Your cheatin’ heart!

What a sophisticate – sweet, tender and a perfume that left me speechless. I thought we’d be together forever until I met that sultry fox – bewitching me with that racy, red dress that revealed those long, silky legs.

Ooh, steamy. Now that’s what I call a ‘wine and cheese’! Apologies for being so punographic…ooh! I’m here all week, ladies and gentlemen. Back to the topic! Ever go out to a nice restaurant and find a gem on the wine list for a great price only to be told that it’s just been sold out? Great, now what? You’ve toiled over this list in an effort to impress your date with one of your wine picks that’s a sure winner, but now you’re on the spot, scrambling with your sweaty palms through that telephone book of a wine list to find something similar and keep your cool. It’s time to ‘cheat’, in a good way. This month, in keeping with a racy Valentine’s theme, featured a line-up of reds and rosés that you can embrace when your trusty go-to wines are not there for you.

Beautiful (and not so beautiful) Bubbles

If you are looking for some attractive bubbles to toast the evening and not go broke try the De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Rosé Brut.

Like Champagne, it is made using the traditional methods. Unlike champagne, it’s $17 of sexy pink in a bottle. Made of Cabernet franc (the principle red grape of the France’s Loire region) this sparkler has notes of pink grapefruit, strawberry, floral and cream soda. It is dry with an abundant mousse. It’s flavours are clean, crisp and quick lingering – fun, affordable and easy to appreciate. Sometimes, you go way out on a limb to find a bubbly that really breaks the mould. How about a deep, ruby red sparkling Shiraz called Syn Rouge from Australia?

You almost never see sparkling reds as they aren’t quite popular (the Lambrusco frizzante wines of Italy also come to mind). Unlike the funny and racy back label which some would call ‘Rated R’ (or at least PG-13) the medium-dry wine inside was less than pleasing – grapey, cherry candy, simple syrup and a coarse mousse that was quick to dissipate. For its price, you’re better off grabbing a second bottle of the above or save money for flowers.

Light and fruity – Cheating on Beaujolais France’s Beaujolais wines are made of the Gamay grape which grows quite well in Ontario. Gamay typically creates a ruby wine colour with a small quantity of very soft tannin. Oddly, this is one of few red wines that pairs with fish, such as salmon.

Niagara Peninsula’s Malivoire Gamay is a great example that has some complexity. Red currant, strawberry, red candy liquorice are predominant. The palate is medium to light in weight with an uplifting acidity that isn’t overly tart. If pink is your thing try their Lady Bug Rosé. It’s a blend of Cab franc, Gamay and Pinot noir (all three lend themselves nicely to a rosé style) to make an off-dry, medium-bodied wine with notes of lilac and bold flavours of stewed red berries that remind you of a pastry filling. The palate has a mild acidity and the finish lingers well.

Pleasure in Pinot noir

Well…at least Pinot does that for me! I like a good Burgundian red – a real ‘walk in the fields’. I can’t think of any grape that captures the scent of its environment like Pinot noir does. Take it one step further with wild fermentation (using wild yeast instead of cultured strains) and you really capture the terroir. The ‘cheat’ is that you don’t have to shell out the money you would for a premier cru Burgundy if you try a Chilean label.

The Errazuriz wild ferment Pinot noir has a great complexity with interesting notes of dried red berries, beetroot, topsoil, tree bark and moss.

 

Merlot magnetism Merlot is known for its plump, juicy feel, especially in hot climates – very approachable. You probably wouldn’t believe it but we tried two Merlot wines grown right close to home that are definitely worth a try:

Rosewood Merlot and 13^th Street Winery Merlot have characteristic dark berry fruit, with notes of cocoa and cigar box. The Rosewood we tried was a 2011 and had a bit more structure with velvety tannin and an edge more acidity compare to the wine from 13^th Street which was a 2012. The latter, and hotter of the two vintages, possessed an extra ripeness, imparting more weight to the wine and added, plush fruit character.

Cheating on Bordeaux

As a matter of fact, it’s easy to cheat on Bordeaux (but if you’re like me you’ll always come back to enjoy it and wonder why you left) as there are many wineries around the world that produce either iconic or creative red blends. Furthermore, you can find some great value wines in this category because the bolder red wines will always appease the masses. The Spanish and the Chileans, for example, are worthy competition. In Rioja and Ribera del Duero, Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) among others are blended together and aged for varied durations to satisfy many palates. You can buy them very youthful (‘Joven’) or very well-aged (‘Gran Reserva’). The Ébano Tempranillo Crianza (aged a minimum 6 months in cask) has elements of dark berry fruits, black cherry compote, dried strawberry, vanilla and toffee. The mouthfeel has medium tannin, medium-full weight and soft acidity. Take the ageing a little further and you have something like Muga Reserva (typically aged a minimum one year in cask). The fruit is still evident as in the crianza, but you’ll begin to appreciate the nuances of cardamom spice, cinnamon, leather and barnyard.

The Muga Reserva is full-bodied with ample tannin to help the wine age for a few more years. Mmm, Manchego cheese anyone? On the other side of the world, in Chile, you can find many red blends. Without the strict winemaking standards of the old-world countries, the Chileans have room for experimentation. J. Bouchon’s Las Mercedes Ensemblaje is a blend of some flavourful red grapes – Cabernet sauvignon, Syrah, and Malbec. The first and last of which are characteristic grapes in a Bordeaux blend. This wine is big in presence – Black currant, black pepper, and cherry meet leather, smoke, and tobacco leaf. It is well-balanced, with fine tannin and an extra lengthy finish.

Petit verdot is kind of a backstager in the Bordeaux wines. It represents the fifth component and only really shows itself in a blend during warm vintages where it has enough time to ripen. PV has a certain oomph and wineries are releasing bottlings of this grape all by itself. From McLaren Vale, Australia, for example, the Pirramimma Petit verdot has notes of cassis and is very peppery. There is also a piney (resinous) element along with a hint of menthol and warming feel from the alcohol. The wine has plenty of tannic and acidic structure for a dry, full-bodied wine – should age really well. Serve it up with a peppercorn roast.

A little sweet somethin’ Alas, dessert! You can easily woo your date with Port or icewine but that would be…expected, no? Surprise them with something out of the ordinary with a Recioto della Valpolicella like one from Luciano Arduini.

The grapes are dried, much like Amarone, but this wine is made into a sweet style. Smooth flavours of cranberry, raspberry and raisins which remind one of pie filling. There’s even a touch of dark, semisweet chocolate and spices that make one think of mulled wine. The warm finish lingers on like the sensation of a first kiss…at least the one that went well.