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Video Preview of our Innovative Seminars & Exciting Events at the upcoming Toronto Wine & Cheese Show

12 Innovative Wine Events & Seminars at the Toronto Wine & Cheese Show, March 19th – 21st  at the Toronto International Centre

We are pleased to present a series of fun, unique and highly informative wine events and seminars at the upcoming Toronto Wine & Cheese Show.

David Lawrason and John Szabo offer you a sneak preview of the exclusive events and entertaining seminars in the following video links. Full details including the schedule and prices are listed below. Please note that full show admission is included in all event and seminar prices and limited space is available.

Events

Seminars


Events
Chef and Sommelier  Food and Wine Pairing Competition $80.00

Friday at 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.  Buy Now
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Buy Now

Six top Ontario chefs and their sommeliers take their best shot at matchmaking: one dish, one wine. You decide who’s nailed it and who needs to go back to the drawing board in this people’s choice awards. Master Sommelier John Szabo will introduce guidelines for successful pairing; guests will taste, enjoy and vote on their favourites. End the evening with “How Sweet It Is” a selection of desserts matched to dessert wines, ports, Sherries and spirits. Winner announced at the conclusion of the evening.


Great Ontario Wine & Cheese Pairing $55.00

Friday at 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.  Buy Now
Saturday at 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Buy Now
Sunday at 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Buy Now

The Dairy Farmers of Ontario present The Great Ontario Wine and Cheese Paring. Join Award Winning Sommelier, Zoltan Szabo to explore and savour Ontario’s burgeoning artisan cheese offerings and the finest Ontario wines! At each station you will be guided by a cheese specialist and sommerlier.


Sunday Sparkling Brunch $50.00

Noon – 1:30 p.m.  Buy Now

Guests will enjoy a European-style brunch featuring the main sparkling wines of Europe – including French Champagne, Spanish Cava, Italian Prosecco and Moscato d’Asti – plus other intriguing bubblies. They will be paired with a wide range of fruit, cheese, meat, seafood and pastry creations to get your Sunday off to a fine start.


Seminars

Seminars for Friday March 19, 2010

Navigating the New Wine Media $20.00

David Lawrason, WineAlign Critic
12:30 p.m.  Buy Now

Toronto Life and WineAlign critic David Lawrason will lead a panel discussion on the emergence of on-line wine reviewing and social media through websites like WineAlign, Facebook and Twitter, and how wine producers and agents can use them to improve their marketing efforts. Fee donated to Grapes for Humanity.


Name that Flaw $20.00

John Szabo, Master Sommelier and WineAlign Critic
2:00 p.m.  Buy Now

Master Sommelier John Szabo and Dr. Geroge Soleas, head of the LCBO’s Quality Assurance Laboratory will lead an informative seminar on common wine flaws. The audience will blind taste (or maybe just smell) to identify them, while Dr. Soleas delves deeply into their causes and remedies. Participation fee will be donated to Grapes for Humanity.


Does Organic Wine Taste Better? $50.00

John Szabo, Master Sommelier and WineAlign Critic
3:30 p.m.  Buy Now

John Szabo will lead a panel discussion and tasting of organic and bio-dynamic wines. The mysteries of these ultra-organic specialties will be revealed by Scott Jones, vineyard manager at Southbrook Winery, Paul Pender, head winemaker at Tawse Winery, and Mark Cuff of The Living Vine, a leading importer of organic wines in Ontario. The tasting will highlight the complexity, depth and sense of place that make organic wines unique.


Making Sense of Wines $40.00

Anne Martin, Canadian Living Wine Columnist
5:30 p.m.  Buy Now

Sommelier and the wine columnist for Canadian Living, Anne Martin will lead an entertaining tasting that explores the smell, taste and texture of wines of various styles and major grape varieties.


Canadian Gold $60.00

David Lawrason, WineAlign Critic
7:30 p.m.  Buy Now

Presented by Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards, chief judge David Lawrason will pour Ontarion and B.C. top drops that achieved gold medals in 2009, with insight as to what competition judges look for in blind tastings.


Seminars for Saturday March 20, 2010

Making Sense of Wines $40.00

Anne Martin, Canadian Living Wine Columnist
1:00 p.m.  Buy Now

Sommelier and the wine columnist for Canadian Living, Anne Martin will lead an entertaining tasting that explores the smell, taste and texture of wines of various styles and major grape varieties.


Into the Cellar $60.00

Gordon Stimmell, Toronto Star Wine Critic
3:00 p.m.  Buy Now

Toronto Star wine critic Gordon Stimmell discusses wine ageing and cellaring, with four pairs of wines of different styles, one from a recent vintage, one from a mature vintage.


90+ Points $60.00

David Lawrason and John Szabo, WineAlign Critics
6:00 p.m.  Buy Now

WineAlign critics David Lawrason and John Szabo present a selection of eight top scoring international wines currently on the market. The tasting and discussion will revolve around what critics are looking for in terms of quality, and what makes these wines deserving of 90+ ratings.


Seminars for Sunday March 21, 2010

Into the Cellar $60.00

Gordon Stimmell, Toronto Star Wine Critic
12:30 p.m.  Buy Now

Toronto Star wine critic Gordon Stimmell discusses wine ageing and cellaring, with four pairs of wines of different styles, one from a recent vintage, one from a mature vintage.


The Wine Price Challenge $50.00

WineAlign Critics
2:30 p.m.  Buy Now

WineAlign critics will lead a tasting of wines at various price points to demonstrate the relationship between price and quality. Wines will be tasted blind with guests guessing the price before labels are revealed. Prizes offered.


Italy’s Best Reds & Terroni’s Traditional Southern Italy Food $75.00

John Szabo, Master Sommelier and WineAlign Critic
3:30 p.m.  Buy Now

Master Sommelier John Szabo teams up with Toronto’s favorite southern Italian restaurant, Terroni, to offer an afternoon of great food and wine. Terroni’s chefs Giovanna Alonzi and Fabio Moro will be cooking up six specialty dishes from the bottom of the boot while John presents six of Italy’s best high-end reds.


Limited space is available. Book online now or visit towineandcheeseshow.com. Please note that admission to the show is included in all event and seminar prices.

For more information contact Filomena Feltmate
Call: 905-842-6591 ext 260

Email: ffeltmate@metrolandwest.com

Filed under: Events, News , , , , , ,

March 6th Vintages Preview – ¡Viva Chile! – by John Szabo

John Szabo, MS

A short while ago in this space I wrote about my most recent experience in Chile. It was January, and I was in a sunny and 30ºC+ Santiago in the height of summer enjoying the opportunity to judge at the country’s 7th annual wine awards. When the competition wrapped up, a group of tired but happy judges spent several more days diligently uncovering yet more of Chile’s secrets.  Like a group of astronomers scanning the night sky to spot the next supernova, we used our allotted time to scour a few wine regions for more values and heart-stoppers. Some regions I was visiting for the first time, while others I was revisiting to track the changes and developments in this-fast paced industry. Suffice to say that Chile is a dynamic country. The world of wine is spinning and changing ever-faster it’s true, but there is a real sense of momentum and purpose in this South American industry. And it’s hard to keep up with all of the developments. Chile is one of the fortunate few countries to have recorded an increase in export sales volume in 2009, in what was otherwise a mostly disastrous year for sales. So the Chileans must be doing something right.

The hazy morning after the wrap-up gala we leave Santiago and make the hour or so drive to the Casablanca Valley. This is certainly one of the most internationally recognized regions in Chile, having made a solid reputation for itself in the nearly thirty years since Pablo Morandé pioneered plantings of cool climate-loving varieties in the valley. Casablanca is windy and 4-5º cooler than Santiago on average, with the climate moderated by cool breezes and the fog that rolls in from the Pacific as reliably as a Swiss train. The morning we arrive at Veramonte winery is sunny and warm, but not hot. Gently moving air rustles the leaves of the vines and cools the skin. Yet not all zones of the valley are equally cool. The areas further in land from the coast, nestled at the foot of the hills that separate Casablanca from Santiago, are measurably warmer than the vineyards out by the sea. We drive to the east, away from the coast, through Veramonte’s extensive vineyards to a spot tucked at the end of the valley. We can go no further. It’s noticeably warmer here. But it’s still considered a good growing site off the frost-prone valley floor and on well-drained, low vigor hillsides.

Distinguished chardonnay and pinot noir among others are produced in the Casablanca Valley, but it is the sauvignon blanc that gets me excited. The feeling was strengthened throughout a well-organized and informative tasting of sauvignon blanc from several Casablanca estates held afterwards in Veramonte’s tasting room. If it’s even cooler climate style wine you’re after, than pass through Casablanca and head to the Leyda Valley, with some vineyards situated just a few kilometers from the cold Pacific coast. This is one of the most suitable regions in Chile to produce riveting, zesty whites and lean, firm elegant reds. Seek these out if you haven’t tried any yet. There are 3 Casablanca wines in this Vintages release, all white, including an innovative and very satisfying (and organically-grown) blend of chardonnay, viognier and marsanne from Novas.

After lunch and some engaging conversation about the relative merits of satellite imagery, the Humboldt Current and drip irrigation, we leave Casablanca by small plane (we load our own wine as there are no flight attendants on hand) and fly north to the Elquí and Limarí Valleys. Right on the edge of the Atacama Desert, these two areas have been growing grapes for many decades though almost exclusively to make Chile’s national spirit, pisco. Only in the last decade have they been identified as high quality potential wine regions. Like Leyda and Casablanca, the secret to quality winegrowing is the moderating effect of the Pacific and in some cases, the elevation of the vineyards. The Limarí Valley is gaining a lot of attention for the marked minerally profile of its wines, both red and white. This is an area of high Limestone content and high salinity in the soil. Irrigation serves two purposes here: one, to keep the vines alive and photosynthesizing and to reduce the water stress induced by inadequate rainfall, and two, to reduce the salinity of the soils.

Our tastings of the wines of Limarí show that this is a special place to make wine to be sure. It’s even windier here than in Casablanca, and the tablecloth, covering the makeshift vineyard table that supports our welcoming glasses of refreshing rose, very nearly alights on the wind. I look towards the coast and the low-rise hills separating us from the ocean, which seem to reach up and grab the drifting clouds out of the air and hold them fast to their crests. Hours later we emerge from the winery and there they are, immovable, constant, like clumps of cotton sitting on the hills. Our arrival by plane to Limarí had been delayed by the Camanchaca, the thick soupy fog that moves in from the sea, here as elsewhere in coastal Chile. It’s a fog that delivers moisture to the vines, cools the air temperature, disperses sunlight rays and delays air traffic with reliable consistency.
The release features 3 wines from Tabalí winery in Limarí, one of the leading producers in the region. Out of these, the hands-down outstanding value is the 06 Tabalí Merlot Reserva, a wine of super depth and intensity for under $15. Be sure to explore the diverse regions of this thin sliver of South America through the glass and get a sense of why Chile has earned itself a place on world markets and a reputation of making great value wines.

Outside of the feature, March 6th is a particularly rich day for bargain Hunters. For the first time in quite a few releases, all of the top ten smart buys are under $20. Some of my personal favorites include the savoury Rapsani from Tsantali in Greece, a wine lover’s wine crying out for some simply grilled lamb chops or kebabs, the wonderfully elegant, traditional style Dão Portuguese red from Quinta da Fata, and the classy Vignalta Rosso Riserva from the Veneto in Italy. If you’re looking for whites, it’s hard to beat the cool and crisp 08 Sileni Cellar Selection chardonnay from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, a very tidy and restrained wine for $14.95. Or for a memorable taste of wet rocks slathered with wildflower honey and peach purée, try the 07 Bürgerspital Silvaner from Germany’s Franken region in the unmistakable bocksbeutel, the flagon-shaped bottle rumored to have been modeled after a goat’s scrotum.

Top Ten Smart Buys:

1.    2005 VIGNALTA ROSSO RISERVA DOC Colli Euganei $19.95 91pts ***
2.    2007 QUINTA DA FATA DO Dão $16.95 90pts ***
3.    2007 ALKOOMI CABERNET SAUVIGNON Frankland River, Western Australia $19.95 90pts ***
4.    2007 BÜRGERSPITAL WÜRZBURGER SILVANER KABINETT TROCKEN QmP, Germany $19.95 90pts ***
5.    2008 ANDRÉ BLANCK ET SES FILS CLOS SCHWENDI PINOT GRIS AC Alsace, $19.95 90pts ***
6.    2007 FERNGROVE SHIRAZ Frankland River, Western Australia $19.95 90pts ***
7.    2006 TORREVENTO TORRE DEL FALCO IGT Puglia $15.95 89pts ***
8.    2008 SILENI CELLAR SELECTION CHARDONNAY Hawkes Bay, North Island $15.95 89pts ***
9.    2006 TSANTALIS RAPSANI Rapsani, Greece $12.95 88pts ***
10.  2005 ENCOSTAS DE ESTREMOZ QUINTA DA ESPERANÇA Vinho Regional Alentejano $14.95 88pts **1/2

Featured Chilean Wines at a Glance:

1.    2006 TABALÍ RESERVA MERLOT Limarí Valley $14.95 89pts ***
2.    2007 EMILIANA NOVAS WINEMAKER’S SELECTION CHARDONNAY/VIOGNIER/MARSANNE Casablanca Valley, $18.95 89pts **1/2
3.    2008 ERRÁZURIZ SINGLE VINEYARD DON MAXIMIANO ESTATE CARMENÈREAconcagua Valley $18.95 89pts **1/2
4.    2008 TABALÍ RESERVA ESPECIAL PINOT NOIR Limarí Valley $19.95 89pts **1/2
5.    2007 MONTES ALPHA PINOT NOIR Leyda Valley $19.95 88pts **
6.    2008 CASA LAPOSTOLLE CHARDONNAY Casablanca Valley $14.95 87pts **
7.    2008 ERRÁZURIZ SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC Casablanca Valley $14.95 87pts **1/2
8.    2008 CASA LAPOSTOLLE MERLOT Rapel Valley $16.95 87pts **
9.    2008 CASA LAPOSTOLLE CABERNET SAUVIGNON Rapel Valley $16.95 87pts **
10.    2007 MONTES ALPHA CARMENÈRE Colchagua Valley $19.95 86pts *1/2
11.    2007 TABALÍ RESERVA CARMENÈRE Limarí Valley $14.95 85pts *1/2
12.    2008 MONTES LIMITED SELECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON/CARMENÈREColchagua Valley, Apalta Vineyard $14.95 85pts *1/2

To see all of my reviews click here.

Cheers,


John Szabo, MS

Filed under: Wine , , , , ,

Cuvée Awards 2010 – by John Szabo

Cuvée Awards 2010

The winners of the 2010 Cuvée awards were announced on February 19, 2010 at the Fallsview Casino during the annual Cuvée Gala. The wine industry was out in full force and the gala organizers did an exceptional job in drawing in cooking talent from across the province – easily the best culinary experience at these awards, at least in my limited history.

What makes the Cuvée awards a little different from most competitions is that they are judged entirely by winemakers. Each participating winery is asked to enter their three best wines. According to the press release, “This year, 45 winemakers tasted over 200 wines from 56 wineries to determine the winners. In addition, during the judging process, judges are asked to indicate if wines merit a Cuvée Gold designation, demonstrating international standards for excellence in quality.”

Not surprisingly, many of the usual achievers figure among the winners. Here is the full list:

Cuvée Award Winners 2010

Red Wine / WINNER

sponsored by Scott Laboratories

Inniskillin Wines

Reserve Series Cabernet Franc 2007 GOLD

Limited Edition Red Wine / WINNER

sponsored by Sun Media Niagara Publishing Group

Niagara College Teaching Winery

Dean’s List Pinot Noir Canadian Oak Project 2007 GOLD

White Wine / WINNER

sponsored by Scott Laboratories

Flat Rock Cellars

Reserve Chardonnay 2007 GOLD

Limited Edition White Wine / WINNER

sponsored by Vines – Sun Media Niagara Publishing Group

Creekside Estate Winery

Reserve Viognier 2008 GOLD

LCBO Red Wine / WINNER

Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery

Proprietors’ Reserve Meritage 2007 GOLD

LCBO White Wine / WINNER

Creekside Estate Winery

Pinot Grigio 2008 GOLD

Sweet Wine / WINNERS

sponsored by Bruni Glass Packaging Canada

Konzelmann Estate Winery

Vidal Icewine 2007 1ST PLACE GOLD

Strewn Winery

Vidal Icewine 2006 2ND PLACE GOLD

Reif Estate Winery

Vidal Icewine 2007 3RD PLACE GOLD

Limited Edition Sweet Wine / WINNER

Mountain Road Wine Company

Vidal Icewine 2004 GOLD

Sparkling Wine / WINNERS

Hillebrand Winery

Trius Brut Rose NV TIED FOR 1ST PLACE GOLD

Maleta Estate Winery

VIEW Old Vines Dry Sparking Riesling 2007 TIED FOR 1ST PLACE GOLD

Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery

Cuvee Catherine Rose Brut NV 2ND PLACE GOLD

Cave Spring Cellars

Dolomite Brut 2006 3RD PLACE GOLD

Chardonnay / WINNERS

Flat Rock Cellars

Reserve Chardonnay 2007 1ST PLACE GOLD

DeSousa Wine Cellars

Chardonnay Reserve 2007 2ND PLACE GOLD

Riesling / WINNERS

Thirty Bench Wine Makers

Small Lot Riesling “Steel Post Vineyard” 2008 1ST PLACE GOLD

Rosewood Estates Winery

Natalie’s Riesling Süssreserve 2008 2ND PLACE GOLD

Gewürztraminer / WINNER

Rosewood Estates Winery

Gewürztraminer 2008 GOLD

Sauvignon Blanc / WINNER

Creekside Estate Winery

Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2007 GOLD

White Assemblage / WINNER

Legends Estates Winery

Diva (Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc) 2008 GOLD

Viognier / WINNER

Creekside Estate Winery

Reserve Viognier 2008 GOLD

Cabernet Sauvignon / WINNERS

Kacaba Vineyards

Kacaba Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 1ST PLACE GOLD

Hillebrand Winery

Showcase Cabernet Sauvignon Clark Farm 2007 2ND PLACE GOLD

Cabernet Franc / WINNERS

Inniskillin Wines

Reserve Series Cabernet Franc 2007 1ST PLACE GOLD

Tawse Winery

Van Bers Cabernet Franc 2007 2ND PLACE GOLD

Meritage / WINNERS

Thirty Bench Wine Makers

Small Lot Benchmark Red 2007 1ST PLACE GOLD

Vineland Estates Winery

Elevation Cabernet 2007 2ND PLACE GOLD

Southbrook Vineyards

Poetica Cabernet Merlot 2007 TIED FOR 3RD PLACE GOLD

Wayne Gretzky Estates

Estate Series Cabernet Merlot 2007 TIED FOR 3RD PLACE GOLD

Pinot Noir / WINNERS

Tawse Winery

17th St Pinot Noir 2007 1ST PLACE GOLD

Cave Spring Cellars

Pinot Noir Estate 2007 2ND PLACE GOLD

Gamay Noir / WINNER

13th Street Winery

Sandstone Vineyard Old Vines Gamay Noir 2007 GOLD

Merlot / WINNER

Peller Estates Winery

Signature Series Merlot 2007 GOLD

Red Assemblage / WINNER

Wayne Gretzky Estates

Estate Series Shiraz Cabernet 2007 GOLD

Syrah/Shiraz / WINNERS

Fielding Estate Winery

Syrah 2007 TIED FOR 1ST PLACE GOLD

Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery

Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Syrah 2007 TIED FOR 1ST PLACE GOLD

Toney Aspler Cuvée

Award of Excellence / WINNER

sponsored by Tony Aspler

Jon Ogryzlo, Dean, Food and Wine Sciences at Niagara College

Jon Ogryzlo – for spearheading the creation of the Niagara College

Wine Visitor & Education Centre.

Cuvée Award of

Excellence in Viticulture / WINNER

sponsored by the Grape Growers of Ontario

Albrecht Seeger, Seeger Farms

Cuvée Gold Awards

Sweet Wine

Château des Charmes Wines

Cabernet Franc Icewine Estate Bottled 2007 GOLD

Dan Aykroyd Wines

Signature Vidal Icewine 2006 GOLD

White Wine

Mountain Road Wine Company

Reserve Chardonnay 2006 GOLD

Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery

Reserve Chardonnay 2007 GOLD

Strewn Winery

Chardonnay Barrel Fermented Amalgam 2007 GOLD

Red Wine

Kacaba Vineyards

Kacaba Vineyards Proprietor’s Reserve Syrah 2007 GOLD

Filed under: Events, News, Wine , , ,

Feb 20th Vintages Preview (First-In-Line eReport) – by John Szabo

John Szabo

John Szabo

The Southern Rhône Valley & Kosher Wines

The main feature this week is the Southern Rhône Valley, that region of France that conjures up images of old stone farmhouses and stands of Mediterranean pines and slow-moving locals in berets. The near-constant blowing of the Mistral picks up the scent of wild Mediterranean herbs like lavender, thyme, bay and rosemary, and perfumes the air like an inner sanctuary of a five-star spa. The landscape is bathed in a pure and intense sunlight that no matter the time of day, seems to casts off a glow of pastel shades of ocher, soft blue and moss green. Hillocks roll gently down to the sea and vines grow amongst scattered round stones that were once carried by the meanderings of the mighty Rhône River. The Popes of Avignon made their summer home here and drank the local wine, and the Papal seal, two keys to the gates of St. Peter’s crossed, still adorns the bottles from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The southern Rhône has long been considered a source of great value country wines from France, and this is still largely true despite the more elevated prices of a handful of more famous appellations. The general style is for soft, open knit, generously proportioned wines with ripe and even baked red fruit flavours derived from Grenache, usually the dominant grape variety.

Yet I noted an alarming trend in this release towards overripe and overly alcoholic monsters, with a number of wines tipping the scales at 15%+. It’s always been hot in the Rhône Valley and ripeness has rarely been an issue, so I don’t think the style trend can be dismissed as a side effect of global warming. Much more likely is that a new belief has been instilled in producers that there’s more perceived value in harvesting later and making wines of gargantuan proportions. And the belief is not misguided, it seems, judging by the big scores from influential critics around the world included in the Vintages release magazine for some of these wines. That’s not to say that they’re all disproportioned. My top-rated wines showed plenty of ripeness to be sure, but balanced by acidity and tannins, not just alcohol and wood. Read the tasting notes to get the full picture of each wine’s style.

The top buys includes a couple of well-priced examples from the southern Rhône, and there’s also good representation from Spain and Italy as well as a stunning Riesling from Germany and an inexpensive but very tasty merlot from Mendoza.

Kosher wine is other theme of this release. Huge strides have been made in recent years in this category, and there are thankfully many good examples made around the world to choose from. It’s not all Manischewitz, of course. I likely don’t need to point out that neither is all kosher wine from Israel nor all Israeli wine kosher. The other important distinction is between straight kosher and mevushal kosher; the former follows strict rabbinical production procedures that exceed the scope of this intro, while the latter takes it a step further and involves pasteurization. With modern techniques of super-rapid, flash heating, not all mevushal wines come across as totally baked. Just read David Lawrason’s review of the Backsberg Chardonnay from South Africa for proof of this. I’ve listed two 90 point wines below that represent simply excellent wine, and they also happen to be kosher.

Top Ten Smart Buys:

1. 2007 DOMDECHANT WERNER’SCHES RIESLING KABINETT Hochheimer Hölle 91pts $19.95 ***
2. 2006 DOMAINE SAINT-PIERRE VACQUEYRAS AC 91pts $25.95 **1/2
3. 2007 CELLER PIÑOL SENORA DEL PORTAL ROBLE DO Terra Alta 90pts $20.95
4. 2008 TERRES SECRETES CROIX DE MONCEAU ST-VÉRAN AC 90pts $21.95
5. 2007 BANFI CENTINE IGT Toscana 89pts $16.95 ***
6. 2008 AGNUSDEI ALBARIÑO DO Rías Baixas 89pts $17.95 ***
7. 2008 MASSERIA ALTEMURA FIANO IGT Fiano Salento 88pts $13.95 ***
8. 2007 TERRES D’AVIGNON LES CARDINALICES GRANDE RÉSERVE CÔTES DU RHÔNE AC 88pts $14.95 ***
9. 2007 LA PIEVE CHIANTI DOCG 88pts $15.95 ***
10. 2007 CRISTOBAL 1492 OAK RESERVE MERLOT Mendoza 87pts $12.95 ***

Top Kosher Wines:

1. 2009 BACKSBERG CHARDONNAY WO Paarl, Mevushal 90pts $16.95
2. 2007 GALIL MOUNTAIN SHIRAZ/CABERNET SAUVIGNON Upper Galilee 90pts $27.95

To see all of my reviews click here.

Cheers,


John Szabo, MS

Filed under: Wine , , , , , ,

Vintages Preview for Feb 6th Release (First-In-Line eReport) – by John Szabo

John Szabo, MS

The feature this week is “north of 90”, wines that have scored 90 points or better somewhere in the world. There are many cynics out there who’ll say that if you submit your wines to enough reviewers, sooner or later you’ll hit the magic number (or get a gold medal at a competition somewhere). And the truth of the matter is, they’re probably right. So how much value can you place on these scores? The answer is, ça depend.

Reviewers taste wines in a hundred and one situations: alone, in groups, blind, open, in silence or with discussion, with the winemaker standing and watching over expectantly, with food or without, in one sip or many over the course of an evening, in a hotel room or a dining room, in summer on a patio or in winter by the fireplace. Most of the time, you don’t know the context and conditions under which the wine was reviewed and scored. This makes the apparent accuracy implied by a precise numerical score a little spurious to say the least. Some tasters are more prone to shifting judgment, while many experienced tasters do a pretty good job at filtering out all of the outside influences. The better and more consistent the reviewer, the more reliable the reviews.

The point to take away is that is pays to get to know the reviewer. By following someone for a even a short while, you’ll quickly learn who is consistent and who is less so, and most importantly, with which reviewers you tend to agree the majority of the time.  That is the brilliance of the WineAlign concept. With a few cross comparisons of reviews, you can easily find the reviewer who’s tastes line up with yours. I was recently approached by a couple of long time FIL subscribers who said to me “we are completely in step on virtually all wines, but we disagree on one major point: the use of wood”. Fair enough I say. I don’t like woody wines, this couple did. We can still be friends. They can now also interpret my ratings based on this knowledge, so that if I score a wine lower because of excessive wood (in my opinion), they can likely bank on enjoying it. In the same way, I’ll almost always enjoy a Parker 88 point wine over the 92, because I’ve done the comparisons. All you need do is pick up a couple of bottles from each release, taste them, then compare what Rod Phillips, David Lawrason or I or anyone else from WineAlign had to say. Whose impressions most closely matched with yours? After several comparisons it’ll become more and more clear with whom you ‘align’, and you can set up your account preferences (Palate Profiler) to reflect this rating preferential, and filter on the wines most relevant to you.

On consistency, nearly all, and occasionally 100% of the wines reviewed for the Vintages releases are evaluated in the exact same context, at least I can speak for WineAlign’s reviews. It’s not very romantic in the LCBO laboratory. It’s white, it’s brightly lit; there’s an almost clinical, antiseptic atmosphere. No soft lighting, comfortable chairs, background sultry jazz, amiable conversation or scents of savoury goodies emanating from the kitchen. Wines are lined up side by side like convicts awaiting their turn in front of firing squad. Each taster goes through (mostly complete silence) making his or her notes and ratings, at their own pace. Discussion is strongly discouraged. Glassware is all the same (the LCBO provides ISO glasses). The only thing missing is the lab coat. It’s about as far from the average setting in which wine is enjoyed as you can get. But that’s the point. Believe me, we are not there for laughs, but to work, in concentrated silence to find the best. Every wine gets the same treatment. Let’s call it communist wine tasting (in it’s pure, theoretical form): no favoritism or influence, other than the personal history and experience that each reviewer brings to the room. Under these conditions, any wine that edges into the highly recommended, gold medal, 90+ category deserves a look. Even more so if a majority of reviewers draw the same conclusion independently.

Last week while in Chile, David Lawrason approached me after a tasting at a winery in the beautiful Elquí Valley and said: “I can’t help when tasting but to think about how these wines would fair in the context of the LCBO lab at a vintages release”. Strangely enough, I was thinking the exact same thing at that moment. Even in these stunning surroundings, with an affable winemaker passionately sharing his production techniques, as soon as the nose hits the glass, you’re transported back to that bleak whitewashed laboratory. Bloody hell, that’s a curse not a gift. We concluded that our results would not be much, if different at all. So much for the romance of the Elquí Valley.  David’s been doing this for considerably longer than I have and I consider him to be one of the most consistent tasters around. So no surprise that the standard context in which he does much of his reviewing would impose itself in as far flung a setting as northern Chile on the edge of a dessert. It’s becomes second nature, much like the ‘zone’ that a professional athlete gets into, able to exclude the screaming opposition fans at an away game. That’s what I mean by experience leading to greater consistency, and hence reliability of reviews. Everybody is entitled to an opinion, and anyone who can count to one hundred can rate a wine. But reliability is the key that I would look for in a reviewer.

All in all, in this release I found 24 wines in the 90+ range, that’s close to ¼ of the release which is an unusually high percentage. And no, I was not in a particularly buoyant mood. There are some fine wines here. But of course, it’s up to you to decide whether you agree or not. And I’m sure you can figure out what best to pour for your own Valentine’s sweetie.

Top Ten Smart Buys:
1. 2006 WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Coonawarra, South Australia 92pts $24.95 ***
2. 2008 LAMMERSHOEK CHENIN BLANC
WO Swartland 91pts $18.95 ***
3. 2008 CONCHA Y TORO TRIO RESERVA CHARDONNAY/PINOT GRIGIO/PINOT BLANC
Casablanca Valley 89pts $12.95 ***
4. 2007 CHÂTEAU SAINT-ROCH CHIMÈRES
AC Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, Midi 91pts $19.95 ***
5. 2007 THELEMA SUTHERLAND CHARDONNAY
WO Elgin 91pts $19.95 ***
6. 2007 ALTA VISTA ATEMPORAL ASSEMBLAGE
Mendoza 91pts $19.95 ***
7. 2008 OMAKA SPRINGS PINOT GRIS
Marlborough, South Island 90pts $17.95 ***
8. 2006 JUAN GIL TINTO
DO Jumilla 90pts $21.95 ***
9. 2008 TERREDORA LOGGIA DELLA SERRA GRECO DI TUFO DOCG,
Campania 89pts $19.95 ***
10. 2007 LE SECRET DES CAPITELLES SAINT-CHINIAN
AC 88pts  $14.95 ***

To see all of my reviews click here.

Cheers,


John Szabo, MS

PS: advanced apologies for the February 20th Vintages release.  Due to a conflict with the media tasting day at the LCBO, reviews will not be posted until February 18th instead of the usual full week’s advance. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Filed under: Wine , , , , ,

Annual Wines of Chile Awards: Canadian Critics Choose Chile’s Top Wines – By John Szabo

John Szabo, MS

All Winners Revealed Below

The seventh Annual Wines of Chile Awards competition wrapped up in Santiago last week. It’s the principal annual tasting to determine the country’s best wines, and I was happy to take part along with a delegation of ten Canadian judges. Among the crew were most of the country’s sharpest and most experienced palates, including WineAlign colleagues David Lawrason and Rod Philips, as well as country-wide representation from the highly-respected likes of Vancouver Sun critic Anthony Gismondi and the Montreal Gazette’s William Zacharkiw. Effectively Canadian impressions were covered from coast to coast.  The Chileans welcomed us warmly, and the hospitality was world class. Three days and 460-odd wines later, the medal winning and category champion wines were announced at the annual Gala party, with much of the Chilean wine industry in attendance (and an on-screen appearance from Madonna). There was much rejoicing, celebration and dancing late into the night.

Nothing unusual so far; it’s a set-up that I’ve seen at many international wine competitions around the world. And the Chileans had the courtesy to unfold the Gala events in English, it’s assumed, out of respect for the foreigners – nice touch (imagine having to sit through 3 hours of winner announcements and speeches all in Greek – thank Dionysus for ouzo).

Yet there were a few of aspects about this competition that struck me as more than a little curious. Firstly, I expected to be sharing the panel along with Chile’s top wine experts (and critics from other countries), in a sort of cross-cultural exchange of wine impressions. It would have been highly educational for the Canadian critics to learn the about the Chilean’s impressions of their own wine from their national context, while presumably they would benefit from our extra-territory impressions and the experience that comes with living in the world’s most multicultural country. After all, Canada imports wines from every wine-producing corner of the globe. This educational exchange is the most rewarding side-benefit of attending these competitions; it’s certainly not for the romance of spending three days in a closed room slogging through flight after flight of wines poured from anonymous black plastic-wrapped bottles, with your powers of concentration and tasting discipline pushed to the max.

But as it turned out, the Canadians were the only judges at the competition. Not to be overly dramatic, but if you consider it, that means that the burden of tasting through and finding a country’s best wines was left to a group of foreigners, with less experience by definition than her countrymen. Not a single Chilean opinion on the books. It would be like inviting a group of Chilean critics to judge the Canadian Wine Awards while we sat back and watched and waited expectantly. But on deeper inspection, the cleverness of the approach became apparent. My inference is that the exercise was largely a market intelligence-grab, a way for the Chilean industry to look deep into the preferences of a single country. Canada is one of the main export markets for Chile, and for a good handful of producers both large and small, the most import market, so it makes sense to find out exactly which wines Canadians like in order to better tailor, or target, specific wine styles for our market. As I later learned, the Americans and the British (both important markets for Chile) had been invited before us to go through the same exercise, their national opinions alone used to select the country’s top wines. Pretty smart indeed; that’s the number one rule of both the Art of War and Marketing: know thy enemy (market) and know thyself, and your chances of success are assured. (For the record, we awarded more gold medals than the British, and fewer than the Americans, proving once again that Canada is a country of moderate, non-extremists.) Next year, as I understand it, there will be an international panel assembled (Canadians, Americans, British?) to judge the eighth annual Wines of Chile Awards.

The second curious aspect was that the competition was restricted to wines retailing for less than $30. This effectively eliminated all of the so-called “icon” wines of Chile, the Señas, Almavivas, Casa Reals, Don Melchors et all. Why would this be? Shouldn’t a national competition be open to all wines produced in the country, regardless of price? As it was, the entries were divided into 2 price categories, above and below $15. Couldn’t there have been an over $30 category? Wouldn’t you want to expose your foreign guests, all journalists, to the country’s presumed best wines so that we can sing their praises back home and create a trickle down, halo effect on some of Chile’s less expensive (better value) offerings? Perplexing to say the least. I suppose one can logically assume that these top, expensive wines are selling so well that they have nothing to gain, but rather everything to lose from entering into the competition. Many of the world’s most illustrious wine producers refuse to submit their wines to competitions on similar grounds, but I’ve never heard of them being banned from entering. To be fair, we were given the opportunity to taste many of Chile’s best wines outside of the competition during many of the dazzling dinner events, but it’s certainly not the same as tasting them together in a lineup of blind wines.

Thirdly, considering that Chile has nearly 118,000 hectares of vineyard (that’s a lot, about the same as Bordeaux where 10,000 petit châteaux duke it out for market share), there were only 460 wines put forward in the national competition. Where were the rest? Makes one wonder what sort of pre-selecting went on behind the scenes. I understand that each winery was limited to 6 entries, and that many of the larger brands run into the millions of cases, meaning the total number of brands available on the market is relatively small compared to vineyard area, but the number still seems a little small. Not that we were asking for more. It might not be a bad idea after all to have some pre-screening done to make the final stage of the competition run more smoothly, kind of like World Cup qualifying rounds to eliminate the bottom end. But I wonder how it was done. Was it left entirely up to the wineries to screen their own production and submit their best? Or maybe only the wines that they would expect to please the Canadian palate, or those that are already available in Canada and would stand to benefit more from a medal than a wine that is not currently exported to our country? Whatever the case, just a little more clarity on the parameters would place the whole affair on more solid ground.

I certainly don’t intend to diminish the value of the Wines of Chile Awards, merely to put it into context so that the results can be interpreted accurately. The competition logistics were professionally organized, all wines were served in strictly single blind fashion as per international norms (only price category and varietal category were known), and we worked bloody hard to select the wines that we thought were the best in each category. There were naturally some surprises (for both us and the Chileans), but many of the expected producers, recognized in Canada for their fine quality and value, rose to the top. While we can be sure that these are not necessarily the best wines in all of Chile for the reasons stated above, I would be more than happy buy and drink any of the top performers. So here below are the final results by category, with category winners followed by runners-up. Below that is the full list of Gold Medal winning wines (52 in total). As an added bonus, many of these wines are available in Canada:

Sauvignon Blanc

  1. Bravado Wines Marina García Schwaderer 2009
  2. MontGras Amaral 2009
  3. Leyda Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (2006)

Chardonnay

  1. Cono Sur 20 Barrels Limited Edition Chardonnay 2008 (2007)
  2. Maycas del Limarí Quebrada Seca Chardonnay 2007
  3. Gracia Chardonnay Ilusion Reserva lo Mejor 2007

Other White

  1. Cono Sur Vision Viognier 2009 (2008)
  2. Agustinos Reserva Privada Pinot Gris 2008

White Blend

  1. Estampa Reserve Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay/Viognier  2009
  2. El Aromo Winemaker Selection Viognier Chardonnay 2009

Pinot Noir

  1. Cono Sur 20 Barrels Limited Edition Pinot Noir 2008 (2007)
  2. Viña Mar de Casablanca Reserva Especial Pinot Noir 2008

Merlot

  1. Ventisquero Grey Merlot 2007
  2. Arboleda Merlot 2007
  3. Loma Larga Vineyard Merlot 2008

Carmenere

  1. Casa Rivas Gran Reserva Carmenere 2007
  2. Caliterra Tributo Carmenere 2008
  3. Errazuriz Carmenere Vineyard 2007

Syrah

  1. San Pedro 1865 Single Vineyard Syrah Cachapoal 2007
  2. Mayu Syrah Reserva Limarí Valley 2007
  3. San Pedro Castillo de Molina Shiraz 2008 Maule Valley

Cabernet Sauvignon

  1. Echeverría Founders Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
  2. Vistamar Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
  3. Viña Canepa Finisimo Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Other Red

  1. Odfjell Vineyards Orzada Carignan 2006
  2. Via Wines Oveja Negra Single Vineyard Carignan 2008
  3. Santa Helena Vernus Malbec 2008

Red Blend

  1. O. Fournier Centauri Blend 2008
  2. Falernia Carmenere/Syrah Reserva 2008
  3. Ventisquero Vertice Carmenere-Syrah 2006

Best Value White

  1. Viña Bravado Marina García Schwaderer 2009
  2. Palo Alto Sauvignon Blanc 2009
  3. Cono Sur Vision Viognier 2009 (2008)

Best Value Red

  1. Via Wines Oveja Negra Reserva Cabernet Franc Carmenere 2008
  2. Falernia Carmenere-Syrah Reserva 2008
  3. Loma Larga Vineyard Merlot 2008

Best in Show

  1. San Pedro 1865 Single Vineyard Syrah Cachapoal 2007
  2. Cono Sur 20 Barrels Limited Edition Pinor Noir 2008 (2007)
  3. Viña Bravado Marina García Schwaderer 2009

Gold Medal Winnning Wines (in alphabetical order)

2007 1865 Single Vineyard Syrah Cachapoal

2008 Agustinos Reserva Privada, Pinot Gris Bío Bío

2009 Agustinos Reserva Privada, Sauvignon Blanc Bío Bío

2009 Amaral Leyda

2007 Arboleda Merlot Aconcagua

2009 Aromo Winemaker Selection Viognier Chardonnay Maule

2008 Caliterra Tributo Carmenere Colchagua

2007 Canepa Finisimo Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua

2005 Carmen Reserva Petit Syrah Maipo

2008 Carmenere Gran Reserva/Family Selection Colchagua

2007 Casa Rivas Gran Reserva Carmenere Maipo

2008 Castillo de Molina Shiraz 2008 Maule Valley Maule

2008 Centauri Blend Maule

2008 Chardonnay Ilusion Reserva lo Mejor Gracia Bío Bío

2008 Chardonnay Select Reserva Porta Bío Bío

2008 Cono Sur 20 Barrels Limited Edition Chardonnay Casablanca (2007)

2008 Cono Sur 20 Barrels Limited Edition Pinor Noir Casablanca (2007)

2009 Cono Sur Vision Viognier Colchagua (2008)

2007 Cuvée Alexandre Merlot Casablanca

2008 De Martino Legado Chardonnay Reserve Limarí

2005 Echeverría Founders Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo

2007 Errazuriz Carmenere Vineyard Aconcagua

2007 Estampa Reserve Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc Colchagua

2009 Estampa Reserve Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay/Viognier Casablanca

2008 Falernia Carmenere Syrah Reserva Elqui

2008 Falernia Syrah Reserva Elqui

2007 Grey Merlot Colchagua

2007 Grey Syrah Colchagua

2007 Hacedor de Mundos Cabernet Franc Maule

2009 Leyda Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Leyda (2006)

2007 Liguai Maipo

2008 Loma Larga Merlot Casablanca

2008 Malbec Gran Reserva/Family Selection Colchagua

2009 Marina García Schwaderer Casablanca

2007 Matetic Corralillo Syrah San Antonio

2007 Maycas del Limarí Quebrada Seca Chardonnay Limarí

2007 Mayu Syrah Reserva Elqui

2008 Misiones de Rengo Cuvée Carmenere Rapel

2007 Montes Alpha Carmenere Colchagua

2006 Odfjell Orzada Carignan Maule

2008 Oveja Negra Reserva Cabernet Franc Carmenere Maule

2008 Oveja Negra Single Vineyard Carignan Maule

2009 Palo Alto Sauvignon Blanc Maule

2008 Porta Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Aconcagua

2008 Quintay Q Chardonnay Casablanca

2007 Reserva Especial Maycas del Limarí Syrah Limarí

2007 Reserva Privada Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Maipo

2008 Santa Helena Vernus Malbec Colchagua

2008 T.H. Syrah Limarí

2006 Vertice Carmenere – Syrah Colchagua

2008 Viña Mar Reserva Especial Pinot Noir Casablanca

2006 Vistamar Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo

Filed under: Featured Articles, Wine , ,

Top Value Banquet Wines – by John Szabo

John Szabo

Recently I tasted through about 70 100% VQA wines from across Canada in search of the country’s best value wines. The purpose was to select the top VQA examples that would be worthy of showcasing at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa for banquets and intermissions.

Since celebrity Chef Michael Blackie took over in the kitchen early last year, the NAC has seen significant changes on all levels and is on its way to becoming a premier dining destination in the nations’ capital. No longer is it an old-fashioned meat-and potatoes menu for quick, pre-theatre sustenance. Blackie has elevated the sophistication of the food to top standards with a very ambitious menu indeed. The wine program, evidently, needed significant revamping and updating to say the least, and I have been working with Chef Blackie and dining room manager Tegan Schioler to bring the beverage side of the operation, including service, to the same level. There is still much to be done, but I’m happy to report that it is going very well. If you haven’t been in a while, be sure to drop in, no theatre tickets required!

Having participated for the last 5 years as a judge in the Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards, The country’s best wines are certainly familiar to me. But what was most satisfying was the overall level of high quality and drinkability, knowing that these were all very reasonably priced. VQA wines are often knocked for their poor quality/price ratio relative to international stage, but this tasting belied that belief once again.

In order to select these wines, I sent out a call to tender to Canadian wineries, from which I pre-selected 70 or so samples to be tasted. It was hardly a comprehensive look at all of Canada, and many of the wines I would have liked to see were missing from the lineup, but it was still representative nonetheless. The wines were set up in flights and tasted blind, that is, I knew the style/varietal category and the wines that had been submitted, but not the order in which they were served. Not surprisingly, many of the classic good value Canadian producers emerged, along with a few unexpected surprises. In the end, a dozen whites and ten reds made the cut. Virtually all are under $15/bottles (licencee price), and many are even under $10. In the end it will be the banquet guests and intermission wine drinkers who win; you can bank on a good glass of wine at the NAC. Here are my top picks. Some are available at the LCBO, others are winery direct. If you’re looking for good ‘house wine’, this is a reliable list to start with.

White

2007 Riesling Off-Dry, Rosehall Run, VQA Ontario

2008 Chardonnay Unoaked, Palatine Hills, Niagara

2008 Chardonnay, Vineland Estates, Niagara

2007 Dry Riesling, Vineland Estates, Niagara

2008 Semi-Dry Riesling, Vineland Estates, Niagara

2008 Riesling Dry, Cave Spring, Niagara

2007 Chardonnay, Cave Spring, Niagara

2008 Sullyzwicker White, Rosehall Run, Prince Edward County

2008 Pinot Grigio ‘Ogopogo’s Lair, Prospect Winery, Okanagan Valley

2008 Sauvignon Blanc ‘Spotted Lake’, Prospect Winery, Okanagan Valley

2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Vineland Estates, Niagara

2007 Chardonnay Estate Bottled, Château des Charmes, Niagara

Rosé

2008 Huff Estates South bay Vineyards Rosé, Prince Edward County

Red

2008 Lakeshore Red, Palatine Hills, Niagara Lakeshore

2007 ‘Noirs’ (Pinot & Gamay), 13th Street, Niagara

2007 Gamay Noir, Estate Bottled, Château des Charmes, Niagara

2007 Cabernet Franc Varietal Series, Inniskillin, Niagara

2008 Pinot Noir Reserve, Pelee Island, VQA Ontario

2007 Pinot Noir Five Vineyards, Mission Hill, Okanagan Valley

2007 Cabernet-Shiraz, Dan Aykroyd, Niagara

2007 Rosewood Estate Renaceau Vineyard Merlot, Beamsville Bench

2008 Cabernet-Merlot, Pilliteri

2007 Cabernet- Merlot Five Vineyards, Mission Hill, Okanagan Valley

Filed under: News, Wine , , ,

Vintages Preview for Jan 23rd Release (First-In-Line eReport) – by John Szabo

John Szabo

The feature of the January 23rd Vintages release is Argentina, though unfortunately many of the wines were not made available to media for pre-tasting. Nor were many of the 2006 Bordeaux scheduled for release for that matter. But nonetheless I came across a solid range of sub-$20 wines to recommend in the top ten smart buys. Topping the list is an extraordinarily good chardonnay from Hungary, of all places, made in a delicately oaked, old world, food friendly version that will have your friends guessing excellent Mâcon or similar. At just $10.95, you really can’t go wrong (and this has nothing to do with the fact that my last name is about as Hungarian as they come, promise).
The Iberian peninsula makes another strong showing on the value scale, with a lovely Douro red from the elegant 2007 vintage, a rich and fruity red from further south in the Alentejo, and a solidly structured red from Spain’s Montsant DO in Catalonia. Greece, Italy and France are also represented, as is California with a reserved and mature Cabernet from the Alexander Valley. For the record the two top buys from Argentina out of those tasted were:

2008 SANTA JULIA RESERVA CHARDONNAY Mendoza $13.95 *** (88 pts)
2007 KAIKEN CABERNET SAUVIGNON Mendoza $14.95 *** (88 pts)

Top Ten Smart Buys:
10. 2007 ÈTIM NEGRE DO Montsant $14.95 **1/2 (87 pts)
9. 2008 SÃO MIGUEL DAS MISSÕES RESERVA Vinho Regional Alentejano $15.95 **1/2 (88 pts)
8. 2007 CHÂTEAU DONA BAISSAS CUVÉE PER DONA CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON-VILLAGES AC $15.95 *** (88 pts)
7. 2008 SANTA JULIA RESERVA CHARDONNAY Mendoza $13.95 ***  (88 pts)
6. 2008 CHAVET MENETOU-SALON BLANC AOC $18.95 ***  (89 pts)
5. 2004 GEYSER PEAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON Alexander Valley, Sonoma County $17.95 *** (89 pts)
4. 2008 SURANI PIETRARICCIA IGT Fiano Salento $16.95 *** (89 pts)
3. 2008 NASIAKOS MANTINIA AOC $15.95 *** (89 pts)
2. 2007 QUINTA DO INFANTADO RED DOC Douro  $23.95 **1/2 (90 pts)
1. 2007 LAKE VELENCE OAK AGED CHARDONNAY Etyek-Budai Borvidék, Hungary $10.95 ***  (89 pts)

To see all of my reviews click here.

Cheers,


John Szabo, MS

Filed under: Wine , , , , ,

Vintages Preview for Jan 9th release (First-In-Line eReport) – by John Szabo

John Szabo

Happy New year!

As the last bubbles of champagne burst and fade away like early morning dreams in the hazy distance of memory, the first release of the new year brings a sobering dose of reason, that is, reasonable prices. The customary ‘good value’ lineup has been trotted out by the LCBO, designed to keep you imbibing though the pocket book be little slimmer (even though you may not be). And also as expected, the countries with a reputation for offering a solid mouthful for a fair a price top the list of the top ten smart buys, namely places like Chile and Australia. Benign climates and low production costs mean that decent wine can be made for prices well below those of countries with more variable, marginal climates and higher labour and production costs. While the New World generally has the edge in this category, you’ll also notice a couple of Old World countries in the top ten list: Portugal and Greece. Both of these wine producing nations are in the fringe of consumer consciousness, but should certainly front of mind for savvy consumers looking for a more traditional flavour profile at attractive prices.
All in all, there is more than enough sunshine-filled wines to choose from to keep you satisfied through the coldest months, while you await the return of verdant landscapes promised by the ancient pagan symbol of an evergreen tree in your living room.

Top Ten Smart Buys:

10. 2008 PAÇO DE TEIXEIRÓ BRANCO Vinho Regional Minho $12.95 *** (87 pts)
9. 2007 LOS VASCOS CABERNET SAUVIGNON Colchagua $13.95 *** (88 pts)
8. 2004 TSANTALI RESERVE RAPSANI AO $18.95 **1/2 (89 pts)
7.
2006 GROVE STREET CABERNET SAUVIGNON Sonoma County $17.95 *** (89 pts)
6. 2007 ZEEPAARD SHIRAZ Western Australia $16.95 *** (89 pts)
5.
2006 QUINTA DO RONCÃO RESERVA DOC Douro $13.95 *** (88 pts)
4. 2008 VIÑA MAIPO RESERVA CARMÉNÈRE Rapel Valley $12.95 *** (88 pts)
3. 2008 TABALÍ RESERVA SAUVIGNON BLANC Limarí Valley $12.95 *** (88 pts)
2. 2005 LA FÉE VIOLINE CAHORS AC $12.95 *** (88 pts)
1. 2008 D’ARENBERG THE STUMP JUMP GRENACHE/SHIRAZ/MOURVÈDRE McLaren Vale, South Australia $14.95 *** (89 pts)

Cheers,

John Szabo

You can see all of John’s reviews for the almost 100 wines in January 9th Vintages release here.

Filed under: Featured Articles, Wine , , , ,

The New Wine Map 2010 – By John Szabo

John Szabo


Every new vintage changes the world’s winescape. Winners and losers are fashioned by weather, wine trends and market whims. New regions distinguish themselves, classics are re-established or plummet in popularity. What was new becomes old and what was unknown becomes hot. It’s my job to track those changes, and here’s a short list of next year’s countries, regions and wines to watch.


Canada

Loyal readers are already tuned in to great Canadian wine, but this year saw some major upheavals that will change things for the better still. First there was the CIC debacle. In case you missed it, the ball got rolling when the story was broken that Vincor, our largest wine company and official sponsor for the Vancouver Olympics, would be passing off non-Canadian wine to unsuspecting consumers using the perfectly legal but devilishly misleading “Cellared in Canada” designation for their Olympic wine, Esprit. These wines can contain up to 70% foreign grapes and still qualify as “Cellared in Canada”, which appears to all but the seriously pedantic as “Canadian” wine. Major embarrassment for Vincor, Olympic organizers, and Canada. They’ve since agreed to put only VQA (100% local) wine into Esprit.

But the PR fiasco, along with irreconcilable differences with 100% VQA producers, have led Vincor and the 6 other major companies dependent on CIC revenues to withdraw from the Wine Council of Ontario, the industry’s promotional organization. With them goes 20% of the WCO’s promotional budget. But the WCO may finally be cured of its split personality disorder, the mutually exclusive agendas of satisfying both the gods of CIC (more powerful) and VQA (only demi-gods, financially). Now the WCO can get down to promoting local juice exclusively. Labeling and signage in provincial monopoly stores will also be tidied up (a clear separation between VQA and ‘international blends’), and consumers will finally no longer (we hope) be duped.  Now we can focus on our great Canadian wines; check out wineaccess.ca for the results of the 2009 Canadian Wine Awards.

South Africa

FIFA World Cup fever hits South Africa next June, when the world’s attention will be squarely focused on the Cape. Local wine producers know that this is their 15 minutes, so expect dozens of over-delivering values from the bottom to the top shelf. If you’re traveling to see the Cup, you can have wines matched up with the Big 5 game animals. Yes, that’s right. Wines of South Africa has undertaken to train 2010 front line servers by 2010 to deliver the message of SA wine to football fans, a tall order, considering that few locals have any wine knowledge. But WOSA has devised a clever training program in which the major grapes are compared with African animals to make wine more accessible, a way of teaching that makes sense to the African wine un-educated. Doesn’t cabernet sauvignon remind you of elephants? Huge, thick hide, lives for a long-time, long backbone, king of animals… Or Shiraz, the rhino of the wine world, the feisty, spicy one with the horn…

South Africa is already known as a source of hot values, from the traditional areas of Stellenbosch and Franshhoek to more cutting edge regions like the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Elgin, and the dry-farmed vineyards of Swartland. I’m betting on crisp sauvignon blanc, characterful chenin Blanc and innovative Rhône-style red and white blends to win the crowds over.

Portugal

Dog stranglers, fly droppings, little rats, sheep’s tails and bastards are just a few of the over 350 evocatively-named grapes from this sliver of the Iberian Peninsula to try out. Remember that Portugal pretty much checked out of the 20th century politically speaking, and thus thankfully avoided the industrialization and globalization that took place in the rest of post-war Europe. Chard, cab and co. are thankfully just footnotes in vineyard registers here, and indigenous grapes have pride of place. Some of the vineyards in traditional areas like the Douro Valley and Dão look as though they haven’t changed in a century. Maybe that’s because they haven’t. Ancient vines in mixed plantations, the way grandpa used to do it, means that distinctive, uniquely flavoured and densely concentrated wines are commonplace, and sold at no-name (or at least, what-the-hell-is-that?) pricing. Look to Vinho Verde for vibrant, sashimi and ceviche-friendly whites, Dão for finely etched, elegant reds, The Douro Valley for massively concentrated beauties (and of course port), and Alentejo and the Sétubal Peninsula for pocket-friendly, internationally appealing red and whites. And stop worrying about which bloody grapes and their precise percentages are in each blend. Many producers don’t know, and don’t care. All I care about is whether it tastes good and if it’s worth the money (yes is the answer to both generally).

John’s Essential Vintages Essentials:

2007 Hillebrand Trius Red, Niagara Peninsula, $21.95

2007 Malivoire Chardonnay Estate, Beamsville Bench, $19.95

2006 Cave Spring Indian Summer Select Late Harvest Riesling, Niagara Peninsula, $24.95/375ml

2007 Goats do Roam Red, Costal Region, South Africa, $12.95

2008 Crasto Vinho Tinto, Douro Valley, Portugal $14.95

2006 Quinta dos Carvalhais Duque de Viseu Dão Tinto, Portugal, $13.95

2006 Esporão Tinto Reserva, Alentejo, Portugal, $24.95

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