WHINE # 25

Welcome Charlie Angelakos of Toronto to the Whine!

SUPER TUSCANS: The first rebels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NEW HAMPSHIRE: The place to buy wine

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

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

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

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

OPIMIAN OFFERING # 201

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

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

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

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

Whine # 24 - February, 2011

WHINE # 24

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recipe # 1 (with the unoaked wine)

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

Recipe # 2 (Coquille St. Jacques with oaked Chardonnay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WINEWHINE # 23

Welcome to Hugh Gillis of Antigonish to the Whine


Dear Santa Claus: I know you have been busy with all the good little boys and girls, but if you have time this Christmas Eve I’d greatly appreciate it if you would think of me. Most of the time I haven’t been naughty (I don’t think grumpy should count as naughty and I’m too old to do any really naughty things.) On occasion I have even been nice. I once used my snowblower to clear a neighbour’s driveway and I have written a few cheques to worthy charities. I have even been known to semi vacuum the house, and most of the time I haven’t ruined Betty’s favourite things when doing the laundry.


Now, what do I want for Christmas? Well, I really like consumables and, of course, good wine is the very best consumable. So why not stuff my stocking with a bottle of Barolo, traditionally known in Italy as the “King of Wines and Wine of Kings”? Readers of my WineWhine know that I am not impressed with cheap Chiantis and even cheaper Valpolicellas. They also know that I do like Amarones and Ripassos. However, my cellar has, at the moment only one lonely bottle of ’00 Barolo. This wine from Piedmont is made exclusively from Nebbiolo grapes. It is very powerful and full-bodied with a complex set of aromas and flavours including strawberries, licorice, chocolates, roses and vanilla. Now, Santa, there is a downside to this best of Italian wines. In its youth it is very austere and tannic. In fact, one shouldn’t drink a bottle that has cellared fewer than 10 years. I’m thinking that if you brought me a bottle it would increase my life expectancy, because I couldn’t go until the Barolo was ready and I had tasted its richness. Anyway Santa, if you don’t get to Alba in Piedmont to pick me up a bottle, I would understand; especially if you brought me any of my other favourite wines. Merry Christmas Santa!


Bad news and Good News: The bad news is that none of you WineWhiners were winners in Jay Thomson’s 100 bottles of Wine on the Wall draw. The good news is that Jay raised $ 1400 for the Canadian Diabetes Society. In the past 6 years he has raised over $ 8,000. Thank you very much to those of you who bought tickets. Maybe next year some of those wines will come a little farther East.


What’s your favourite wine? When on occasion I am asked this question I have no ready answer. It depends on so many things, such as the food pairing, my mood, with whom I am sharing, etc. However, every once in a while I find that the wine I am drinking seems extra, extra good. So while I can’t tell you my favourite wine I can tell you what wines seemed very special over the past 12 months.


From my wine journal I noted that lots of bottles were opened in 2010 (how many is secret or my enemies might use that number as evidence to have me committed someplace). It turns out that 22% of the wines I drank were from Chile. France came in next with 15%, followed by Spain at 14%, Argentina at 12%, California at 11%, Australia at 9%, and Italy at 7%. The other 10% came from various places such as Austria, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and Washington State.



Here is the list of the 10 wines that got my top best ratings; prices varied from $ 15- $60 and there was no correlation between price and my liking:


# 10 ’04 Cabernet Sauvignon from the California vineyard of Francis Ford Coppolo


# 9 An Argentinian Brut Nature Cava from Dubois. This is about the driest sparkling wine I have ever tasted. Unfortunately, it no longer seems to be available.


# 8 ‘’04 Gilles Flatcher Syrah from St. Joseph, Northern Rhone. Extremely elegant this is the only French wine that made my list. However, there are not many really good French wines available in Nova Scotia, which may explain France’s poor showing on my list.


# 7 ’06 Tabali Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. I bought this wine on sale for $ 15. and then discovered it was no longer available anywhere in N.S. or Ontario. I was so pleased with this wine that we added a visit to the winery on our trip to South American last spring. However, because of the earthquake our wine tour got cancelled so I may never get to drink this wine again.


# 6 ’00 Castell de Falset Grenache from Monstat in Spain. Wine Spectator gave this wine a rating of 93/100 and I would have placed it even higher.


# 5 ’06 Marques Casa Conca Merlot. Another inexpensive wine of great value.


# 4 ’06 Amicus Cabernet Sauvignon from California. An absolutely elegant wine.


# 3 ’04 Villard Equis (Chile) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In fact Villard also makes a great Pinot Noir.


# 2 ’06 Luigi Bosca Malbec from Argentina (thanks to David Case for finding this one for me).


# 1 ‘03 Alfa Crux (Argentina) blend of Tempranillo, Malbec and Merlot. Heaven in a glass.

White Wine Bargain: Here is a must try not only for white wine lovers, but for all wine lovers. Trapiche Broquel Chardonnay is a very special, yet affordable white that will go with almost anything. Only very lightly oaked it will challenge the best of the great wines of Chablis, at 1/3 the price.

Opimian Offering # 199: This offering has many great Spanish wines at various prices. Here are a few that I recommend.


5583 Altos Cuadrado Monastrell. I particularly like the Monastrell grape and this is a bargain at under $ 15. Has a slightly bitter taste.


5588 “For a few dollars more” to quote the spaghetti western this Ribero del Duero from Monte Castrillo is available.


5891 If you are willing to spend close to $ 30 you can get one of my favourite Ribero’s from Torremilanos.


5892 This Gran Colegiata Reserva is well worth the price. One of the best wines from Toro.


5897 Spain makes great bubbly so I recommend this Montblanc Cava


5908 This is a must. Very inexpensive, this crackling Vino Verde from Portugal makes fabulous summertime drinking. Light and fruity you should always have a bottle chilled and ready for afternoon sipping.


My final Whine for 2010: Most of you will be drinking white wine with your turkey tomorrow. I think the Chardonnay that I mentioned above would be a good choice. Chardonnay is a better match to roast turkey than the more citric Sauvignon Blanc. However, I am one of those people who prefer red wine with turkey so tomorrow my family (they defer to my choice whenever I provide the wine) will be a Pinot Noir from Austria. Beaujolais would be another good match to your turkey.


Thank you to all who have read (or at least quickly scanned) my Whines over the past year! I hope you all have a very festive holiday and that you find peace, love and health in 2011

WineWhine # 22

WineWhine # 22

Welcome to Jamie Cassels of Victoria, B.C. to the Whine

The third week of November: It’s that time of year. Beaujolais Nouveau is about to be released and sold by the container load across the world. If you want my advice on buying Beaujolais Nouveau scroll back to Whine # 13. If you can’t be bothered and want the short version of my earlier comments, here is all you need to know: Don’t buy! Don’t buy! Don’t buy!

Umami: When I was in graduate school (in the middle of the last century) I was forced to buy and read Edwin Boring’s “History of Experimental Psychology.” The surname was an accurate predictor of how I was to find this tome.

As it turns out Boring not only caused grief for countless graduate students, he also caused all of us in the English-speaking world to greatly misunderstand the sense of taste. Boring chose a methodologically suspect research paper by German scientist D.P. Hanig, and then he badly mistranslated this paper, which had to do with mapping the tongue for taste receptors. For generations junior high science teachers have taught their pupils that there are only four types of taste receptors in the tongue (sweet, sour, salt and bitter) and that they are in four separate locations. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! There are five types of taste receptors and all five are everywhere on the tongue.

What has this to do with wine? For starters the Riedel company has made a fortune selling wine glasses that are shaped to direct different types of wine (bitter tasting tannic wine such as cabernet sauvignon or sour-tasting acidic wine such as sangiovese) to different parts of the tongue. My advice is to sell your shares in Riedel but hang on to any large bowled glasses that allow you to fully appreciate the nose of a good wine. Also, if you want more info on wine glasses, scroll back to Whine # 7.

So what’s this fifth sense of taste? It’s called Umami and it’s allows us to taste certain amino acids, in particular the salts of glutamic acid. This is the stuff in monosodium glutamate (MSG). The Japanese, in particular, have known about this fifth taste for almost a century. Roughly umami translates as “delicious” or “savory” and it is the taste that is found in certain high-protein foods that have been well aged. Some high umami foods are well-aged meats, aged cheeses, dried seaweed, shellfish, and soy sauce. Some foodies describe this taste as “meaty” or “brothy”. The taste is more subtle than the sense of salt, sweet, sour or bitter and it sometimes is simply described as the sensation of well-being that comes from eating a food high in these amino acids, such as a perfectly aged steak.

Now, comes the interesting part. What wines do you pair with high amino acid foods; that is those which give us the wonderful satisfaction feeling that follows tasting these umami-type foods? First, high umami foods accentuate both the bitterness and the acidity in the wine. Thus, for example, you should never pair Zinfandel with shellfish. But what about red meat (that perfectly marbled steak, for example)? Since the amino acids in the steak will bring out the bitter taste of the tannins in a young Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine may end up with a metallic taste. The answer to this one is to serve the well-aged meat with a well aged, and complex wine such as a 7 or 8-year old Cabernet from Chile or California, or a good Bordeaux from the left bank of the Gironde (couldn’t resist that little pretentious tidbit). The tannins have softened in these well-aged wines allowing the complex flavors to burst forth.

But, you don’t have a cellar and the $ 25. Chilean Cabernet is only 2 years old. If you don’t want the Cabernet to taste overly metallic when paired with your beautiful prime rib, there is a solution. Add a little salt and/or a squirt of lemon to the meat. If you don’t believe me, try this the next time you have a medium rare steak and a young Cabernet.

Three final comments: If you eat your meat well-done, it doesn’t matter what you do with the wine. Something bottled yesterday will do. Also, if you want a refresher on how long to age various wines scroll back to Whines # 3 and # 14. If you are on a low-salt diet and you don’t have an aged Cabernet, try pairing your meat with a decent Argentinean Malbec (anything over $ 15.). Malbecs are less tannic than Cabernet so a young Malbec will pair well with your beautiful joint of beef.

More on Valpolicella: In my last Whine I was hard on cheap Italian wines, and in particular, Bardolina and Valpolicella. However, if a cheap bottle of Valpolicella is at the very bottom on my wine choices a special version called Amarone della Valpolicella is near or at the top.

To make Amarone the vintner takes especially ripe Corvina grapes from the region (and only from good years), then spreads them on mats in cool rooms and lets them dry for 3 or 4 months. These shriveled grapes are then fermented. The result is a wonderful, full-flavored wine that is very high in alcohol content (14% - 16%).

Amarone della Valpolicella is not cheap. You should expect to pay $ 50. or more. However, you can’t do better for a special occasion wine (but perhaps only when there is a designated driver as a bottle of this stuff will leave you nearly incapacitated).

A slighter cheaper version was invented some years ago by the Masi company. The process is called ripasso and the wine that is made is really a beefed up Valpolicella. Regular Valpolicella undergoes a second fermentation while in contact with the lees (deposits) left over from the making of Amarone. This wine is also very good although very tannic when young. In Canada you can find several ripassos and one of the best is Masi’s Campofiorin.

The problem with ripasso and with the superior Amarone is that these wines need to age. Don’t even think about drinking them under five years. Ten years is better and a good Amarone will cellar for up to 20.

Don’t be discouraged, buy a bottle of Amarone, lay it down and in a few years you can bring it out and be truly amazed at how good it is.

Storing wine in your kitchen: Perhaps the worst place in your house to store wine is in the kitchen. First, the kitchen has too much light; second, there may be too much vibration; and finally your kitchen is far too warm.

However, if you must store wine in your kitchen, here are some pictures on how you might successfully do this. Thanks to my friends M and H for the pictures.

Opimian Special Offering 48: There are many good things to recommend from this special offering. My strongest recommendation is that you order either or both of the wines from Paulitta (# 5820 and # 5821). These wines comes in 500 ml bottles and are perfect for those occasions where you want a smaller bottle. In addition they are very inexpensive and will be ready to drink upon arrival. Although I haven’t tried the Sauvignon Blanc I bought a case of the Cabernet/Merlot last year and it’s a perfect everyday wine.

I have always recommended against buying Beaujolais Nouveau (see above). However, this offering has many very fine Beaujolais. Good Beaujolais is very light and perfect for sipping. The Chenas (5834) is one that I have tried and liked.

Also recommended is # 5844. French Chablis is the world’s best Chardonnay. If you like Chardonnay try a really good one from France.

The wine I recommend you avoid this time is also French. The Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (5849) is far too thin for Canadian taste. We are used to bigger and bolder New World wines and this one is an exemplar of a wine that brings about the comment “But French wines have no substance.” If you must try this wine, drop in to my house. I have a case of this stuff that I’d like to share.

Finally, if you haven’t tried Armagnac, try a case of 5875. Armagnac is a distilled wine (brandy) that is similar to Cognac, but not exactly the same. It is the perfect drink to end a great evening. Although it may take you a while to consume 6 bottles Armagnac makes a wonderful gift and, of course, it keeps forever.

WineWhine # 21

WineWhine # 21

Welcome to Martin Gleize of Paris, France.

In this issue of the Whine I am going to start a long-avoided series on Italian wines; make some comments on recognizing a decent wine list; talk a bit about gout; and, of course, refer to the latest offering from Opimian.

ITALIAN WINE. For 20 issues of the Whine I have avoided discussing Italian wine. The reason is that understanding Italian wine is extremely difficult. However, since I have been challenged by one of my readers the time has come!

As late as the 1990’s Italy produced more wine than the world outside of Europe. Only France produces more wine than Italy. With this much wine how does one know what is a good and what is a bad bottle? The task is made difficult because historically Italy has produced not only great wines but boatloads of truly awful plonc. And, of course, wine drinkers remember the 1986 scandal when 22 died from drinking methanol-laced Italian wine. More recently, it was discovered that producers of Brunello were substituting cheaper varietals than the required Sangiovese.

In theory, one should be able to recognize quality through a labelling system that is similar to the Appellation Controlee system used in France. Under this system the wine is shown to be from a particular area and the varietals and percentages of varietals are controlled by law. The top category is denominazione di origini controllata garantita (DOCG), followed by DOC and finally IGT (indicazione geografica tipica) which simply means wines typical of a region. On the other hand, there is lots of plonc sold with DOC and IGT on the label. Much more importantly many of the very best Italian wines (the so-called super Tuscans, for example) refuse to follow the classification system at all, preferring to blend non-traditional grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon into their wines.

Italy produces much more red wine than white wine. However, many of the whites are particularly good and I’ll write about Italian whites in a later Whine. In this issue, however, I shall restrict my comments to some of the better know inexpensive reds.

Sangiovese. This is the most commonly planted grape in Italy. This is the grape used to make Chianti, the well-know wine from central Tuscany. The world is awash with this light-colored, light-bodied wine. Cheaper Chiantis are highly acidic and low in tannins. This means that the first sip will taste “sharp.” On the other hand, when paired with an acidic food, such as your favorite tomato sauce, they can be a reasonable accompaniment. Chianti Classicos come from a more restricted region and are usually much less acidic. My advice is to avoid any Chianti that costs less than $ 20.

Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara. These 3 Italian varietals are grown in Veneto (the region around Venice) and are blended to make the well-known wines of BARDOLINO and VALPOLICELLA. These light, somewhat prickly and bitter wines, which are intended to be drunk young, are produced in vast quantities and are found world-wide. Perhaps these are my least favorite of all wines (reminding me of stuff made from a wine kit). However, be careful not to confuse ordinary Valpolicella with the superb wine Amarone della Valpolicella which I shall discuss next time.

Montepulciano. As one goes farther south in Italy the wines become less acidic. Montepulciano is the main varietal grown in the Abruzzo area east of Rome. It is a medium bodied wine that is slightly smoky to taste. With more tannins than the wines above it ages well. Inexpensive, this wine is worth a try.

Nero d’Avola. This variety (sometimes called Calabrese) is the mainstay of Sicily. This wine is relatively powerful and packed with fruit. It is deeply colored and high in tannins. If you are looking for a bargain in an Italian wine, try one of these Sicilian wines.

GOUT AND RED WINE. Given my advanced age it is probably not surprising to learn that several of my male friends suffer from gout. Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood that leave deposits in the joints (particularly in the feet). For a long time it has been assumed that gout is effected by a rich diet. Alcohol is assumed to exacerbate this extremely painful condition.

Recently I was eating roast beef with a group of friends, two of whom suffer from gout. One accompanied his food with glasses of decent Cabernet while the other had his glass confiscated by a very protective spouse. Curious I decided to do a little net browzing.

It turns out that the most complete study of gout and alcohol was published in 2004 by a group of Harvard researchers lead by H.K. Choi. Based on a national health and nutrition examination these researchers found that the blood levels of uric acid were indeed associated with the consumption of some alcohols. Beer, in particular, seems to be the main culprit. On the other hand, THERE WAS NO ASSOCIATION BETWEEN URIC ACID AND WINE INTAKE. In fact, some even recommend drinking red wine. For example, Victor Konshin in his book “Beating Gout: A Suffer’s Guide to Living Pain Free” recommends one glass of red wine each day for gout sufferers.

FOR THOSE WHO LIVE IN ONTARIO. My bargain recommendation this time is a wine from Lebanon, sold at the LCBO for $ 13.50. Chateau Ksara Reserve Du Couvent 2007 is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. This medium-bodied wine is smooth and flavourful. It is light enough for sipping and heavy enough to accompany all but the most robust of foods. Give a bottle a try and let me know what you think.

FINDING A DECENT WINE LIST. I don’t think I have ever had bad food in a restaurant with a good wine list. Yet, many restaurants pay little attention to the wines they list. Since the mark-up is at least 100%, why do restauranteurs pay so little attention to their wines? I have no answer.

A good wine list should do four things: (1) there should a variety of light and heavy wines; (2) there should be wines from several countries; (3) there should be a good range of prices; (4) there should be wines that can’t be found a your local government store; (5) the vintage should be listed and most importantly it should be accurate.

Recently I have eaten in what should be 3 of the Maritimes better restaurants. At Churchill’s (Digby Pines) there was neither a Cabernet nor a Malbec on the list. Worse when I ordered a 2005 Zinfandel a 2008 appeared. This insult was repeated a second time after I had re-ordered. The excuse offered was it was the end of the season and they were re-stocking. Obviously, they had re-stocked with less aged wines and hadn’t bother to edit the wine list.

A restaurant with a good wine list is a great new French restaurant in Moncton called Petit Cavalier. The wine list included lots of French wines but also interesting wines from other countries. The relatively inexpensive Argentinian Malbec that I ordered matched beautifully my duck confit. At the end of the evening I complimented the restauranteur on his wine list. “Yes”, he said “after I was open a few weeks I brought in a Sommelier to help me upgrade my wines.”

Finally, I recently visited one of my favorite restaurants, Acton’s in Wolfville. There were four of us (including three wine lovers and a designated driver). Three is an awkward number for a bottle of wine. However, as they stocked as great Tempranillo from Rioja, the decision to have a second bottle of the same wine was unanimous. I am sure that if more restaurants paid attention to their wines, their profits would go up.

OPIMIAN OFFERING # 198. This offering has many interesting sounding wines, most of which I have not tried. Consequently my recommendations will be brief this time. Since my bias is that the best Australian wines come from Coonawarra I would suggest you (and maybe me) should try # 5747 the Red Trio.

In an earlier Whine I talked about Meritage (the New World wine that imitates French wine). # 5754 would be a change to try Meritage.

I was pleasantly surprised by an earlier coupon wine, Milyaroo Merlot. If you are looking for an everyday plonc you might try # 5766.

Finally, I was not impressed with a case of “Fat ‘n Skinny” that I ordered from an earlier offering. I suggest you avoid # 5775.

WineWhine # 20

It’s been a couple of months since the last Whine, so it’s time for me to put my two fingers to a keyboard. I shall start with a review of a fabulous restaurant that I recently visited, then tell you a bit about the varietal Bonarda and finish with some comments on the new “special offer” from Opimian.

5 Etioles: For some reason most tourists coming to Atlantic Canada don’t find their way to Northeastern New Brunswick (instead they drive the four-lane highway from Quebec to Nova Scotia and then complain erroneously that New Brunswick is nothing but spruce trees). In any event Betty and I make an annual pilgrimage to St. Ignace (where there is a wonderful golf course) and this year was no different. On our way north from Moncton we stopped for a late lunch at Cocagne where you can buy two very large, very fresh lobster rolls for $ 8.99. On our way to our motel at Kouchiboquac we drove through the tiny Acadian village of St. Louis de Kent and were surprised to see a large restaurant in an old purple house.

We stopped to scout out the menu and when we noted that we might like to eat around 8:00 p.m. the young man in front made two comments that sold us on returning for dinner. First, he noted that we would need a reservation for that time of night, and second he told us in his best Franglais that we might like to visit “The Cave” before dinner, to select our wine.

Although it was a week night the restaurant was packed when we returned at 8:00. Our waiter invited us to visit “The Cave” and then proceeded to lead us through a small door shaped like a parallelogram rather than a rectangle. Interest was added by a door frame where the parallelogram was tilted in the opposite direction. The steep wooden steps would require caution for an agile 10-year old. Anyone older than 21 or taller than 4’ 10” has trouble on the stairs. Apparently building inspectors are not welcome in St. Louis.

Wine in The Cave were organized by price with multiple bottle bins marked in $ 5.00 increments starting at $ 25. and peaking out at $ 55. I said to the waiter that this looked like it might take some time and he noted that I should take all the time I needed as the restaurant was open until 11:00 p.m.

Never having mastered that crazy Caribbean dance (remember the limbo?) I cracked my head climbing back up the steps that were constructed of ancient unplaned spruce. Fortunately, I hung onto a fabulous bottle of Malbec from Cafayette ($ 45.).

The menu was largely Italian and we were told that the specialty was seafood pizza. Although this sounded awful we did notice that many smiling customers were eating pizza. I ordered a small caesar to start and it came with 3 good-sized and very fresh lobster claws on top. I followed this with a very tasty lasagna while Betty braved the pizza. Her thin crust was covered in large chucks of lobster, succulent scallops and a smaller number of shrimps. These delicacies were covered with a very, very mild white sauce and an even milder cheese. My knuckles are still sore from the being struck by Betty’s cutlery as I tried to snag some bites of the pizza. Apparently this restaurant has been packed by locals and the occasional tourist for the past 19 years. If you are ever at the north end of Kent County, get a reservation at “5 Etioles”.

The next morning we lost lots of balls at St. Ignace but the four lobster rolls we had for lunch on the way home were ample compensation.

Bonarda: There are 100’s of different grapes used to made red wine. However, those of us who love red wine tend to drink the same varietals over and over again. Part of the problem lies with the producers and importers who place the same bottles before us. However, part of the problem lies with us the consumers. In the last month, did you drink anything other than Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Shiraz. If you answered “No” then shame on you. If you answered “Yes” I bet you opened a Malbec, a Zinfadel, a Sangiovese or even a Tempranillo. Add in Pinot Noir and I’ll further bet that 99% of the red wines you drink are from these 8 varietals.

In past Whines I have written about Chile’s great Carmenere and Argentina’s Bonarda. Let me suggest again that you try a Bonarda. There are three reasons that you should:

1: Bonarda is great bar-b-que wine and the season will soon end.
2: Bonarda is very inexpensive.
3: Bonarda does not need to cellar and is good on the day of purchase.

Opimian Special Offer # 47: After you have purchased a few bottles of inexpensive Bonarda, you might think about investing in some fine Bordeaux. A good Bordeaux is wasted with heavy meat charred over a hot grill; it is anything but cheap, and its needs years in your cellar. On the other hand, there are those special times when you deserve the best, or you need a special gift for someone, or you know you are holding something of value when the stockmarket takes yet another slide.

Bordeaux wines are magnificent or ordinary depending on the year. Because the southwestern France has weather that is unreliable the wines of Bordeaux are very different from year to year. 2009 was a good year, perhaps a great year. This month Opimian is offering you some potentially wonderful wines from among other villages Saint-Julien, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. However, these wines are not ready to ship so you are being offered wine “futures”. In other words you pay 1/3 up front and the other 2/3 when the wine is ready to be shipped. The exact price, as noted in the offering, will depend on exchange rates, shipping costs, etc. MORE IMPORTANTLY, however, the approximate 2/3 that you will still owe will not be affected by whether or not 2009 turns out to be a good year or a great year. Thus, purchase commitment is a gamble. These wines may be much more expensive a year from now, or maybe not. In other words buying wine futures is just like buying shares on the market. In a few years you may feel like you own bank stocks. On the other hand your wine futures may feel like 1000 shares of Nortel.

By the way, I have bought wine futures in the past and my track record on the wine market is much better than my record on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

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.