essex wine report

I’m sorry I’m rather tardy this week but yesterday was a bad day and I really didn’t want to slag anything due to one little furry female. She’s only a kitten but she is terrible. Tso has nicknamed her tod...trail of destruction. She’s only about 2 pounds but she’s pure evil. Vlad likes her so I guess she stays.

Well I am having some smoked salmon(very smoked). Goat cheese, some dried Italian sausage and cheese with some bread.

Music wise it is John Coltrane’s Dakar. This album is a classic. Simply wonderful.

The wine is from Aleksander. They are one of my favorite winemakers and are just really nice people. Izabel will be/is an all-star. I remember talking to a winemaker in Niagara, who spoke of a winery down here and when we figured it out it was Aleksander and he had was speaking of her. Well dad has made good wine for a while and I just see so much good coming from this winery. They do fruit wine too which I think really sets this area apart.

The wine is their Cabernet Franc. I guess I am predicable, but I like Cab Franc a lot and was really interested in seeing how this one tasted.

I tried it prior to aerating and it was good. It had a lot of flavor and was rather nice. After aerating it became much better, I don’t get a lot of nose but a muted berry flavor. Prior to aerating, I got alot...very strange. The color is the typical clear, claret color.

The taste is very nice. I find this wine very smooth and enjoyable. It is very smooth. Nice berry taste, I’m getting raspberry for some reason. This wine is perfect for food as it isn’t terribly assertive. It would complement a variety of food thus making it very very useful.

I like this wine ans typical of an Aleksander product it is restrained and doesn’t attack. It is cool and laid back, kinda like the family.

By now I guess all have read about the Menu-Foods fiasco. This brings several issues to me and causes much concern.

Why are we importing wheat from china? Do we not grow enough? And where was the quality control department? How does this impact human grade food?

Quite simply stated can we trust food coming from third world countries who allow practices and use chemicals which we will not allow.

There is a movement, Green actually, that wants people to shop for food grown around their homes. I advocate that as it will be fresh and hopefully safer. If you know the farmer then hopefully he will not poison you. It just seems scary that we buy food from all over the world and suffer. Hepatitis from Mexican onions and contaminated spinach from California.

I do not advocate trade barriers, that got us the Great Depression and WW2. Maybe we should check better, be careful and just buy as much as we can local.

Luckily vlad eats nothing from Menu Foods....sometimes I wish Sasce did, but she is being so good tonight...she knows I’m pissed at her.

It was so nice today, so nice that I needed to grill some salmon. I love salmon and don’t know if it was the salmon that got me into Riesling or the other way around. Somehow I think the Riesling came first.

As I am rather happy, I had to put on a cool album. Ella Fitzgerald, Live at Montreaux 1977. She was still in her prime and was accompanied by Tommy Flannagan. As I usually talk of local stuff, Tommy is a gem. He’s from Detroit and was part of that golden age of jazz musicians. This area once produced some of the greatest music (even Miles Davis lived here for a while) and today we have eminem and Kid Rock. How bad have things gotten.

Dinner was grilled salmon served over a salad of bitter greens with a lemon vinaigrette. I really don’t know why I am eating healthy this week as I have poisoned myself of late.

Now to the wine...It isn’t local it’s from a place called Hunawir. No it isn’t the "new region" outside Kabul, its from Alsace and the name is "Grand Cru Schoenbourg". Specifically a Riesling from the 2001 vintage. To all non-Riesling fanatics, Riesling ages well and take on a whole new personality as they age. These are not standard white wines. This is a BIG white and I love it. It took the salmon and shook it around. The fish went with the wine not the other way around. The wine didn’t overpower, oh no, it just let its presence be known. Kinda like if you went into a tough country bar with Chuck Norris. He would get the respect, but doesn’t have to overdo it.

The color is golden. Nor dark but rich. It looks like a good wine. I get hints of petrol, but very slight. Initially I got apricots and all kinds of lush fruit. This wine smells luscious.

And now the taste. It isn’t dry at all, but I hazard to guess that a lot of this is perceived sweetness where the fruit is there and the maturity allows that taste to come out. It is thick and luscious. I can’t stop using that word but it sums it up. The taste just envelopes the tongue and after you swallow there is a lovely aftertaste. It is just sooooooo classy. This wine is a work of art and head and shoulders above anything I’ve had from North America. But hey these guys have been doing this for about 600 years so they have a little head start. Oh yes and it isn’t cheap or widely available. This was a present to myself and I just felt like having it tonight.

Another St. Patty’s day has passed and what have I learned.........obviously nothing: except that I have some wonderful friends. Oh yes..and the Shannon Brothers can put on a good show....and I want to go to the east coast and listen to Celtic music, eat seafood and drink Glen Breton. Yes, that would be fine, real fine. Except of course, they don’t make wine there to go with the lobster and salmon..... oh well.

I’ve recovered sufficiently to make dinner and have some wine tonite. I really had a hankering for duck, so I took a couple of breasts out last night and grilled them today. I really wanted a big wine; but I went back to my roots and had a Pinot Noir. Gee, who’d a thunk it. I’ve got Cab Francs coming out my ears but this one said drink me. Actually the Burgundy beside said it louder but hey, what can I do.

So, I got my duck breasts and did the usual...herbes de Provence (get some from Rafal’s and you will know why I put it on everything) pepper, salt and olive oil. Let them sit around for a while I watched the Spurs game......sad very sad. I didn’t let the fact Chelsea won spoil the day so I lit the barbie and made my salad dressing. Yes, I never buy it .. Try it since its soooooo easy.

Music is Bill Evans, "The Unknown Sessions" on a Japanese pressing. This music is so cool I just love it. So different from Oscar Peterson but just so cool.

The wine went surprisingly well with the duck, which I served on the salad. I thought the wine would be a little light to get along, but it did oh so well and of course, Pinot with jazz is just right.

The wine....is this a wine blog??? Sometimes I really wonder. The wine of choice is Sprucewood Pinot Noir. I really like this winery and have always had a good time when I’ve been there. The fact that they have Engineer’s making the wine is a plus. I really think that if Engineers were allowed to run the world it would be so much better. That message was brought to you by "Engineers who really do other things better than be Engineers".

Back to the wine:::Well I don’t smell barnyard, but a little earthiness which is how I characterize Pinot along with a fruity nose. Remember that I aerate all my reds so this really mutes the nose. It smooths them out, but the large nose disappears. The color is very pale but that’s ok. I can deal with that rather than some over oaked sample. Its also a little young but as an 04 it ain’t a baby either.

The taste to me is classic Pinot, but on the light side which is fine by me. The duck is smothering my palate so it is still affecting me and this tasting. This wine is very smooth and lingers, like a good single malt. Not strong but there. I really get a back of the tongue with this wine. Nice fruit and balanced . I like this wine. They obviously know what they are doing. For the Pinot people it is a light one. The duck worked, but I think this would be ideal with salmon or roast chicken. A more summery Pinot which definitely has a place in my cellar.

Thank you Sprucewood for the courage to make a Pinot and thank you for making one as nice as this.

Sometimes I really wonder about people in general. They just don't get it.

Yesterday, in the Post was an article featuring Mr. Parker's scoring system and how ludicrous the system has become. As expected, people now buy wine by the number rather than the taste. I can just hear some nouvelle riche couple saying “ Buffy darling, what wine would you like to have with our fois gras burgers? Oh Skip I think we should have a 96 at least.”

This is so stupid it isn't even funny. The nouvelles have ruined Single Malt Scotch, cigars and now are having a go at wine. Not happy enuff with their rape and pillage of the good wine, these same cretins now trade wine as commodities in London and use Parker's scores as the trading unit. Well this should take some money out of their trust funds.

I'm sorry that I am ranting, but wine shouldn't be an investment vehicle. It does have a shelf life so at best it is like trading futures (a pastime not for the feint of heart). Prices will vary greatly and in the end the producers will be hurt. They will make a lot in the interim but the whole market could be ruined.

Just remember wine is to be enjoyed. Like music, good food and friends. Turning it into an investment is blasphemous to me. Please enjoy and don't take me or anyone else too seriously. I don't know your tastes and if it was up to me and my out of 10 system: Alsatians would get 11(just like Nigel Tufnel's amp), Pinots 10 and Australian's 2 . Read me for fun and maybe to find you a gem but please don't ever, even if I am made King, trade on my like and dislikes, just drink wine with you friends and enjoy.

This weekend was he first good weather we had so TSO and I decided to turn a chicken on the barbi on Saturday. Now this is a 3 hour job, but its worth it. Got the chicken at the market from the same family my grandmum bought her chicken. That's 3 generations of purchasing and the if quality was good enuff for Maude then its good enuff for me.

Now since we had a couple of hours to kill, it was time to sit on the deck and that means rose. Well Tso rearranged my wine and I couldn't find any “Summer Sun”. This is an issue but I found a bottle of Argentinian Rose made with Sangiovese grapes. Now I thought I was buying a case of red wine when I ordered it but it is interesting. Deep rose, lots of flavor and a wee bit heavy. In a pinch it was fine. Tso thought it would make a great sangria.

Well we solved that on Sunday morning. Seems Alma was happy to sell me some Summer Sun and some Riesling. We had some Summer Sun on Sunday afternoon on the deck and the world seemed right. It was quite cool but right.

The Erie Shores wine is to me the best Rose around. It is not pretentious but like Vinho Verde it just works. There are more complex Rose's but this one just screams to be drank with friends on the patio.

Thank God spring is springing.

Well what winery came with the biggest hype, most labels and fanciest digs. Well, come on its easy....View Pointe. I had heard a multitude of rumors about the wine, the building etc and when it opened I was a little apprehensive.

I had had their wine at a Epicure a couple of years ago and wasn't impressed. Okay it was 150 out and the event is on asphalt ant tso was a little pissed at me. So it wasn't the best of times to taste test. When I saw that they were open we went in and I bought several bottles. On Sunday we met Tso's mum at the John R Park Homestead for the Maple Festival then took her to View Point. Now as per maple syrope....I just don't get how anyone came up with it. The sap tasted like water and in the old days you had to boil it down all night. A lot of work but it tastes good.

Well I left with a case, and of course there was Pinot in it and that's what I am drinking now. A word about the winery. It is not my taste in architecture but the result is nice BUT... change the racking. I cannot get the wine out easily and at some of the prices this is a problem. It could use some softening as I find it all rather hard.....but the wine is good.

I had some grilled salmon and asparagus with a tomato(why did I bother getting cardboard tomatoes..yuck)basil,boccacini salad. The salad was a waste of good cheese and olive oil but oh well. The wine went perfectly with it. It complemented the salmon without overpowering it. Very classy and it did ok with the salad too. There is no vinegar, one relies on the acid of the tomato, BUT these had no acid nor taste so wait till summer(note to self....you have ~ 3 months to figure out how to make fresh mozzarella).

The music was “live at Charlie's” by Mel Torme. This album is a rare gem as I managed to get a standard (yeah right its very limited production virgin vinyl etc) copy of the original direct to disc of his performance at Charlie's. This is definitely one I would have to take to the desert island. This matched the wine well, smooth cool. Then I put on some live Mingus. This did not. Charles Mingus was a musical genius who was eons ahead of his time. His music, though jazz reminds me of Bela Bartok's. A lot of dissonance and the dissonance didn't do the wine any good. So after a call from the ugly American who has a saint for a wife (uawasfaw) who absolved me from the paella disaster I put on some Roxy Music, Avalon to be exact and this too compliments the wine.

Now the wine. The nose is big and amazing. I pick out some oak, lots of fruit and berries and remember I aerated this so it muted the nose somewhat. The color is slightly tawny but still that pale reddy color that makes a Pinot.

The taste. Well it sucks....NOT. This is a wonderful wine it is light yet strong, with all the body of a proper Burgundian. I taste the fruit as it goes in then a whoosh of a wonder follow up. The aftertaste lingers like a good single malt. I taste the oak but it doesn't dominate, it just floats around. This is a very well made wine and is the best Pinot in the area and challenges any of the Niagara Pinots.

All in all I really like this wine and with the hint of tannins I think it may stand up to food better than most Pinots. I've had bigger, and yes better, but at the price of $20 it is a steal and I really enjoyed this wine.

It has been awhile since I did a real wine review so here we go again. It was so nice this afternoon that I decided to grill a steak today. This was ok at 4 but by seven it just didn't seem to do it. My grill got up to 350 so at least it worked but very slowly. Rare was the order of the day.

The wine of choice tonite is Bird Dog from Sanson. If you haven't been down top the winery, go, go real fast as the wines tend to sell out and yes they deserve to. Bird Dog is basically a Meritage type wine, a blend as is classically done in Bordeaux. Deep red and Big...something that I, the Pinot lover, should hate but it is oh so good. This is a good lesson to all of us. Open your eyes and maybe something you thought you wouldn't like is actually good. Like all you white wine haters.....you are missing some good stuff and stop that 'red is good for me crap'.

Music tonight is by Glenn Gould. I suspect you haven't heard of him, but he was from Toronto and quite possibly the only pianist to rival Oscar Peterson's talent. Glenn played Bach and played it better than anyone in the world. He was rather eccentric and possibly kept the Fran's on St. Clair in business but he was a genius. He revolutionized recording and unfortunately I disagree with the route he took but it sounds great to me. What is wonderful is that you can hear him sing along with the music...cool.

Back to the wine. This wine is simply superb. The nose pre aerated is full and large, lots of berries and other good stuff. After aerating it smoothed out totally with a nose of the darker fruits. It was really wild but it has a background of oak with plums and berries...very nice.

Now the taste. It mates so well with the Bach. Smooth intelligent and not in your face. There is tons of flavor in this wine and it lingers like a good wine should. As a Pinot type guy this wine just overwhelms me and I have a tough time explaining the taste other than I really really like this wine. With the steak, it stood up to the fennel and rosemary which I seasoned it with and the earthiness was brought out. If it could do well with that it could do well with most red meat. I've had this with roast beef and it was great too.

If you read my wine awards this wine won. Its not my style but who cares. Throw all ideals away and taste. You will be amazed what you like.

PS: I really like the wine that Sanson makes...even his Baco Noir. This is a winery that all should try to get too. His Sauvignon Blanc is superb and there is a little something called 'Barn Cat' too. I was looking for a bottle to have with dinner but alas, we drank it all.

What I actually love is hangin with the wine makers and their staff. I find it so uplifting to be with people who are so passionate about what they do and are so optimistic about the future.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege to meet Izabella Benben of Aleksander. Trust me she is the rising star and she is just so cool. She is optimistic and simply glows when she talks about her wine.

Saturday Tso and I got to spend a few hours with Fabio and Rob Muscedere. Not only was the conversation both uplifting and educational, they let us barrel taste. OH MY GOD!!! that was cool. Let me just say that the future is very bright for them. What they have coming down the pike is simply fabulous. They're Pinot which is over a year away is better than a lot I have had and their Baco just is excellent too. They needed a big wine to round out their stable and here it will be. It was very fun.

That night Tso and I made some veal(you know I just hate buying crummy veal and I got some) and attacked my Pinots. I really didn't notice until today. The point to that was we had 2 Burgundies and one Konzelmann. The Konzelmann was the most expensive and really really big for a Pinot. It was really different but still very good. Its glad we can compete with the French when it comes to Pinot. What was amazing was the variation of the 3 bottles. Night and day differences but all good. Such a problem.

Well what can I say. Meeting these people has really improved my life. I work in an industry which is 24/7 despair and talking to people who just see opportunity is wonderful. I may spend a lot on wine but its cheaper than a shrink. Thank you all.