Wineau Abroad: Wines from Afar

A few notes on some of the selections my globe-trotting Hubby has brought back for me (us) to enjoy ...

Weingut Familie Pitnauer 2015 Bienenfresser Zweigelt Reserve (Göttlesbrunn, Austria) - "Bienenfresser" is the German name for the European bee-eater, a small, colourful, swallow-like bird, as depicted on the label. Wild nose of cloves, raspberries and a hint of green pepper. Medium-bodied with fairly high acid and tannin levels. The wild fruit carries along the palate, accompanied by smoked meat and peppercorn. The finish, while dry texture-wise, explodes with jammy fruit flavours.


Weingut Okonomierat Rebholz 2015 Riesling Troken (Pfalz, Germany) - Brilliant gold with pale green highlights. Nose and palate tangy with green apple, petrol and lime zest. High acid, bordering on effervescent. Sharp and slightly metallic on the finish, with the fruit coming up a bit short. Biz trip to Berlin, Germany, 2016.

(PS, quick lesson on how to read a German wine label : Ökonomierat = an honour awarded to a deserving agriculturalist; weingut = vineyard property; Pfalz = wine region in Germany; Rebholz = family name of proprietor.)

Cave St-Pierre 2012 Johannisberg de Chamoson (Valais, Switzerland) - Also known as sylvaner, this wine glows with a deep gold colour tinged with a lime-green edge. Redolent with talcum powder, mango, papaya and fresh honey, and a viscous, creamy texture that coats the palate. Best with food, begs for fondue/raclette.

Celliers de Meknes Chateau Roslane 2013 Premier Cru Les Coteaux de l'Atlas (El Hajeb, Morocco) - This was a fantastic find, something that would definitely be worth ordering a case of, if I can find the Canadian distributor. In the glass, a regal garnet/plum colour that is slightly brickish. Overwhelming nose of jam, cherries, cedar, rosemary and pepper, followed by a light-to-medium body and mid-range acid/tannin balance. The exotic spice mix gets some cinnamon added to it, and the tangy fruit rounds out the finish.

Sisi's Wine

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia 

Once upon a time, about 130 years ago in Austria, there was a princess. An empress, really. Her name was Elisabeth, but everyone called her Sisi.

Cupcakes and beer: Ottawa Wine & Food 2012

Ottawa Wine and Food Show - to go? Or not to go?

Having attended Bon Appetit and Taste in the Glebe in the past year (which were much better organized, less crowded and lacking the miniskirt-clad hard-core party goers) I was pretty sure I'd written off OWFF. But then a week before the big day, I casually mentioned it to Hubby, who texted back his reply in all caps: "YEAH!"

So off we went. Yeah, twist my rubber arm.

Hubby Speaks: Artisanal Fromagerie

Hi, Internet. Hubby here, perpetrating a hostile takeover of Second Ferment! Okay, not really. Damned if I know how this program works, so I needed the extensive help of the blog-goddess who normally runs this joint to make sure I didn’t plunge the world into eternal darkness. A big thanks to her for letting me guest-blog.

My line of work allows me the luxury of travelling all over the world. My latest business trip sent me to New York for a couple of multilateral meetings at the UN. Not to distract too much from the point of this post, but you can check out the fruits of my labours here, here and here. I doubt these statements will change the world, but if nothing else, hopefully they will help it become a bit safer and more secure.

Back on topic. In a city that prides itself on being the center of the culinary universe, you can’t walk for two minutes in Manhattan without passing two dozen restaurants of myriad styles. As luck would have it, my hotel happened to be across the street from Artisanal Fromagerie and Bistro, a French restaurant and gourmet cheese shop. Here is how the night went.

When all else fails, cook up something tasty

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying past. (Douglas Adams)