October 16th, 2009 Sean Posted in Italy, Pinot Grigio 1 Comment »
| We eat with our eyes, and shop with them too. A lot of fuss has been made online about the shape of this bottle. Well the bottle is cute, and reminds me of VOSS Water from Norway, which if you like trends than this is right up your alley. However, I’m more interested in what is in the bottle, as you should be too. I had major issues with this wine, so much so that I had to pickup a second bottle and recruit two regular wine drinkers (thanks Dana & Lauren) to provide a second opinion. |
| Seeing as the bottle is very non-traditional, I was surprised to find a stopper in it. This was just the beginning of what was becoming an awkward experience. The next item at issue was the smell. Pinot Grigio is known for a subtle, slightly floral or citrus leaf scent. The key to that last sentence was the word ’subtle’. I was greeted by an aggressive burnt wood scent, which seemed to be competing with Lemon Pledge. My volunteer tasters both noted the strange aroma, and were somewhat baffled by it. Finally we tasted. The first sip was, shall we say…unpleasant. But, this is where things begun to change. The second and third sips improved to the point where the wine became enjoyable. To describe the first sip, we settled on comparing it to the aftertaste of eating a sour candy, which to some isn’t always a bad thing.
We are careful when we encounter a wine that doesn’t live up to our expectations, especially those receiving a lot of media attention, but this just isn’t a winner in our books. Especially for the price.
Your thoughts and comments on this wine are much appreciated! |
| Tip: chill well |
| Taste |
green apple, lemon, citric acid |
| Smell |
burnt wood, chemical |
| Food |
seafood |
| Sweetness |
off dry |
| Price |
$13.50 |
| LCBO# |
669226 |
| Score |
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August 16th, 2009 Chuck Posted in Canada, Chardonnay No Comments »
| This crisp, fruit forward chardonnay from Prince Edward County is a good choice for a Sunday lunch |
| Varietal Composition: 59% Chardonnay; 41% Chardonnay Musqué |
| Release Date: March 1, 2009 |
| Taste |
golden apple, floral, light oak |
| Smell |
white grapefruit, golden apple, pear |
| Food |
fish, salad, goat cheese |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$17.95 |
| LCBO# |
132928 |
| Score |
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March 16th, 2009 Sean Posted in Australia, White Blend No Comments »
| The thermometer broke the 0 mark this weekend, which means its time to get ready for summer by chilling some white wine. Wanting to ease in to the white wine season I picked a blend hoping for something easy going and well rounded. This wine certainly achieved this. Like it’s name, it did jump out of the glass, but in a good way. |
| Comprised of 62% Riesling, 18% Sauvignon Blanc, 8% Marsanne, 6% Viognier and 6% Chardonnay |
| Tip: Chill Well |
| Taste |
mixed citrus, lemon, light oak |
| Smell |
gooseberry, pear |
| Food |
cashews, tart fruit |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$14.95 |
| LCBO# |
922203 |
| Score |
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January 11th, 2009 Chuck Posted in Canada, Riesling No Comments »
| This pale straw coloured riesling, served well chilled looked, smelled and tasted great in my new Riedel glassware. The past few cold winters didn’t affect the riesling vines as much as others, which may be why it’s the hottest white on the market right now. |
| Overall this is a great buy: crisp, acidic and flavourful. Proof why you should keep buying your whites from Ontario. |
| Tip: tulip glass |
| Taste |
grapefruit, lemon, pineapple |
| Smell |
pineapple, tropical fruit, floral |
| Food |
pork, chinese |
| Sweetness |
off dry |
| Price |
$11.95 |
| LCBO# |
616599 |
| Score |
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November 16th, 2008 Chuck Posted in Chardonnay, USA 1 Comment »
| I have found my house chardonnay. This vintage has layers of great flavours and aromas, it’s priced well and is readily available. |
| People who are weary of the heavily oaked, buttery and spiced chardonnays don’t have to tread lightly here, this bottle is nothing of the kind. Drink up. |
| Tip: balloon glass |
| Taste |
apple, citrus, mineral |
| Smell |
golden apple, lime, grapefruit |
| Food |
roast chicken, pork chops |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$7.95 |
| LCBO# |
614271 |
| Score |
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October 22nd, 2008 Chuck Posted in Canada, White Blend No Comments »
| An excellent buy that is full of flavour and aroma. In addition to the At a Glance section: the nose also has some spice and flint to it, while the palate is tropical, floral and citrus. How all this character got into this one bottle, I’m not sure but I hope Pillitteri keeps doing what they’re doing. |
| Blend: 51% Gewürztraminer, 49% Riesling |
| Tip: balloon glass |
| Taste |
grapefruit, pineapple, peach |
| Smell |
grapefruit, lychee, floral |
| Food |
ham, chinese takeout, chicken salad |
| Sweetness |
off dry |
| Price |
$12.95 |
| LCBO# |
349126 |
| Score |
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August 9th, 2008 Chuck Posted in Italy, Soave No Comments »
| Here’s a lesson to everyone, when shopping for a wine, just because it has a classification written on the label, doesn’t mean it’s a ‘good’ wine. Click here to learn what makes a wine good. So VQA, DOC, VDQS, AOC, etc.. just means the wine passed regulations. Regulations that have no account for taste. |
| If you’re served this wine, use it to make a spritzer |
| Tip: serve ice cold, and possibly in some sprite. |
| Taste |
lemon, citrus |
| Smell |
lemon, pineapple, honeydew |
| Food |
mix green salad |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$9.90 |
| LCBO# |
171074 |
| Score |
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July 22nd, 2008 Sean Posted in Chenin Blanc, South Africa No Comments »
| This wine gets it high score for two main reasons. 1. Value 2. It’s not Chardonnay! Whoa, hold your angry emails until you read the rest. As we’ve stated many times sometimes you want a white wine that doesn’t carry the typical big bad Chardonnay character, overwhelming your meal at every sip. |
| This dark horse out of Sourth Africa is a very pleasant, easy drinking white on a hot summer day. Excellent fruit and floral balance. Clean and crisp on the palate and amiable to most foods. So far this summer it has become the white house wine, and at under $10 a bottle, how can you go wrong? |
| Tip: Keep and eye out for value priced South African white wines - you’ll be pleasantly surprised (most of the time) |
| Taste |
green apple, pear, melon |
| Smell |
grass, straw, candied pineapple |
| Food |
light summer salad |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$7.95 |
| LCBO# |
18689 |
| Score |
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June 17th, 2008 Chuck Posted in USA, White Zinfandel 2 Comments »
| White Zin always gets the cold shoulder from critics even though it’s one of the top selling varietals in North America. Why? because it’s a rose, it’s light and it’s sweet. Those three reasons are also my guess as to why it appeals to so many wine buyers out there, they make it easy and fun to drink. |
| Although the composition is 84% Zinfandel, an interesting spectrum of grapes are used for flavouring and balance: 8% Muscat, 4% Barbera, 3% Syrah and 1% Grenache |
| Note: given an extra half star because it’s not as syrupy as some other white zins |
| Taste |
strawberry, light berry |
| Smell |
strawberry, floral, cranberry |
| Food |
ham |
| Sweetness |
medium sweet |
| Price |
$9.95 |
| LCBO# |
249656 |
| Score |
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May 23rd, 2008 Chuck Posted in Canada, Riesling No Comments »
| This gently pressed, cool fermented (14°C) juice was aged in stainless steel tanks to produce a very crisp, citrus and minerally riesling. |
| This vintage finishes crisp, tart and steely. At the time of writing, the 2007 vintage is available. It will be interesting to see how a warmer growing season will affect the end result. |
| Tip: tulip glass |
| Taste |
green apple, citrus (lime), mineral |
| Smell |
mineral, lemon, floral |
| Food |
light fish dishes |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$13.95 |
| LCBO# |
303792 |
| Score |
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