Billionaire Winos

In one of the rare moments of down time I tend to read things like magazines, books and scour the inter-tubes for tasty little morsels of goodness. Sometimes they are hidden gems bursting with flavour and other times they give me the same visceral reaction as when I endured natto for the first time – absolute repulsion.

One of my favorite addictions is reading magazines – specifically stylish ones – GQ, Esquire (both North American and British Editions) because they contain a combination of good writing and good photography. Recently though I have turned onto one of the better reads.

Like most married men my age we tend to see a scattered Vogue magazine in the house, and of course we have to investigate it. The pictorials are lovely and the writing is captivating. In the last couple of years they have thrown their hat into the men’s mag ring. In a recent issue of Men’s Vogue it takes a real look into the world of the “super collectors” – those individuals who spend more in a month on wine than most average households earn in a year. These are the billionaire winos.

Why winos – well because as you read you see they aren’t just collecting – but they are drinking some of the greatest vintages ever produced. It is staggering to see how far the consumption of the greatest vintages has gone. Through various links and sources you can read accounts of dinners consisting of 18, 20 even 23 different other worldly vintages at a clip.

Maybe I’m jealous of them. I want to have those noteworthy experiences like this.

On the other side of the coin is a wothwhile read on the rise of fake versions of famous Premier Cru wines and the rise of the practice due to the near incalculable heights of the modern wine markets. Sadly I am not as experienced in tasting to say I have had even a mere sniff of some of these wines – but one day I will. Until then I will keep up to date with a growing list of blue chip wines – wines to keep and enjoy.

Copyright 2008. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The Onophile’s dilemma

It’s that time of year again and the city is bubbling over with excitement about Wine Fest. This annual 4 day event gives the oenophile quotient of the city the opportunity to taste a good selection of wines, some of which are not even available in the local markets – yet.

Tonight is the first night of tastings. Looking through the little book of wineries, I know there will not be any “heavies” on display but there will be enough variety to keep even the largest wine snob happy.

Tonight is really about the buying. Most, if not all of the good wines on offer will be snapped up after tonight. If I am lucky, I should be able to snag a few bargains or even a couple of potential gems to add to my ever appreciating collection.

On another note, I bumped into an acquaintance this week and talked shop – it is always about wine. He was “lamenting” the fact that over the summer he had the opportunity to travel to Bordeaux last summer and taste from all of the Premier Cru houses in the region. He mentioned that he traveled with a friend in his mid 70’s, and had this thing that suggesting that anything younger than wine made in 1985 was off limits – and not drinkable.

We laughed as we know that 1995 and 2001 were great years for growth and produced some exceptional wines around the world. By all accounts the 2005 wine futures are predicting good things for that vintage – but we’ll have to wait another 10 years or so to really see if that is true or not.

Anyway, they get together once and a while to drink what they euphemistically call “barnyards” – they are generally older wines and ones which have the potential for “turning” – a little brown on the edges and has that faint whiff of mushroom.

As we were chatting, my wife asked if he enjoyed Canadian wines -and he flatly said they were crap. So I asked if he had tasted a wine from Vineland Estates. So I told him the truth – that he believes all Canadian wine is crap because he’s drinking from under the escarpment (that’s the Niagara Escarpment, part of the reason wine can be produced in the Niagara region of Ontario) whereas Vineland is located on top of the escarpment.

He was intregued by my answer and so posed the notion – a simple trade. One bottle of your best from Vineland for a “barnyard”. So I have accepted the challenge.

I have no idea what I will be getting – it could be stellar – or it could taste like it was strained through week old socks. No matter. The thrill is knowing that I’m getting a surprise, and he’s getting something that might change his mind. Who knows – only time will tell.

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copyright 2008. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work on this site will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

It must be better, it costs more

This article in the Globe and Mail which printed this piece about “it must be better, it costs more”.

The gist is summed up this way:

“Our results suggest that the brain might compute experienced pleasantness in a much more sophisticated manner that involves integrating the actual sensory properties of the substance being consumed with the expectations about how good it should be,”

In other words if you have  the expectation that a product like wine costs a lot, your brain will automatically choose that as the best.  Just some food fo thought.

Sonoma challenge

“Show me what is popular,” I asked the NLC employee. A pretty girl with a small nose stud took me on a whirlwind tour of the store. We searched the shelves and she led me to all the stops I have been before – Australian Cabernet and Shiraz, Canadian wines from the mega producers, and Italian Sangiovese. Unfortunately, I was in the mood for something my friends don’t know about yet.
“I don’t drink wine, myself,” she said “but I will get you someone who does.”
Several minutes later a wine bottle was thrust into my hand – “here you go. If you don’t like this, the bald guy over there will buy you anything you would like.” That sounded like a challenge to me.
The wine was given to me by a manager – the same one who remembered the bottles of whiskey which my dad and I purchased a while back. They were brought into town on a flight from Labrador – but that is another story.
What was thrust upon me was a 1999 Chateau Souverain, a Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon. I walked over and introduced myself to the wine rep. “So what’s the
deal with this? And why are you going to such lengths to stand behind it?”
“It’s a wine that shouldn’t be here and it is fantastic.”
Sure, I’ve heard this line before from a sales rep. They think they have the best product in the world. He then tells me that originally, this wine was not supposed to make it to Newfoundland, had it not been for the regional wine buyer who just plain asked for this to come in, and it did. The real question is was it worthy of the challenge?
My first impression was that it was a brash, over the top, bull headed red. The opening nose of acetone and dark and rich fruits should have made me balk but I pushed on. But then there was the taste – tightly tannic and astringent with lots of heavy oak. I was simply disappointed as this is not what I enjoy in a red wine.
However, something made me think it deserved a second chance. To be fair, I decanted it to let it breathe properly and to see what happened.
A wine that started tight and tannic with a lot of breathing turned into a rich fruit wine, with hints of strawberries and leather with tobacco overtones lingering from the oak aging. It became smooth and very palatable with a mild to moderate finish. Now, it lives up to the
hype.
Had I stopped drinking this wine after the first pour and not decanted it this would not have been a happy ending. Instead, the Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon was well worth the price of $34.56. It needs time to breathe – lots of time – but it is well worth the wait.

Posting the menu

Beckett on Wine and Restaurant 21

Port Wine Dinner

FEATURING INTERNATIONAL GUEST SPEAKER

HUYSHE BOWER

November 22nd, 2006 – 8:00 PM

Whole roasted almonds with coarse sea salt – Taylor Fladgate Chip Dry

Olive oil poached mussels with red pepper and pineapple salsa – Taylor Fladgate First Estate

Foie Gras au torchon with toasted brioche, dried fig salad, sel rose – Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Tawny Port

Pan roasted duck breast rubbed with thai chillies, pear puree, dry cranberry and pear relish, glazed organic baby carrots, wild rice – Chateau de Serame, Corbieres

Stilton cheese, ice frosted grapes, thin hard tack – Taylor’s Single Quinta Port

Classic cream brulee flavoured with nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla, with a snap cookie cone of sugar – Taylor’s Fine White

Coffee/tea with Belgium Callebaut Chocolate Truffles – Taylor’s Vintage 1985

I said that the menu would come soon -  and it did. I am particularly interested in some of the white ports.  While most drinkers tend to lean towards the sweeter side of the porto world, I like the dryness of the white ports.  In the summertime especially.

While not all of the ports are vintage -  it is still going to be a good night out.  A taxi in – a taxi out and a banging good hangover for work the next morning-  swell.

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Gone…but back again

Tolkien was a brilliant writer. His much loved characters are still important and recognizable today. He wrote of fellowship and honour and standing up for what is right – all lessons that we need in a troubled time such as ours.

The title of his prequel to his successful trilogy was the Hobbit, but as every one knows, the faithful main character renames it, at the end of the book as “There and Back again”. I can relate to that.

I have been missing in action, and thanks to you who were wondering where I have been for the last little while. I am alright. I am not sick. I was just…gone.

See the writing biz is a difficult one, and in the food world even more difficult. So in order to pad the old coffers for the long winter ahead, I had to take a real job, which unfortunately I love very much, and has taken me away from my first love – food writing.

No…..don’t fret! please come back…I’m still here. Back with stories and food and wines. Just because I was not writing about food for a while does not mean that I have abandoned it forever. See, I have a new job which is – like a fellowship. We are banded together – our little group – to set about a daunting task, monstrous, even. What is it? I can’t say – I have signed to many documents forbidding the reveal of its identity, and if I were – the litigious monsters from hell would surely take my soul forever. So I am bound to this journey – for now.

But this is just it – I am still writing about food, and for other sources and writing more and more. more magazines are coming my way, more gigs. Who needs sleep when I get presents of wines not even in the local store catalogue. I spent the past weekend drinking 5 new wines – all of them new.
Take the Long Neck Cabernet Sauvignon for example. South Africa is developing a strong international reputation for high quality product without high prices. This is a new release from the Cape Town region. Situated on the coast, the terroir lends itself to strong growing conditions of hot sun combined with the cooling breeze from the ocean. It makes for a good combination. This dark plum or purple colored wine is full of deep, rich and ripe fruit. The nose sends hints of acetone, however it soon mellows out. A fruity palate of flavours descends on the tongue. A moderate long finish seals the deal with ripe cherries and plum overtones.

Raimat Abadia 2003 is a mature tasting blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo grapes. The tempranillo is the most well known of the Spanish grapes of the Rioja region. What comes out is smooth and creamy wine. The mouth feel is a velvety smooth with a deep ruby colour. Other notes of pepper and tobacco are noticeable without being overbearing and it ends with a long, elegant finish. I am sure that this wine, if cellared, will only get better with age.

On the white wine side of things we have the Placido Pinot Grigio. When slightly chilled it retains a floral nose, a true mark of Pinot Gris. As a pure pinot wine it is a good example. Exotic fruits, citrus and rose petals are present. It has a delicate body, slightly spicy and sweet, but not sickly. This light coloured wine would be perfect with a light salad and citrus vinaigrette, or even just simple heat kissed whitefish.

See..I’ve still got it…well maybe. More posts to come from my wilderness time spent away from the keyboard. Perhaps a good break was good for us all.

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copyright 2006

Birthday Ritual

I don’t like birthdays – never have. I always felt that they were a bit of a sham. More importantly, growing up my birthday was a difficult time to arrange a party since I am a September child – school begins and everyone is busy. However that is a moot point – I can’t say I was ever “hard done by” (as my father likes to say).

This year is a bit better. It seems that everyone has some time of and time to have a bit of a good time.

My dad and I are fans of a strange Belgian dish called steak tartare which involves fresh, raw beef, raw egg and seasonings. This dish is then served traditionally with pommes frites which are double fried french fries..mmmmm. We are allowed to have this treat once, and only once, a year. So this time, we’re making a celebration of it.

This year is a little different as we have also decided to share this particular tradition with some family friends. To encourage them to attend, we have decided that we are going to have a tasting of French wines from Saint-Emelion they are:

Pierre Coste 2002; Chateau Franc Grace-Dieu St. Emelion Grand Cru 2001; Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot St. Emelion Grand Cru 2001, Chateau Haut Badon St. Emelion Grand Cru 2000. While they were my choices based solely on their complimentary qualities for the steak tartare they are mostly Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes – and my mom and dad both hate Merlot – this should be fun!

Since I am the family expert it is my chore to make the tasting notes and score cards for the tasting.   Chores for my birthday – oh well, at least it is for a good cause.

So off I go to find the notes and prepare myself for the gastronomical experience and have all the information to lead the tasting; good food, good wine and lots of fun – the way a birthday was meant to be celebrated. Hangover not included.

Cheers.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Bordeaux 2005 futures looking up

The business of speculation wine buying has been part of the success of the French industry for as long as wines have been classified. Any investment, which wine speculation is, is a tightrope act meant only for those whose pockets can afford the wait and the storage. This piece is on how after just 2 months,the 2005 Bordeaux futures market has begun to take off like a rocket. This exponential growth is unprecedented in the industry and has a lot of wine buyers frothing at the mouth for high returns for what the insiders consider to be the best Bordeaux growth since 1982.

Is this rational? Is spending $1000 a bottle for wine that you won’t even have in your hand until 2008 worth it? Even still, that speculators see the 2005 vintage peaking somewhere around 2050. Is the hype worth the wait?

If I had a couple grand to expend – then sure as a wine connoisseur I would love to have a couple of show stoppers in my collection – but only to drink.

My advice – save now to buy the bottle you choose in 50 years time. Save for that special occasion and splurge. Waiting to see if this is truly great is a crap shoot – I might be wrong, but if it turns out bad than all you are left with is sour grapes.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

I (de)cant decide

To decant or not to decant, that is the question. Whether it is nobler to let the bottle mature and have at it with corkscrew in hand than it is to let it mellow in a glass vessel that is the question.

Decanting wine has always been a big debate. Hard core onephiles swear that only the most deserving wines need the laborious, but ritualistic method of proper decanting. However, young wine lovers, counter that any wine, old or new could benefit from decanting. So the question still remains – do we decant or don’t we?

For some people, the presence of sediment will either make them drool or make them angry. For the pretentious snobs in the wine world, sediment is the hallmark of a wine that has “laid down” for a while. However the presence of sediment could easily be attributed to the fact that the wine was improperly filtered. Sediment to most other people is the hallmark of a chance to get out a decanter.

For those of you wondering if you need a special container for the wine, consider this – most decanting is done just prior to service, so what it is in has little bearing on an older wine. Although, some sommeliers believe that very young wines also deserve the decanting treatment. The argument is that the decanting will help “aerate” the wine and round out some of the harsher notes generally associated with newer wines.

I sit on the fence on this one. For me the decanter is reserved for two camps – the first is that bottle of wine that has had a good life in a cellar and deserves to be let out and tasted. This requires the task of using a decanter – as to give it a good send off (and if the decanter is crystal – all the better). This is the drink equivalent of a wake for a good friend. It has been good having you around – but now it is time to party.

My second use is a little bit of wine trickery. By knowing how wines work and the way in which they change characteristics in the presence of oxygen, the cheapest wines can taste like First Growth Bordeaux if properly handled. By allowing a younger wine to sit decanted for up to two hours prior to service can really make a difference to the flavour palate.

Although the main reason for decanting is to remove the sediment from the wine you require three tools – a corkscrew, a candle and a vessel to pour the wine into. To decant a wine properly cut the entire foil off the wine bottle – this is to allow you to see when the sediment starts reaching the neck of the bottle. If the wine has been sitting in a cellar for a long time and the sediment has really started to build up, it is a good idea to stand the bottle up about 24 hours before serving to allow the sediment to settle to the bottom of the bottle. Once the entire foil has been removed start pouring the wine slowly into the vessel chosen. Pour with the neck of the bottle over the flame of the candle, and watch to see when the sediment starts to pour through the neck. The moment the sediment starts to move through the neck, stop decanting. In any given bottle the sediment will be mixed with about a cup of wine. This is not suitable for drinking (due to the solids in the wine) but would sure make a good base for a sauce if you are serving the wine with food.

Although any vessel you choose will be good for the purpose, it is nice to have a decent decanter. I have a wide bottomed one made of crystal and it is an elegant piece to accompany our crystal stemware. So whether it is for a First Growth Grand Cru or for that bottle of Premier Plonk, decanting is a choice – like it or not.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be punished to the full extent of the law.

So, You Want Wine With That?

Food and wine pairings can sometimes be as easy as a Sauterne and foie gras, but you have to scratch your head as what to drink with a bitter melon soup.
There are restaurants all over the world specializing in food and wine pairing. Go to any winery on the Niagara Peninsula and you will generally find a tasting menu which artfully balances the vintner’s own wines with good food. But who said wine is only good with food at a fancy restaurant?
I am a proponent of having a glass of wine with food – all food. It is one of the joys of cooking to pair every day food with a relaxing glass of wine.
I tend to lean towards the obvious pairings of wine and food. I love red wine and red meat and the more hearty the food the more robust the wine. For your next roast of beef try Chateau Neuf de Pape. While it is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet grapes it tends to be robust and drinkable at any price point. For fish and poultry (excluding game fowl) I like crisp whites. I lean towards grassy chardonnays on summer days and oaky ones in the depths of winter. Give any one of these a try. I am sure that you will enjoy them.
For something completely different consider some of these unconventional pairings:
To me, fast food is a last resort, but sometimes I just have to go with a classic: a double Big Mac combo: the sweetness of the “secret sauce” (Thousand Island dressing) can withstand almost any red, but I prefer a Canadian Vintage Cabernet Franc. The earthiness and the slight bitter note as well as a long finish balance the perceived sweetness of the pickles and sauce.
For red meat, especially home made and grilled burgers which have less sodium and processing, I tend to go for a good hearty red, although, I have been known to throw a cheap $9.00 bottle of Hungarian table wine on the table with great success.
Regionally speaking, I like the new world grapes as much as the well favoured old world varietals. When cooking at home for myself or entertaining, I try to keep wines regionally specific to the foods being served. This makes sense when serving veggie loaded KD (American). A Cabernet Franc (Canadian/American) goes perfectly. The dryness of the Cab Franc grapes cuts through the fattiness of the cheese sauce and gives the acidity needed in rounding out flavours.
Moving away from national foods, I am a proponent of sparkling wine and Chinese food. This is for a couple of reasons: the first is if the food is spicy, as I tend to like it, there is some sweetness to balance the heat and the carbonation settles the stomach.
Indian food is good with a Riesling or Gewürztraminer (preferably German) or a crisp oak aged Californian Chardonnay as the tannins in red wines tend to make curries bitter. Indian beer is a close second behind favoured wines as the bitterness of the hops and the lingering yeastiness of the beer fails to adequately balance the entire meal.
When choosing wine, the key is to be favourable to your own palate. If you like a certain wine, then go for it. Whether the food goes with it is secondary to the pleasure that wine gives you. However, the secret to good wine drinking is keeping an open mind about everything and at least attempting to match the food and wine. For me, half the fun of making a meal is looking through the racks of wine in the store and making a different choice for the meal.
While you peruse the shelves for that new experience remember to take along a note book to record your findings. If it works then you have a good chance of making a successful pairing again. I use a hard backed book. The front serves as a diary for the food I make from my imagination and the back is reserved for an ever growing list of wines as well as detailed tasting notes.
Just remember to have some fun with wine. A little planning will go a long way to making the question “would you like wine with that?” a memorable, and more importantly, pleasurable experience.

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Copyright 2006. Unlawful dissemination of this or any other work will be prosecuted to the fulll extent of the law.