who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

I picked up this lovely bottle in the LCBO Vintages section last week.


The Wolftrap Syrah Mourvedre Viognier 2006 from South Africa is a bold, flavourful wine with an aroma of tobacco and a ripe plum and peppery taste with a long, smooth finish. And only $14.75 at the LCBO. I've had more expensive wines that taste like crap in comparison. Definitely one I will pick up again.

a little help from my friend...

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this wine yet!


The lovely Elizabeth first introduced me to the Montecillo Crianza Rioja 2003 from Spain. I am quickly learning that you can't go wrong with Spanish wine. This one is slightly spicy, quite dry, and tastes of ripe berries especially cherries and black currants. There are also slight hints of vanilla and cedar. At the LCBO, it's $14.75 a bottle. And from now until January 6, it's only $12.75. Needless to say, I'll be stocking up.

i saw the sign...

This sign at my local LCBO made my chuckle.


A rather redundant statement, don't you think?

the taste of delicious

It's been quite a while since I've done one of my incredibly amateur wine reviews. For the last little while I've been sticking to the wines I know. A few days ago, I was killing time at Yorkdale Mall waiting for my husband to pick me up after work and I decided to visit the tiny LCBO store. The selection is very limited due to the size of the store, but they always have some interesting bottles. Case in point:




Nothing I've ever heard of, but I was lured by either the $1 off the regular price or the Bonus Air Miles. Can't remember which, not that it matters at this point. It turns out that the Deen De Bortoli Vat 8 2004 Shiraz was quite a fine little wine. Not nearly as bold as the typical Australian Shiraz, but very tasty with lots of ripe berry and woody flavours and strong tannis. I would definitely buy this one again. At the LCBO, $13.70 until June 24. $15.20 after that. Totally worth it!

clap for the wolfman

Our friends Julie and Greg gave us a bottle of Wolf Blass Gray Label Shiraz (2003) a while back. Since they are getting married tomorrow, we figured tonight would be an excellent time to crack that sucker open! And we did.

We decided to go the wine snob route and decant it. We bought a funky little funnel on a recent trip to Niagara on the Lake. It has a cool corkscrew look.


Decanting it really showed off its gorgeous, deep cherry colour.


After letting it breath for about half an hour, it was time to taste. If I was only allowed one word to describe this wine it would be, pepper. From the aroma to the taste this wine is all pepper all the time. There are some other spicy notes and the slightest hint of bitter chocolate too but pepper is the dominant flavour. It mellowed out as it sat in the decanter but the bold spicy flavour and long finish remained. It made an excellent accompaniment to our gourmet pizza dinner.

$33.25 at the LCBO.

in the drink

I picked up a bottle of 2005 Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks Zinfandel from California this week. I was first introduced to this wine by the lovely couple that bought our Toronto condo before we made the moved to Burlington almost 5 years ago. Until that point, I only knew of White Zinfandel, also known in my circles as "pink party wine." I had never had a red Zinfandel before and instantly fell in love with this one.


Ruby red in colour, this wine has a nose of spice and pepper. The flavour is slightly lighter than the aroma suggests, but full of fresh, dark berries, vanilla and licorice, with a long, dry finish. At the LCBO, $14.15.

By the way, if you enjoy wine and especially love a non wine snob review, check out the Wineass podcast. Unfortunately, I can't get many of the wines he reviews in my area, but he is highly entertaining.

a very good year...

We recently enjoyed a bottle of 2005 El Burro Kickass Garnacha from Spain. I'll admit that I didn't expect much from this bottle. I bought it for two reasons. One, there was a picture of a donkey on it and two, it actually had the word "kickass" on the label. Yeah, I know, not too mature but what can I say. I'm a sucker for a good gimmick.

We were pleasantly surprised by this one. It didn't smell like much at first. The aroma was quite mild and flowery. But the flavour? Wow! Strong, spicy & woodsy right off the mark, lingering into a gentler ripe berry finish. Not bad for $12.15 at the LCBO. Even Frank approved! He doesn't allow photographs of himself with just any ass!

bottle of red...

It's time for another wine review!


I've been meaning to pick up the Finca Flinchman Expressions Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, after my favourite wine writer, Beppi Crosariol recommended it in his January 27, 2007 Wine and Spirits column in the Globe and Mail. Once again, Beppi did not disappoint! It tastes like it smells, deeply fruity, spicy and full of oak. This one has a long, intense finish. $15.95 with limited availability at the LCBO. Grab it if you find it!

a few of my favourite things

oh, yeah!


We picked up a bottle of Long Flat 2004 Shiraz from Australia. Words cannot express how much this wine has rocked my world! I'm a sucker for a good Australian Shiraz and this one kicks ass! The first sniff was full of spice and ripe berries. The first taste was caramel, blackberry and pepper. Later on, there were hints of black licorice. So many of my favourite flavours in one affordable bottle. (only $12.15 at the LCBO)

Ain't life grand!?!

a case of you

Steve and I recently discover some excellent, less expensive wines. Here's a quick overview.

We love finding a good "ten-buck chuck." This is our most recent find. The LCBO is currently promoting Latin American wines and the 2005 Vina TaraPaca Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile is on for $8.70, down from it's usual, inexpensive $9.50. This one has great berry & oak flavours and nice tannins. I think it would be fabulous with a big bowl of beef chili.


We subscribe to the Saturday Globe and Mail. One of the first things I do, is read Beppi Crosariol's wine column in the Style section. I have never been disappointed with his recommendations. The man knows his stuff. So when he recommended the 2005 Negroamaro MezzoMondo that sells for only $8.45 at the LCBO, I had to try it. This little gem from Italy is full of rich cherry flavours and is incredibly smooth for its price. Perfect with a gourmet take-out pizza!


We had an open house during the Christmas holidays. A lot of friends came with a bottle of wine in hand. Although I don't want or expect people to bring a gift, I secretly love this for the sole purpose of discovering new wines. Our dear friend Sarah turned us on to the 2005 Bin 15a Shiraz from France. This stuff rocks! For only $11.30 at the LCBO, this rich, peppery, fruity Shiraz is freakin' awesome! I would drink this with absolutely anything. And you gotta love the artsy label!


We recently had a couple of friends over for a yummy steak frites dinner. Geoff brought this fantastic French wine. The 2004 Chateau Timberlay Bordeaux was absolutely delightful and a perfect complement to our medium rare strip loin steaks. If you like the taste of bell peppers and smoke in your wine, you have to give this a try. At $15.20 a bottle, it's a bit more than I would spend for a mid-week chugger, but a nice treat for the end of a tough work week.


So there's my amateur wine round up for this time. If you get a chance to try any of these wines, let me know what you think.

i howl and i whine...

Get a load of this.

Battling the bottles

Basically, this article includes a bunch of restaurateurs whining about the burden of the LCBO's new Bag it Back recycling program. The process of separating wine bottles from their regular recycling and then driving them to their nearest return depot will cause extra work. I have two things to say.

#1 The restaurant business is one of the toughest out there. I have tremendous respect for people in this industry. On the other hand, anyone who owns their own business has to understand that things constantly change. If you can't adapt and deal with it, you're in the wrong business. Go work for someone who will take care of the tough stuff for you.

#2 If business and industry refuse to do their part to reduce waste, we might as well just blow up our planet now. I firmly believe that as individual citizens we have the power to make a positive impact on the environment. But business and industry have the power to impact change on a huge scale in a shorter amount of time. By developing programs such as the LCBO's Bag it Back program, industry is making positive strides to reverse the damage we've done to our planet. If restaurants don't participate, this program ceases to be beneficial to our environment.

As far as I'm concerned, it's up to every single one of us to do our part for the environment. From recycling to composting, from waste reduction to using energy efficient appliances, these small changes, no matter how much extra work they create, can positively impact the world in which we live. So to those restaurateurs who think this is too much work, get over it! Our planet needs your cooperation. As human beings, it's part of your job.

everything old is new again

Finally!

Starting February 5, 2007, Ontario residents will be able to return their empty wine and liquor containers (that's glass bottles, plastic bottles (PET), Tetra Pak containers, bag-in-box, aluminum and steel containers) to their local Beer Store in exchange for their deposit. The idea is twofold. The first is to keep these bottles out of the landfill (yes, some still need the monetary incentive to recycle). The second is, by pulling these bottles out of our blue boxes, to allow the municipalities to expand the variety of items they can recycle.

So all we have to do is save up our bottles and take them to the Beer Store, just like we've been doing with our beer bottles for decades. Yes, we'll be paying an extra 20 cents for a bottle of wine, but we'll get the full deposit back. When they make it this easy, how can you not participate?

bagitback.ca

mighty fine wine

I'm a huge red wine fan. Not an expert by any stretch, but I love trying new wines, especially Canadian ones. I'm also a sucker for great marketing and must admit that I bought this bottle based on the pretty label. Well, the painted turtle did not disappoint. This shiraz, "cellared in Canada from imported & domestic wine" is described on the lable as having "vibrant cassis, black cherry and plum flavours." All I know, is that it is yummy! So if you are into a spicy shiraz, check out the turtle. (For my fellow Ontarians, only $11.95 at the LCBO.)

Here's Frank hanging with the turtle.