Ice Wine

This past weekend I had an extremely enjoyable Friday night in. I stayed at my parent’s house and it was wonderful to just get out of the city and relax. One of my friends came over and we went grocery shopping, made dinner and played cards. Absolutely amazing! Of course with a night in, there is always the need for wine and we decided to open up a bottle of 2001 Henry of Pelham Special Harvest ice wine. This was something that had been aging for a number of years and the cork was actually beginning to crystallize a bit. Basically, we opened it just in time and saved it from being spoiled within the upcoming months/year.

The wine was a deep gold with a super high viscosity and had the perfect amount of sweetness, tiny bit of tartness and was all in all perfect. I would highly recommend any ice wine (especially Henry of Pelham!), and would suggest that it can definitely be used in lieu of dessert. Due to the sweetness of the ice wine, it can sometimes be difficult to pair with a heavy dessert. If you want to enjoy both things, then I would just suggest some light macaroons are biscuits to go along with the ice wine.

 Ice wine is something that we, as Canadians, can enjoy and something that can be found in any LCBO. Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries have simply mastered the ice wine technique, and I personally feel that the taste and quality of the wine is just getting better with each harvest. I would suggest that everyone try an ice wine at some point (or multiple points), especially when we get into the summer months. There is really nothing better than sitting on a balcony, sipping an ice cold glass of ice wine.

Happy Drinking!

HM

Tasty Trius

Earlier this week, in preparation for the Bachelor finale (which exceeded all my expectations); I picked up a bottle of the new Trius Red 2010 (I also love how it is just called Trius red). This wine has just come out and I was excited to try it, as I usually really enjoy Trius wines. Typically (I am sorry to say this) Canadian wines are not my favourite, and I do not tend to gravitate towards them. However, I try to make an exception for certain wineries or recommendations that I receive. I have had great luck with Trius whites, reds and I particularly love their sparkling wines (white and rose).

This red was no exception; it was a medium to full-bodied wine and had a great structure. The tannins were rich, and it came with all of the notes and flavours that you would except from the blend. The blend that was used this year was Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose emanated black fruits (particularly blackberry and black cherry), with a touch of dark chocolate (from merlot portion) and black currant. The mouth was a bit more cherry forward and you could definitely taste the oak on the palette. The wine itself had a medium finish, and I thought it was great on its own. I still have most of the bottle left and I can’t wait to try a bit more soon when it has a bit more of a chance to breathe.

The wine is currently selling for $21.75 for the rest of the March, and then it goes up to $22.75 after this point. I would definitely recommend this one, the price is right and it does help out our Canadian winemakers!

Happy Wednesday!

HM

Bubbly Champagne

There are certain times where I have found myself in the position where I had some bubbly left over, and then had to toss it when I realized after storing it for a day (or two) all of the bubbles were gone. It is always a bit upsetting to have to toss out 'old wine', but I find the act of tossing out flat champagne to be especially depressing! Here are some tricks that I have learnt along the way (most involving items that you have lying around the house!).

• Use a champagne wine stopper. This pressure seals the bottle and keeps all the bubbles in so that you can store champagne for a number of days. This is the ideal way to store champagne, but the stoppers can prove to be expensive, especially if you are getting a good one.
• Raisins. Once you have poured out a glass or so of the champagne, you just toss a few raisins in and let them sit there. This does not really affect the taste, and for some reason helps to keep the bubbles, well, bubbly. You can also toss one in your glass the day after, and it will to some degree have the same reaction.
• Saran Wrap. Once the bottle has been opened, just grab some saran wrap, wrap it around the top of the bottle super super tight and seal it with an elastic. This helps to keep the bubbles in and you can store it for a couple of days this way.
• Silver Spoon. This way is said to be more of an old wives' tale, but I think that it works just fine. Once the bottle has been opened you take a small silver spoon and insert the end of it into the bottle (so the spoon part rests on top). Something about the metal keeps the fizz in!

Champagne and any sparkling wine are just too good to waste, so hopefully one of these tricks will help to make sure you don't have to do the day after toss again!

Happy Monday!
HM

Celebrations with Chardonnay

Happy Spring! I know it's not yet officially spring, but the weather in Toronto certainly seems to be in a huge, wonderful rush to declare a change in the seasons. The sun is strong, the temperature is warm, and the air just seems lighter. It's delightful.

I like to think that every day merits a celebration, but it's even more fun though when you actually have something to celebrate. A change in career for me, a new car for a friend, and a beautiful new haircut for another seemed like three great reasons to get together with two great friends and toast to happiness.

We started our evening with oysters, and moved back to my place where we made lovely lobster cobb salads. I picked up a most beautiful wine to pair with the salads, and my goodness, it did not disappoint. In short, I'm back on the California wine bandwagon in a big way. The culprit? A 2009 La Crema Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast (Healdsburg, specifically). This is a big, rich, lush, velvety wine. I love the way that a great chardonnay feels in the mouth - It's juicy, acidic, round, and rich all at once, which comes from a production process called malolactic fermentation. This is the process that turns harsher malic acid into the rounder, more soft lactic acid, and lends texture to the wine.

I don't find this wine overly oaky - It exhibits notes of pineapple, honey, buttered toast, and cinnamon. It's just a beautiful wine. Refreshing acidity weaves it's way through the glass, begging you back for more. Pair with any crab/lobster dish: I ensure you'll have an evening worth celebrating. At $27.95, it's a beauty. 

Xo

AK 

Getting Away

The best part of getting away is spending quality time with the people you love and creating memories together -- For me, these memories often have the common element of wine. I've had some lovely memories over the last few months: Sipping glorious white albarino at the John Dory Oyster Bar in NYC with one of my very best friends, opening a bottle of Pinot Gris poolside to kick off a Vegas weekend with four girlfriends, many bottles of bubbly on that same trip, and visiting a beautiful wine store tucked away in White Rock B.C. with my Mom and Sister.

I love independent wine stores. I know I've extolled the virtues of the Vintages section at the LCBO in the past, but there's something special about a privately owned store. The one in White Rock is called Swirl, and it predominately carries B.C wines. It's absolutely remarkable how many B.C wines they have -- Row after row of bottles are shelved proudly, and the staff is beyond enthusiastic to either point you in the direction of a wine you're looking for, or walk you through a tasting. On Fridays and Saturdays from 3-7, there's two local producers on display and you're welcome, no, encouraged, to enjoy a flight of wines without feeling an ounce of obligation to purchase. It's lovely. 

What are some of your favourite wine memories?

Xo

AK

Italian Holiday

Well, it's March. March always seems like a transition month - You're OH so close to spring, but still wearing your winter jacket, and red wine remains infinitely more appealing than a crisp rose. I think the Spring Break mentality is ingrained in all of us: There seems nothing more lovely than thinking about getting away for a week in March.. To a villa in Italy.

Given in I'm the midst of changing jobs, venturing off to Italy isn't in the cards for me. Instead, I've resolved to drink some Italian wines and try to get away from my regular (but so good) rotation of California/Portuguese reds, and Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc. 

I picked up an IGT red from the LCBO on my way home yesterday called Ripa Della Mandrole. I was seduced by the description, which read " The Vicchimaggio Castle has a long and storied history, including playing host to Leodardo di Vinci while he as painting the Mona Lisa." Granted, di Vinci was probably a rather poor man when he was painting the Mona Lisa, but I figured if the wine has that kind of history to back it, it must be good.

I must preface -- There are only certain times that I like Italian wines. I love a good barolo or barbaresco, but the typical chianti or sangiovese doesn't make it into my rotation. This wine was good: I could picture myself drinking it either in the sun in a villa in Italy with a plate full of antipasti, or out for dinner with friends paired with some veal, and being quite happy in my choice. It has some fruity notes on the nose (cherry) and some hints of cocoa and spice that give it depth, but it's balanced with the typical Italian acidity that screams food wine (perhaps I should drink wine with more food). I imagine it would only get more delicious in between bites of veal smothered in a tomato sauce: I would definitely pick this wine up (and it's only $14.00 right now!) for the next time you're planning on having some good friends over for a very typical Italian dinner. 

Xo

AK

Most favourite red (of all time?)

Over the weekend I had the very fun (for me!) task of going through my parents’ wine fridge. The fridge itself holds about 500 bottles, and as they are moving this week, they wanted to transport the wine themselves, ahead of the fridge. My job (if you could call it that) was to go through each bottle of wine and label whether they need to drink it now, or at a later date. The fridge is super packed, and it is quite easy to lose track of bottles!

When I was going through the fridge I found four bottles of my absolute favourite wine (as you can see, it made my top ten list). This is a wine that I learnt about in my first wine course and it is a Domaine Galevan Paroles De Femme Cotes Du Rhone 2007 AC. It is just delicious, and has such a beautiful colour and the bottle is super elegant (and it was $15!). Needless to say, as my fee, I took two bottles of the wine, and I can hardly wait to drink it.

The colour is a deep ruby/purple and the nose has the usual cassis, meat and black fruit notes to it. It is definitely a medium-full bodied wine with elegant tannins and a long finish. Essentially, for me this is my perfect wine! It is made of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and the rest is equal parts Cinsault and Carignan. I hope every year that I can find some more from this producer, but I have not had any luck at the LCBO as of yet … in the happy event that I do, I will make sure to let everyone know.

Happy Wednesday
HM

Delicious $10 Red (again!!)

There really is nothing better than a $10.00 bottle of Italian red, especially if it is delicious and full-bodied. I discovered this gem on my last LCBO adventure when I purchased an excess of red wine at a super reasonable total.

Last week I went for a ‘dinner club’ evening at a friend’s house with 5 other people. Essentially dinner club means that we take turns cooking for each other and hosting each other once a month. Last week’s meal was delicious and consisted of an amazing spinach and fig salad, along with a crusted salmon. I decided to bring over an Italian red that I had purchased for the bank-breaking price of $9.95. The wine is a Caldora Sangiovese 2010, Terre die Chiete from Abruzzo, Italy. I found it to be juicy with aromas of raspberry and some black fruit, along with the typically spices and barnyard/earth tones. It was a medium to slightly heavier red and I found it to be amazing on its own, as well as with dinner. I know that typically people don’t associate red with fish, but I thought that it worked great! It would also work with cheeses and other meats as well.

I am definitely going to go and purchase more of this one. It was delicious and a definite crowd pleaser! I suggest that others do the same, stock up on this one as it will also last for a couple of years and will hopefully just get better and juicier with age!

Tonight I am trying out a new wine bar that has gotten some rave reviews in the last while. Hopefully there will be some fantastic wine to drink!

Happy Friday!

HM