Support the Locals

Posted on March 23, 2010 by AdminSidney

When you find a place that serves as wine bar, eatery, and education station all in one, you keep going. That’s the only way to ensure the location in question continues to exist. The Local Vine in Seattle is one such place: a spot to find a great selection of wines, interesting food, and even classes in wine tasting and pairing.
Located at 2nd and Vine in the Belltown area of Seattle, come to enjoy wines by the glass or bottle, free wi-fi, and a selection of yummy-sounding foods such as ‘Chicken, Brie and Apple Panini with Pistou’, ‘French Cut Lamb Lollipops’, or ‘Pumpkin Creme Brulee.’
The wines are divided into categories such as ‘Refreshing’, ‘Succulent’, ‘Fragrant, ‘Lush’, ‘Earthy’ and more. Never mind your traditional ‘Red’, ‘White’, ‘Rose’. The selection runs the gammut: sherry, port, Champagne, Brut, Semillon, Riesling, Barbera, Torrontes, Garganega, Nebbiolo, Ice Wine, not to mention Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the rest. Their list indicates an expectation that many patrons possess sophisticated palates. The ordinary just will not do. The Local Vine opens at 4pm daily.
Look out for upcoming classes such as ‘Wine 101′, ‘Syrah vs. Shiraz’, plus ‘Wine and Cheese Pairing’. March 18th sees Ponum Cellars at the Local Vine from 6-8. On the 20th, make room in your wine cellar for the semi-annual clearance sale from 11-3. There’s more, but I don’t want to give too much away. That would spoil the surprise.

Farnese Trebbiano D’Abruzzo

Posted on March 23, 2010 by AdminSidney

My cheap wine hunt got cheaper last night when I brought a $10 to the counter which came up as less than $7. I was delighted. What a bargain. Not only did I get to try a Trebbiano, one I had aimed to imbibe this year at some point, but the wine cost less than I had expected. In fact, the deal gets better still: I quite liked this wine, especially the aroma.
Farnese Trebbiano D’Abruzzo from Italy decorates a glass with its light honey-coloured liquid. The smells I had hardly imagined: a mixture of honey, vanilla, peach, spice, heaven. The taste was a little different: a mild, leathery, spicy oak. This wine was not disappointing and, of all the strange things, tasted better at only slightly above room temperature. Cooling the wine further hid some of the vanilla, though it brought out the peach. I guess your choice of temperature would depend on your favored aroma, and how this affects the palate.
This is a light wine, not cheap tasting, a real bargain. Farnese also makes a Pinot Grigio, a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo red, and a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Cerasuolo which is a bright, cherry red rose. When you find a high quality example of the Cerasuolo, the bottle may last in your wine cellar for as many as twenty years.

Casillero del Diablo at Discount Wine Cellars

Posted on March 23, 2010 by AdminSidney

With great value coming out of South America for your wine cellar, BC Liquor Store’s Signature Branch chose their next event well. Make your way to 39th and Cambie in Vancouver for a taste of Chile’s Casillero del Diablo. Enjoy wine accompanied by appetizers from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, all for free.

Wines from Casillero del Diablo provide something for every preference. Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah comprise the Reserva Privada. The winery makes a Sparkling Chardonnay from the Limari Valley. Finally, the Reserva collection offers a number of options, including Viognier, Chardonnay, even the unusual Shiraz Rose. Carmenere provides a talking point as this was a once popular grape in France’s Medoc region. The grape was taken to Chile in the mid 19th Century, where warmer temperatures provide a more suitable home. One unusual piece of trivia is that Carmenere grapes were mis-identified as Merlot because of similarities between the two. This confusion was cleared up in the 90′s.
Attend the tasting, learn about the wines and the winery, share this bit of info and look really smart.

Dining Out for Life

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Candice L.

Thursday, March 25th, sees another chance to eat and drink in the name of charity. This time, your meal and drinks will support The Loving Spponful and Friend for Life by raising money for HIV/Aids research. The event is known as Dining out for Life is sponsored by BC’s Sumac Ridge Estate Winery.

As if the metropolis of Vancouver fails to supply enough restaurants, restaurants across the Fraser Valley plan to donate 25% of revenue from March 25th to the cause. Participating restaurants range from family dining such as ABC Country Restaurant to more salubrious dining at the Observatory on Grouse Mountain. I especially like the sound of Bin 942 Tapas Parlour in keeping with my Spanish love affair (imagined for now). Try a glass of the humorously named Kung Fu Girl Riesling, 2007, from the Columbia Valley at Abigails’ Party on Yew Street. Perhaps pair your glass with a dish of Oven Roasted BC Halibut.
If you fail to be tempted by the many tastes on offer, just home with your wine rack and send money, thereby providing another meaning to ‘going green.’

Some Carbon Neutral Profiles

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Candice L.

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Going green need not refer to an unripened grape these days, but instead to an encouraging trend in many consumer products, including wine. Mother Nature Network featured a number of carbon neutral wineries who stand out not just for vineyard practices, but delivery practices as well.
Cono Sur of Chile was the first winery to use carbon neutral delivery services. Perhaps the bicycle on their label indicates as much. Try their cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir. Cono Sur also campaigns on behalf of indiginous Chileans.
Tinhorn Creek of BC is Canada’s first carbon neutral winery. Their more than 250 internatioanl awards declare that carbon neutral does not mean neutral flavor. Their sustainable practices include using 35-50% recycled glass and limiting pest controlling sprays by reducing habitat which encourages rodents, snakes etc, or installing fences to keep out deer.
Backsberg Estate Cellars, South Africa, produces wines and fortified wines including chenin blanc and pinotage. An environmentalist in the company helps them to research environmentally friendly options such as lighter-weight glass bottles. Look for their organic varieties, chardonnay and merlot.
Established in 1988, Grove Mill, New Zealand, shifted to carbon neutral in 2006. They produce merlot and chardonnay with bottles dating as far back as 1995, great for your wine rack or wine cellar. Sounds like a good location for vertical tasting. The Grove Mill label depicts a Southern Bell Frog, a species which lives on the estate and represents their green philosophy. One of their environmentally friendly measures, reclaiming heat, allows them to re-use it for heating water use for cleaning. Another measure, the use of thinner glass bottles, enables Grove Mill to reduce packaging as well.
These comprise only a few of many. Watch for change: consumers want more green, and they’re going to get it.

Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc

Posted on March 20, 2010 by Candice L.

Note to self: a glass of wine at a restaurant may amount to 1/3 of a bottle, or so it seems. Compared with how much I would pour myself, restaurant glasses are enormous. Excited to be eating somewhere with a wine rack, I went to that list, only to find just one item available by the glass which I thought I might like.
This wine was Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc from California, a sharp and heady wine which I liked better when the food came. This wine pairs well with a mildly spicy shrimp salad and garlic toast.
Owing to the very large glass and a small decanter so that I could pour for myself, I was able to really get my nose in and smell. I was rewarded with that same confusion: what am I smelling? I can’t quite place it…. This time, however, with some careful thought I recognized a number of smells. Leather, wood, herbs: a tangy mixture in the nose. On the tongue I tasted the same leather and wood along with the herbs and sweet peppers.
This Sauvignon Blanc does not resemble examples I have tried before. Overall, this wine makes a good choice, especially with a light meal; however, I would not recommend this wine to sip while watching a movie. I would also not suggest stairs: just a few sips and I forgot the step leading down from our table.
My poor husband-he can’t take me anywhere.

First Champagne Taster

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Trish P.

Well I did it, I took that champagne off the wine rack and with much trepidation and premature flinching got the top off 3798746585_d1e93f4fd7_m without killing anyone or spilling a drop. Yay me. But now what about the quality of the choice? This is the first time I have bought champagne and I opted for the cutest bottle. I know I’m so girly. Hey I popped that champagne like a pro.

Well, kind of.

I went with a small bottle of Korbel Californian Champagne title: “Brut.” The place was established in 1882 but I don’t see a recent vintage. There were only four different kinds of champagne on the store shelf so I decided to go California but my gut said France.

Let’s hope my instincts were wrong.

It smells like Riesling well the few I’ve experienced. There is a crisp dewiness to the bouquet. Citrus, maybe white grape; other than that I’m not getting any particular odor. All swirling seems to do is make it more bubbly. Or is that bubblier? Hmmm…

It doesn’t taste anything like I thought it would. I either have a very cheap champagne or I’m not a champagne fan. It tastes light, slightly crisp with just a hint of dryness. It’s not oversweet at all. It tastes a little vinegary actually. Now I drink it I’m pretty sure I’ve had this brand before. It’s bland.

In my mind fresh chilled champagne tastes light fine and bubbly with a slight sweetness and a generally fruity taste. That wasn’t the case here. It was sparkling wine. Figuring I had only ever had cheap champagne bought in bulk for weddings I thought this would taste pretty good.

I think brut must mean dry right? I’m learning people I’m learning.

Guess I don’t get all the hype. Well I’m off to another wedding in California next week or so where I know the drink will be of a high quality. I’ll try again then. And maybe take the opportunity to stock up the wine rack with a few bright Californians.

Opening the Champagne

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Trish P.

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So I finally broke down and bought a bottle of champagne to try. Problem is it’s been sitting on my winerack for a week because I’m scared of opening it. I know ridiculous huh? I have never opened a bottle of champagne before and have visions of spilling most of it on my kitchen floor as I look on in shock at the hole in my kitchen window. I don’t want to cork to go flying out of the bottle like you see in all the movies.

So of course, I went online and find out how to open a champagne bottle correctly.

The champagne is more likely to fly out if the bottle top pops out. This can happen when people have been shaking it up or if it has gotten warm sitting around. So to avoid flying champagne corks take the bottle from the refrigerator and open immediately.

Begin by removing the foil wrapper from the top of the bottle and untwisting the knot on the cage. The cage is the little twisted metal thingy over the top of the bottle. This is attached to the bottle by hand and in most instances, actually made by hand. Who knew right?

Hold the bottle in both hands one hand gripped around the neck and body of the bottle and the other hand over the bottle top. Grip onto the stopper and the cage at the same time to ensure as much traction as possible. Twist the cork slightly to one side.

Move your hand to the bottom of the bottle and keep the other on the cork. Twist the bottle as you hold the cork in place. Some versions I saw online cover the top of the bottle and the cork with a clean dish towel to help ensure no flying cork accidents. I think that would make things a bit slippery so will proceed without.

Twist the bottle until you hear the pressure release and the cork loosen and eventually come off in your hand. Hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle to make it harder for the bubbles to climb out of the top reducing the amount of champagne you lose with opening.

Pour the champagne into the glasses with the bottle on an angle. Fill the champagne flute half way up to allow room for the bubbles to grow. Enjoy the bubbles. Okay, well, here I go.

Not as difficult as it looks and certainly not a scary eye losing experience at all. Quite disappointing really but easy enough that there will be more on the wine rack in future. Now I know how to open them.

Sinful Pinot Noir

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Trish P.

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Today’s offering is on my wine rack for one reason: its awesome label. Yes it has a screw cap top (sin) and it cost just over five dollars (worrying) and I see no vintage year (never a good sign) but its got monkeys on the label and its called Pinot evil.

You’d buy it too stop lying.

The label is adorable it has the hear no evil, see no evil speak no evil monkeys sketched in brown against a cream background and the name Pinot Evil. It’s from France and it’s a red which helps too. Let’s just hope it doesn’t taste evil rather sinfully delicious at the price.

It’s a caramel brown red, sort of like a red apple in an oil painting if you know what I mean. And my first impression is it smells strong. Not fruity, not oakey just strong. With another sniff, it smells like baking spices with a hint of lemon and a hint of cherries. With a swirl the citrus takes over the bouquet. Here we go.

There’s a medium density with a rather boring finish to this wine. Hardly evil. It’s not bad, it’s a little dry and there’s a warmness in the throat that makes me think of mulled wine but that’s the highlight. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still drinking it. Its just kind of a disappointment after the label.

If it was called mediocre red cheap but reasonable I don’t think I would feel so deflated.

As I keep drinking I definitely taste the citrus of the wine. This would work for me as a dessert wine. I don’t like sweet wines but think would be good with sugar cookies. Its too bland for a main dish but I could definitely wolf down a few cookies with it.

Now cookies are evil.

Hey maybe that’s how it works. The wine’s not evil it makes you want to eat evil things. Aaah now I get it.

Back to the drawing board, I mean wine rack.

Anticipating Spring

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Candice L.

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We enjoyed enough sunshine yesterday in Revelstoke (where there was still snow on the ground in places) that my friend Chris and our children ate lunch outside on a picnic table after a swim. We had wet hair, yet did not turn blue immediately. This is a good sign. Wineries across the Okanagan Valley will soon be opening for the rush of tourists looking to stock their wine racks with our award-winning varietals. Beginning in April or May, many of these wineries put summer hours in place. Meanwhile, there are still a handful of wineries hardy enough to remain open for limited hours before then.
See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls opens daily from 10-4. Their fame may eminate among the un-initiated from their tongue-in-cheek name or the haloed dog on their label, but their wines should not be forgotten. Jimmy My Pal bosts stone fruits, melon and pear. Their golden Ehrenfelser 2007 smells of baked peaches and ripe apricot, leading to spice, papaya and mango. Another reminder that summer draws nearer.
California may have cornered the market on Chardonnay, but Township 7 Vineyards of Penticton makes its own versions well worth sampling. An un-oaked Chardonnay from T7 tastes of citrus and honey. They also make a Merlot with hints of chocolate and cedar. Drop in 11-5 weekends only.
Finally, Peller Estates in Kelowna, a reliable choice for my finicky palate, opens Monday through Saturday from 9-5. Their signature series includes much sought-after ice wines, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from 2004.
I feel warm just thinking about these award winning wines and their Okanagan location. I feel even warmer when I drink one.