An Old Favourite: Rodney Strong Pinot Noir

Hello All,

It has been awhile-- I've certainly missed being here and writing about the plethora of wines that I love. A big thank you (and an even bigger I'm sorry) to Heather for continuing to consume wine/blog about it in my absence.

After the whirlwind that December is, I find that January tends to take on a very calm, cozy tone. My dresses are swapped for leggings and cashmere, and the cocktail parties that dominated my social calendar are happily replaced with more intimate dinners in. This weekend, I had two beautiful dinners with two wonderful groups of friends in their homes, and I must say that I'm quite blessed with amazing friends who appreciate delicious food, wine, and laughter as much as I do. A friend of mine produced the most lovely spinach and coconut milk soup on Friday night as an appetizer that went absolutely beautifully with a crisp gewurztraminer. As we all sat around the warm dining room laughing and clinking glasses, I took in all of the comfort and happiness that my friends exude.


What else brings comfort and happiness? Rodney Strong's Pinot Noir (2009). It makes sense that a dear friend introduced me to this wine many years ago, and it still is a wine that's compelling enough to me to buy regularly. I find I'm not the most loyal when it comes to wine--There's just so much out there to choose from and try that it's hard to limit myself to only a few producers! That said, whenever I'm in the mood for a great pinot noir, I go straight for this wine. It's produced in the Russian River Valley (yes, I'm still drinking a ton of California wine), which is one of the world's best regions for the pinot noir grape. This region is actually quite cool as a result of the fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean. Pinot grapes have a very thin skin (unlike a thick malbec, for example), so it really does it's best in a cooler, more gentle climate that allows the grape to ripen over a long period of time.

Back to the wine-- It's beautiful. It's fruity! Those that aren't as inclined to reach for a pinot normally dislike the wine's more herbaceous, austere notes, but this wine is really well balanced from a flavour perspective. There's cherry, cinnamon, and oak, all held together in a stunning garnet package. If you're not a lover of pinot, I implore you to go out to your nearest wine retailer and grab a bottle. I promise that this wine will make it into your regular repertoire quite quickly. The best part about pinot is it's versatility. You could pair this with salmon or turkey just as easily as you could match it with a vegetable lasagna. The wine is $24.95 in Vintages at the LCBO, and certainly seems to be there whenever I need it-- Just like a wonderful friend.

XO
AK

Ripasso is ridiculously amazing

Big, bold and heavy reds have not always been my wine category of choice. I used to always prefer a white, regardless of the social situation, meal or season. There was something about the crisp, light taste of white wines that I enjoyed and did not want to stray from. When I began to take wine courses at George Brown (GBC - Wine Specialist Certificate) I had to learn to drink red wines (was. Slowly but surely, I began to enjoy them more and more, and now I tend to keep more red wine in my wine fridge, and lean towards a glass of red at more restaurants.

In my discovery of red wine, I stumbled across an amazing Ripasso in Vintages Essentials. The wine is the Zenato Ripassa Valpolicella Superiore, DOC and essentially the name means that it is a Rippaso from Valpolicella in Italy.

Basically, to get this wine, you start off with the preparation that is undergone for Amarone (delicious and comes with a hefty price tag!). The grapes are dried for Amarone for a few months, typically on straw mats. This allows the flavours to concentrate, along with sugar, as the grapes begin to shrivel. Once this is done, these are the items that are fermented and pressed in the winemaking process. The leftover “stuff” in the barrel is then “repassed” and Valpolicella is added to the mixture, this is then fermented again and voila you have Ripasso! This process allows for you to get delicious, bold red wines with concentrated and complex flavours for a fraction of the price. This Vintages Essential retails for $24.95 and is a bargain at that. It has strong flavours and aromas of blackberry, plum and cocoa, and is perfect for any Italian food, beef, or on its own (if you don’t mind a heavy, delicious wine on its own!). It is a great go-to wine and I suggest that everyone should try a bottle!

HM

The Corkcicle

While this post does not suggest a wine for everyone to enjoy, it is showcasing an amazing Christmas gift that I got this year ... the Corkcicle! This is an ingenious idea, and one that I am going to purchase again and again for those friends/family of mine that love wine and any gadgets.

The Corkcicle helps to keep your wine temperature controlled, and cool. Its length is the size of the wine bottle, and the top looks like a cork, the rest of it like an icicle (hence the name). In order to use this, you freeze the Corkcicle and when you have a bottle of wine that you want to cool, or keep cool, you just insert the Corkcicle into your wine bottle, and voila, it cools to the perfect temperature! Another bonus, is that while it is cooling the wine, no water is being given off and the wine does not end up watery and diluted.

As a patio-loving Canadian, I am beyond excited to use this in the summer months. There is really nothing better than a bottle of delicious white wine, barbequed food and some friends on a balcony or in the backyard.

The Corkcicle retails for under $25.00 and I strongly suggest that everyone grabs one of these before patio season begins!

HM

Casillero del Diablo

It is crazy to believe that we are already in 2012 and almost halfway through the month of January. The holiday season was a whirlwind of family events, visiting friends, cooking and wine drinking. This holiday was extra special for me, as it seemed that a lot of out of town visitors came to Toronto. I had one from England, one from New York and two from Ireland ... very lucky indeed!! All were super generous, and usually came with a bottle of wine in hand.

 One that I had a glass of last night was the Casillero del Diablo Malbec from Chile. Now Malbec is one of those amazing grapes. Mostly, the best of them (in my opinion) come from South America, but I am of the impression that any Malbec is a good choice. The other wonderful part of this grape is that the price point is generally quite reasonable. Like any wine, you can always go up in price for better quality, but when you stay around the $10.50 - $15.00 you are still getting an excellent and easy to drink wine. This does not ring true for all grape varietals or regions (France, Italy, etc.) but for more New World wines it is, for the most part true. The Casillero del Diablo can be found at the LCBO and retails for a price of $11.95 ... fantastic! It is very easy to drink, perfect on its own or with grilled veggies, stews and poultry (all perfect winter meals). On the nose there are aromas of dark fruit and some spicy pepper and smoke. The palette matches the nose quite well and the wine itself has smooth tannins and a medium finish.

All in all, this is a great wine and an amazing value at that!

Happy 2012, may it be filled with lots of laughter, adventure and great wine!

HM