Wine for your Christmas Dinner.....

Welcome to Bottle2glass a blog about what I love.......WINE!!

The holiday season is fast approaching! A great time to spend with family, friends and neighbours. Also the time of year to eat great food, and enjoy a glass of wine or two of wine.

My fondest memory of Christmas was getting together with family. Having a big meal with lots of food, wine, and more food and more wine. Well, I was too young to enjoy the wine! The eating and having a great time with family was the fondest memory. 

As we get older we cut down on the food ... well sort of, and we cut down on wine...again sort of. Okay who am I kidding we still like to over eat and enjoy our wine.  Now we think about what wine to drink with that Christmas dinner and with family and friends. When the time comes;  will we start with a glass of sparkling wine or Champagne? Have a Rosé, white or red with dinner or all three?  Decisions on what to have can be difficult. It is not only the turkey you want to match the wine to, but also the stuffing, gravy and your company.

SO to make it easy I suggest the following. Sparkling wine you could start with a Processco from Italy or a Cava from Spain. A white with dinner try a Riesling or Gewurztraminer; For a red try a Pinot Noir or a Gamay; and you could also try a Rosé. After dinner a glass of port to round off that big Turkey or Ham dinner. The colour you choose does not matter as long as it is medium to high acidity, light body, low tannins, low - medium alcohol (10% - 13%) and light Oak to no oak.

See Ya Later Riesling                 Joie Farm PTG

Here are some that I have tried and my suggestion to try with your Turkey or Ham Christmas dinner.

Road 13 Honest John Rosé 2011:
Who says Rosé is only for summer. Why not try this Rosé with your Christmas dinner. This Rosé is a blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Merlot, Voignier and 4 other varietals. 13.1% alcohol; Nose: Fresh Strawberries a hint of spice; Palate: Sour cherry, spice, nice long finish. For $15.99 this is a good value wine. You may be able to find it at your local BC liquor store

See Ya Later Riesling:
This wine would be a great match with your Christmas Turkey or Ham as it has the right balance of flavour and acidity. 13% alcohol; Nose - very aromatic with fresh green apple, some floral notes; Palate - Melon, green apple, some minerality, medium acidity and a pleasant finish. For $16.99 this is a great buy. You can most likely find it in a local BC Liquor Store


Hahn Winery 2010 Pinot Noir
Here is a nice Pinot Noir south of the border from Monterey California. This winery will be at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. This Pinot Noir has 14.5% alcohol; Nose - Forest floor, Red Fruit, cherry; Palate - Red stewed fruit, earthiness, vanilla, medium body, and smooth tannins and great acidity. I ready enjoyed this wine. You can find it at your local BC liquor store for $21.99.

Joseph Foiveley Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2007I have had this wine a few times and rather enjoy it. Alcohol 12.5%; Nose - Red fruit, raspberry, cherry earth floor; Palate - Strawberry, sour cherry, hint of mocha on finish. Look for it at your local BC liquor store for $19.99





Joie Farm 2010 PTG:
As stated on the back of the label "PTG stands for Passe-tout-grain a classic but little known wine of Burgundy that combines the elegant Pinot Noir of the Cote d'Or with the rich spicy Gamy of Beaujolais" The PTG is made up of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Gamay.  This blend will go well with either your turkey or ham Christmas dinner. 13.7% alcohol; Nose - Very aromatic take the time to enjoy, fresh red berries, vanilla, and slight barnyard aromas; Palate - dark fruit, spice, with light tannins. This wine can be found in limited BC Liquor store and at Everything Wines. Great wine for the price of $23.99

Taylor Fladgate - 20 year old tawny Port
What a better way to round off your Christmas dinner than with a glass of port. This Tawny Port is one of my favorites.  I have also tried the 10 year old Tawny which is just as good, but has a lighter body. The 20 year old port has 20% alcohol; Nose - red berries, toffee, hint of candied citrus: Palate - Sweet toffee, caramel, sweet candied red berries and a nice smooth long finish. The Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port is aged  at 10, 20, 30 and 40 years. Click on link to the left and scroll down to Taylor Fladgate to chose the port of your choice. The 20 year old Tawny Port can be found at a local BC Liquor Store for $69.99.

Tired of the same old Turkey done in the oven. Every year I like to do my turkey on the gas barbecue. It seems faster and juicer! The meat has a pink tinge to it from the barbecue. No worries once the turkey is cooked this is okay. When doing the turkey on the barbecue you need to make sure you have a full tank of propane or if you have a gas barbecue hooked up to your house no worries. Unless you forgot to pay the gas bill.

This method is called indirect cooking which means you are not cooking over the direct heat. On my barbecue I have three burners (front, center and back) and I only use two heating (front and back) elements but keep the temperature very low.

First step; Make sure your grill is clean and oiled.

Second step (optional):  You will need a lasagna pan (disposable). Large enough to fit under the turkey. To the pan add; 1 cup of chicken stock, 1/2 cup of cranberry juice, 1/2 cup of Apple Juice, and 1 cup of water, 1 chopped onion, 4 garlic cloves (peeled and smashed), sage leaves (8 fresh or 1 tablespoon dried), oregano (1 tablespoon). Remove the grill from the barbecue and put this pan on top of the coals in the center of the barbecue. Put grill back on over top. Pre-heat barbeque to 250F.  Makesure you check liquid as it gets low during the cooking process. Add more juice as required. 
This liquid can be used to baste the turkey and after the turkey is cooked it can be used  for the gravy.

Barbecue Turkey

1 - 15 lb turkey (thawed)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sage
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp all spice
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup lemon concentrate
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup apple juice

Wash and rinse thawed turkey under cold running water and drain well. Pat dry with paper towel. Then wash inside and out with lemon concentrate.

In a bowl mix the pepper, sage, garlic salt, all spice, onion powder and paprika together. Sprinkle or rub this mix all over the turkey.

Pour the cranberry juice and apple juice into a spray bottle. If you do not have a spray bottle mix in a bowl and brush onto Turkey. You will not need this if you go with option 2

Pre-heat your barbecue to 250F using the indirect method (above). Make sure you have completed the first and second (optional) step above before pre-heating.

Place the turkey breast side up in the centre of the barbecue above the pan (if using). Barbecue for 4 - 5 hours at 250F until the internal temperature reaches 180 - 190F. Make sure you check the liquid (if using) and replenish as required. Spray the juice mixture onto the turkey or brush juice onto turkey every 1/2 hour to one hour.

When the turkey is cooked remove from barbecue. Put on a platter cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Turn off the propane

Using oven mitts carefully remove the grates when cool.  Remove pan with drippings (if you completed optional step) and you can use this for your gravy.

Hope you enjoy the wines I have tried and tested

Ciao and all the best over the holiday season!

Have your cake......and drink it too?

Welcome to bottle2glass a blog about what I enjoy....WINE!

Cake, not the one you bake or the one with Icing. It is about the label. Cake label wines I have tasted are the following  "Cupcake", "Layer Cake" and "Cakebread".  Can you see where I am going with this?

Cupcake Chardonnay, Layer Cake Shiraz, Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc and Cupcake Cabernet Sauvignon

Cake can have many layers or can be simple. Wine can be the same from very complex with many layers, the type you want to share with friends or have on your own to enjoy the many layers OR it can be like a plain cupcake that is simple with no layers that you keep to yourself. Wine can also be like this; Simple!

Cupcake Vineyard: 
Based in the Central Coast of California. They produce many different varieties with names such as Angel Food and Red Velvet. The winemaker from Cupcake travels the world to add wines from regions like Argentina, Italy, New Zealand and Germany to name only a few. Here is a list of some of there wines Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling for white. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel for Red and Prosecco for Sparkling. These are only a few of the varieties that are under the Cupcake label, check out their web site for the large range of wine they produce. 

Cupcake wines we recently tried:

Cupcake Chardonnay 2011:
This was a good value wine we enjoyed. Alcohol 13.1%; Nose: Oak, vanilla and citrus; Palate: Lychee nut, pineapple, oak and a hint of citrus with a nice medium finish. This wine can be purchased at BC Liquor Stores for $14.99

Cupcake Cabernet Sauvignon 2011:
It was like a "cupcake" simple. At 13.9% Alcohol I was expecting a little more. The Nose: Blackberry and Oak; Palate - Black fruit, Black Cherry and toasted oak. The wine had a short finish and light tannins. If you are looking for a full body wine with a lot of layers this wine is not the one. You can find this in a BC Liquor Store for $14.99. 

Cupcake Red Velvet 2011:
This is a good valve wine for the price of $14.99.  This wine is made with a variety; leading off with Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Petite Sirah. Don't let the name fool you and NO it does not taste like Red Velvet. But there is a sweetness to this wine. 13.5% Alcohol; Nose - Blackberry, candied cherry, hint of chocolate; Palate - Sweet Red Cherry, Red Fruit, and Mocha. This wine had medium tannins with a nice finish. Look for it at a BC Liquor Store. You can enjoy this wine while you are shopping for the holiday season or shopping for Black Friday deals in front of your computer.

Layer Cake Wines: 
I must admit I have had many Layer Cake wine products in the past and I find the wine from this winery very good! The winery produces wine in five countries from U.S.A (California), Italy, Argentina, Spain and Australia.They produce the following varieties: Chardonnay for white. Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Primitivo and Shiraz. You may be able to find only the Shirza and Cabernet Sauvignon in the BC Liquor store. Check with a  speciality store to find more variety. (Liberty Wines and Everything Wines)

Layer Cake Shiraz 2010:
The name says it all; this wine had many layers like a cake. From the time you pour yourself a glass; it has great aromas and a nice rich dark colour. Alcohol 14.1%; Nose -  Blackberry, mocha and vanilla; Palate - Bitter chocolate. blackberry and oak with a nice long finish. The wine can be purchased at a local BC Liquor Store for $24.99. Yes I enjoyed this wine. Watch for a future blog on more Layer Cake wines.

Cakebread Cellars: 
As their web site states: "Cakebread Cellars has vineyard properties located throughout Napa Valley and recently added a location in the Anderon Valley. Today the winery owns 13 sites totaling 982 acres, 460 of which are currently planted"
The following Cakebread Cellars can be purchased at the BC Liquor Stores. Not all Liquor stores carry these wines. Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay, Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc and Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. You will notice that these wines are on the pricey side.

Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2011:
Once this bottle is opened I will be sharing my tasting notes with you. 
Can't wait for my review? Here is the tasting note from Cakebread:

"2011 Sauvignon Blanc reflects all the positive attributes of a cool growing season. It’s wonderfully fresh and aromatic, with bright scents of pink grapefruit, gooseberry, melon and green apple. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied with rich, vibrant citrus (grapefruit and kiwi), honeydew melon, spice and mineral flavor." 

Cupcake Red Velvet

Enjoy and Ciao!

Christmas is approaching.....

Welcome to bottle2glass a blog about what I enjoy....WINE!

It is that time of year again, yes I hate to say it but Christmas is just around the corner. Well lets say 43 days and counting down! With Halloween over the malls have started to decorate or have decorated and are playing Micheal Buble's "It starting to look alot like Christmas".  My local Rona had everything Christmas out before Halloween. (October 15th). So with all the decorations in malls up, Christmas music playing and people talking about Christmas (me included) how can you not get excited about this time of year.

Some people have started there Christmas shopping and some like me wait until the last minute. When will I learn that waiting until the last minute is not the way to go.  No,  I do not always give wine as a gift. That might be a slight exaggeration.

Will it be a bottle of Red, a bottle of White or Sparkling. How to choose? First you need to know the person your giving wine to. Are they collectors or someone who just enjoys wine. If they are a collector good luck with what to buy as these wines can range over $50 per bottle, and the collectors I know purchase there specific wines. I believe if your giving wine as a gift hopefully they can drink it over the holidays and share it with family and friends. Who knows you may be one of the lucky ones. Have fun with selecting that "special" bottle of wine. You know the person the best. You can also give them a wine gadget, there are hundreds out there everything from a Wine bottle opener to Wine Label removers. Here is a web site with some "Cool Wine Gadgets" and one with different Accessories. Or how about tickets to the Vancouver Wine Festival. Why go to a mall when you can shop from home with a glass of wine!

Wines we tried for this blog:

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Herebad

This Sparking Wine is made in the traditional method of Champagne. This Segura rests on an pewter base and a hand-blown bottle that is emblazoned with a metal crest that represents the Segura Viudas family. 12% Alcohol; Nose - Toast, vanilla and a hint of yeast; Palate - bread, green apple, dry, no sweetness in this wine. Price - We enjoyed this Sparkling wine. I purchased this wine at my daughters Snowflake Auction, you can buy it at your local BC Liquor Store - Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Herebad $31.99. Wrap it up and give as a gift for Christmas or New Years!

Blasted Church Hatfield's Fuse 2011


The first time we were introduced to this wine was at the North Shore Wine Festival. I would consider this wine an all season white wine. Great for drinking in the summer, fall, winter and spring. Has the right body for it. This white is made from nine white varieties, Gewuretraminer, Riesling, Ehrehfelser, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Optima. This white is very aromatic. Colour - Pale Golden Straw; Nose - Tropical Fruit, Citrus, Green apple; Palate - Grapefruit, pineapple; slight mineral note, and a long finish. You can find it at your local BC Liquor Store for $17.99.  A great wine to share with friends and family over the holiday season!

Hatfield's Fuse - Art Work on Right of label

Hatfield's Fuse - Art Work on Left of label 

Road 13 Rockpile 2010

This is another wine from the North Shore Wine Festival we sampled.  Road 13 Rockpile is made up of the following varietals 82% Syrah, 12% Merlot with 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. This red was aromatic when we poured our glasses. Nose - Oak, black fruit, earth and a hint of smoke; Palate - similar to nose, black fruit, earth and espresso. This wine was just as good as I remember from the wine festival. It can be purchased from the BC Liquor Store for $24.99. Share this one with friends and family local or from out of province this holiday season. Let them try a great BC wine or keep it for yourself.

Road 13 Rockpile - An enjoyed bottle!

Tscharke Marananga Barossa Gold - Shiraz

I found this one not to be your typical Shiraz of Australia. At 15% Alcohol, and deep garnet red; Nose - Spicy, big red berry, and oak; Palate - Black pepper, red fruit, tobacco (smoke); overall this was a pretty good wine. It can be found in BC Liquor Stores for $19.99. Not to be served with your Christmas Turkey dinner.

Barossa Gold Shiraz

Enjoy and Ciao!

Evening at a Local Wine Festival

Welcome to bottle2glass a blog about what I love....WINE!

The other evening I enjoyed an evening out with my lovely wife and a few friends. We wanted an evening out where we could get together with friends and support a local event. This event was our local North Shore Rotary Wine Festival. We have been to a few wine festivals; the one that comes to mind is the Vancouver International Wine Festival,  this is on my list of things to do every year.

The North Shore Rotary Wine and Food Festival had around 140 wines from 30 different wineries, plus food vendors and Taxi vouchers for the ride home. Before I get into the wines I tasted I want to "rant".

We arrived when the festival doors opened.  We were excited to start tasting the wine and food that was being offered. The duck pate from Grouse Mountain was a hit with us. As the evening went on it was going fantastic, until I approached the table representing Cassini Wines. They had four wines displayed Pinot Noir, Merlot, Mama Mia and a "special wine".  Now if you go to a wine festival and they have wines displayed on the table you are expecting that they are there to be tasted. I tried two of the wines; Pinot Noir and Merlot not my favorite of the festival.  I asked "Alex - Customer Service" as noted on his card; if I can try the fourth one which had a "wine aerator" on it.   To my surprise he said "No, this one is only for restaurant owners". Not what I expect when I go to a wine tasting, so I moved on, but could not let go of his comment! The table beside his was fantastic, no restricted bottles here! As I am tasting my first wine at this table, I noticed a cute girl wearing a chef coat with a restaurant name printed on the coat.  She could have been a restaurant owner, not sure. She asked to try the special wine, and again to my surprise she was offered a tasting. He did not ask her if she was a restaurant owner. She asked about the wine at which time "Alex" had to read the back of the label explaining the blend, aromas and palate. If your going to represent a wine make sure you know everything about the wine you are representing.  Again;  to my surprise I watched as "Alex" poured himself a glass of wine, NOT a taste but a glass. SO with only 15 minutes remaining until the festival was over, he still had 3/4's of a bottle. I made my second and final attempt, and asked for a tasting, again his same line "NO, only for restaurant owners". I tried every line I could think of, but to no avail! It was like I was a kid in a candy store with money to spend on the best candy, and the store owner saying you can only buy this cheap candy! A message to "Alex" if your going to display a wine at a wine festival let everyone taste it; if your going to pour yourself a "glass of restricted wine" do it so no one can see you do it.  Lastly, if your message is "restaurant owners only" stick to that and not just because the girl is cute! BECAUSE people are watching and you are representing the Winery!

If you are interested in attending next years North Shore Wine and Food Festival click on the link to purchase tickets. It was a great festival and the $10 taxi voucher came in handy. I am NOT going to let "Alex" ruin this festival.

Here is a list of wines I enjoyed tasting at the festival.   Stay tuned for more details and tasting notes on these wines. Please note most of these wines can be found at Everything Wines who was a "Supporting Sponsor" of this Festival. I have put in links on where you can find the wine you only need to click on the wine highlighted in white. If it is not highlighted it is only at the winery.

In no particular order:

• Blasted Church -  White - Hatfield's Fuse; Red - Big Bang Cabernet Merlot
• Dirty Laundry Winery - Rosé - Hush; Red - Merlot
• Babich Black Label - White - 2011 Sauvingon Blanc (New Zealand)

• Tarapaca Grand Reserva - Red - Carmenere

• Oyster Bay - White - Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio; Red - Pinot Noir

• Beringer - Red - 2009 Meritage (only available at Everything Wines)

• Tscharke - Red - Barossa Gold Shiraz 2009

• Turn Four Napa Valley 2009  Red - Cabernet Sauvignon

• See Ya Later Ranch - White - Belle (85% Viognier and 15% Pinot Gris); Red - Ping (54% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc)

• Road 13 - Red - Honest John's (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah), Rockpile (82% Syrah, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc)

There were a few others, I posted only the ones that stuck to my memory and that I really enjoyed.

Two others I NEED to mention, again in no Particular order

Vino Cacao - The first thing that caught my eye at this table was the Dragons Den sign. I asked about the show but he could not talk about it. I guess we will need to wait to see if they make the Den. The second thing that caught my eye was the giant wine glass with a giant chocolate bar stuck in it. The same that is on their web site. SO I started asking questions, the wine is infused with dark chocolate. The two wines they had at the festival were a Bordeaux white and red. White - Vino Cacao Ivoire (Sauvignon/Semillon) from Brodeaux-Medoc; Red - Vino Cacao Noire (Cab Franc/Merlot) from Bordeaux-Medoc. If you have one of these for dessert you will not need the chocolate cake, oh what the heck have them both!

Last I wanted to give Kudos to the service I received from the Rodney Strong's representative (from the Mark Anthony Group). As I mentioned I have been to a few tastings, and wine festivals. This representative at Rodney Strong offered to rinse my glass after each wine. YES she offered to rinse my glass and offered all the wines.  Alex take note! The wines I tasted: - White - Chalk Hill Chardonnay; Red -  Russian River Pinot Noir and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hope you will enjoy these wines as much as I did!

Ciao!

Malbec Wine

Welcome to bottle2glass; a blog about what I love. Wine!

Lets talk Malbec! This wine can be found in most growing regions, but the two most popular areas are Argentina (Medoza), and France (Cahors). So what better way to compare the regions than to taste them  both. First, let me talk a bit about the Malbec grape variety. This is a black grape/purple grape; your choice of words.  This grape variety needs a lot of sun and heat to reach its best. Malbec is usually medium to full bodied, dry and red. It has high tannins and alcohol. The acidity in this wine can be quite high also.  It has flavours of ripe fruits from black cherry to plums, it may have some earth, smoke and pepper (black and white).

I have attached a map of both growing regions Cahors (map from frenchtree.com) and Argentina (map from homeswineschool.com). Tasting these two Malbecs' I found a very distinct difference in both. (see my tasting notes below)

Cahors Wine Region 

Argentina Wine Region

Trivento - Golden Reserve Malbec 2009

Received this wine as a gift from my sister-in-law who was visiting from Ontario. 
Felt like a glass of Malbec tonight, and there it was waiting to be opened.

Colour - Garnet Red; Nose - Very aromatic with Red Fruits,. Cherry, Vanilla spice, toasted oak; Palate - Black Cherry, bitter notes of espresso with soft tannins and a nice long finish. I enjoyed this wine, and I'm not saying this because my sisiter-in-law gave it to me. This is a great Malbec from Argentina. I could not price this Malbec as the BC Liqour store only list the 2008.  
The price for the 2008 is $22.99 BC Liquor Stores - Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec.  If you can find the 2009 I highly recommend it.

Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec

Croiz Du Mayne 2009 - Cahors

This is a blend of Malbec (90%) and Merlot (10%) with 13.7% alcohol. It is said that Cahors wines are "black ink".  This wine was far from black ink. It was more an intense red; Nose - Red fruit, oak and some earth; Palate -Red fruit, bitter chocolate, sour cherry with a short finish and soft tannins. Once I let the wine sit for a while, the profile changed with more tannins and more intense flavours so I recommend decanting this wine. For $19.95 I was not a fan, I will put in the extra dollars to buy the Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec. You can say, I was spoiled with the Agrentine Malbec. If you want to give this wine a try you can find it at BC Liquor Stores - Croiz Du Mayne 2009 - Cahors

Croiz Du Mayne 2009 and Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Figs with Gorgonzola Cheese

Grilled Prosciutto wrapped figs with Gorgonzola Cheese

6 Fresh Black Figs

12 - 2 x 6 inch Slices of Prosciutto,
3 Tablespoons Gorgonzola Cheese

1) Wash, dry and de-stem the figs
2) Cut figs in half
3) Use the back of a teaspoon to make a dent in the centre of the cut figs to hold the cheese
4) Place 1/2 a Tablespoon of Gorgonzola Cheese in the centre of the fig that has the dent
     Repeat this for all the figs
5) Wrap each fig with one slice of the 2 x 6 inch prosciutto slice. Making sure the ends are folded in. Using a toothpick to hold the prosciutto on the fig
6) Pre-heat BBQ on high, once heated turn heat to medium.
7) Place Wrapped Figs on grill, and grill until crisp on side and turn figs until crisp. Makesure you watch these closely and do not lose the cheese.
8) Once Prosciutto is crisp remove from heat and serve immediately and ENJOY with a Malbec!

Ciao!

Wines For a Halloween Party

Welcome to bottle2glass a blog about what I enjoy,  WINE!

The time for goblins, ghost and witches is fast approaching!

If you wanted an excuse to have a party? Well now is the time!
What better to be part of a themed party than some great red wine to give your table centre piece that added touch.  

In this blog I have put  together three bottles of red wine that I believe will fit the Halloween Theme.  They are Moon Curser Border Vine 2010, Evil, and Skull. 

Here are my notes on these three Halloween Theme wines:

Moon Curser Border Vine 2010

This is a blend of seven varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Merlot 33%, Cabernet Franc 15%, Malbec 7%, Carmenere 7%, and Petit Verdot 3%. Basically  Bordeaux varietals. 
Colour - Dark Cherry; Nose - Dark Berry; Palate -  Black Cherry, toasted oak, Spice with a long smooth finish, soft taninns, mouth watering acidity.  This wine would get better with time. (2 - 4 years) to mellow the tanins. This is a great wine from Osoyoos, BC of which I am adding to my list of  great wines unde $25.00.  BC Liquor Stores Product - Moon Curser Border Vine 2010

Evil

This wine is from R Wine winery which also produces wine under 
such label names as: "Bitch", "Soththern Gothic Diddley Bow", "Southern Gothic Poor Thing", "Southern Gothic Belle", "Garby and Joan", "Pure Evil" and many more. 

I have recently opened a bottle of Evil 2007, this wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are from three regions; McLaren Vale, Barossa and Pyrenees.

Colour -  the first bottle I purchased was off, BUT the second bottle was a deep rich red; Nose - Oak, earth, dark fruit; Palate - Black fruit, oak, earth floor, spice, some licorce and soft tannins. For $16.99 this is a good valve wine that can be picked up at your local BC Liquor Store - Evil Wine.

Skull

This is another wine from R Winery from Australia. The first thing that got my attention was the label. A quick look and you see a Skull, but taking a closer look you will see a lot going on with the label;  a boat hanging from a tree, a man between the trees and other details. 
This wine is 100% Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia.

As with the label there is a lot going on with this wine. This wine is 16.3% alcohol if you are a Pinot Noir fan this wine may not be for you! Colour - Cherry rim to a deep black Cherry core; Nose - Black Fruit, Oak, big wiff of Alcohol (from the 16.3%); Palate - Black Fruit, Oak, Licorce, Candied Cherry, and vanilla.  Skull wine is a big bold wine, not for the faint at heart. This wine is 100% Shiraz from the Barosa Valley. You may be able to find this wine at your local BC Liquor Store - Skull Wine. $19.99

These three wines I really enjoyed and I will be adding them to my wines of must haves. They have quirky names and are good wines to be enjoyed! Not only at a Halloween gathering.

Moon Curser,  Skull,   Evil

Have yourself a BOOlicious Halloween and Drive safe!! Hope you enjoy these wines at your next Halloween Party, or with friends, or be "EVIL", and have them to yourself!

Ciao!

Pizza Night!

Welcome to Bottle2glass a blog about wine.

Friday is just around the corner and for us this means it will be Pizza Night.

This is the day we create our own homemade pizza and match a wine to the pizza of the day.

Well, this is not an ordinary pizza, as our home is gluten free.  Trying to find the perfect pizza dough is quite the challenge.  I tried making a gluten free pizza dough with some luck and alot of ingredients later, but decided against this route. Now we are using Bob's Red Mill Flour, it is pretty good, but I am going to venture on my own to find the right dough recipe that is gluten free.  I'll keep you posted.

Last week pizza night ended up being on Saturday night. With Saturday being Bordeaux release day I ran out of time to buy ingredients, so I used what we had in the fridge/freezer

Pizza a la kitchen (see photo below)
The ingredients were simple: Pesto, oven roasted tomatoes (from our garden), artichokes, black calamata olives, blackened shrimp, and goat cheese. The pesto was made from basil grown in our garden. If you have never made pesto I highly recommend giving this simple sauce a shot.

Pesto Recipe

3 cups Basil leaves, roughly chopped 
1/2 Cup Slivered, Almonds or Pine Nuts or Walnuts (toasting will add more flavour)
3 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2-3/4 Cup of Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice1/2- 1 Tsp Sal

1/2- 1 Tsp Pepper

I like to use the pestle and mortar; more work but the outcome is fantastic.

For ease I will adjust recipe for use of a food processor 

1. In the bowl of your processor put garlic, basil, and almonds (or nut of choice).  and Lemon Juice. Pulse until uniformily chopped, stopping to scrape sides, as necessary. 
2. Add Parmesan Cheese, pulse to mix in and Scrape down sides
3. Measure out 1/2 cup of Olive Oil, while running processor slowly stream oil into bowl, stopping at the right consistancy and using an additional 1/4 cup in needed.

I used the pesto as the base sauce for my pizza, but the pesto can also be used in pasta, grilled meats, a spread for sandwiches. You can also freeze the pesto sauce in ice cube trays or in muffin tins. IF FREEZING DO NOT ADD CHEESE, add the cheese when ready to use. Remove frozen pesto from tray or tins and store in ziploc baggies in your freezer.

Wine we enjoyed with our pizza,

Joseph Faiveley Borugogne Pinot Noir 2007 - Burgundy

Colour - Black Cherry Red; Nose - Cherry, earthiness, a hint of barnyard; Palate - Black Cherry, some oak, light tannins, great acidity; Light Bodied. We enjoyed Pinot Noir for the price point of $19.99.  I will add this wine to my list of, best-value-wines!  BC Liquor Store - SKU 142448 (Click on link to view site)

Ciao!

Release the Bordeaux

The Bordeaux's have been Release.............

September 29th was the day that LCBC Released the 2009 Bordeaux's.
There was a great selection and a wide range of prices from $25.00 to a high of $3,800 (Chateau Petrus, Pomerol)

Going to the opening day of the release is quite the experience, it's like throwing a piece of bread to a bunch of hungry fish.  You see people buying cases of wine of $200 per bottle,  or ringing up a tab of $4,000. (This is what I experienced on my first venture).  I was out of luck when I went to the 39th and Oak Street LCBC and could not find anything under $95

But with brochure in hand, the web, a glass of red wine and persistence I searched for the bottles I wanted and found the stores that carried them. Now with wine SKU's and store telephone numbers in hand I was going to call them all. WELL, just to let you know they do not update the computer system on weekends so ALL the locations I called did not have any of the less expense Bordeaux's remaining. I made one last call and they said their computer showed a couple of bottles of my last choice! My luck is changing! Well it turned out they could not find them. They took my telephone number and would call me if they found them. My thought was "There will always be another release, but not the 2009!" With the weekend coming to an end my thoughts have moved onto other things when I get a call saying they found the bottles. Within 30 minutes I was the proud owner of my first two 2009 Bordeaux wines. They cost me $25.00 each and I will be drinking them in 4 years! Oh I can't wait for 2014 to crack open these bottles.

Next year; I will be one of the fish that are waiting outside the LCBC with the 2010 Bordeaux Release brochure in hand, post-it marking the pages and standing waiting for the doors to open. You have to love wine to appreciate the suspense of waiting for the release of a fine vintage from Bordeaux and to open a bottle of wine in 2014.

A review of the wine I purchased. This is not my review it is the review from the Brochure. You will need to wait until 2014 for my comments.

Chateau Saint Paul, Haut-Medoc

"Dark ruby/garnet with notes of sweet red and black currants, licorice and roasted herbs, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot boasts round, gernerous flavors and good sweetnes and flesh. Drink it over the next 5 - 6 years" - Wine Advocate

85 pts. Wine Advocate (click on link for Wine Advocate)

Second Type of Wine purchased:

Chateau Tour du Haut-Moulin,  Haut-Medoc,

Once I open this wine I will be posting my comments.

Grapes involved in making this wine 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot

Bordeaux Region

Ciao!