Wine-a-roo

Australia and New Zealand have been influential on the global market for just a couple decades. They both rose to this position very quickly due to their amenable climates for grape growing and by taking advantage of technology to produce quality wines. Our local shops have an abundant showcase of the most important appellations that export wine and many enthusiasts have some of their wines on their ‘go-to’ lists. Regions (or zones) such as Southeast Australia and Marlborough, and large wineries such as Wolf Blass, Kim Crawford, Lindemans and Oyster Bay are very familiar if you’ve perused the shelves. Although there are some great-valued and best-selling wines from these well-respected labels, this month’s meet went a bit further and grazed the surface of some of the smaller, regional gems. Let’s hop inside!

Palates awaken

The zingy Sauvignon and Riesling wines are a great start to the evening. Acidic wines stimulate the appetite.

You’ve heard me before about choosing vibrant light-bodied white wines to enliven the tastebuds before a meal. Both Australia and New Zealand have great offerings in Riesling and Sauvignon blanc, respectively. One of Australia’s Western state regions is Frankland River. The temperatures are cooled somewhat by seabreeze and, of course, being near a body of water such as this large river. The climate is amenable to Riesling and the wines are described as quite structured. The Alkoomi Riesling typifies this character with its racy acidity and lime notes which predominate. There is an intense minerality (saline) in this dry, light-bodied wine and the characteristic one may detect scents of either petrol or waxiness (lanolin). The tighly-wound structure should tame as the years pass. New Zealand’s Marlborough region is the most important for the industry; its Sauvignon blanc represents a benchmark for anyone wishing to familiarize themselves with this grape. Although the climate is cool, there is ample sunshine and a prolonged growing season to make this exceptional wine. Mount Riley Sauvignon blanc displays a great balance of cut grass, nettle, white grapefruit and lemon-lime zest. The palate reveals an an additional passion fruit flavour as it warms up before you enjoy the pleasing and lengthy finish. The two above wines are quite versatile and can be enjoyed with dishes and ingredients such as oysters or mussels, many whitefish, cream sauces and even fried foods (including tempura).

Smooth, sophisticated, reds

Pinot noir thrives in cooler areas and prefers drier vineyards to feel comfortable. It is New Zealand’s principal red grape and the dry, continental climate of Central Otago produces Pinot on the bolder side of the spectrum. Central Otago represents New Zealand’s southernmost wine region. Although it can become quite hot during the summer days the evenings are cool and this large range in temperatures can help the grapes to develop depth of flavour and complexity.

Central Otago Pinot noir is the boldest in New Zealand. And this Strathbogie Ranges Cabernet tasted as interesting as its label.

Waipara Hills Pinot noir was a crowd pleaser at the tasting. This wine is somewhere in between the cranberry, earthy style of cool-climate regions like Ontario and the fruit-forward style of warmer Californian appelations. This Pinot has a greater depth of ruby colour and it is cherry fruit that predominates for flavour. For complexity, there are notes of earth, autumn leaves and molasses. This wine was paired with both a Portobello mushroom risotto and a beet and arugula-spinach salad to play up the earth and vegetative qualities found in the grape.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of Australia’s predominant red grapes. Fowles ‘Stone Dwellers’ Cabernet sauvignon is from the Strathbogie Ranges, northeast of Melbourne. The climate is quite temperate with a mid-summer average of only 20°C. This Cabernet is medium-weight with notes of blackberry, cassis, and green pepper. There is plenty of soft tannin to provide a pleasing structure.

Two bold Chardonnays

The principal white grape of Australia is Chardonnay and the Aussie style has traditionally been recognized as WEIGHTY and TROPICAL. I emphasize these because there was once a glut of these big brute Chardonnays on the shelves. However, the trend toward elegance, while still offering a variety of flavour notes is now in fashion. Often the winemaker will transfer the fermenting must into older barrels (hence, toward flavour neutral) in effort to only soften the wine rather than impart oaky flavours.

Chardonnay from warmer climates have wonderful tropical fruit flavours.

Hill-Smith Estate Chardonnay hails from South Australia’s Eden Valley where the cooler climate and prolonged growing season contributes to refinement, rather than over-ripeness. The flavours marry well and are not overbearing. Expect cooked pineapple, butter, nutmeg spice, and toasted marshmallow. The wine has a balanced creamy mouthfeel with structured acidity to make it less weighty on the palate. The finish is lengthy and very satisfying.

The North of New Zealand is where premium-quality Chardonnay can be easily found. Regions such as Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland are some great examples. The Kumeu River Chardonnay ‘Hunting Hill’ lies just north of Auckland where the otherwise hot climate is tempered by the Tasmanian sea breezes. Although the wine is a 2009 vintage, we found it still youthful in nature as it felt as if it had a light spritz. Notes of fresh pineapple, tangerine, lime and popcorn kernel are most apparent. The acidity is still tightly wound for a medium-bodied wine. In a few more years the wine will become more integrated and be drinking exceptionally.

Sensational Shiraz

Neighbouring around the famous Barossa Valley in South Australia are McLaren Vale and Clare Valley. Both appelations produce some premium Shiraz, among other wines of course. Shiraz in the Australian style tends to have quite a bold presence with soft acidity, tannin. Much like the Chardonnay, the premium wines emphasize refinement rather than making a heavyweight fruit splash on the palate.

Australian Shiraz is a fruit prominent style and finer quality labels such as these have added complexity to offer.

Wakefield Shiraz, from Clare Valley, was just released into LCBO Vintages and has my vote for best value of the eight wines featured in this issue. For $17 you can enjoy a medium-full bodied red with notes of cherry, currant, black berry, leather, black pepper and velvety smooth tannin. If you feel like you want to splurge into the premium pricepoints Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards Shiraz, from McLaren Vale, dials up the complexity. On the backdrop of plum, cherry and blackberry sauce, this Shiraz almost tastes like mulled wine, perfect for the wintertime, with notes of cinnamon, clove and cedar.

Discovering Australia and New Zealand

Both countries have stellar wines ranging from crisp whites to deep luscious reds and even dessert wines (try a Semillon from Hunter Valley, Australia). There’s something for everyone.

Darn, I wanted to take my new corkscrew for a spin but most of the wines of Australia and New Zealand have screwcaps. Even some of the ultra-premium wines have done away with cork.

Now that we’ve been introduced to some of the regions, you can begin to appreciate the finer wines that offer lots of complexity and value. Lastly, but very important, if you unluckily happen to forget your hardware, no worries! The enjoyment of these wines is just a twist away – all of these wines are screwcapped.

Happy, Happy Holidays

By now everyone is well into the scramble of the holiday season. The sound of Christmas carols are abound while your Halloween décor gets thrown into storage. For one reason or another, the series of social engagements, the laundry list of people with which to exchange gifts and the fast pace of the holiday rush definitely warrants the extra trip to the liquor store. This issue discusses some unique wine gift ideas, thoughts for wine pairing with your holiday meal and a few wine service pointers to add that dash of sparkle to your hosting.

Gift giving

The holidays are a time of ‘eat, drink and be merry’ and the busiest time for beverage retail. The shelves are stuffed with regular stock items and special gift-packs appear to fill in all the gaps – It’s a shopper’s wonderland. While purchasing a gift-card is very swift, spend a few minutes to find something special so your friend or family member has something to open. This adds that special element of surprise and makes the exchange more meaningful.

What then would you give the special someone that is a real connoisseur? Or are they new to wine? Regardless, something unique is best. Even if that certain someone has a ‘go-to’ label, it is great to give something that they may never have thought to buy. You’ll find the LCBO Vintages or SAQ Sélection offerings to be busting at the seams and this is the perfect time to get that special gift. As we’ve experienced with every month of VinoVigilance it pays to taste terroir or a special method of production. Take the Riesling Auslese by Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler from Mosel, Germany, for example. This wine comes from the Bernkasteler Badstube and is part of a grosslage (the German terminology referring to a cluster of vineyards). The term Auslese refers to the hierarchy of sugar ripeness in the grapes at harvest. Specifically, an Auslese level is considered “special late harvest” which means these grapes have been left to hang into the late autumn, and so, often have higher sugar levels once they are made into wine. Auslese wines are relatively rare to show themselves on the shelves compared to their Spätlese and Kabinett counterparts (although Auslese wines can be found online relatively easily and can be shipped to your location). The wine is medium-sweet and bursting with floral, sweet citrus and apricot character. The Riesling grape holds acidity very well and balances out the sugar on the palate. This is a great wine to serve though a meal with poultry, semi-sweet sauces and even desserts like poached peach or pear. If you are planning on having something spicy, this is also a great pairing as the sugar cools the palate.

Our tasting line-up of the evening left to right: Mumm Napa Cuvee Prestige, G. Marquis Silver Line Pinot noir, Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Reisling Auslese, Castelgreve Vin Santo. Background: A very thirsty and jealous tortoise.

Wonderful wines from closer to home will impress you as well. The G. Marquis ‘The Silver Line’ Pinot noir is part of one of Magnotta’s premium tiers from VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake. It’s a well-extracted, fruit-forward pinot that has the tell-tale cranberry and autumn leaves notes often found in this grape. It is a nice pairing with roast beef, pork tenderloin, or a dry-roasted Portobello mushroom cap.

Stocking stuffers

Never will there be as many half-sized bottles at the store than at this time of year. These can make great stocking-stuffers – far better than a lump of coal. One such sweet treat is Vin Santo. Traditionally, these wines were shared during church service. They primarily come from Chianti region, in Italy, and are made of the white grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia. What is special about these wines is that the grapes are harvested and dried over the winter on straw mats. When the raisinated grapes are made into wine later that spring, they are aged in oak for a minimum 36 months. But the other very important distinction is that the barrels are not topped up with fresh wine. This oxidation process imparts the nutty, almost sherry-like characteristics to the wine. The Castelgreve Vin Santo del Chianti Classico is from the 2000 vintage and has a vibrant brassy colour. This wine would be a great pairing with candied nuts. It’s pretty unique to share a wine that has been asleep for over a decade.

Ring in the New Year

Heading to a friends house to watch the ball drop? You’ll be a very welcome guest with a bottle of bubbly. If you are looking for a traditionally made wine that is of quality and won’t break the bank try the Mumm Napa Brut Prestige. Being traditionally made, it has a base of crisp green apple with the touch of baguette and brioche that one would find in quality Champagne. The mousse is very creamy and makes for a very welcome reception or a wonderful way to end the countdown.

Sophisticated Service

If you are undertaking the big task of entertaining a party for a sit down dinner it is wonderful to brush up on your wine service skills. You’ll also find these practices to be commonplace in fine restaurants.

Unveil and present.  The bottle is presented to the guest that ordered the wine or, alternatively, the one brave enough in your group to taste test.

Uncork the experience. The wine is uncorked and the cork is laid before them to demonstrate authenticity and to ensure that mould is not growing on the side that is in contact with the wine.

Try it out. A small amount of wine is poured in the glass for them to smell and or taste.

This dutchie gets passed on the right-hand side. All joking aside…upon acceptance of the wine, it is poured by standing to everyone’s right-hand side (whereas food is served on the left). The bottle is held with your palm on the back label so that the front label can face each guest as you pour. This is easily done if you are holding the bottle in your right hand because your arm will be at a comfortable distance away from the guest’s personal space.

A glass half full is a good thing. With wine, you appreciate the emptiness. Poured the wine so that there will be plenty of airspace in the glass to appreciate the wine’s aromas. Never fill a glass completely full, you can always pour more later on.

…and do the twist! When finishing the pour, gently curl your wrist towards you to prevent drips. It is also a good idea to have a kitchen towel draped over your left arm to wipe the bottle of any drips that may end up down the side.

Fancy pouring using the punt. Thumb tucked away in the bottom of the bottle, which is hopefully curved deep enough to grip well. The fingers are extended toward the top of the bottle along the back and underside – note the position of the pinky finger. When finishing the pour, twist your wrist clockwise so that the bottle is still supported by the fingers.

Some folks like to get extra fancy and hold the bottle from the indentation in the bottom of the bottle, called a ‘punt’. Be very careful and have a steady hand. Place your thumb firmly inside the punt. Flare out your fingers and extend them along the back and left side of the bottle so that it remains steady and the front label can still be displayed.

Here’s wishing you a safe and happy holidays! Indulge and explore responsibly. If you’re heading out for a party be sure to get one of your reindeer or elfish friends to bring you home. Or curl up on the comfy couch for the night. After all, the best pairing for cookies is milk.