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!