We moved and we had a Baby!

Hey there folks, we will be returning to our regularly scheduled entry's very soon, but i thought you would all like to see what's been keeping me from talking to you.

Cheers!



 

REVIEW – 2008 ST URBANSHOF OCKFENER BROCKSTEIN KABINETT ESTATE RIESLING

REVIEW – 2008 ST URBANSHOF OCKFENER BROCKSTEIN KABINETT ESTATE RIESLING

SKU: 730217

 Agent: Renaissance Wine & Spirits

In the Glass – clear deep lemon. Showing no legs/coat which tells me that it’s a low alcohol wine

On the Nose - clean medium to pronounced aromas of baking spice, fruity, citrus flavors like lime and lemon. And still the Riesling minerals and a bit of petrol.

On the Palate – off dry to medium sugar, medium to high acidity which gives this wine a good balance. Absolutely no tannin in this wine. Flavors of citrus, yellow fruit, banana and petrol. It gives us flavors of green apple, lemon, lime and minerally cool fruit. The body is in the light to medium range with low alcohol, and a medium and enjoyable finish.

Nik Weis is the owner and the winemaker for St.Urbans-Hof, which is located in Mosel. The winery was first built in 1947. His father, while building one of Germanys biggest vine nurseries, was also a key figure in building what is now Vineland Estates in the Niagara region of Ontario Canada.

After the grapes are harvested they were crushed and allowed two hours of skin contact. They allowed a longer time for contact with the lees so that the wine would have “more body and a sense of smoothness”.

Nik Weis Advocates a "10 Points Philosophy" that I found very well said. He says that a hands on and simultaneously hands off approach is best, and longevity of vines in Mosel is match by its longevity in the bottle. It’s actually a very cute slide show.

In the slide show Weis states Mosel Riesling must be grown on slate, which gives it structure and binds the fruit sweetness of the wines with its naturally high acidity. Which is exactly what he has. His vine sites are on steep slat hills and can only be worked by hand. The warmth of the heat reflecting slate is seen in the wines; by allowing them to ripen slowly and develop balance.  Perhaps this is why “Mosel wines age gracefully”. Weis goes on to say that, "The path of grape to bottle must be as short and undisturbed as possible."  
He enacts this by only the use of indigenous yeasts and no addition anything.

Over all I’m not a Riesling drinker. Sorry. But I would drink this and enjoy it. And for under $30 retail I’d recommend it. My only (and vainly) issue comes with the labeling – it’s bland and kind of tacky. But really, once it’s in the glass what does that matter?

Cheers!

REVIEW - NV MARTINI & ROSSI ASTI (D.O.C.G.)

REVIEW - NV MARTINI & ROSSI ASTI (D.O.C.G.)

SKU: 1875

Agent: Bacardi Canada Inc.

In the Glass – Clear but pale lemon yellow with soda sizes bubble coming up the side of the glass. It immediately stuck me as something that had been carbonated after the fact because of soda pop look it had.

On the Nose – clean, light with a strong peachy fruit and floral aroma. It just kind of lays the cards out for you on that one and I didn’t get much more.

On the Palate - stone fruit and peaches with a touch of citrus, medium sweetness, aggressive and prickly bubbles; this is due to the tank fermentation, light to medium weight. Over all this one strikes me like a honey soda. Sort of mixed with the pineapple crush that the Newfies drink.

Over all, it’s pretty easy to drink, either sipping with appys or to finish a meal but I like my bubbly on the dry to very dry side so it’s just a touch too sweet for me. But a nice cheap treat at under 15$ a bottle on the shelf.

This Asti is made from the Moscato Bianco grape and is actually DOCG certified. Which surprised me because its sooo mass-produced that I thought they would have to source out for the grapes. Here's a quote from their web site.

“MARTINI® Asti is crafted from 100% handpicked* Moscato Bianco grapes, grown in Northern Italy. It is ranked D.O.C.G. (denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin), the highest classification granted to Italian wines. Its aroma will lure you in like a siren’s song, boasting fruity and floral notes. Sparking on the tongue, the natural sweetness of the grapes comes through with full flavor and wonderful texture. Recommended for after dinner, pairing with cakes and other desserts or sweet fruits.”

The more I researched Martini & Rossi the more respect I had for them as a mass production organization. From what I can tell the business was family started and Rossi’s sons took it over in 1982, then his grand sons took it over in 1930. In 1977 the company became part of the “General Beverage Corporation”. Then in 1993 they merged with Bacardi. I’m not sure when the Martini Vermouth came to be a part of it but no doubt that was a huge win for Bacardi. 1993 was also when the asti received it DOCG designation.

Cheers!

*I don’t mean to be rude but I highly doubt that this is accurate simply because of the price point; handpicking grapes is VERY expensive. So unless they have a team of fiddler elves picking grapes for them out of the kindness of their heart this would be near impossible to achieve. Not judging, just sayin’.

Review - RIOJA BORDON GRAN RESERVA 2001

 REVIEW - RIOJA BORDON GRAN RESERVA 2001

SKU: 735254 

Origin: Spain 

Agent: Pure Global Imports Inc.

This little Spanish harlot is actually one of my favorite wines and it seemed only fitting that I rip off the winter bandage with a bottle of it among friends.

So, what is a Gran Reserva you ask? Well, I can tell you. In Bodegas it means that it must be aged for a minimum of 5 years before it’s released. This one in particular spends at least 2 years in oak casks and at least 3 more years in the bottle. How ever the majority of the wood that it sees is actually old oak so it imparts very little of the big, toasty, vanilla extract and stucco that you see with a great deal of other wines that spends the equivalent amount of time in new oak.

Being mostly tempranillio, 80% to be exact, its exceptionally close to its traditional expression even with its blend of 17% Grenache, 2% Mazuelo and 2% Graciano. Lets break it down shall we.

In the Glass; Off the start I noticed that this wine wasn’t the full red like I thought it would be, but it is over 10 years old so its no surprise to see that the bright ruby red I was expecting had faded a fair bit and has some tawny to it

On the Nose; starting off a bit dull but after a quick swirl she came right to life. I had strong ripe and dried fruit off the top with this one, and strong earthy notes as well. Like is said, its very close to the traditional Rioja style and comes with sparks of vanilla and chew tobacco and something that I can only describe as “cowboy-esk”. It’s like woods, and campfire (perhaps because I was drinking it beside a bonfire?), herb garden and wonderful saddle leather notes – the kind of leather that’s well worn. Even though this wine sees an exceptionally long time in oak, but not new oak, my cowboy aromas are just hints and not over the top. An absolutely wonderful integration of oak on the nose of this wine.

On the Pallet; Before we start I would highly recommend decanting this wine; in one of the bottles I had before there was a bit of sediment in the bottle (but not this one luckily enough, cause I didn’t have a decanter with me), but 10 or so minutes with some air really helps wake this girl up. When she’s up, we get spicy black cherry, tobacco, vanilla, and that cowboy quality I was talking about before. But we also get some great sandalwood and minty coolness. With a long but gentle finish this medium to full body wine has a great complexity and you can actually feel it evolve in your mouth.

Food suggestion: Beef or lamb, I had a peppercorn steak and baked potato with it. The peppercorns were a bit much with the wine but they were both really tasty and I pulled through just fine.

Like is said, Rioja Bordon is one of my absolute favorite wine producers. I have yet to be anything other then extremely pleased with all of their products so even I highly recommend that you all go try this wine. Even if Spanish wine isn’t “your thing”.

Cheers!

Wine and You - The Restaurant

Carrying on with a series of ideas on how we interpret the commodity of wine, we have wine and the restaurant. As I said in the consumer-based post, there are a much higher percentage of people that are open to trying something new. Because most people treat dining out as a ‘new experience’ they become more open to the inspirations and suggestions of their fellow diners and service staff.  This gives us the ability to discuss, segue and over all generate conversation over a bottle, or glass, of wine and is an often-utilized tactic with people that you may not know or like. How do I know? Because I’ve used it.

For a restaurant there are many things to consider for their wine service, from staff knowledge and incentive to sell, wine makers dinners and tastings, the actually wine list and wine availability and how it goes together with their menu and atmosphere.

A restaurants service staff is like its front lines. They immediately reflect how much time and care the establishment has put into their wine. You want them trained, in how to serve wine, not just properly but with style, you want them knowledgeable and most importantly you want them to SELL. And I say that with no shame. Wine is a commodity, just as cars, paintings and toilet paper is. So you just gotta sell it.

So how do restaurants sell it? First and foremost you want your staff to know about the wines that you carry. From my personal experience in this side of the industry I know that most of the restaurants that pride themselves on their wine list will do tastings with their staff on all their wines by the glass. They can have different companies, some retailers and some importers, that will come in and train them on wines that they do by the bottle.  I LOVED these events, and quite honestly it’s where I started. I feel that providing staff training is not only good for sales but also very much drives staff moral. ‘Cause who wouldn’t want a glass of wine after work once a week? During these tastings we can also address staff incentive – “ if you sell the most glasses of XYZ wine then you get a free bottle to take home”. Uhhh Score! This is even more motivation for the staff to get out there, get educated and sell it to the patrons.

But how does the specific selling work? Way back when I was a server *insert flash back sequences here* I would often start out by trying to get to know my customer, seeing what they were in the mood for, even if they didn’t know the what they were ordering to eat yet. From there I would make a few suggestions and tell them why.  This is where a lot of food pairing knowledge came in handy. But more often than not it didn’t matter what they were having as long as I knew about the wine. For example (and I don’t mean to step on any toes here) the wines produced by Blasted Church in BC, were super easy to sell because they blew up a church; hence the name. Of course, my selling it was much more then “it got blowed up” but it made for a nifty story. And stories lead to conversation, conversations lead to memorable experiences and now suddenly you have a restaurant that has become a part of an experience. What greater publicity can you ask for?

Now, depending on the restaurant, there may be the possibility of wine makers dinners. This is where a wine maker, or producer actually comes in to the restaurant and host a dinner for 10 – 25 people. Typically the menu is crafted to specifically match the wines that the host represents.  They are an immense amount of fun and incredibly informative. If you ever get the chance to go to one of these – JUMP ON IT. You won’t regret it, I promise.  Typically tickets to these events are all inclusive. As in, they include dinner, drinks and typically as well gratuity.

The most essential item that a restaurant has in selling wine, aside from their staff, is their wine list. Just in case you don’t know what a wine list is lets go to wiki for a definition.

“A wine list is a menu of wine selections for purchase, typically in a restaurant setting. A restaurant may include a list of available wines on its main menu, but usually provides a separate menu just for wines. Wine lists in the form of tasting menus and wines for purchase are also offered by wineries and wine stores.”

Typically a wine list is built by the restaurants’ sommelier but there are some companies that offer this services to places that don’t employ sommeliers. Over all, an effective wine list covers all counties and appellations - within reason - and it accents, highlights and in some cases, compensates for their food menu. For example, if there is a lot of red meat on the menu, then you wont see a lot of white wine on the list. If there is a lot of spicy food, then you’re going to see a higher proportion of sweet wines on the list.

The retailer(s) the restaurants buy their wine from and also the availability to get the wines in the province (or state) can limit a wine list. However, a good wine list will have enough selection to compensate in the event of a shortage, or it should be updated to include wines that they can get. Over all a wine list is can be viewed like the restaurants resume of wines.

In general for what a wine is to a restaurant is still a commodity, but just like a painting it needs to fit with is surrounds and accent the decorum. A lot of time and preparation goes into the training of the people who sell and serve it, its availability to be sold and the way it interacts with the other components of the diners’ experience. Finely picked and cared for it can truly make a great restaurant exceptional.

Cheers!

Wine and You - The Consumer

So I’m all set to start my WSET level 2 in the next 3 weeks.  But before I start up on all that fun stuff, I want to discuss with you a series of ideas on how we interpret the commodity of wine as consumers, retailers, restaurants, importers and makers. These aspects are all very much related.

First, and most importantly in my opinion, we have wine and the consumer. I am a wine consumer, and if you’re reading this blog, then I can only assume that you have consumed wine yourself. If not, then you should, I definitely recommend it.

When we go into a liquor store or a restaurant, what exactly are we looking for in a wine? Do we know what we want or do we let inspiration take us? Do we actually see it as an experience we are purchasing, be it the flavor of the wine or the company and atmosphere we whish to propagate?

Yes and no… ehh, lets go with “kinda”.

I think as a consumer we are looking for something that does speak to our specific taste and when we go shopping for a wine in a store, none of us bring a strict shopping list but we do have a motivation. Be it price point, varietal or food to go with it, we have something in mind. It’s not often we just magically find our selves in a liquor store with our eyes closed as we blindly fumble down the isle playing musical chairs with our wines. How ever entertaining that notion may be.

I would estimate that 4 out of 5 times that a normal consumer buys a wine from a liquor store, they have gone in for a purpose; be it a brand they recognize or a pairing they’ve been told about.  It’s safe. There is a list to follow. Just in and out. Hopefully there’re no lines.

But that 1 out of 5, and honestly them ain’t bad odds, will meander through the store, picking which isle to go down and looking at labels and reading descriptions. Waiting for a gem to call out to them so they can try something new. I think the BEST wine shops hire people that do that themselves. Because it takes one to know one. And while the staff may lose 15 minutes discussing 2003 California wines, the consumer is going to be happy as a clam, and satisfied with their experience even if they don’t take to the wine they’ve bought. And heaven forbid if one of these wine pioneers finds the boutique and high-end wine! The racks become library shelves and hours can be lost.

However when a consumer buys a wine in a restaurant, there is a much higher percentage that are open to trying something new. Most people I believe treat dining out as a ‘new experience’ and open to the inspirations and suggestions of their dining guests and service staff.  The whole notion of going out and ordering a bottle of wine with dinner, or even just a glass, is seen as an event and people are with peers where they can discuss this new experience.

I think a wine that will ultimately appeal to a consumer is one that they know about, which is hard, because lets face it. Wine isn’t self-explanatory. There are so many label variations, varietals, appellations and years that it simply cant be helped that you don’t know what the stuff in the bottle is going to taste like. I think some of the best ways to counteract this is simply to educate yourself. Ask your friends, what wines they drink what they like in wine and why. Or ask your store clerk, or your server. If you’re too shy to ask, or if you are unfortunate enough to have been dealing with someone who knows less then you do, then Google is going to be your best friend. But even then, it’s not like buying a liter of Pepsi, where it’s the same flavor every time. Get informed on your wines and keep an open mind. Just as it is with most product choices; you wouldn’t go with the first insurance company you found, you’d shop around and see what other quotes you could get and educate yourself.

And yes, I know for most people picking a wine isn’t as important as insurance. Well, maybe for me it is. Kinda.

Cheers!

Blush, Rosé , Pink, and Delicious

 So I know I’m going through my 4 week course with WSET here in Calgary but I had some one ask why pink wines are pink, so I’m going to interrupt my flow again with a quick service announcement.



 There are really only 2 ways that rosé wines are created. One being a strictly controlled skin contact process with the red grape must. This is where grapes are pressed quickly, as to only extract a clear white juice for fermentation. Typically the juice is only left to sit on the must for 12- 48 hours depending on the grape and the amount of colour you wish to extract from it ( light blush to a vibrant pink). The other is to actually blend white and red juice together at some point in the wine making process. That is really winery specific for what they want to achieve with their wine. Also you can blend a pink juice with white juice to achieve the same thing.  



 Typically with a rosé wine you see a rather short maturation time, and typically it’s in stainless steel to help keep the rich fruit flavors in the juice, as it is impenetrable to oxygen. But it can also be done in concrete and oak barrels. The oak will impart vanilla and spices in to a wine, along with softening acids and giving it a bit of micro oxidization, this is where we start to come across rosés that have a creamier and dustier colour.

 I haven’t seen a lot of concrete barrels used but my understanding is that the porous nature of concrete allows a slight blending of vintages through the years. I’ve only ever really heard of this being used in the big robust reds but I don’t see why it wouldn’t have applications in all types of wines

 As the wine ages, either in the barrels or in the bottles, it may change in colour as well. However most rosé wines are bottled and available to consumers at a rather young age, compared to the white and red wines, that this isn’t necessarily applicable. They are sent out young because of their light, fruity and refreshing nature. Too much time and they could start to lose their acids and get dull.

 Cheers!

Food + Wine = Perfect The 2nd day of wine training, 3 of 3

This is the third and final entry of a 3-part post on my second day of wine training. This day we touched on three rather basic, but immensely imperative, ideas in the wine world; the evaluation of wine quality, food and wine matching and the classic white grape. Today I’m going to talk about some food pairing ideas.


Matching the weight of the wine to the food is probably the core of doing food and wine pairing properly. You have such a sliding scale with intensity, flavors and other properties but as long as the weight of the wine on the whole scale is factored in you should do just fine.

Light wine for light food like champagne and smoked fish.
Full body wine for rich heavy food like cabernet sauvignon, merlot and shiraz with red meat and gravy

Just a word of warning, the sides with what the wine is paired with should be taken into consideration as well, as things like gravies and cream sauces can change the dynamic of the meal.


Now, on to the big flavors in food and wine

Acidic food requires rich acidic wines, or else the wine can seem flabby. Watch out for lemon, lime and vinegar flavors in food, as they are hard to top, but not impossible. Italian reds can pair well with tomatoes dishes due to their high acid levels, where the acid from the tomato and the acid from the wine complement each other. It’s always good to pair oily foods with high acid wines, a great example of this is sauvignon blanc and calamari

Spicy foods pair well with wines that are chilled and that are intensely aromatic, a touch sweet or very fruity. Hot spices reduce sweetness in a wine. Chilling can take the initial bite out of a spicy dish, and the slightly sweet or fruity follow through will take the lingering sting out as well. Riesling, sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer all go well with spicy food but be warned high tannic reds can make spicy dishes even spicier. I would never recommend big full reds with Mexican food.

Sweet foods should be paired with sweeter wines because it will make the food taste drier. It can also pair well with savory foods, where reds would be too tart in structure.

Salty Foods pair well with light body, crisp white wines. Some good traditional matches are olives with sherry, oyster with muscatel, and shellfish with Chablis. Sweet wines have the ability to balance off overly salty foods
When tannins clash with salty food the outcome is typically very bitter

With tannins and food the big thing to remember is that proteins softens tannins, and tannins in a wine help it stand up to a richer meat. Just be careful that you don’t pair a tannic wine with oily fish, as it has a tendency you give and unpleasant metallic flavor.

Basic pairing notes

·         Match weight

·         Complement flavours

·         Contrast intensity and texture

·         Sweetness, the wine should always be sweeter then the dish

How is it prepared guide
Cold food = cold wine
Steamed/poached/boil = light wine
Oil fried = high acid, light wine
BBQ, grilled, roasted = fuller body, oaked
Braised, stewed = big body

Stronger seasoning = fuller wine

This about sums up how I think people should go about pairing wines with meals. I think it’s a rather complicated process when you break down each individual item but if you look at the meal as a whole, and the entire dining experience and use your best judgement, you shouldn’t go wrong. And if you’re out for a meal at a restaurant ask your server or the sommelier, it’s what they are paid to know, do and help you with. And if you having some dinner with friends and/or family and you get that perfect match between meal and drink its fantastic but in the end it’s not really about what you’re eating and drinking now is it? It’s about the people and the experience so go with what feels right. 

Cheers!