not a fan of German wines so will leave you Riesling fans to your own choices.

In this offering there are many wines from Italy. I tend to find cheaper Italian wines overly acidic. However, the farther the south in Italy you go the less acidic the wines are. My recommendations in red wines are # 5510 which is a Negroamaro. This is a very big, bold wine that should suit the North American taste. # 5522 is a merlot from Elena Walch, who I have found makes fabulous wines. My favorite varietal to serve with pizza is Nero D’Avola, the main grape grown in Sicily. I think # 5549 will be a great wine for those of you who don’t cellar your purchases. Finally, I have two recommendations for the white wine drinkers. For those who can’t afford Champagne, but still want great wine for special occasions try # 5502. Finally, although not a wine with great snob appeal there is # 5530. Soave has long been one of my favorite white wines.

Next issue of the WineWhine: In a few days Betty and I hope to be off for a holiday in South America. We are scheduled to fly into the earthquake damaged airport in Santiago de Chile this weekend. If we make it we will be cruising but will have stops in Chile, Peru, Equador, Panama, Columbia, Aruba, Grenada, Guyana and Brazil. After that we plan on a week in Toronto so won’t be back in Nova Scotia for about six weeks. In the meantime if you miss reading the WineWhine you can check my new blog at http://www.travelwhinewithron.blogspot.com/. I shall not be sending out notices when a blog is posted but you might check once in a while on our adventures and misadventures.

WineWhine # 15

February, 2010

Welcome to the WineWhine: Cecelia Taylor of Ottawa, Ontario; Reg Savage of Woodstock, N.B.; and Alejandro of Magda Wine Tours of Mendoza, Argentina.

This month I begin a series on French wine. My consultant on this project is my very good friend Gerard Gleize of Aix-en-Provence, France. Gerard is very knowledgeable on all French wines, but in particular the wines of Burgundy. However, his nose is not quite up to the level of discernment of that of his beautiful wife Marie-Claude. C’est la vie! I once saw Marie-Claude take a glass of red wine and comment correctly that the wine was fine but it shouldn’t have been served in a glass that had been stored in a cabinet where the wood had been oiled.

Also, this month I will translate of few of the silly phrases that one sometimes finds on the back of the bottle and I shall give my usual recommendations on what to buy from the latest Opimian offering.

Whine Quote: “Wine is like opera. You can enjoy it even if you do not understand it.”

The French Wine Label: Ever since I started writing this blog I have been intending to try an introduction to French wine. Since this is a difficult task I have been putting it off for over a year. However, what follows is an attempt to help some of my fellow North Americans initiate themselves into the mysterious world of French wine labels.

France remains the largest producer and exporter of wine in the world. For at least a century French wine was considered to be the very best in the world. In the past 3 or 4 decades French wines have been challenged by the great wines of the Napa Valley and even more recently by the more moderately-priced upstarts from Australia, Argentina and Chile. Nonetheless, France remains a country that produces good wines, very good wines and great wines.

Yet, when I go out to a friend’s house for drinks or dinner I am almost never served French wine (unless I go to E. Langille’s place, but then he is a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres et un Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques and is therefore obliged to promote things French).

There are perhaps a couple of reasons for Canadians in particular to avoid drinking French wine. First, most good French wines are not available at our local stores and we must seek them out at places like the Port of Wines. Second, French wine labels are very difficult to understand. Seldom is the varietal given. Many French wines are blends of several varietals. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of 11 grapes. Not only is there no information on what grape you are drinking there is no good overall system of guaranteed quality, such as the Reservas and Gran Reservas from Spanish-speaking wine countries. Finally, if you are used to drinking big, bold wines from the New World (such as Shiraz from Australia or Malbec from Argentina) French wines may seem thin and lacking in zest. Get past that reaction, however, and you will discover a world of subtle complexity.

What the label says: French wine laws are very strict. Wines are labeled by specific areas and wines from an area are tightly controlled in terms of the varietals used and even the proportions of each varietal in a blended wine. About 35-40% fall under a system of name control called the AOC. On a label you will see the name of an area, such as Bordeaux, inserted between the words Appellation and Controlee. There are at least 350 areas or regions that have Appellation Controlee laws. Unfortunately for the uninitiated there are AOCs within AOCs. Thus within the Appellation Bordeaux Controlee area there are smaller areas with their own AOC designation. For example Appellation Haut Medoc Controlee indicates a wine from an area within Bordeaux. Then within the Haut Medoc area you find even smaller areas such as St. Julien. An Appellation St. Julien Controlee label means the wine came from St. Julien which is within Haut Medoc, which is within Bordeaux. Then, of course, the label may also indicate the specific winery such as in the picture which shows a wonderful bottle of 2002 Chateau Gloria which Gerard gave me this past summer.

In Medoc there is an even finer distinction which dates back to 1885 whereby certain (about 60) Chateaus are given the designation Grand Cru Classe. While this term is important, the specific meaning varies somewhat by region, so a Grand Cru in Medoc does not have the exact same meaning as it does in St. Emilion where the term Premier Grand Cru designates the very top wine.

What is important about all of this is that the smaller the area designated the better the wine. Thus the Chateau Kirwan Grand Cru Classe (shown in the picture) is better than some other, but not all Chateaus. It is better than a wine simply labeled Margaux, which is better than a wine labeled Haut-Medoc, which is better than a wine labeled Bordeaux. Unfortunately, there is nothing on the label to tell you that the Margaux is a wine from a much more restricted area than a wine simply labeled Bordeaux. The French just assume you know. Also, the quality of wine from a particular region varies considerably with the specific vintage due to the variable sun and rainfall from year to year. However, there are guides to successful vintages such as http://www.millesimes.fr/vintage.php.

Advice: Invest in a good book. To start I suggest Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine Guide which is available in many bookstores and is easier to use than the better known Pocket Wine Book by Hugh Johnson. Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia is well worth the money and has lots of information on French wine. My favorite, however, is Hachette’s Dictionary of Wine: All the French wine appellations from A-Z, which is available used online at Chapters Indigo.

Other Designations: Below the Appellation Controlee wines are 3 more levels: Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure (also by region or area), Vin de Pays, and at the very bottom Vin de Table. In choosing a French wine pick an Appellation Controlee or a Vin Delimite. Don’t ignore these designations because sometimes a VDQS or even a Vins de Pays is better than an AOC. This is because the designation stays for a long time and when the vineyard passes to the next generation the son or grandson may not be so skilled in making the wine. In any event, choose the smallest area you can afford. A wine labeled, for example, Appellation Bordeaux Controllee is probably not a good value.

More about Bordeaux: In my above attempt to describe French wine labels I have used only examples from Bordeaux. This is in part because of all the large wine areas in France (Loire Valley, Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Rhone Valley, Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon) Bordeaux is the best known in the English-speaking world, with the possible exception of Champagne. Remember, however, that the Brits call Bordeaux Claret.

Of the more than 150,000 vineyards in France about 22,000 of them are in Bordeaux. Bordeaux is the area in southwest France which surrounds the Gironde River and its tributary the Dordogne. As an aside some of the very best restaurants in all of France are in the city of Bordeaux and some of the most spectacular scenery is up the Dordogne towards the town of Rocamadour.

Bordeaux wines are always blends with the dominant grape being either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Among the other varietals in the various blends are Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Because of this Bordeaux wines are perhaps more familiar tasting to North Americans than are the Pinot Noirs from Burgundy, or the Syrahs from farther down the Rhone Valley.

It should be noted, however, that most good Bordeaux need time in the cellar. The grapes are not picked fully ripe (unlike in the case of South America) thus it takes time for the tannins in the thick Cabernet skins to soften. So, don’t buy a good Bordeaux and expect to be able to drink it right away.

On the left bank of the Gironde are the important areas of Graves and Medoc. Within Haute Medoc are the famous areas of Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe. In these great wines Cabernet is the dominant grape.

On the right bank are the famous areas of Pomerol and St. Emilion. Blends from these areas are dominated by Merlot and as such the wines are softer and less tannic than those on the left bank.

Between the two rivers is an area strangely named Entre-deaux-Mers which produces mainly white wine dominated by the Semillon grape.

If you are starting a cellar it is worth the money to lay down a few bottles from any of the communes listed above.

Wine Label Foolishness: Most non-French bottles have two labels. On the front label you will find the year, the name of the winery, the country or region of origin and perhaps the alcohol percentage. The information on the back label will be more varied. There may be information on whether or not the grapes were hand-picked, the ideal temperature to serve, what foods make good matches, whether the wine is organically grown, etc.

The back label, however, may also contain a lot of marketing nonsense. Here are some actual phrases found on back labels along with my translations:

“It is an excellent company for any outdoor, post game, or family party” Translation: If this is the only bottle you have, open a beer.

“Made from grapes from the best viticultural areas” Translation: The producer bought up leftover grapes from several different producers and blended a truly awful wine”

“Reminds you of colors radiating from a precious ruby” Translation: There is nothing good to say about the taste of this wine.

“Named for the ….tribe who were indigenous to this area” Translation: Since there is nothing positive to say about the wine we might as well slander some poor group by association.

“Blended from grapes picked from new vines” Translation: You buy a new car, buy wine from old vines.

Opimian Offering # 193: This month’s offering has wines from the Rhone, from Argentina and from Chile.

Rhone: # 5423 2008 Domaine Gilles Flacher, AOC Saint Joseph. Expensive but a wonderful Syrah. I bought a case of the 2004 and it was/is magnificent.

# 5432 2008 Chateau de Montmirail AOC Gigondas. Gigondas is a village next to the vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and is very similar but slightly cheaper.

Argentina: Several wines from two different wineries are offered. I have had great luck with the wines from Bodegas O’Fournier but I am unfamiliar with the wines of Bodegas Mauricio Lorca. You might like to try one of the Tempranillos. Argentinean Tempranillos have a different taste than the more well-known ones from Spain.

Chile: This month wines are offered from Casa Nueva, from Vina La Rosa (Cornellana) and from Villard. I strongly recommend any of the Cornellanas and just as strongly recommend against the Casa Nueva. I have had some poor wines from this vineyard. Villard makes great Pinot Noirs.

Don’t forget the WineWhine tasting on February 13!

WineWhine # 14

January, 2010

Welcome Linda Henke of Antigonish, N.S., Ian MacGregor of Vancouver, B.C, and Sharon Cochran of Prince Albert, B.C. to the Whine.

On being disappointed: Most of you have had this experience. You are in a restaurant celebrating someone’s anniversary or birthday and you decide to splurge on a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. The waiter (a sommelier wouldn’t do this to you) pulls the cork and offers a small amount from this $ 65. bottle (worth about $ 27. in your local store). Your cheeks (the ones near your mouth) are drawn severely inward, all saliva disappears from your mouth and you wonder who put the used teabag in your glass.

An even worse experience (although less common) is when someone opens that very special bottle that had been saved for just the right occasion. After Christmas dinner my son brought out a bottle of ‘98 Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape that he had been saving for some years. When poured the tell-tale brown color and the translucent ring where the wine met the glass forewarned us that this wine was going to be a big disappointment.

In the first case the wine was way too young (naturally the restaurant’s wine list did not indicate the year). The tannins in the Cabernet had not had time to mellow sufficiently for the fruit flavors to sufficiently come through. In the second case, the wine had simply been cellared too long (Chateau-Neuf is best at about 6-7 years).

Yes, I am back to my constant theme of cellaring wine for just the right time. What follows are suggestions for avoiding wines that are either too young or too old.

On getting started: O.K. you are not prepared to hire a contractor to convert your basement guest room into a climate-controlled cave for 2500 bottles. You don’t need to. My suggestion is that you start with a 48 bottle cache. No cost, no work.

Find the coolest spot in your basement (perhaps this is the back of a closet against an uninsulated exterior wall). Pick up 4 cardboard boxes from your liqour store, lay them on their sides, and you are well on your way. Since you may not be able to see the labels without pulling out each bottle (and wine doesn’t like movement) you can stick a piece of masking tape at the cork end of the bottle and write the name and year of the wine on the tape.

Now, the real fun part is picking the 48 bottles to store. Why 48? If you average two years between purchase and opening and you replace the wines as they are drunk, you will be able to have a special bottle twice each month. The rest of the time you can continue to drink your inexpensive wines that won’t benefit from cellaring.

By the way, I have shown you a couple of photos of my cellar, but with the qualification that is usually found in Frank Magazine “NOT EXACTLY AS ILLUSTRATED”.

Suggestions on which wines to store?

1. Wines with lots of tannins benefit most from aging, so lay down the following varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz, Zinfadel, Malbec, and Merlot. These have been listed from those that need the most time to those that need the least.

2. Wines costing more than $ 20. Most cheap wines do not benefit from aging. On the other hand, don’t buy really, really expensive wines. You may hesitate to open that really special bottle and keep it until it has passed its peak. Now, that’s a bigger tragedy than opening a wine that’s too young. I have several bottles of 15-20 year old wine in my cellar so if you want to see a grown man cry, come on over and watch me open a bottle of brown wine.

3. Buy wines from South America, California and France. The South American wines will not need to cellar as long as the others. This will help you get started. The good French wines will benefit from longer cellaring so don’t look to drink those next year. The Californian wines will also benefit from two or more years on their sides.

4. In one or two years select a bottle of Chilean or Argentinian wine (which will now be three or four years older than the year on the label). Try and buy a bottle of the exact same wine but which is two years younger. Open the two wines and you should be convinced about the value of your little cache.

Try something new: There are literally thousands of different varietals (grapes) that are grown to make wine. Yet, most of these are not widely marketed. Probably most of us drink only a half dozen different red wines. So, I am going to suggest you try something other than your usual Merlot, Shiraz, Zinfadel, or Pinot Noir.

The two varietals that I am suggesting are both from South America. They are neither light nor heavy, are inexpensive, go well with food; and, most importantly for some, they can be drunk quite young.

Carmenere: This grape variety originated in France and was used as a blending wine in Bordeaux. Unfortunately, the not infrequent September rains were not good for this late maturing grape. After the Phylloxera devastation in the 19th centurey, the French gave up on this wine and the only Carmenere now found in Europe is of very low quality and is grown in northern Italy.

In the 1850’s this grape was transported to Chile where it was widely planted. For some reason (perhaps because the vines looked similar) Carmenere and Merlot were interspersed in the vineyards and it was not until 1994 that DNA testing finally proved that the Chileans were growing Carmenere and not something mislabelled Chilean Merlot. Since 1994 the Chileans have put tremendous effort in producing good quality Carmenere and in fact it is the most widely grown grape in Chile.

The nose of this wine tends to be smoky and spicy and it has a taste that reminds me a bit of sour cherries. It pairs very nicely with barbecued beef (try it instead of Australian Shiraz). Is is less astringent than Cabernet which is why it can be drunk young.

Bonarda: If the Chileans claim their very own variety (Carmenere), the Argentinians claim two such varieties (Malbec and Bonarda). Bonarda originated in Italy and was probably transported to Argentina by the hordes of Italian immigrants who flocked to Buenos Aires in the 19th century to work in the meat-packing plants. As an aside you might find it surprising to know that more than 50% of the present population of Argentina is of Italian descent.

Sometimes this medium to heavy wine can taste a bit sharp, but it has lots of flavour and reminds me a bit of cranberry. It goes better with food than as a sipping wine.

Suggestions from Offering 192: This time I have four wines to recommend, two reds and two whites. Both reds are for immediate or almost immediate drinking and neither is very expensive. # 5355 is yet another fine wine from my favorite producer in Toro (Colegiata by Bodegas Farina) and should be wonderful with your favorite roasts. #5370 offers a blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet and should be a good, inexpensive quaffing wine. As usual I recommend the Vinho Verde (#5377) from Portugal. This cracking wine (sort of like a cross between a still wine and a sparkling wine) will make a great summer drink (assuming it reaches you by then). If you want 6 bottles of really great Chardonnay and if you are willing to cellar a white wine for a bit, order yourself a case of # 5400 Pouilly-Fuisse. It will be worth the exalted French price.

Link to article: Finally, thanks to Whiner Yvon Grenier who brought this article on British Claret to my attention:
www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15108718

WINE WHINE # 13
NOVEMBER, 2009

Welcome Chris Byrne and Jim Bickerton, both of Antigonish, to the Whine. Hope you enjoy at least some of the blurbs; and by the way, I love to hear from readers.

The third Thursday in November: If you go to your local wine shop in the near future you will probably see a large display with a sign boasting that “the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau” has arrived. This is because Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday in November. It is then rushed ‘round the world and wine merchants proudly lay claim to being the first to have bottles on their shelves. In Paris, restaurants compete to be the first to serve Beaujolais Nouveau to their diners.

The phenomenon of Beaujolais Nouveau is only about 40 years old and it is one of the world’s great marketing scams (thanks to Georges Dubeouf who got the ball rolling), because Beaujolais Nouveau is a truly dreadful wine. Tom Stevenson, the editor of Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia suggests that it smells like fingernail polish and tastes like bubblegum. Sometimes referred to as “lollipop” wine this slightly sour-tasting, watery liquid is produced and actually sold in humungous quantities.

If you don’t believe me resurrect one of your Halloween masks and go pick up a bottle. After you are certain that you weren’t recognized at the wine shop pop the cork and try the stuff for yourself. Better still, offer a glass to an unsuspecting guest, noting that you were first in line at the LCBO or the NSLC or wherever. Watch your guest desperately try to find something nice to say.

Now that I have warned you about Beaujolais Nouveau, let me say a word or two about other Beaujolais (see also the Whine for November, 2008). Beaujolais is a small region at the very south of Burgundy. The wine is made almost entirely from the Gamay grape. Beaujolais is a light, fruity wine that has a freshness to it. It should be drunk chilled (colder than you would drink other red wines) and is a great “starter” wine (that is the first wine of the evening). Not counting Beaujolais Nouveau (and it shouldn’t count for anything) there are 3 levels of Beaujolais. The first level is simply labelled Beaujolais, the second level is Beaujolais Villages (a blend from the 38 villages of the region). The very best Beaujolais comes from one of the individual villages (such as Brouilly, Chenas, Julienas, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent or St. Amour). One of the nice things about Beaujolais is that it doesn’t need time in the cellar. This makes it a good choice to order in a restaurant that has only a modest quantity of wine on hand at any point in time, and which doesn’t attempt to age its wines (i.e. most Canadian restaurants).

“This wine contains sulfites”: Since all wines contain sulfites, this statement which appears on some bottles of North American wine is a tad silly. Sulfites occur naturally as a by-product of the yeast metabolism during fermentation. Sulfites (sulfur dioxide) are formed when sulfur reacts to oxygen. Thus the formation of sulfites reduces the amount of oxygen that is present in wine, and reduces the oxidation (rotting) of the wine itself. Some commercial wineries add sulfur when the wine is bottled and this allows the wine to age without going bad. I should also repeat that all wines naturally contain some sulfites, even those wines labelled organic.

You all have met someone who makes the following claim: “I can’t drink red wine because it gives me a headache; I’m allergic to sulfites you know.” It may be true that some people are allergic to sulfites. In fact humans can be allergic to almost anything (peanuts, shellfish, even their spouses on occasion). However, since white wine contains more sulfite than red wine, the above statement suggests either that the speaker has a psychosomatic allergy or is allergic to something other than sulfites.

There is an easy test for sulfite allergies. Since 2 oz. of dried apricots contains 10 times the sulfites that is in a glass of red wine simply eat a few dried apricots. If there is no headache then there is no allergy.

While it is quite unlikely that sulfites in wine cause headaches there are other possible causes of the so-called “red wine headache”. All wines contain various impurities, any of which could be allergenic for some people. However, cheap wines contain more impurities so it is quite possible that a bottle of Valpolicella can give you a headache and a bottle of well-aged Margaux does not.

Arguably the 3 greatest pleasures in life are sex, golf and good wine (not necessarily in that order). My advice is to serve and drink only good wine. It won’t lower your golf score but it may keep you from having a headache and it will perhaps improve your sex life.

“Couldn’t finish the bottle eh?” Unfortunately most wine bottles contain 750ml. An exception is in this month’s Opimian Offering which has a number of 500 ml. bottles. Frequently, one would like a glass or two, but doesn’t want to drink 750 ml. For some of us 750 ml. is not quite enough and we would like one more small glass (this seems to be happening to me more often than not).

What do you do with the leftover wine? Air is the enemy of wine so once the bottle is opened the air rushes in to replace the poured wine and quickly oxidizes what’s left in the bottle. The solution, in theory at least, is to remove the air and reseal the bottle. Gerard recently sent me information on a new product that does just that. It’s called the Wine Keeper system and you can see it described on http://www.wikeeps.com/. After a thorough search of the web I concluded, unfortunately, that this product is not available in Canada.

So, what do you do? Since cool temperatures retards oxidation you should re-cork the bottle (saran wrap works just as well and is easier that trying to shove a swelled cork into the top of a bottle) and put the wine in your refrigerator. Unless the wine is a wonderful old vintage, in which case you’ll want to drink it right away, the wine should still be good for 24 – 48 hours.

“You say Syrah, I say Shiraz”: Contrary to myth this wine did not develop in Persia, it is a purely French hybrid, the name of which, however, comes from the capital of Fars province in southwest Persia. Over time the French came to call it Syrah, but the Australians, went back to the original name Shiraz.

Australian shiraz is extremely popular in Canada and is a thick, heavy wine that can be best described as spicy. On the other hand, the same grape when grown in the much cooler climate of the northern Rhone valley has a very different taste. Although tannic when young the French version is less thick, less heavy, less spicy but very fruity and like most French wines quite subtle. After a long day yesterday of bathroom renovations Betty and I celebrated the end of the day with a bottle of Gilles Flatcher’s 2004 Saint Joseph (pure syrah). It was fabulous.

Opimian Special Offering 46: This is your chance to stock up on 500 ml bottles for those occasions when you want less than a regular-sized bottle. I would recommend #5289 a Chilean Cab/Merlot or #5291 an Australian Shiraz/Cabernet.

If you are willing to lay a wine down for a bit I recommend #5307 a Passetoutgrain from Bourgogne. Although the last time I had a bottle of this was on March 4, 2000, my notes tell me that I found it “extra smooth”.

Although expensive, you might want to add a case of #5309 Cote de Beaune-Villages to your shopping cart. Compare it to a Beaujolais Nouveau (trashed above) and see how the same grape can be both the best and the worst in wine.

Finally, if you or your guests like a glass of good brandy after that special meal, here is your chance to buy at a good price a case of Armagnac. If you like Cognac you will love Armagnac, which is sometimes confused with Cognac. However, the price is better and some would argue it has a more interesting taste and is perhaps even better than the better known Cognac.

Postscript: In preparing Whine # 12 my “spell-check” failed to distinguish between terroir and terror. Thus, one reader has visions of horrible monsters running up and down the rows of Mendoza’s best vineyards.