Maybe it's age, maybe it's just me experimenting with tasty beers, but I get more and more enjoyment finding new local beers to sip on.  I also enjoy sharing (shameless plug) my newest thing to do during my spare time, interviewing Brewmasters and writing articles for Savvy Hip Hops Beer Backstory Magazine for June.  


I never really enjoyed beer up until about 8 years ago.  My first sip of alcohol was a Wildberry Cooler, which then led to experimenting with vodka and froofy cocktails, which then led to my love for wine.  As I started learning more about wine, that led to me learning about beer. After tasting different beers during a Beer Course (part of the Sommelier program at Algonquin College), I discovered how much enjoyed beer!  Good beer!  The world of beers opened up: Japan, India, Britain, Belgium, Germany.   

But lately, I love trying beers closer to home, beers made in Ontario, or even better, right here in Ottawa.   Beers like the ones I've happily enjoyed at Big Rig (Peppercorn, Hefeweizen, Grapefruit & Ginger, and Orange Saison!), Dominion City Brewing (Earl Grey Marmalade!) or Beyond the Pale (mmm... Pink Fuzz) and Beau's (too many to mention). All of these guys are making great, original, thirst-quenching beers.  

Celebrate local this Canada Day by enjoying something brewed in your neck of the woods.

Cheers!

This week was a bit of a "Treat Yo' self" kind of week.  

1. Mac and Cheese grilled cheese (aka, The Cheesy MacShawn) for lunch on Thursday from Ottawa Streat Gourmet was one of the most delicious and decadent thing to happen to a Thursday lunch-time...ever.  

2. The National Capital Sommelier Guild had their Holiday Fizz / Vintages Pre-release tasting this past Thursday.  This was my first time attending the Holiday Fizz, and it did not disappoint.  14 tastings, including various sparklings from around the world (including a Sparkling Sake!) and Champagnes, and a lovely tasting plate filled with tasty treats to enjoy with the bubbly.  These tastings are a lot of fun, everyone's laid back and enjoys wine.  Wine knowledge around the room varies, but everyone is outgoing and participates in open discussions on each wine. 

3. Which brings me to my third "Treat Yo' self" moment!  Based on the tasting from Thursday night, I zeroed in on which bottles were available at an LCBO location within a 10 km radius (and that fits my self-appointed wine purchasing budget), and ended up bringing home these 3 beauties:

Starting from the left:

• Albert Bichot Brut Rosé Crémant de Bourgogne: Délicieux!  Gorgeous salmon pink color, notes of strawberries, yeast and raspberry on the nose, repeated on the palate with residual sugar.  Very smooth and OH so good with fresh strawberries.  At $22, it's a great buy and would be lovely served with foie gras or with a delicious berry tart.
• Lallier Rosé Champagne 1er Cru: This was the most "treat yo'self" bottle to fill up my LCBO basket in a while, but thought it was well worth the $57 price tag given it's a 1er Cru.  Orange-pink color, strawberry, yeasty notes with a hint of earthiness. Great structure, dry with a berry and yeast finish.  
• 2011 Jackson Triggs Entourage Grand Reserve Brut: The Guild Director mentioned that all LCBO Reps he spoke to in preparation to this tasting raved about this sparkling.  And with good reason.  We tried a few high-end Champagnes, but honestly, this one was as tasty (more so in many cases) but at a fraction of the price.  At 23$ this sparkling is a steal.  Medium lemon yellow color, notes of green apple, dough, soft oak, pink grapefruit.  Round, soft finish.  Wonderful.  Great on it's own, amazing with chips and popcorn :)

Until next time everyone, go forth and treat yo' self and enjoy your weekend!

M. 

Welcome to our first Vintages Release blog post!  This release is a popular one as it contains wines rated at 90+ from around the world.  Although the ratings may give an indication of quality, the method to my madness is where does it come from (is it a region I loves), what is it going to smell/taste like (what's the aroma/flavor profile) and what's it going to cost me (if possible, $20 and under).  So, here are the Tasty Wines that made it home:

1. 2012 Castaño Solanera Viñas Viejas ($17): From Yecla, Spain.  An area I wasn't familiar with (thank you Interscape), but Wine Folly (LOVE Wine Folly!) tells me it's a town South of Valencia, located in Spain's Mediterranean Coast wine region.  This region grows Monastrelle (aka: Mourvèdre) and Garnacha (Grenache), among other varietals, and this is a blend of these two, plus some Cab Sauv.  I fell in love with Spanish reds when we were in Southern Spain in 2012, so the descriptors of berries and pencil shavings combine with the 10 months in combined French & American oak sold me.
2. 2011 Sister's Run Cow's Corner Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro ($17): From the Barossa Valley in South Australia.  As above, a blend made with Grenache although this varietal is front and center (85%).  10% Shiraz and 5% of Matarro (aka: Mourvèdre.  I know, too many different iterations).  I think it would be great to do a side-by-side with the Spanish blend above.  Although different vintages, and different blends, seeing similarities and/or difference could make for interesting convos.  This one will have more earthy, pepperyness thanks to the Shiraz but still plenty of red fruit. Yum.
3. 2011 De Buxy Buissonnier Montagny 1er Cru ($20): The only white to make it home, I'll buy almost anything from this Region.  It's a Chardonnay.  It's from Burgundy.  It's $20.  'nuf said.  Should have bought 2 bottles...
4. 2012 Maipe Reserve Malbec ($15): From the Mendoza region in Argentina, the grapes were all hand-picked for this one, which should mean the best grapes ended up in the tanks.  Berries and chocolate notes: Yum!  
5. 2011 Cantina del Dolcetto di Dogliani Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore ($20):  Italy doesn't currently take up much room in the cellar, but I'm making an effort to test the waters and try more varietals from here.  Piedmont region is becoming a favorite for whites (hello, Moscato d'Asti!), so why give the reds a try.  Piedmont is on my "must visit" list.  I've never tried Dolcetto and the tasting notes intrigued me, so why not?  

Well, that's it folks.  I had two others on my list (the Blue Mountain Chardonnay from B.C., as well as a Tempranillo from Spain), but sadly my local LCBO couldn't not find them in their store. 

Wishing you all a wonderful end of Summer long-weekend filled with tasty wines!  

Last Monday, I was invited by my lovely friend Eva (@sitsipsavor) to join her and her fellow wineaux for a white wine tasting.  Delicious wines spanning the globe were tasted, and below you'll find my tasting notes and thoughts:

Sophora Sparkling Cuvée (available at the LCBO): A blend of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir New Zealand grapes, comes in at 12% alcohol.  Lovely golden yellow with a slight tinge of pink.  On the nose, candy apple, grapefruit pith, roses, yeasty/biscuit goodness.  Website lists at $17, but I paid $20 in store (I bought 2 bottles in the days following the tasting).  Worth purchasing multiple bottles to pop open just because.  Drink now and all by itself (or with some tasty deep-fried apps). 

2011 Diprofio Riesling (wines can be purchased via the winery):  Lemon yellow in the glass, the nose hit all the Riesling notes (petrol, lemon pith, citrus) as did on the palate.  Nice Riesling from Niagara, ON.

2012 Tommassi Adorato Appassionata (available at the LCBO): Pale yellow in color, smells of orange blossom, nectarine, honey.  Taste was more floral than fruit.  Listed as a Garganega blend (Garganega grapes comes from the Veneto wine region), it likely includes some Chard and Trebbiano.  Definitely a food wine.  Good value at $16.

2011 Yamhill Valley Pinot Gris (available at the LCBO):  I brought this Oregon Pinot and really wanted to enjoy it, as it is one of my favorite grapes.  However the style just wasn't my thing.  I found it more floral and the alcohol (at 13.1%) seemed elevated on the nose and palate.   There were notes of apple, pears, wildflower honey and thyme, which made the nose interesting, but the taste said something different to me.

2012 Greco di Tufo (available at the LCBO): Another standout from Italy.  At 13.5% alcohol, it packed a punch, but the flavors were so damn good:  notes of oak (caramel), stone fruit (peaches), and floral; on the palate, baking spice, some smokey notes and a lovely sweetness.  Yum.

2009 Citation Chardonnay (not currently available at the LCBO, but available through the winery's website):  Oh Chardonnay, how I love thee.  Had it not said on the bottle that this was from Oregon, I honestly would have guessed California.  The best of why I love this grape so much: apples, buttery popcorn, coconut and pineapple on the nose.  Repeat of all on the palate.  Crisp with medium acidity.  At $40, this isn't an every day wine, but it sure would be nice if it could be!

Parting thoughts:  I need to make an effort to delve into Italian whites of all kinds. After the two tasted during this wine tasting (and 2 others I've tried at restaurants in the past month), I've discovered some new loves.  Must get out of my current white wine comfort zone of Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay and explore new terroir and new grapes!

Nah!  Just kidding.  I joined a wine club!  Which is sort of like a cult, except there's less mind-fuckery and wacky pacts, more laughter and, well, drinking wine.  

A few weeks ago, a group of lovely ladies asked me to join their newly-formed wine club.  A group of ladies, getting together on a monthly basis to do wine tastings, eat food and talk about one of my favorite things in the world?  Sign.  Me.  Up.  

The first meeting was last Friday evening and if this is any sign of things to come, not only will we be enjoying some great wines, learning from each other and tasting new wines, but we will be building some new friendships over our mutual love of all things grapey.

Our inaugural meeting of the Congregation of Succulent Grapes (yup, our club has a name and personalized tasting sheets!) was broad in scope:  Red wines from France.  Everyone brings a bottle ranging in price from $15-$20, with the hostess contributing appetizers and a bottle in the $20-$30 range.  Here's what we tasted:

1. 2011 Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes-du-Rhone ($30)
2. 2012 Panicault Plan de Dieu Cote-du-Rhone-Village ($16)
3.  2010 Andre Délorme Bourgogne ($21)
4. 2011 Domaine Moillard Hautes Cote de Nuits Bourgogne ($23)
5. 2009 Chateau Cap de Faugères Bordeaux ($30)

All of these little beauties are available at the LCBO.  We also tried a 2012 Inniskillin Meritage ($20), as well as a few more bottles as the night wore on.  The Meritage was meant to show the differences that blends, terroir, etc. can have on the finished product (Bordeaux and Meritage are the same in that they usually include Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon but you can't call it Bordeaux unless it's from the Bordeaux wine region in France). That said, after the 5 bottles, things got a little scarce as far as tasting notes go.  

The big winner of the night was wine #4.  Although this burgundy was still young, the acidity wasn't as high as I would have expected (not nearly as high as #3, which was a 2010), and the nose and palate were amazing:  strawberry, cherry (Nibs), earthy, sweet spice, peppery. It drank nicely now, and would likely be even better still given another 2-3 years. 

Second place was the Bordeaux (#5).  It was still pretty high in fruity-sweetness on the nose and palate as it is still young, but I can see this being pretty spectacular given another 5-7 years.  

Coming in third was the 2011 Cote-du-Rhone (#1).  Again, a young Frenchy, high in acidity and alcohol, but it had a really nice flavor profile which included strawberries, currants, cedar, cherries and plums. Another 5 years laying down and this bottle would be aces.  

CSG won't be meeting next until August (July is busy for most, what with 2 weeks of Bluesfest, and general Summer plans). The region selected is Italy and this time we'll be doing both whites and reds.  I'm very much looking forward to hunting down an interesting vino bianco to contribute, as well as spending time with these interesting ladies.  Finding people that share your passion for all things grapes is a truly wonderful thing.  

Wishing you all a summer filled with tasty travels and tasty wines!

Two girlfriends, their 3 children combined, and myself got together today for lunch and then took the kids to a museum (Children's Museum) for the afternoon.  It was a lot of fun, and as always, I love spending time with my godsons (cause, they're pretty adorable and fun!).  

Anyhow, we went back to my house and I finally popped open the bottle of Chateau Miraval Rosé I bought a few weeks ago.  If you're not up on all the pop-culture BS, Chateau Miraval is owned by Mr. Pitt and Ms. Jolie (yes, Brad and Angie).   Is it any good?  It's ok.  Have I had tastier Rosé from Provence?  Yep.  It it worth the $25 price tag?  Nope.  The famous duo did work with a highly respected and renown French wine-making family (Perrin) to make this wine.  If you want to learn about it, go ahead and use the world's famous search engine (I did), but here's the skinny:  I love a good Rosé.  I don't think there's anything quite as beautiful on a late-afternoon in July, then sitting in a backyard sipping on a nice Rosé (from Provence, preferably Tavel).  I didn't exactly have the highest hopes for this, but I did expect some bang for my buck.  $25 for a French Rosé is steep.  Design (and Hollywood famousness) is likely the reason for the price tag as the bottle looks like a bottle of sparkling from days gone by, and the label is small but tasteful.  The color is a lovely pink salmon, but the aroma is too subtle and faint for my taste.  I hardly got anything off the nose, so I let it sit and warm up for a bit.  What followed on the palate was some tart cherry/berries, herbaceous and floral notes and that was it.  It was there and then it was gone.  To be fair, we had this as an aperitif and didn't pair it with food.  Perhaps with some nosh, things would have faired nicely.  

Verdict: It ain't worth it.  Rosé season is gone now, but next year, if you're a fan of Rosé, look for a Rosé from Tavel (France) or something from Ontario (Tawes Sketches is quite nice) under $20 and you won't go wrong.  These are dry yet fruit-forward and do not disappoint.

Following this, we had a bottle of Momo Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  I won't go into detail with this one, but it is a typical Sauv Blanc from N.Z.  Tart and acidic, and hits all the notes that are typical of this varietal. Fresh, crisp, tasty but very much a food wine.

After dinner, I opened a 2007 Menguante Garnacha (and I'm still enjoying it as I write this). This, thankfully, stood out for me tonight.   Lovely medium ruby color, medium acidity and tannins.  I could have let this lie a bit longer, but it's drinking really nicely right now.  The oak is really subtle on the nose (blend of French and American), and what really comes through is spice (pepper), oak, cherry and red berries.  On the palate, I get a bit of vegetal (green pepper), cherry, mint and oak.   I think this would have gone nicely with the steak G had tonight during his boys night away from home.  The alcohol is still coming through a tad strongly considering it's 6 year's old, so another year may have made this fantastic.  Whatevs, the girlfriends and children are gone now, and I'm going to finish this bottle whilst watching some more Doctor Who (yay me!).

I hope you're all enjoying something delightful tonight.  Good night to all, and to all a good night!

I really tried to do some research on this wine before I babbled on about my tasting notes.   You know, give you some background on how long it's been around, how the partnership between a Prince Edward County winery and an Ottawa restaurant came about, but, it doesn't exist!  I mean, it does exist, cause we ordered a bottle during our first-time visit to Whalesbone Oyster House for dinner this past Saturday night (http://www.thewhalesbone.com/oysterhouse/) and it was DEE-lightful, but try and search for it online, and nadda.  So, you'll just have to rely on my say-so. 

We ordered this bottle to pair with our platter of mixed oysters (please see the review on our meal on the Tasty Food page).  This was a beautiful bottle of white wine.  Very pale yellow in color, the nose and palate were a wonderful match for the oysters (a mix of both East and West coast oysters were enjoyed). Crisp and tart, with lovely notes of apples, stone fruit, lemon and minerality, I found that the wine's fruit and crispness played wonderfully with the briny, creamy and salty oysters.  

This wine would be delightful sipped on it's own or paired with light appetizers.  I just wish I could get my hands on s'more *sob*.   


That said, I'll happily find a reason to go back to Whalesbone to have more of this wine (and oysters!) and so should you.

http://www.normanhardie.com/
http://www.thewhalesbone.com