essex wine report

 

Well I have a different wine to review tonight. This is one that I have drunk regularly for a couple of years and always enjoyed. It's from Filli Corsi from Tuscany simply labeled Corsi.

 

Its really nothing fancy nor expensive but aerated it gives a real sound demonstration of what is made there. Being an 04 it is rather young and as such really takes to aerating. I just can't say that enough.

 

Dinner was making out to be a disaster. I tried two new things and one didn't look like anything but was ok. That's why I went to the Corsi as at least it would cheer me up. I put on some Oscar Peterson and well, that can help anything out. Well dinner: I made polenta from scratch using my smoked turkey stock as the liquid. I have never made polenta before and well it was fun. I think I'll stick to the tubed stuff. Its way more expensive but man was it a lot of work. It turned out ok though. Well I made some veal and that was..... iffy. Some recipe to do an egg wash with parmesan in it. I really think the stuff in the shaker may work better as this really didn't coat and well looked awful. It tastes ok and that's the main thing.

 

Well northern Italian wine and northern food should work and yes they do. Quite well actually. I find Tuscan wines to be ‘just right', not too heavy nor tannic. This one has enough tannins to keep up with the food but not too many where I wouldn't want to drink it alone. I close my eyes and when I smell it smells like ... Tuscany, you know fruity, kinda old but alive.

 

This wine has definitely not developed yet. Its not too complex but I get jammy tastes not unlike a merlot. There's a hint of terroir but more so in the aroma. This wine is definitely better with food than as a stand alone. With the veal it was fine. It did its job and allowed my unholy mess to taste as good as it could. I found it liked the fennel and rosemary in the herbes de provence and played well off of those notes. Alone its ok but I could find others. Now give me pasta, polenta, veal and this wine will shine.

 

And now for the kicker.... This wine is not listed at the licbo. I get it thru my wine buying group. Sorry guys. I like it so I wrote about it. But try any ‘cost effective' Tuscan and you will get much the same thing. I'll do a few more of these and this is like reviewing wines from vintages as those are limited too. At least this is available once a year.

 

Congratulations

 

Saturday evening, tso, the yute and I were lucky enough to be invited to a Halloween party. Friends whom we went to Oktoberfest with have this yearly party and we attended.

 

Congratulations to Terry and Eric. Very deserved. Excellent job done. They transformed their garage into a haunted house, had crafts and treats for the kids and a lot of food and drink for the adults. Too bad the weather sucked but we still had a great time.

 

But the emphasis was on the children. Gifts, games, food, crafts, you name it they had it. This is a common theme to parties which I have attended in Michigan. It is amazing how family oriented the people are. I sometimes wish people on this side of the ditch would learn a little from our American cousins.

 

 

Animals

 

On Saturday an enlightenment hit me. I realized that I like people who like animals and whom animals like.

 

Now, I always thought I lived in the ark or a mini ark, I got  way out-noahed on Saturday. Off to the Ugly American's house. Now they have 3 dogs, 1 cat and a bird, but they love them and the animals love them back. They are great people. Then off to Terry and Eric's. Well that ‘is the ark' and they are really great people too.

 

Now, app doesn't have any pets BUT Vlad and Sasce take to him. Most of my friends have pets and I really think that if animals don't like someone, then there is a reason.

 

So I would like to take Vlad on any new interviews. He could sniff out those nasty people that I miss and thus get me into that dream job. A novel idea as long as he doesn't pee on their plants.

 

Well I'm finally re-tasting this fine wine. Earlier in the summer I made it to Colchester Ridge and was very happy with their whites. As it was about 150 f that day, a red just didn't do it for me. I picked a couple up about 6 weeks ago had one and now the second and I am certainly happy. Oopps, I've just been joined by Sasce the feline assassin so any mistakes are her fault. She's a cute little kitten who has allowed me to enjoy the wonderful world of catupuncture. Now, if she could only hit the right points.... What is really funny is that she already has rule of the house and I have a 40 lb corgi.

 

Back to the wine. as usual I had it with dinner which was a seasoned rib steak, sweet potatoes, fennel and carrots all grilled. Music is Physical Graffiti by Zeppelin (of course). Why am I listening to something dome by someone still alive??? Well I heard a Condi Rice interview and she said she liked Zeppelin and well if its good enuff for Condi, its good enuff for me.

 

As you know I decant and aerate all of my reds. I feel that this is of the utmost importance as it allows one to really taste the wine. It is softened and mellowed . I find that there isn't enuff aroma but I will trade that for taste.

 

Oh don't tell me they let the Clydesdales on the field. If Maggs hits it into a Bud patty is that a ground rule double???? Opps, that's baseball.

 

The wine, the wine. well this is bigger than the usual wine I like, but man was it able to stand up to the steak. Very nice. Still tannic and  a nice big flavour. Again, I like Pinots, but I like this. Can't see if it has legs as my glass has a lot of fingerprints.. sorry.

The smell is just so merlotee, just like jam, again, nice. I really like this wine and I think they hit it good. This wine was/is the biggest change when aerated that I've seen ( from lens anyway). It absolutely changes its character. It fluffs up. Softens and just gets much better.

 

Well back to taste. It's a wee but big and chewy for me BUT if I am having a steak, moose, elk or any other large critter piece, I could/would be very happy with this wine. I taste the fruit with all the jammy stuff Merlot is supposed to give you. Drink alone, of course, but I would rather have a Pinot, but with a moose or bison roast this would be really good. I may still go for a good Pinotage from South Africa with anything wild ( I just love the combination) but I commend Colchester Ridge for this beautiful wine. Remember folks, they just opened so as good as this is they will get better.

 

I think my Yankee Golf Buddy ( now YGB) would like this one. It's big, bold and chewy.

 

Congratulations, my friends, as I am liking another grape combination I wouldn't try 2 yrs ago. and aint that what's this is all about.

 

To anyone who reads this, it comes to no surprise that I really like what the Muscedere brothers are doing down in Harrow. Not only do they make great wine, they get it. I mean the business side of this. They are open to ideas and in time I see them as leaders in the industry. That said, I am looking to another of their wines. This one is the Cabernet Franc.

 

I had it with my grilled lamb chops with grilled veggies( sweet potato, fennel, carrot, pepper and vidalia onion). All was done with herbes de provence and olive oil. It really complemented the lamb and I wouldn't hesitate to serve it to Liz if she was in town. As a corgi lover she would get along with Vlad, but Sasce could be a problem as she is in the biting stage but will ‘hopefully' end up being a ‘good kitty' when she grows up.

 

I am listening to Thelonious Monk: Live at the It Club(1964 vinyl). Great music and really great wine.

 

They make 2 reds: a Cabernet Franc and a Cabernet Franc Reserve which gets the oak treatment. I really like both, but this one is a little more cost effective so I am looking at this one today. The reserve will follow at a later date.

 

The aroma is really mild. There are no off odors, no twigs, vermin or the like . its not overpowering but smells like wine. Not like a Barolo, but lighter and fresher. I like the aroma.

 

To me the wine is very soft. It doesn't come out and grab you, it just does its thing. There is little acid bite, nor do the tannins come out to play. It is nicely balanced. Like the aroma it is mild and cultured. This is the type of wine I really like. It's funny because I like big whites and little reds. Give me gewürztraminer and pinot noir. Doesn't make sense but that is me. I really like this wine. it is just so much better than a comparably priced Aussie or Californian. It lacks the syrup texture of some of the ‘advertised' reds which to me is excellent. I have a friend whose love is a big chewy cab and he would hate this. He also buys 2 buck chuck too so he may be crazier than me. He says it isn't bad and can justify it for daily consumption. Funny thing is that most of the really good wine I have drunk is not chewy, it tends to be a little lighter with great fruit notes. Thickness isn't a necessary virtue.

 

The taste hangs around for a bit but it's nice. Again, all I can say is that I really like this wine. it seems that I am finding a trend in the local wines. Not terribly chewy but fresh fruity and ready to drink now. This just loves being aerated and smoothes out so much. The texture changes in a similar way to the Mastronardi. It becomes slightly fluffy but not as much as the Colchester Ridge. That one blew up like a pillow and became soooo much better. But this is so smooth after aeration.

 

To anyone reading this, make a trip to see them. Their wines are fabulous from top to bottom with only relative levels of quality. All are good but some are just better. I feel that way about their Riesling. I saw Sophia Loren stomping grapes with that one. This one I really like but no Sophia. Don't let that stop you as I would be proud to serve this to anyone.

 

I'm back!!!!  Well I wasn't gone long but it was Oktoberfest time and that means loading up and off to Berlin. Where's that you ask: well for some reason after WW1 they changed the name to Kitchener after Lord Kitchener, who was a British General. I guess they didn't have a sense of humour about the war and it seemed the right thing to do at the time.

 

This trip is a tradition and goes back maybe 20 years or so for us. We have been to a lot of clubs but have settled at the Transylvania Club. Food is good and the beer is cold so what more can you ask.

 

This year tso and I spent Friday night making quiche for Saturday morning. Well this was after going to the dh for a few libations with app. It's amazing what the new ownership has done with the place. Dirt that was older than me is gone. It's bright  in there and the food is good. Bet Sid would be happy. Well after that we opened a bottle of Harold's cider. It's out and man is it good. I find it hard to believe that  he is the only producer of cider down here. Drive around and you see a lot of apples. Obviously Johnny Appleseed made a stop here. And by the way how about perry (pear cider) and maybe a peach cider. Never seen the peach but hey we got them here so its worth a try.

 

I had a Strongbow while out and I can say that Harold's is on par with it. It's very refreshing and not too sweet. Well it will taste sweet but you can tell it's real and not made up.

 

I've followed the cider since he started the batch and it is really worth it. My only fear is that he will run out of it too fast and I'll get pimped out of my share. Good for him, bad for me.

 

Well Saturday morning we had quiche, mimosa's and The Ugly American's ceaser's. I had to get the right horseradish, hot sauce and pickle juice. He does some evil stuff with these and I find it too much but he likes them and everyone else seems happy . I kept to Martini's. Always good at 8:30 am. We managed to get out of here by 11 then it was off to Berlin.

 

To the hotel and there was a crisis. No smoking rooms. Who told me we needed them. Hell, I didn't think they still existed. I guess they do but one couple off to the Radisson. Damn I screwed up. Next-heater doesn't work in room, another crisis. They are off to the Rad too. Hold on I had 4 reservations with now 3 couples-take that room-- ok that sounds good-sheesh problem solved. I needed a beer. So I had a beer and took a shower-had to wash the BS off my body. Now it's off to The Ugly American's room for what??? More beer. Ooops it's getting late and we have to get to the Trans Club. The sun was ready to go down  and we were supposed to meet more friends there. Supposed to be there for 5 and its 5:30 damn we're late. Run downstairs and lo and behold-a cab but he won't take six people for some reason, so tso and I take it and have him call for another cab. It was a Toyota and for god's sake why do they use Toyota's for cabs???? I smashed my melon on the door and was woozy for a while. Get to the Trans and there was a crowd out front. What's up??? Oh the doors don't open until six. Man its cold out, and windy and I have to pee. I really think having to wait to pee when its cold out is terrible and cruel. Drinking beer in the cold to me is stupid as it seems one has to pee faster and more often. Doors open, I check my coat and run to the men's room. Oh I feel better. This 6:00 pm stuff blows as the food line was a mile long. Was it worth the wait-yup it was. Pigtails are a food of the gods but they hate me so limited myself to 1. It still killed me but less than the year I had 6 and sauerkraut. Beer- we had a pitcher or 2 then as the youngins took over ~ 11 we decided to leave. Back to the hotel and guess what??? More beer, just two more then sleep. I felt like death on Sunday but it was off to Joe Kools (another tradition) for brunch, pizza and beer. What more do you want. Guess what??? I fell asleep on the way back to Windsor.

 

A great time with good friends and man I'm just waiting for next year. My liver should have recovered by then.

 

I look at this time of year as a time of reflection and that reaches into the new year. Remember Liz's famous ‘annus horribilus' speech of a few Christmas's ago. She talked of all the bad things that happened to her family but the big thing is to not grieve about what happened but to embrace the good and bad and grow from both. I work in the engineering field so I can relate to Liz, but I know it will get better.

 

I just look to what one vintner said to me this weekend, ‘if this is really bad, I can't imagine the good times'. What does that say: things aren't that bad and maybe the economy will reemerge like the peach blossoms do in the spring and grow to great things.

 

The good things:   the local wine is getting better. I remember when I refused to drink it and now I look forward to it. The quality increase has not been incremental, it's been slightly exponential, and with every new winery, the competition will get everyone into it. Well Friday I went to the licbo to buy wine for Thanksgiving dinner, but decided that I could get better from the county. That is a big sea change.

 

                                    Local restaurants are slowly getting into the local thing-people tell me of more. There are not nearly enough but hey it's a start

 

                                    Harrow is starting to look like the hub for the region. I would never have expected this but I see development and that is great. We may start that long change into a post industrial city. Glasgow, Montreal, Pittsburgh and now Liverpool have done this or in the case of Liverpool making the change. Now this doesn't mean that there is no manufacturing, there just isn't as much and artsy/fartsy stuff takes over. Funny as it seems we could end up like an ancient market town where craftsmen dwell and basically go there to be able to sell their goods. Look to artists to settle down there (its cheap) and set up an eclectic buzz. If you laugh at me just go 30 miles to Ann arbor. Seems they have full employment in the economic morass that has left Michigan 50^th in the union for jobs. This will be a long term change, but I hope it comes ASAP as we need a break down here.

 

                                    Seem people from Ohio like it here. I seem to meet them everywhere and they are quite nice. They really like our wine so that will expand the change. Remember they should be our target market along with Michigan and Illinois, and that my friends is a lot of potential customers.

 

                                    And the last, which is a function of our lousy economy is real estate prices. We have a lot of waterfront and prices which make the people from the center of the universe laugh. Why is this good? Well, if you are an artisan, chef, etc who doesn't have to live in Toronto and who would prosper in a wine region, we may end up as a destination for these people. Take a wartime and ship it Toronto and one looks at 250k for it. Get a nice house in Kingsville, Amherst berg for a lot less and live better. Face it Niagara is very expensive, so we may be a good 2^nd choice.

 

See all is inter- related. We are all related if you go back far enough too. The auto jobs will leave (certainly not all) but we may morph faster as it will be cheaper to start a business here. Breweries, distilleries, and cider mills have/are doing well here, but maybe we can get a boutique distiller. There is a reason Crown Royal is done here along with Canadian Club. Pastry has to be tough, but I see all kinds of potential. We are rich with people and if we can just keep a few or have them come home we will be fine. Gee, I had a though. Just watching the Tigers and what happens if some of the Northern California types come for the away games??? I can't see them not going for some wine. That my friends ‘would be a good thing'.

 

I ran into a little wine that I must share with you. On Saturday tso and I happened to pass by Wagner Estate and decided to see if Harold had bottled his cider yet. As you read this it should be bottled and maybe for sale. I can't wait.

 

Now for anyone who hasn't been there, Wagner is a very interesting place. It's east of Manning and just south of 401 so it's really close to the east side. He makes real strudel (just wonderful) pies, meat, turkeys, cider, fruit wine and grape wine. How this man manages I don't know, but this isn't all he does, it's just what I am aware of.

 

I asked what was new and he said "have you tried this?". Oh boy, what did he make now: a sauvignon blanc. Really I thought, this could be really good or just awful.

 

I've always loved sauvignon blancs, possibly because it was always kind of an ugly stepsister and as such was cheaper. Everyone was drinking oaky chardonnays so being the contrarian I am I found sauv blancs much more cost effective, The best tended from New Zealand, but I really liked the ones from South Africa too. Now it's a French grape, but I never could justify the prices so I've never had a proper French one. The best ones have citrus notes and hints of grass. The bad ones have hints of paint thinner that seems to be lit.

 

Tso and I opened it up after dinner Saturday night while watching a movie (The Prophecy-Christopher Walken as the angel Gabriel) It prospered from the good company. Vlad slept as he had spent the day at the puppy spa and Fritz just hung out.

We had a really nice Barrique Chardonnay from Pelee Island - very cost effective-go to the winery to get this one as it was/is worth it. So it wasn't the first bottle but it wasn't the third, fifth, or sixth and it wasn't following 2 buck chuck.

 

Upon tasting it at the winery, I thought there was potential, it wasn't harsh and I noted some citrus and a lot of grassy notes. When we opened the bottle, I was bowled over. It was excellent!!!! Grassy note, citrus, it was all there. Tso looked toward me and she noted the same thing. This is a bone dry wine that doesn't have a note of harshness. Now if you don't like bold wines, don't buy this. This isn't California style, it's all there. Just like his fruit wines, Harold is letting you taste the grape, no muss no fuss. I really like this style as you get to taste the terroir. Now this is the French approach and I have to agree with them. No oak, nothing, just visions of a 20ish Sophia Loren hiking up her skirt and stomping the grapes. This one got me there. I just want more.

 

The more I drank of this, the more I liked it. It got better with each sip. I wish I had bought a case. Like I said earlier, I have drank sauvignon blancs for years and this is one of the best. I would rate it up with Kim Crawford, or Oyster Bay, way better then the Fume Blancs from California. I'm really serious here, this is really good, and a serious contender for best wine in the appellation. Nuff said.