Saturday Night – Pulled Pork and other goodies

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner.  For the first course Mick had a new recipe on tap for us to try – grilled pear and blue cheese bruschetta.  Mick paired this course with a 2012 Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

 

The nose on the wine was mild as you needed to swirl the glass to get much off of it but you were rewarded with pleasant aromas of pear, Irish Spring soap, mushroom and vanilla.  Tasting the wine it starts pear and finishes with a pink grapefruit flavour with hints of vanilla throughout.  Structure wise the wine was a bit of an odd duck, as it starts very soft but then just after the midway point there is a a real bite to it.  The balance was decent as the acidity was good but I’m not a fan of the oak being added to this wine.  I liked it as a pairing but found that at times it was getting lost against the powerful flavours of the dish.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark – 86, Kathy – 86, Amy – 87, Overall – 86.5.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2012
VINTAGES#: 707224  
Price: $41.95
Release Date: June 21, 2014
750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol14.0%
Made in: California, USA
By: Kobrand Corporation
Sugar Content:2 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc Blend

Description - The 2012 Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc brings wonderful aromas of fresh cut grass, citrus, herbal notes and melon. I love the vibrancy and freshness along with the racy finish. Fermented in a combination of stainless steel and French oak, then aged in mature French oak barrels for 5 months. (Best 2013-2015) Score - 90. (internationalwinereport.com, June 2013)

Mick picked this wine up in the US and didn’t have to pay duty on it which is good because at a $42 CDN bottle price point this wine certainly isn’t a good deal.  The grilled pear and blue cheese bruschetta was very tasting especially as it was topped with crispy prosciutto. 

For the main course Mick did pulled pork, smoked macaroni and cheese and homemade coleslaw and gave us a choice of so many BBQ sauces it wasn’t funny.  He paired this with a 2011 Ben Marco Malbec.  We have reviewed this wine before so I won’t go into much detail other than to say it was a great pairing with the main course.

For dessert, Amy picked up a selection of cupcakes which was a nice way to end the evening.

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and to Mick for all of his hard work in making some very yummy food dishes.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – It’s a sign – Part 1

This past Saturday, Kathy and I hosted dinner for Mick, Amy, Chris and Jan.  The initial plan was to go out for dinner but the place we wanted to go for dinner, didn’t have a table for six available.  Kathy and I discussed other restaurants but in the end I decided as our first choice wasn’t available that this was a sign we should eat at home instead.  So as of last Thursday, the plan changed from going out to eat to Kathy and I hosting dinner for six.

 

Now that the ‘where’ question had been answered then the next questions was the ‘what’ as in what are we going to have to for dinner.   Kathy decided that she wanted Lamb as the main course and that worked for me. 

To start the night I did a Breaded Shrimp recipe on the BBQ.  The coating for the shrimp was made up of breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper and was served on a bed of mix peppers that were sliced thin, tossed with olive oil and sea salt and then grilled.  My wine pairing for this dish was a 2011 Catena Alta Chardonnay for Argentina that I’d picked up a few weeks ago. 

 

The nose on the wine was mild for a Chardonnay as you really had to swirl the glass to pick up the aromas of dish soap/lemon Pledge, vanilla, citrus and honeydew melon.  Tasting the wine, it started with a lemon/grapefruit flavour that transitioned to butterscotch on the mid-palate and then finished with a funky medicinal flavour.  The wine was 14% alcohol but the flavour and oak in the wine balanced that out nicely as it didn’t come across as hot.  The shrimp dish helped smooth out the funky medicinal finish and really helped bring out some of lovely flavours to this wine.  I liked pairing but if I had another bottle of this wine I would lean towards pairing this with an Alfredo as this wine was big and bold on the flavours and really would shine against a heavy rich dish like Alfredo.

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark – 88, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 87
Bonus Rating – Chris – 86, Jan – 85.

 

Here is the LCBO information for the wine –

CATENA ALTA CHARDONNAY 2011
VINTAGES 959973
750 mL bottle
Price $ 39.95
Made in: Mendoza, Argentina
By: Bodega Catena Zapata
Release Date: Jul 20, 2013
Wine, White Wine
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Description  -  TASTING DATE: Rich and full-bodied with generous layers of tropical fruit, peach and green apple. Just the right amount of smoke to create a luscious package of complete satisfaction for Chardonnay lovers. Long finish leaves you looking for a top up. Perfect for dinner parties. Food matches: rich seafood pasta dishes, boiled lobster, grilled pork tenderloin. Score: 92 (Natalie MacLean, nataliemaclean.com, June 21, 2012)

 

The breaded shrimp recipe was very good, and I was surprised how good the mix grilled peppers were with it as I really did them more to just add some colour to the plate vs. trying to add another flavour. 

 

As there was some time to kill between the first and second course, I opened a bottle of KJ Chardonnay Vintner’s Reserve (a nice simple $20 California Chardonnay).  The KJ Chardonnay is fun as its bursts with pineapple flavours and has been a cellar staple of mine for years.  The KJ really showed how simple it was a wine vs. Catena Alta and how much the Catena Alta had going on with it.  I’m not so keen on the $40 price point on the Catena Alta but I did enjoy trying it and will probably pick up next year’s vintage just to see how it is.

 

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Putting a little spark into dinner – Part 1

It was my turn to host this past Saturday night’s dinner and to be honest I have been in a bit of a rut cooking-wise lately. I was looking to do something different and decided to do Halibut in a chili lime butter sauce. As this was a new recipe, I decided to do a test run on Friday and try it out – long story short I would give it a 3 out 10, the sauce was ok and the Halibut that I’d picked up wasn’t the nicest piece of fish I’d ever had. Since the test run was a failure, I went another route and Kathy and I went through some recipe books and found a recipe for grilled Beef Tenderloin with a brandy, cream and shallot sauce that looked interesting. The main course settled we kicked around ideas for a starter and decided on an Anti-Pasto starter.

 

For my Anti-Pasto I needed a wine that would pair well with bruschetta, salami, cheese, pickle and olive tray and roasted red pepper dip. My first though when having this many different things to pair with was a California Merlot which would have been a safe bet but after looking over the wine rack I choose to go with a 2011 Ben Marco Malbec instead. 

After we tried the 2009 Ben Marco Malbec (http://zippysauce.blogspot.ca/2013/04/saturday-night-ups-and-downs-part-2.html) I went looking for more. The LCBO didn’t have any stock but Profile Wine Group (http://www.profilewinegroup.com/) did, well sort of. Mick had the 2009 on his rack for a while so Profile had the 2011 instead of the 2009. I wasn’t sure but the sales representative was sure I would like it and after chatting for a bit I ordered a case of the 2011. Mick and Amy bought 3 of the 12 bottles but hadn’t tried theirs yet so I thought it would be fun to try it together.

The nose on the 2011 Ben Marco was big and easy to find with aromas of cherry, green pepper, eucalyptus, cedar and truffle with strawberry and pine needle notes in the background. Tasting the wine, dark berry and dark chocolate flavours dominated the wine with a hint of vanilla peeking through at times. The structure on the wine was great as it came across very smooth as the balance of acidity, tannin and alcohol was in perfect harmony. The nice thing about this wine is it was just as great with the food as it was on its own. It wasn’t quite as good as 2009 was but I have no doubt that after a few years of cellaring that it will be.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 90, Mark – 90, Kathy – 90, Amy – 90, Overall – 90.
 

There is no LCBO listing for this wine but if you want a case, you can get one via Profile Wine Group. The price was $21 a bottle. The people at Profile Wine Group were great to deal with and they will happily send your case to your nearest LCBO for you to pick from there.
 

Click here for Part 2

 

Saturday Night – Trying not to Boar anyone – Part 3

Click here for Part 1

 

As I mention in Part 2, I opened a bottle of 2010 Catena Malbec as I was worried the Pinot had turned so we have a bonus review of the Catena Malbec now in Part 3.

 

 

The nose on the Catena was rich with aromas of cherry, fruit cake, malt vinegar, smoke and nut.  Tasting the wine black current and green pepper were the two main flavours.  The wine came across as chalky as it was a touch tannic.  On its own the wine came across very dry but with the food and especially the lamb the fruit in the wine really came to the forefront.  I liked this wine as a pairing for the food but it wasn’t so great on its own.  I was probably a little disappoint with this Malbec probably due to how good the Ben Marco Malbec we had last week was and I was looking for it to be as good.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 86, Mark – 87, Kathy – 86, Amy – 87, Overall – 86.5.

 

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

 

CATENA MALBEC (V)
VINTAGES 478727
750 mL bottle
Price $ 19.95
Made in: Mendoza, Argentina
By: Bodegas Esmeralda
Release Date: N/A
Style: Full-bodied & Smooth
Wine, Red Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Malbec
Sugar Content: 7 g/L

 

For dessert I had a couple of option for everyone – a Swiss apple tart that I picked up from the grocery store and a couple of blue cheeses that I got at Mickey McGuire’s Cheese Shop in Dundas (see link to the right).  I opened my very last bottle of Yalumba Antique Tawny to go with dessert and cheese.  We have reviewed this wine before so I won’t go into much detail here but I will say I’m sad that this was the last bottle I have of it.

 

For a quick and easy dinner, this night turned out pretty well.  Mick and Amy both enjoyed the boar sausage and lamb and we got to try three new wines so not a bad night if I do say so myself.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday night – New foods and Egyptian hieroglyphics – Part 1

This past Saturday, Mick and Amy hosted our weekly Saturday night dinner. Mick had three new recipes on tap and three new wines for us to try as well.

The first course was grilled Spanish Toasts which, while simple to make, were very tasty. The Spanish Toasts were made from sliced baguettes topped with a roasted tomato and garlic spread and Manchego cheese. Mick picked a 2006 Auka "Don Alfonso" Malbec to pair with them.

The nose on the Malbec had a huge leather aroma to it with a touch of white pepper, dried cranberry and orange rind in the background. Tasting the wine you will find dark fruit (Black cherry and black currant) as the main flavours with some truffle flavour to round things out. The structure on the wine was decent but it was more acidic then tannic and had a slightly hot finish to it. The pairing though was dead-on and was one of the better food and wine pairings we’ve had in a while.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark - 89, Kathy – 89, Amy – 88, Overall – 88.5.

There was no LCBO listing for the wine which is a shame as I would have liked to get more of it. Mick recalled the price as being $22. $22 is a fairly high price point for a Malbec but this wine does justify it as it was that good.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday night – Sometimes you feel like a nut - Part 2

Click here for Part 1

For the main course I did pine nut and basil crusted salmon with a lemon butter and basil sauce with mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas as the sides. To pair with the course I went with a 2008 Luigi Bosca Reserva Chardonnay.

"Pine nut Salmon and sides" 

The nose on the Chardonnay was a pleasant mix of lime, grapefruit, vanilla and tropical fruit notes in the background. Tasting the wine you initially get a crisp lime flavour but then from the mid-palette to finish this wine make a very wrong turn and the flavours become a mix of coffee and grapefruit. The finish on this wine is terrible, Mick describe it as if you were biting in to orange peel. The wine got even worse with the food. After having some salmon I reached for the wine and took a mouthful and exclaimed to the table "Oh my god this wine is f&^king awful!". There were no noticeable defective aromas to the wine so it wasn’t off so I have no idea why this wine was as bad as it was.

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 78, Mark - 75, Kathy – 75, Amy - 74, Overall – 75.5.

"If you don't have anything nice to say..."

Here are the LCBO details for the wine -

LUIGI BOSCA RESERVA CHARDONNAY 2008


VINTAGES 142836
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, White Wine
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Argentina, Argentina
By: Leoncio Arizu S.A.
Release Date: Dec 5, 2009


Tasting Note - Straw-gold. Pineapple, peach, spicy oak and a whiff of honey on the nose. Ripe acidity gives shape to the supple flavors of pineapple, mango and spice, with a hint of toasty oak adding nuance to this essentially round wine. Finishes firm, with good length and verve. Score - 88. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, Jan./Feb. 2009)

"Lemon Tart"

You might be wondering how this wine even got a 75.5 rating (i.e. if it was so bad why not rate it much less than a 75?). Basically if a beverage is made from grapes, has alcohol/is fermented and looks like wine it will get a 70. As the nose on the wine was nice I didn’t think a 70 was fair so that how I got to my 75 rating. A wine around an 80 rating is decent but nothing special, an 85 rating means the wine is solid and may have a bit of character to it, a 90 rating mean this wine is something special and a 95 rating puts this wine in a class on it own (nectar of the gods area).

Well the Chardonnay was disappointing, on the upside the salmon rocked so the night wasn’t a total bust. We finished the night with a triple lemon tart that was also very good.

Next Saturday I’m hosting again and we’ll have some addition guests besides Mick and Amy so that should be a fun time.

Cheers!

Mark

Wine Club - Chardonnay

This past Thursday Wine Club met and tasted two value priced Chardonnays.

"Value priced Chardonnays"

LCBO Information- NAVARRO CORREAS COLECCIÓN PRIVADA CHARDONNAY 2009
　
Stock Number – 64477
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 13.95
Made in: Argentina, Argentina
By: Diageo Canada Inc
Release Date: May 15, 2010

Description - Collección Privada is Navarro Correas' premier tier. The wines are designed to exhibit a classic style, and the bottle labels feature original artwork by celebrated Argentine painters. This Chardonnay is fresh and juicy, offering apple, pear, fig, and a touch of spicy oak. Delicious with grilled chicken, barbecued shrimp or artichoke salad.

LCBO Information - CATHEDRAL CELLAR CHARDONNAY 2008
　
Stock Number – 328559
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 14.95
Wine, White Wine
14.7% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: South Africa, South Africa
By: KWV Wines
Release Date: Apr 17, 2010

Tasting Note - The top-tier KWV range [Cathedral Cellar] honours the aptly named cellar that was built in 1930 and restored to splendour in 2005. With soaring stained-glass windows, granite and wood inlaid floor, and imposing rows of hand-carved wooden vats, it is a fitting spiritual home for these impressive and stylish wines ... Full, rich & ripe 2008, perhaps shade less elegant than 2007 but still very fine. Dense apricot, peach complement fat texture and toasty oak ([barrel] fermentation, 60% new; small tank-fermentation portion). Score - 4 Stars (out of 5). (John Platter South African Wines, 2010)
　
The Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay was the take home bottle and the Navarro was a single bottle that I purchased as a comparison bottle for the tasting.

The nose on the Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay was moderate with a lemon aroma dominating the wine with a bit of toasted almond in the background.

The nose on the Navarro was fainter than the Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay but not by much. The main aroma from the wine was lime with a some vanilla in the background.

Tasting the two wines the differences were quite apparent; the Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay was much more approachable with a nice lemon and vanilla flavour. The Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay was nicely balanced with fresh acidity and moderate fruit, it also had a soft lingering finish that I liked. The Navarro had a green apple/citrus flavour but the acidity was very tart. There was a bitterness to the finish that I wasn’t keen on.

One of Wine Club members bought in Chicken Salad and served it with fresh baguettes. Trying wines with the food both got better. For the Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay the fruit was more noticeable and for the Navarro the food helped neutralize the acidity and softened the bitterness on the finish.

Most Wine Club members preferred the Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay over the Navarro and were happy that it was the ‘take home’ bottle. There were however two Wine Club members that like the Navarro better.

I won’t say either of these wines were the best Chardonnay I have ever had but at $14 and $15 price points they certainly were good value for money. The extra dollar for the Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay is more than justified as I certainly found it the better of the two wines.

Cheers!

Mark

June Wine Club – Torrontés

The Zippy Sauce blog has been a little quiet for the last couple of weeks. Father’s Day weekend prevented us from getting together with Mick and Amy and the week before that we each had separate plans. Thankfully this weekend we will be getting together and we’ll get back to reviewing some wines. In the meantime, Wine Club got together last Thursday to try a couple of new wines.

The meeting was about the 24th one that we’ve had and with a mandate to try as many different grapes and regions as possible we are starting to get more and more out of my comfort zone. This month’s wine was a good example of that as we tasted two wines Torrontés from Argentina. I had never had Torrontés before so I was nervously looking forward to it.

"Two Torrontés from Argentina"

Let’s start with the LCBO information for both wines –

ALAMOS TORRONTÉS 2007

Stock Number – 81539
750 mL bottle Volume
Price: $ 13.95 (+$.20 Deposit)
Wine, White Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Argentina, Argentina
By: Catena
Release Date: Mar 28, 2009

Tasting Note - Alamos Torrontés 2007 Argentina is a great value example of modern Torrontés ... Torrontés characteristically has a particularly exotic grapey aroma with something floral about it. This example is all that, but it is so rich aromatically that it almost smells like toffee. However there is so much racy, tingling acidity on the palate that it could happily be served with strongly flavoured salads and pasta dishes, although I think it would probably be best as an aperitif. (Jancis Robinson, MW, www.jancisrobinson.com, July 29, 2008)

LABORUM TORRONTÉS 2007

Stock Number – 82404
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 16.45 (+$.20 Deposit)
Wine, White Wine, 13.5%
Alcohol/Vol.Sugar
Content : D
Made in: Argentina, Argentina
By: Bodegas El Porvenir de Los Andes
Release Date: Nov 8, 2008

Description - Hand-picked from vineyards planted at a dizzying 1750 metres above sea level, this fresh and aromatic Torrontés would be a delightful match to baked red snapper in a chutney sauce. It's dry, medium-bodied with floral and juicy fruity aromas and flavours leading to a lengthy finish.

"The comparison bottle."

The Alamos Torrontés was the bottle everyone took home and the Laborum Torrontés was the comparison bottle. Uncorking both bottles I was surprised that the Alamos which was the less expensive of the two wines used a real cork where as the Laborum used a synthetic one. My next surprise was the nose on the two wines; the Alamos had a much more aromatic nose to it then the Laborum.

"The take home bottle."

The nose on both was driving me nuts as there was a super familiar scent profile to both that I’d recognized but couldn’t place. Both had big inviting floral notes and the Alamos had orange on the nose whereas the Laborum had no orange aroma but there was a lime note there. One of the Wine Club members was laughing at my frustration as he knew exactly where this aroma profile could be found. After letting suffer for a moment he simply said “Gewürztraminer”. As soon as he said I realized that he was dead on, the nose on the two grapes were extremely close.

Tasting the wines, both were close in flavour profiles as they both had nice fruit to start, a narrow mouth feel with a touch of oiliness on the mid palate and a quick finish. The Alamos had more lively acidity to it than the Laborum but other than that they were almost identical. I tried to think of other white wines that they were like and the closest I can come up with is a fruit forward New World Sauvignon Blanc with some Viognier blend in but lighter in body than both of those grapes would be.

We had three cheeses with the wine - a Danish Blue, a white cheddar and a goat cheese with brushcetta. The Blue and the cheddar were not bad with it but the goat cheese and the hint of spice it had was really nice with it. I suspect that this wine would be a good pairing for a dish with some spice to it.

I wasn’t overly enamored with Torrontés but with its light and easy drinking style would make a nice summer patio wine. At $14 a bottle the Alamos is at an easy to swallow price point which is a nice break on your wine wallet.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday – Wine driving the food – Part3

Click here for Part 1

The other Malbec was a 2005 Luigi Bosca Malbec which I’d just picked up the day before. The weight of the glass on this bottle was a shock; very heavy, usually this type of bottle is used for wines at a much higher price point.

"Now that is a salad!"

The nose on this wine consisted of smoke, leather, dried cherry and anchovy like aroma. This wine was completely opposite to the French one in taste; fruity, big bodied mouth-feel, blueberries and coffee flavours running throughout. It was also nicely balanced and smooth when compared to the French. This one was a better pairing with the food as well.

"Heavy bottle"

Here is the LCBO Information on this wine –

Luigi Bosca Rerserva Malbec 2005
Vintages 79293
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, Red Wine,
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Argentina, Argentina
By: Leoncio Arizu S.A.
Release Date: Aug 30, 2008

Description - This wine earned an Editors' Choice nod with a score of 91 points in the February 2008 issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Tasting Note - A big, broad-shouldered wine, with muscular layers of black fig, coffee, bittersweet cocoa and dark licorice piled on top of hefty cedar-tinged tannins. A bit of a brute in style, but cellaring should soften its edges enough. Drink now through 2010. Smart Buy. Score - 91. (James Molesworth, www.winespectator.com, Feb.29, 2008)

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 89, Mark – 89, Kathy – 85, Amy – 86, Overall – 87.

As you can tell by the 85 rating on both by Kathy and the 85/86 rating on two wines by Amy that neither of the ladies were a big fan of Malbec. I suspect there is a reason why Malbec is used in blends more than as a stand alone varietal, as the wine on its own just seems to be missing something.

It was fun to take a different direction for the evening as usually the food is what determines the wine rather than tonight’s approach of the wine driving the food. The new Steak recipe was good and I’m glad I tried it. Also that Blue Cheese recipe will be one that I’ll be using again. So maybe when planning your next dinner, try picking the wine first and see where it leads you, you maybe pleasantly surprised with the results.

Cheers!

Mark

Wine Club - Malbec

Our October meeting of Wine Club was this past Thursday and we were comparing two Malbecs from Argentina. I’d picked both of them up during our wine shopping trip to the Premier Group in NY state in September.

"The Battle of the Malbecs!"

I was looking forward to this meeting as I haven’t had a lot of exposure to wines from Argentina or Malbec. I picked up some hard cheeses (Aged Cheddar, Asiago and a Swiss) as well as a couple of salamis (Genoa Mild and Hot) and a selection of crackers.

Here is the information on both wines -

Premier Group Information – Altos Las Hormigas Malbec 2006

Stock Number – 46781
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 9.99 US - Club Discount - $1.22 = $8.77
Duty + Exchange - $5.88
Final Price - $14.65
Made in: Argentina

Wine Spectator Description – Ripe and juicy, with lots of plum, sweet toast, cocoa and boysenberry jam notes that are fleshy and delicious through the finish. A crowd-pleaser. Drink now. 20,000 cases made. –JM

Score - 87

Premier Group Information – Bodega Renacer Malbec Mendoza Punto Final 2006

Stock Number –
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 9.99 US - Club Discount - $1.50 = $8.49
Duty + Exchange - $5.69
Final Price - $14.18
Made in: Argentina

Wine Spectator Description – Juicy and fresh, with raspberry and blackberry fruit, followed by a round, easy finish. Drink now. 5,000 cases made. –JM

Score – 86

Both wines had great aromas coming off them that were similar but slightly different. The Altos Las Hormigas had a stronger nose and the fruit aroma was stronger on it and it also had an earthy smell to it that the Punto Final didn’t. Taste wise things were similar to the aromas of the wines - the Altos Las Hormigas was more vibrant and seemed ‘fresher’ than the Punto Final. The wines were ok with the cheeses but really good with the salamis. What was interesting with the salamis pairing is the wines were equally as good with the mild as they were with the hot.

Both Malbecs remind me of a Cabernet Sauvignon with their high tannin and their preliminary taste but didn’t have the full mid-palette that Cabs usually do. The colour of the wine was closer to a Merlot as both were a nice inky purple in colour.

Nice advantage to not Blogging right after a Wine Club meeting is I sometimes get feedback as one of the wine club members had a bottle of the Altos Las Hormigas over the weekend with pork tenderloin and raved about how good this wine with it. This was cool as most of the pairing information I had found on Malbec leaned towards beef rather than pork, so it was interesting to hear that a pork pairing was so good.

I will say that I wasn’t ‘blown’ away by either of the Malbecs, though I did enjoy both of them and it was fun to try something new. The wines were good enough that I will be looking for more Malbec in the future.

Cheers!

Mark

Parents, Pinot and Pizza

I was off work on Friday and needed to go to the LCBO to pick up wine for next month's Wine Club. I hit the Ancaster location as it is one of the better ones in the area. One of our favourite wine consultants Jack Blair, now works at the Ancaster store; he used to work downtown at the Dundurn location. The Dundurn store, for its size, always had a great selection in its Vintages section and I believe Jack had a lot to do with that. With Jack now in working in a larger store in a more affluent neighbourhood, its Vintage section is slowly becoming one of the best in the area.

I knew the first wine I was getting for Wine Club was a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc as it received a 92 rating from the Wine Spectator and was less than $20 a bottle. I chatted with Jack about Wine Club and what wines we had tried so far and then asked him if he could recommend a good Pinot Noir in our price point ($25 or less). Pinot Noir is a finicky wine. When I took my Wine Course last year, I remembered my instructor saying that is was almost impossible to find a good Pinot for under $35 and even at $35 a bottle there was no guarantee that it would be good. So I have been a tad nervous to try Pinot Noir for Wine Club.

Jack suggested that I try a Newen Pinot Noir from Argentina which was reasonably priced at $12.85 a bottle. I had my doubts but decided at $13 a bottle I was willing to take a risk and bought a case for Wine Club.

"$13 Pinot Noir "

LCBO Information - DEL FIN DEL MUNDO "NEWEN" PINOT NOIR 2006

VINTAGES 55202
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 12.85
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Argentina, Argentina
By: Bodega Del Fin Del Mundo
Release Date: Jan 19, 2008

Description - The 'winery of the end of the world' is a remarkable project based in the wild Patagonia region at the southern end of Argentina. The climate here is extremely dry, with just 180 mm annual rainfall, so irrigation is needed - the water used for this comes from the River Neuquén, itself fed by Andes melt water... (Jamie Goode, www.wineanorak.com, Sept. 2006) A great value, match this Patagonia Pinot with grilled portobello mushrooms or lasagna.

On the way home I had to stop at my parents’ house to drop off a router for my sister. She got a second computer for Christmas and wanted Internet on both. I told her she would need a router to do this and I had an extra one.

My father was home and we ended up talking and wasting the afternoon away. My mom got home from work and the three of us sat around talking and before we knew it was close to dinner time. My father decided to cook up a frozen pizza and do up a salad. He yelled in from the kitchen asking my mom if she wanted a beer with dinner, mom asked for wine instead.

I suddenly remembered that I had a whole trunk full of wine in the car and offered a bottle of Pinot Noir as my contribution to dinner. I hustled out to the car and grabbed a bottle of the Newen which was cool from being outside, almost about the perfect temperature to serve a Pinot Noir.

I opened the bottle and gave it a quick taste – a bit sharp but nice body and good flavor. I detected quite a bit of ‘heat’ on the nose and wondered what the hell the alcoholic content was on this wine. My eyes went wide as I read 14% on the label.

I was pleasantly surprise how good the wine went with the pizza and salad. I thought to myself - “For $13 bucks this is very drinkable!”

I had a bit more of the wine than I had intended to, as it was going down way too easy, so I stayed for a couple of hours after dinner before driving home.

Cheers!

Mark