Beautiful Picture - Ireland

Well if this won't make you jealous on a Tuesday, than I am not too sure what will! This is a picture that was sent to me today, by my mom. It is a photo of my dad's glass of Amarone that they were drinking while on a cruise travelling through different parts of Ireland.

Really does not motivate me to do more work!
Happy Tuesday!

HM

Great Article - Globe and Mail

I found an article in the Globe and Mail this morning titled "The Best Wine Buys Under $20 a Bottle". It is an interesting article, talking about the increase in prices of wine, etc., along with some super recommendations for red and white wines.

I'm excited to try some of the wines, especially since they are from a variety of regions.

Happy Reading!
HM

Favourite wine ... finally back!

Well I went by the LCBO on Saturday, to grab some wine for a dinner that I was hosting. When I went into the LCBO, I, as usual, beelined it for Vintages. I grabbed a couple of bottles of Spanish wine, and thought that my visit was done (and for once, I was moderately under control with just 2 bottles). Well, as I was leaving, I looked at the new and noteworthy wines and much to my surprise, and EXTREME excitement, I saw that my favourite wine (mentioned here) was back. Last time it was in the LCBO was 2009, and I have checked back somewhat regularly in the hopes that a new year would come out.

Well, 2013 is a great year, and the 2010 version of the Galevan Paroles de Femme AOC Cotes du Rhone is back. I have so far purchased 5 bottles, and I am pretty sure that I will go grab a few more after work today. This wine is utterly delicious and comes at the amazing price of $13.45. I can't recommend this wine enough, and I can't wait to try this new vintage. Once I have tried it, I will provide more tasting notes for everyone.

Happy Monday!
HM

Who doesn't love wine-themed Holiday Gifts?

With the Holiday Season seemingly just around the corner (crazy), I have begun doing some Christmas Shopping. Whether looking for stocking stuffers, Christmas Gifts, or some hostess gifts, I tend to turn towards wine-themed items for a number of my purchases. In no particular order, here are ten great Christmas (Wine) ideas for this year:

1. Rabbit Wine Stoppers. These items work perfectly, and are super easy to clean. They also come in a variety of colours and you can usually find them at the likes of Home Sense, Winners, etc.
2. Chalkboard Wine Glasses. I bought these from Pier1 as a Secret Santa gift last year. They come with some chalk, and they are cute while still being very practical.
3. Small Bottles of Champagne/Sparkling Wine. You can usually get a pack of 3 of Prosecco, or Cava for around $15.00. This was a special request from my mother, as she loves enjoying something bubbly, but doesn't always want to commit to a full bottle!
4. The Corkcicle. I have posted about this in the past, and still think it is an ingenious creation (see old post).
5. Wine Aerator. These items are spectacular. They can turn any just opened from mediocre to spectacular. They allow you to decant a little bit of a bottle of a time, way less of a commitment than the traditional glass decantors.
6. LCBO gift cards. Always an amazing present.
7. Half Bottles of Wine. The LCBO is getting better about this (more red however, than white) and are increasing their offering. You can find 1/2 bottles of Santa Margerita, a number of Australian Wines, Californian Reds, etc. They are perfect to open during the week, when you really don't need to be opening that full bottle of wine!
8. Wine Lines. Cute little tags that are rubber and go around the stem of the glass. They have different themed packages. They are hilarious, colourful, and help to make sure that you don't lose your glass at a party.
9. Wine Fridge. This was one of my FAVOURITE gifts of all time. There will be another post on the wonderfulness of this later. It is a big ticket item, however, any wine fridge is just incredible.
10. The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil. I had to get this book for a wine course and it provided very interesting and meaningful information on wines, regions, the history, etc. It is a great book and should be only any wine enthusiast's book shelf.

Happy Friday!

HM

Borgogno - 2010 - GREAT Value

Well it seems to have been AGES since anything has been posted. That doesn’t mean that wine hasn’t been being consumed, it’s just that life seems to be that much more busy with work, celebrations, friends, travel, etc. (Not that I am complaining!!!).

 

I always love when a new Vintages gets published, and I receive notification on my phone that a new edition is available. The Vintages publication is a great way to see what is new at the LCBO, and they usually have some great valued wines, that are worth the try. That being said, they also usually have some ridiculously expensive wines as well. For example, the November 10th edition had wines ranging from $16.95, to a couple of hundred dollars (think beautiful reds and Vintage Champagnes).

 

When I was looking through, I spotted some interesting Italian Reds. I went to the LCBO that day, and picked up a few for an engagement gift, and obviously a couple for myself as well. One of the ones that stood out was the Giacomo Borgogno Barbera D'alba Superiore 2010, DOC. This wine goes for $19.95 in the Vintages section and is a steal. I picked up a bottle, and I have since tried it. It is a delicious Barbera from Piedmont and has a very dark ruby/purple colour. It has aromas of dark fruit (think plum, stewed strawberries/raspberries), essentially it smells like the inside of a deliciously cooked pie. The wine itself is medium bodied, has a great acidity and has a medium finish. I tried some straight out of the bottle, and it was great. I than used my wine aerator (best invention ever) and it made it that much more delicious.

 

I have since tried to find more, and apparently it was a very quick seller. There are still a few LCBO’s with the odd bottle, and if you are able to find it purchase this. Purchase it right away. It will be great to keep for a few years or you can enjoy it in this somewhat miserable weather.

 

Happy Drinking!

 

HM

 

Summer Spritzers

With summer having been in full effect for the last couple of months, it really is the season for lighter wines. Some people opt for spritzers, others just prefer a lighter white, or rose. Personally, I like my wine straight up and delicious, so I tend to gravitate towards a Vinho Verde or lovely Rose. There are others who love spritzers, as they do make for a wonderful and refreshing drink. When opting to add soda water or some sort of fizzy beverage (some people even do sprite), I would suggest a crisp and light wine. You do not want to have anything overly full, oaky or aromatic. This basically rules out Chardonnays, Rieslings, New Zealand/Australian Sauvignon Blancs and most French wines (due to their price point). You also do not want to use a pricey bottle, because when you are diluting the wine, you do not need to spend a ton of money. I would opt for bottles within the $10 - $12 range. Some top suggestions would be:

-          Jackson-Triggs Pinot Grigio (the $10.95 version, not the $17.95 one)

-          Jackson-Triggs Black Series Sauvignon Blanc ($12.95)

-          Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc ($10.25) – super inexpensive, and when mixed with sparkling water it is surprisingly delicious!

-          La Vieille Ferme ($11.95)

-          Most French Table wines – usually crisp and refreshing, and at a reasonable price point.

As you can see, most of these are pretty standard wines. The tasting notes for each of these would tend to be light, crisp wines with a moderately acidic finish – all of which pair perfectly when making a spritzer.

Happy Summer everyone! Enjoy some light and refreshing beverages when you still have the time!

HM  

Just another Book Club Adventure

Last Thursday marked another chapter in our "book club". This book club was going to be a barbeque on a rooftop filled with lots of delicious food, wine, and discussions on Coco Chanel's Secret War. Instead of this, we ended up with a downpour of rain with no discussion of the book at all! Despite this, it was still an evening of amazing food, wine and friends. For this evening I decided to bring along a new white. I wanted something that had a bit more of a 'full body' than say a Pinot Grigio, to make sure that it went well with the BBQ, while allowing us to still enjoy it on its own.


The wine that I went for was from Vintages and was released mid-April. The wine goes for $14.95 (amazing price for the quality) and is a 2011 Anselmi San Vincenzo from Veneto Italy. The wine itself is made from a garganega grape (not super common), and the grape itself has much fewer grapes per vine (yields) than most other grapes. The wine itself had delicious notes of lavender, white pepper and white peach. For me, the sweetness and intensity of the wine was somewhat reminiscent of a Gewürztraminer. It had a nice silky texture (likely due to a slightly higher level of sugar) and a long finish. The taste itself was full-bodied and delicious. I thought it paired perfectly with our turkey burgers and BBQ fare. It also works very well as a standalone wine. I would not pair this with something light (e.g. just a salad, more vegetable based meals), as I feel that it definitely benefited from a bit of a heavier/meatier fare.



I will definitely be purchasing this one again, and I would suggest that everyone does the same!



Happy Wednesday! Almost the weekend!

HM