Expressing One's Inner-Italian

An old card I kept on my fridge went "I always cook with wine - sometimes I even put it in the food." 

Tonight wasn't such an occasion. It was an evening of peeling, dicing, crushing, saucing and canning 40 pounds of tomatoes. No wine was added to the actual tomato sauce - however, the cooks certainly took regular breaks for a sip from the glass.

Naturally, given we were cooking tomatoes, we endeavoured to tap into our inner-Italian - although truth be told, neither Boo, nor I, have any Italian blood coursing through our veins. Given that, I figured the occasion at least called for an Italian wine.

A second consideration in the wine choice - and for those who have been following the last so many posts you'll already know - was to pick a wine from the cellar that would, hopefully, be worthy of being one of the final wines to be added to The List on this Odyssey.

1996.  2003 La Spinetta - Vürsù Vigneto Valeirano (Barbaresco DOCG - Piedmont - Italy)

With thousands of Italian wineries to discover, we were fortunate to be pointed in La Spinetta's direction by the good folk at Marquis Wine Cellars.  Back in '08, Boo and I had planned an Italian vacation as a second honeymoon and we'd been tipped off that most wineries in Italy require appointments before you can visit and taste. La Spinetta was on the Marquis "Don't Miss" list. We took them at their word and weren't disappointed.

Naturally, having become fans of La Spinetta and their modern, premium approach to winemaking, we no longer see any of their wines on local shelves. Luckily, we still had a bottle tucked away in the cellar.

The Spinetta estate was only established in 1977 - a relative baby by Italian standards - and it climbed to "superstar" status with its introduction of state-of-the-art machinery and attention to production detail. The winery initially produced only a Moscato. It started adding reds in the 80's with the introduction of a Barbera and then upped the ante with a formerly unheard of Barbera/Nebbiolo blend. The mid-90's saw the inaugural production of Barbaresco and that brings us to tonight's bottle. Valeirano is one of three single vineyard Barbarescos that La Spinetta currently produces and they are definite stars in the portfolio.

I'll simply say that this was one heckuva wine to cook with - at least for the cooks. While  I'm sure it would have imparted a grandness had we added some to a batch of the tomatoes, there was no way we were putting this rich baby into the sauce. With an intensity of body and integrated tannins, the winery's Spec Page says that 2003 vintage can likely be aged up to 30 years. We obviously didn't wait that long but I think the decade we gave the bottle was sufficient time to harmonize the big flavours.

Down the road, I may not be blogging all our bottles to the same extent. I think, however, that I may have to put fingers to keys should I run across some more Spinetta wines. You know I'll be keeping an eye open for them.

A Comfortable Chewbacca & Seasonal Shelback

After that slight hiatus and a little stay-at-home time, it's back to seasonal gatherings. Time for a little get-together with some fellow BC Wine Appreciation Society folks. The number of guests was small but the array of bottles was worthy of any Christmas party.

I should have known better than to head over with the intention of behaving myself. I doubt one of Shelback and Chewbacca's soirées will ever be spoken of as having had a shortage of wine - and this evening was no different, as you can tell by the collection of bottles at the bottom of the post. Thing is I'm only adding two bottles to The List because, while I had small tastes of most the wines offered, I limited my second pours to these three - and one of them has already been downed and counted.

N.V. See Ya Later Ranch - SYL Brut (VQA Okanagan Valley)

I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising that it's the bubbly that I've previously been intimate with - on a couple of occasions. The SYL Brut is non-vintage; so, the rules of this game (such as I've declared them) is that a non-vintage wine can only be added once - even if the wines themselves almost certainly came from different years. Interestingly enough, one of those earlier bottles of SYL was savoured with much of tonight's crowd a couple of BCWAS Bus Tours ago. The bottle that actually made The List, however, was at the 2012 neighbourhood Dine Around (and I just wrote about this year's party a couple of posts ago).

I don't think one should never complain about a second (or third) pour of the same bubbly though - particularly during the holiday season.

1827.  2011 Ricossa - Antica Casa Barbaresco (DOCG Barbaresco - Piedmont - Italy)

It's somewhat ironic that the Ricossa Barbaresco can also be found already on The List but that was back at #902 and it the 2005 vintage. Thus, I get to add this new vintage. Maybe it was just the setting but this Barbaresco seemed a whole lot lighter in body and flavour than that earlier bottle did. We all commented on how surprising it was that the other wines were all proving to be much bigger than the Nebbiolo-based juice. We've all been trained to expect boisterous wine when sipping Barbaresco but this seemed more like a big Pinot or Gamay.

It couldn't have been that bad, however, I did go back for a second glass after all. I suppose there's as much good to be found in red fruit as there is in brooding, dark fruit - especially when paired with salami and charcuterie.

1828.  2008 Poplar Grove - The Legacy (VQA Okanagan Valley)

The Poplar Grove Legacy was three years older than the Barbaresco but it still tasted like the much bigger wine. Being a Cab-based blend, you might think that comes into play - but we are talking 55% Cab Franc, not Cab Sauv. There is some Cab Sav being served up but it's only 19%. The remaining quarter balance of the blend is Merlot. Reading the line-up in advance, you might have expected a lighter bodied wine. Then again, it is from Poplar Grove and they've never been noted for the lightness of their wines (thankfully).

2008 was a late-starting, but long-lasting, growing season in the Okanagan and the wine seems to have benefitted from the extra hang time. There was a nice balance of fruit, tannin and acid to the wine - although someone must have been anxious to open it because there was plenty of opportunity for further cellaring on this legacy.

I hate to admit it but I was the first to throw my ugly Christmas sweater (which was much admired by all assembled) and take leave of the festivities. Christmas might have been just around the corner but I knew that I had one helluva busy weekend ahead of me.

And on that happy note...

Teotihuacán - Pyramids of the Sun and Moon

Our visit to Mexico City was different from most vacations in that we didn't really have a game plan - not even a list of places that we wanted to definitely visit - except for ensuring that we took in the old ruins and pyramids outside the city. With our bud, Mexican Lou's, assistance we figured out our timing and a tour and this was the day. 

As is wont with taking a group tour, there were a few stops along the way - even if you were really only interested in the main event. The old Aztec site, Tlatelolco, and the Plaza de las Tres Culturas - right in Mexico City - was our first stop. A quick history lesson, some Mexican tour guide humour and a church built on the ruins. Not exactly a tour highlight. 

Next up was the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe - the most visited Marian shrine in the world (shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary). I knew this was one of our scheduled stops and it didn't really appeal much to me beforehand; however, I will admit that the church (churches), the plaza and the gorgeous gardens and old chapels on the hill of Tepeyac were well worth the visit and were both quite interesting and stunning. I was told that the surrounding plaza is filled with countless folks during special occasion masses - despite the fact that the Basilica itself can seat 10,000, with the second floor and atriums bringing that total to 50,000. I couldn't find confirmation in any materials but the figure of a million+ on the plaza sticks in my mind as being possible. Blows the mind.

The iconic picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe is seen everywhere in Mexico City; so, it was quite impressive to see the original tilma (peasant's cloak) hanging in the Basilica. Even more impressive, however, were the old basilica nearby - showing its definitive slant from the shifting lands beneath the church - and the simple chapel that sits atop the gorgeous gardens on the hill of Tepeyac - where legend has it that, in 1531, Our lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, an Indian peasant, and bade him to see that a church be built on the site in her honour. A couple of miracles later and Mexico's patron saint was well on her way.

I definitely think a picnic - with a little sacramental wine - would definitely be a worthwhile excursion. It wasn't in the cards for today though.

Teotihuacán - and its Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and Avenue of the Dead - was the real goal of the day. Having visited the Mayan city of Copán many years back and visited, more recently, the Great Pyramids of Egypt and Machu Picchu with Boo, you might think that I have a bit of a jones for these windows into past civilizations. You'd be right.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right, Teotihuacán is found approximately 50 kilometres outside of Mexico City and it should be no surprise that it is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico. In its heyday - between 100 BC and 550 AD - the city's population was estimated at 125,000 or more and it was one of the largest cities in the world at the time and the largest in the Americas.

Just don't forget to liberally apply the sunscreen, bring water and be prepared to climb. The accompanying picture gives a good representation of the steepness of the Sun Pyramid and, thankfully, my propensity to experience vertigo was well-behaved today. No doubt, the chain handrail in the middle of the primary staircase acted as a bit of security blanket.

I was equally thankful that I didn't have to make my way down the pyramid on my butt - but ever so glad to have climbed the pyramid in the first place. Plus, that effort was definitely worthy of some well-earned cocktail action upon our return to Mexican Lou's.

An "authentic" Mexican lunch was part of our tour but, for the evening, Lou had arranged for dinner at Azul Condesa - one of the trendier restaurants in his already trendy neighbourhood. The restaurant is operated by Mexican celebrity chef, Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, who wrote the book on Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy - and I mean literally wrote the book.

Azul Condesa is known for its authentic, regional cuisine and, each month, its menu is celebrates a different theme. Contemporary Yucatan cuisine was the feature with this month's festival menu. I wouldn't know the difference between a Yucatan dish, a Oaxacan plate or something else altogether but we'd mentioned that we hoped to see what a higher end Mexican restaurant would be like. When presented with a menu that meant virtually nothing to me, Boo and I simply took some tips from Mexican Lou and sampled soup, shrimp and pork. Oh, and a house specialty: the guacamole with chapulines. That would be the grasshoppers that add a little crunchy note to the guac.

1578.  2011 Cuatro Niñas - Cosecha (Valle de Guadalupe - Mexico)

If making my way through the menu was a tad difficult, trying to figure out a wine to order was beyond hope. Unfortunately, neither our waiter nor the sommelier knew more than bare bones English; so, Lou tried to translate the waitstaff's comments on the forty odd Mexican reds that were available on the wine list. We ultimately went with "Four Girls" Cosecha. When we were told that this was a blend of Barbera and Nebbiolo, I remembered back to having enjoyed a Mexican Nebbiolo (L.A. Cetto) at the Vancouver International Wine Festival some years back and thought this might be worth a go.

The wine was big - and enjoyable - although I'll admit it went better with the meat dishes than it did with the lighter fare. Maybe that's why drinking cervezas with dinner is more common than wine around here. Par for the course with the Mexican wines we tried on the trip, I couldn't find any online information about the winery or the wine after the fact. Alberto Rubio is apparently the winemaker and the one reference I found about him briefly stated that he's yet another up and coming, young winemaker in Mexico's Valle de Guadalupe.

I figure it's better to have tried these local wines and still know nothing about them than to not have even tried them. I'll just have to keep my eyes and ears open for future opportunities and maybe, by then, I'll know a little Spanish or, more likely, the person introducing the wine will know English.

All considered though, it was a day for the ages. Unexpected religious treats. Historical wonders. And fine dining. In my book, that's what vacations are supposed to be all about.

Antigua Bound

The scheme of taking our Dinner Club on the road materialized after many bottles of wine and a more modest road trip to Tyrant's new digs on Salt Spring Island a couple of years back. Since we'd managed a weekend jaunt across the water to Tyrant's, I threw out the idea of everyone traipsing down to Jeaux and Matinder's winter home in Antigua since they now spend four to five months of the year there now - thus causing a major hiatus in our dinner plans.

Well, it was finally time to catch our flight to the Caribbean and Elzee agreed to take us out to the airport. In return for her graciousness, we figured we could take her out for dinner first since we didn't have to be at the airport until about 9 pm. With a couple of options on the table, we ultimately chose Campagnolo Roma as Elzee hadn't been before.

With this essentially being the start of our vacation, I reckoned we might as well start it off with a bit of a bang. Angelo Gaja may be acknowledged as one of Italy's (if not the world's) greatest winemakers  and Boo and I may have strolled by the Gaja winery years ago (we didn't have an appointment to actually visit) but I've never had one of his wines.

Tonight seemed as good a time as any to start.

1549.  2005 Dagromis Barolo (Barolo DOCG - Piedmont - Italy)

Angelo Gaja is a fourth generation Piedmontese winemaker and he's grabbed huge scores for his wines. Indeed, in October 2011, Wine Spectator published a feature article about him and stated that "he has helped change the global image of Italian wine." As a result, Gaja has garnered prices upwards of $400 a bottle for his premium wines. (BTW, this isn't one of those "premium" wines. It was only $70 in the liquor store. We went BYO tonight.)

Since he started taking a larger role in the family business, Gaja has been an innovator in Piedmont. Examples of his handiwork involve the pioneering of single vineyard wines in the region and the introduction of French barriques (225-litre oak barrels) for aging his wines. He also raised eyebrows of contemporaries - and even his father - when he planted the region's first Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauv Blanc. Despite the introduction of international grape varieties, Gaja has continued to emphasize traditional grapes - particularly Nebbiolo.

Gaja's Barbaresco's may garner higher prices, but the winery still produces this Barolo, made, as required by appellation laws, from 100% Nebbiolo. This is a modern man's Barolo however. The wine is marketed as being approachable as a young wine and, it's true, the wine is aromatic and the fruit isn't overshadowed by tannins. In an attempt to make the wine more accessible without years of aging, it is initially vinified in stainless steel, then matured in barriques for 12 months and finished off for another 18 months in the bigger and more traditional oak botti.

We were quite surprised - and very pleasantly at that - by how easy drinking the wine was with our salumi, antipasti and pizza. I'm used to regularly scraping the tannins off my teeth after every sip of a Barolo but not tonight - and this bottle was still relatively young. Well, at least until we'd finished off the pizza and had a bit of wine left to finish off on its own, without food. It was as if we'd opened an entirely different bottle and the tannins jumped to the front and centre.

If there was ever evidence of how different a wine can be with and without food, this was it. We might not have been nearly as effusive had we finished off the bottle without food. Luckily, that wasn't the case and we had a superb start to the vacation.

And a plane to catch.

Here's to the good times to come.

No Thorns on this Cactus Club

It's been some time since we've had an opportunity to get together with Bella Jianna and Flyboy B. Their living on Vancouver Island might have had something to do with that. So, when Jianna gave me a call to say that they were going to be in town and wanted to try and fit in a dinner, we jumped at the chance.

There was only one night that worked for everybody and, even at that, Flyboy needed to stay close to the Airport as his ability to join us wasn't guaranteed. As such, we decided to hit the Cactus Club, not far from YVR, to try and make things easy for Flyboy.  It worked.

1470.  2011 Feenie Goes Haywire Red (Okanagan Valley)

Bella Jianna is a huge booster of BC wines; so, we started off with what seemed a natural fit. Feenie Gone Haywire is a joint effort between restaurant and winemaker that takes "house wine" to a whole different level. The wine sees Okanagan Crush Pad (and Haywire Winery) winemaker, Michael Bartier, joining forces with a Cactus Club team that includes Executive Chef (and Vancouver food royalty/personality/Iron Chef) Rob Feenie and the restaurant's award winning service director, Sebastien Le Goff, to fashion a white and red blend to pair with an assortment of restaurant dishes.

The Red is a blend of Merlot, Syrah and Cab Sauv and it's only found at Cactus Club restaurants. I'm assuming that the team has gone for a more medium bodied wine - as opposed to a fuller bodied one - so that it'll pair with more dishes.

We figured, "when at Cactus Club..." and it was enjoyable enough, but I'm not sure I'd stock my cellar with it.

1471.  2011 Road 13 - Seventy-Four K (Okanagan Valley VQA)

Our second bottle was another blend, this time from Road 13 - not too far down the highway from OK Crush Pad. The blend is dominated by Merlot and Syrah (46% and 45% respectively) and is fleshed out with Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Mourvèdre. Winery notes say that the blend includes some Viognier as well. I'm thinking that the Syrah might be co-fermented with that Viognier to lift the aromatics.

The play for aromatics just might have worked because Bella Jianna found "subtle violets" notes on the nose.

A bit bigger than the Feenie red, it paired up nicely enough with all the meat we'd ordered - enough so that we'd finished the bottle long before we'd finished the conversation. Surprise, surprise. We'd reached a point where we needed to decide on buying another bottle or calling it a night. It wasn't that hard of a decision.

1472.  2007 First Drop - The Big Blind - Nebbiolo Barbera (Adelaide Hills)

None of us had ever heard of this winery or wine before - but I think I can say that it wouldn't be a bad thing if we run across it again. I don't think there's too much chance of mistaking this for a Piedmontese version of a similar blend, but I'm hearing more and more about Italian varieties making some noise in Australia. We're also starting to see a few more wines from Adelaide Hills in the Vancouver market. Maybe this is just the start of a whole new trend - which is fine by me seeing as how this was our favourite wine of the evening.

It's almost a given that, regardless of the time between our visits, we're going to be able to pick up wherever we left off with Bella Jianna and Flyboy B. It must have been a couple years since we last saw them but it was like it had only been a week. The biggest news of the night - even bigger than finding a new Aussie wine to look for - was that our Island buds had moved to the Okanagan. They'd replaced Saanich wine country with Lake Country and Jianna has immersed herself in the wineries in her neighbourhood - like Ex Nihilo, Gray Monk and Intrigue.

The evening went far too quickly for my liking but talks are already ongoing for our first visit to check out the new digs.

La Spinetta Pin

On a last minute whim, I grabbed two tickets for the Vancouver East Cultural Centre tonight. I just happened to hear on the radio that Canadian Dance Legend, Margie Gillis, was teaming up with collaborator, American actress Elizabeth Parrish, to stage their piece "Bulletins from Immortality...freeing Emily Dickinson." I knew nothing of the show but I do have a most marvellous memory of the one time I saw Margie Gillis dance a short piece years ago. The thought of an entire show was simply too enticing to pass up.

The plan was to grab a quick bit to eat before the show. We were hoping to luck into a table at Via Tevere (since it's only a couple of blocks from the Cultch); so, we brought along a BYO bottle that'd be worthy of a Gillis performance. As usual, Via Tevere was packed and we didn't have enough time for the expected 45 minute wait. Luckily, the wait was only 5 minutes at Marcello's and they allow BYO as well (although I think their $25 corkage fee is rather cheeky considering they have such a limited and pedestrian wine list).

1459.  2006 La Spinetta Pin (Monferrato Rosso DOC - Piedmont - Italy)

La Spinetta has been a favourite of our's ever since Boo and I visited the winery during a second honeymoon and our short stay in Piedmont. This was one of the bottles that Boo and I were able to bring home with us but we promptly hid it in the cellar. Once in a blue moon, I'll see a bottle of La Spinetta in the Vancouver market but they're always priced as high end buys. I certainly wish that we could have brought a six-pack of this home with us because, the one time I saw a bottle for sale locally, it was for easily twice the price we paid for it in Italy.

La Spinetta is best known for its Barbarescos and Barolos but Pin is a take at a more approachable blend of 65% Nebbiolo and 35% Barbera d'Asti. The Nebbiolo provides a complex depth and structure while the Barbera adds a lighter fruitiness to the wine. The wine might have been a bit big for our pizza - particularly since the winery's tasting notes say that the wine could continue to evolve for 25 years - but we didn't seem to have any problem finishing the bottle off in time to make the performance.

Marcello's squeezes in the tables and we were definitely within ear-shot of our immediate neighbours - two young women. It was virtually impossible not to learn that they had spent the past summer travelling through Italy. We struck up a bit of conversation with them and, ultimately, asked our waiter to pour them a glass of our Pin. I don't know if they really enjoyed and appreciated the wine but they certainly professed their love of the wine and they let it linger to try and enjoy the nose and taste far longer than Boo or I ever could have.

As much as we were enjoying the wine and 'za, our timing was getting tight and we needed to leave for the show. Once there, we lamented the fact that the theatre doesn't allow drinks during the performances. It would have been nice to carry on with a bit more wine. I'm the farthest thing from a dance critic - hell, I barely scratch the surface in knowing my way around wine - but I wanted to enjoy the performance far more than I did. As much as Margie Gillis will forever remain a stellar memory for me, this piece didn't place her on an even higher pedestal. I liked the concept of the interplay between spoken word and dance, but the execution just didn't excite.

I'll just have to find another bottle of La Spinetta to cheer me up.

Not Quite Via Tevere

I'll admit, I'm rather jealous of our neighbours, K-Pop and Baby Mama's, weekly pizza making dinners with the kids. I've only tried a couple of slices but I know they've mastered the dough bit to a fine art. I saw some frozen pizza dough at our favourite Italian deli, Cioffi's, and thought we could give it a go. Not as successful as the neighbours though. Indeed, our fave pizzeria, Via Tevere, has nothing to worry about. It was, however, a good excuse to open a big Italian wine that we'd stashed away awhile back.

1413.  2004 Ioppa Santa Fé Ghemme (Ghemme DOCG - Piedmont - Italy)

This bottle kinda goes to show how little I know about Italian wines. The bottle was a gift from Boss and, as such, neither the winery nor the regional appellation meant anything to me. For no particular reason, I'd assumed Ghemme was in the South and that this was a new school, high end producer. The wine certainly comes in one of the heaviest bottles I've ever lifted. Turns out, however, that Ghemme is a sub-region of North-East Piedmont.

For all I know, Boo and I might have driven right through the region when we toured Italy and I just have no recollection of the name.

I was rather excited though when I saw that the wine was made of 80% Nebbiolo and 20% Vespolina. I've never heard of the latter and I was hoping for a new addition to my Wine Century Club tally.  The new grapes don't come quite so regularly nowadays, since I've passed 150 varieties. That joy was rather short lived. Vespolina is the local Piedmontese name for Croatina and I added that grape to the list some time ago - not that you find that one in countless bottles of wine worldwide.

Ah well, I had to setter for the first whiff of nose from the Ghemme and it was wonderful - bright and full of dark fruit and depth. The unfortunate thing was that the nose just seemed to dissipate after that first glass was poured and it wasn't to be enjoyed again.

We both found the wine to still be very harsh on the tannin. It must have been that the Nebbiolo still needed time to mellow. Boo actually found the wine to have strong "green" overtones as well. There's no doubt that the wine needed food and I don't think our pizza was necessarily up to the task. This baby called out for plenty of Italian-inspired meat.

We rather hoped that the wine would open up as the evening moved on - and it did to some extent - but the wine never reached any level of approachability on its own and our one course pizza dinner just didn't do it justice.

So, I guess it's back to the books to bone up on my pizza dough skills and my recognition of Italian wines and what best to serve them with. Heavy sigh. Just so much to learn.

L'Ufficio

Between Boo's work schedule being all over the map and Beamer's parental duties and child delivery services, getting together can be somewhat problematic. When the opportunity arose to catch up with Beamer and The Divine Miss M over dinner, we snagged it. Miss M came up with another winning suggestion for the locale, L'Ufficio - the little brother or wine bar as the owners refer to it of La Quercia (Vancouver Magazine's 2011Restaurant of the Year) - and we were set.

It was a first time to the restaurant for all of us, but The Divine Miss M was under the impression that you could order either the wine bar's offerings or the dishes from La Quercia next door. Turned out that we could only order dishes from L'Ufficio but that was no problem. We started with a large platter of mixed charcuterie, cheeses and condiments that went down as easily as the Tuscan red that we chose.

1271.  2011 Pertimali Sassetti Livio - Rosso di Montalcino (Rosso di Montalcino DOC - Tuscany - Italy)

The wine list was completely Italian (except for a couple of high end Champagnes) and, at our waiter's suggestion, we went with a producer that I hadn't run across before. The Rosso di Montalcino was 100% Sangiovese Grosso and the Sassetti family has been making wine in Montalcino for three generations. The Pertimali vineyards and estate are located on the Montosoli hill, outside of Montalcino, in one of the most favourable locales for growing Sangiovese. The family is noted for producing traditionally styled wines that are meant to go with food and Livio Sassetti was one of the founders of the Brunello di Montalcino consortium in 1967. Indeed, an oft-quoted excerpt from The Wine Advocate stated that "If I had only one Brunello to drink, it would be Pertimali. This producer has been making spectacular wines since 1982."

We didn't go with the bigger Brunello, but the Rosso di Montalcino was very approachable and much lusher than the Tuscan Chiantis that we see so regularly as the Italian entries on local wine lists. The bottle was long gone before our main course arrived. So, we really had no choice but to order another bottle to go with our beef. Boo was apprehensive about ordering the family style entrée and he made sure that he told the story of our dinner in Cortona where we let the restaurant choose our menu for us and the shared plate of bistecca alla fiorentina had a sticker price far beyond anything any of us had imagined - more like the cost of a side of beef back home.

We didn't have to face that issue here, however, and the far more reasonable price prompted us to splurge a little on our second bottle. One that I'm a little more familiar with.

1272.  2009 La Spinetta Langhe Nebbiolo (Langhe DOC - Piedmont - Italy)

We don't tend to see many entry level Spinetta wines in our market but I've yet to meet a Spinetta wine that I didn't like. La Spinetta hasn't been around nearly as long as the Sassetti family but their wines immediately grabbed the attention of wine writers, critics and consumers when they arrived on the scene. Even the premium Barbarescos and Barolo are known for being approachable upon release, but this entry level Nebbiolo is particularly ready to be quaffed. The winery website notes that the Langhe Nebbiolo is made from the younger vines from one of their vineyards (Starderi) but by "younger," the winery means 12-14 years of age. The fruit from more established vines is reserved for La Spinetta's noted Barbarescos and Barolo.

By the time we'd finished the beef and the Nebbiolo, we could have easily called it a night, but Boo was tempted by a specialty of the house - a pine cone infused grappa. We were told that they add the pine cone to the grappa and leave it on the roof of the building to fully impregnate the flavours. As far as "guest alcohols" go for this blog, this was one of the more intriguing ones - and, once Boo had ordered it, we succumbed to our urge to order canolis and zeppoles (Italian doughnuts) to go with it. It was a good thing that we had a bit of walk as part of our journey home after everything.

As mentioned, we don't tend to have many chances to connect with Beamer and The Divine Miss M but, without fail, you can be pretty much guaranteed that they'll be full of food, wine and stories. Just like tonight was. Here's hoping that the next occasion won't be too far off into the future.

Open That Bottle Night XIV

I love Open That Bottle Night - both the concept of it and participating in it. Now in its 14th year, OTBN is the brainchild of former wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. They saw their weekly "Tastings" column as a means to show that "wine is more than the liquid in the bottle. It's about history, geography, relationships and all of the things that are really important in life" and they noted that "whether it's the only bottle in the house or one bottle among thousands, just about all wine lovers have that very special wine that they always mean to open, but never do."

The idea is that everyone should grab one of those bottles on the last Saturday of February and revel in all the "memories of great vacations, long-lost loved ones and bittersweet moments" that are released with the wine. For no other reason than to celebrate the moment - and, hopefully, to ensure that you don't wait so long before opening it that you've let the wine turn to vinegar.

Diving head first into the deep end this year, Boo and I decided to open one of those bottles that are few and far between - at least on our budget - and just scream out for a special occasion. We picked it up during our brief vacation around Italy back in 2008 and it was one of the limited bottles that we were able to bring back with us.

While luxuriating in Piedmont for an extended weekend, our B&B hosts set up a visit to La Spinetta - a winery that we'd been tipped off to by the folks at Marquis Wine Cellars before we left. La Spinetta is a relatively new winery - at least by Italian standards. While this branch of the Rivetti family originated in Piedmont, it took a bit of a side trip when Giovanni Rivetti emigrated to Argentina in the late 1800's with hopes of some day returning to Italy as a rich man to make wine. Giovanni never made it back to Italy, but one of his three sons, Giuseppe, did. The Rivetti family set up residence in the heart of Moscato d'Asti country in Piedmont and began making wines that raised the level of the sweet, light wine. In 1985, La Spinetta ventured into making its first red wine, a Barbera. They then added an innovative, if not revolutionary (for its time), blend of Barbera and Nebbiolo in 1989 and progressed to making Barbaresco in 1996.

Having found itself making a good collection of Piedmont's wines, the family finally purchased some lands in the classic Barolo region. A state of the art winery was built and, voilà, a new star in the Barolo firmament was established.

1264. 2001 La Spinetta - Campè Barolo (Barolo DOCG - Piedmont - Italy)

The 2001 is only the second vintage of Barolo made by La Spinetta and, even still, fewer than 2000 cases of the wine is generally made. Like all Barolos, it is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes; however, La Spinetta subscribes to a newer school of Barolo making where the goal is to produce a wine that is both structured and approachable - and drinkable on an earlier time table. Co-owner and winemaker, Giorgio Rivetti, has been quoted in the Wine Spectator as saying that "some people around here think that if a Barolo or Barbaresco doesn't punch you in the stomach from the high tannin and acidity levels, then it is no good. I don't agree." Rivetti's Barolo sees more oak and the juice isn't left to soak and ferment on the skins as long as traditional Barolos (the latter practice can lead to the incorporation of stronger tannins). His Barolo also sees no filtration or fining when it is bottled as he hopes to accentuate the wine's aroma, flavour, texture and ageing potential as much as possible.

Presuming that our La Spinetta would be up to the task, we cooked up some lamb in olive oil and garlic. It was, indeed, up to the lamb. This wasn't so much a sipping wine as it was one full of gusto, waiting for the next bite of meat. Even with Rivetti's modernist take on Barolo, it was still no fruit bomb. The wine was definitely up Boo's alley when it came to a taste profile as he tends to enjoy a more austere bent to his palate than I do but we were both sorry to see the last of the wine poured out of the bottle.

The winery's website suggested that the wine could age for 25-30 years; so, perhaps we opened it a bit prematurely but, you know, when Open That Bottle Night calls out to you, sometimes you just have to give in baser impulses. Opening this bottle certainly took us back to our time in Piedmont and reinforced the desire to make our way back to Italy - hopefully, sooner than later.

Bargain Barolo?

Barolo is one of those magical wine names that I don't often find in my glass. It is considered by many to be the finest wine made in Italy - and premium prices follow it accordingly. It's easy enough to find the big red wine, from the region of Piedmont in northwest Italy, in our market. It's just that those bottles tend to start at $50 and there are only a couple that come in at that price in our government stores.

Imagine my surprise when I ran across a bottle for $27.

1055. 2006 San Silvestro - Patres (DOCG Barolo - Piedmont - Italy)

Made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes, the appellation - or district - that is designated for the production of Barolo is quite small. Historically centred around five towns, it has expanded somewhat (not without controversy) but total production is still limited - which only helps keep the prices at a premium level. Normally noted for its high tannins and acidity, the last thirty years has seen many changes to the production methods and styles - from vineyard yields to the length of maceration to the oak and ageing process.

Like many Old world wine regions, Barolo faced a lot of pressure in the 70's and 80's to modernize its wine to adapt to changing global tastes and to deliver more discernible fruit on the palate - and to do so in a wine that would be more approachable, without having to wait years for the tannins to subside. Stories abound of the "Barolo Wars," recounting "traditionalist" vs "modernist" takes on production - differing standpoints that can still be argued today. I'm no expert on Barolo and I won't pretend to tell those tales of modernization, but they do make for some interesting wine geek reading.

With all that being said, I can't say that the San Silvestro did a whole lot for me. There's little doubt that I have a tendency to reach for wines with a bigger fruit profile, but I just didn't find an integration of the tannins and acid in this wine. I know this won't be the last Barolo (or Barbaresco) to fill my glass but this isn't the first time that I haven't been excited by a Nebbiolo wine. I'm starting to wonder if Nebbiolo's just destined not to be a favourite varietal of mine.

Than again, maybe this bottle was found at a bargain price because it isn't a premium example of the region and wine. Even if $27 is be a good price for Barolo, I wouldn't call it an every day price tag. I'm pretty sure that I can find many a bottle that better suits my palate at that price point. Too bad. I was rather hoping for a little Barolo magic to happen.

Mexican Cooking Class

A month ago or so, I blogged a couple of wines that we finished off at our neighbour, GatuBela's, Mexican Cat Dance - her annual fundraiser. It's taken us awhile but we finally worked out a night to make use of one of the silent auction items we won at last year's party. Our winning bid had garnered us an "at home" Mexican cooking class with one of her chef friends but we hadn't been able to queue it up yet. GatuBela was getting ready to head back to Mexico for the winter; so, it was now or potentially never.

We invited Mr. D. and Tyrant to come over and join up with us for a bit of fun and frivolity - and, naturally, wine and booze. Seeing as how it was to be a Mexican cooking class, GatuBela offered to mix up her trademark Margaritas to start off the evening. After a decade of annual pilgrimages, you get to be bit a bit of star when it comes to tequila. We'd have been fools not to take her up on her offer and I'm pleased to say that, as far as guest alcohols to this blog go, GatuBela's margaritas take second place to none. Her shaking and her squeezing arm was put to great use. Good thing she'd taken in a few Boot Camp classes prior to the dinner.

The plan was to put each of the guests to work in the kitchen to assist in the preparation of one of the dishes. Some of us got off easier than others in terms of the degree of difficulty in our skills that were called upon. Mr. D., indeed, had to mix things up, but not so much that he couldn't still pose and look pretty.

Despite the guest appearance by our frenemy, tequila, we still managed to throw a couple bottles of wine into the mix. Believe me, I don't do nights of endless tequila anymore. Some memories of university days haunt me to this day.

967. 2010 Luis Felipe Edwards Signature Series Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)

Both dinner guests arrived with wine in hand, but both admitted that they'd had no luck in locating a Mexican wine despite trying. Mr. D. brought along this Chilean bottle and because he thought that "at least the winemaker still speaks Spanish." Funny that we drank Chilean last night and I commented on how Boo and I don't pop too many Chilean corks.

True to Chile's and my relationship, I don't really know this producer but the Signature Series simply shows up on the winery website as a label that they produce for specific markets. The winery now has a capacity of up to 25 million litres; so, my guess is they can put out a number of labels if they want to. I did see that this particular label only shows up in private stores in the Vancouver market and that Marquis Cellars calls it a "perfect party wine."

It certainly went nicely with our ceviche. Maybe not so well with the watermelon cup that was fashioned but, then again, who chooses a wine to go with the dishes and cutlery?

I think we might have "put" Tyrant to the most work during the "class" portion of the evening - but then we knew we could trust him, if anyone, with the empanada filling. We continually trust his taste in wine; so, why not leave the main course in his hands. That was, so long as we kept a glass of wine in his hands at the same time (I mean when the recipe wasn't there).

968. 2004 L.A. Cetto Private Reserve Nebbiolo (Valle de Guadelupe - Baja California - Mexico)

There aren't a lot of Mexican wines in our market. Then again, are there many Mexican wines in any market outside of Mexico itself? I did, however, pick up this bottle a couple of years ago at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. At the time, I thought a Mexican Nebbiolo was about as wild of a find as there was - but, you know, it tasted good at the Festival and it still tasted good here. Everyone was downright shocked at just how tasty it was. If memory serves though, this was a pretty high end bottle for the winery and it clocked in at about $30 - not exactly a throwaway price for a wine you likely know nothing about from an unlikely source.

As difficult as it might be to find Mexican wine in our market though, if you're going to find one, there's a pretty good chance that it will be an L.A. Cetto bottle. I've previously added three Mexican wines to The List (some time ago at #'s 250 and 436) and two of them were from L.A. Cetto. I think on each of those earlier occasions, I'd specifically gone out looking for the bottles - because one was for Cinqo de Mayo and the other was for a Day of the Dead celebration.

Seems we don't tend to drink a lot of Mexican wine on an everyday basis. I can tell you that, if it was all as good as this Nebbiolo, I'd be inclined to drink a lot more.

It was probably a good thing that there was only one bottle of the Nebbiolo to be had tonight though. That wine would have kept going down easily, but it was a school night and an early morning wake up call after all. Between the tequila and the wine and the tasty food, we were all in fine spirits. The test is going to be to remember what the recipes were and all the little tips that were passed along and quickly forgotten.

A Dinner Club for Faves

It doesn't actually seem like it's been all that long since the last Dinner club gathering but, here we are, feeling all Fall and getting the call from Lady Di and She Who Must Be Obeyed to feast and taste our way through another addition.

I always know that a Dinner Club outing is going to be an evening of great food and fun - as well as a prime source for adding a whack of bottles to The List. Tonight was no exception.

937. 2009 Mission Hill Reserve Viognier (VQA Okanagan Valley)

2009 Elephant Island - Pink Elephant (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

Our chefs for the evening greeted up with a couple of wines and a a couple of hors d'oeuvres. Chick Pea Crostini & Parsnip Pancakes with Crème Fraîche and Smoked Salmon. Knowing that this would be a very full evening, I took advantage of the fact that the Pink Elephant bubble made an appearance at our last Dinner club when we made our first road trip and visited the Tyrant on Salt Spring Island. Having already added the 2009 vintage to The List, I simply nodded my glass at the bubble and stuck to the Mission Hill Viognier.

The Lady has been a fan of Viognier since it first started gathering momentum as a more easily accessible varietal. Viognier can be a bit of a hit and miss for me - probably because, like Riesling, it can be made in a number of different styles and I'm not necessarily attracted to the heavily bodied and perfumed ones. The Mission Hill was hardly over-the-top though and I found it was an easy start to the evening, especially with the crostini that I had to force myself to stop hoovering.

938. 2007 Church & State - Hollenbach Family Vineyard Pinot Noir (VQA - Okanagan Valley)

As can often be the case with the inevitable bounty at our Dinner Club, I didn't get a picture of the Pinot Noir. Guess I just zeroed in on the Crab Gyoza and missed the bottle. Crab. Gyoza. Two of my favourite things. Together. A little wine to go with the course goes without saying, but I suppose some things are just a little more important than remembering to take a picture. You can see the glass of Pinot in the top, left hand corner of the gyoza picture though.

939. 2009 Sonoma-Cutrer - Russian River Ranches Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (California)

By the time we hit a soup course, Lady Di had recounted the story of their menu's "theme." All of the evening's courses were favourite recipes of their's that they have "stolen" from friends and made their own. Our Cape Breton Clam Chowda, from one of Lady Di's many aunts, was one that she grew up with. We were told that it's the chunks of cod added to the soup that made it more uniquely Cape Breton.

I was just about to write that a nice Chardonnay was a perfect match for a clam chowder and I thought I'd take a look at the Sonoma-Cutrer web page for this Chardy since I'm not familiar with the winery. Wouldn't you know that, immediately under the blurb on the wine, there's a recipe for Corn and Clam Chowder. What more can I say about the Lady's sense of pairing?

Next up was our venture into some bigger reds. The Lady had advised three of the guests that their task was to bring a Nebbiolo. We were the beneficiaries of a real range.

940. 2009 Produttori del Barbaresco Nebbiolo (Langhe DOC - Piedmont - Italy)

941. 2008 La Spinetta - Langhe Nebbiolo (Langhe DOC - Piedmont - Italy)

942. 2006 Azienda Vitivinicola La Collina dei Re - (Barolo DOCG - Piedmont - Italy)

The acidity of the dressing and tomatoes in our Heirloom Tomato Tarte with Beet and Haricots Salad was expected to match up nicely with the Italian star varietal. That it did - although it didn't hurt that the wines lived up to their billing. It was a surprise to see the La Spinetta bottle - given the fact that Boo and I have quite the jones for La Spinetta and we weren't the ones to bring it. Although technically, as a Langhe Nebbiolo, the La Spinetta is a "lesser" wine than the Barolo, it was a gem and more than a few of the diners (including me) picked it as the favourite of the night.

I hadn't run across the other producers but Produttori del Barbaresco is an association of growers that only produces Nebbiolo wines. The Langhe Nebbiolo is their entry level wine, the remaining wines all being Barbaresco's of various pedigree. The Collina dei Re remains a mystery to me as I couldn't find out much about it - other than its $30 price tag is about as reasonable as it gets for a Barolo in our market.

For the next course, a Steak & Mushroom Pie, we crossed the French/Italian border and moved on to a couple Bordeaux - and a BC Bordeaux blend.

943. 1998 Chateau Bel Orme - Tronquoy de Lalande - St. Seurin de Cadourne en Médoc Cru Bourgeois (AOC Haut Médoc - France)

944. 2005 Chateau Tertre de Belvès (AOC Côtes de Castillon - France)

945. 2003 Therapy Meritage (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

This is an example of why we're particularly lucky to have the Tyrant as one of our companions. He brought along the 1998 Médoc. I feel for him, having to work his way through his cellar now that a healthy selection of his wines are at a point of definitely being ready to quaff. Both of the French wines were decidedly French (okay, Old World); so, the Therapy wine fared rather well with its bigger emphasis on fruit.

There was little doubt that some damage had been done by this point. I'm not even sure that special guest, Bittr, even made it to dessert. The leather chair directly behind his dinner seat was a little too inviting as he did his best imitation of a sleeping angel.

But dessert there was - a Pumpkin Cheesecake with English Toffee none-the-less.

946. 1998 D'Arenberg - Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon (McLaren Vale - Australia)

Not exactly a natural match for red wine, there wasn't another bottle scheduled for this course, which was probably a good thing. Tyrant, however, had brought along another cellar special and there was little chance that we weren't going to take advantage of that bottle. The least successful pairing of the evening, who cared? We knew it wouldn't be and I just finished off the tasty cake and, then, moved on to the wine as we wound up the evening with conversation.

And a group shot.

It might not as easy to see the collection of bottles in this shot as it is in the normal Dinner Club line up of dead soldiers, but this was a little more fun.

A grand evening was had by all and I love the fact that I get to add a whole ten bottles to The List. That's the good news, the (perhaps) not so good news is that more than a couple of us paid for all that wine Sunday morning - that and the fact that Boo and I are next up as Dinner Club hosts. Let the planning begin.

Divino Barbaresco

If I haven't already declared my profound love and excitement for all things Dolce Amore Gelato on Commercial Drive, I need to correct my neglect. The shop may not have anything to do with wine, but Boo & I have enjoyed our fair share of their gelato over the years. When we heard that they were going to be involved with the opening of a wine bar and restaurant next door, my hopes ran rampant that I'd have a new favourite stop on The Drive.

Ever since Divino Wine Bar opened, I've wanted to see it succeed and to seduce me. Somewhat controversial from its opening in 2008, I don't know if it's ever lived up to those hopes - but we stopped by for another visit and to see if there was anything new or exciting. I have to admit that I've always enjoyed it more than Boo has, but I don't know if it's the concept of having a "wine bar" in the neighbourhood or the actual restaurant that I've enjoyed. Boo's found it pricey since day one and he's never really gotten over that - whether he's enjoyed the food or not.

For me, the most glaring issue is that, for a wine bar, I've never found that they cater much to the discovery of wine - whether by flights or wines by the glass. I've definitely seen other wine bars do it better.

In any event, we've found ourselves here and we're ready to be won over. Now, this isn't meant to be a blog about finding the best restaurants in town or critiquing a menu; so, I won't ramble endlessly about the state of the restaurant. I will say though that I rather enjoyed the original concept that was more of a tasting bar with salumi, cheeses and condiments (a là Salt in Gastown). Divino seems, however, to have morphed into more of a full scale restaurant.

We thought about going with the tasting menu but decided to stay simple and just have a couple of dishes for sharing. Considering the fact that we ordered mostly fish, fowl and pork, the choice of wine became a little more difficult. Preferring to go red, we probably needed to stay on the lighter end of the spectrum. Naturally, reason didn't necessarily win out and we went for a "Baby Barolo" - hardly a light or simple red.

902. 2005 Ricossa Antica Casa Barbaresco (DOCG Barbaresco - Piedmont - Italy)

I don't exactly know my way around Piedmontese wines or wineries. We're far from being regulars with $60 weeknight Barolos and I'm not sure there are even all that many of the more reasonably priced Barbarescos in our market. The Ricossa name is one that more than occasionally comes up as being a great bargain for its $22 price tag.

My suspicions that the bottle was going to be a bit over the top for our lighter fare were probably truer than I'd hoped they would be, but we managed to "force" our way through the bottle - without too much coaxing I might add. The word "rustic" is often seen in reviews of the wine and I think that's a pretty apt descriptor. There's a definite Old World bent to the wine - it won't grab you with its subtlety, but it also doesn't force the fruit to the forefront at all. It might have gone better with stronger fare on the menu but our game hen and a bit of pork belly lent themselves nicely to the final sips.

I've read on a couple of occasions that Divino has monthly wine dinners but I've yet to follow up enough on the details but I think that might have to be the impetus for my next visit. If need be, wine dinners can always be pulled off without Boo (so long as he's working that night).

Knowing that Dolce Amore was only steps away, we passed on the restaurant dessert and went next door for cones to go. After all, I think it's all still in the family and we'll use almost any excuse for some of their gelato. If only we could discover a way to help them find the candy they need to start making their Merenga gelato again. That was our undisputed favourite and we rue the day that the candy manufacturer or distributor closed up shop.

I don't know if this visit to Divino helped convert Boo into a believer, but I know I'll make it back at some time down the road. Until then, we'll keep counting the wines for The List and the gelatos that we've enjoyed.

Fontafredda

So, now that I'm hitting 2011 and a new milestone number on The List, perhaps a hopeful resolution should be taken on. A goal to catch up on the blog postings and to try to stay more up-to-date - than I've been able to thus far with this Odyssey - sounds promising (even if it's somewhat ambitious). However, if I'm going to have any chance at all - and I've got a ways to go - I'd best get on with it.

700. 2004 Fontanafredda Barbaresco (DOCG Barbaresco - Piedmont - Italy)

When I chose this wine for dinner, I didn't realize that it would be the #700 wine on this quest to hit 2001 Bottles. I kinda think these century marks deserve a bit of a celebration. So, it's fitting that I grabbed a Barbaresco because we don't get to try them very often - and, when we do, it always brings back memories of our second "honeymoon" which included some wine times up in Piedmont.

We didn't get the chance to tour or taste at many wineries while in Italy and Fontanafredda wasn't one of the ones that we did visit. I found that it's a bit of an effort to set tastings up in Italy. Plenty of wine. That's without doubt, but it's not quite the same as visiting the Okanagan or Napa. I know there's bound to be a way to fit in a lot more than we managed, but we'll have to look at setting up more of a co-ordinated tour - like we recently did in Mendoza and Argentina - should we ever make it back to Bella Italia.

Fontanafredda is a major player in the Langhe and Piedmont. They have over 170 acres of their own vineyards; plus, they have hundreds of farmers growing grapes for them on consignment as well. Their Barbaresco vineyards surround the eleven towns just to the North-East of Alba and the grape of choice for Barbaresco is Nebbiolo. Actually, it's the only grape that can be used in making Barbaresco under classification regulations.

Barbaresco is often referred to as the baby brother of the renowned Italian Barolo wine since Barolo is also made from the Nebbiolo grape in a neighbouring district. In fact, a large number of wineries produce both wines. Although the two districts are only short miles apart, the grapes tend to ripen slightly earlier in the Barbaresco region and this can allow a shorter fermentation period. The resulting wine generally has softer tannins which make it more approachable, and earlier than a Barolo, after bottling. Barbaresco regulations also have more lenient minimum aging requirements before the wines can be sold.

More approachable than a Barolo or not, I'm not sure that we were overwhelmed by the wine. The profile was perhaps a little too Old World for our palates. It was well-matched with the pasta, but it didn't quite drink as nicely on its own once the food was gone.

There was one additional bonus to the wine though. It seems that I haven't actually added a Nebbiolo wine to my Wine Century Club application yet. I know I've had them before, because they're on The List, but I must have missed adding to the WCC list. I think that's got me either at or close to 90 varietals. I think it's safe to say that I could resolve to hit my century mark this year.

At least that could be one resolution I'd be willing to follow up on at the end of the year.

Semi-Final # 2 - Spain vs. Italy

Spain

vs.

Italy

Another big showdown in our World Cup of Wine - if Spain and Italy don't count as heavy hitters in the world of red wine, who does?

Spain, of course, is simply mirroring its successful run in the "real" World Cup in South Africa, but can it take out the Italians after they suffered so on the soccer pitch?Knowing that Italian wine might now have to take a back seat to upstarts Spain may just irreparably damage the nation's collective psyche.

If any grape is capable of taking on the weight of a nation, it may well be the Nebbiolo varietal, but the Spanish are on a real roll. We'll only know following a couple glasses.

517. 2008 Bodegas Carchelo - C (D.O. Jumilla - Spain)

518. 2004 Gianluca Viberti Nebbiolo (DOC Langhe - Italy)

Spain. Italy. Blend. Baby Barolo. Too bad we have to pick a winner.

I can't say that I know much about either of these producers. The Carchelo is a very popular wine at Marquis Cellars and the Gianluca Viberti received some good local press a couple of years ago (when I bought this bottle). Both are excellent examples of how labelling has become such an intricate part of trying to sell a bottle of wine - even in the Old World. The Carchelo is striking and eye-catching, while the shot of Gianluca (or whomever) in a vat of grapes to be crushed is intriguing. From a quick look at the Italian website, I dare say the North American label is not the same as the one sported in Italy.

We are, however, about the wine and not the labelling and, once again, Boo and I both chose the same wine as our "winner." This time around wasn't any different from the last couple of taste-offs - both wines were happily consumed, but we both had to admit that the Spanish blend was just more enjoyable than the Nebbiolo. The Carchelo is a blend of Monastrell (Mourvedre), Tempranillo and Cab Sauv (40/40/20) and it may just be an indication that a sum is stronger than individual parts. It may just have been that the blend allowed more complexity and layers than a single varietal could do on its own.

All the same, La Furia Roja ("The Red Fury") seems an appropriate name for the Spanish side because this red takes the day and propels Spain into our Grand Final with its Aussie counterpart - and infuriates one or two Italians at the same time.

Score - 3-1.