Wining with Mel

Discover your wine style, one glass at a time

Page 20 of 24

Testing the LCBO’s Customer Favourites – Part 1

January 12, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Happy New Year fellow wine lovers!

I hope 2016 is treating you well thus far. Have you tasted any good wines lately? I’m always looking for new wines to try, so please share in the comments!

Speaking of new wines, as I was doing some Facebook stalking perusing the other day, I came across an ad for the LCBO’s Customer Favourites of 2015.

Faves captureIntrigued, I clicked on it, hoping that Ontario’s tastes would be in line with my own. According to the LCBO, here are the supposed fan favourites:

I was shocked to see that I had never had any of the chosen wines. Not a single one! Was I missing out? Did the rest of Ontario know something I didn’t?? Obviously, I had to find out. Luckily, my local LCBO had 3 out of 4. I am still on the look-out for the shiraz, which is dwindling rapidly here in Ottawa.

Last night, I opened the Beronia Rioja, and here are my notes:

Beronia

Colour: Deep ruby red

Aromas: Yummy: Black cherry, tobacco, chocolate, strawberry

Palate: Fairly fruit forward: tart cherry, strawberry at the outset, evolving into vanilla, liquorice (Google disapproves of my Canadian spelling, btw) and cedar.

Structure: Medium-bodied, medium tannins and high mouthwatering acidity – the perfect structure for food!

We paired this rioja with a hearty beef stew, and it was a hit! When a red wine has light–medium tannins and high acidity, it often pairs well with most foods, and this wine was no exception.

Conclusion: I think Ontario bought this in such large numbers precisely because it is such a food-friendly wine. On its own, the wine is so-so, but it goes really nicely with a wintery beef roast or stew. Also, is it just me or is there an aura of mystery surrounding Spanish wines? I feel like they tend to be lesser known wines that are often surprising in terms of their price-quality ratio. That said, I’m not sure I would buy this one again. But don’t take my word for it; that is simply a reflection of my personal preferences. Remember: wine tasting is an incredibly subjective venture, so I would encourage you to try this wine for yourself to see if you like it. Plus, it is $2 off until January 31, so at $13.95, now is the time!

Post-conclusion thoughts: I was asking myself why the category for this wine was “Most Surprising Twist”. The description in the article explains “This unusually barrel-fermented Tempranillo from Spain began as an experiment and turned into a commercial hit”. Is that it then? Was the surprising twist that it ended up selling so well? I think they need to hire better category creators.

Stay tuned. I’m sure I’ll be reviewing more so-called customer faves soon!

 

P.S. I also bought a bottle of the Beronia Rioja Reserva, which I think is this winemaker’s standard rioja (not the experimental version). I’ll let you know how it is!

Ode to bubbly (or How to pick the perfect sparkling wine)

December 26, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Last updated on November 23, 2020

Bubbly season is fast approaching! It’s the ideal time to review the different types of sparkling wine so you can pick the perfect bubbly for any occasion, from champagne to Baby Duck (but if you’re over the age of 20 and still drinking Baby Duck, you’re making poor life choices).

CHAMPAGNE

You can’t talk about sparkling wine without mentioning the world’s first: champagne. Don’t forget: only sparkling wine from the region of Champagne is allowed to actually carry that name on the label. Otherwise, it’s just sparkling wine.

champagne-department-map

Source: Wine Folly

So let’s set up the baseline for comparison here:

Grapes: Pinot noir, pinot meunier, chardonnay

Winemaking: First fermentation in vats, second fermentation in bottle – this is called the méthode champenoise, and was developed by monks in Champagne. It tends to make very light, long-lasting, delicate bubbles that dance on your tongue.

Winemaking is a complicated process, and it’s not particularly one I want to bore you with right now. For those of you who are particularly interested in this part, let me direct you to: http://winefolly.com/review/champagne-bubbles-how-is-champagne-made/

Characteristic flavour components: Toast, citrus, almond. Champagne tends to have prominent yeast or toast flavours from sitting on its lees (dead yeast cells – I know it sounds gross, but trust me it makes for some delicious bubbly)  during the secondary fermentation in the bottle.

Primary flavours of champagne

 Source: WineFolly

Price range: $40 –$2000 (!!)

Examples: Dom Pérignon, Bollinger, Veuve-Cliquot

CAVA

This sparkler is Spain’s response to champagne. It uses the same champenoise method, but uses local grapes instead. So if you like the bubbles in champagne, cava is an excellent and less expensive option.  It comes from the Cava DOs (Denominación de Origen) in Spain, which are concentrated in the country’s northeast.

Grapes: Variety of local grapes such as viura, xarel.lo, and parellada

Winemaking: Champenoise, though outside of Champagne it is called the “traditional method”

Characteristic flavour components: Lime, yellow apple, white flower

Price range: $12-$50

Examples: Segura Viudas, Freixenet, Cordoniu

Hint: This is what I buy when I want to serve champagne, but can’t justify spending over $50.

PROSECCO

The affordable Italian bubbly! This sparkler from the Veneto region in northeastern Italy is often slightly fruitier than champagne or cava, but also more affordable.

Grapes: Prosecco (the grape’s name was officially changed to “glera” in 2009 to protect the region’s name and avoid confusion).

Winemaking: Charmat method (aka cuve close): primary fermentation in a large vat, secondary fermentation in a pressurized tank. This method produces more wine, faster; therefore, the wines it yields tend to be less expensive.

Characteristic flavour components: Green apple, pear, white flower

prosecco-taste-notes

Source: Wine Folly

Price range: $8-$50

Examples: Bottega, Zonin, Fiol

Hint:  Easy drinking for any occasion. Pairs really nicely with prosciutto-wrapped melon.

OTHER ALTERNATIVES

  • Franciacorta – the Italian sparkling wine made in the northern province of Lombardy using the champenoise method. Not easy to find in Ontario (only two types are currently available at the LCBO). Prices range from $30-$80.
  • Lambrusco – charmat-method Italian red sparkling wine (fabulous with pizza!).
  • Crémant – this term describes a sparkling wine made using the champenoise method in France but outside the Champagne region. You can get Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Loire, Crémant de Bourgogne, etc. Each region has its own rules regarding what percentage of various grape varieties is allowed. These are found in the $18-$25 range, usually in the Vintages section.
  • Sparkling wine – France, Spain and Italy aren’t the only ones making bubbly. Winemakers from all over the world, including right here in Ontario, are producing sparkling wines. They usually use the charmat method, but a select few use the labour‑intensive traditional method. These ones are definitely worth seeking out.
  • If you like sweeter wines, go for a Moscato d’Asti or Spumante Bambino (but I will judge you).

The Sweetness Scale

Speaking of sweetness, in the world of champagnes, “sec” doesn’t actually mean dry like it does for regular wines. If you want a dry style, look for the world “brut” on your bottle of sparkling.  “Sec” or “demi-sec” will be sweeter, and “doux” will be very sweet.

Remember, you really don’t need a special occasion to drink bubbly. It’s not just for New Years anymore! You can open up a bottle just to celebrate those minor victories, like making it through a work day without killing someone, or finally getting around to changing that lightbulb that was out for 4 months.

Happy wining, and happy holidays!

Amazing holiday savings at the LCBO

December 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Hello fellow wine lovers and bargain hunters,

As I’m sure many of you are aware, the LCBO has a 12 Days of Holiday Cheer promotion going on, where each day, a different bottle of wine is drastically reduced in price.

Today, Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cab is in the spotlight at $4.50 OFF!! Normally $16.95, today only, it is $12.45.

Penfolds

That is a great deal, folks. Go out and stock up if you like a rich, full-bodied Australian wine, perfect for pairing with red meat off the grill. Mind you, I can’t speak from experience, because  I haven’t actually tried this wine before. But you can bet that a few bottles will soon be in my possession.

Don’t forget to check online each day leading up to Christmas to see which wine is on sale. And if you acquire a few bottles during this promo, let me know if you enjoy them!

Happy *discounted* wining!

 

 

Under the Weather Wining

November 29, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Going to the dentist. Taking a flight. Going on a first date. Having no kleenex/soup in the house.

All things that SUCK when you are sick.

That’s right. Yours truly has come down with a cold. And considering the subject of this blog, I must add to the above list: drinking wine.

Just like going out for a nice meal when you are sick, drinking a nice bottle of wine when you have a cold is such a waste. It just takes all the enjoyment out of it. And yet, some research shows that moderate consumption (8-14 glasses per week) of wine, particularly red wine, may help prevent the common cold.

Now when I first read these articles’ claims, I pshawed*. First of all, that seems pretty high for a “moderate” weekly consumption. And second of all, I drank wine all week and look what good it did me! However, after a bit of thought, I realized that 8-14 glasses is likely exactly where my weekly consumption is at so I clearly need to stop being so judgmental. And secondly, I had a glass (or two) of red wine every night this week until last night, which is when the sinus explosion hit me. Maybe this research is onto something and I should be increasing my red wine intake.

So my friends, learn from my errant ways and go ahead and drink that second glass of immune-boosting red wine tonight. Otherwise soon you may be the one sitting at home in sweatpants with a blanket and a box of kleenex at 8 o’clock on a Saturday night.

* Although Google Chrome disagrees, “pshaw” is actually a word, thank you very much. The fact that the Oxford Dictionary considers it dated makes me think I maybe read too much Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie as a child.

______________________________

Luckily, I drank a couple of nice bottles before getting sick (over the course of the last week, not one right after the other in the name of prevention), so I at least have something to report this week. They may or may not have played a pivotal role in me making it through the work week before this cold hit.

  1. Gérard Bertrand La Clape 2011

12443511_clape

This wine was the perfect way to start a weekend. This Coteaux de Languedoc from the south of France boasts a lovely blend of syrah (aka shiraz), carignan and mourvèdre (one of my favourite varietals, FYI, and a key component of Côtes du Rhône wines). Medium ruby red in colour, there is definitely a hint of garnet, which is sometimes a sign of age (how was 2011 already 4 years ago??). On the nose, it’s quite fragrant, showing dark fruit, floral notes and spices.

The structure of this wine is really nice and quite balanced: medium bodied, medium tannins, medium acidity. On the palate, same dark fruit, with cedar, black pepper and those spices again (Kim Marcus describes them as “savory herb flavors”).

We paired this with some leftover Moroccan beef stew and the pairing was surprisingly fantastic. I wasn’t sure how the Moroccan spices would work with the wine, but they actually brought out its fruit flavours, which was delicious.

There aren’t too many bottles of this left in Ontario (we’re pretty much out in Ottawa – I bought this bottle a couple of months ago). So check stocks at the LCBO nearest you, and maybe grab me a bottle (Mom?). This wine is also available at the SAQ for those of you in Quebec.

2. Viña Bujanda Rioja Reserva 2010

20151124_174100[1]

A delicious pairing at Das Lokal

Earlier this week, the ladies in my yoga class and I decided to reward ourselves with a nice glass of a wine. A restaurant in the area called Das Lokal offers half-priced bottles of wine on Tuesday, so we decided to check it out! We were not disappointed with this decision. We ordered the abovementioned Spanish rioja and could not have been more pleased.

It was pretty dark in the restaurant, but the wine’s colour seemed dark ruby  to me, and smelled of dark fruit (by this I mean plum, blackberry, blueberry, black currant, etc.), cedar, tobacco and sweet spice. This is the type of wine aroma that makes me swoon a little. This particular rioja spent 20 months in oak so that really brings out the last three aromas.

On the palate, this rioja was very dry, but with juicy tannins. There was dark fruit here too, specifically blackberry and red currant, and it had a loooooong finish.

Though we had it with the typical German sausage dish pictured above, I found it went really nicely with the balsamic/oil the restaurant served with their sourdough bread.

Keep well, friends. Keep taking your vitamins and a healthy dose of red!

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2025 Wining with Mel

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑