Wine Club – April Bonus Tasting.

We finished up our normal Wine Club last month, so this month would be a bonus tasting with the money left over. Most bonus tastings I have anywhere between $150 and $300 to work with so we usually get something much higher end than our usual $20-25 a bottle price point. The time I only had $43 left to do the tasting. I decided a blind red wine tasting would be fun but I really want to add the 2005 Altair as one of the reds. Unfortunately at $65 a bottle the Altair was a touch out of my price range. I discussed this with Wine Club members and everyone decide to pitch in $5 to help make this happen.

So my three reds for the blind tasting were a 2005 Altair, 2008 Chateau St. Jean Merlot and 2004 Robert Mondavi ‘Carneros’ Pinot Noir.


I was pleased that Wine Club members took no time in figuring out which of the 3 red wines in front of them was the Altair. It’s rich and full bodied Cab blend was very distinctive from the other two wines. I was also very happy that everyone loved the Altair and thought it was worth the extra $5 they put in to try it.

Everyone correctly guessed that the second wine was a Merlot and a couple even guessed that it was from California which I thought was impressive. The last wine was a mixed bag as about half guessed Pinot Noir and the other half guess Chianti. Chianti wasn’t a bad guess about the Pinot Noir as we tried Chianti in a recent Wine Club meeting and both of them had that thin colouring that Pinot Noir has and there were some flavour characteristics they both had in common.

It was a fun session and I was pleased Wine Club did so well in picking out which wines were which. Next month we will start a new six month session of Wine Club which will be the 43rd time we have gotten together to try wines. It is fun looking back at all the different regions and grapes we have tried so far during these meetings and look forward to seeing where the next 6 meetings will lead.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Prosciutto wrapped shrimp and other stuff

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner. Mick was making Prosciutto wrapped shrimp as the appetizer and Diablo Sliders as the main course. I’ll be honest here and say once Mick said "Prosciutto wrapped shrimp", I stopped listening to the rest of the menu and sat in my chair saying "Prosciutto wrapped shrimp… Mmmm" and drooling a lot.

Mick picked a 2006 Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett Riesling to pair with the shrimp.

Nosing the wine you get a mild nose of peach, lime, lilac with a touch of faint petrol in the background. Tasting the wine apple, apricot, lime flavours are very noticeable. Structure wise the wine was not very acidic (a little soft), slightly cloying, not very crisp. It was very easy drinking and paired beautifully with the curried notes of the shrimp.

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 88, Mark - 86, Kathy – 87, Amy – 89, Overall – 87.5.


Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

DR. PAULY-BERGWEILER RIESLING KABINETT 2008


VINTAGES 189175
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 16.95
Wine, White Wine
8.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : MD
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Dr. Pauly-Bergmeiler
Release Date: Oct 30, 2010

Tasting Note - Light and harmonious, displaying peach, apple, floral and grapefruit aromas and flavors, all matched to a juicy, supple texture. Leaves a ripe apple and slate aftertaste. Drink now through 2025. Score - 90. (Bruce Sanderson, winespectator.com, Dec. 15, 2009)


*Note the wine listed is the 2008 and not the 2006 reviewed here.

For the main course Mick did Diablo Sliders and did a new Spanish Salad recipe that was quite nice. The capers and the tomatoes in the salad with the light dressing make a great side to sliders. Mick paired this course with a 2007 Seghesio Zinfandel. We have reviewed this wine before so we decided not to review it again; I will however say that is was great with the Diablo sliders.

For dessert Amy picked up a Banana cake with cream cheese icing which was very good.

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and especially to Mick for cooking up all the food. It might be a little quiet on the blog for a bit as Mick and Amy are away for the next two Saturdays.


Cheers!

Mark

Best of ComBQ

At our last ComBQ, it was suggested that we do a “Best of ComBQ” as there have been some really great dishes that people wanted to have again. Steve and Melanie were nice enough to set up an online poll so everyone could vote on their favourites. After the votes were in the menu for the evening looked like this –

Roasted Tomato Soup with Parmesan Crisps by Melanie

Almond crusted Goat Cheese salad with a Raspberry/Poppy seed dressing by Mark

Chicken Quesadillas by Mick

Cuban Pulled Pork Sandwiches by Alex

The first course was Melanie’s awesome Roasted Tomato Soup with Parmesan Crisps. Melanie (and Steve) paired this with a 2009 Beringer’s Sauvignon Blanc. When I first heard the pairing I was a little doubtful about it but was surprised how good a pairing this was. I would have leaned towards a Merlot as a pairing here but the crispness of the Sauvignon Blanc made a great contrasting pairing to the richness of the soup.

The second course was mine and I did Almond crusted Goat Cheese salad with a Raspberry/Poppy seed dressing. I picked a 2007 Selbach-Oster Spätlese Riesling as my pairing. It caught a few people off guard on how sweet this wine was especially after just having a dry Sauvignon Blanc. The sweetness was needed however as anything less sweet wouldn’t have held up to the sweetness of the Raspberry dressing. It was a very good pairing with the salad and the eight of us killed two bottles of it with very little difficulty.

The third course was Mick’s famous Chicken Quesadillas. He (and Amy) picked a 2007 Gnarly Head Old Vines Zinfandel as the pairing to go with this course. Both the Chicken Quesadillas and the wine pairing were up to Mick’s usual standard of excellence.

 

The last course ended up actually being the only new dish for the night as Alex couldn’t find the original recipe he did Cuban grilled pork tenderloin sandwiches instead. He picked a 2008 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir as his pairing with the dish. This whole course was the biggest surprise of the evening for both the wine and the food. First off his original recipe was very good but the new recipe he found was even better; I can’t believe how damn good these sandwiches were. Secondly, Pinot Noir wouldn’t have been my first (Red Zin), second (Sangiovese) or even third (Rioja) choice of grape to pair with this recipe but it truly was a stellar pairing and I’d be shocked if any of the pairings I was thinking of would have been better.

For dessert we picked up a selection of baked goodies, chocolate and chocolate based cookies. For anyone having the baked goods I had a bottle of2006 Henry of Pelham Late Harvest to go with them and a 2005 Altair to pair with the chocolate. Both wines were very good.

I would like to thank Melanie, Steve, Alex, Zdenka, Mick and Amy for coming and for all the wonderful food and wine. I really enjoyed our Best of ComBQ but considering how great every ComBQ is with this group, I think every ComBQ is the ‘Best of ComBQ’ and am already looking for the next one.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – No New Year’s Eve…

After back to back Birthday dinners it was nice to get back to a normal Saturday night with Mick and Amy. Mick had on his chef’s hat and apron for the night and had one favourite dish on tap and two new ones for us to try.

"Prosciutto wrapped Shimp, yummy!"

The first course was Prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp, which I love so much that I’m hoping that Mick will one day do an all you can eat "Prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp" night. Mick paired these delightful morsels with a 2008 Hoffmann-Simon Kabinett Riesling.

"Great wine, but a touch too sweet"

Nosing the wine caused me to peak at the bottle as it initially reminded me of a Sauvignon Blanc with its cut grass, floral and peach aromas. There was also some vanilla and nutmeg aromas in the background. Tasting the wine was my next surprise as it was quite sweet; more what I’d expect from a Spätlese Riesling than a Kabinett Riesling. The main flavour to the wine was Golden Apple. This wine was a very good pairing with the shrimp. I liked this wine but the sweetness at times was a bit too much; if this wine upped the alcohol up from 9%to 10% by converting the residual sugar I would bet this would be in my top 5 Kabinett Rieslings of all time.


Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 88, Mark - 88, Kathy – 86, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.25.

Here is the LCBO Information for the wine -
HOFFMANN-SIMON RIESLING KABINETT 2008


VINTAGES 192575
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 16.95
Wine, White Wine
8.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : MD
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Weingut Hoffman-Simon
Release Date: Nov 27, 2010

Tasting Note - Pungent, with a savory edge to the apple, grapefruit and mineral flavors. It's all undercut by a racy, high-voltage structure that keeps this light wine in a high-energy state. Fine length. Best from 2012 through 2021. Score - 91. (Bruce Sanderson, www.winespectator.com, March 31, 2010)

"Baba Ganoush with Pita"

For the next course Mick did Baba Ganoush with Pita and paired this with a 2010 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. We have reviewed the Kim Crawford a number of times so we didn’t bother doing it again. Kim Crawford has made a very good to excellent Sauvignon Blanc year after year and it is probably the wine I use the most as my benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc.

"Excellent year after year"

The Baba Ganoush was good but the eggplant gave it a sweetness that threw the wine pairing for this course. I would probably lean towards an off-dry Pinot Gris or Riesling if I was going to pick a wine for it in the future.

"Curried lamb ribs"

The main course was grilled curried lamb ribs with a 2004 Robert Mondavi "Carneros" Pinot Noir. This was another wine that we reviewed before so we didn’t bother reviewing it again. Lamb ribs were something I have never had before so I was intrigued to see what they would be like. The flavour to the meat with the curried outside was very good; the downside was the meat wasn’t plentiful and hard to find as the lamb ribs were very fatty. Mick is looking at doing this recipe again but doing it as a grilled rack of lamb which I’m very much looking forward to. The Pinot with its strawberry and cherry notes made a very nice contrasting pairing to the ribs.

"A decent Pinot by Mondavi"

For dessert Amy picked up this huge chocolate cake thing from Costco which was pretty good though I don’t think that the four of us made much of a dent in it.

"Is that a giant cake in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?"

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting this week and to Mick for all the great food.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Return of the Birthday

Last Saturday we went out to the 1010 to celebrate Kathy’s 39^th Birthday, this Saturday we stayed home and had a party. Mick and Amy were there and we added Chris and Jan to the evening’s festivities. We each did a course, Mick did the starter, I did the main course and Chris and Jan took care of dessert.

"Some Miss Vickies chips to get the party started"

"Spicy Shrimp with Mint Sauce - Note if this picture looks just like the last time we had Spicy Shrimp that is just an amazing coincidence and has nothing to do with Amy forgetting to take a picture of this evening's Spicy Shirmp... see Amy I got it covered and no one is the wiser :)"

Mick did Spicy Shrimp with Mint dipping sauce and paired this with a 2009 Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc.

"Silky Smooth Fume"

The nose on the wine was a pleasant mix of vanilla, cut grass, peach and orange. Tasting the wine you’ll notice a softer styled Fumé Blanc with vanilla and peach flavours. The balance on the wine was very nice as it had good balance of acidity and fruit. It paired very nicely with the Spicy Shrimp and helped relieve that spicy burn. Mick and I really like this wine but Kathy wasn’t a big a fan. Kathy enjoys the Mondavi Fumé which tends to be made in a more in your face type of style with big acid and alcohol and expects that from a Fumé. I will agree that the Mondavi Fumé is a better pairing with Spicy Shrimp but it was hard not to love the silky smooth styling of the Ferrari Carano Fumé.


Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 89, Mark - 89, Kathy – 84, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.25.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

FERRARI-CARANO FUMÉ BLANC 2009


VINTAGES 354993
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Wine, White Wine
13.9% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California, USA
By: Ferrari Carano Winery
Release Date: Feb 19, 2011

Tasting Note - This pale yellow colored Sauvignon Blanc opens with a mild passion fruit bouquet with a touch of lime. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied and balanced. The flavor profile is a mineral infused mild lime with a touch of green pear. The finish is dry and quite refreshing. This wine would be very good with bacon wrapped scallops. Score - 88. (Ken Hoggins, www.kenswineguide.com, June 11, 2010)

"Pinenutty goodness all ready for cooking"

"The finished product"

For the main course I did Pine nut Salmon with a lemon, butter and basil sauce with a side of mash potatoes with caramelized onions and a side of sugar snap peas. I paired this with a 2007 Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay which we have reviewed before so I declined reviewing it again.


I will say that the KJ was a very good pairing with Salmon.

"A very good Chardonnay"

"A tray of soon to be disappearing cake pops... it's like magic!"

For dessert Chris and Jan brought Cake Pops which are cake batter and cream cheese mixed to together and baked, then an icing or glaze for the outside and on a lollipop stick for easy eating. Kathy and Amy really liked these tasty wonders. Chris and Jan also brought a 2008 Cabernet Franc Ice wine and a 2007 Riesling Ice wine both from Henry of Pelham.

"Stunning Icewines"

I didn’t review either of these wine as I don’t like to review wines that guests bring to dinner (Mick and Amy are the exception as they are also rating the wines). My fear is that if I don’t like a wine, I would feel very bad ripping it in front of my guests. I will say with the two wines Chris and Jan brought I wish I lifted that policy as both were excellent. I’ve had a couple of Cabernet Franc Ice wines in the past and wasn’t a big fan but the 2008 Cabernet Franc Ice wine from Henry of Pelham amazing and went exceptionally well with any of the chocolate based Cake Pops. The Riesling was very good, which isn’t a surprise, as any late harvest or Ice wine Riesling I’ve had from Henry of Pelham has been excellent.


It was a fun evening and I’d like to thank Mick for his course and especially thank Chris and Jan for the dessert and going way overboard with two excellent dessert wines. The only problem I have now is both Birthday nights for Kathy’s 39th were amazing that I’m have no idea how to top this for next year for the big 4-0…

Cheers!

Mark

Kathy's 39th at the 1010 Bistro

Last night we got together with Mick, Amy, Pat, Jack, and Sheian at the always amazing 1010 Bistro in Westdale to celebrate Kathy's 29th Birthday.  Amy took a bunch of pictures so this article is just a picture tribute to the evening.

"Birthday Girl!"

"Flowers from the 1010 owners David and Daniela"

I'd like to thank David and Daniela for a wonderful evening.  I'd also like to thank Mick, Amy, Pat, Jack and Sheian as you guys made it a blast.

Cheers!

Mark

March Wine Club – Chianti

This month for Wine Club we looked at two Chiantis which hail from the Tuscan region of Italy. I really do not know much about Italian wine so this month was a treat for me to learn a little more about this ancient bastion of wine making. I didn’t know that Chianti is mainly made from the Sangiovese grape and was traditionally made in rounded bottles with a straw weave covering. The two Chiantis we looked at were a 2007 Cigliano Chianti Classico (which was the take home bottle for Wine Club members) and a 2007 Rocca Delle Macìe Chianti Classico as the comparison bottle.

"Greetings Clarice"

Here is the LCBO Information on the wines -


CIGLIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2007

VINTAGES 189803
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 18.95
Wine, Red Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Tuscany, Italy
By: Villa Del Cigliano
Release Date: Jan 8, 2011

Tasting Note - The Chianti Classico '07 is very natural in its expression and precision of flavour. It's classy, land-focused and shows the winery is on its way. Score - 2 Glasses (out of 3). (Gambero Rosso Italian Wines, 2010)

ROCCA DELLE MACÌE CHIANTI CLASSICO (V)

VINTAGES 741769
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 18.95
Wine, Red Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Tuscany, Italy
By: Rocca Delle Macie S.P.A.
Release Date: May 15, 2010

Description - Italo Zingarelli, the late film producer and founder of Rocca delle Macìe, passed on his love for winemaking to members of his family. They are masters of Chianti. This delicious, medium-bodied, and well-structured wine exhibits complex aromas of plum, sweet tobacco, mushroom and a touch of oak. Uncompromising quality and value. Pairs beautifully with antipasti, bistecca or veal scallopini.

What was interesting about the two wines was the number of things they had in common – both are Chianti, both are $19, both have 13% alcohol and both were from 2007. Pouring out the wines another commonality showed up as they were identical in colour (a soft red-brown) and in colour depth both were thin like you usually see with a Pinot Noir.

Nosing the wines I found green pepper aromas in both. The Cigliano also had aromas of licorice, chocolate and some dark berry. The Rocca on the other hand had aromas of leather and cherry. Tasting the wine I found the structure similar for both; good lively acidity with weak/soft tannin. The Cigliano had a raspberry and menthol flavour to it whereas the Rocca had a solid cherry like flavour to it. Neither of these wines really lit me up on their own but with the food they were both very good.

Speaking of food, Kim (of our Wine Club members) was nice enough to provide homemade cheese ravioli to go with the wine. These were awesome and as I mentioned above work very well with the wines.

It was fun to try a couple of new wines and I could see myself picking up another bottle or two of Chianti depending on what food I was making.

Next month we are doing a blind tasting of 3 red wines which should be fun.

Cheers!

Mark