Late night

It's late. I don't remember staying up this late since my days served in university. I'm watching episodes of The Office. Watching Jim and Pam together is making me tear up like a girl. Maybe it's because it's the holidays. Maybe it's because I'm so emotionally invested in these characters. But they're good tears. Not evil ones.

I've been drinking. Heavily. At least it's all pinot noir. Chambolle-Musigny and Le Clos Jordanne will make you happy like that.

DF

Just amazing

Drinking by candlelight must be one of the greatest circumstances to experience wine in. A quiet, sensual moment, to contemplate everything in, and out, the glass.

DF

2007 Niagara Escarpment

2007 Malivoire Estate Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Escarpment

I picked up this bottle at the winery, as I wrote about earlier this month. Of the three chardonnays produced here, this showed as the least oaky. This bottle proved otherwise. Just a complete fall off the cliff, after tasting the aforementioned 1996 Baron-Fuenté.

Pale colour, which was a surprise, but the nose shows all the heavy-handedness that is plaguing New World wines. Of course, 2007 was a scorching, powerhouse vintage, but even then, the wine is struggling to prop up all the oak. Just an overbearing creamy, buttery, vanilla-laden slap across the face. Showing no subtlety, no nuance. The fruit begins to emerge with some time, but the oak is covering everything like a layer of sludge.

My palate is delicate - I hesitated to taste it after the nose. Perhaps this is when I should begin being more diplomatic. There's a layer of thick, creamy, almost syrupy oak, with just a bit of citrus and apple showing. So sweet and almost cloying in its sweetness. It's shocking that this is supposed to be a dry table wine. Sweet chardonnay, from oak of all things, is not pleasant, nor representative of a terroir wine. There's almost a filmy layer of extract on the finish.

Just not a success for this producer, which is disappointing. I like Malivoire chardonnay - I remember being quite surprised at the quality of the 2006. With such a hot vintage in 2007, there needs to be balance, and this wine lacks the drinkability and terroir-signature of fine chardonnay. This shows as a clumsy wine, meant to satisfy pool-side drinking tastes of neophyte yuppies. Which is a shame. And I remember this bottling to be the least oak-influenced. I shudder to imagine the wood splinters you have to pick out from your teeth after drinking Moira and Mottiar.

DF

Close to the chest

I hope everyone's having a great holiday so far. I don't know what to make of mine so far. It's been full of obligations. Church, family, this, that. I need some time to settle down a bit, preferably with a glass or five, and just chill.

Today's been alright. I didn't go shopping. The streak is still on - I've never, and don't intend on ever participating in the bloodfest that is Boxing Day. Spent the day at home, drinking and tasting my way through three wonderful wines. Two Niagara pinot noirs of the highest quality, and a Burgundy.

There's a few things that I'm planning on investing in, in the new year. Laptop, flashlight(s), body grip, stems. So keeping my wallet close to the chest, for now at least. At least the wine is still flowing (somewhat) freely.

As always, photo courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

1996 Champagne

1996 Baron-Fuenté Grand Millésime Brut, AC Champagne

We kicked off the holidays with a few bottles on the 23rd. First of the night, a vintage Champagne from one of the greatest recent vintages. I do my best to drink as much Champagne as I can comfortably afford, and it's always a treat to drink the 1996's.

I decanted. I'll tell you why - the bubbles in Champagne should be the least interesting aspect, as the sweetness is the least interesting aspect of a great Sauternes. It is an element, yes, but certainly not the focus. The mousse brings a textural component to the wine. What you see, in the form of carbonation, is only important for the hacks who want others to see that they're drinking a Champagne.

Still quite a young vintage, which is why I wanted to aerate it fully. It shows a lot of autolytic properties, not a surprise. Fruit lurks underneath, but is quite muted. It does begin developing a creaminess, and an intensity that's quite pleasing. Minerals begin showing as well. There's a beautiful weight in the mouth, clearly a wine with presence. High-strung acidity. A delicious wine with our fish as well as our rabbit stew.

DF

Which side?

I don't know whether I should be happy or a bit....unhappy right now. Elated because I'm tasting through 3 stunning wines. Or a bit down because I'm drinking alone.

At least.......no, there is no upside. At least I'm getting a bit hammered. And when that happens, all the shit about sharing wine with your beloved goes out the window.

DF

Dress Code

Proper attire for Christmas Eve. Paul Stuart checked 3/2 roll wool jacket, Ralph Lauren contrast collar shirt.

I would have left the top 2 buttons unbuttoned, but that's just me.

DF

I pass

There's nothing like a card game to bring out the vicious trash talker in even the mildest of personalities.

DF

Christmas Eve

I had an interesting Christmas Eve. Trying to be a bit diplomatic about things, for once. For the first time, I participated in a Christian Christmas Eve church service. My mother is very involved, and I was volunteered to participate. Good thing I have a broadcaster's voice. We got up on stage to recite a few bible passages. I was booming. Don't care if I agree with what I was saying, I was all in. I gave those verses everything I had. I can't help but notice that no one dresses appropriately for church anymore. The men look like they're wearing borrowed suits, and the women......I highly doubt that knee high leather boots and short skirts are suitable in front of Christ. Come on...it's Christmas, show a little decorum and respect.

Dinner as usual, at a family friend's place. There were cops everywhere - I didn't have a drop of alcohol. Perrier all night. I'll put up some video later. And some photos. There was a raucous card game going on after dinner. I won't lie - there really is no reason for me to be at these things. There really is nothing for me to do there.

My goodness...I'm turning into an alcoholic loner. Merry Christmas, mes amis.

DF

Merry Christmas

Heading out to a friend's place. I sincerely wish everyone a happy and safe holidays. Merry Christmas, dear friends. Looks like we'll be getting a white one this year.

DF

Gasp...you're drinking what?

This must be sacrilege - I'm watching Mondovino whilst drinking a bottle of heavily, heavily oaked Niagara chardonnay. At the very least, I'll be heading straight for vinous purgatory. This is a problem. But then again, I am pretty wasted. Things are looking up!

DF

NV Champagne

NV Bonville Prestige Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, Avize

A grower Champagne of Avize, blanc de blancs. I'm beginning to really appreciate these wines. 100% chardonnay gives the creaminess to the Champagne that often creates the balance you need. So many people are going for zero dosage, as if the mere mention of sugar in Champagne is a sin against taste. Nonsense. You need residual sugar in Champagne to balance the often shocking amount of acidity. Whether or not there's too much is another matter.

Fine, frothy mousse, with quite an energetic stream of bubbles. This wine is delicious, with a citrus and ripe tangerine nose, with a creaminess and weight in texture that shows a lot of elegance. There's a minerality as well - this is a serious wine. But at a price.

Paired with lobster - just delicious. Still figuring out how to properly present a lobster dish, but we'll get there. In the meantime, more lobster and Champagne dinner trials will have to be conducted...

DF

Ten Thousand

Maybe insignificant, but this is a big moment for me. I reached 10,000 page views today, as of January 2, 2009. A big moment for me. I never thought this blog would go on as far as it has. At best, I though I'd see maybe 3000-4000 hits for the year.

I'm truly thankful for my readers, for everyone who's offered words of encouragement and support. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this whole blogging thing.

DF

Mmmmmm

Got a haircut this Sunday. I think I moaned a little when the nice lady was kneading my head and the back of my neck. All the tension just fluttered away, into a sudsy, stirring contentment.

When I get stinkin' rich, I'm hiring a woman who's sole responsibility will be to massage my head and neck every day with shampoo and scented oils.

DF

Sell it!

Ernie Eves says LCBO sale won't be easy. Take a look, from the Toronto Star today.

So apparently, the province wants to sell the LCBO. Why hasn't it? Get a move on, boys. Drop this incredibly inefficient system, that's doing a horrible disservice to Ontario taxpayers. I don't get the reason though - the idiots in charge have racked up the largest deficit in history ($24.7 billion) and they want to explore ways to bring in some cash. Are they seriously considering selling one of the most profitable assets they have? $1.4 billion in profit, $400 million in liquor sales taxes a year. Doesn't make sense.

But I've always been a proponent of the privatization of liquor in Ontario. Yes, I want to buy wine from a privately owned retailer. We need competitive prices, better selection, and much, much better customer service. LCBO's prices are a joke, especially on Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. Selection? I'm tired of hearing the fabulous Chinon, Mosel, grower Champagne, and fine Burgundy that the Americans have access to, while we have to do with row upon row of non-descript junk. Don't get me started on the utter lack of fine Niagara wines - you have to support all the wonderful wines in our own province, who are suffering because they can't afford to sell through the LCBO. And as for service? Well, if you wear a badge that says "Vintages Consultant" on it, then you sure as hell better act like a consultant.

The LCBO? Sell that shit!

DF

Dinner in the winter - In photos

Some photos from dinner. As always, photos are courtesy of ROKChoi. Thanks for coming to dinner, mes amis.

DF

Dinner in the winter - Vintage port

1989 Cruz Vintage Port, Porto

Tasted this earlier this year. With cheese, nothing is better than a vintage port. With 20 years of age, this should be showing well.

Dark colour, lots of concentration. Dried fruits, spiciness, but the brandy is a bit disturbing. Alcohol definitely rears it's head - I've tasted much younger late bottled vintage ports that show more alcohol integration. A bit harsh.

But with cheese, just stunning. A revelation. It's the bittersweet things, in food/wine, and in life, that are the most extraordinary.

DF

Dinner in the winter - Balsamic

I never knew there was vintage-dated balsamic vinegar. Although I shouldn't be surprised - all balsamic vinegar constitutes is spoiled wine, no? This is 1980 Toro Albalá Castillo de Poley Balsamic Vinegar.

Made with the pedro ximénez grape, and started life as a fino sherry. With bread, just amazing. High strung acidity, lots of savoury, syrupy flavours. For dessert, the mango pudding was extraordinary. Not too sweet, wonderful consistency. And of course, a hunk of surface ripened cheese, a firm brie.

DF

Dinner in the winter - Burgundy

2006 Remoissenet Père et Fils, AC Chambolle-Musigny

With a grand dish, a grand wine. We've been seeing a few wines from this producer be released, and how could you ever say no to a Chambolle-Musigny?

Light colour, which is always a great sign. On the nose, much more reticent. I like to think that wine is a reflection of the people who make them, and this certainly applies here. It takes an hour to really begin unravelling. Red fruits show, with a lot of sour cherry and cranberry. A really distinct gaminess develops as well. Minerality, with an almost iron quality. The meatiness in the bouquet really starts booming around the third hour.

Silky texture in the mouth, with a lovely bright red fruit character. Begins showing a lot of sweetness in the fruit, as well as a spicy note. Incredible. This wine clearly shows its pedigree, compared with the previous Niagara pinot noir we drank. Long finish, balanced, with an austerity from both its fine tannins and acidity. A complete wine.

With the rabbit, just beautiful. The gaminess and spiciness of both pair well. The acidity just cuts through the richness of the rabbit. A dish, and wine, perfect for the weather outside.

DF

Dinner in the winter - Rabbit

Now, the main attraction. A rabbit fricassée with wild mushrooms, leeks, and celery. Gamy, earthy flavours are the focus - this is a country dish, and I wanted to show it as such. Nothing fancy. I love eating mushroom is big chunks. The rabbit we find here has a richness to it, as well as a gaminess that it quite unlike anything else. A few of my friends had never eaten rabbit before - it's always a treat for me as well.

After the meat, the liver, heart, and kidneys were lightly seared in butter. Nothing to waste. The liver was just delicious. Kidneys, much richer and creamier than you'd expect. The heart - bloody and a bit chewy. You respect the animal for what it's given you, and leave none of it to waste.

DF

Dinner in the winter - Pinot noir

2004 Inniskillin Montague Vineyard Pinot Noir, VQA Niagara Peninsula

I love this wine. Always loved it. Normally, I shy away from these wines made by these big producers, but this site is special. Montague Vineyard produces very fine, earthy wines with a distinct personality.

A bbq going on in the aroma. Lots of smoked, charred meat, with bright cherry flavours. Some minerality beginning to show. The colour is beginning to brown, but I think it's an oxidative property from improper storage. There's a fine texture - not so much a structure, but the acidity keeps it austere and in balance. Lovely red fruits in the mouth, with a pronounced minerality. Linear, with an earthiness and brightness that's quite special - this really straddles Old/New World pinot noir styles.

With the spaghetti, the acidity works wonders. Matches with the tomato perfectly, and the smoky note goes well with the meatballs. Great wine.

DF

Dinner in the winter - Spaghetti

Spaghetti and meatballs. Only the meatballs were made from ground beef from local, organically raised cows. The most tender, intensely beefy ground beef I've ever tasted. Wonderful. Rich marinara sauce is perfect in the winter, and of course, spaghetti cooked al dente. Simple, rustic food.

DF

Dinner in the winter - Chardonnay

2007 Lailey Vineyard Chardonnay, VQA Niagara River

This wine is very close to me - we tasted this last year, when it was still in barrel. It shows all the richness and concentration of the vintage, but with a freshness that is characteristic of this producer. There's quite a bit of creamy oak, with substantial vanilla, but this wine has shown to age beautifully. We're drinking it a bit young, but it is well-suited to drinking in cold weather. Lots of citrus in the mouth, but a slightly bitter finish.

I paired this bottle with our fish. It's the weighty texture that makes the marriage work. Good balance and acidity in the wine cleanses the palate. A delicious chardonnay, with a long life ahead of it.

DF

Dinner in the winter - Fish

I cooked dinner for my friends last night. It's winter, it's almost Christmas....it's time to get together and celebrate a bit. Which just is another excuse to drink many, many wines, and indulge to excess.

It's been getting cold in Toronto. So we started with a soup, to warm everyone up. A beautifully rich chicken broth which was to be the base for many of the sauces later on. Once warmed up, we moved onto fish.

Striped bass, which I filleted. I really need a proper knife for this kind of work. My chef's knife just isn't designed for such an intricate operation - I sliced my left thumb quite deeply, as a result. You'll see later on. I can never get through a dinner without having at least one finger plastered and Polysporin-ed up.

Seasoned, then seared in olive oil. Roasted in the oven. As it cooks, diced Ontario beets into a pan. Simmered with chicken broth. Thickened with a bit of butter. You lay it on the centre of the plate - the intense purple colour is a nice complement to the fish. The sweetness pairs wonderfully with the savoury quality of a good piece of fish.

DF

Day after

I'm waiting for my toast. Crawled out of bed with a slight hangover, but I feel awesome. Nothing some breakfast tea can't fix. I need to hire a maid to wash the dishes after these dinners. I managed to clean everything except my stems and decanters. Who was it that said that after you've been drinking, the wine glasses begin appearing very large, while the sink begins to shrink?

Usually when I talk wine with people, I get blank stares. That look that just says, 'I'm gonna be polite and hear you out, but as soon as you finish, I'm out'. But my friends are enlightened drinkers. There's that moment when what you're saying corresponds to what they smell and taste - that's the moment when eyes get really wide, and there's the, 'Oh, I get it!!' Yeah, that's when it's all worth it.

DF

There you go

I try not to be sentimental, but tonight's one of those nights. I love my food and I love wine with all my heart, but I think I love my friends more.

DF

All love

My goodness, I can't even describe how much I love Burgundy. Chambolle-Musigny touches my heart like nothing else. Wonderful. Four bottles and many, many glasses later, I can't even begin describing what I'm feeling right now. The most amazing wine experience I've had in a long time. I'm Chinese through and through, but my heart belongs to the French.

DF

2006 Finger Lakes

2006 Shalestone Vineyards Cabernet Franc, Finger Lakes

This is one of those wines that you buy out of curiosity, but after drinking, are glad that it's out of the cellar. A wine of Finger Lakes, from a producer that I quite like. Rob Thomas is passionate about what he's doing, and very humble about his wines. I really like him. Which is why I'm disappointed that the two wines I bought from him, a merlot, and this cabernet franc were so underwhelming.

Light colour once decanted, which was quite promising. I'm so tired of these inky wines, bearing more resemblance to balsamic vinegar than wine. The nose was quite restrained, with good sweet fruit, and some brambles. Good. This is a cabernet franc, after all. And I remember quite liking this wine when I tasted it at the winery. It's in the mouth and after a few hours that this wine begins to show some issues. It's sweet. Barely any structure, sweet texture, some jamminess developing - an American wine all around. Devolves quite rapidly. Sickly sweet almost. At least the alcohol's under control.

Should I have been expecting something different? This is clearly a wine that the American palate would love. I opened it 12 months too late. Where's that structure and density I tasted last July?

I don't know what to think. I really like Rob, and I think he has the right philosophy with regards to the fruit he purchases. Just not impressed with this wine.

DF

Needs

I need to move out. Hot damn, I can't live with my parents anymore. What good is it living with your parents if you know how to cook, clean, and can manage basic plumbing and electrical issues? And really, what good is it if you don't even have a decent place to store your wines in their house?? Huh??? Answer that.

On a completely separate and unrelated note, I bought some beautiful Chambolle-Musigny's today, for Saturday's dinner and to drink over Christmas. I thought I was done buying wine for this year, but I thought about it, and dammit, I want to drink red Burgundy! Even though it cost me dearly, and the wines have been sitting on shelves for a few months, this is an itch that I must scratch.

My friends are in for a great wine experience.

DF

The only one

Everyone needs to be the guy in their social circle, no? I mean, in terms of expertise, everyone needs to be the one and only source of knowledge and advice. Straight up, if someone comes in claiming to be a wine guy, I will feel threatened. To my core.

Why is that?

Isn't it the point of a hobby to share with people, to engage in dialogue? What fun is there if it's just one-sided? Certainly, I'm flattered when people seem interested when I talk wine. Then why is it that I can't hold anyone else's palate in high esteem except my own (or Broadbent's, or Asimov's, or Jefford's, or Robinson's, or Spurrier's)? I just can't take anyone else seriously - this dude, this chick, can't possibly know what they're talking about.

Don't laugh, don't smirk. You're every bit as insecure. You know how BMW drivers instantly tense up when someone else talks about their new Porsche? Or when the model's face turns sour when another pretty girl walks into the room? Yeah. Same thing.

I am the Wino. There's never been anyone like me. The true wine lovers, I'm cut from their cloth. I'm invincible, I'm unstoppable, I'm just ferocious.

DF

NV Vouvray

NV Domaine de Vaugondy Brut, AC Vouvray

I love Vouvray. If I could find more of Huet here, I'd load up. Sparkling chenin blanc is a wonderful thing. This is such an interesting wine. Immediately more rich, with that yeastiness that reminds you of Champagne, but showing a lot more sweet fruit. Oily, creamy fruit. Becomes very sweet on the palate. This is where things start becoming strange. Dosage is a bit of an issue. Very, very sweet.

Good, warm sparkling wine - reminds me that I should be drinking these kinds of wines more often.

DF

In the spirit?

Not feeling the Christmas spirit. No, this isn't about consumerism - I don't want to receive any gifts, because I'm seriously considering not buying any. I wrote about this last year.

No, just not feeling it. Maybe we need to have a few more dinners, maybe I just haven't been drinking enough. You think it's because I've been working pretty much non-stop since last November? You do think that. Yeah, last weekend was a good start. More dinners, and more wine to follow. As always, 5 hour dinners are life's greatest pleasures.

I want a bottle. Right now.

DF

2004 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

2004 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Kabinett, QmP Graacher Domprobst, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

The third wine of Oyster Dinner.

We've been talking a lot about Mosel rieslings, so I had to find one in my cellar to drink alongside. A bit of age, not as much as I'd like to wait, but most of my wines are kept at a friend's place. Much darker than the Niagara wines, due to age, certainly, but also a difference in terroir. I'm not sure Niagara rieslings will ever achieve this kind of deep, golden hue, but we'll see. We'll see.

I've never drank a wine that smelled and tasted so wholly and purely of grapefruit. All the beautiful fragrance of grapefruit, with that distinct bitterness and tang. Residual sugar is very prominent in the mouth, and although the acidity cleans it up somewhat, it just doesn't have the tingly tension of the two Niagara rieslings. Lacking a bit of complexity outside the fruit. Certainly not what I was expecting, but we'll have to drink more wines from this terroir to get a better sense of Graacher Domprobst.

Too much residual sugar to pair with the oysters. But let's be honest, at this point of the dinner, I was beyond the point of being picky with pairings.

DF

VQA Beamsville Bench

2008 Thirty Bench Riesling, VQA Beamsville Bench

The second wine of Oyster Dinner.

From a different terroir of Niagara Escarpment. This is just their estate level riesling, but again, a fantastic value. Much denser, muskier minerality. Citrus, as if often a characteric of young Niagara riesling. Acidity shows as much higher, tighter. Lingering finish.

This is a much better pair for the oysters. It's the acidity and more overt minerality, I'm convinced.

DF

2008 Twenty Mile Bench

2008 Flat Rock Cellars Nadja's Vineyard Riesling, VQA Twenty Mile Bench

The first wine of Oyster Dinner.

This is always a favourite, value wine for me. Balanced, tingly, with all the beautiful fruit you want from a riesling. Beginning to show a lanolin minerality. Acidity shows brilliantly, with just the perfect amount of residual sugar to give a nice bit of extract and richness. Nice.

With the oysters - maybe a bit too lean. But this wine is just so drinkable. Easy on the palate.

DF

Gojira

This past Saturday, December 12, we picked up our new car. I hustled out of bed at 8am. On a Saturday. That's just unheard of. Really, the only other reason I'll get out of bed so early, with enthusiasm, is for wine. But 8 am on Saturday is still pushing it, even for wine.

We had to drop off Accord first. The breakup felt like it was long overdue. You say you'll stay friends with her, but that never happens. This was the car I smashed up pretty good, to the tune of $9700. So there were some unpleasant memories. Including the leaky window seals, the suspect tires, and the ill-fitting body panels. Was there a pang of sadness? Not really. The greasy salesman we were dealing with, in the cheap synthetic fibre blend suit and a misguided fob notion of cool, certainly made the divorce easy.

What a contrast it makes, when you actually have a positive business relationship with someone. The meeting at Infiniti took about 45 minutes longer than it had to, but we signed and got our keys. And here we are. A 3.7 litres, 328 hp, 7 speed auto, black self-healing clearcoat painted beast, just tingling with fire-breathing fury.

DF presents Gojira.

DF

Dry

How is it that in the last 3 months, I've bought 110 bottles of wine, spent more than half my take-home pay, and only 4 bottles are for immediate consumption? That's a 3.6% wines bought that I can actually drink. That's a problem. So what am I going to drink for the holidays?

I think I need to raid my friend's house, to pillage some of my wines. Clearly, I'm not drinking enough. Who wants to help?

DF

Oyster Dinner

Dinner at ROKChoi's this weekend. Oyster season in full bloom, so we feasted on Kumamoto all night. Delicious. Briny, fresh, with a beautifully delicate texture. Ate fresh salmon alongside, filleted from a whole fish. Incredible colour, tender, and sweetly flavoured. Cold B.C. crab, a Cantonese dish - steamed crab, cooled in the fridge, and dipped in vinegar and ginger slices.

Delicious meal. ROKChoi is our seafood man. More later, on the wines we drank alongside.

Bottom two photos, courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

Inspired

When inspiration hits, usually after a few glasses, you have to strike while the iron's hot. Whether it's a fit of passion in music, art, writing, wine......you have to seize the moment and deliver. Whether the resulting work is any good - that's another story. Downstairs, for a little Chopin.

DF

Niagara - Video

Short segment of our tasting at Thirty Bench Winemakers.

DF

Niagara - in Photos

A few more shots from our look at Stratus.

Mostly cabernet still hanging. Can you believe it's December? Look how green the grass is!

Cabernet franc, still waiting for ripeness.

Oak fermenting vats.

Cleaning the sorting table, crusher/destemmer. Notice the wheels - the entire setup can be pushed right next to the vats.

Another look at Charles Baker's 2009 riesling, just finished fermenting, and still cloudy. But very, very good.

DF

Niagara - Stone Road Grille

Dinner after a tour around Niagara is always exciting. The Old Winery Restaurant is always a great option, and is one of my favourite restaurants in the area. Charles recommended we eat at Stone Road Grille - apparently, this is where all the winemakers hang out. Cool. A bit hard to find...the trick is not to look for a Stone Road Grille sign, but to instead look for a red sign with the word REST on it. You'll find it.

ROKChoi and I were just famished by now - we had been tasting wines for a good 7 hours, on basically empty stomachs. We make sacrifices to find great wines...I can go all day if I have to. Took one look at the menu, and while the duck confit looked delicious, we both wanted steak. Started off with a soup, a potato/yam purée, with sweet potato crisp on top. Lovely consistency, piping hot, perfectly seasoned. Warmed me up, down to my toes. Steak frites, a grilled flat iron, medium rare, sauce bearnaise, garlicky beans, and the most delicious fries. The first bite of that steak was the most amazing thing. Tender, so flavoursome, with bite from the pepper - just heaven. I told ROKChoi - no talking for the first 10 minutes, just eating. And the fries - cooked perfectly, soft inside, crispy outside, not a drop of excess grease. Incredible.

We had a long drive back to Toronto ahead of us, so we decided not to order a bottle. After a day of tasting, beer seemed like a good idea. The name escapes me - it was an ale, from a local micro-brewery. Dark colour, nutty and balanced. Worked well with beef.

I think this warrants another visit, on our next visit. The charcuterie plate looks especially appetizing. The video captures the ambiance quite well - you get the idea.

DF

Niagara - Charles Baker Stratus

Here we go, the purpose of our trip to Niagara - to meet this man, Charles Baker. The Toronto Star featured him in a piece, so I direct you there first. I won't regale you all with Charles' story - the Star does an admirable job, and I didn't go in with the impression that I was conducting an interview.

This was a great experience for me. Charles has a great philosophy for wine, and is passionate about riesling. Talking to him, you get a real sense that he's a true believer in Niagara - that there are parts of the Escarpment that have a story to tell. And that's the point, no? If a wine has no story to tell, then what is there to taste? The ego of the winemaker?

Charles is working on a project, focusing on single-vineyard rieslings. He's working with growers that share his philosophy of intense, terroir-specific wines with true vintage character. Currently, one grower has signed on - Marc Picone, of Picone Vineyard. You cannot compromise - Charles pays the grower by tonnage, and in fact, he's compensating the grower to cut yields. For example, to maintain quality, you pay for 5 tonnes, to entice the grower to cut down to 1.5 tonnes per acre. A sacrifice that shows in the bottle.

Truth in the bottle. Starting with the wine on the right. 2008 Charles Baker Stratus Picone Vineyard Riesling, VQA Vinemount Ridge. Lithe nose, with an intensity and energy that is just stunning for the vintage. Lots of pure fruit, but with an overt oily minerality that I see in many of the Beamsville rieslings I like - the only difference is the absolute intensity of the wine. This is where the low yields make the difference. The mouth shows a fine creaminess, with excellent extract. There's a beautiful texture to the wine, especially on the finish. Bright, aggressive acidity. Very, very impressive effort, and clearly shows the pedigree of the vineyard, and the people who farm it.

We're judging this wine far too early. We'll see how this develops in 5-8. An incredible wine, layered and balanced, with so much character.

The wine on the left is the 2009 Charles Baker Riesling, just fermented. Cloudy, but this is already showing quite well. The fruit shows a bit riper, but minerality shows. Acidity shines. All the wine needs is some time to clear up.

I was expecting greatness, but the wine surpassed what I thought I'd see. There's a great expression - again, I urge caution, as I'm not too sure we're clearly seeing a Niagara character yet. But these are fantastic wines, and with some age, I think the expression will become clearer. Much appreciation to Charles for being so generous with his time and his wine. You're onto something, and I can't wait to see (and taste) the Escarpment reveal itself in these wines.

Photos, courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

Niagara - Stratus Vineyards

Stratus Vineyards. I've drank a few bottles from this producer, but never visited. Great opportunity as well, since the purpose of this whole trip was to meet with Charles Baker, Director of Marketing and Sales at Stratus.

We were taken to the vineyards - can you believe that they grow tempranillo, mourvèdre, and sangiovese here? The cabernet was still hanging on the vines - we got up close to the cabernet franc, photos of which will soon be posted. The actual production facility is very impressive, particularly the elevator system which lifts the entire stainless steel tanks up and down from the top level. Very impressive. What's also fascinating is that the oak fermenting tanks they use is not scrubbed at all. They use water pumped with ozone to disinfect the tanks, which is both effective and environmentally-friendly, as it just breaks down into oxygen. Onto the wines.

The showroom, as seen above, is well-designed. Lovely colour, bright natural light from the immensely tall windows. And what impressed me the most was the stemware used - Ravenscroft Amplifiers, stems so thin I was scared of snapping the base right off.

We tasted through the entire range of wines offered. Beginning with the just released 2008 Gewurztraminer, spice and honey on the nose - promises more on the bouquet than on the palate. The 2006 White was creamy, with big fruit. Next was another proprietary blend, 2006 Red - a bit more of the road-tar aroma I find common in many Niagara cabernets, with a leaner texture. The 2007 Gamay was nicely structured, showing very similar to a Morgon. Earthy, ripe, balanced. The 2007 Cabernet Franc showed good, lean varietal character. Moving on, to the 2006 Petit Verdot. A bit richer than the other red wines, with good texture. We finished with a 2007 Riesling Icewine and a 2007 Red Icewine. Both with good fruit, and that creamy texture people find attractive in icewine.

I was impressed with the setup of the winery. Certainly, the facilities are as modern as you'll find in Niagara. Above else, discussion should remain focused on the vineyards and the wines. The philosophy here is about the assemblage. Maybe a difference of philosophy, in terms of the wines I believe in, but they are certainly interesting. Makes you rethink what a blended wine is, whether you agree with it or not.

DF

Niagara - 3 others

We managed to squeeze in a few other tastings in between our two appointments at Thirty Bench and with Stratus.

Malivoire Wine Company

It's been more than a year since we've tasted here, and it's time for a visit. We talked to Eric - one of the nicest people you'll meet in Niagara (and there are lots here). I wanted a taste of their chardonnays. Unfortunately, the 2008's are will a few months away from being released, but the 2007's are certainly not a slouch. The 2007 Estate Chardonnay was balanced, with a round texture, clean. The 2007 Mottiar Chardonnay was oaky and rich, for people who enjoy that profile of chardonnay. The 2007 Moira Chardonnay had all the richness and concentration, but with a beautiful ripe citrus element. Shows a bit too much oak at this point, but it will benefit from some time to integrate.

Flat Rock Cellars

If you would recall my video and posts this past summer when I first tasted their 2008 Pinot Noir and lost my mind. A great wine. The 2008 Pinot Noir had great intensity, and quite a bit of earthiness as well. Balanced, with an austerity - this is a huge success for this producer. The 2008 Gravity Pinot Noir showed a bit more depth, more sweet fruit on the palate. Delicious, and I can't wait to see how these wines will age.

Marynissen Estates

This was another property I had not visited for quite some time. Tasted through a few wines - impressed, as always, that they're able to offer this quality at such value. 2006 Cabernet/Merlot, always a balanced, interesting interpretation of a cabernet wine. The 2007 Solstice, a one-off project, with a spiciness and purity of fruit that'll show nicely with a rich meat. 2007 Syrah, gamey, spicy, with good fruit. And 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, with a bit more heft and colour, at a price. Good value as always, although more than all others, these wines demand age.

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Great tasting through all these wines. I'm not going to tell you which ones are good/bad - there's really no point, is there? I'm just happy to have had an opportunity to see everything. Think of it as a regular checkup, to see how each vintage is coming along. All interesting, all unique, but what's crucial is that all had something to say.

Don't forget to click on the label below Niagara Wine Tour - Dec 2009, to see all the other posts from this trip.

DF

Niagara - Thirty Bench

Thirty Bench Winemakers. I've been following their single-vineyard rieslings since the 2005 vintage, and have consistently been impressed with the terroir-imprint of their wines. Just delicious rieslings, made by a very talented team.

We started with glasses of their 2008 Winemaker's Riesling. Estate level riesling, showing quite a developed minerality, with good fruit and balance. Always a good wine for them, I'm finding. 2008 Triangle Vineyard Riesling showed the best for me. Oily minerality, with a stunning acidity. 2008 Steel Post Riesling, less aromatic, more closed. Maybe it's at an awkward stage, maybe it's the bottle. Needs more time, but this is my favourite vineyard. 2008 Wood Post Riesling showed quite a bit of spiciness, with minerals and a creamy texture in the mouth. Good overall, but this vintage is clearly one that needs some age to fill out.

Moving onto the 2008 Rosé, this was quite impressive, with nice fruit, good structure. More of a red wine than a blush. Impressive. The 2007 Chardonnay was oaky, buttery, and rich - certainly a style that many would appreciate, but a bit too much for me. Good acidity, but the finish resonates with vanilla and creamy oak. Everything needs to integrate, before we get a clearer idea of what this wine is. The 2007 Red was greenish, with that road-tar aroma I often find in Niagara cabernet fruit.

Overall, the rieslings were solid, as always. We'll see in a few years how these will show, with some age. Buyers of the single-vineyard bottlings will be disappointed if they open them too soon, especially if they've had a taste of the 2007's. Be patient. I believe the 2008's will show a lot of regional and varietal typicity, if we allow them some bottle age.

As always, photo courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

Niagara - December 4, 2009

Cabernet franc, still hanging on the vineyards of Stratus

The year is wrapping up, and many of the 2008 Niagara wines have been released, so it was time to go take a look. Along with ROKChoi, I drove down last Friday, on a beautiful, sunny day to visit properties in Beamsville and Niagara Peninsula, with a focus on 2008 rieslings.

It was a great trip. The 2008 rieslings, for the most part, lack the richness and concentration of 2007 (this was expected), but have an elegance and austerity that show off all the virtues of this varietal that I love. Again, we're judging them far too early, but I'm excited to see how this vintage will evolve in the bottle. Some of the 2008 pinot noir we tasted (most still unreleased) showed the perfume and intensity of a great wine.

Time was a bit tight, but we managed. The highlight was our meeting with Charles Baker, who's making an impressive, single-vineyard riesling. This, and our other visits, later.

I bought far more wine than I should have. But it's the holiday season.

DF

Rugged, on

Winter tires, on. Ready to take on yet another Canadian winter. Here we go again!

DF

Fino Sherry

NV Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry, DO Jerez

I confess I barely have any experience with sherry. All the better reason to search them out and drink! A dry sherry, from a somewhat well-exposed producer.

There's a complete lack of fruit, but a compelling richness and warmth to the aroma. Romantic, no, to think of it as the chalky soil of Jerez? A beautiful, lithe texture to the wine, although flavours reminiscent of an herbal, nutty, dry white vermouth. Nearly undrinkable on its own. But with food, quite a revelation. Chilled as well. I drank this with, of all things, dumplings. I rolled out my own dumpling wraps, spent about 2 hours making everything - with a chili/vinegar/garlic dipping sauce, this wine was actually quite nice. Alcohol hidden nicely.

Who knows what food/wine combinations will work. I'm glad this worked. Although I'll be honest, I was in the mood to drink - to hell with pairings. Straight out of glass tumblers. I like to think that Spanish girls love men who know how to drink.

DF

2 Year Anniversary

December 3, 2009. La Cave de Fang turns two!

Here we go, another milestone. This must be Providence - that today, on our anniversary, also marks the 250th consecutive day of blogging. The streak began on March 29, and has soldiered on amid all the crises of this year.

I'm pleased with how the blog has progressed. Certainly, I hope that the message I'm trying to get across is relevant - the content, the photos, the stories - I hope what I'm saying matters to people. A year. A lot's changed in the past 12 months. My confidence in my palate and tasting abilities have increased, to the point where I'm extremely comfortable standing in front of people and leading them through tastings. And also comfortable enough to hold intelligent conversations with winemakers and people directly involved in wine production, and share my perspective with them.

It's been a difficult, but sometimes satisfying 12 months. My trips to Niagara, in March, and in October, were particularly rewarding. We met some fantastic people, and gained an incredible amount of new knowledge, experience, and appreciation for the wines being made here. And that's my mission for the next 12 months - to spread the word about Niagara wines, and amplify the fact that this is a region where quality and terroir can be found.

I'm grateful for the support, for all my readers. Thank you. In a bid to only bring the best content, I'll be slowing the pace of blogging. Taking some time off, to collect experiences to share with everyone. And that starts tomorrow, on my end-of-year trip to Niagara, to taste the 2008's and see how the 2009's are coming along.

I'm reminded of a scene in The Godfather, Part III. Michael Corleone and his daughter Mary are dancing at a party celebrating him being named a Commander of the Order of St. Sebastian. Led by Don Altobello, everyone clinks their glasses and calls, Cent-ani! Now, I have no aspirations for the blog to go for so long, but in the meantime, please join me in my continued search for truth and beauty, in wine and other pursuits.

DF

Getting off, a bit prematurely

Every wine writer knows that to make his/her bones in the business, one must be an accurate judge of vintages. Robert Parker crowed about the greatness of the 1982 vintage of Bordeaux, when all other major writers and publications dismissed it. And look what happened. 1982 Bordeaux made Parker.

It can go the other way. Now, writers are so eager to praise or pan a vintage that often, they'll pass judgement when the wine is barely a wine. In Bordeaux, the En Primeur campaign begins in the April following the harvest, barely 6 months in. The wines are in barriques for no more than 4 or 5 months, and will be drastically different when they are bottled, 10 or 12 months later. And writers want you to believe that their tasting notes are accurate, and that you should make your buying decisions on such misguided notions of what the wine (or vintage) really is. It's like looking at a 5 year old and determining what their career will be. But everyone wants to be the first person to declare whether a vintage is good (vintage of the century!) or bad (to be avoided like herpes!).

I'm supremely disappointed that a few 'critics' have deemed the 2009 vintage in Niagara, Ontario to be weak. Will not name names, but I know exactly who's been saying this shit in print (and on radio). Stop it. This was a difficult year, with the cool weather and rain during harvest (making it even later than usual), but let's be honest with ourselves - the wines have barely finished fermenting, and you want to pass judgement on them already? They're barely born yet; the vinous equivalent of a baby still resting in an incubator. And you want to roast it already?

My position has always been that the strengths of Niagara are in riesling, pinot noir, and chardonnay. And those are the wines that I'm basing my opinions on. Everyone's heralded 2007 as the strongest vintage Niagara has ever seen, and in many ways, that's true. The 2007's are monsters in every way. But, at this stage of their evolution, I much prefer drinking the 2008's. The 2007 pinot noirs are just blockbuster wines, and not what I enjoy with this varietal. There's so much concentration, so much alcohol, that it doesn't know what to do with itself. Maybe a little like the fat girl who's deluding herself into thinking she looks presentable in that strapless dress. The 2008's on the other hand, are just stunning. Achingly beautiful wines, with a perfumed grace that are among the best wine experiences I've ever had with Niagara.

Those are just my opinions, but the point is this - don't be premature in labelling a vintage. True, everything may seem secondary to 2007, but taste the wines after they've become wines, and then decide. Learn to appreciate each vintage for the character it provides...after all, if every year were to taste like a 2007, would that really be better?

DF

2008 Santorini

2008 Boutari Assyrtiko, AOQS Santorini

I've read too much about Greek white wines, specifically assyrtiko, to not be moved to snatch this up. This is only the second Greek white wine I've seen this year released by the LCBO, the first being a delicious moschofilero, and from the same producer (drunk twice).

Santorini is a volcanic island, in the Aegean. Assyrtiko is the primary varietal grown on these volcanic soils, and what's most interesting is that they are mostly ungrafted. The vines crawl low over the island, and vineyards look nothing like the neatly plowed and trellised vineyards we're used to. The miracle of this variety is the acidity it can achieve - in such an unforgivingly hot climate, the wines have a balance that's quite remarkable.

Decanted. Light colour in the glass, but it does have gold flecks. The nose is wonderfully minerally, with a fresh citrus aroma. Eerily reminiscent of a Niagara riesling, with the somewhat musky, oily minerality. The mouth shows the richness of the volcanic soils - creamy and buttery almost, but with a refreshingly bitter, cleansing finish. Delicious.

I would drink this over any $30+ Californian chardonnay.

DF

Dropped

This is why your mother needs to stay the hell away from your laptop. Her screeching will startle you and make you drop it, killing the hard drive. I can't turn the goddamn thing on now. It doesn't even read the OS - it keeps telling me there is no OS installed. I have a dead piece of shit on my hands, with all my files, all my photos, all my documents coffined up.

I'm pissed out of my fucking mind. Working off my old VAIO, which was sputtering 12 months ago. I'm so tired of this shit, man. Come on. Not a single damn thing going my way. I wanted to wait until at least the spring before geting a new laptop. Guess that'll be pushed up a bit now. Where the fuck am I going to find $2000???

Blogging will continue on my desktop, until I figure everything out.

DF

Like a pirate

I love drinking Chinon, but you know the problem with drinking well-structured, dense red wines? Your teeth, lips, and entire mouth stain like a motherfucker. Kind of like you just slammed your face into a pile of shit. Never drink these wines in front of your beloved. You're liable to get dumped like last week's garbage.

DF

2006 Chinon

2006 Couly-Dutheil 'La Baronnie Madeleine', AC Chinon

I've tasted vintages of this cuvée before, the 2003 and the 2005. Impressed everytime. Chinon is so different that it's always a treat when the weather cools down to have a bottle with your meat dishes.

I decanted this bottle just after lunch, and over the next 11 hours, slowly drank the entire damn thing. This bottle was off - excessively oaky, cedar aromas completely obliterating the fruit. Develops some sweetness, and a faint minerality, but this bottle did not show well. Maybe it's at an awkward time, maybe there's something more serious - who knows. But, it does have good structure, with coating tannins, and nice balance. This will age.

Let's see if the other bottles show better with some age. Although with my past experience, I have no worry that they will.

DF

Vintages, vintage

Yet another sign that you should not buy wine as a dinner gift - the ancient paper bags you put the bottle in. The bag on the right is true vintage LCBO, back when they used to slip a plastic green net over your bottles to protect the glass. Vintage, from a good 5 years back.

Don't presume to buy a wine lover a bottle of wine if you have no clue about wine yourself, and have no idea of their palate preferences. The end.

DF

Chugging

I stopped buying clothing years ago. All the sweaters I'm wearing right now, in all seriousness, are from either when I was in high school, or were gifts. Everything's starting to get small. Tight at the shoulders, short at the arms, inching higher above the waist. I look like I'm wearing my 10 year old brother's clothing. Not sexy at all. Clearly unprofessional.

Who else, but my wonderful Aunt Michie to offer to buy me clothing. Living in Tokyo has its benefits. She spent but two hours shopping, and my winter wardrobe's pretty much dealt with for the next 3-5 years. The problem is getting them from Tokyo to Toronto.

My aunt's company is the largest manufacturer of air-conditioning units in Asia. She wanted to send us their newest model heater, perfect for Canadian winters. This thing's apparently powerful enough to heat up 2 stories, without drying out the air. Perfect opportunity to send it over with my clothing. By sea. And I just learned how long it'd take. We're looking at about 50 days in transit. Fifty.

I'm sorry, is the boat coming over the Pacific hoisting fucking sails? Are there hairy slaves below deck manning the oars? I just can't twist my mind around the fact that we're almost a decade into the 21st century and it takes nearly 2 months to ship a 10 kg package, regardless of distance. We're not shipping to Antarctica!

I guess my wee sweaters will have to suffice for now. No laughing.

DF

2008 Vinho Verde

2008 Adega Cooperativa de Ponte de Lima Loureiro, DOC Sub-Região do Lima

The wine I served for dinner last night. Not a lot of weight, crisp, clean, with even a bit of frizzante. Worked well with the mostly traditional Shanghainese dishes. Loureiro, as opposed to alvarinho, has less of a richess. Vinho verde should really be only drunk in the summer, I've learned. Helped me frame an extra dimension of my understanding of vinho verde. So it wasn't all a waste of time.

DF

Ungrateful

At risk of sounding like an ungrateful prick, here's a tip: don't buy a wine lover wine. Unless you absolutely know for sure that they'll appreciate a certain bottle, don't ever, ever presume to buy them a random wine you think is impressive. Never works.

Yeah, I'm an asshole. I say thanks for the thought, but look at these two bottles? What the fuck am I going to do with some random icewine (made in the freezer, with grapes from who the fuck knows where) and a bottle of South Australian plonk? Huh? South Australia comprises about half the goddamn country. I'd hesitate to cook with this shit.

So please, please - do yourself a favour this holiday season. Don't waste your money, don't buy true wine lovers wine. Get a gift certificate, bring a special dish over for dinner - anything but yet another bottle of junk.

DF

Ordeal

So dinner is done. My mother had her friends from church over today. I had to be there, as the faithfully family-oriented child. Right. I'll be honest, dinner was mediocre. Not my mother's best efforts. I poured a Vinho Verde. In those fucking hideous cut crystal glasses. They were church friends. Not real friends. Nice people though.

It got a bit interesting, when one of the couples began talking about their experiences of the June 4 Movement - professors in Beijing during this incident, in the very prestigious university at the centre of the entire student movement. They were in Tiananmen Square on June 2, about 24 hours before the troops moved in. I was completely riveted. They talked about how the entire mood of the city changed, when the troops came into the city. Loudspeakers began blaring, in the stern monotone Communists are renowned for, telling citizens to go home and vacate the square. Clearly, the Party leaders were losing patience. These two people were there the night the troops began firing, seeing and hearing the gunshots. I learned a bit later that the lady was a Communist Party member. Her husband described how absolutely scared they were, and expressed sympathy for the students, but said that everyone that night understood one thing - there was absolutely no way that the students' agenda would succeed against the Party. All expressed disgust at how the student leaders were the only ones who fled away safely.

Just an amazing experience. Truly living through a history-changing event. Too bad today's Chinese are so caught up in iPhones and Armani. Will this generation ever demonstrate the courage of those students 20 years ago? If my cousins are any indication - we're fucked indeed.

DF

Waiting

Waiting for dinner guests to arrive.

DF

A look back

Feeling nostalgic about our days in university residence. When we were carefree, and drank whenever. When girls were much easier to understand. Yeah. Nostalgic. This was January 2008? Mussels, fresh from Sobey's. Finished with many, many glasses of gin/tonic. Good times! As always, photos courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

In the mood

At what point do we disregard responsibility and financial prudence? When do we just sigh, go all hell with it, and be selfish for once? I'm an immigrant, and we have this ingrained sense of frugality - we treat one dollar like it's two, and we save money for the sake of saving. It's a sensibility that is often restrictive to us doing the things that make us happy.

Then why is it that everytime I send out a big wine order, I feel a twinge of guilt? I picked up an order today, and the entire time I was at the store, I was staring at the receipt and wondering what possessed me to buy a $119 bottle of Pomerol, and an $85 half bottle of Mosel Riesling Auslese, as delicious and wonderful of a wine it was. Why do I do this to myself? Really, the true question is - why am I saving so much money and not just enjoying myself? Huh? It makes no sense.

12 months ago, I was unemployed, desolate, and more than a little desperate. This year...this year I'm taking no prisoners. I'm single-handedly going to spur on LCBO's holiday sales, however reckless that may be. Ahh...that's the spirit.

DF

UGC in January

The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux is holding an event in Toronto, January 24. The tasting will showcase 2007 Bordeaux. And I'm attending - just bought tickets for myself and some buddies. I'm excited - I bought quite a few bottles from this vintage, especially dry white Bordeaux and Sauternes. So definitely, we'll be heading to those tables first.

Exciting stuff! The first industry tasting I'll be attending. Palate, notebook, camera - going full force. There will be no spitting!!

DF

Last one of the year!

The holidays must be here - LCBO will unleash it's final retail release of 2009 on December 5, while there will be an online release on December 9. Last chance to pick up some fresh wines for holiday entertaining. Looking forward to it. Looking forward to spending my money like I stole it. Why do I care? Because I follow these things religiously, that's why.

Something more interesting - 2005 Château d'Yquem will be released at $595. For a half bottle (37.5 cL). Reckless holiday spending for the win!

DF

2007 Minervois

2007 Château de Gourgazaud, AC Minervois

Profound wines are what everyone chases after, but sometimes I'm just as happy drinking simple wines that have a personality and regional character. I've been repeating that ideal for quite some time now, but it's a philosophy that needs to be on everyone's mind when they're drinking wine - if a wine is not true to where its grapes are grown, then it is not a great wine, and it does not possess the true taste.

Colour is never a problem with these wines. Minervois, in the south of France, about 30 km north-east of the Spanish border. Deep, dense fruits, with a surprising elegance. Hefty, meat character, finishing with a scent of wild herbs. Beautiful with steak au poivre. Perfect on an otherwise unremarkable evening.

DF

Nov. 21 Tasting the Wines of Portugal

After a short break, we moved on to the wines of Portugal. This country has a magnificent terroir, as anyone who's experienced the wonders of a well-aged Colheita or Vintage Port can attest to. In a brutal climate, the Douro Valley somehow manages to produce wines of both great concentration as well as balance.

2008 Alveleda Follies Alvarinho, Vinho Regional Minho

Same grape varietal as our Spanish white, close in geographic proximity to Rias Baixas - we want to compare apples with apples, to properly gauge the character of each wine. Lighter in colour, but shows a much fuller bouquet. Palate is a bit crisper, with an aggressive acidity - this is, after all, a vinho verde.

2006 Burmester, DOC Douro

No question, this blogger had the shakes at this point - was this going to be another Internationally-styled bottle? I can't say it wasn't, but it did show some good fruit characteristics. More structure as well, with a pleasing tannic grip. This is the bottle that had tasters the most excited. When you expect a wine to be $30-$35, but it's only about half that, that's what you call finding value.

2005 Quinta do Vale da Perdiz Reserva, DOC Douro

This wine showed quite well, in my opinion. Rich, fruit-forward, but with structure and grippy tannins. This is more of what I had in mind. Of all the reds, this is the bottle that I would recommend. Slightly chilled, with a beautiful piece of beef or lamb - wonderful for a cool autumn night.

DF

Nov. 21 Tasting the Wines of Spain

We begin with the Spanish wines. Spain before Portugal because, in my opinion, Portuguese wines can be so concentrated that they'll obliterate anything coming after them. In general, tasters enjoyed these wines. While drinkable, this blogger feels that more traditional examples of Rioja would have served to present a more accurate picture of what a Spanish wine is. The albariño, as is often the case, was delicious.

2008 Salterio Albariño, DO Rias Baixas

Always a source for value-driven wines with great expression, wines from Rias Baixas combine ripe fruit with minerality and balance. All the ingredients to a versatile white wine which shines on the table. While still very young, this wine shows purity of fruit, with spice and just a hint of saline minerality beginning to show. The touch of sweetness is perhaps a bit more prominent now, but 2-3 years of further age will calm it down. Retains a high acidity, and is extremely fresh and lively on the palate. Delicious, with a spicy, lingering finish. I was happy to see many tasters who were not familiar with Rias Baixas, or this grape varietal. I prefer not to have tasters rank the wines - there is a time and place for all wines. Hopefully, this bottle will have inspired our tasters to seek out Spanish white wines in the future, in place of the regular standby.

2008 Palacios Remondo La Vendimia, DOC Rioja

As a student of history, I like devoting a few minutes before tasting to discuss the historical significance of the wines before us. Rioja has a rich tradition of keeping wines in the estate for years before releasing for sale. However, the bottle we were tasting was made in a modern style - the 2008 being released already. Fruit-forward, soft, plushy, round, confected - all the hallmarks of a modern wine. Which isn't to say that it's a bad wine. Just a wine that this blogger finds...inauthentic to Rioja, if I'm to be diplomatic. But, my opinions aren't important - several of the tasters, especially the gentlemen, loved it. And if this is a means for people to begin paying more attention to Spanish wines, and be directed towards traditional Rioja, then I think we've made our point.

2004 Castillo Labastido Reserva, DOC Rioja

This was the bottle I had hoped showed more regional typicity. Being a Reserva (minimum 1 year in oak, 3 years in winery), and a bottle with some degree of age, I had high hopes. But alas......alas.....a modern wine, with this one showing a bit more warmth, more jam, and even more softness. Where is the austerity of tempranillo? Where are the angles, and the sharp, sharp edges?

DF

Nov. 21 Wine & Photography Experience

As alluded to earlier, DF and ROKChoi collaborated again for a wine & photography event this past weekend, November 21. These events are always fun. What we offer is a guided, structured tasting of wines, all documented on camera in a studio environment. Candids, portraits - any kind of shots our guests prefer. The theme for the tasting was the wines of Spain and Portugal. Certainly, themes are absolutely fluid - the joy of tasting is in its variety. We can do wines by region, by vintage, by varietal, by style...anything you'd like, mes amis.

The event went well. These things always go well when you bring together a group of people that are open-minded, enthusiastic, and eager to participate. I love it. It's a joy, and a learning experience for me as well to hear different perspectives. Many thanks, from both of us, for a great afternoon of tasting. I hope we've given you a different look at wine, and please...nothing would make us happier than for everyone to be inspired to taste different wines and approach each bottle with a sense of joy and adventure.

In my next two posts on the wines served - Nov.21 Tasting the Wines of Spain and Nov. 21 Tasting the Wines of Portugal - I refer to our guests as tasters. In wine, tasting implies a full utilization of our senses. And we need to taste wine, not merely drink it.

DF

Stop it

Americans are having their Thanksgiving, and the holiday season is coming up, so I have to get something off my chest. Can wine writers and bloggers please stop writing about, "What wines to drink with Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years", and, "How to choose the perfect bottle as a gift".

Please, can we please stop with these tacky, kitschy, lazy pieces of writing? Come on guys...really...it's not like you're coming up with something profound every year. It's the exact same shit every year and frankly, it's making my eyes bleed. Choose your wines, enjoy them with dinner, write about them after - just stop with all this tutorial shit. It doesn't help anyone, it's redundant, and if you still don't get my point by now, piss off.

What happened to the days when people would just drink wine?

DF

Post No. 1201

October was spectacular, for me at least. An eventful trip to Niagara, a few dinners, a few wines...simple things make me happy. Already planning my next trip down to Niagara, to take a look at the rest of the 2008's being released.

There's no way around it - these posts are self-congratulatory and are more to satisfy my ego. But really, who pumps out 2-3 posts daily? 1200 posts deserves a little recognition. Hope y'all have enjoyed the past two months. If you haven't already, take a look at my October Niagara trip. Or the 10-course dinner I hosted.

December should be a fun month. Always fun to get to the holidays. Also, a new project we've been preparing to unveil. I suppose now is when I should be asking if there's anything I can improve on, and what you'd like to see on the blog.

DF

The Sensualist

Questions have come up regarding how I started in wine. I direct you to this piece of literature, found in the September 2004 issue of GQ Magazine. A Wine Worth Fighting For, Elizabeth Gilbert. One of the finest, most soulful accounts of wine tasting I've ever read. Beautiful. This is the article that inspired me to discover and learn more about these evocative wines. And this is the article that shaped my philosophy on the concept of a great wine.

Funny, huh...it wasn't a piece on French wine (although the influence is clear), or any other European wine. It was a Lebanese. I have a bottle of 1999 Château Musar...somewhere. Eagerly waiting for future releases. A wine of the earth, made by a man of the earth. A true wine.

I am going to take you on a journey of taste. I will teach you about wine, and you will become captivated and subjugated by this topic. You will discover the hidden dimensions of all your senses, and you will have the possibility to become realized, to skip many steps on your way to understanding God. And all of this will come to you from my wines. You will taste and you will ask yourself, Can this be possible? - Serge Hochar

You ask me what I want to be - an expert, a connoisseur, an oenophile?

No.

We have to learn from Mr. Hochar's example. To be a sensualist - that's all I ask.

DF

2007 Vinsobres

2007 Perrin & Fils 'Les Cornuds', AC Vinsobres

Ahh, back to France. You know, whenever I lose faith in wine, say, after a string of mediocrity, I turn back to France, to regain confidence. Vinsobres, one of the Cru of the Côtes du Rhône. One of my favourite villages in the area, whose wines show great density and balance. No one needs an introduction to the wines of Perrin & Fils. This cuvée, Les Cornuds, is the entry level, with Les Hauts de Julien being the more upscale. I have vintages of both, and it'll be interesting to see if the wine that costs thrice as much will offer 3X the pleasure.

Take a look - 2004 Les Hauts de Julien, and 2006 Vinsobres.

An honest wine. Ripe fruit, that characteristic savoury quality, and an elegance that sometimes is lacking in hotter vintages. Wines from this area can have a savageness, which I absolutely adore - 2007 shows a bit more of a refined character. A beautiful wine, balanced and showing wonderful regionality.

DF

Late night

Never resting, never settling. It was late at night, but I wanted to try something. Cooked some lamb loin, seared with rosemary and whole garlic cloves. Still developing in terms of getting temperature correct in the oven. I prefer my lamb pink on the inside, as you can see below. I understand how some people won't accept it. Regardless of temperature, lamb retains a succulence much better than say, beef, and this dish was delicious. Paired with a wonderfully restrained Vinsobres, showing fabulous regional character. Good night.

DF

Check

Wines, check.
Stemware, check.
Corkscrew, check.
Tasting cards, check.
Notes, check.
Bread, check.
Palate, check.

I think we're ready to do a wine tasting.

DF

Tasting

Have an exciting weekend lined up. Putting together a structered tasting of the wines of Spain and Portugal tomorrow. Doing these formal tastings are always fun. Fantastic opportunity to show different wines to people that they've never tasted before, as well as sharing your experience and passion. Wonderful. Been looking forward to this event, and should be a lot of fun. Stay tuned for photos and a report on how it went.

DF

On being organic

It's by coincidence, (or Providence), that the last two wines I drank were organic, and from the south of France. I'm not the type to insist that all viticulture should be organic - no, I dislike extremes, and am not naïve enough to think that this is feasible for all. Not that I don't believe you shouldn't take a non-interventionist approach to your vineyard; on the contrary, I strongly believe that taking care of the health of your vines and land is the most important task for producers. What I'm uncertain on is this insistence from the left-wingers that a wine grown through organic/biodynamic principles reveals the terroir better.

This is tricky. I admire the producers who use only natural fertilizers, and definitely no chemical herbicides or insecticides. But walk a vineyard, and see for yourself - what do you do when you see rot, or mold, or mildew, but to spray? It's a business after all - rigid moral principles or not, you have to take steps to protect your crop.

For this bottle, a 2006 Bergerac, the producer's website states:

This method uses only organic and mineral fertilizers. The plentiful natural flora in the soil is maintained by adding humus and by working the soil with specific equipment all year round.This organic farming excludes the use of chemical weedkillers and fertilizers. The only treatments we use are:

- white oil to keep the branches healthy in late winter.

- copper and sulphur for mildew, oidium and excoriosis

- rotenone in combination with sulphur against leafhoppers

- bacillus thuringiensis against grape-worm

Winemaking is also conducted without the use of synthetic additives and we use temperature control techniques during fermentation; the wine is clarified without ferrocyanide, simply by fining and filtration.This organic method has been used at Château Le Barradis since 1968 and brings us very close to the way wines were made in the past; the absence of residues and low SO2 content make ours a wine of quality (cf the oenological studies).

So the question remains - does a wine made through organic farming reveal the terroir in a clearer sense than a wine made through interventionist (modern, chemical) farming? And is there a significant difference in the taste between the two? The only way to determine the difference, I suppose, would be to taste the two wines together. Same wine, same vintage; different farming methods. While the piece listed on their website (in italics) shows only farming technique, another factor in an organic wine happens in the cellar. Using indigenous yeasts, being judicious with oak, and disallowing all enzymes or additives (tartaric acid, for example), also aid in amplifying the voice of the terroir.

In the end, despite my skepticism, I'm a believer in non-interventionist farming. I believe that using only natural products and letting the land replenish and nurture itself is the only way to profoundly express terroir, in its truest sense. I'll continue searching for these wines, in hopes that these questions can be answered in the glass. Now, is there anyone brave enough in Niagara, to not only commit to this philosophy, but to also be a proponent for it?

One hopes, for wine's sake.

DF

2006 Bergerac

2006 Château Le Barradis, AC Bergerac

Trying different things. I'm intrigued with the wines of Bergerac - an old wine region, and one of the first wines that was imported to the British Isles. The old kingdom of Aquitaine. Another organic wine - will there be parallels between this and my previous (organic) wine?

Look at the stunning colour. Just breathtaking in its luminosity, its shine, its sparkle. Just the most amazing bright red, illuminated in all its glory. Decanted. Initially, quite a distinct juiciness, reminiscent of pomegranate and cranberries. Develops a darker tone. Lean in the mouth, with a curious green element - unripe? Or just a byproduct of the farming techniques? Shows some sweetness, but otherwise unremarkable.

I'll have to drink more Bergerac to get a better sense of this region. Not a bad wine - stunning colour, interesting bouquet. Very different than what you'd expect from a Bordeaux-style blend (cabernet sauvignon & cabernet franc 28%, merlot 52%, côt rouge 10%). A transparent wine, but perhaps a bit too feeble? Thin? Soft?

DF

To serve a President

I've been waiting for someone to post about this. What exactly did comrade President Hu JinTao serve U.S. President Barack Obama on his first state visit to the People's Republic of China? Jim Boyce, a great blogger writing out of Beijing, reports here on his blog, Grape Wall of China.

Simple dinner. We're learning a more Western style of entertaining foreign heads of state. A dinner of just 4 main courses and a soup. I guarantee you - 20 years ago, it'd have been 40 dishes at least. I'm disappointed with the wines - Great Wall? I've tasted that wine and from what I recall, referring to it as "wine" is being quite optimistic.

Do you know what I'd give to have a seat at that table, with both Presidents? I'd even tolerate a glass of that shit.

DF

2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages

2007 Domaine de la Grande Bellane, Valréas, AC Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages

With the weather cooling quite significantly this week, time to get begin warming up with wines of the Rhône Valley. I love these wines with all my heart, and not only for sentimental reasons - these are profound, terroir-driven wines balancing subtlety and great richness.

This is an organic wine, of equal parts syrah and grenache. From the town of Valréas, one of the 'Villages' indicated in the appellation name. Decanted, this shows beautiful colour, deep and saturated. Rich nose, almost jammy, but develops a characteristic meatiness. Lovely, savoury aromas. These wines are fantastically balanced in the mouth, although perhaps showing the difiiculties of the vintage. Interesting. Lean, but interesting and quite approachable now.

DF

Lounging with a glass, in peace

Many books I have yet to find time to read. Why is it that whenever I feel in the mood to settle down with a book, someone/something always appears to kill the fun? Huh? Answer that for me, please. And why is it that it always happens the minute I flip the book open??

Questions of Taste
Émile Peynaud's Le Goût du Vin
Nixon in China
The Kissinger Transcripts
Kissinger's Diplomacy

And still waiting on Amazon to send me Jonathan Nossiter's Liquid Memory.

I need a weekend of solitude this winter, sun light, my red armchair, and a bottle of good Côtes du Rhône. And no fucking interruptions!

DF

On note-taking

I'm not obsessive about many things, but wine really brings out those tendencies. Good stuff. I've been feeling nostalgic recently, going through my old wine stuff. Especially my wine notes. I've been taking tasting notes for 5 years now, and am on my 3rd notebook. Records show entries for every single bottle of wine I've drank over the last 60 months, including all the wines tasted on my Niagara trips and during travelling.

Notes are important. I insist on note-taking, especially for people beginning to be more serious about wine. You can boast about how great your palate memory is, but once you taste a few hundred wines a year, you need something written down to accurately recall a certain bottle. That's just the truth, and whoever says otherwise is just foolishly ignorant.

I'd show you the contents of my notebook, but that information is reserved for my closest friends. I guard my notes zealously, and only a select few people have been allowed to take a peek. Yeah - you have to earn it. Or just get me really, really trashed and mashed.

DF

Jin Jun Mei

Jin Jun Mei

I'm having difficulties inputting the proper Chinese characters. A friend from Fujian sent us another package of tea. Jun Mei, which is a tea native to Fujian, is grown on Wuyi Mountain. Arguably, the greatest tea terroir in the world. This tea has several grades, with this one, Jin (Gold), being the highest.

As you can see, this is a black tea, but with the most amazing copper-coloured edges. This colour disappears once infused, as the tea is well roasted.

Brewed in a clay teapot, the tea leaves plump and enlarge, infusing a dark, amber colour. The bouquet is extraordinary - orange peel and flowers, with fragrant, dried long-an. Very perfumed, if you can say that for a tea. The tea is silky in the mouth, with no trace of tannin or any bitterness. Very sweet. Exceptional tea for a cold day. I think I'm ready for a pot right now.

DF

1992 Cahors

1992 Les Comtes de Cahors, AC Cahors

I'm embarrased that I haven't properly written about this wine, and the dinner it accompanied. Last weekend was a great, extended drinking/eating session. Two photoshoots as well! Friday, had friends over, and we continued the party on Saturday at PYeung's place, to give a proper send-off to her house before they move. Awesome.

This is her bottle, which she purchased in 1995 and has been storing ever since. Cahors. And you know how much I love Cahors, here and here. An older wine, which is always exciting. And I feel very honoured that PYeung decided to pull the cork for this dinner.

Tasting and evaluating a wine requires a complete divorce from all sentimentality, no? I kept that in mind as I was drawing the cork. This wine was stored under less than ideal conditions - on the kitchen counter, under light and heat. At least it lay on its side. The cork was predictably quite dry, and broke in the middle. No worries - I had my decanting funnel. As you can see, a browning colour, with lack of luminosity and brightness. The dull, almost amber colour, permeates the entire robe, with a clearing saturation at the rim. But the nose shows us something more. A bit reticent at first, but opening up to show an iron minerality, almost a meaty character. Red fruits linger, with an almost sweetness. Then, devolves into dried fruits, to an astringent hollowness. We saw its gradual decline over about 4 hours. While I had my doubts, the bouquet remained vigorous, showing much better than the heat-damage I thought the bottle had sustained.

Palate was a different story, as these older wines often are. Lean, with a caved-in middle. Curt, highly acidic finish, showing a bit of volatility. But drinkable. Clearly, the nose was infinitely more interesting. Temper your expectations with these older wines, and your enjoyment will be greatly enhanced. In other words, don't expect too much.

Dinner was spectacular. Authentic Cantonese cuisine, with the freshest ingredients. Started with a sweet soup seafood/herbal. Duck in a taro, soy sauce reduction. Traditional clams, sauteed in ground meat, live and savoury. Scallops, bought live in the shell, butterflied, and served with chili sauce. The skirt on the scallop was absolutely delicious, with a wonderfully firm texture. Then, an earthen pot of dried mushrooms, abalone, and sea cucumber. Decadent. Just delicious.

Paired two more wines, a Crémant de Loire and a 2005 Côtes de Castillon. I think we did ok. We sent off this house in style. Many thanks to PYeung and family for hosting. Photos, courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

Kweichow Moutai

贵州茅台

Moutai. One of the great alcoholic beverages of China - our national drink, in fact. We poured a few glasses at dinner last Friday, after the meal. At 53%, you don't play around. A distilled eau-de-vie, from sorghum, made in the town of 茅台 (Maotai).

I personally don't enjoy this eau-de-vie, although I've seen more than a few of my compatriots down it like water. It's fiery, and oily, with a stinky, rustic nose. The fragrance does grow on you, and it has the most incredible length, but I fail to see its merits strictly based on taste. I understand the cultural significance of this drink, but I limit myself to no more than 3 or 4 sips. It's lethal. But it is the drink that Premier 周恩来 (Zhou En-Lai) served to President Nixon during the 1972 visit to China. So there you go. The drink of great men of history.

Photo, courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

Red

So, September, huh? Yeah, September 4 it seems, when we went down to Queen Street West to attend an art exhibition. What was more exciting for me was a chance to visit Taro, a bar serving some interesting craft beers on tap. We had pints of Stratford Brewery Common, and the photo shows how wonderful the colour is. Bright red, almost dark amber. Great stuff.

Photo, courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

White rum

Havana Club Añejo Blanco

Beautiful, no? This is just all sorts of awesome. All sorts. Finished the bottle.

Floral, with a lovely fruit character, very fresh and sweet. Clean, complex. And no subsequent hangover!

DF

Enjoying our last weeks together

This weekend was a success. Deal, done and signed, Infiniti G37x sedan. Our lease on the current vehicle, our Accord is ending next month. It's been a fantastic 4 years. Accords have a legendary reliability, but I've been very impressed with how powerful and solid this car was. As mentioned earlier, I recently drove the 2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6. Did not feel good about it.

I've driven many, many Accords. Six, to be precise. So there's certainly a level of familiarity when I buckled in - if it feels like an Accord, then it must be one. Big windshield, lots of visibility, ample headroom, ergonomically placed controls, perfectly shaped steering wheel. But I suppose that's the problem. I know this car so well that there's no mystery, no excitement anymore. As in all things, you want a bit of drama. It's time for a change.

I've adjusted my attitude towards these kinds of things. So instead of anxiously awaiting for the arrival of our new car, I'm going to instead focus on enjoying the Accord for the few weeks that remain. It's going to a bit sad when I saw goodbye, but it'll be short-lived. Yeah. All-wheel-drive, 328 horsepower - that'll get the blood pumping again.

DF