Giro v.2015

As we head ever so quickly to this blog's goal of drinking our way through 2001 different bottles of wine, there are few events that I've added bottles from where the pace is as fast as it is at the annual Giro di Burnaby. The race is part of BC Superweek - a series of 8 races over 9 days throughout the Lower Mainland that has established itself as one of the premier stops on the North American cycling circuit. I'm especially lucky in the I happen to be able to see the Start/Finish Line from my desk at work - not to mention that our office has a rooftop deck that provides the perfect opportunity to get a bird's eye view of the race while being able to quaff back wine and beer and nibble away on BBQ.

I get a particular kick out of the fact that the V.I.P. section for the race is located across the street - on ground level - and they don't get half the overall view or nourishment during the race.

Surprisingly enough, I get nabbed to come up with the choices of wine for the race party. We regularly have two reds, two whites and two rosés but not even I can get through all of them and add them to The List. The Giro is, after all, held on a Thursday night - with work looming next morning - and there's that little thing about driving home once the winner has crossed the finish line.

1957.  2014 L'Ostal Cazes Rosé (Pays d'Oc IGP - France)

I knew nothing about this wine or winery when choosing the wines but I took a gamble on a BC government liquor store clerk's recommendation. She saw I was looking at the Rosé section and she advised me that this was a new wine that they'd brought in and that it was generating all sorts of positive response. I have to say that relying on a tip can obviously pay off because this was clearly a favourite for the warm summer's evening.

Domaine L'Ostal Cazes was only established in 2002; however, it has some rather storied pedigree behind it. Jean-Michel Cazes is the owner of Château Lynch-Bages - one of the Classed Growths of the Médoc in Bordeaux - and he was looking for an opportunity in the Languedoc region of the south of France. L'Ostal Cazes if the result and their Rosé is a 50/50 Grenache/Syrah blend that hits all the right notes of fruit, acidity and subtlety for watching the world race by.

1958.  2011 Masi Grandarella (Refosco Delle Venezie IGT - Italy)

The Giro's second wine for The List is - shall we say - a tad more substantial. Masi's Grandarella is a "Supervenetian" that is (according to the winery's website) a modern interpretation of Masi's specialty: the ancient technique of Appassimento." Appassimento is unique to the Valpolicella region, found close to Venice, and is the technique of drying or raisinating the grapes before pressing them so that the flavours of the resulting juice and wines are intensified.

The region's Amarones are the most famous of wines made in this tradition; however, regional regulations dictate the grapes that must be used in the production of Amarone and the variety used in this wine isn't one of them. Masi's Grandarella is made entirely from Refosco grapes - an old variety from the region that has seen a bit of a resurgence in popularity and attention in the last couple of decades. It's known to lend itself to big, powerful wines and the addition of the appassimento process only serves to accentuate that power in this wine.

It only seemed fitting to have a French and an Italian wine amongst the evening's choices. After all, who isn't aware of the French and the Italians love of bike racing and the evening can't get much more Italian in tone when the race is called the Giro - after the Giro d'Italia.

The 2001st bottle will have been long finished by the time next's year's Giro di Burnaby rolls around, but you know I'll still be there cheering on the races - glass in hand.

Tommasi Amarone

1948.  2006 Tommasi Amarone (Amareno della Valpolicella Classico DOC - Italy)

I think my note on Delectable (the wine app) sums it up pretty concisely: "I'm in amore with this Amarone. Full, dark and delicious."

This is the second vintage of this Amarone to be added to The List. The first was a 2004 and it was almost all the way back at the start of the blog, being the #60 on The List, when we paired it with camel kabobs because that's what any self-respecting Italian would do, right? It surprises me that it's taken this long to pull the cork on another bottle.

Tommasi Family Estates was established in 1902 and it's currently seeing the involvement of the fourth generation in the estate's operations. Indeed, the newer family members have spearheaded the investment and expansion into some of Italy's different regions. I'm only familiar with the Tommasi brand that produces wine in the Veneto but the company also has related brands in Lombardy (Caseo), Tuscany (Casisano in Montalcino and Poggio al Tufo in Maremma) and Puglia (Surani). I'll have to keep an eye out for these additional brands as they may have equally well-made wines at prices a little easier on the pocket book than Amarone tends to come in at.

Hopefully, Tommasi will be at next year's Vancouver International Wine Festival in full force seeing as how Italy will be the feature region at the Festival. You know I'll be there in full force looking for other gems like this bottle. With luck, the 2001st bottle should be well behind me by then. Who know's what I'll be up at that time?

A Little Turbo-Charge With Your Wine?

1483.  2008 Pasqua Villa Borghetti Passimento (Veneto IGT - Italy)

Whether you want to call this a "Baby Amarone" - or "essentially a turbo-charged Valpolicella" like Toronto wine scribe, Beppi Crosariol,  did - you can call me a turbo-charged fan. Both intense and soft at the same time, this baby could easily be taken for a poor man's Amarone. Clocking in, at the local government liquor stores, at a completely reasonable $16, this is a veritable bargain in our over-taxed market.

The Villa Borghetti brand is a second amongst many for Pasqua. Like the signature Famiglia Pasqua wines, Villa Borghetti concentrates on the production of "traditional Veronese wines: Soave, Valpolicella, Amarone." The wine is named after the "appassimento" process that partially dries out the grapes before pressing. These Passimento grapes, however, are only left to dry for a month - instead of the four months that Amarone grapes see. This time is still long enough for the grapes to lose about a third of their water content, thereby helping intensify the sugars and flavours.

Another major difference from the traditional Amarone production method is that this Passimento sees a healthy portion (around 40%) of Merlot added to Corvina and Croatina grapes. The latter two grapes are more classically known in the Veneto region and to Amarone wines. It is this addition of Merlot grapes that helps explain why the wine has an IGT designation instead of the more sanctioned D.O.C. label. In this case - much like with the old SuperTuscans that were deemed IGT as well - I'm all for the new twist because it's certainly working for my palate.

Considering how many Italian-inspired dishes hit our dining room table and how we can't justify pouring an Amarone with them on a regular basis, this Passimento may just become a new regular. Works for me.

La Docle Vita - Bentornata Elzee

Elzee, one of our more regular - and favourite - drinking buddies though out this "odyssey," had recently returned from a vacation to Italy and Croatia and we were long overdue for a catch up and drink. Luckily for us, she threw in dinner - it might be all those Italian genes she has, but the girl's one heckuva cook.

This shouldn't be much of a surprise but one of the first things I asked her was, "So, what wines did you bring back with you?" I wouldn't have thought it humanly possible but her answer was that she didn't bring any wine back. I mean WTF? Apparently, she used her customs exemptions for fashion, not wine.

Like, I mean, what is it with women and shoes? It certainly seems clear to me that you'll get far more pleasure from a couple bottles of vino than you could ever get from Ferragamo or Zegna. As far as I know, four inch heels only lead to back pain - and where's the pleasure in that?

While Elzee may not have had any new finds from the recent voyage, there were still treats to be had.

1463. N.V. Domaine de la Favière - Apéritif aux Oranges (France)

The first bottle might not be a classic wine - being more of an apéritif - but it says wine based on it and there's no way I'll run across this bottle again - unless we head over to Europe ourselves - so I'm going to exercise a little licence and add it to The List.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find out much information about the producer or the bottle online. A couple of online sellers advise that it is produced from Provence Rosé wine, Marc de Provence, spices and sugar and has been macerated for several months with bitter oranges.

I found it to be quite similar to Aperol - which is definitely a good thing.

1464.  2008 Tedeschi Amarone (Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C. - Italy)

Thinking that Elzee would likely still be in an Italian frame of mind, we brought along an Amarone for dinner. Now, some folks might think that Amarone is a bit big for a pumpkin soup and might question our choice. Silly people. Velvety, with slight nuances of raisin (from the semi-dried fruit used to make the wine), I'm hard pressed to think of anything that wouldn't go with a nice Amarone.  Okay, I might be stretching it a bit there but we didn't know what Elzee was serving in advance and, to be honest, the wine was fine with the soup as it wasn't the biggest of Amarones.

If it's any indication of the quality, there wasn't any wine left in the bottle by the time Elzee was ready to serve up the main course.  As such, I'm thinking the wine must have worked for more than just my palate.

1465.  2006 Bolla Amarone Classico (Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C. - Italy)

Although the total volume of and the number of wineries producing Amarone has increased many fold in the last 30 years, Bolla claims to be the first winery to commercially market this particular style wine when they released an Amarone in 1953 - in part to celebrate patriarch, Alberto Bolla's, 80th birthday. Apparently, the wine wasn't really known outside of Italy prior to that time as the wine was only produced for private consumption.

Our second bottle was favoured a little more by all present. We found it to be a little richer and bolder - with a greater depth of the flavours shining through.

I know that I'm certainly glad that Bolla delivered Amarone to the world because it's a fave of mine. I just can't afford to drink it very often.

So, two Amarone in one night is a real treat. I suppose I need to forgive Elzee for not bringing back any wines after all.

1466.  N.V.  Piera Dolza Torchiato di Fregona (Colli di Conegliano D.O.C.G. - Italy)

There never was anything to be forgiven for, but the girl cemented her exoneration from any further chastising when she brought out a special bottle of dessert wine to go with Boo's apple pie. The Torchiato di Fregona is a wine specific to the town of Fregona in the region where Elzee's father grew up. Her Dad's cousin brought a bottle back for Elzee after one of his trips to Italy.

Once again, I couldn't find much information about this wine online. I'm not even sure that there's a specific winery involved. From what little I could find online and from the story that Elzee learned from her Dad, it appears that the wine stems from a centuries old tradition where grapes are hung to dry after harvest and left to evaporate to the extent that the grapes start to raisinate - ironically, this is somewhat similar to the end result and procedure seen with the production of Amarone - it just takes the evaporation process that much further.

It would also seem that the wine is produced in a collective manner by the winemakers and growers in the town. The grapes are apparently left to dry until close to Easter when the best and plumpest grapes are hand selected and pressed to create an unctuous and richly fruity dessert wine. It's anything but an Icewine; however, Icewine is probably the closest sip that might be familiar to BC consumers.

I did find out that traditional Torchiato di Fregona is made from three grapes Glera, Verdiso and Boschera. At first, I thought I was going to get to add three new grapes to my Wine Century Club tally. None of the three are ones that I'm familiar with - especially not by these local names. Unfortunately for me though, Glera is another name for the Prosecco grape and Boschera is what the locals call Verdicchio Bianco - and both of those grapes have already been counted on my list. That still leaves Verdiso though and it turns out to be a bit of a rarity. Jancis Robinson's (et al) tome, Wine Grapes, says that the grape had almost disappeared - until there was a bit of a recovery in the 1960's. By 1980, however, those plantings of the grape were back down to around 200 acres in all of Italy. Verdiso is still not a widely grown variety and, where it is grown, it is generally used for specialty dessert wines like this Torchiato di Fregona and is used in small amounts for some higher end Prosecco's.

Indeed, a special treat - to cap a wonderful evening - from a special friend.

Personally, I still would have brought back wine over shoes though. In her defence, Elzee said that the shoes would last her longer though and she figured that Boo and I would just have to accompany her the next time she heads back to Italy. Because there will be a next time. I can't wait.

On To OBX

When I found out that Boo and I would be spending a bit of time in North Carolina, I got in touch with an old family friend, Desirée, who had moved to Virginia from Canada almost twenty years ago. Her mom and mine went to high school together (a few years ago) in the Kootenays and the respective families have stayed in touch all that time. Boo and I finally got on the road from Greensboro and committed ourselves to five or so hours of freeway driving to the Outer Banks on the Atlantic coast where Desirée arranged for all of us to rent a beach house for the weekend.

The drive was pretty monotonous for about the first three-quarters. Nothing but highways and interchanges. But, as we started getting closer to the coast and through a more rural lifestyle, the scenery was far more bucolic. On the final stretches before we hit the Atlantic, I started seeing farmer's fields and a huge smile crossed my face when I realized I was seeing cotton fields for the first time. It must have been during, or just after, harvest time because most of the fields were pretty much barren as we drove by, but there was no mistaking those white puffball-laden stalks when we saw a field that hadn't been picked. I was certainly thrilled when an opportunity presented itself where we could stop on the highway and get a real shot.

Shortly after the cotton fields, we hit the causeways that took us out the Outer Banks and it wasn't much further until we arrived in the interestingly named township of Kill Devil Hills. Desirée and Cruncher had arrived earlier in the day and had already started to set up house. That meant there was a much appreciated glass of wine just waiting to be tasted as soon as we put down our bags.

994. 2010 Casa Sant'Orsola - Dolcetto D'Alba (Dolcetto D'Alba DOC - Piedmont - Italy)

Casa Sant'Orsola is one of the brands operated by Fratelli Martini and has been in operation since 1947 when two Martini brothers, Secondo and Luigi, started up in the Langhe region of Piedmont. Now making wine under six different brands in most regions of the country, the Dolcetto goes back to the brothers' origins - Dolcetto being one of the most widely grown grapes in Piedmont.

Dolcetto is generally seen as a varietal that most major producers treat as an "early to market" wine. While the big Barolo's and Barbaresco's are perhaps better known wines from the region, they require minimum ageing before they can be released for sale. Wineries can keep the cash flow moving with the Dolcetto as it is considered a light, easy drinking wine that is meant to be drunk within a year or two of being released.

An easy drinker was just what we needed. The beach was only two blocks away from our new home. So, we filled our glasses and moseyed on down for a bit of a hike before the sun went down. Boo and I had met up and visited briefly with Desirée in Virginia once before when we weren't far away in Washington DC. We'd made a quick drive through the Outer Banks on that trip on our way to Raleigh (before HDR3 had moved to the Carolinas), but we didn't get a real chance to take in the beach or stay at all. This was a treat.

Things got even better when Desirée announced that she'd gone grocery shopping and was fixin' up some short ribs for dinner. She figured the food would be better than the tourist trap restaurants; the wine would be cheaper; and we wouldn't have to worry about making it home to bed. I think she was remembering our last visit where we finished off lord only knows how many bottles of Sangre de Toro. We joked about cheap red wine and bull's blood for years after that.

995. 2007 Stonefield Cellars Barrel X (North Carolina)

We'd picked up another couple of bottles at Stonefield Cellars when Boo and I were in Greensboro. We figured they'd be good for the weekend. I'd asked Desirée to see if she could bring down a couple Virginia wines with her when she came and her response was, "Why would you want me to? I may not know much about wine, but I know I don't touch Virginia wines." Somehow it just seemed right to pay a little homage the local product. We might have been a long way from Rome, but I figured we should still make like locals.

The Barrel X is a small batch production for Stonefield - there's only a single puncheon (or barrel that generally holds a little over 300 litres) - of Syrah, Barbera and Mourvèdre. Those aren't exactly varietals that I'd expect from a somewhat cooler climate region and that may be why the wine seemed a little green and acidic compared to the other reds that we drank that night. It tasted bigger and better at the winery, but I suppose that might be because we'd been comparing it to a lot of whites and lighter reds in the tasting room.

After posting our earlier visit to Stonefield Cellars, I was asked about the number of wineries in North Carolina. I took another quick look and saw that there are now over 100 wineries in the state - a four-fold increase over the last decade. North Carolina, as a state, is now the 9th biggest producer in the US. The situation actually sounds quite similar to the size and growth that BC wineries are seeing back home - our's is a new industry in the greater scheme of things as well. So, it will be interesting to see how North Carolina fares in the coming years.

996. (?..ndo) Amarone (Amarone della Valpolicella DOC - Italy)

I guess I'd better not go on vacation while I'm still counting bottles. I thought I was doing really well taking notes and photos of the bottles we enjoyed but it appears that this is the only picture I took of this bottle and it doesn't show enough of the label to see the name of the producer. I can make out the letters "NDO" but I couldn't find any producers that have a name with a similar ending. Oh well, the picture's there, we did drink the wine with Desirée's short ribs and I'm counting it.

Too bad I can't look up anything further on the wine. I can't say that we splurge on Amarone's all that often. We picked up the bottle to bring along as a treat - as opposed to a bottle of Sangre de Toro (which would have been hilariously funny) - since Desirée has mentioned that Amarone is a favourite of Cruncher's. We hadn't met Cruncher before since he wasn't on the scene when we last saw Desirée back in the 90's. I kinda thought he'd be my sort of peeps - even before I met him - when she mentioned the Amarone though.

Looking forward to the rest of the weekend? You bet.

In Amore with Enamore

Boo is working this Valentine's Day evening. Consequently, there's no passionate night of romance, fine food or wine planned for Cupid's celebrations this week. Boo does love his cochon though and I'd picked up some pork belly the other day. I also had a bottle that I'd been dying to open and was waiting for an appropriate occasion. An early Valentine's pour seemed spot on.

I didn't know that Boo had asked Mr. D to join us for dinner, but what the hey. If pork belly and fine wine is a recipe for romance, it was just going to have to be a menage-a-trois. Besides, Mr. D brought the tulips.

724. 2008 Allegrini + Bodega Renacer - Enamore (Mendoza - Argentina)

Enamore was one of my favourite discoveries at last year's Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival. Renacer was participating for the first time at the event as Argentina was one of the featured regions in 2010. The wine stood out - not only because it was a pleasure to drink (I actually kept this one and didn't simply taste and spit) - but because I hadn't expected to find an amarone-style wine from the Argentine producers.

Renacer is a relatively new operation in Mendoza. The winery was only built in 2004; but that has allowed them to build with state of the art Italian technology. Despite being less than a decade old though, many of the vineyards owned by Renacer have Malbec vines that are over 50 years of age. As Renacer is best known for its Malbec, they were able to open with a running start.

I'd actually hoped to visit the Renacer winery when Boo and I were in Mendoza last Fall; however, the winery was closed the week that we were going to be in town. I did, however, find a bottle of Enamore in one of the Mendoza wine stores. I was determined that this had to be one of the four bottles that we'd be able to legally bring back through Canadian Customs.

As mentioned, the Enamore is a play on Amarone - both in name and style. The grapes used are anything but the varietals used in traditional Italian Amarone. Not surprisingly, the wine has a backbone of Malbec (62%) with Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Syrah and Bonarda making up the balance of the blend - none of those grapes make it into an Amarone blend. Regardless of the varietals used, the "appassimento" method of semi-drying grapes is front and centre in the wine's production.

The idea of attempting this style was first considered during a visit to the winery by Marilisa Allegrini, a principal at one of the leading producers of Amarone in the Veneto. She felt that the climate and dry winds coming off the nearby Andes mountains would be ideal to expose the harvested grapes to until the grapes had lost about a third of their weight and water. Winemakers from both wineries then collaborated in using the concentrated flavours and sugars to produce a wine that has a deep, rich nose and dark, ripe fruits on the palate. As the concentrated sugars are plentiful when the grapes are pressed, not all of the sugars are converted into alcohol and, accordingly, there is some residual sugar remaining on the wine but I don't find the slight sweetness to be so prominent that you still can't enjoy the wine with dinner - and the richness of the fat in the pork belly matched well with the richness of the wine.

I've yet to actually see a bottle of Enamore for sale in Vancouver, but Renacer does have representation in the province and I'll be sure to grab another bottle when I finally do find a bottle on the shelf. A merging of New World and Old World, it's a wine that's easy to fall in love with. I certainly did.

As for there being no actual Valentine's celebration, I think I should get some bonus points for remembering that it was imminent and planning for this bottle in advance. No?

Christmas Dinner at Elzee's

It seems like we haven't been able to get together with Elzee for eons. First, it was Boo and I off in South America and, then, the day before we got back, she left for an adventure down under in Oz. Now, we're into all the holiday season events. I don't know if we've ever gone this long without a little get together.

In a determined effort to fit something in prior to Christmas, Elzee invited us over for dinner. Her cooking is always a treat, but she told us she'd picked up a new cook book in Australia and she wanted to try out a few new recipes on us. Between bites of her delicious cooking and sips from a couple of notable wines, we all had plenty of stories to tell from the Southern Hemisphere.

676. 2006 Quails' Gate - Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir VQA Okanagan Valley)

Elzee had this bottle of one of BC's premiere Pinot Noirs and we thought it would match wonderfully with her rich mushroom soup. Although Quails' Gate is one of, what I'd call, the big guys in BC wine, Boo and I don't tend to drink much of their wine. I think it's largely because we don't make it up to the Kelowna-based wineries much and, therefore, we don't end up with their wines in the trunk of the car. We might have to take the turn that leads North to Kelowna again soon.

The Stewart family was one of the province's pioneering families when it comes to wine. The three Stewart brothers arrived in the Okanagan Valley from Ireland during the first decade of the 1900's and the following years saw their progression from horticulture to agriculture to wine. The family believes that the second (Okanagan) generation of Stewarts were the first to successfully plant Pinot Noir in Canada in 1975.

Ever since the winery was launched in 1989, there has been an emphasis on Pinot Noir. Despite having a portfolio that includes over a dozen varietals, around one-fifth of all production is directed towards the "heartbreak grape." According to wine writer, John Schreiner, the winery has seven clones of Pinot planted and all of those vines are located at the winery's vineyard at the base of Mt. Boucherie, an extinct volcano.

As a nod to the prominence of Pinot here, current winemaker, Grant Stanley, was recruited from one of the better known New Zealand producers, Ata Rangi. Unlike many winemakers in the Okanagan that go for a lighter Pinot, Stanley's approach to the varietal is to bring out a more robust and extractive wine. He uses longer skin contact and some wild yeast fermentation in a deliberate quest for structure and aging capability.

The Stewart Family Reserve is the premium of two Pinot Noirs that are produced here. The same viticultural practices are used for growing all the Pinot grapes but, after the initial fermentation, Stanley identifies what he feels are the best barrels and about 20% of the wine makes it to the Reserve label. He must be doing something right as this vintage won Gold at the All Canadian Wine Championships and Double Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Championships.

677. 2001 Salvalai - Vejo Amarone (DOC Amarone della Valpolicella - Italy)

Considering the fact that we hadn't seen Elzee for so long and it was the holiday season, it seemed like a good reason to free a bottle of Amarone from the "cellar." With her Italian heritage, it seemed a natural fit. "Vejo" refers to the single vineyard where the grapes are grown in the area outside Verona. The classic Amarone grapes - Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara - are used and I love just saying the names of the grapes, almost as much as drinking the wine.

Once the grapes are harvested in the Fall, they are laid out in a single layer in crates that are then stored in a drying shed until the end of January. During that time, the grapes have partially raisinated and have lost 30-40% of their weight. The grapes are then pressed, with the resulting juice being far more concentrated in sugars and flavour.

Following another three years of aging, the resulting wine is full and rich and, unfortunately, on the pricier end of most budgets. This bottle clocks in at about $60. As mentioned, it's nice to have for those special occasions - like Elzee's cooking - but we won't be drinking it every week. As much as I might like to.

What Do You Serve With Camel?!

A bit of history.

We really like Hill's Specialty Meats.  The "specialty" part of their name says it all and we love the fact that we can order right along with the big boys of the restaurant trade.  We've tried their foie gras, lamb loin, duck breasts and even ventured a go with the ground camel last summer.  Well, I'd noticed that their web site recently added camel roasts to their list.  

So, on his last trip out to Hill's, Boo asked about picking up a roast.  He was advised that they don't normally stock the roasts and that he'd have to place an order - which he did.  We got the call that the meat had arrived and Boo headed back on out.  Talk about being shocked when they politely told him that the order came to $900.  Turns out that a half-side is the smallest order they could place.  I guess they don't ship smaller orders when they have to come from the Aussie Outback.  Needless to say, Boo's jaw was nearly displaced, it dropped so far.  

After saying that $900 was somewhat more than he'd been expecting, Hill's admitted that they were taken aback as well, but told him that he'd been the first person to ever order any and that they had no idea that the meat would arrive as such a honking order.  Thankfully, they reduced the size of the order appreciably but we still ended up with a hefty supply of camel.

Oh, did I mention that the main piece of meat must have been at least three feet long and a foot or so wide?!  It took up a fair bit of freezer space, that "roast" did.  And, yes, one of the first things I asked Boo was "why the hell didn't you get them to cut it into smaller pieces?!"  We won't go into some of the other things that were asked.

In any event, we did get that side cut down eventually and were now looking for an opportunity to cook some of it up and bite on into it.  That chance came when we were finally able to organize a night to have two friends, the Tyrant and Hizzoner, over for dinner to thank them for assisting us at our wedding last summer.

Now, some might ask, "if you're wanting to thank someone, why would you serve them camel?"  What can I say?  Both Tyrant and Hizzoner have travelled extensively and thought that trying camel would both be novel and interesting.

The tasks at hand weren't fully dealt with by identifying some dinner guests though.  We still needed to come up with a tasty way to cook the beast.  Even in these days of laptops and Google, locating a camel recipe is a daunting task.  It hasn't exactly caught on with the Epicurious crowd.  When I first looked, I couldn't find anything other than roasting a whole camel that's to be stuffed with a lamb or goat and a bunch of turkeys or chicken.  Something suggests that it's only turkeys that would fall for that.

We decided to BBQ the meat all the same and cut up the roast into cubes for camel kebabs.

The question then became, what wine does one serve with camel?  Tyrant reminded me of the old cigarette advertising ditty about "walking a mile for a camel."  I figured that, what with the camel being from Australia, a shiraz might do the job and I happened to have a couple bottles of Langmeil (pronounced "long mile") and I knew that, even if the camel wasn't so appetizing, the wine would be delicious.

Turns out the dinner had a number of other courses and wines as well.  These dinners seem to be good for building The List.  We added the following that night:

56.  1997 Lang Vineyards Pinot Auxerrois Brut (VQA Naramata Bench - Okanagan)

57.  2006 Black Hills Estate Alibi - Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon (Black Sage Road - Okanagan)

58.  2006 Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz (Barossa - Australia)

59.  2000 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie - Shiraz Viognier (McLaren Vale - Australia)

60.  2004 Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (DOC - Italy)

61.  2006 Inniskillin Vidal Icewine (VQA Niagara Peninsula - Ontario)

Now this was a nice line-up - kudos to Tyrant and Hizzoner for bringing along four real gems.  Too bad I don't think there's time or space to really go into all of the wines, because they were all delicious.  I particularly liked The Laughing Magpie and the Amarone.

It's a couple of days later now and, to my knowledge, everyone lived through the camel with no side effects.  In fact, it was quite tasty.  Good thing - considering how much of it is still left in the freezer.