Taste of the Commonwealth

Q: What two things do Uganda, Malta and England have in common?
A: They're Commonwealth countries. And they make wine. (No, really!)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the 85th anniversary of the first Commonwealth Games, and international Commonwealth Day (which is today), the Ottawa branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) held its inaugural Taste of the Commonwealth event on Sunday, March 8, at City Hall's Jean Pigott Place.

In conversation: WineWire Pop-Up Wine Shop

WineWire Pop-Up Shop107 Murray Street (in the Byward Market), Ottawa. Friday, 12-8 p.m. 

The evening has been nothing less than perfect. Dinner at your favourite restaurant, where the chef creates impeccable constructs of culinary art, where the gracious staff are there to attend to your every need, where the wine pairs perfectly with each delicious morsel.

That wine. What was it again? Where did the sommelier say it was from? Oh right. But you can't get it at the LCBO ...

That wine. Must find that wine.

Enter WineWire.ca

This and that

I've had a couple delightful mornings lately where I don't have to rush, where I get to walk the Doodle to school, and where I can sneak in a few extra snuggles with the baby. Bliss!

Another down, two more to go

New World Wine Regions wrapped up tonight with the final exam. Another course completed on the road to “getting my pin”. Two more courses and I’ll be a certified smart-ass about wine.

Before I wax poetic about the gorgeous samples from class … can I just say how much I h-a-t-e studying for exams? (At least this time around I had the sense to have a glass of wine on hand while I was doing it. Never thought of that for my Intro to the Sociology of Religion … might have helped.) I crammed as much as I could into my brain, then did the mental equivalent of throwing up on a page. All done. How that tests my intelligence, I’ll never know.

So ends my rant. Here are some more of my favourites from the latter half of the course:

Kim Crawford 2006 Dry Riesling (New Zealand)
I don’t like Chardonnay, but I like Riesling even less. A wine that smells like gasoline? No thanks. Still, this time around, the subtle “petrol” aromas blended well with peach, pineapple and floral notes, followed up with flavours of citrus, honey, apricot, alcohol and fresh herbs. Medium bodied, well balanced, with a nice, smooth mouth feel. (Denise didn’t like this, calling it her “definition of a bad wine”. Huh? Whatever …)

Newton Johnson 2006 Pinot Noir (South Africa)
Hailing from the Elgin Region, which is famous for its p.noirs, this one has all kinds of cherries, dark chocolate, earth and tobacco on the nose. Very sweet taste of cherries, alcohol, with high acid and low tannins. Not as musty or barnyard-y as most p.noirs, quite pleasant, actually.

Craggy Range 2002 Merlot (Gimblett Gravels, New Zealand)
To taste and smell this wine, you’d never believe it was a Merlot. Thick, almost black in the glass, exploding with jammy red fruit, dark chocolate, red licorice and cloves. Pretty intense tannins, but the fruit – almost port-like in nature – is what steals the show. Long, spicy, black cherry finish. Because it’s from Gimblett Gravels , a tiny, all-about-the-terroir area where the wineries need to be certified and every last detail is audited, the price is a steep $40. Worth it? Yup.

Elderton Command 2003 Single Vineyard Shiraz (South Australia)
Thought 40 bucks was pricey? How about this one: everything you’d expect from an Aussie shiraz, all for the bargain-basement price of $75. We’re bordering on port with this gem – rich chocolate, sweet spice, “Christmas cake” aromas and flavours. Every sniff’s a different experience. Tannins are well structured, nice on the mouth, and the finish is long, slightly sweet-tart and delightful.

Next class: Old World Wine Regions in September.

Schoooooool’s out for sum-mer …

Quaff this: Anura Reserve 2003 Syrah Mourvedre (South Africa)

Back to class after a week of drinking no-name brand wine in the DR. (Not that I minded. After a long day of hard work basking poolside and drinking cuba libres, Bahama Mamas and Presidente beer, I greatly enjoyed the simple, fruity little house red they served. It went perfectly with everything: pizza, pasta, grilled fish, bruschetta, barbequed eggplant, paella, octopus, fried plantain, sardine salad, goat ...)

Tonight's class was a tribute to South Africa ("Seeth Eee-free-keee") and while they may consider their Pinotage to be the next wonder of the world, I preferred this succulent, complex shirazzy-blend from Anura. Deep, opaque raisin colouring, with chocolate, cherry, tobacco, alcohol and prunes on the nose. All sorts of wonderful things going on taste-wise: coffee, pepper, more chocolate, strawberry jam, candied cherry and raisins. The intense heat of the alcohol ramped up the soft, round tannins and lingering acid, but not obnoxiously so. That heavy sweetness lingered long after, a delicious, deep-in-your-throat warmth you want to savour for a while. Apparently it's supposed to go well with beef stroganoff, goulash or stew (according to the winemaker). At $25 a bottle, it's a great deal for such awesome quality. I gotta get me some.