Oct 26 2010

an apple a day – what about wine?

Category: Wine tasting — winepost @ 10:26 pm

It’s cold and flu season, and I’ve been hit by the germ wave something fierce. As illness seriously impedes my ability to drink wine, let’s just say I’m not a happy camper about it. But it got me thinking about the old adage of ‘a glass of wine a day’ as being good for one’s health.

So what did I do? After I returned home from the doctor’s office, I let my fingers do the walking – and Googled it. Not surprisingly, there’s a ton of information floating about on the interwebs about booze and germ fighting.  Some wine folks have chimed in on the subject, too. Someone asked our friends at Wine Spectator about the merits of drinking wine while affected by a cold; internet news in the UK is talking wine and cold prevention; a fun site called the New Scientist dishes the dirt on wine’s cold-fighting possibilities as well as busts the myths about colds (some of the reading is rather, um, yucky – proceed with caution).

However, many seem to be using data from research in Spain – a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology; that drinking red wine may indeed be beneficial in fighting the germ fight. Good news for us wine lovers. Yet despite my rather regular intake of the good stuff, I still managed to get sick. I blame wine-resistant germs.

Now that I’m learning about the glass-of-wine-a-day theory (or more, depending on how you dice the stats), I’m inclined to get a little more specific – say, which wine. Remember, the study said red wine appeared to have more effect. This means it’s time for a new list: the Top Five Glass-A-Day Red Wines list. There’s no criteria for the list, other than these are some of my favourite reds to be found in the Okanagan. And since it’s my list, makes sense it would be my faves.

The Top Five Glass-A-Day Red Wines List

Disclaimer: there is no proof that drinking any of these wines will help you reduce your chance of catching a cold. But that’s not the point, is it? Give it a go and see if you manage to keep those germs at bay, because although staying home from work to sleep on the sofa sounds like fun – it’s really not how I like to un*wine*d.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some germ fighting to get back to.

Cheers!

Jeannette

PS: That guy on the intro page for Poplar Grove? It’s John Clerides from Marquis Wine Cellars, sticking his nose in a glass of great BC wine. After 25 years in the wine biz, he knows his stuff. I’ll drink with him again any day.

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Aug 06 2010

read this, drink that: CanLit & BC wine

Category: Wine tasting — winepost @ 12:51 am

 

Yes, I’m about to inundate you with wine-and-reading selections. But I’m not very traditional; you should know that by now, dear reader. So what does that mean when it comes to a reading and wine-ing list presented by yours truly? Allow me to explain.

I’m dragging out the hasn’t-been-published-in-ages books; ones you need to hunt down in your local used book store treasure trove or thrift store. And I’m choosing some newer releases – those published in the last ten years. Maybe there will be something in here that you’ve never heard of.

Good reads should challenge us and our expectations – kind of like good wine does. Both are sensory and seductive, and both can take you a world away.

Enjoy.

Read: Robertson Davies, Leaven of Malice. This guy shoves us into a world of academics, tenure and compound sentences. His characters drink wine. I like that. This is one dude who doesn’t lead you around by the nose: he’s got witty, layered characters that keep surprising you, and he has an expectation you’ve a decent head on your shoulders. 

Drink: This says bubble all over it. Try Blue Mountain, Sumac Ridge’s Stellar’s Jay (after sleeping for a couple of years, it’s one mighty good bottle) or Gray Monk Odyssey White Brut. Not a bubble fan? Shame. But you can play along – with a bottle of Twisted Tree Syrah, or a Pinot Noir from Meyer Family Vineyards.

Read: Margaret Atwood, The Edible Woman. Ahead of her time in so many ways. This is foodie Can-lit for foodies before there were foodies. Of course, there’s a glass or two of wine in here. I read this only recently, having put it off in a covet kind of way. I’m glad I did.

Drink: Margaret says unusual yet beautiful structure, and so must the wine. Think Mount Boucherie Ehrenfelser,  Inniskillin Dark Horse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake Breeze Pinot Blanc or Road 13 Vineyards Jackpot Pinot Noir.

Read: Douglas Coupland, J Pod. I love him; he’s magnificent at loading a sentence with so much stuff. Plus, I want to meet Ethan’s mom. Think easy street meets the wrong side of the tracks, in a very Rice-Krispie-square kind of way.

Drink: More than meets the eye, this one. Makes me want Rollingdale’s Cabernet Sauvignon “La Gauche”, Township 7’s Chardonnay (not the reserve, but not the un-oaked for this one), Cedar Creek’s Platinum Reserve Chardonnay or Tinhorn Creek’s Oldfield Series Merlot – because there’s more going on than you would expect.

Read: Mordecai Richler, Barney’s Version. The guy writes a good story, hands down. These are characters that I not only want to drink with, but also want to go to Europe with. That’s good character development.

Drink: I recall the protagonist as a scotch drinker, but also one who enjoyed a bottle of wine. That being said – try something from Osoyoos Larose, or maybe Laughing Stock’s Portfolio. Perhaps followed by a nice fortified, like Sumac Ridge Pipe or Granite Creek Merlot.

Read: Zoe Whittall, Bottle Rocket Hearts. Maybe it’s because I met her brother in the parking lot of an Okanagan winery (true story), or maybe it’s because I had a summer of unemployed drunken fun in Montreal in the early 90’s (slightly hazy true story). It could be both, but also because this is one brilliant author. Storytelling stream-of-consciousness. I miss Eve.

Drink: Memories of misspent youth, character-building events that at the time are rip-your-heart-out experiences you don’t think you’ll ever recover from and the unmistakable sweetness of firsts. Try La Frenz Cabernet Sauvignon, Orofino Pinot Noir, Cassini Cellars Reserve Chardonnay or Desert Hills Gamay. 

The point is this: wine, like literature, is highly dependent on situation. I truly believe that. Reading the same book at different points in your life will bring out different qualities of that book – just like drinking wine with different people, or in different situations, will show you something new.

Mix it up. Experiment. Un*wine*d a little. Now excuse me while I go back to Timothy Findley’s Spadework and my glass of…well, I’m not going to tell you all my secrets – read it and tell me what you’d drink with it.

Cheers!

Jeannette

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Jul 06 2010

like this? try that!

Category: Wine tasting — winepost @ 4:15 am

 

So… I recently went to a wine  conference, and got really drunk, um, well I drank a lot of wine, er… okay, I tasted a bunch of great wine. And it was easy, because there were dozens of wineries pouring their wares. I didn’t have to choose anything other than move from this bottle, to that bottle, then spit cup.

The whole experience got me thinking about travelling and buying wine. Us wine lovers have our local – and sometimes international – favourites. The tried and true. But what happens to all the wine you don’t know a damn thing about? Other than finding a local wine bar / boutique / wine-o-phile to interrogate, how are we supposed to make a relatively informed wine decision when travelling?

Simple: it’s time for a game of ‘like this? try that’, courtesy yours truly. Please don’t let my hours of wine drinking go to waste. 

The glorious Okanagan is a hop, skip and jump-through-the-border-hoops away from our US neighbours. We welcome visitors of all kinds; especially those who can haul away cases of our delicious wines in their cars / SUVs / trucks / motorhomes.  Got a favourite Washington wine? Something in California make you say naughty words? Chances are we’ve got a BC wine for you. After all, we’ve shared our soil for eons and eons. Literally.

Play along at home or take a really, really long road trip.

The Like This? Try That! wine game

Like: Parduci 2008 Sustainable White 

Light and crisp, this organic and sustainable vineyard puts out a fabulous white blend. It’s a right-after-mowing-the-lawn-on-a-hot-summer-day wine. Try: Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris or Rollingdale Pinot Blanc.

Like: Pithy Little Wine Co. 2009 Sangiovese Rosé

My first experience with sangiovese, and a rosĂ© to boot. Hot damn. This little beauty has a surprise for you – just when you think it’s done, out comes a hint of roses. It’s a playing-hookey-from-work-on-a-sunny-day wine. Try: Le Vieux Pin Viala or Twisted Tree Marsanne Rousanne.

Like: Ortman Family Wines 2007 Chardonnay

Taste explosion of honey-nut-butter-caramel. This is dinner-party-when-you-don’t-know-who’s-going-to-be-there-but-you-want-to-make-a-good-impression wine. Try: Cassini Cellars Reserve Chardonnay or Wild Goose God’s Mountain Riesling.

Like: Long Shadows 2009 Poet’s Leap Riesling

A tarty little thing, and pleasantly so. Poet’s Leap is learning-to-whistle-by-blowing-over-a-blade-of-grass-pinned-between-your-thumbs kind of wine. Inhale. Try: Orofino Riesling or Little Straw Tapestry.

Like: Buty 2008 Semillion/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle

The only way to describe this wine is as a gift that keeps on giving. And giving. Wait…it’s not done yet. Know what I mean? Try: Painted Rock Chardonnay or Orofino Malbec for a similar gift-giving experience.

Like: DeLille Cellars 2008 Chaleur Estate Blanc

Complex is an understatement. Nutmeg, almond and caramel tangled with smokey cigar – all wrapped up in fruit salad. Yeah, it’s like that. This is getting-into-your-parents-good-wine-stash wine. It’s exactly where you know you’re supposed to be. Try: La Frenz Tempranillo or Fairview Cellars Sauvignon Blanc.

To all the wines I loved over three days – and three very late nights – in Walla Walla, Washington, I’d like to say a hearty thank you. And to all the wines I don’t have room to drool over here, my deepest apologies – but know that you will forever remain in my heart, nestled beside some great wine memories.

Summer is about exploring new places – even if it’s only through the taste that a great glass of wine places you in. Because you know I’m not about “complex acidity” or “hints of gooseberry leaf on the nose”. I’ll leave that to the wine professionals. No; I’m about where-does-this-wine-take-you, and what-do-you-want-to-be-doing-when-you-drink-it. (descriptions totally PG13, of course)

Regardless your method of travel this summer, be sure to un*wine*d with a glass of somewhere great.

Cheers!

Jeannette

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Mar 23 2010

cotton candy, deep hole earth & a rainy day

Category: Wine tasting — admin @ 5:59 pm

Appies, dinner & dessert – a fairly standard order. There’s also a “recommended” wine tasting order: whites before reds, lighter before fuller-bodied and sweeter dessert or late harvest wines last. Makes sense, right? Sure – but that doesn’t mean it has to happen that way. As for talking about wine, well, I’m going to make you wait until the end of the blog-meal before I serve up the (lighter) special treat. Because I can.

Wine tasting is something I recommend you do with a buddy, friend or random stranger you meet outside the tasting room. You know what I’m talking about: you’re on the tasting circuit and realize you’re following or being followed by that sylish couple with the cool glasses or the gentleman that likes to talk to himself. It’s inevitable.

Where was I? Right – tasting with friends.

My fella likes to dip into the wine with me, but sometimes I like to bring along a friend who has a) different knowledge than me, b) a few spare hours and c) a good sense of humour because my descriptors aren’t standard WSET lingo (as you might have guessed by now). One of the friends I like to taste wines with is Luke, the empire builder from an earlier wineopoly post.

Luke joined me for some tasting the other night; here’s an sample of how it went.

Me: Deep hole earth.

Luke: Hmmm, really?

Me: It’s like I’m in a big hole and it smells like earth from deep down.

Luke: That’s interesting.

See what I mean? There was some cursing involved (in a good way – sometimes descriptors need a bit of oomph), discussion about cropping and yield per acre (on Luke’s part – I sat and listened) and talk of good barnyard smell versus bad barnyard smell. On the whole, I learned (as usual) a bit from Luke and he (I’m sure) got a good laugh. Deep hole earth says it all.

I tried my first BC Zweigelt, from Arrowleaf in Lake Country. A long, deep inhale on this baby took me to carnivals and cotton candy. That’s right – cotton candy. But it’s a spicy little grape, and on shorter sniffs I could have been walking past the spice aisle in a grocery store. I fell in love with zweigelt (say it like svy-gelt) in Ontario’s Niagara Region, and I’m happy that BC wineries are producing it too. This one’s a bit more cherryish than peppery, and it looks like purple, velvet curtains. Very cool.

On the docket was a Merlot from Twisted Tree in Osoyoos – and damn it’s a nice looking bottle! Seriously folks, the bottle itself has presence, and is pretty sexy. When I think BC merlot, I think dark and sexy. This is the wine that made me think deep hole earth. It also made me think of rich liquors and cassis, and blackberry porter (yes, I drink beer too). Get your hands on a bucket of overripe blackberries and some deep hole earth and you’ve got this merlot. I warned you that I wouldn’t use wine-speak.

It’s time for dessert. Not that this wine tasted like dessert – it’s just that it’s the bomb, the bee’s knees, the freakin’ stellar event of our wine tasting night. It’s the Pinot Noir from Howling Bluff on the Naramata bench. Two words: rainy day. A whiff of this little gem was like walking on a sidewalk after a summer rain, when the stones and ground are still wet and everything’s got that clean-rain-smell. The more we sniffed and slurped, the more we oohed and aahed over it. Simple tasting, like chocolate and cherries and summer, but with that fantastic rainy day smell. Perfect.

It’s nice to enjoy a glass (or two) of wine by yourself – I’ve been known to do that myself on occasion. Don’t look in our recycle bin. But it’s way more fun when you’ve got some friends with you and you’re just drinking and chatting. That’s when things like deep hole earth happen. And there’s nothing more un*wine*d than that.

Cheers!

Jeannette

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