February 17th, 2010 Chuck Posted in Italy, Sangiovese No Comments »
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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June 21st, 2009 Chuck Posted in Italy, Sangiovese No Comments »
| Here’s a great example of a Super Tuscan done right. This IGT wine is only IGT because it bent the rules slightly but it was worth it. A very close cousin to chianti, this bottle will pair well with any Italian food or bbq’d red meat. Overall it’s nice and round, medium to full bodied with smooth tannins. |
| Blend is: 60% sangiovese, 25% merlot and 15% syrah |
| Tip: tulip glass |
| Taste |
dark cherry, chocolate, cigar box |
| Smell |
plum, cherry, warm spice |
| Food |
grilled red meat, ravioli |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$19.80 |
| LCBO# |
27797 |
| Score |
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May 3rd, 2009 Chuck Posted in Italy, Red Blend No Comments »
| At first glance this bottle looks like something shampoo would come it, but once on the table with the cap off, it feels kind of futuristic. Overall this is a pretty good wine, a little bit more than the lower end reds but it’s worth the extra 3.50. Overall it’s a dry, medium bodied wine with soft acidity and ripe tannins. |
| 4-Way Blend (quatto means four in Italian): Merlot, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Cabernet. Surprisingly, the pinot really does shine through. |
| Tip: tulip glass |
| Taste |
strawberry, spice, light oak |
| Smell |
red berry, raspberry, white pepper |
| Food |
veal marsala |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$13.95 |
| LCBO# |
78048 |
| Score |
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March 1st, 2009 Chuck Posted in Italy, Valpolicella 1 Comment »
| This DOC Italian ripasso was received very well by everyone at the table. The re-passing (ripasso) technique involves a second fermentaion on the leftover grape skins of Amarone giving it a deeper colour, fuller body, aroma and flavour. Also watch for hints of perrer and ginger. |
| Grapes used: Corvina 65%, Rondinella 20%, Molinara 5%, altri vitigni (others) 10% |
| Tip: Release Date - Nov 8, 2008 |
| Taste |
black cherry, anise, light oak |
| Smell |
black cherry, plum, tar |
| Food |
red meat, cheese, portobello mushrooms |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$16.95 |
| LCBO# |
999946 |
| Score |
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October 2nd, 2008 Chuck Posted in Italy, Valpolicella No Comments »
| This is the 34th vintage of this supervenetian comprised of: 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara. This wine is made using the appasimento technique (double fermentation) and the result is a full bodied wine with soft tannins. There are hints of the following: resin, jam, violet and a tangy finish. |
| This wine will pair very well with a variety of foods including: red meat, sharp cheeses, osso bucco, wild mushroom risotto and veal parm. |
| Tip: tulip glass |
| Taste |
black cherry, oak, prune |
| Smell |
raisin, mulberry, light oak |
| Food |
red meat, steak, sharp cheese, veal |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$17.45 |
| LCBO# |
155051 |
| Score |
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September 6th, 2008 Chuck Posted in Italy, Valpolicella No Comments »
| This DOC bottle comes all the way from the birthplace of ripasso, Veneto, Italy. It’s a tannic, medium to full bodied wine that would go very well with heavy beef dishes. |
| Hats off any winemaker that can achieve such smoothness while having an alcohol content of 14.5%, learn from my experience…drink slowly. The price jump of 2 dollars from the 2003 vintage was sad to see, in Ontario: c’est la vie. |
| Tip: tulip glass |
| Taste |
rasin, cherry, black licorice |
| Smell |
blackberry, cherry, coffee |
| Food |
beef dishes, sheppards pie |
| Sweetness |
extra dry |
| Price |
$17.95 |
| LCBO# |
650713 |
| Score |
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August 28th, 2008 Chuck Posted in Italy, Zinfandel No Comments »
| High five to all the tree-huggers out there, this is my first bottle of wine in a PET (plastic) bottle, and surprisingly I didn’t hate it as much as I would have thought. Although I wouldn’t feel good about bringing a PET bottle as a hostess present, my favourite aspect of it was the smaller and lighter size of the bottle, while remaining to hold 750ml. |
| I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, although primitivo is genetically the same as zinfandel, it is not styled the same and doesn’t hold a candle to a California Zin. Maybe this skewed my option a bit due to the fact that I would love to find such a value priced zin, regardless, I found myself at a table with two others who thought the wine was quite nice. |
| Tip: tulip glass |
| Taste |
tart plum, sour cherry |
| Smell |
mulberry, blackberry |
| Food |
mushroom and parmesan pasta |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$11.95 |
| LCBO# |
64121 |
| Score |
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August 26th, 2008 Chuck Posted in Barbera, Italy 2 Comments »
| This medium bodied, single-vineyard barbera is a great value and a nice stray from the day-to-day varietals. For those of you trying barbera for the first time, Ascheri is a great doorway to one of the most planted grapes in Italy. |
| Benchmarks of a good barbera are: medium-low tannins, high acidity with notes of sour cherries, plums and herbs. Barbera is a great wine to pair with food, especially a saucy italian dish (thanks to the wine’s acidity) |
| Tip: tulip glass |
| Taste |
sour cherry, plum, spice |
| Smell |
cherry, vanilla, plum |
| Food |
cheese and spinach ravioli in tomato sauce |
| Sweetness |
extra dry |
| Price |
$17.80 |
| LCBO# |
982462 |
| 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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May 27th, 2008 Chuck Posted in Italy, Sangiovese 1 Comment »
This sangiovese is very well structured for a wine priced under 8 dollars a bottle. Another nice feature of Italian wines is that they’re easy to pair with food, Italian food. Them’s the rules…I don’t make ‘em  |
| For another excellent value try this vino by Spinelli ( however we do find the Farnese more refined ). What adds to this bottle’s attractivness is it’s high availability, price point and the wide range of foods it pairs with. |
| Tip: buy a magnum, it’s great even after being left open on the counter for a day |
| Taste |
sour cherry, rhubarb, gentle bitterness |
| Smell |
sour cherry, tobacco, leather |
| Food |
veal parm, pizza |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$7.40 |
| LCBO# |
512327 |
| Score |
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May 14th, 2008 Chuck Posted in Italy, Valpolicella No Comments »
| Ripasso is known as the ‘Baby Amarone’. Allow me to drop a little knowledge here. Amarone in my books is the lobster/caviar/cadillac of wines and with that label, goes a price tag that is not everyday affordable (at least for me). That said, when I buy ripasso, I always feel as if I’m getting a terrific deal. |
| Ripasso starts as valpolicella, but during fermentation the winemaker adds the unpressed skins from their prior batch of amarone and restarts the fermentation process. The addition of the amarone skins (which are simply dried grape skins) gives the valpolicella a fuller body, more complex aromas, deeper flavours and a little more alcohol. Presto! your medium bodied valpolicella just became a chewy, full-bodied ripasso. |
| Tip: LBCO wine of the month (March 2008) |
| Taste |
ripe red berry, raisin, leather |
| Smell |
casis, rasin |
| Food |
filet mignon, gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce |
| Sweetness |
dry |
| Price |
$17.95 |
| LCBO# |
642421 |
| Score |
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