Following Philippe

Trapiche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:14:00 +0000

For several months, my wine consumption has decreased -- an unfortunate fact, considering this blog was originally supposed to be regular commentary and review of wine. Simply put, the odd bottle I drink here or there means I have very little to write about wine.

In a way, wine has recently become more of a special occasion drink -- or at least a blue moon kind of a drink. However, a couple of weeks ago, I opened a bottle of Trapiche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, which had been lingering on my little wine rack for some time. As I recall, the bottle was a gift from Rawl for helping he and Linda move into their house.

Upon pouring my first glass and sticking my nose in, I got whiff of a dark, smoky smell that was somewhat pleasant. The smoke carried over into the taste, but was joined by black current. With a dark, plum colour, the wine was slightly tannic, and I quite enjoyed the two glasses I had that night.

I sealed up the bottle with my trusty vaccuum and put it away until the next night, when I finished it off. This is the unfortunate thing about wine, though. Once it's been exposed to oxygen, it's really best to drink until it's all gone. It's never quite the same the next day.

Devil's Pale Ale

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:20:00 +0000

Devil's Pale Ale -- As the can states, "The devil made me brew it." Sure, it's a gimmicky way to market a beer, but Great Lakes Brewery brewed up a hoppy, tasty pale ale that is so good, I can even forgive the decision to put it in 500mL cans instead of bottles. Recommended.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:43:00 +0000

There is no more Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale until this time next year. I stopped in at the LCBO on Brock Road in Pickering and talked to the beer expert. Apparently the entire LCBO stock has sold out, and it's no longer possible to get any more of the beer in.

This is a bit disappointing, as I was hoping to find even one more bottle. While the first bottle I drank was good, the next bottles were amazing. The head, which the first bottle lacked, was very obviously evident -- so I can only assume the first one hadn't been fully carbonated.

I have a hankerin' for some pumpkin ale, and I'm shit out of luck. I wonder how difficult it is to make.

All hail the great pumpkin

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:05:00 +0000

Great Lakes Brewery Pumpkin Ale -- It only comes once a year, and I'm very happy the Pickering LCBO on Brock got what looked like a couple of cases of the Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale in stock. So how goes a beer made with pumpkin taste? Oddly enough, kind of like pumpkin pie -- but not as sweet (at least in this case). While I expected a sweet beverage, Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale is actually a little dry, with a rather non-existent head. However, it has all the great tastes of pumpkin pie -- pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon. It's too bad this only comes once a year, but on the plus side, I bought five 650ml bottles of it.

A couple more beers

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 17:47:00 +0000

Chimay Blanc -- When I previously wrote about Chimay, I was referring to the darker Chimay Rouge, but I picked up some Chimay Blanc on a recent trip to the LCBO. While still tasty, this turned out to be more of a Belgium wheat beer similar in taste to Hooegarden. Frankly, I prefer Hoegaarden.

Belhaven Twisted Thistle India Pale Ale -- And just when I thought I'd found the prefect IPA in Sergeant Major, along comes Twisted Thistle. While not as hoppy as Sergeant Major, Twisted Thistle is a brilliant IPA with a soft mouthfeel and a strong head that lasts until the glass is empty. Yum.

What I'm really looking forward to now is the LCBO Hallowe'en releases. Supposedly the Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale will be available, and I'm crossing my fingers that at least a little bit of it makes its way to Durham Region. If it turns out to be tasty, I might try making some pumpkin ale of my own next year.

Living up to the hype (or not)

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:48:00 +0000

Sometimes things live up to the hype and turn out to be extraordinary experiences. This was true in the case of the Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, which had been recommended earlier this year. Shortly after the recommendation, I picked up two bottles and stuck them in my basement.

I finally opened up one of the bottles earlier this week, and wow, was I ever impressed. With a dark burgundy colour and a nice, full-bodied flavour, the wine was a pleasure to experience. The oaky aroma hooked me, and the taste pulled me in. If you ever get a chance to give it a try, do so.

Unfortunately, a beer I tried last night didn't live up to the hype. Beer geeks had suggested the Scotch Irishing Brewing Black Irish Plain Porter was a winner, but I had a difference of opinion when I cracked one last. It looked good; I'll give it that. It smelled good, too -- with a nice, chocolately smell. It tasted like it had been burnt, though. I think I detected some licorice flavour, too. Ugh.

To be fair, I have a few more bottles of the Black Irish, so I'll be giving it another shot very soon. I can only hope my first tasting was just a fluke.

And this evening, I'll be snapping a bottle cap off of my first homebrew beer, which I've dubbed Talbot's Half-Assed Irish Stout. If it doesn't make me blind, I'll post the results sometime this weekend.

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:59:00 +0000

It's been quite the summer for sampling beer -- and even a little bit of wine.

While I was on vacation a few weeks back, I did tours of County Durham Brewing Co. in Pickering and Magnotta Winery in Vaughan.

Although County Durham is a very small brewery, the owner, Bruce Halstead, is a friendly and knowledgeable guy. Xavier and I visited him on the (all too hot) Monday of my vacation. Bruce thought we were crazy for wanting to drop by in such heat, but he humoured us, anyway.

According to Bruce, County Durham is the smallest craft brewery in Ontario, and I believe it. His facilities are tucked away in an industrial complex south of Bayly just east of Brock, and some of his equipment is many years old. He told us he acquired his bottling machinery when another brewery went under, and he's spent a lot of time rebuilding it. It's not even fully automated, but it sounds like it does the trick.

The Magnotta tour was kind of neat, but the beer and distillery sections aren't part of the tour, even though they are on site. The wine-making area is obsessively clean and sterile -- and it looks it. I'm sure it makes sense for it to be that, but all the mental images of an Old World-style winery were shot to hell as soon as I looked into the winery.

The most impressive part of the Magnotta tour is the cellar, where there are hundreds of oak barrels aging wine. It was just neat. They even have a big oak boardroom table surrounded by executive chairs. I guess maybe they conduct meetings in the cellar on occasion.

Anyway, since the last time I've written on this blog, I've sampled various types of beer and wine, including several Magnotta vintages (a White Merlot, the Trionfo and some others -- I wish I'd written down all the names at the Magnotta tasting bar), the various Magnotta beers (none of which impressed me, sadly) and all kinds of import beers, like Mythos Hellenic Lager (not impressive, but how could I turn down buying a beer called Mythos?), Chimay (damned impressive, but a little sweet), Sergeant Major IPA (yummy and hoppy), Chateau Banana (absolutely vile, but for anybody with a morbid curiosity, I still have one in my fridge -- and you're welcome to it) and various others.

And the beer tasting continues...

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:27:00 +0000

One of these days, I really will get back to wine, but for the time being...

Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer -- I spotted this on the shelf of the Ajax LCBO on Highway 2, and I had to know what oak aged beer tasted like. As one might expect, it has a very oaky flavour. It almost tastes like whisky in beer form. Very nice. I need to buy more of this.

Some combinations don't work well

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 15:26:00 +0000

The beer of the week so far is St. Peter's English Ale. I have had this nice ale before, but it's sometimes not the easiest thing to find in Durham Region. However, I used the LCBO Website to track it down at the Ajax location up on Highway 2. That location has a Vintages area, and it also stocks a few things the Bayly LCBO doesn't, so I should probably take the extra few minutes to drive up there whenever I go to the liquor store.

Unfortunately, this week I also tasted what I think is the worst beer I've ever had. Trafalgar's Maple Bock is absolutely terrible. The smell, the taste and the aftertaste were brutal. I've had a maple beer before (Red Maple -- not sure who brews it), and it was pretty good, even if the extra sugar did give me a brutal hangover the next morning. Trafalgar's attempt to mix maple syrup with beer is a complete and utter failure. Yuck.

Keeping with the beer theme...

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:54:00 +0000

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat -- We fired up the barbecue at lunch to grill some chicken, and barbecuing wouldn't be complete without a beer. I opened up a bottle (and then a second) of the Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat beer, and immediately I was reminded of Hoegaarden. Both in smell and taste, the beer has the taste of coriander, just like Hoegaarden (although it's a stronger smell and taste in Hoegaarden than in the Paulaner brew). Pouring it into a glass produced a monstrous, fluffy head. It's a good thing I used a regular pint glass instead of a smaller glass; otherwise, I would have overflowed it. With the cloudy gold colour comes a smooth, almost creamy texture. Unfortunately, it reminded me so much of Hoegaarden, which has a stronger, preferred taste, that I don't know if I'd buy it again if I can grab a six of Hoegaarden. Still, the Paulaner wheat beer isn't a purchase I'll regret.

And another craft beer...

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:58:00 +0000

Gritstone Premium Ale -- With Jacquie out for lunch, I fired up the barbecue and cooked myself a couple of juicy burgers. And what's a barbecue without beer? I opened up one of the Gritstone Premium Ale bottles and poured myself a glass (I'm getting more into the idea of drinking from a glass so I can get the full experience of beer). With a coppery colour and a nice, light aroma, Gritstone goes down smooth, and while it has a nice taste, the flavour could be a little stronger. Still, I could see introducing others to craft beers with something like Gritstone. Yum.

Side treks into beer and spirits

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:31:00 +0000

While summer is my favourite time of the year (it's warm and I can sit out on my back deck having a frosty beverage or two, all the while barbecuing up some meaty goodness), it's the least conducive season to drinking and enjoying wine. Enjoying a dry Merlot or Cabernet while the sun is beating down on my head taints the experience. Cool drinks are in order during the summer months, and unfortunately, I enjoy a good beer more than I enjoy the best white wine.

Postings have been rare in recent months, and part of the reason for that is the fact that I have not been drinking very much wine lately. (Another part is laziness, but I'm trying to change that.) To inspire myself, I'm going to refrain from limiting myself to just wine, so expect side treks into beer and spirits here and there -- especially while the weather remains warm.

And now a few words on recent beer samplings...

County Durham Signature Ale -- This local craft brew, which I discovered maybe a year or two ago (I don't remember exactly when), has quickly become a favourite beer. While it's not a dark ale, it's definitely a ~~very dark amber~~ copper colour with a unique flavour. Originally, a six-pack was purchased because I noticed it was made in Pickering (hometown pride and all that), but after sampling one bottle, I fell in love. In the last week, I've been in touch with the brewer, Bruce Halstead, in the hopes I'll be able to take a tour of his facilities when he's not too busy. Bruce also tipped me off about the Waterfront Bistro (an excellent restaurant at the south end of Liverpool) having County Durham Signature Ale on tap. (As a side note: County Durham Brewing Co. also makes the C'est What Hemp Ale. Cool, eh?)

King Brewery Pilsener -- Frankly, my beer tastes aren't refined enough to pick out the subtle differences between a Pilsener, a lager, an ale or an IPA (but I have been educated enough to know Alexander's Keith's IPA is not a real IPA; it's more of a lager). While I can say I enjoyed the King Pilsener, I can't say if it's a good Pilsener.

Amsterdam Natural Blonde -- My first Amsterdam Natural Blonde was consumed many years ago in one of Amsterdam's pubs downtown. In fact, it was probably the first micro-brew I ever had, so it has a special place in my beer gut -- uh, I mean heart. When I first tried it, I don't think I could even get my hands on it in the Durham Beer Store locations, but now it has become a bit more popular. The Natural Blonde and Nut Brown (which I haven't tried) are both common in Beer Stores in Durham now. On a whim, I picked up a sixer while in the Ajax Beer Store last week. It's a nice, crisp, blonde beer, but not something I'd pick up on a regular basis.

Trafalgar Celtic Pure Irish Ale -- I know Trafalgar Brewing Co. more for its meads, which were served at the sadly-missed Rennaissance Festival in Milton, but I was in the mood for a darker ale during a recent visit to the Beer Store. While wondering if you could rightly call a beer a "Pure Irish Ale" if it's made in Ontario, I took the plunge. It has a dark chocolatey flavour that kicks you in the belly. Translation: I like it. But still, is it really an Irish ale if it's not from Ireland?

Waterloo Dark -- Ah, back to old favourites. It was the Society for Creative Anachronism that turned me onto Waterloo Dark. While I was an active SCAdian, I partook of Waterloo Dark on a very regular basis, but since I became inactive, it has become a rare treat. I recently picked up a six, and I was reminded why it was my favourite beer for a time (with Warthog Ale right up there beside it).

My most recent acquisitions include Niagara Brewing Co.'s Gritstone and Paulaner Natural Wheat (a German beer from Munchen) -- neither of which I've drank before. Those are next on the tasting list.

Guinness ... with a shot of Port?

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:10:00 +0000

While catching up on my reading of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, I read an article about how bartenders are using Port more and more in mixed drinks. The article opened with the mention of someone ordering Guinness with a shot of Port in it.

Curious, I gave it a try. While I'm not a Guinness-with-Port convert, it was a worthwhile experiment. The Port makes Guinness somewhat sweeter, but doesn't change the taste significantly. However, Guinness doesn't really need to be sweeter. It's already fairly sweet for a stout beer.

Speaking of beer, for those who are beer geeks, check out Beer Advocate. I just joined the site, and it seems like a neat community of beer connoisseurs. If you happen to be a Keith's fan, though, understand that you're entering a community of people who hate Keith's appropriation of the IPA label.

Recent tasting notes

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:58:00 +0000

My plans for this blog had been much grander when I started out, but since then, I've found myself falling into the slacker category and risking this site turning into abandonware. My vow is to update it at least once a week with something -- even if it's just a link or a few comments on wine. If I could just get to the point where I'm posting once a week on a specific day, that would be great, but don't count on it.

Here we go -- some recent tasting notes:

Pelee Island Winery Pinot Grigio 2005 -- You'd think I'd just give up on white wines after all my failures at trying to find one I can truly say I like. Unfortunately, this Pinot Grigio turned out not to be the bottle that changed my views on white wine. It was fruity and slightly sweet. The look of the wine itself was nothing to write home about. It had a very light colour of yellow and a few particles floating in the wine. Nothing spectacular, but drinkable.

Magnotta Blueberry Blue -- Blueberry wine -- who would drink that, you ask? Well, me. This is a bottle I'd hoped to share, but I ended up opening it a few weeks back and, well, before I knew it, it was gone. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. It smelled very fruity, with a very strong scent of blueberries (no surprise there, but worth noting). Sipping it, it had a smooth texture and a strong, sweet blueberry taste. With some focus, I was able to pick up hints of dark chocolate, especially in the aftertaste. I wish I'd had some actual dark chocolate around. That may have brought out the taste even more. On the next trip to Magnotta, I'll have to pick up another bottle or two.

Jackson-Triggs Proprietors' Selection Semillon Chardonnay -- Out of the blue one night, I felt like having a glass of wine. It was a little too hot to open up a bottle of red, so I chilled the only bottle of white in my sparse collection and popped it open. Maybe it was the heat or maybe I just felt like white wine that night, but it was good. I didn't take any proper tasting notes, but let's just say that I started out with the idea of having a glass, re-corking the bottle and sticking it back in the fridge. I sat back and drank the whole thing. This is the first white wine that I could see myself buying again. I'm thinking it was the mix of the Semillon with the Chardonnay that made it so tasty. Next time, I'll make proper notes.

Magnotta Maréchal Foch 2005

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:02:00 +0000

My trip to the Magnotta Winery storefront in Scarborough was months ago, but it took awhile before I finally popped the cork on one of the wines I purchased at the time. In this case, the wine was the Maréchal Foch 2005.

The wine had a dark, musty smell that reminded me of the Campofiorin Masi that I sampled in January. The musty aroma of the Masi was closer to that of sweaty gym socks, whereas the Maréchal Foch was more pleasant.

The taste of the Maréchal Foch was, thankfully, far more pleasant than the Masi, which I didn't care for at all. It was fruity and a little bit smoky. Although the berry taste -- particularly raspberries, but others, too -- was obvious, there seemed to be a slight taste of melon in there as well. I discovered the melon taste on one sip, and then I was unable to get the taste back; so it could have been a figment of my imagination.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy this wine from Magnotta again.

The Toronto Wine & Cheese Show

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:47:00 +0000

My decision to attend the Toronto Wine & Cheese Show instead of going to play board games all day was the right one (although it was also the more costly one). However, if I go again next year (and I hope I'm able to), I'll aim to be there later in the afternoon rather than at noon. It sounded like most of the entertainment started at 4:00 or later. By that time on Saturday, Jacquie and I were already back in Durham.

The show itself was a little different than what I'd expected. The wine and cheese only took up about half the space, while the rest of the space was taken up by various food merchants, liquor producers and breweries. I'm pretty sure I drank as much beer as wine that day, which doesn't really make a lot of sense when you consider the name of the show.

While I used up my tickets sampling wines and beers, as well as one pomegranate vodka (Pearl Pomegranate Vodka -- dee-lish!), Jacquie hit up the food merchants. Since I left the show with a bit of a buzz, maybe I should have paid more attention to the food, too.

Although Jacquie kept giving me weird looks for it, I did take a few tasting notes. They're fairly basic, as I'm still learning how to describe what I taste and smell in wine vocabulary. Also, I wanted to remember the wines I tasted. Below are the wines I sampled throughout the day.

Lailey 2004 Cabernet -- When we arrived at the show and started looking around, I really wasn't sure where to start. After browsing the hall a bit, I finally started using up the sampling tickets I'd purchased. The first one was this Cabernet from Lailey, a winery in Niagara On The Lake. It had a slight scent of smoke and it tasted a bit like wildberries or blackberries, but overall, it wasn't anything special. It was a good wine, but not one I'll remember in a few weeks' time.

Painted Turtle Shiraz -- Apparently it's still trendy to give your wine a wacky name. Since the Painted Turtle Shiraz from Painted Turtle Wine Cellars (of Penticton, B.C.) was the highlight of the show for me, I'm willing to let it go without poking any fun. The Shiraz had a strong, spicy flavour that will stay in my mind for quite some time. The taste of blackberries was hidden behind the spice. According to the gent I talked to from Painted Turtle, the wine should be available in the LCBO this week.

Niagara College Teaching Winery Pinot Noir -- What would a wine show be without a sampling of a Pinot? In this case, I sampled a Pinot Noir from the Niagara College Teaching Winery, a winery set up exclusively for oenology students of Niagara College. Although the wine was good and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a bottle if I came across one, it didn't stand out as an excellent Pinot -- but then again, no excellent Pinots are coming to mind right now.

Massandra Port -- With Canadian wines covered (okay, not really; there were too many Canuck wines to taste in one afternoon), I switched gears a bit. By this time, I'd already sampled a couple of beers from Robert Simpson and Barley Day Brewery, as well as the aforementioned wines and pomegranate vodka, so I was starting to feel the alcohol running through my system. I'm sure that threw my tasting senses off, but I don't think it really mattered with this Ukrainian Port (is it really Port if it's not made in Portugal?). Sweet and fruity, the Massandra tasted like the only other Port I've ever tried. It's clear to me at this time that I'm not a fan of fortified wines.

20 Bees Baco Noir -- My last wine sample of the day before I got rid of my last ticket on a Belgian beer called Chimay Premiere (far tastier than I would have imagined) was a Baco Noir from 20 Bees (another Niagara winery). With my buzz on, I didn't even take any notes, and I don't remember much about the wine now. I remember I liked it, but that's about it, I'm afraid.

Perhaps my biggest disappointment was not finding a Prince Edward County winery. While I'm sure at least one or two must have been there, I didn't come across them.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the big names in wine had avoided the show. Yellow Tail was present, as was Robert Mondavi (not the man himself, just his wines), but the majority of the wineries were ones I wasn't familiar with.

The Toronto Wine & Cheese Show

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:56:00 +0000

A quick note: The Toronto Wine & Cheese Show is coming up later this month. Although I do have plans for the Saturday of that weekend, I think I may have to change my plans so I can attend the show.

Buttery

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:53:00 +0000

One of the phrases that gets used by oenophiles when describing wines is "buttery." This is a descriptor that has confused me for a long time, but after drinking a glass of a Robert Mondavi Merlot a few weeks ago while out for dinner, I believe I am finally getting a bit of a handle on the phrase.

When wine connoisseurs describe a wine as buttery, my understanding is they're describing a combination of the flavour and the texture, which comes from the fermentation process when oak barrels are used -- or more specifically, when pieces of oak are put in the fermenting wine. The Mondavi certainly had a touch of buttery flavour and texture, leading me to believe that during fermentation, oak chips (or something similar) were put in the wine.

While I'm not one hundred percent sure if my interpretation of the process of creating a buttery wine is correct or not, I am fairly sure that I have finally discovered a wine that is buttery.

Or maybe I'm an uneducated fool. A little bit of research has led me to believe that most buttery wines are white wines. However, according to the most recent issue of the Nat Decants Newsletter, buttery is a term often associated with Californian wines -- and Mondavi is a well-known Californian.

Wine as a hobby

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:32:00 +0000

While on a shopping trip yesterday afternoon, Jacquie and I slipped into the Home Outfitters in Whitby with the intention of looking around and, hopefully, finding a couple of all-purpose wine glasses big enough for properly tasting wines. After leaving the store with a couple of wine glasses (big enough to slosh wine around in them, unlike the other glasses we have), a decanter and a vacuum wine pump (for removing oxygen from a wine bottle), I realized just how much of a hobby wine can be.

After all, there are all sorts of wine paraphernalia that a connoisseur could buy, including red wine glasses, white wine glasses, Chianti glasses, Burgundy glasses, Champagne flutes, stemless wine glasses (the purpose of which eludes me), artistic and non-artistic corks, vacuum wine pumps, several different types of cork removers, temperature gauges, wine racks, decanters, wine chillers, wine buckets and various books, magazines and DVDs on the subject of wine.

It seems like an awful lot for what is essentially fermented grape juice, no?

The Accidental Connoisseur

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 14:08:00 +0000

After Jeff McIlveen's wine seminar at the Ajax Public Library a few weeks ago, he recommended several books on wine, but the one that most interested me was a book called The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through The Wine World by Lawrence Osborne. I signed out the book that evening, took it home and began reading about Osborne's travels in the wine world.

Unfortunately, I had several other things occupying my time, so it took me a couple of weeks to finally finish reading the entire book (completed as of last night). Through his writing, Osborne shows that he is a far cry from the Robert Parkers of the world while at the same time proving he knows enough about wine to strike up conversations with the movers and shakers of the industry.

As he travels from California to France and then on to Italy, Osborne paints a picture of a man lost in the world of wine and trying to find his way. He struggles with the tastes and smells of wine, but what he seems to push back against the most is the elitism that follows vino everywhere.

The Accidental Connoisseur is a no-nonsense, humorous book about discovering the wine world, and I'd follow Jeff's lead in highly recommending it.

Black Tower Dornfelder Pinot Noir

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 18:18:00 +0000

Early in January, I tried Black Tower Dornfelder Pinot Noir for the first time. My parents served it with dinner, although I don't remember what food was on the menu. At the time, I found that I liked it, so I headed to the LCBO to pick up a couple of bottles a week or two later. I cannot be sure what changed, whether it was because I was drinking it with food the first time or some other unknown atmospheric change, but I was much less enthusiastic about the wine the second and third times.

Although I didn't keep tasting notes (something I'm not really sure how to do properly yet), the thing I remember most about the wine was how weak it tasted and smelled for a Pinot Noir. While Pinots tend to light-bodied, the Black Tower Pinot was far too light, with a very fruity taste, mostly reminiscent of the grapes wine is made from. Certainly not a complex Pinot, Black Tower was a recent vintage (I'm inclined to say 2005, but I neglected to write the year down before tossing the bottles in the recycling bin) that I probably will not buy again. As a table wine, it was acceptable, but the quality was only a notch or two above some of the do-it-yourself wine-making places. For the same price tag (about $12), there are better Pinot Noirs.

Two documentaries

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 15:25:00 +0000

Over the weekend, I borrowed two documentaries about wine from the local library and watched them. My thoughts on both films follow.

John Cleese's Wine For The Confused
While wine can at times be a stuffy subject for aristocratic snobs, John Cleese attempted to bring it down to the level of the average person while still explaining some of the more intellectual levels of becoming a wine connoisseur. Unfortunately, poor camera work, poor editing and poor sound mar this otherwise educational and entertaining introduction to wine.

This short (under an hour in length) film discusses the most common varietals while also introducing the viewer to what goes on at a wine tasting. Cleese also visits several wineries in California, where he speaks with experts about some of the fundamentals of wine (tannins, for instance). He does all of this in a non-elitist manner, making for an entertaining film that offers a good introduction for people just starting to wrap their brains around the intellectual pursuits of wine.

Mondovino
Mondovino, on the other hand, takes a very different approach. It focuses on the differences between Old World (specifically, France and Italy) and New World (mostly the U.S., but also Argentina and Brazil) winemaking. The film has more to do with the industry and artistic nature of wine, and how differences between the Old World and the New World, as well as differences between those in each region, create much conflict between all involved.

For those not in the mood for subtitles, Mondovino should be left on the shelf, as the majority of the film is in French and Italian. Additionally, the documentary tends to drag after awhile (it does run for over two hours), as the edits continue to bounce back and forth between several major figures in the wine industry, some of which continue to say the same thing over and over again. In fact, you can almost see the chip on the shoulder of some of the Old World winemakers.

However, Mondovino offers an interesting glimpse into the highly chaotic world of wine and what many behind the labels see in the LCBO actually think about the past, present and future of the industry. Some poor camera work and shot framing spoils the film a little bit, but otherwise, the odd microphone creeping the frame and the several bouncy shots can be ignored.

An introduction to wine

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:27:00 +0000

A little over a week ago, I attended what was essentially an introduction to wine seminar at the main branch of the Ajax Public Library. During a visit about two or three weeks prior, I discovered a notice posted on the event board that stated there would be a talk on wine on the evening of January 18th. I signed up for the event and then anxiously awaited the night of the 18th.

My expectations, I admit, were not high. Frankly, I don't consider Durham Region very high on the cultural sophistication level, and I would not have been surprised to find five or six people who wanted to talk about the merits of saving money by going to local make-your-own-wine shop. I should have known better.

When I arrived, I walked into a room that was quickly filling up with various types of people -- mostly an older crowd, of course. After all, fine appreciation of wine is still not a pastime of the younger crowd, although I do have to admit I was a good six or seven years ago than the youngest oenophile in attendance (not counting the eight-year-old in the audience, of course).

Even more unexpected was the fact that I knew the speaker. Jeff McIlveen was a history teacher at my high school (both of them, in fact) who taught the Modern Western Civilizations course I took during my goof-off semester. Of the three classes I took during that semester, Jeff's (I still want to refer to him as Mr. McIlveen) class was the only one in which I did all of the readings and all of the work. It was a fascinating class, but it was also the most serious of the courses I took during those five months.

About eleven or twelve years later, he was educating an audience of adults on a very specific aspect of modern western civilizations. While wine would not have fit into any high school curriculum, it's impossible to deny the importance of wine -- or drink of any kind -- on the civilizations of the last several hundred (possibly even thousand) years.

After the talk was completed, I wandered up to chat with the man who taught me all about Louis XIV. I felt like a minor niner when I approached him. He was, after all, the history teacher on staff who actually frightened me a little when I was a teenager; that is, until he taught me and I discovered what a great and knowledgeable teacher he was.

Shortly afterwards, Jeff, his wife and several others who attended the talk retired to the Safari in Pickering Village for an impromptu wine tasting. Jeff had warned the Safari we would be coming and convinced the manager to offer us tasters so we could sample various wines. Three tasters made up a full glass, and the Safari charged us only for a single glass of wine (I should mention the Safari is not a cheap restaurant).

As others started to choose their three samples, I felt like a neophyte. Frankly, it seemed as if I was trying to fit into a higher class of people than myself, but perhaps that's simply because I haven't had the opportunity to sample wines with anyone who is actually a knowledgeable oenophile. During our evening, I explained to my new friends that while I had enjoyed red wine for years, it wasn't until the last year that I had become more serious about my education in all things vino. For the most part, I consume bottles by myself with nobody to discuss the wines I buy with.

You can probably imagine how much of a treat that night was for me. I almost felt ... classy.

Choosing three wines from the list proved to be somewhat difficult. Since I have drank more than my fair share of Merlots, I wanted to avoid that grape. Unfortunately, the Pinot Noir on the list was unavailable. I settled on the Rosemount Estates Shiraz, the Campofiorin Masi (for something different) and the Ravenswood Zinfandel.

Others had ordered the Zin, and so I felt obliged to give it a try. In my own snobbish way, I tend to look down on Zinfandels. They are, or at least were, fashionably trendy for awhile, and I remember seeing several Zin rosés before. It's almost embarrassing to admit I find the Zinfandel that night was the best of the three. I just wish I had scribbled down some tasting notes.

Going from memory, though, I'll try to sum up my opinions on the three wines:

Ravenswood Zinfandel -- This fruity, light-bodied wine surprised me. It was had a nice, crisp taste. If not for the tasting, I probably would never have ordered a Zinfandel, so I'm thankful that I got the chance to try it in this way. It was definitely my favourite wine of the evening.

Rosemount Estates Shiraz -- My recollection is the Shiraz was a more medium-bodied wine. It was a close second to the Zinfandel. I would really like to explore Shiraz wines more.

Campofiorin Masi -- The thing I remember most about this disappointing wine was its smell. Although I didn't voice my opinion of it, my initial thoughts were that it smelled like sweaty gym socks. Despite the smell, I still drank it. Thankfully, it didn't taste like sweaty gym socks, but something about the taste was off. I wish I could remember what it was. Now, I would like to try this wine again, as it was the only Italian wine of the three I chose, and the rule of thumb with Italian wines is they're best drank with food (and I wasn't eating).

And that was my night of wine education and tasting. I really need to determine which, if any, of my friends are budding oenophiles like myself and start getting together with them for tastings. The only wine lover I know for sure is my friend Tom Venetis, but unfortunately I rarely see him.

Wine For Dummies

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 18:44:00 +0000

When the decision was made to become serious about wine, the challenge I faced was finding a starting point. There are books upon books about wine, but determining which one would be best for a beginner without much technical knowledge about wine was extraordinarily difficult.

For some time, I Googled my way through the world of wine, stumbling upon some less than useful sites and some others that seemed like a good gateway if not for the cost. For instance, there is a local organization called the Winetasters Society of Toronto, but the cost of joining and becoming active in Winetasters was too much. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any more such groups in the Toronto area, although I have recently heard of another organization called the Pickering Wine Guild, which does not appear to currently have a Website.

In my search for a simple starting point, I finally cast aside my pride and bought a copy of Wine For Dummies by Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan. The Dummies book turned out to be a good place to begin my journey, although its focus on American and European wines meant it barely mentioned Canadian wineries or the Canadian wine industry, a topic I have a great interest in. What little was written about VQA made no sense to me whatsoever (but similar wine standards mentioned from elsewhere in the world were likewise confusing).

Additionally, there were still a few things that I didn't quite understand when I finally flipped to the last page of the book. Perhaps I had missed something in my reading of the book, but I had failed to grasp the concept of tannins. It wasn't until very recently, when I attended an introduction to wine seminar at the Ajax Public Library hosted by Jeff McIlveen, that I finally started to understand what oenophiles are referring to when they mention the tannins in a wine.

Following Philippe...

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:29:00 +0000

The truth, they say, is in the wine. Anyone who has had more than his or her fair share of a bottle (or two, or three) can attest to the validity of that statement. After awhile, the truth just flows out of your mouth like the wine flows out of the bottle. The world is your glass, but someone has forgotten to put a stopper in the bottle.

Or maybe that's just me. While I can on occasion be the mysterious, silent type, nothing can as quickly turn me into a babbling idiot than an unhealthy portion of alcohol. What can I say? I enjoy my drinks.

So why a blog about wine? I am definitely not a wine expert, nor do I pretend to be one. I also have no interest in trying become an expert on the level of a Robert Parker, although I think there's a lot I can learn from the man with the million dollar nose. To be frank, I wouldn't even consider myself a connoisseur, but more of an avid wine drinker with delusions of grandeur.

The goal here is to have fun while giving myself a good justification to explore different wines from all over the world (and hopefully explore a few wineries, as well). I have been thinking of doing something like this for awhile, but I've been concerned about how to work wine writing into my regular blog. I feel I would bore my readers with detail upon detail of my efforts in becoming an educated wine drinker, and since I'm really doing this for myself, I thought it would be prudent to remove this from the inanity of regular ramblings and give it its own space.

So why the name Following Philippe? The answer to that question is fairly simple, even if it does require a quick explanation. Although it has only been in the last year I have been trying to truly educate myself on the process of making wine and what makes a good wine, I have enjoyed a specific wine for many years -- Philippe de Rothschild's Merlot. I believe the first vintage I ever drank was 1998 or 1999, bought right out of the LCBO and consumed a short while later.

Prior to my introduction to Baron de Rothschild, my only exposure to wine had been the various whites (mostly from Kressman) that my parents drank once or twice a year on special occasions. As I have never developed a taste for white wine, it was the baron's Merlot that changed the world of wine for me. So in that regards, ever since -- to paraphrase Kevin Smith -- I've been Following Philippe.