It's Time to Test

Despite having celebrated Boo's birthday a couple of days early at Ouest to finish off the NYC jaunt, there's not much chance I could let the actual b-day slip by without something of an event back home. Even if it was just a dinner at home, I did break out one of those special occasion wines. There may not have been any candles or extravagant courses of exotic fare as we flopped out in front of the TV but at least he got to drink well.

90. 2001 Tinhorn Creek Oldfield's Collection Merlot - Cork Closure (VQA - Okanagan)

91. 2001 Tinhorn Creek Oldfield's Collection Merlot - Stelvin Screwcap Closure (VQA - Okanagan)

In 2004, partially in celebration of 10 years of production, Sandra Oldfield and the crew at Tinhorn Creek released their first premium level wine. And to top it off, they introduced it with a bit of flair - they offered an option of a two-pack in which they served up the same wine, but with a twist. One bottle was finished with the traditional cork and the second was closed with a Stelvin screwcap. The idea was to ready the BC public for buying premium red wines with a screwcap and to give patrons an opportunity to try the same wine, side-by-side, and see if and how they aged differently.

We figured it was time to give it a go and see if there was a marked difference. With all the general conjecture about screwcap wines having greater potential to age with more vibrancy, I was expecting the screwcap bottle to offer up a lot more fruit and leave me proclaiming that all wines should forego the cork.

Now, neither Boo nor I considered our palates to be sophisticated beyond your basic "Mmmm, tastes pretty red to me." (I jest; we're not that bad.) However, neither one of us noticed a sufficient enough difference in the two wines to pick a clear favourite. My take would be that the fruit on the nose was perhaps a bit more vigorous with the screwcap wine and there was more of an earthiness to the palate with the cork closure. But, all the same, neither one offered up a lot of fruit.

When push came to shove, we both thought that the screwcap wine was a slight favourite, but neither one was substantially different. Even on the second night, I had to really think it through when Boo gave me a glass of each and asked me to identify which wine was which. I got it right but I was surprised on how little difference there was.

It might have been that we'd held on to the wines a bit longer than we should have when it comes to the retention of fruit on the profile, but my guess is that waiting to find such a difference was part of the scheme and the expectations. I don't think I could say there a marked improvement in the wine due to the closure, but I should think that the switch over to screwcap would be deemed a success if the winery could prevent the loss of 2-10% of their bottles to cork taint.

Happy Happy Boo.

Go Ouest Young Man

For our last night in Manhattan, we decided to head out on the town and have an early celebration dinner for Boo's upcoming birthday. Since the Wicked show was my b-day present, I figured it would only be fair to take him out for a wicked dinner. With recommendations from both Berra Yogi and Chowhound, we decided to stick with our Upper West Side neighbourhood and headed to Ouest.

Interestingly enough, one of Vancouver's perpetually top rated restaurants started its life as "Ouest." It's subsequently changed its star chef and its name to "West." We have yet to make it there, so this Ouest seemed a perfect fit. Despite the lackadaisical service, the evening was a fine way to finish off the vacation. We had a lovely corner table; the food was thoroughly tasty and the wine was nothing short of perfect for the evening.

89. 2006 La Spinetta Ca di Pian (Barbera d'Asti DOC)

La Spinetta was another of the wineries that we went to visit while in Italy last year. I didn't really read any further on the restaurant's wine list once I saw that it was available. Our ability to buy La Spinetta is limited in Vancouver - largely because most of the bottles that you can find are well over $100 a pop. Ca di Pian is far more reasonable and I haven't ever seen it in Vancouver.

The wine is 100% barbera and the 1985 vintage was the first red wine that La Spinetta produced. It is also the red wine with the highest production for La Spinetta among it Piedmont wines.

I hadn't actually heard anything specific about La Spinetta prior to our visit to Piedmont. I vaguely remember seeing the distinctive label on the high end shelves of one of the local private stores, but it became a choice to visit when one of the shop's staff recommended it as a "don't miss" winery when thinking of appointments to make. We're glad we took him up on the suggestion.

It turns out that La Spinetta is one of the top producers in Italy. It is one of only two wineries to have received three stars in Italy's top wine journal, Gambero Rosso. The other winery is the legendary Angelo Gaja.

I mentioned that I remembered seeing the distinctive label previously. The primary label features an old woodcut drawing of a rhino and our tour guide mentioned that the question that she gets asked the most is "what's the history behind the rhino on the label?" Both she and the web site state that the unspectacular truth is that the winery's founder, Giorgio Rivetti, has always had a great admiration for the Albrecht Durer drawing. The story behind the drawing is perhaps more exciting but that's for another time.

The wine was lovely. The dinner was worthy of a birthday. And we had a plane to catch in the morning.

I hope we can find more of this wine at home!!

A Beverage on the Bridge

One of the highlights of any walkabout with Berra Yogi is a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I think the views you get of Manhattan are stunning and it's just one of those activities that's ideal for people-watching and taking your time.

We figured that a late afternoon/early evening hike would provide the best opportunity to enjoy the sun and catch some of the changes in the cityscape as dusk started to set in.

We also figured it would be the perfect time for a cocktail before heading out for dinner.

88. 2003 Chateau Redortier Beaumes de Venise (Cotes du Rhone Villages AOC - France)

I realize now that it was thoughtless of me to bring along a French wine for such an icon of NYC. We should have opened another New York wine given the location, but I suppose life is full of after-thoughts. And, we can say that at least we thought ahead enough to bring along a bottle and glasses in the first place.

We just stopped mid-bridge, popped the cork and had a couple small glasses as we watched the world go by.

As a rule, the Rhone is one of my favourite regions. The Villages appellation isn't the highest level in the Rhone but it is one step up on the basic Cotes du Rhone designation. Chateau Redortier is a well-regarded, family run winery (the founder's daughter is the mayor of the neighbouring town of Suzette, pop. 130) and the winery is known for using a higher percentage of syrah in its red wines and using no oak during the winemaking. I saw on one site that Etienne de Menthon, the proprietor, feels that oak is detrimental to grenache-based wines such as this.

Villages designated wines must have a minimum of 50% grenache and a minimum of 20% syrah and/or mourvedre. Redortier's Beaumes de Venise is around 60% grenache with the bulk of the remainder being syrah.

All of this sounds really good to my palate, but this was one wine that didn't quite meet the occasion. Maybe it was that whole French wine on an American icon thing. Good thing the Bridge still provided a highlight.

Fatty Crabs & Austrians

The first thing that you get when you Google "Austrian Riesling" is "Did you mean Australian Riesling?" Certainly out here in Vancouver, you're far more likely to find an Aussie wine over an Austrian one any day - and, if you do run across an Austrian wine, it's likely a Gruner Veltliner or a Zweigelt.

Bur here we were at Fatty Crab with Berra Yogi, getting ready to chow down on our Asian-inspired tapas, and lo and behold, we're being served an Austrian wine. It was a suggestion of the sommelier when Boo said that he didn't really want any noticeable sweetness to the wine. I'd actually thought that it was a German wine that we'd ordered because of the name, but then I saw Osterreich on the label after we'd had a glass or so and I took a better look at the bottle.

87. 2007 Weingut Brundlmeyer Riesling Kamptaler Terrasen (Kamptal - Austria)

I couldn't find out much about this wine or the winery online. In general, Austrian Rieslings take a back seat to Gruner Veltliner, but it would seem that the good Rieslings can rank right up there with the best of the Germans and the rest of the world producers. It just isn't all that common to find them because the local Austrian market buys up the majority of the good wines.

From what I could find, Brundlmeyer is a known and established producer in Austria. I noted in one "article" that their wines were some of the first Austrian wines to find an overseas market. The winery is located in the Kamptal region which is one of the country's top regions and, according to Jancis Robinson, the Riesling grape reigns in Kamptal. I also read that there are notes on local wines going back to 1280 in the Langenlois Abbey Registry.

I don't think this was the finest wine that Brundlmeyer produces. This was so acidic even Boo was commenting that he wished he'd sat back and kept quiet about the "no sweetness" comment. It wasn't the greatest match to the spiciness of the dishes but it certainly gave us a novel entry for The List.

A Well-Earned Reward

I think my very favourite place in New York is Bethesda Fountain and Terrace in Central Park. It doesn't seem to matter what the weather is or how crowded the area is, I simply love the spot! To add to the allure of the spot, when Boo and I were paying a quick visit, there was a lone musician playing jazzy, bluesy saxophone. Before we'd left, a Japanese gentleman stepped up to the jazzman and pulled out a harmonica and started to play along. They riffed back and forth until we had to keep on moving.

As much as I'd have loved to crack a bottle right then and there, we were on a mission. Places to see, museums to visit and clothes to buy.

I was rather shocked today, we were making the obligatory visit to Century 21 to check out the clothes on hand. Now, Boo is NOT a clothes-hound, nor is he known to be a willing shopper. But, he actually outlasted me today as we kept ourselves occupied for probably close to three hours - a previously unheard of feat.

And, speaking of feet, our's were dead tired after the shopping, so it was back home with our cache of fashion statements - where we rewarded ourselves with a well-earned glass of - what else? - wine.

86. 2007 Le Rose de Phelan Segur (Bordeaux Rose AOC)

When picking up the bottle at our new-found, favourite wine purveyor, I knew he recommended this French rose. What I didn't realize - until we were back at the B&B and took a look at the label - was that it was a rose from Bordeaux. I didn't even know that there was much rose produced in the region. I certainly don't think that I've ever tried one before.

Turns out that, of all the wine produced in Bordeaux, rose wines only account for about 3% of the area's wines. I didn't find a whole lot of other information about the Rose AOC or about the winery though.

Chateau Phelan Segur is a well regarded Cru Bourgeois producer in the Ste. Estephe region. There are no regulations regarding rose wines in the area. So, the wines must carry the generic Bordeaux Rose title. I saw that the appellation requires that all rose wines must be made solely from red grapes; however, after that, there appear to be a great many approaches to the method of productions. I didn't see any specifications about this wine, but the winery is known for large plantings of cabernet sauvignon. I might hazard a guess and wonder if this wine isn't based more on cab franc - seeing as how the grape will be planted for the red Bordeaux blends and it tends to lend itself to a number of other roses you find on the market.

In any event, the wine was fresh and fruity and was just what was needed after a hard morning of shopping.

A Wicked New York Wine

Born and raised on The Wizard of Oz and a long-time lover of Broadway, I have been dying to see Wicked. The retelling of the story of the witches of Oz was my ONE MUST attraction for the trip. I'm not sure of the strings that had to be pulled or the price that had to be paid, but we had absolutely skookum tickets for the show. It was to be my delayed birthday present from Boo and two weeks prior to the trip his neck was on the line when he hadn't procured tix yet - particularly since Ticketmaster said that the show was completely sold out during our stay there.

I suppose that, even during the "economic downturn," Broadway shows are doing just fine, thank you very much.

I've seen some big shows and big names on Broadway in past visits, but this was Boo's first ever Broadway show. And it WAS WICKED!! The show was everything I'd hoped for. But, I digress; this is a wine blog after all.

It would have been very civilized to sit back, enjoy the show, and drink a bottle of wine or two; however, that's just not the way things work on the Great White Way.

We had to enjoy our wine beforehand and that we did with a spread of goodies at our apartment. We'd planned on a picnic in the park (Central, naturally) but the weather didn't cooperate.

We did, however, get the chance to try our first New York state produced wine that night. It only seemed fitting.

85. 2007 Keuka Lake Vignoles (Finger Lakes - New York)

Keuka Lakes is a small, estate winery in the Finger Lakes district in upstate New York that produces both vinifera and hybrid grapes.

Out here in BC, New York state wines are virtually unheard of. There's one kosher concord grape wine in the provincial system and I don't know if any of the private stores stock other wines. I certainly don't think that I've ever tried one - not even at the big Playhouse Festival tastings. So, it was a hope of mine to try a couple of local wines during our visit.

We were very fortunate to find one of the biggest wine shops in the city within blocks of where we were staying. I basically explained the situation and put myself in their hands. They led me to the Keuka Lakes. Having never heard of vignoles, I had to ask if it was a grape or a trade name for that particular wine.

Vignoles is a hybrid grape, also known by the rather tasty name (not) of Ravat 41, and is particularly well-known in the Finger Lakes. This version, at least, was very much like a dry Riesling and we actually liked it quite a bit. Hybrids don't get a lot of play nowadays, but this one was definitely worth developing.

I had, however, heard of the Finger Lakes area which probably isn't that surprising since it turns out that the area produces the bulk of the state's table wines. Unfortunately, we didn't try another local wine on this visit. Guess we'll just have to come back again - if only to try a couple more wines.

Manhattan. We Have Landed!

I love Manhattan!! Home of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Wigstock, the Meatpacking District and Sex & The City. Come on, what gay man wouldn't?

So, after years of trying to convince Boo into a jaunt in New York City, I finally got him onto the plane for a quick visit to the Big Apple. Naturally, our plane was delayed in Chicago for 2-3 hours. So, all my planning to arrive in Manhattan early enough to enjoy our first evening was all for naught when we finally arrived at our Upper West Side B&B apartment around 10.30 that night.

We did not test the waters to see if NYC is truly the city that never sleeps. After a quick settling in and bite to eat, it was off to bed in preparation for the days and nights to come.

We did, however, keep a brisk pace on our first day. There were scrambled eggs and smoked salmon at the legendary Barney Greengrass to start. No wine though. Then it was off to the first of the trip's museums. That evening, we met up with Boo's old family friend, Berra Yogi. Both Boo and I (separately), and various friends of our's, have been treated to Ms. Yogi's famous tours of her home town, but this was our first time together. First stop was Union Square and Greenwich Village, where we dove right into that great New York tradition - pizza.

John's Pizzeria has been serving up pie for near on 80 years and is well-known as not being a by-the-slice joint. It is known for line-ups and occasional celebrity spottings though. Despite Berra Yogi's protestations that the evening's pizzas didn't live up to expectations since the tomatoes just weren't ripe enough, Boo and I had no problem eating more than our share of our two pizzas.

84. 2007 Arboreto Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (DOC - Italy)

It seemed natural to order an Italian with pizza and this was an easy choice - since I think it was the only red wine sold by the bottle. The number of choices didn't matter in the least as the wine works exactly as it was supposed to. I don't think that this wine is available back home in Vancouver, but that might be because it's all going to NYC. When I Googled the wine, it seemed like most sites were all related to the Five Boroughs. It even got a mention as a perennial best seller by the NY Times.

I'm not sure I enjoyed seeing the price you could pick it up for in the local stores (under $10) - considering what we paid for it in the restaurant. Welcome to New York City dining, I suppose. I didn't know that then, however, and we did have our first bottle from the Big Apple.

I was hoping for many more.

Three Notes before Heading Off

As mentioned previously, the whole keeping up with blog entries is a bit of task - and this recent vacation just made things all that much tougher. The three wines set out here were the last three that Boo and I had before heading off. They were actually over four or five nights and, since they were just enjoyed with dinner at home, I'm going to mention them here altogether.

81. 2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley - Washington state)

82. 2003 Boggy Creek Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon (King Valley - Australia)

83. 2006 Poplar Grove Pinot Gris (Naramata Bench - BC)

If memory serves, Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest producer in Washington and they have a vast portfolio. This is an entry level wine that my folks brought back from Costco (such a novel concept to us here in North of the border in BC - buying wine at Costco that is, not entry level wines). It performed just like it was supposed to.

We didn't really know anything about Boggy Creek. I think we might have won it at a tasting awhile back. It was a very pleasant surprise. The King Valley is located a couple of hours North of Melbourne and I haven't seen or heard much of the area before. The winery's website says that the valley is similar to Tuscany and Piedmonte in its growing conditions and that it's considered cool climate for Australia.

I don't see Boggy Creek listed on the BC Liquor Stores' web site, so I'm not sure where we even look to find more from them. I wouldn't mind checking into them at all.

The flip side of Boggy Creek is the Poplar Grove Pinot Gris. While we don't get the opportunity to drink a lot of Poplar Grove, we're certainly well aware of the winery. Poplar Grove has been considered one of the foremost boutique wineries in BC for a decade now but their production was always limited. In 2007, new partners were brought into the business and access to land, grapes and production facilities was scheduled to increase multi-fold.

This level of investment seems to be happening to a number of the old boutique wineries. It will be interesting to see how standards and reputation hold up. Poplar Grove has concentrated on just a few varietals in the past. The question will be whether they expand production of the same wines or they start producing more and more varietals.

The winery refers to Pinot Gris as their signature white and there was plenty in this bottle to confirm the opinion. There'll be a number of more Poplar Grove wines showing up on The List in the bottles to come.

Discovering Chenin Blanc

One of the most enjoyable aspects of attempting this Odyssey is that we'll have to expose ourselves to all sorts of styles, varietals and areas in order to reach 2001 bottles on The List.

I liken our adventure in new wines and producers to the daily responsibilities of winemakers and growers - particularly in the newer wine producing areas of the world, such as BC. Just as we're finding out which wines and producers move us the most, part of the growing process for BC is to find out which grape varietals work best in the different areas that can produce wine in BC. The Northern Okanagan has growing conditions very different from Black Sage Road that vary from the Similkameen, all of which are a world away from conditions on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

We haven't drunk a lot of Inniskillin's wines over the years but there are a couple of aspects of the winery that I'm quite enamoured with - the first is that it is one of the few wineries that produce wines in both BC and in Ontario. The winery's Discovery Series is another facet of their approach that I like. Under this label, Inniskillin explores varietals that haven't been traditionally grown in the Okanagan.

80. 2005 Inniskillin Discovery Series Chenin Blanc (VQA - Okanagan)

Known primarily from South Africa and the Loire Valley in France, I find Chenin Blanc isn't all that well-known in BC - particularly when the grapes are actually grown in the province. Wikipedia lists over three dozen names that the grape is known as around the world. Seen largely as a fairly neutral grape, Chenin Blanc is adaptable to a great many set of growing conditions and flavour profiles.

Inniskillin's offering has always come across nicely to us in tastings - nice fruit, body, acidity. It's always been quite drinkable and versatile for simple glass of wine or for accompanying food. It's a great garden sipper. With the 2005 vintage, the vines were still fairly young and only 500 cases of the wine were produced. Production has been ramped up since then, but you still might have to hunt around a bit to find it. Luckily, it was still fresh enough to enjoy. We probably should have drunk this bottle a while back. I think it's worth another bottle or two down the road.

Approachable Burgundy

I've fallen behind with my postings as we were out of town for a bit. I'd hoped to keep posting while away but we didn't have a whole lot of down time. So, it's catch up time.

79. 2005 Louis Latour Pinot Noir (AOC Bourgogne)

This is the second entry level Louis Latour we've tired, this one being a little truer to the family's Burgundy roots. Latour is unique in Burgundy for the fact that the winery has been family-owned and operated for over 200 years and 10 generations.

All the same, Bourgogne Pinot Noir is from the regional appellation and the fruit can come from any part of Burgundy. For a region where some of the best known wines come from holdings that can be as small as a couple of rows, this wine isn't going to be so caught up in the Burgundy love of terroir. In fact, it seemed more reminiscent of New World wines in its flavour profile with a lot of fruit up front. That ought to set French tongues a-waggin'.

Very approachable though and, at $22, it's a lot more approachable from a pocketbook point of view when it comes to Burgundy wines.