Posts Tagged ‘food pairings’
Salon VIP 2014: Root day at Rézin (6/7)
Yarra Valley 2013, Pépé le Pinot, Jamsheed Wines ($39.30, private import, 6 bottles/case)
The winery has two lines: the eponymous premium line and the more affordable Harem Series. Price notwithstanding, this is part of the latter. 100% organically farmed Pinot Noir sourced, in 2013, from the Penbro Vineyard in the Yea Valley district. 45% of the grapes were macerated and fermented (with indigenous yeasts) as whole clusters, the rest as whole berries. Given three days’ cold soak and minimal punching down. Spent 30 days on the skins and eight months on the lees in old French oak barrels. Unfiltered and unfined. Screwcapped. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Wafting, warm-climate nose, the red cherry and berries lifted by spice, grounded by earth and darkened by gamy notes. In the mouth, it’s a supple, savoury middleweight. The fruit is ripe but not heavy, thanks in large part to the refreshing acidity. Background minerals and old wood provide some flavour depth while airframe tannins bestow a modicum of grip, most apparent on the finish. Lightly chilled, this would go well with grilled tuna or cedar-planked salmon. (Buy again? Irrespective of price, yes. But 40 bucks is awfully steep for an easy-drinking Pinot.)
Salon VIP 2014: Root day at Rézin (2/7)
Vin de France 2012, PUR Blanc, Château Revelette ($29.65, private import, 6 bottles/case)
The estate has been certified organic for two decades now. The new PUR line – PUR stands for produit uniquement de raisin – consists of three wines: a red, a rosé and this white, which is mostly Ugni Blanc, the balance possibly being Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are manually harvested. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled concrete tanks with indigenous yeasts, malolactic fermentation and maturation on the gross lees in concrete tanks with no racking. Bottled unfiltered and unfined, with no added sulphur. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Restrained nose of browning yellow apple, chalk, flint, a hint of anise. In the mouth, the wine’s slightly oily texture only makes the dazzling minerality that much more surprising. Citrus and yellow fruit complement but discreetly. Acidity sheds light. A saline tang marks the long finish. Crystalline, fresh and indeed pure, this would make a fine aperitif with thyme-roasted almonds and tapenande hors d’oeuvres. Raw bars should be ordering cases. (Buy again? [Insert high price gripe here] but definitely.)
Salon VIP 2014: Root day at Rézin (1/7)
We wended our way to the Groupe Rézin stand, where Steve Beauséjour was, as ever, an enthusiastic host. Despite its being a root day – not a fruit day – on the biodynamic calendar, the wines were showing well, he said. And indeed they were.
Grüner Veltliner 2012, Rosensteig, Kremstal, Weingut Geyerhof ($28.85, private import, 12 bottles/case)
Currently comprising 19 hectares of vines, 70% of them Grüner Veltliner, the estate has been in the Maier family’s hands since the 16th century and certified organic since 1988. This 100% Grüner Veltliner comes from vineyards in Hollenberg, located on the south side of the Danube, east of Krems. The grapes are manually harvested in early October and whole-cluster pressed. After clarification by settling, the must is fermented with indigenous yeasts, matured on the lees for several months and filtered and bottled in mid-March. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. 12.5% ABV. Screwcapped. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Textbook GV nose: lime, green melon, white minerals, whiffs of grass, mint and white pepper. Nimble, fleet and fluid in the mouth yet also very present. Clean and tangy fruit, crystalline minerals and crisp acidity dance across the palate and fade into a saline, peppery finish. So easy to down. A summer sipper par excellence, this would also go famously with salads, vegetable dishes and mildly spiced, not-sweet, white-proteined Asian food. (Buy again? A bit pricey for an everyday wine – a recurring theme at this show – but yes.)
Salon VIP 2014: Xinomavro Nature
Still at the oenopole booth, we next tasted one of the standouts at this year’s salon.
Naoussa 2013, Xinomavro Nature, Thymiopoulos Vineyards ($62.75/1500 ml, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% biodynamically farmed Xinomavro. The manually harvested grapes are destemmed, fermented with indigenous yeasts and macerated 18 days in stainless steel tanks and large barrels. Maturation lasts six months and takes place in 500- to 600-litre barrels. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and with no added sulphur. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
An intriguing mix of fresh and stewed red fruit, oyster bed and distant garrigue. Medium-bodied but mouth-filling, juicy but dry. The tart acidity, lithe tannins and dusty minerals work like a foil for the vibrant, glowing fruit. There’s a real energy here that just lights up your palate. Not remarkably long but lip-smacking while it lasts. The thought of drinking this with grilled stuff – meat, sausages and vegetables – had our mouths watering. (Buy again? Yes, yes, yes.)
Thymiopoulos’s Jeunes vignes de xinomavro bottling has become a stealth hit at the SAQ and the Terre et Ciel bottling has knocked the socks off more than one drinker, including critics. This Xinomavro Nature confirms that he’s redefining notions of what the grape can achieve.
Unfortunately, the 750 ml bottles are sold out and only a few magnums remain. Here’s hoping for a second shipment!
Authentic, tonic and delicious
Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2011, Clisson, Ollivier Père et Fils ($20.25, 12259992)
Muscadets now have recognized crus communaux, or village crus, one of which is Clisson. 100% Melon de Bougogne. Matured on the lees for 24 months in stainless steel tanks. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: A.O.C. & Cie – Châteaux et Domaines.
The kind of nose that makes a Muscadet lover’s mouth watering: lemon, green apple peel, veins of chalk and flint, hints of straw, hay, honey and sea spray. In the mouth, the wine has an oily verging on weighty texture. It’s fruity but dry. There are minerals (but not as many as the nose lead you to expect), nipping acidity and a touch of bitterness on the rainwatery finish. Authentic, tonic and delicious, a valiant effort in a so-so vintage and one of the few characterful Muscadets sold at the SAQ. Here’s hoping it becomes a regular. About perfect with moules marinières (recipe follows) and excellent with La Sauvagine cheese. An SAQ wine advisor reports that the tail end of a sampled and simply restoppered bottle was even more impressive – broader, deeper and longer – the next day. (Buy again? Yes.)
Despite claims to the contrary, it appears Ollivier Père is not Marc Ollivier, co-owner of one of top two or three estates in Muscadet, Domaine de la Pépière. Confusingly, Web searches turn up photos of earlier vintages of a Clisson from Pépière with an identical label. Even more confusingly, Pépière is represented in Quebec by Vinealis, whereas this wine is brought in by AOC. Vinealis’s head honcho, André Papineau, explains all in the comments below.
MWG October 2nd tasting: Moschofilero, still and sparkling
The tasting began with a challenge. As usual, the wines were served double-blind, with the bottles hidden in bags and no information on their provenance provided. For the first flight, the tasters were told only that the two wines had all kinds of connections. Could they deduce what the connections were?
Mantinia 2013, Moschofilero, Domaine Tselepos ($19.00, 11097485)
100% Moschofilero. The grapes are macerated eight hours at 10°C, then pneumatically pressed. Fermentation with selected yeasts and in stainless steel vats is at 12°C and lasts 20 days with regular stirring. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Aromatic nose: citrus and chalk along with white spice and orange blossom aromas that seem to place it midway between a Muscat and a Gewürztraminer. In the mouth, it’s clean and dry with a faint spritzy tingle. The forward fruit (grapefruit and peach) is held in check by bright acidity and threads of pith-like bitterness and saline minerality. A floral note perfumes the finish. More vivacious than deep (not that there’s anything wrong with that), this QPR winner makes a fine aperitif and is also a natural with Ottolenghi-esque vegetable salads and simple seafood dishes flavoured with aromatics like basil and fresh ginger. (Buy again? Yes.)
Arkadia NV, Amalia Brut, Méthode traditionnelle, Domaine Tselepos ($25.35, 11901103)
The world’s first naturally sparkling Moschofilero. The grapes are picked when their sugar is low and acidity high. Made using the traditional method. First fermentation is in stainless steel tanks and lasts 12 months. The wine is then bottled with several grams of rock sugar and closed with a crown cap. The sugar ferments, producing the carbon dioxide gas that gives the wine its sparkle. At the end of this second fermentation, the bottles are hand-riddled, disgorged and closed with cork stoppers. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Discreet nose: subtle fruit, faint minerals (“dried plaster” noted one taster) and hints of mead and yeasty ginger beer. Clean and dry with a fine bead. The fruit is greener and leaner than the still wine’s, tending more to lemon. The minerality is more pronounced and the acidity zingier. The grape’s intrinsic floral and spice aromas emerge mainly on the finish and even then are subdued. Comparisons with its sibling aside, this crisp and refreshing wine is a pleasure to drink. Can hold its own against any similarly priced sparkler on the market. (Buy again? Yes.)
A few tasters guessed that the wines were made by the same producer – no surprise there. One or two hesitatingly ventured that they might be made from the same grapes. A request to identify the country and region of origin elicited numerous replies, Alsace being the most common, but no one guessed Greece. Even after the bottles were unveiled, the connections between the wines qua wine were not particularly obvious, were ones you had to look for to draw. Still, just about everyone around the table enjoyed both wines, said they were surprising and considered them good buys.
(Flight: 1/6)
A civilized red from the Languedoc
While this made a fine pairing for hanger steak with anchovy, garlic and parsley (recipe after the jump), I couldn’t stop thinking of Patricia Wells’ roasted guinea hen stuffed with finely chopped black olives, shallots, thyme, chicken liver and bacon (see Bistro Cooking for the script).
Languedoc 2012, Campredon, Domaine Alain Chabanon ($27.15, 11909586)
Chabanon is reportedly a disciple of Alain Brumont, not that you’d ever guess it from this wine. A blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache (50-30-20 according to some, 60-25-15 according to SAQ.com) from biodynamically and organically farmed vines averaging 23 years old. Manually harvested. Gravity-transferred to stainless steel tanks. Fermentation (with indigenous yeasts) and maceration last five weeks and entail alternating punch-downs and pump-overs. The wine is then pressed in a pneumatic press and matured ten months in stainless steel tanks. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. 12% ABV (!) per the label, 13% per SAQ.com. Quebec agent: A.O.C. & Cie Châteaux et Domaines.
Fresh and fragrant nose of dusty plum and blackberry with hints of dried herbs, licorice, game and old wood. Medium-bodied. The impressively pure, ripe-sweet fruit is soon wrapped in a gossamer astringency and bitterness. Supple tannins frame, soft acidity buoys, mineral and black olive flavours haunt. A dry, long and graceful wine that is savoury to its core. (Buy again? Yes.)
A near perfect everyday red
IGP Peloponnese 2012, Agiorgitiko, Domaine Tetramythos ($16.15, 12178957)
100% organically farmed Agiorgitiko. The grapes are fully destemmed, then macerated and fermented with indigenous yeasts for 15 days in stainless steel tanks. Matured five months in 5,000-litre barrels. Unfiltered and unfined. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Fresh nose of plum and blackberry with hints of black pepper, clove, old wood and earth. In the mouth, it’s a silky textured middleweight. The supple fruit shows a natural sweetness but zingy acidity and raspy tannins soon kick in while darker flavours and a thread of bitter astringency emerge and last well into the savoury, dry finish. Natural – not industrial – tasting, in contrast to so many inexpensive wines. Not profound but good, clean fun and undoubtedly one of the better reds at the price point. Its food-pairing talent is obvious. Went well with a simple stew of beef, tomatoes and black olives and beat a twice-the-price Chianti Classico as a match for Venetian-style calf’s liver. Would also have worked with just about any Greek dish involving meat (moussaka, souvlaki, braised lamb), not to mention similar fare from all around the Mediterranean. In other words, a near perfect everyday red. Why, then, is it available in so few outlets? (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG September 11th tasting: A classic Vranec?
We took a short break from Glou wines to spend some time with a bottle a member had purchased in New York City.
Tikveš 2011, Vranec, Classic, Stobi (US$13, importation valise)
The winery is located in the centre of the country, near the Strobi archeological site, from whence it takes its name. Local and international varieties are used to make four lines of wine: premium, classic, elite and traditional. This 100% Vranac (Vranec in Macedonian) comes from estate-grown grapes. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, matured in very large oak barrels and reportedly vegan-friendly, which may mean it wasn’t fined. The winery boasts of using less sulphur than many competitors. 14.5% ABV.
“Smells like selected yeasts,” were the first words out of sommelier Jack Jacob’s mouth. Other aromas included cedar, cherry and, oddly enough, blackberry yogurt. In the mouth, the wine was full-bodied, dense and coarse. Recalling dark berries and plum, the fruit was rough-framed by rustic tannins and buoyed by soft acidity. Spice notes turned cedary on the heady finish. One-dimensional, this “odd man out,” as one taster put it, was not done any favours by being tasted in the company of such beautiful natural wines that, it should be noted, run two, three or even four times its price. In another context, say alongside a weeknight meat pie, kebabs, stew or casserole (musaka, for example), it might well prove more satisfying. (Buy again? Maybe.)
A year or two ago, the 2010 was sold at the LCBO for $11.95.
(Flight: 7/9)
MWG September 11th tasting: Grounded, alive, drinkable
Drawing inspiration from natural winemakers such as Yvon Métras and Dominique Derain and mentored by the likes of Eric Pfifferling and Olivier Cousin, young Benoit Courault worked at Domaine des Sablonettes before setting up shop in Faye d’Anjou about eight years ago. His vineyards, which total about 5 hectares, are planted to Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and a little Cabernet Sauvignon. He farms organically, works the soil with a horse, adopts a non-interventionist approach in the cellar and minimizes the use of sulphur. For an extended profile with lots of photographs, see this post on the Wine Terroirs blog.
Vin de France 2012, Les Tabeneaux, Benoit Courault ($28.70, private import, 12 bottles/case)
A middle-Loire blend of organically farmed Cabernet Franc and Grolleau (about 2/3 and 1/3 respectively) from five parcels. Destemmed. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured in concrete tanks. Minimal or no added sulphur. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Glou.
Fresh but not herbaceous nose: plum, black raspberry, a floral note, a hint of ash. Smooth and round in the mouth, with soft tannins, an acidic hum, pure, ripe fruit, a slatey substrate and a long, clean, tartish finish. So grounded, so alive, so drinkable. Proved the perfect charcuterie wine, unfazed even by pickled pork tongue. (Buy again? Yes.)
(Flight: 5/9)
Brett happens 