Concha y Toro Sunrise Carmènére 2003

Concha y Toro Sunrise Carmènére 2003

An experiment that turned out well. We've both come to like Carmènére in more expensive bottles, so Margaret Anne decided to take a chance on an inexpensive one. This Concha y Toro Sunrise Carmènére 2003 is only about $10 a bottle here (and remember, that's Canadian dollars!). It's well worth it. A lovely rich bouquet, deep purple colour, and a nice full, earthy flavour, neither too tannic nor too acidic, made this a perfectly satisfying red for the money. It'll probably encourage us to risk other inexpensive Chilean reds, something we've avoided for years because Margaret Anne's first exposure to one resulted in a nasty red-wine headache--something she rarely gets.

It doesn't go with leftover Easter chocolate, though.

Karina Vineyard Cabernet Merlot 2000

Karina Vineyard Cabernet Merlot 2000

This is becoming a theme of this blog, but this Karina Vineyard Cabernet Merlot from the Mornington Peninsula region of Australia is yet another wine discontinued by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority and thus marked down, in this case from $25 to $17 a bottle.

We liked it enough to buy another bottle after tasting the first. It's on the earthy rather than the fruity side of red, with a nice round, full mouth feel. It's not particularly tannic--we think we probably got it at its peak and further cellaring wouldn't do it much good. Is it worth $17? Absolutely, which is why we bought a second bottle. $25? We're not so sure...but then, we didn't have to pay that, did we?

Sumac Ridge Steller's Jay Brut 2001

Sumac Ridge Steller's Jay Brut 2001

That Good Friday ham was a big sucker, so we ate some more of it on Saturday. Just as an experiment, Margaret Anne bought a bottle of Sumac Ridge Steller's Jay Brut. It's an excellent sparkling wine, made in the traditional method from a blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. (It's named, by the way, after British Columbia's official bird.)

Margaret Anne had heard that champagne went well with ham and wanted to give it a try, without actually splurging on champagne. Just as well--the wine was great (it won't be mistaken for a high-end French champagne, but it sure ain't Baby Duck, either), but it didn't go with the ham particularly well.

On the other hand, most surprisingly, it went extremely well with the asparagus--especially when the asparagus was well-anointed with lemon. An unexpected and delightful bit of serendipity, which is what wine-and-food pairing is all about.

The Sumac Ridge Steller's Jay Brut costs about $28 a bottle in Saskatchewan's liquor stores.

Martinshof Gewürztraminer Spätlese Gutsabfüllung 2001

Martinshof Gewürztraminer Spätlese Gutsabfüllung 2001

A superb Gewürztraminer Spätlese. We compared this one side-by-side with the Auslese (see previous post) to decide which one would go best with our Good Friday ham, and this one won hands down. Absolutely beautiful.

This is one of the wines that the German Wine Society ordered in for members that cannot otherwise be purchased in Canada, that we're aware of. The GWS will probably repeat the wine order this year, and we'll be in line for more of this, for sure.

Schmitt Söhne Bereich Bingen Auslese 1990

Schmitt Söhne Bereich Bingen Auslese 1990

Now, here's a wine with some history. Margaret Anne bought a half-case of this Schmitt Söhne Bereich Bingen Auslese 1990 in Toronto, probably around 1993, after tasting some at a German Wine Society event in Regina (where it wasn't readily available) shortly after she joined the organization--and well before we had started dating. (Probably, in fact, before Ed had even started drinking wine.) She still has a couple of bottles in the cellar at her mother's house.

The wine is a beautiful golden color, but wasn't as sweet as we anticipated. Has it faded over the years? We don't think so, but it's hard to be certain. Still, an excellent wine and it made a fine opening impression for our Good Friday dinner party.

More good news about grapes

University of Illinois scientists have discovered how components in grapes (and probably red wine!) work together to inhibit an enzyme crucial to the proliferation of cancer cells.

An evening with German wine

As we mentioned in our initial post, we're members of every wine society one can be a member of in Regina: the Society for American Wines, the Opimiam Society, and the German Wine Society.

We don't make it to all of the events (more's the pity), but we go to many, especially those put on by the German Wine Society. One such event was held on Sunday at the Willow on Wascana, a relatively new restaurant in the city that's making waves with adventurous, all-Saskatchewan-based dishes.

What follows are very brief notes taken by me (Ed, the one doing the typing tonight) on the wines and food. No photos of the bottle labels--that's way too much work when you're supposed to be enjoying yourself--and the notes are minimal, but perhaps they might be of some interest and/or use to anyone looking for information on some of these wines (some of which, by the way, were ordered directly from Germany and are not otherwise available in Canada or, I believe, the U.S.).

So, here's how the evening went:

Reception wine
Gustav Adolf Schmitt Niersteiner Kabinett, Rheinhessen, 2000 - OK, sweetish, nothing special.

Special feature
Amuse Bouche (a bite-sized appetizer), a sort of won-ton with a bit of risotto inside (I didn't note the details, though they were provided verbally). Very good, but I'd drunk all my reception wine and so had nothing to pair with it.

Soup
Potato Sauerkraut
Martinshof Kerner Spatlese, Pfalz, 2002 - Very nice. Richer than the reception wine. The soup, which was deliciously tangy (and had a very interesting texture with the strings of sauerkraut in it) overpowered the wine a bit, but the flavors didn't clash, at least.

Appetizer
Mushroom Strudel
Martinshof Huxelrebe Kabinett, Pfalz, 2003 - First time I've ever tasted a Huxelrebe. Intriguing! It had a light floral bouquet, but an absolutely astonishing caramel flavor. Very, very good--but I think this is one of those Germany-only wines, more's the pity. (We'll certainly order some if the society arranges another order that includes it, though.)

Salad
Pear Ginger Sorbet
No wine--hard to imagine one going with this palate-cleanser.

Entree
Bacon-wrapped Bison Tenderloin accompanied by Julienne Vegetables and Oven-roasted Potatoes--delicious! The bison was meltingly tender and the bacon wrapping gave it just the right bit of extra flavor.
St. Helena Flonheimer Adelberg Spatlese Rheinhessen, 2001 - Very nice, very typical Spatlese. Remarkably, considering that hoary old received wisdom about red wine going best with red meat, the Spatlese actually went better with the dish than...
Pillitteri Cabernet Merlot, Niagara, 2003 - That's a bit misleading. This "International Blend" actually contained three grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile (if I remember right), Merlot from somewhere in Europe, and Cabernet Franc from the Niagara Peninsula. In any event, it was quite nice: the bouquet was unappealing, but the wine itself was nicely dry, not too fruity, and certainly not jammy.

Dessert
Spicy Chocolate Lava Cake - Fabulous dessert, melt-in-your mouth, and hot from both the oven and just the right amount of chili-peppers.
Firesteed Pinot Noir, Oregon, 2002 - A light, smoky bouquet, a light flavor, but a good, if simple, Pinot. To everyone's surprise at our table, it actually worked quite nicely with the cake.
Altdorfer Trappenberg Beerenauslese Ortega/Muller-Thurgau, Pfalz, 1999 - I never waste a wine like this by pairing it up against dessert (well, I might try just a sip with the dessert, but generally it doesn't work), so in some ways this was my final final dessert. And it was delicious: not overly sweet, and with a hint of mint, or maybe licorice, on the finish. It had a rich, buttery mouth feel that made it all the more satisfying.

As, indeed, was the entire evening. We missed the German Wine Society's previous visit to the Willow on Wascana; apparently there is still another menu we could try, so we definitely hope we'll be back there soon.

Keeping the labels honest

Is that bottle of wine really what the label says it is? Not always, apparently. Enter Patrice This, a grape geneticist at the University of Montpellier, France, has his way. He and his team are trying to perfect the extraction and purification of grape-skin DNA from bottles of wine.

Briar Ridge Old Vines Shiraz 2001

Briar Ridge Old Vines Shiraz 2001

Another Opimiam wine, this Briar Ridge Old Vines Shiraz was quite drinkable, but it should have been aged longer. Certainly it did not measure up to the Rosemount Estates Shiraz we'd had just a few days before. We think we have another bottle or two of this in the cellar, and perhaps a few more years will enhance it.

St. Hubertus Summer Symphony 2002

St. Hubertus Summer Symphony 2002

For dessert, we served this wine that our friends Sharon and Charles Eisbrenner brought back from their 2004 excursion to the Okanagan. It's an "ultra-late harvest" Pinot Blanc from the St. Huburtus Winery, dubbed Summer Symphony. The label says it was "picked while the ground was frozen underfoot," but apparently the grapes themselves weren't frozen, else this would be an ice wine.

Whatever, it was a lovely dessert wine, not quite as intense as full-blown (full-frozen?) ice wine, but very nice, and it went well with fruit and ice cream.

Von Keller Alto Adige Pinot Grigio 2003

Von Keller Alto Adige Pinot Grigio 2003

Another Opimiam wine, and one of our favorites...usually. Which is why we contributed this wine to the dinner party with Dwight and Laurel, Kamara and Denae. Unfortunately, although still drinkable, the wine was unmistakably corked, with a musty bouquet and a hint of it in the flavor, too. A shame, because Margaret Anne likes this one so much she buys a half-case whenever the Opimiam Society makes it available.

Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Shiraz 2000

Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Shiraz 2000

Another wine brought by Ed's brother's family, and another fine one. The 2000 Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Shiraz is hugely enjoyable, fruit-forward but with plenty of depth that made the wine very satisfying. We know that this was Dwight's favorite of the evening. We have a couple of other Rosemount Estate wines put away for our daughter Alice, because they're from her birth year. Margaret Anne found this in our local liquor store (approximately $28 Can. in Saskatchewan) and we plan to buy more.

Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004

Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004

We both like New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, and have ever since we had the chance to attend a tasting of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blancs at the International Wine and Food Festival in Banff a few years ago. This 2004 Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc isn't quite up to a Cloudy Bay, but it is very, very good. Ed's brother and sister-in-law Dwight and Laurel and nieces Denae and Kamara brought it along when they came over for dinner a few days ago. Lots of grapefruit and other citrus flavors, crisp but not tart or astringent, it was very pleasant both by itself and with food.

Margaret Anne recognized the wine as one a friend gave her for her 40th birthday last year. We enjoyed it very much then, too!

Casa Nueva Merlot 2003

Casa Nueva Merlot 2003

This is yet another wine from the Opimiam Society's Opimiam Select program, which sends you a half-case of varied wines from the same winery every month. Margaret Anne has to admit she's beginning to enjoy Chilean wines, after being turned off them for many years due to unfortunate early experiences with some lower-end table wines that gave her a headache. We didn't enjoy this one as much as the earlier Casa Neuva Cabernet/Merlot we blogged about, but it was still a fine wine and we'd buy it again. (We've waited too long since drinking it to be more specific!)

Red wine protects the heart

Here's some (more) good news about the positive effect drinking red wine has on the heart.

Stoney Ridge Vidal Icewine 1995

Stoney Ridge Vidal Icewine 1995

Fabulous. Flavorful. Festive. Fun. Fantastic.

Canadian Icewine is renowned worldwide, and this one from Stoney Ridge is as good as any we've tasted.

Our only regret?

It's gone now.

Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Gewürztraminer 2003

Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Gewürztraminer 2003

This inexpensive Gewürztraminer is from one of our favorite Okanagan wineries, Sumac Ridge, and reinforced our favorable opinion. Full-bodied and full-flavored, it was an excellent match for a ham dinner, as well as being delicious on its own. It was an interesting contrast with the Arrowleaf Gewürztraminer we blogged about earlier, too. The Arrowleaf, though delicious, was far more delicate. Recommended!

Reynolds Little Boomey Chardonnay 2002

Reynolds Little Boomey Chardonnay 2002

Another product recently discontinued by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, so we picked up a bottle cheap...and we can safely say, of all the Australian Chardonnays we've tasted, this was definitely one of them.

Casa Nueva Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Reserva 2001

Casa Nueva Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Reserva 2001

A very good wine. We got this Casa Nueva Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Reserva through the Opimiam Society, and the Society's description of the 2003 vintage in a recent wine offering holds true for the 2001: "Violet red colour...Very rich in the mouth, it is round and balanced and has a luscious fruit-filled mouth-feel." They also make mention of "nuances of clean smoke," which we didn't detect when we drank it on its own, but when we had our second glasses with pasta and a rich tomato sauce, we found that the smokiness came through very clearly, especially on the finish. We recommend this one quite highly.

UPDATE: After the bottle has been open for a day...not so much.

Kettle Valley Derailer 2001

Kettle Valley Derailer 2001

Since this was a 375 ml bottle, we expected this to be along the lines of an ice wine...but it's not.We suspect they call it the Derailer because it derails your expectations. It could also derail you, if you didn't pay attention to the fact that it's over 15 percent alcohol.

It's tasty, but quite dry--not what is typically thought of as a dessert wine at all.

And that's all we can tell you about it--there's nothing on the label to indicate what kinds of grapes go into it, and it's not mentioned on the winery's Web site, either.

Arrowleaf Gewürztraminer 2003

Arrowleaf Gewürztraminer 2003

This Arrowleaf Gewürztraminer from the Okanagan Valley surprised us by its remarkable paleness in the glass--it looked almost like water. But it nevertheless had that distinctive spicy-fruity mixture that has always made Gewürztraminer one of our favorite varietals. It was a good match with the goose-and-fruit main course, and an interesting contrast to the two lustier Viogniers blogged about below.

A tale of two Viogniers

Bonterra Vineyards Viognier 2002
Yalumba South Australia Viognier 2004

Two Viogniers (Bonterra Vineyards Viognier 2002 and Yalumba South Australia Viognier 2004) separated by half a world and two years, and...we couldn't tell them apart. Both fine, fruity, flavorful, typical Viogniers.

Of course, we were having them with a meal (goose cooked with pears and apples) at the home of some friends, and so our focus was more on enjoying the evening than taste-testing the wines, but still--pretty much indistinguishable. In a good way.