Issue #45, December 2022

Here we are in the midst of the annual search for stocking stuffers plus something altogether different for December; World Cup fever. It’s one fever to welcome with open arms.  

That said, I thought we should host a friendly; a showdown between some of the great wine-producing countries of the world. The qualifier for getting into this tournament was simply this, if the wine looks good, it’s in. 

So, hurry and grab your usual seat at the old tasting table in beautiful Jim’s Affordable Cellar Stadium and get set for all the thrills and excitement of pulling some corks for the first (and likely last) Jim’s Affordable Cellar World Cup of Wine.

Welcome back to The Cellar.

---

Let’s kick things off with Match #1. 

This is a doozy of a tilt between two superpowers of the wine world. 

France vs Chile

Team France has taken to the tasting pitch with this beautiful Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache blend. It’s very typical of the French winemakers from Midi to use this lineup of grapes. And why not, they team so well together.

Château Rombeau L’Élevé 
Côtes du Roussillon-Villages 2018
Midi, France
750 ml bottle Vintages #28411
$21.95

This wine is a powerhouse with essences of dark fruit, berries, gunpowder and smoke with a leathery soul. It scored very high at the Decanter World Wine Awards and it definitely has scored early here in the cellar.

Team Chile is a formidable opponent with this Vistamar Gran Reserva from Alto Cachapoal; an amazing micro-climate in the Rapel Valley.

Vistamar Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Cachapoal Valley, Chile
750 ml bottle Vintages #27204
$20.95

Chile has produced a tasty cabernet sauvignon with rich, ripe fruits, some spice and an herbal character. It’s a silky, smooth player that’s full of fruity flavours and lively freshness. This wine will keep France on its toes.

---

Match #2 in the schedule is an unlikely matchup, but nonetheless an absolute beaut! 

Australia vs Argentina

Australia is going for an upset win here with its Hollick The Bard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019. 

This entry is captained by the Hollick family who began developing their vineyard in 1975. The wine celebrates the life of famous Aussie poet John Shaw Neilson who once lived in a cottage where the grapes now grow.

Hollick The Bard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
South Australia
750 ml bottle Vintages # 18525
$16.95

Neilson would wax poetic about this classic cab with its ripe fruit, vanilla and tannic backbone. Sadly, this wine is a tad difficult to find. It gets a yellow card for that. But it’s worth the search though.

Argentina has really come to play with Cadus Tupungato Malbec 2018. The grapes for this wine grow at high altitudes in the Gaultallary wine region. The vines are situated at the foot of the Andes as high as 1600 metres above sea level. This altitude means increased levels of sunlight so the grapes produce more tannins and the wine produced from them have intense colour and increased longevity.

Cadus Tupungato Appellation Malbec 2018
Mendoza, Argentina
750 ml bottle Vintages # 482992
$20.95

By all accounts, Cadus is a superb, full-bodied Malbec. Vintages Magazine praises it with aromas of aniseed and a palate that is rich, dense and textured. 

---

We could continue to enjoy that Malbec for a while but it looks like Match #3 is about to begin. 

Canada vs England

This is one sweet matchup, literally. 

Canada has fielded one of its signature products; ice wine. Now, before we get too far into this one, you should know I haven’t abandoned the ‘affordable’ part of our raison d’être. Nor did I over-indulge in that Malbec. Simply put, ice wine is damn pricey! But there’s a good reason.

Canada produces some of the world’s very best ice wine. And much of it comes from Ontario because production can only happen in areas with below-freezing weather conditions. Ice wine is produced by leaving the grapes on the vine until a sustained temperature of at least -8 is reached. The grapes are hand-picked and pressed before they thaw.

Low yield + labour intensive = $$$$. The result is juice that’s high in sugar and acidity with rich flavour. 

Lakeview Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine 2017
Niagara, Ontario
200ml bottle Vintages #471813
$39.95

This Lakeview Cellars Icewine is a rich burgundy colour in the glass. It wafts of ripe black cherries and black currant jam. This is a compote of liquid luxury. 

A little splash with your Chelsea Bun on Christmas morning would be a fine idea. It would also be a special gift for someone special. 

England is giving Canada a run for its money with a unique wine that we’ve never seen in the cellar. While we would normally associate the U.K. with dark ale, bangers and mash, so too is it the land of the sweet taste of Mead. 

Mead is made my fermenting honey and mixing it with fruits, spices, grains or hops. It is often called Honey Wine or the ‘Nectar of the Gods’. It was a popular drink in medieval Ireland. In the Old English epic poem Beowulf, the Danish warriors drank mead. But while it was a drink for warriors and Vikings, it’s just fine for kith and kin.

Moniack Mead
Devon, England
750 ml Vintages # 987263
$19.95

Moniack Mead is a classic British mead; rich and sweet with generous aromas of honey, dried apricot and spice. You can serve it chilled or over ice but heated, it’ll make Christmas that much warmer. A little sipper while watching ‘A Christmas Carol’ or ‘Elf’ would be just perfect.

Well, the three matches we’ve covered are probably going to shootouts. And that could take more time than we have here. So, I’m going to leave it to you to determine the winners at the JAC World Cup of Wine. 

One thing is certain. When wine is on the line, this definitely is ‘the beautiful game’.

Before we leave the cellar for Christmas break, I’d like to act like a Pine and get a little sappy. Thanks so much for another year of interest and your monthly visits to our tasting sanctuary. I’d be kind of lonely down here without you. 

I wish you the happiest and healthiest of times. 

See you in 2023.

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Our readership is continuing to grow! Thanks to all the new sign-ups to my web page where this newsletter is published each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in accessing it, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month when each new issue is published. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #44, November 2022

Ahh, November. It’s a month to take refuge in the corner of a sofa with a glass of sump’m special and get lost in a book. As I mentioned last time we sat around the old oak tasting table, a hearty wine in one hand would do the trick and perhaps a hearty book in the other. You’re probably thinking, what the heck is a ‘hearty’ book Jim? Truth is, I don’t really know. So how about a classic Hardy Boys book? 

The Hardy Boys was a widely-read mystery series (66 books) first published in 1927 featuring the amateur sleuths Frank and Joe Hardy. The books were written under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon, but several ghostwriters actually wrote the stories.

One of those most notably was a Canadian; Charles Leslie McFarlane, from Carlton Place near Ottawa, who wrote 19 of the first 25 stories. 

He was born in October of 1902 and died 45 Septembers ago in Oshawa. 

So, in honour of Leslie McFarlane (father of one-time hockey commentator Brian McFarlane, btw) let’s meet three hearty wines for November presented with a tip of the wine glass to the Hardy Boys.

Welcome back to The Cellar!

If our first wine was in a Hardy Boys book the story might be called,

---

THE SECRET OF THE Dão.

---

Catedral Reserva Dão
Dão, Portugal, 
750 ml LCBO #21981 
$12.75 

The Secret of the Dão is the story of one, Catedral Reserva. It comes to us from the mountainous Dão (rhymes with ‘now’) region of Portugal; one of the oldest and most established wine-producing regions in the country. The Dão is the home of the Touriga Nacional grape; the principal ingredient that makes port, which for me, puts Catedral Reserva in the ‘hearty’ category.

Frank and Joe Hardy were a tad young for wine but their famous private investigator father, Fenton Hardy would for sure have uncovered this beauty. 

It’s a deep ruby colour with aromas of smoke, licorice, prunes and spice. To taste it is an adventure in lush, round fruit flavours with enough tannin to give it just the right amount of heft.

I think the secret is, how do they make such a nice wine for such an affordable price? For now, that will have to remain a secret.

Our next wine presented with a Hardy Boys twist is,

---

THE MYSTERY OF THE OLD DOG

---

Shanahans The Old Dog Shiraz 2019
South Australia
750 ml VINTAGES # 13030
$21.95

The story goes that Shanahan’s The Old Dog is a tribute to the grandfather of winemaker John Harris. According to Mr. Harris, James (Jim) Shanahan was a hardworking, kind-hearted, wise and wonderful man. Atta boy Jim. 

Apparently, he was also a man of words. 

He used to say, “It’s the old dog for the hard road and the puppy dog for the footpath.” I think the mystery is, what does that mean exactly?

However, there’s no mystery to the wine. One taste and you immediately understand it as a classic full-bodied Shiraz. It’s loaded with ripe, dark fruit, and savoury spice flavours. But its leading characteristic is how smooth it is.

If butter could be wine, this would definitely be the wine. No matter what, The Old Dog is worthy of being any wine lover’s best friend.

Okay. It’s time to pull our next hearty wine, à la Hardy Boys, off the shelf.

---

THE PHANTOM BOTTLE

---

Mallory & Benjamin Talmard Mâcon-Uchizy 2021
Burgundy, France
750 ml VINTAGES# 733956
$18.95

The name Talmard has been listed in French wine-growing records dating as far back as the 17th century. So, no wonder this is a classically-styled Chardonnay. Simply put, the wine-makers of Burgundy wrote the book on Chardonnay. Not to mention, Pinot Noir but that’s another story.

The grapes for Mâcon-Uchizy 2021 were harvested from the southern part of Burgundy. It almost seems that as a thank you for letting them live in this beautiful part of the world, those grapes have given us a wine that is full-bodied with ripe, soft flavours, of citrus and spice.

It would be excellent with oven-baked trout or a hearty, roasted chicken. 

Now here’s why this story is called, The Phantom Bottle. The bottle is out there, but it’s hard to find. You’ll just have to channel your inner Hardy Boys and do a little investigating on lcbo.com using the vintages number shown below the bottle.

Wow, this sleuthing business is grueling! According to Brian McFarlane, his father regarded writing the Hardy Boys books as a nuisance.

“My father talked about having to write another of those cursed books, in order to earn another $100 to buy coal for the furnace. And he never read them over afterward.” 

I hope at least that one day he came to understand the escape and thrilling, sense of adventure he gave to generations of young readers. Thank you, Franklin W. Dixon.

As for us wine sleuths, we’ve worked hard this get-together. Good thing we’ve had the sustenance of three tasty wines to remember for a blustery November. 

Thanks to my son Cam for reminding me about Frank and Joe Hardy. And thanks again to my pal Brian Hickling for always making The Cellar look so inviting. 

See you in a month for our festive issue. 

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Our readership is continuing to grow! Thanks to all the new sign-ups to my web page where this newsletter is published each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in accessing it, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month when each new issue is published. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #43, October 2022

October 31st; the night when children of all ages like to temporarily assume a different persona and wardrobe up to become unrecognizable as their usual selves.

Michael from two doors down might just knock on your door on Halloween night as Max from Stranger Things. Or little Zoey from around the corner could arrive on your porch as Zuul from Ghostbusters.

But presenting yourself with a different name isn’t just the domain of October’s trick-or-treaters. 

It also applies to how various wine grapes are identified around the world, not just at Halloween but every month of the year. What a grape is known as in Australia, can be called something else entirely in say, France. 

So, make yourself comfy around the old, tasting table as we look behind the mask of the double agents of the wine world; the grapes we love, that have more than one identity.

---

Welcome back to the cellar.  

A wine lover from Italy and a wine lover from California meet at a wine lovers’ convention. They both decide to enter the ‘Sommelier for a Minute’ contest and try to guess the wine while blindfolded. A correct answer wins a ‘Sommelier for a Minute’ t-shirt. 

They are both given a sample of the same red wine. It’s jammy and bursting with aromas and flavours of blackberry, plums and black pepper. 

The Californian puts his nose to the glass. He sips the wine and swirls it around in his mouth. Then, quite confidently he declares, “For sure, this is a Zinfandel.” 

The Italian closes her eyes and deeply inhales the aromas from her glass. She takes a slow drink of the wine. A knowing smile appears on her face and she says,

“No. This wine is none other than, a Primitivo!”

They both remove their blindfolds as the smiling attendant tells them, “Congratulations! It is indeed a Primitivo.  And it’s a Zinfandel! 

They are one and the same grape.”

He presents them both with a ‘Sommelier for a Minute’t-shirt.  The short-term Sommeliers are thrilled.

Years ago, I discovered I quite liked Zinfandel; my wife too. Wait. I mean of course, I quite like my wife! Oh god, a ‘Who’s on First’ moment. 

What I’m trying to say is, my wife discovered she quite liked Zinfandel too. At any rate, sometime later we both found that we quite liked Primitivo. And as the two wine lovers at the convention found out, there’s a very good reason.

Primitivo is a dark-skinned grape originally grown in Croatia but now grown widely in the southern Italian region of Puglia. It was introduced to the U.S. in the early 1800s under the name Zinfandel. It became very popular and soon was referred to as America’s national grape. But American pride took a bit of a hit when DNA analysis proved that Zinfandel and Primitivo were in fact, the same varietal. 

Here is an opportunity to try a little taste test of our own with these two wines. We now know they’re both made with the same grape. Zinfandel in California. Primitivo in Italy. But see if you can tell which is which. 

Sorry, there are no t-shirts in the offing.

McManis Zinfandel
California, USA
750 ml LCBO# 256735
$19.95

Matané Primitivo 2020
Puglia, Italy
LCBO# 434290
$15.95

My take on these two wines is for sure they have very similar aroma and taste characteristics. But their differences lie not in the grape they’ve been made with but in how they have been made. Simply, the climate and winemakers in Puglia are different than those in California. 

Some have described Primitivo as powerful and Zinfandel as soft, even voluptuous.   

As for me, I would describe them both this way; “Top me up, please.”

Now it’s time to move on to yet another grape that answers to more than one name.

Shiraz and Syrah. 

Of course, if you’re a fan of wine from Australia you are quite familiar with Shiraz. But if you like wine from the Rhone in France, you are enjoying the juice of the same grape, except there it’s called Syrah. 

As with Primitivo (or Zinfandel), this grape is influenced by the climate where it is grown. In moderate climates like the Rhone and Washington state, Syrah produces medium to full-bodied tannic wines with notes of blackberry, mint and pepper.

In the heat of Australia, Shiraz is full-bodied but with softer tannins, jammy fruit, licorice and leather. I can almost hear the Australian accent in the word Shiraz.

Here are two fine examples.

Sidewood Shiraz 2019
South Australia
750 ml LCBO# 446146
$21.95

Sidewood Shiraz 2019 is all about dark berries and wafting herbs, velvety tannins and classy bitters. It’s definitely the full-meal deal in a bottle. Bon appetite.

And now for Shiraz’s alias. Syrah.

Louis Bernard Louis comes from the Rhone Valley. While it’s not a wine made only from Syrah, (here it’s blended with Grenache), Syrah’s signature is quite evident with flavours of cherry, plum, licorice and apple wood.

Louis Bernard Louis Côtes du Rhône-Villages 2020
Rhone, France
750 ml LCBO# 561290
$16.95

It’s time to move on to our next split-personality; Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio.

Pinot Gris is actually a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape and dates back to the middle ages in France. It was introduced to Italy early in the 19th century where the Italian translation of Pinot Grigio was adopted.

Although we’re talking about one grape, its different personalities become evident in different wine-making styles. That is, Pinot Gris is usually based on the French Alsace style; riper and richer, with more alcohol and sometimes a little sweetness.

Pinot Grigio shows its Italian side in wines that are lighter and simpler with less alcohol.

As you might expect, I just happen to have a bottle of each for us to try.

Schreckbichl Colterenzio Pinot Grigio 2020
Alto Adige, Italy
750 ml  LCBO# 293399
$19.95

Wunsch & Mann Premiere Selection Pinot Gris 2019
Alsace, France
750 ml  LCBO# 25334
$21.95

Well, that makes it a whopping six bottles we’ve been through. I think we better call it a day. And someone call me an Uber. 

But before we depart, back to Halloween. If you’re preparing yourself for the hordes of trick-or-treaters at the end of the month, you might want to have a glass of courage by your side. Perhaps a Zinfantivo will do the trick. No doubt it will be a treat.

That’s it for this time. See you in a month when we delve into some hearty wines to warm us when the skies of November turn gloomy. (Thanks GL)

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to all the new sign-ups to my web page where this newsletter is published each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in accessing it, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you, when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #41, August 2022

As we work our way through the lazy days of August, I feel it is time once again to imbed this month’s wine choices in a little wine story. I hope this is good company for you with a glass of something and a lounge somewhere in the shade.

Forgive me for veering from our regular routine as I bring you,

Vintage Edwina

The note was short.

With that, the lawyer executing my Aunt Edwina’s estate handed me the paper he’d been reading from. The words were hand-written with her perfect, cursive penmanship. Then he pushed over a plain white envelope containing the keys. 

I was my Aunt’s only nephew and really, the only family member she ever chose to spend much time with. There was her brother, my Uncle Seymour, whom she barely tolerated and would only visit because of his well-stocked wine cellar, and only if I went along as her guest and driver. 

A few weeks after leaving the lawyer’s office, I visited the cottagey home. It was too early to know if I would give up my rental and move in. But this visit was the first step to figuring that out. Also, I was intrigued by how she had signed off her message, “Drink it in.” 

It was the smallest house on the street. But the most charming. Guarded from the quiet road by decorative shrubs and ornamental trees, the bungalow was clad in wedge-wood blue clapboard with crisp, white trim. 

Inside, the first thing I noticed was a shiny, odd brass key in the bottom of a glass decanter on her dining table. A note was tucked under the decanter with my name on it.

---

Mud House Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Malborough, South Island, New Zealand
VINTAGES#190454
$19.95

After a hurried glass of the very tasty Mud House, with key in hand and very curious, I went to the door that lead downstairs. There was no key-hole and the knob turned freely. Down a short flight, I found myself in a tidy utility space with the usual accessories; washer, dryer, ironing board, some shelves with cleaning supplies, a compact gas furnace and a water heater. It was a small basement for a bungalow but I didn’t think much of it.

Her iron was perched on a wobbly, padded board. Out of habit I placed it securely in the wall mount nearby. As a boy, I nearly brained our cat by knocking an iron off its board.

About to leave I turned back to the iron on the wall. Had I seen something without realizing it? I lifted the iron. Just above the white bracket was a small tarnished brass plate with a circular hole. The key fit. I turned it left, then right.

A mechanized clunk sounded behind me, like it came from behind a wall; the wall with shelves holding various detergents, sponges, buckets and rolls of fresh paper towel. I turned around and moved over towards the shelves just as the wall they were mounted on remarkably swung inward revealing a large, dimly lit room. 

Stepping in, I saw that it wasn’t just a room. It was a wine cellar! 

“Drink it in,” suddenly made sense.

The air was cool. On three walls before me were rustic floor-to-ceiling, open cabinet shelves. Bottles lay neatly in each. There must have been 300 of them resting before me. What an amazing room! An old oak cask stood on end on my right just inside the secret door. On top of it awaited a letter. 

---

La Chimera d’Albegna Raffaello Sangiovese 2018
Tuscany, Italy
VINTAGES#25797
$14.95

I did as she told me. While sipping the wine, I read on.

I looked over to the shelf he had identified where three bottles lay. Anxiously, I continued reading Aunt Edwina’s letter.

They were covered with a layer of dust. The labels looked stained and smudged by time with faded words in the script. 

The bottles just looked important. Beside them, lay two unsealed envelopes. I took a folded note out of the first. It was another note from my grandfather to my aunt.

Incredulous, I quickly opened the other envelope. Inside, was another note. 

This one is from Edwina.

I stood there in the cool cellar grappling with disbelief and a case of the shivers while reading a final message from my aunt.

---

HER Shiraz 2020
Western Cape, South Africa
VINTAGES# 24247
$14.95

That day I left 3 Burgundy Lane for the first time knowing it now held not only the indelible memories of a very rare aunt, but also the rarest of treasures in a secret place my grandfather simply called, the office.

The End

---

I hope you enjoyed that wine-infused detour. While the story was imagined, the price paid for the 1945 Romanée-Conti is fact.

That’s it for now. As ‘The Happenings’ sang in their 1966 hit, See You in September.

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #40, July 2022

A little over a year ago, we were joined in the cellar by an expert of all that is wine, my friend, Marcel Bregstein.  This knowledgeable fellow is a sommelier and the Assistant General Manager at one of Toronto’s most beautiful places; The Toronto Hunt Club, perched on the bluffs overlooking our magnificent Lake Ontario.

Well, I’ve invited him back to the cellar. This time to talk with us about his favourite type of wine; the sparkling kind.

As I hinted last time, this is a very special month indeed. My daughter is getting married in just a few days! So, what better reason to pop some corks and get to know more about bubbles with the help of our special guest.

Welcome back to the cellar.

Marcel earned his sommelier certification in 2003. To his great credit, he is one of just five Canadians to be inducted into the L’Ordre De Coteaux de Champagne, a Champagne fraternity that began in 1650. He was given the title of, Chevalier. 

We couldn’t have a better guide to help us sip our way through the effervescent world of wine.

---

Jim: It’s great to see you, Marcel. Welcome back! I’m thrilled you’re able to join us again for our 40th issue of Jim’s Affordable Cellar. 

Marcel: Thank you so much. It’s an honour to do this.

Jim: I would love for you to tell us about some of the differences between Champagne, Prosecco and Cava.

Marcel: Well, the differences come from the grapes, the processes, the colour and the taste. Champagne is produced using the traditional method called Champenoise, as is Cava. The makers of Prosecco use the Charmat method (after Eugène Charmat) which calls for fermenting their wine in a large steel tank instead of the second fermentation in the bottle, used in the Champenoise method.

Jim: If I placed a glass of each in front of you, how would you identify which is the Champagne, which is the Cava and which is the Prosecco?

Marcel: The first thing I would look at would be the colour of the three wines. Because the Champenoise method would produce a darker juice than the Charmat method. The Prosecco would be a little more green than the darker, yellow colour in the Champagne or Cava. 

Then the bubbles. Definitely, the Champagne and Cava will have smaller bubbles and they will rise more rapidly than the bigger bubbles and slower speed you see in Prosecco.

In terms of comparing Cava to Champagne, I will find that Champagne is more sophisticated, better balanced and has no disrespect to Cava winemakers, but there is more elegance, more finesse and a really complex taste, certainly in a high-level Champagne but even an entry-level Champagne will have some of those components.

Jim: What about the variety of grapes used?

Marcel: Champagne uses one white (Chardonnay) and two red varietals (Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir). Cava is technically made with white varietals. Prosecco is made primarily with a different grape entirely; Glera. 

Jim: If Champagne uses red grapes, why doesn’t it take on a red colour?

Marcel: Because there is no maceration, in other words, no contact with the skins. Unless it’s a rosé Champagne, then there will be contact with the skins.

Jim: Does sparkling wine taste better in a flute?

Marcel: Yes it does. As a matter of fact, most wine will taste better in a flute. The fact is, the opening at the mouth of the glass is small, and we are able to smell more of the juice. And 80 percent of the taste, is smell. So, when we’re putting that small opening up to our noses, we’re really getting to enjoy the nose of the wine more than in a glass that is more open. That is why using a flute is best.

The other factor is that you want to keep the bubbles alive as long as you can and the shape of the flute allows them to do so.

Jim: Has anyone ever tried to count the number of bubbles in a bottle of Champagne?

Marcel: Yes! And I actually knew the number. Let me think about this……It was 49 million bubbles in a bottle of Champagne. And in a glass, 400 bubbles are released per second.

Jim: On a dollar-per-bubble basis, Champagne is pretty inexpensive then. Joking aside, what would your ultimate food pairing be with Champagne?

Marcel: Okay, to be really honest I think Champagne is probably the best pairing for food overall. The reason is because of the acidity; the freshness and the bubbles also activate your palette. 

I always tell people if you don’t have Champagne, at least drink soda water before you eat so it activates your palette.

Quick story. When I was doing my international sommelier certification, when we had to pair wine with food in that section of the exam, I could have said Champagne, Champagne, Champagne with every one of the dishes and I wouldn’t have been wrong.

But of course, people would always look to Champagne to go with appetizers, for lighter style cuisine and especially with seafood.

Jim: What is the rarest Champagne you’ve ever had?

Marcel: I had the opportunity to taste a 30-year-old vintage Charles de Cazanove Champagne, which was terrific. I’ve tasted a Dom Perignon from ’66. I had the honour to sabre a very special bottle for Mr. Taittinger. So, I’ve been really lucky.

Jim: Speaking of sabrage, how many bottles have you sabred in a minute?

Marcel: For the benefit of the Michael Garron Hospital, I challenged the sabrage record of 47. I was sponsored for $1,000 a bottle and I did 55 in a minute. An American from New York broke the record after and set the new record of 66 in a minute. If everything goes well, this fall I’ll be doing a benefit for all the frontline workers at Sunnybrook Hospital and hopefully I’ll do 68 in one minute. 

---

While he was sharpening his sabre I asked Marcel to give some thought to a recommendation for an affordable, good-quality Champagne, Cava and Prosecco. 

Here are his picks. 

Champagne Victoire Brut Prestige
Champagne, France
LCBO#:190025, 750 ml bottle
$41.10

That bottle is a tad over our ‘affordable’ threshold, so Marcel offered this thought.

Marcel: It is also important to mention that “Crémant” is really good value. It is made in other regions in France using the same Champenoise method used in Champagne.

Crémant de Bourgogne is made with two of the varietals in Champagne “Pinot Noir and Chardonnay” So it’s as close as it can get to “Champagne” for less than half of the price.

Veuve Ambal Cremant De Bourgogne Grande Cuvee Brut
Burgundy, France
LCBO# 429688, 750 ml bottle
$21.05

This seems like a must-try to me. Moving to Spain, here’s Marcel’s Cava reco.

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava
Spain
LCBO# 216960, 750 ml bottle
$17.00

And finally, here is Marcel’s Prosecco pic. By the way, I have a bottle on the go in the fridge at the moment. It’s soft yellowy green in the flute. Crisp, light and delicious tastes of green apple with hints of lemon zest.  

Villa Sandi Prosecco Il Fresco, DOC Treviso
Veneto, Italy
LCBO# 394387
$16.95

---

There we go. Four bottles to become more familiar with. Clearly, we have our tasting work cut out for us. 

Release the Bubbles! 

Sadly, I should let Marcel get back to treating the members at The Hunt Club to his deep wine experience and his ‘sparkling’ personality. 

Speaking of entertaining, next month he’s shooting a pilot for a series about wine. I have a feeling there’s a bottle of Champagne in his future.

Jim: Thank you once again Marcel for joining us here in The Cellar.

Marcel: Absolutely. Call me any time James. I’m happy to chat. 

---

That’s it for this month. What a pleasure it was to learn about Champagne, Cava and Prosecco with the great help of Marcel. 

I’d like to keep this get together going, but I’m a little pre-occupied with something else; becoming a father of the bride. How exciting.

See you in August.

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you, when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader friendly there. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #39, June 2022

In the last few months, I’ve found myself in a few conversations regarding two controversial ingredients that are in the wine we quaff. Sugar and sulfites. I know you’re probably thinking this guy needs to find more interesting things to talk about. You’re right, but in the mean time I thought we should bring these two rascals to the cellar. I’m no, Bill Nye The Science Guy, but I’ll do my best to make sense of the two S’s. 

So, put on your lab coats and get comfortable around the old, oak tasting table while we fill our beakers with a little viticultural science and of course, three delicious and affordable wines to wash it down with.

Welcome back to the cellar.

I’ve flipped a cork to decide which ‘S’ we’ll tackle first. It’s come up Sulfites. 

Most bottles we pick up at the LCBO have a little poetic disclaimer on the back that goes something like this; ‘Contains sulfites’. 

Of course, this is hardly appealing and many of us wonder why it has to be?  “We don’t need no stinkin’ sulfites.”

Well actually, there is no way around it. Unless heaven forbid, we don’t drink wine. Wine is fermented using yeast, which naturally produces sulfites, so almost all wine contains them. However, most winemakers do add sulfur dioxide (sulfites) in their winemaking process. They do so to protect against oxidation, to prevent the growth of unwanted micro-organisms and to preserve colour. Basically, sulfites are preservatives and antioxidants that keep bacteria from ruining the wine and significantly increasing its shelf life. 

What if you don’t want any added sulfites?  In the United States, wines labeled as organic cannot contain added sulfites. Naturally occurring sulfites must not exceed 10 parts per million (ppm). So, is organic wine the answer? Yes. Well sort of. Because some wines may be labeled, ‘made with organic grapes.’ Which means they may have sulfites added later during processing. And I have yet to see a bottle that states ‘no sulfites added’.  

In Europe and Canada organic wine is defined as wine made from organically grown grapes which also may contain added sulfites. The reality is, they’re as tough to avoid as black flies in May. 

Look for organic wine that clearly states, ‘no sulfites added.’ Or look up the winery that makes the juice you’re interested in and see what they have to say about their process. 

Bonterra Organic Vineyards of Mendocino County, California produces 100% organic and biodynamic wines. I spoke with someone at the winery who told me they do add small amounts of sulfites to their wine but lower amounts than most wineries.  

Bonterra Organic Cabernet Sauvignon
California, USA
VINTAGES# 342428
$21.95

This wine is a blend of grapes, predominantly Cab Sauvignon. It has aromas of fresh cherry, currants and raspberry and vanilla. In the glass, you will find flavours of cherry, mocha and currants. 

It has a fair bit of flavour for sure. So, if you want an organic wine you can bet your Birkenstocks on, this is a good one to spend some time with.

Now it’s on to our other guest ingredient; Sugar. 

The truth is, sugar found in grapes is at the heart of what makes winemaking possible. Without it, we simply would not have wine. Ripe grapes naturally contain sugars but some grapes are naturally higher in sugar than others. For example, the Zinfandel (Primitivo) grape has more natural sugars than Pinot Noir.

When the juice of grapes is turned into wine, most of the sugars are converted into alcohol through fermentation. But some sugars remain after the fermentation process is complete. This is called residual sugar and it’s the primary source of a wine’s sugar content. 

Generally, the residual sugar content after fermentation is inversely proportionate to alcohol level. So, higher alcohol wines have less sugar, and lower alcohol wines have more sugar.

Interesting.

If the winemaker stops the fermentation process early, the wine will have higher amounts of sugar and less alcohol. If they ferment longer, the wine will have lower sugar and more alcohol. C’est ca.

Low-sugar reds to look for are Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah/Shiraz. Low sugar whites are Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier.

We took our sweet time about it, but let’s have our second glass of wine; a white featuring one of those aforementioned less sweet grapes; a very nice Pinot Grigio from New Zealand. 

Oyster Bay Pinot Grigio
Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
VINTAGES# 326090
$19.95

Sugar Content: 4 g/L,

Pinot Grigio, also known as Pinot Gris is of the species Vitis vinifera. (Have I been blinded by science?) I read that Pinot may have been given its name because it grows in small pine cone-shaped clusters.

This Oyster Bay Pinot Grigio is floral with tastes of lush grapefruit, yellow plums and refreshing minerality. Perfect for sipping on a hot summer afternoon while brushing up on the periodic table of the elements. 

Moving on. 

Another bottle has been patiently waiting to catch our attention. This is a delicious red that features another low sugar grape; the temperamental yet classy Pinot Noir. This of course is the great grape of Burgundy. But it also seems to quite like the idea of growing in Oregon.  

Underwood Pinot Noir 2020
Oregon, U.S.A.
VINTAGES# 421198
$22.95

Sugar Content: 2 g/L

Pinot Noir’s thin skins and low phenolic compounds (that’s my inner scientist talking again) produce mostly light-coloured, medium-bodied, low-tannin wines. But they can be the most flavourful wines made. 

The Underwood Pinot Noir before us comes bearing elegant flavour gifts of cherries, currants, mushrooms and forest floor after a rain; an enchanted forest for sure. 

In case you couldn’t tell, I like this wine.

Okay, well there we go. Although the cellar isn’t much of a laboratory, I hope you enjoyed our study of the two S’s. And our discovery of three more wines that feature the third S: scrumptious.

See you in July when for very special reasons, we’ll do a deep dive into Champagne, Prosecco and Cava. If anyone has any faves, let me know.

Until next month, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you, when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #38, May 2022

I hope I’m not just talking about me, but we spend quite a bit of time thinking about and celebrating wine. Right? But more than a little credit is due to that 2½ inch stopper that has quietly and beautifully been doing its job preserving and protecting wine since the 1600s. 

The unassuming cork wine stopper, some say invented by the Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon (he must have had a bubbly personality) is sourced from the bark of cork oak trees in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Algeria.

Cork oaks are first harvested when they are 25 years old and every nine years from then on. Only after the third harvest is the bark of sufficient quality to be turned into wine corks.  This process yields high-quality cork while enabling the trees to live healthy lives for more than 300 years.

Harvesting cork bark requires great skill as the bark is carefully peeled away from the trunk and cut into sheets. The oak trees are not cut down, and only about half of their bark is removed at any time. My wife and I travelled through Portugal by train a few years ago and we wondered at the time what was happening with these semi-naked trees. Little did we know we were seeing a tradition that’s been at work for centuries. 

As you know, more and more we are seeing fewer and fewer corks at work in the wine bottles we buy. It has been suggested this is due to a depletion of the cork forests. However, it is also believed the cork plantations in Europe are sustainable and healthy. And that perhaps the wine industry is moving to twist tops and artificial corks as a cost-cutting measure.

At any rate, the last thing I want is to get caught in the middle of a philosophical cork war. All I know is I look forward to pulling a real cork versus twisting a top. So, this month down here in the cellar we’ll meet three wines that are good, that are affordable and still use that most wonderful of stoppers which adds to the ceremony of opening a bottle and the anticipation of pouring the wine it contains.

Welcome back to the cellar.

Our first bottle comes from the Viña Tarapacá Winery in Chile. 

Here’s the cork, along with one of my ancient corkscrews that resides down here in the cellar. 

Vina Tarapaca is one of Chile’s oldest wineries. It was founded when Canada was just seven years into being a country and lives happily producing excellent wine in the foothills of the Andes.

Tarapacá Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon
Maipo Valley, Chile
VINTAGES #18721
$17.95

This tasty Tarapacá is a generous full-bodied offering of black fruits and earthiness. There might even be a hint of mint and chocolate in there. It has a healthy tannic quality giving it depth and character. This wine would be great with meat, like grilled lamb or steak or this traditional Chilean dish; Charquicán. (char–key-can)

This is a flavorful Chilean stew that was originally made with dried and salted llama meat, pumpkin, onions, sweet corn, and potatoes. Modern versions often use ground beef instead of llama meat (due to its strong flavour). The dish is topped with a fried egg. 

Delish I’m sure. 

It’s time to pull another cork.

This one, from a bottle of Gérard Bertrand Réserve Spéciale Viognier.

Viognier (Vio-nyay) is primarily grown in the southeastern region of France known as Roussillon. It can range in intensity from light and spritzy with a touch of bitterness to bold and creamy.

Gérard Bertrand Réserve Spéciale Viognier 2020
Product of France
750 ml bottle VINTAGES #147975
$14.95

This viognier is mellow yellow in the glass. It’s nicely floral, with tones of peach, orange, honeysuckle and apricot.

Gérard Bertrand Réserve Spéciale Viognier 2020 is rich and dry and vibrantly refreshing. Great with grilled salmon and perfect for a sunny, afternoon sip and kip.  

Oh look, another cork has been pulled from duty.

It’s fresh out of a red from the Rhone.

This Rhone beauty is a melding of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre; the quintessential blend of this famed French valley. I love this mix. It’s full and tasty and smooooooth. 

Winemakers create distinctive GSM wines by mixing up the percentages of each of these grapes. While Grenache is the predominant grape in most GSM blends, some winemakers will use more Syrah than Grenache. Generally, Mourvèdre, the boldest of the three grapes, is added in small amounts to the blend.

Whoever said ‘two’s company but three’s a crowd’ clearly hadn’t tried this triumph of winemaking. Here’s the bottle.

Château Le Grand Retour Plan de Dieu Côtes du Rhône-Villages 2019
Product of France
750 ml bottle VINTAGES #224592
$16.95

This is an elegant and complex wine that comes from 45-year-old vines. It’s rich and smooth with lots of fruitiness, spice, and leather. I have a feeling it will probably get better with age so maybe pop a couple in your cellar for a year or two from now. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to open one today. Actually, we just did.

This style of wine goes with a lot of different dishes. Certainly, red meat choices are good but also cheese plates, pasta with veggies and many different chicken recipes will work nicely too.

But it also goes perfectly in a glass with nothing more than the company of you and yours. 

Well, we’ve put that old corkscrew through its paces. There are so many fancy cork pullers on the market these days. Some look more like microscopes than something needed to remove a cork from a bottle. But I love the simplicity of a cork puller from the past. Yes, a little more muscle may be required but what a great sound we are rewarded with when that cork is freed. 

It is the sound of escape. Maybe to wherever the bottles we open have come from. But perhaps it is also the cork reminding us of the place from where it likely came; 

a forest of marvelous and ancient cork oak trees somewhere in Portugal.

See you in June.

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #37 April, 2022

Needless to say, we’ve all been cooped up inside for a rather long winter. However, we’ve done a pretty good job of making the best of it, by spending some quality time down in ‘The Affordable Cellar’.  

That said, I thought we might like to get out of our cool, comfort zone down here, stretch our legs and experience a few other cellars that most of us have probably never had the opportunity to visit.  

These would happen to be some of the more interesting wine cellars in the world. And while they certainly are interesting, they also have a certain ‘you have got to be kidding’ quality to them.  So, off we go to try some wine and see some of the ways serious oenophiles of the world choose to spend serious money to keep their wine. 

It has been said the best way to know a person is to walk a mile in their shoes. Maybe the best way to know a wine lover is to visit their cellar. 

Let’s go. Btw, I packed a few tasty travellers from the cellar to try along the way because well, that’s just what we do. 

Welcome back to the cellar.

Well, we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore. Actually, we’re in Franklin, Tennessee. Here’s a private cellar that has been referred to as ‘The Gothic Wine Palace’ and ‘The Fine Wine Shrine’. It comes complete with LED lighting and hundreds of translucent, acrylic wine sleeves. Is anyone else hearing a choir of angels? 

This cellar holds 2,000 bottles and is located beneath the owner’s pool house. 

Makes sense, go for a dip, then go for a sip.

As wine cellars go, this one is certainly over the top. And what are those crazy spheres? Are they seats? Alien pods? The owner is leaving that to our imagination. 

No matter what, this certainly is a wine palace but perhaps a more apt name could be The Cathedral Cellar. 

Coincidently, I just happen to have brought along a bottle. 

Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon
South Africa
750 ml bottle VINTAGES# 328567
$18.95

Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Western Cape of South Africa. 

This is an ‘Essentials’ item at the LCBO, which means it’s always on the shelves; and good thing, because it’s one of the better value wines around. 

This is a great burger wine. It gives aromas and flavours of blackcurrant and cedar, with a chocolatey, smokiness.

It would look great resting in one of those translucent, blue, sleeves but it looks good on any table.

Now on to our next wine cellar.

This one has a kind of a Kosta Boda meets Blade Runner feel to it.

This ultra-modern space not only houses a countless number of bottles, it features slits of neon light that change colour to suit how the owner is feeling at any given time. So, it’s not only a wine cellar, it’s a mood ring! I would imagine one couldn’t help but feel pretty good all the time in these surroundings.  

I’m sure the owner feels good knowing that a vapour barrier and thermal insulation surround and protect the bottles in here keeping them precisely cool enough to ensure optimum life for the wine they contain. 

It’s hard to tell but there is one thing I have a feeling this cellar may not have; this very affordable and delicious bottle I brought along on our cellar tour. 

My corkscrew is poised.

Rendola Rosso Toscano
Sangiovese Blend, Tuscany, Italy
750 ml bottle Vintages #341115
$13.80

I happened upon this tasty Rendola Rosso Toscano hiding in plain sight recently not in Vintages but on the regular listing shelves. Although the picture above shows a 2009 vintage, the bottles I discovered were 2014s. This wine is made in Tuscany primarily using Sangiovese grapes; the Tuscan grape of choice. 

It’s a bit of a rarity to find a bottle with some age on the general listing shelves. But am I ever happy I did. This Tuscan treat is garnet in the glass and medium-bodied on the palate. It tastes of plum, ripe cherries and vanilla with an extra-dry, pleasant tannic punch. 

A glass or three of this wine is great of course with all kinds of tomato-based dishes, but it’s just great as a solo sipper.

Fear not, even if your cellar doesn’t look quite like the ones we’re seeing today, a few resting bottles of Rendola Rosso will make any cellar look impressive.  

Okay, it’s time to leave this futuristic, wine chamber. 

Our next cellar awaits. 

For this one, I hope you brought your ‘Dr. No’ wardrobe and your white Persian 

lap-cat because we’re not just going to any old wine cellar,

we’re going to an underground lair. 

How cool is this! 

At the push of a button, a see-through circular floor panel opens to reveal 

the spiral staircase that takes us down into a cellar-in-the-round. Here, we are literally surrounded with upwards of 1800 bottles and feelings of serious envy. 

Down in this cellar with bottles circling you, it would be easy to lose your sense of direction. No matter, what a great place to lose it. And as Dr. No said in the film, about directions, “East, west, just points of the compass, each as stupid as the other.”

Clearly, I’ve lost my direction.

At any rate, it’s only fitting that we go ‘down under’ for our next wine tasting. Here’s a very nice Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand that I’ve never seen before. 

Urlar Sauvignon Blanc 2019
New Zealand
750 ml bottle Vintages #22852
Organic
$19.95

Urlar Sauvignon Blanc is made by Gladstone Vineyards in the Wairarapa region (pronounced ‘Why-ra-rappa’) of New Zealand. The region was given its name (meaning, glistening waters) by the Māori; the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand.

This wine is quite aromatic and intense. It’s a citrus bombshell of grapefruit, lime, tropical fruits and fresh grassiness. So, when anyone asks if you’d like a glass of wine from the Wairarapa, the answer is “why not.”

Well, I think we’ve spent enough time creeping other people’s wine cellars. It’s probably time to get back to the familiar and shall we say, slightly more down-to-earth surroundings of the old, oak tasting table in our quaint, affordable cellar. We don’t have a spiral staircase, or translucent LED-illuminated wine sleeves but we do have, each other. Geez, I’m getting a little teary.

See you in May.

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you, when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #35 February 2022

As we turn the page from January, thoughts will soon be turning to love and the many meaningful ways there are to show it. 

Seizing my Cupid moment as a bachelor many years ago, I certainly didn’t ‘stop in the name of love’. I started the car and drove across the city armed with a wedge of warm blueberry pie (Mrs. Smith’s) and a hastily crafted poem, to the doorstep of my unsuspecting Valentine.

The great and sadly, late rock star Meat Loaf did it with song when he belted out the sentiment, ‘I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that.’

Okay, so perhaps Meat wasn’t totally committed to love. But many of us are. And often the best way to celebrate it with our partners or partner wannabes is simply with a candle, a twinkle in the eye and a special bottle of wine.

That said, whether it’s a romantic occasion or not, we often turn to the wine we know. And what’s wrong with that? Nothing. But for this month’s get-together, I thought it might be nice to cast affectionate eyes on some bottles from regions that undeservingly don’t attract that many admirers.

So, let’s settle in around the old tasting table and point Cupid’s corkscrew at a few unsung wine regions that deserve some unconditional love.

---

Welcome back to the cellar. 

The country of Georgia is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia; bounded to the west by the Black Sea and to the north and east by Russia. 

Georgia’s experience in winemaking goes back about 8,000 years when they began making wine using the technique of burying it underground in clay containers.

I first learned of wine made in the Kakheti region of Georgia, from the wonderful book by Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow. In this terrific story, a bottle of Mukuzani is recommended by Count Rostov to go with a hearty, Latvian stew.

Instead, the Count simply noted, “The Georgians practically grow their grapes in the hope that one day they will accompany such a stew.”

Not that I’m easily influenced but I put down the book and went straight to the LCBO.

United Stars Mukuzani Dry
Kakheti, Georgia
750 mL bottle LCBO#:  460501
$17.00

United Stars Mukuzani is made with a grape indigenous to Georgia called Saperavi. The wine has aromas of black and red berries with a pleasant earthiness.  

It is robust and dry and built on a solid tannic foundation. While Count Rostov was bang on by saying it would be perfect accompanying a stew, I loved it with a grilled skirt steak and roasted root veggies.

When people think of wine from South America, more often than not Argentina and Chile get the attention.  But relatively tiny Uruguay deserves some of the spotlight. Wine grapes have been grown there for more than 250 years. Although commercial wine production didn’t begin until the late 1800s. 

There’s a catch-22 though. Uruguayan wine isn’t always easy to find, but maybe that’s because there isn’t enough demand for it. However, as you might have guessed, I just so happen to have a bottle here in the cellar.

---

Bodega Garzón Reserva Albariño 2020
Maldonado, Uruguay
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  646802
$23.95

Bodega Garzón Reserva falls somewhere in the medium to full-bodied range. It presents aromas of peach, honeysuckle, melon and lemon. And it’s fruity, tropical and crisp. Albariño is the grape here; another one we haven’t yet encountered. 

So, as we pour and sip, and pour a little more, we’ll get to know its distinctive botanical aroma and citrus undertones. 

It could be the Valentine effect but I’ve got a bit of a crush on this wine.

The next wine that could use a little extra attention isn’t because it comes from an unknown region. It’s because through no fault of its own, the grape that makes it, Merlot, has been suffering from a bit of a perception problem created by the 2004 film, Sideways. While the movie drew attention to the wine of California’s Central Coast, the main character in the film played by Paul Giamatti unabashedly denigrates Merlot.

Unbelievably, a 2022 study in the Journal of Wine Economics found that Sideways actually caused a reduction in demand for Merlot and an increase in demand for Pinot noir. How crazy is that?

Perceptions aside, Merlot did not deserve to be jilted. In fact, the grape remains the foundation of many a great Bordeaux and is worthy of getting to know.

---

The Velvet Devil 2019
Washington, USA
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  394742
$16.95

The Velvet Devil Merlot comes to us from Washington state. Charles Smith Wines created it specifically to counter the negative press Merlot had been saddled with thanks to the film.

Standing before you in the glass, it is a deep garnet colour. Give it a couple of encouraging swirls and subtle aromas of raspberry, cranberry and new leather greet you. It’s rich and smooth with tannic substance supporting flavours of red berries and spice.

This well-made wine proves that while perception does tend to be reality, it isn’t always based in fact.

Well, we’ve done our part to send some positive vibes in the direction of a few wines that might otherwise remain in the shadows. Some other time we’ll talk about very good wines also being made in Moldova, Austria, Mexico and Greece. 

So much wine. So little time.

At the beginning of this get-together, I mentioned the time I delivered blueberry pie and a poem to my valentine. To finish the story, thankfully she was home. Not only did she appreciate what I brought to her doorstep, I guess she saw what was in my heart. She became my bride and my partner for life.

Oh jeez, I guess too much wine makes me sappy.

Until next time, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

---

Jim’s Valentine’s Day Blueberry Pie

Directions:

Keep frozen until ready to enjoy. Bake before serving. For food safety and quality, cook before eating to an internal temperature of 160F.

1. Remove pie from the freezer. Place oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Remove frozen pie from the box, and remove plastic overwrap from a pie. Do not remove pie from original pan. Open center hole of pie and cut 4 to 6 slits in top crust.

3. Center frozen pie on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, and place in preheated oven.

4. Bake pie for 55 to 65 minutes until crust is golden brown.

5. Remove pie on cookie sheet from oven using oven mitts. Never handle by edge of pie pan.

6. Serve warm in 30 minutes or cooled after 2 hours. Pies are best when freshly baked.

Poem optional.

J.

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsaffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #34 January, 2022

Last year at this time, you may recall (or you’re trying to forget) we paid tribute to Agatha Christie, the great mystery writer, who died in January of 1976. Our tribute came in the form of a silly, little wine murder mystery. While Dame Agatha likely wouldn’t have thought much of it, incredibly many of you did.

So, here we are a year later and what the heck, let’s head down a murderous path once more with this month’s wines imbedded in another short, old-fashioned murder mystery. 

Get comfortable around the old oak tasting table as last year’s characters Uncle Seymour, Aunt Edwina and their sleuth-by-chance nephew Douglas return in…

---

Murder in Languedoc. 

I had never been to France. Of course, I’d read plenty about the country. But when my elderly Aunt Edwina said to me, “Douglas, you must come with me to Languedoc.”, I had no idea where that was.

Each day of the year I am her only nephew but every second Saturday I’m her driver, getting her to wherever she needs to go. Usually, one of her required stops is the wine store. She loves a good Sancerre. She often says to me, “I loved my dear husband Alfred, but a good part of my heart has always belonged to Sancerre.”

It was on one of those Saturday errands, that she announced her (I should say, our) plans.

“My dear Douglas. Your Uncle or rather, my reclusive and sometimes repulsive brother Seymour has invited me for a visit to his Chateau in the south of France.

While I could do without spending more than a meal with him, I do love that part of the world. I think we should go.”

And that was that. Her suggestion was charmingly as always, a decision made.

So, off we went to the region of Languedoc for our visit with Uncle Seymour.  

My uncle stood before us swirling his wine glass. “It was built in the 1700s; a damn drafty old place actually. I’m not sure it was a good idea to buy it but my arguably-wise accountant told me this pile of stones was too good to pass on. Isn’t that right, Barth?”

The accountant Uncle Seymour was disparaging happened to be standing beside me in the great hall of his Chateau. Mr. Bartholomew had been managing my uncle’s affairs and putting up with him for years.

Aunt Edwina bristled. “Seymour. For heaven sakes, I dare say without Barth you would be as short of means as you are of magnanimity. Try to be nice, just once.” 

“Dear sister, how did you get all that moral high ground in your carry-on?”

Uncle Seymour had greeted us as expected with his somewhat grim disposition, but he sweetened our arrival with a glass of delicious Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine in the Loire Valley.  Touraine sits just west of Sancerre in the valley and produces a delicious and more affordable alternative.  

Domaine Bellevue Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Loire Valley, France
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  82305
$15.95

A few paces away, a smallish man stood gazing up to the massive tapestries hanging in the grand gallery that circled above us. Oddly, he was the only one of us without a glass of wine. 

Uncle Seymour led the rest of us through the library to the rear of the castle. “If you can tear yourself away from whatever has captured your attention, Monsieur Boucher, we’ll be out on the terrace for supper.”

As we walked, my uncle filled the air.  “Boucher is our local wine merchant. He comes by often, more than I’d like actually. But he usually bears gifts of wine. I think he secretly brings hopes of finagling this place from me one day.” He chortled at his little joke. “Today he brought along quite a nice red from a neighbouring Chateau.”

Fortant Grands Terroirs 2018
Languedoc, France
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  20713
$15.95

We sat on the flagstone terrace under a large ivy-covered pergola overlooking moonlit rows of vines stretching into the darkness. 

Partway through our mussels and that tasty, elegant blend of Syrah and Grenache, my uncle looked up and exclaimed, “Where on earth is Boucher?”

Edwina sarcastically added, “Perhaps loading all your earthly possessions into his car.” 

Ignoring the comment, my uncle looked to his accountant. “Barth. Have a look for him, will you? And while you’re at it, grab my specs from my room above the great hall.” 

On a mission, like he was looking for a tax shelter, the accountant went off to find Monsieur Boucher and Uncle Seymour’s glasses. 

I’m certainly not a suspicious person. I can chalk that up to having had a lot more good than bad cross my path. But I can usually sense when something isn’t what it seems. Aunt Edwina said to me one time, “Douglas, you seem to know what’s on my mind before it’s wormed its way in there.” 

I was halfway through my frites when I felt I too should have a look for Monsieur Boucher. It was so strange that a wine merchant didn’t seem interested in a glass of wine. Giving my Aunt a look, I rose from the table. Her instincts were good too. She knew to make something up. 

“Oh, you must pardon Douglas. He’s gets leg cramps. They come on so suddenly. He simply must walk them out. Started getting them as a teen. Growing spurts likely. Bless his heart. Now Seymour, are you going to offer me some of that wonderful-looking Shiraz from South Africa that I see you’ve brought out, or shall we arm wrestle for it?”

Piekenierskloof Six Hats Shiraz 2019
Swartland, South Africa
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  21193
$13.95

The great hall was still. The quiet seemed to accentuate the damp air. Lanterns on the stone walls cast shadows throughout the cavernous space. There was no sign of Barth nor the mysterious Monsieur Boucher. I stood quietly and listened for sounds of footsteps coming from any of the adjacent rooms off the hall; a parlour to my right and what looked like a study on my left.

A door closed 30 feet above me. I looked up to the gallery. It was Barth. I assumed he was coming out of Uncle Seymour’s room and was about to call up when the large tapestry adorning the wall behind him suddenly lurched forward and forcefully pushed Barth to the railing. The unsuspecting accountant frantically flailed and grabbed at the tapestry, pulling it and the human shape behind it with him.  The two of them, along with the woven wall-hanging cartwheeled over the intricately carved, mahogany rail. 

Frozen, all I could do was watch as Barth landed with a horrible thud at my feet. He was instantly dead. But his last act was that of a break-fall for Monsieur Boucher, who along with the tapestry had landed directly on top of him. 

Uncle Seymour and my aunt heard the thuds of Barth and Boucher along with my involuntary outburst of shock. They entered the hall to see the poor number cruncher and the pitiful, dazed wine merchant.

True to form, my uncle, blurted before he thought. “Good God! Barth said that tapestry was damned valuable!” 

“Seymour!! Now Douglas, what on earth happened?”

The answer came from the bent wine merchant lying at our feet. He twisted his head to look up at menacingly at my uncle and spat out, “This chateau had been in my family for generations. It was to be mine! Until you! You marched in with your bags of money and made an offer my greedy mother wouldn’t refuse.” 

“Perhaps Boucher, but why would you kill Barth?” queried my uncle.

I answered. “He wasn’t planning to. Boucher waited upstairs for you Uncle, hiding behind the tapestry outside your room. He didn’t account for the possibility that it might not be you he was blindly pushing over the railing.”

“He should have stuck to pushing wine,” said Aunt Edwina.

So, it seems that Uncle Seymour had an instinct too. He somehow knew his wine merchant wanted his Chateau. He just didn’t realize Monsieur Boucher would kill for it.

I never would have thought that in one of the great wine regions of the world we would discover such a deadly case of sour grapes. And witness the moment when a dedicated but unfortunate accountant’s final number would come up. 

The End

---

I hope you didn’t mind beginning the year with a rather nasty ending for poor Barth. But most of all I hope you do get a chance to enjoy the wines we met this time in the cellar. 

See you in February when we’ll get back in earnest to our usual search for and discovery of great, affordable wine. Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsafffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there. Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Part One – Marley is Dead. 

Those, of course, are the famous first words of Charles Dickens’ enduring classic, ‘A Christmas Carol’. Dickens wrote it during a six-week period in late 1843. He built much of the story in his head while taking nightly walks around London.

While we get to enjoy the many film versions of the story each year at this time (Alastair Sim as Scrooge is my fave), I thought a little Dickens would be a nice addition to the mix for this month’s get together.

So, at the top of the hour (that’s about now by my clock) the Affordable Cellar will be visited by three spirits, (bottles of wine actually). One from a vintage past, one from a vintage present, and one from a vintage yet to come. Hold on to your nightcaps. The clock is striking one.  

Welcome back to the cellar.

---

Part Two – The First of the Three Bottles

The old grandfather clock down here in the cellar just tolled with its deep, reverberating tone. And not a second later, hear that? …… yes, that dull, dragging sound…

Actually, it’s just me pulling a cool and dusty bottle from the wine rack. 

Our first visitor is here. It’s the red from a vintage past; 2015 to be exact. 

Colinas de Ançã Baga Reserva 2015
Bairrada, Portugal
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  11195
$17.95

This bottle comes from the Bairrada region of Portugal. Barraida runs narrowly down the east coast, south of Porto. Baga is the dominant grape variety there, producing wines full of colour, rich in acids but well-balanced and with great longevity.

Colinas de Ançã Baga Reserva is described as medium-bodied. But I’d say there’s a full-bodied soul living in there as well. 

It comes bearing gifts of black fruits, cocoa and smoke. In the glass, it’s brooding and dark. These are the delicious shadows of grapes that have been. 

---

Part Three – The Second of the Three Bottles

The clock has struck again and over on the far side of the tasting table, another vision has appeared; the wine of vintage present. And a beautiful present this would be. This visitor to our table is no apparition though. It stands before us as real as the knocker on Scrooge’s front door.

Bodega Piedra Negra Gran Lurton Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Mendoza, Argentina
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  980334
$24.95

Bodega Piedra Negra Gran Lurton comes to us from Argentina. It’s a delicious cabernet sauvignon that could just be this year’s ultimate stocking stuffer. Imagine that special someone’s face when they discover it tucked alongside those funny fling-flangers and delicious doo-dinglers. (Oops, I just took a sharp left from Dickens to Seuss.)

Back to the Lurton. It’s as dark as the deep, set eyes of the ghost of Jacob Marley. 

Aromas of raspberry, black cherry and plum rise from the glass. And this visitor has taste; of rich red berries, wood, leather and a bit of Christmas spice. Plus, it has some tannic pucker-power. 

But if I had just one thing to say about this elegant Gran Lurton, it’s as soft and velvety as the lapels on my smoking jacket. (Note to self; must get one of those).

Part Four – The Last of the Three Bottles

Again, the chimes have spoken and announced the arrival of our third guest. Of course, it is quite impossible to entertain a wine from a vintage yet to come. But how about a wine that says ‘it’s ahead by a century’.  

The Tragically Hip Ahead by a Century Chardonnay 2020
Stony Ridge Winery, Niagara, Ontario
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  483875
$21.95

This chardonnay is a tribute to one of the wonderful spirits of our recent past; the great Canadian poet/musician, Gord Downie. The Tragically Hip Ahead by a Century 2020 Chardonnay was created to honour the 20th anniversary of The Hip’s fifth album, Trouble at the Henhouse. 

The Stony Ridge Winery had no trouble creating this full and buttery wine. It tastes of lemony citrus, apples, toast and creamy vanilla.

As Dickens told it, upon discovering he hadn’t missed Christmas nor his chance to be a better person, Scrooge learned from his three spirit visitors. “He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world.”

It is entirely possible that we here in the cellar have gained also from the three visitors who have just appeared before us. And that perhaps it can be said of us, that we know how to keep a tasty glass of wine in our hands. Dickens would say, “May that be truly said of us, and all of us.”

So, we’ll close not with the words of Tiny Tim, but with those of Winy Jim. Keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

 Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsafffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there.

Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

A couple of weeks ago we marked the end of Daylight Saving Time for this year by turning our clocks back an hour. Granted, now our mornings are brighter. But every afternoon around 4:30 we enter the dark age and begin the long night’s journey into day. 

By the way, the idea of aligning waking hours to daylight hours to conserve candles was first proposed in 1784 by Benjamin Franklin. Among other things, he also invented the urinary catheter. What a guy!

Anyhow, even though we’re off Daylight Saving Time for another year, down here in the cellar we’re on Wine Saving Time. 

Wine Saving Time (WST) is defined in The Concise Affordable Cellar Dictionary as follows: the 365 days of the year when one seeks delicious wine to either hoard (which I’ve been known to do) or when one seeks delicious wine that saves some coin for a second bottle. 

Either way, WST is always the right time.

Welcome back to the cellar.

Speaking of darkness, it simply pours out of our first bottle this month; creating a total eclipse of your wine glass. This wine is made from what I think of as the national grape of Spain, Tempranillo. And man, it’s good! 

Anciano 7 Year Gran Reserva 2013
Tempranillo, Valdepenas DO
750 mL LCBO#: 464214
$12.25 ($14.25 Save $2.00)

Anciano 2013 is a Gran Reserva. I’m kind of amazed it’s only $12.25. In Spain, Gran Reserva wines are typically made in outstanding vintages. And to be given this designation, they must spend considerable time ageing before they are released. 

This one was aged for seven years in the cellars of Bodegas Navalon, including 18 months in oak casks.

That eclipse in the glass I mentioned, has aromas of leather and tobacco. And on the tongue, it gives tastes of black cherry, prunes, cloves and orange.

As for presentation, the bottle comes wrapped in a fine gold wire thread that if anything, helps create the illusion you spent a lot more on it than you did. 

In terms of WST, I’ll be buying more of this one and saving it for someone I know who really, really likes it; me.

---

Our white this month is a beautiful Vouvray. All Vouvray wines are made with Chenin Blanc grapes that grow along the banks of the Loire River in the Touraine district of France.  The Chenin blanc wines of Vouvray are characterized by the grape’s natural high acidity floral aroma and lively taste.

Bougrier Vouvray Chenin Blanc
Loire, France
750 mL bottle LCBO#:  253229
$16.30

This wine is overflowing with wafts of tangerine, pear and honey. There is a slight sweetness to it but the aforementioned acidity makes sure there is no mistaking it with a dessert wine. In wine vernacular, it is described as ‘off-dry’. Actually, it’s citrus soul is quite refreshing. I had it with baked Arctic Char and they were a perfect match. I think it would also be excellent with Captain High Liner’s Fish Sticks.

I say, hooray for this Vouvray!

Once in a while, a silly rhyme gets the better of me. 

This next bottle is yet another way to make the most of Wine Saving Time. I’ve gone back to that wonderful well in Chile; the winemakers at Cono Sur. We’ve previously met other members of the Bicicleta family, in particular, the Viognier and Chenin Blanc. So, I think it’s time we welcome the Cabernet Sauvignon to the cellar.

Cono Sur Bicicleta Cabernet Sauvignon
750 mL bottle LCBO#:  524371
$9.95 ($11.95 Save $2.00)
Limited Time Offer Until November 28, 2021

Cono Sur is a leader in sustainable wine production. And at its current under $10 price point, Bicicleta Cabernet Sauvignon is a lock for some serious wine consumption. 

It’s deep ruby in the glass, with aromas of plum, smoke, cedar, cassis and nuts. Smokey plum, cassis and ripe berry fruit entertain the taste buds. 

WST Alert: It’s only on sale until November 28th. So, in the words of this former adman, hurry, act now!

---

My gosh, time flies! On Wine Saving Time, it’s so easy to lose an hour or two. But we gain with the wine we get to know. Oh, and here’s a little info from chapter one of The Concise Affordable Cellar Field Guide and Manual. If it’s 4pm and you feel like a glass of wine, temporarily turn your clock forward an hour. Conversely, if it’s late and you feel like one last sip for the night, turn your clock back.

There you go. Another handy wine note from the cellar.

I hope you make the most of Wine Saving Time and we’ll see you in December. Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

 Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsafffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader-friendly there.

Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #31 October, 2021

These days, our deciduous friends are blushing in vibrant shades of ruby, crimson and scarlet.  So, I thought it only appropriate that we celebrate this colourful month (let’s call it Redtober) by spending time here in the cellar with not one, not two but with four tasty high performance reds that can take you from 0 to the LCBO faster than you might have thought possible.

We’ve never dedicated our time exclusively to red wine and it’s not that we need an excuse, but the cooler temps are certainly a reasonable justification. 

At any rate, it’s time to step on it and meet this month’s bottles. So, as Admiral David Farragut of the U.S. Navy said back in the 1800’s, ‘Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.’ 

Welcome back to the cellar.

We kicked off this issue with a rather beautiful red car, so we’ll kick off our tasting with a rather beautiful red Carmenère 2019. This grape now grows abundantly in Chile but is considered one of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux. It’s almost impossible to find in France today, due to the Phylloxera plague of 1867. 

(See issue 14, May 2020,  ‘When the French wine industry was brought to its knees by an aphid.’)

Morandé Gran Reserva Carmenère 2019
Maipo Valley, Chile
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  371112
$16.95

Carmenère generally has a cherry-like, fruity flavor with smoky, spicy and earthy notes and a deep, crimson colour. And that certainly describes Morandé Gran Reserva Carmenère 2019.

The wine producers of Bordeaux must be envious (hopefully no sour grapes) of Chile; now home to this wonderful grape and the unique-tasting full-bodied wine it produces.  Morandé Gran Reserva will always have a home in this cellar.

---

The Clare Valley in South Australia produces many excellent reds. This area is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, best known for producing Riesling. But our next wine proves that The Clare can also turn a few heads with its Cabernet Sauvignon.

Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
South Australia, Australia
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  675223
$19.95

Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Cab Sauv 2017 definitely belongs in the high-performance wine club. In the glass, it’s as dark as a witch’s cape. It has aromas of ripe raspberries and cassis. It’s rich, full of flavour and can disappear from your glass like a Ferrari on a straight-away. 

---

Now for our next red, I’ve dusted off a bottle from Portugal. I have to admit, the name of this one sounds like the fragrance of a scented candle. But as explained on the back of the bottle, the flavours and texture of this wine are a tribute to the Portuguese explorers who discovered the silk and spice routes in the 1500’s. 

Silk & Spice 2019 Red Blend
Portugal
750 mL bottle LCBO#:  533307
$10.95

Silk & Spice is a blend of four grapes; Syrah, Baga, Alicante Bouschet and Portugal’s finest grape, Touriga Nacional. Together, they pour a deep, garnet colour with aromas of blackberry, nutmeg, pepper and cedar. This wine is smooth and silky with tastes of smoky berries, vanilla and cinnamon. 

It’s on sale right now for a couple of bucks off, making it a pretty good find, some 500 years after Mr. Magellan and friends discovered the spice route that inspires its name.

---

Back in May we spent a little quality time with a lovely Pinot Noir from Oregon. I mentioned that Oregon is credited with producing some of the best Pinots outside of Burgundy, France. There’s a very good reason for this. It is located at 45degrees North latitude; exactly parallel with Burgundy. Those finicky grapes know what they like. And I like a good Pinot, so here’s one that granted, pushes the limits of ‘affordability’ but considering it’s our fourth red, wine not.

Cloudline Pinot Noir 2019
Oregon, USA
750 mL bottle VINTAGES #159970
$26.95

Cloudline Pinot Noir 2019 comes from Domaine Drouhin in the Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley, southwest of Portland. If any family has Pinot Noir in its DNA, the Drouhin clan does. Joseph Drouhin began making wine in Burgundy in 1880.

In the glass, it’s a slightly transparent crimson and wafts cranberry, strawberry and cherry wood smoke. Now instead of the usual taste descriptors, this beauty needs no more than a single word; Wow! It is worth going over budget now and then. 

Cloudline Pinot Noir is the perfect example of a red that performs at the highest level with classic, timeless elegance.

---

That brings us to the end of another get together. I hope you have enjoyed helping me deplete the cellar of four tasty wines. 

I’d be mad at myself if we parted without mentioning two other high performance Reds who deserve to never be forgotten.

The wonderful, gentleman and comedian, Red Skelton. And of course, our very own Red Kelly, who earned eight Stanley Cup rings.

See you in November.

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

 Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsafffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. They’ll be notified each month, as will you, when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader friendly there.

Please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #30 September, 2021

Most every year, this month’s full moon is referred to as the Harvest Moon. Named so because it rises about the same time every evening for a few nights straight in our hemisphere, providing optimal moonlight for farmers harvesting summer crops.

This year’s Harvest Moon, reaches peak illumination on Monday, September 20, at 7:54 p.m.
Naturally, the word harvest gets me thinking about food, which of course gets me thinking about wine. Oh, let’s call a cork a cork, I’m thinking about wine a lot of the time.

The September full moon is often called the Corn Moon. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, this is due to it corresponding with the time of harvesting corn. It also goes by Autumn Moon, Drying Grass Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Yellow Leaf Moon, and even Ice Moon, depending on which folklore you follow.
I think this year we’ll call it the, Let’s Open Some Wine Moon.

Welcome back to the cellar.

Our first wine is the product of a harvest of grapes from the Niagara Peninsula is a perfect match for this time of year when food is celebrated with family and friends together.

Speck Bros. Family Tree The Padré Cabernet/Merlot 2019
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  18667
$19.95

As the Speck brothers say, Family Tree The Padré Cabernet/Merlot 2019 celebrates the idea of family. It’s made from fruit sourced from their own vineyards but also from those of their friends, neighbours and distant cousins across the Niagara Peninsula.

This is a big, bold blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It’s been aged 16 months in French and American oak barrels, giving some smokiness to its ripe, dark fruit. Pour it with anything big and beefy or a grilled ham steak.

Next on our cellar harvest tasting table adorned with gourds, I’ve set out quite a versatile food wine that will get along great with turkey, grilled steak, ham, salmon or perhaps that old classic; a tuna sandwich on white bread. I know what I’m having for lunch tomorrow.

Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2020
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  999821
$13.95

Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2020 was first released in 1999 and has always featured Cabernet Sauvignon grown specifically to create it. It comes to us from the Stellenbosch Coastal Region of South Africa; 80 minutes east of Cape Town by train, if you’d like to go. This little pinky is pretty robust, floral and bright, with tangy, zesty red fruit.

No harvest feast would be complete without something on the table from the Rhone Valley.

Ferraton Père & Fils Samorëns Côtes du Rhône 2019
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#:  168708
$16.95

This bountiful 2019 Côtes Du Rhône Samorëns wafts fragrances of earthy, pepperyness (made up word alert) and pours a deep ruby, plum juice into your glass.
It’s a delicious blend of one of the finest grape tandems there is; Grenache and Syrah. Two old smoothies that just love spending time in a bottle together.
As for partnering with food, this will be great with pork tenderloin and roasted veggies.

The message in this bottle is, delicious!

---

Okie-dokie. That about wraps things up for our little harvest get together. It’s time we got out of the cellar to check out the beautiful moon. Here’s a little Mr. Young to set the mood!

Next month, in keeping with the colours of the season, we’ll be doing a deep-dive into the wonderful world of reds. I’m giddy already.

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsafffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. The button is below the ‘back issues’. They’ll be notified each month, as will you, when each new issue is published. The newsletter is a little more reader friendly there.

And please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #29 August, 2021

On the fourth day of this month in 1901, the world of music was given a wonderful gift; a boy named Louis Daniel Armstrong who would one day master the cornet, then the trumpet and become one of the most influential figures in jazz.

Recently I was listening to one of his songs, accompanied by a lively Pinot Noir, when I thought perhaps this month’s wine pics could punctuate a short story (very short, don’t worry) inspired by ‘Satchmo’. (That was one of Armstrong’s nicknames). Just a little fun, mid-summer reading.

And because the beautiful days of August are fleeting, I think we should take the cellar outside this month. So, grab a hammock, or something mushy to sink into while I bring you some wine and ‘Notes of Berries and Satchmo’, a summer wine fantasy. 

Welcome back to the cellar.

Notes of Berries and Satchmo

“The first time I heard it, I didn’t really hear it. I just thought it was the breeze blowing through the vines that morning or some animals talking back and forth somewhere down in the valley. Then I heard it, but I ignored it. Actually, I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t. It was unmistakable.

     My name is Horn. Jacob Horn. For just five years I’ve been a wine maker. I can actually say it now that I’ve had some years working the vines, that is, lying awake praying to the weather gods. We’ve had five harvests of Pinot Noir grapes and five years turning them into wine with my name on it. HornHill Vineyard. 

     The vines and my little winery are on a hill overlooking the south shore of Skaha Lake in the small community of Okanagan Falls in the Okanagan Valley. The vines have been here a lot longer than I have but they were left untended for a time by the previous owners of this little parcel of paradise.  

     I had studied viniculture in Niagara. That was after years of envisioning myself as a serious musician. In Niagara, a new dream occupied my thoughts; the dream of owning a winery one day. When I discovered this ignored property was for sale, I did what any naive dreamer would do. I jumped in up to my eyebrows.

     That was seven years ago. It took a couple of years getting the operation in order and since then it’s been all about the grapes; those temperamental, difficult, finicky but absolutely beautiful grapes. Until about two weeks ago.

Dürnberg Cool Grüner Veltliner 2020
Niederösterreich, Austria
750 mL bottle  VINTAGES#:  464537
$16.95

You might want to pour yourself a glass of this crisp and dry, aromatic Austrian white, (a tasty alternative to Sauvignon Blanc) while I tell you what happened.

     It was a Tuesday, early one August morning. That time of year, I’m practically living in the vineyard. I was pruning leaves to let more light get at the ripening grapes. It didn’t register as a sound at first. But like someone was ever-so-slightly turning up the volume on an invisible sound system, I soon heard the golden soft and brassy tones of a beautifully played trumpet dancing and drifting through the vines. The notes seemed like they were off in the distance but at the same time, they hung there in the cool morning air right beside me. 

It was disconcerting but put me totally at ease. The dreamy melody just seemed to float there around me. And then, the trumpet faded as gradually as it had arrived. 

     Over a coffee, back in my little office behind the equipment barn, the sounds of that trumpet kept playing over in my mind. Like it was prodding me. Now, I couldn’t not hear it. 

     I loved the movie ‘Field of Dreams’. Was the same thing happening to me, that happened to Ray Kinsella? That was fiction but this was real. Or was I having some kind of wine-maker’s breakdown? No. I heard what I heard; a trumpet being played masterfully.

     Later in the morning, I went back out to that very same place in the vineyard. My boots crunched into the clay-based soil as I was walked between the vines of ripening Pinot Noir. As at dawn, there was nothing, then…….the notes of the horn drifted across the valley to me. It trumpeted in time with my footsteps. But when I stopped in my tracks, it kept playing the same melody line that I had heard earlier. Peaceful, relaxing and magical. I was mesmerized. Then it drifted off on the wind as though it had somewhere else to go.

     Even though the mysterious music in the vineyard was hauntingly beautiful, it had taken me back to that earlier time in my life that I mentioned. As a boy, I had picked up the trumpet. Through my teens I began to believe and dream that one day I would be a great player, like the great Louis Armstrong. I worked at it, harder than anything else. It became an obsession. But after years of study and practice I came to the realization that I probably didn’t have the gift of greatness. So, I put down my trumpet and sadly never picked it up again. 

     Before I tell you the rest of my story, even though I love Pinot Noir, you might want to try this nice Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Very smooth and elegant. 

Gabriel Meffre La Châsse Grande Réserve 2016
Rhône, France
750 mL bottle  VINTAGES#:  15455
$19.95

As I was saying, I put my trumpet down. Actually, I threw it down; out of sight and out of mind and moved on with my life. 

     I stayed away from the vineyard for the rest of that day trying to make sense of the music that came to me that morning. But I kept hearing the melodic sounds of the horn. As I said earlier, I couldn’t not hear it. And the more I did, the more I thought it was trying to tell me something. But what? 

     Just after supper that night, I was looking at my harvest schedule. The calendar reminded me of the date that day. It was August 4th. I stared in awe. August 4 was Louis Armstrong’s birthday.

     As if pulled by some unknown force, I went into the garage beside the fermentation tanks and grape crushers, to a stack of unpacked, bulging moving boxes. Many times, I’ve called them the ‘litter of my life’. Not knowing what else to do with the stuff, I had stashed them out of the way, seven years ago when I moved to the Okanagan. 

     I lifted it out of the box. It was dusty and tarnished and still showed the dent on the side of the bell (that’s the wide end of the horn) from when I threw it against a wall. But I found myself handling it carefully. I cradled it and carried it back to the wide veranda overlooking the vineyards. And suddenly I knew what the music was telling me.

    As I looked out at the ripening Pinot Noir, with the evening light once again painting the vines gold. I lovingly dusted off my old trumpet, after so many years of despising the failed dream of what it represented. I realized I still loved the sound of that instrument and I could get joy from playing it once again. 

A lock had been opened.

And looking out at my grapes above Skaha Lake and the Okanagan Valley, 

I said to myself, oh what a wonderful world.”

---

Well, that may have been a bit weird. But as they say, it was a story that had to be told. I hope you enjoyed it. Next month I promise we’ll dive more seriously back into wine. 

Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

 Jim

PS My fictional story by no means suggests that I am ignoring the devastating conditions currently being experienced in British Columbia’s interior and particularly the Okanagan. If anything, it is a memory of earlier times and the hope for a better future for our environment.

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsafffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. The button is below the ‘back issues’. They’ll be notified each month, as will you, when each new issue is published. The newsletter is a little more reader friendly there.

And please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #27 June 2021

As another NHL hockey season winds down, some of us (depending on our loyalties of course) find ourselves a little empty without a team competing for the Stanley Cup. But luckily, we lost souls have one of the great sports of spring, summer and fall to fill the void; baseball.

Baseball is a simple game but it’s also deceptively cerebral. It comes with pitching weapons called Cutters and Splitters and Sliders. And strategic coaching moves like the Squeeze Bunt, the Walk and the Infield Shift.

But it is also a game that comes with its own holy grail of achievements. It’s called ‘Hitting for the Cycle’. This is the rare accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, double, triple and a home run in the same game. 

The most recent cycle was accomplished by Cavan Biggio of the Toronto Blue Jays on September 17, 2019, against the Baltimore Orioles. 

All of this oddly and conveniently brings me to wine. In my view, one of the world’s great wine producing countries ‘hits for the wine cycle’ on a regular basis, producing great Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Chile is not only one of the great players in the wine game. It belongs in the vintner’s hall of fame.

Welcome back to the cellar.

Okay, let’s play ball. In other words, let’s pull some corks.

Our first Chilean guest this month was born at the Casablanca Vineyard of the Montes Winery in the coastal region of Chile called the Aconcagua Costa.

The Aconcagua Valley is shaped by the Aconcagua River, which flows from the Andes Mountain Range into the Pacific Ocean. Its riverbanks are mostly terraced; ideal for growing the finest grape varieties.

Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2018
Aconcagua Costa, Chile
750 ml bottle VINTAGES#:  390203
$19.95

Montes produces one of the great value Cabernet Sauvignons (that we sampled back in March) and they also hit it out of the park with this Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2018. It’s bright and golden in the glass, like the sun gleaming on second base at Fenway Park on a June afternoon. There are flavours of cooked apples and vanilla here with a luscious and creamy texture. Whether you’re listening to a ball game on the radio (still one of the great ways to enjoy baseball) or just thinking about what to bring to the plate for dinner, this Chardonnay is a perfect choice.

Next up to bat is a Syrah, again from the Aconcagua Costa. Syrah, also known as Shiraz, is the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France; Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche.  As long ago as 2004, Syrah was estimated to be the world’s 7th most planted grape. It may have moved up in the batting order since then.

Errázuriz Syrah 2018
750 ml bottle VINTAGES#:  387910
$21.95

The Errázuriz winery, Viña Errázuriz, was founded by Don Maximiano Errázuriz in 1870.  It’s located 90 kilometres north of Santiago in the Aconcagua Valley.

Errázuriz Syrah 2018 swings for the fences with lively fruity aromas and jammy flavours of blackberries and raspberries with a minty, peppery character. This wine is as tasty as it is full-bodied and teams up nicely with grilled beef, chicken and veggies.

Batting third this month is that most temperamental of players, Pinot Noir. And another tasty slugger from Viña Errázuriz. 

Errázuriz Max Pinot Noir 2019
750 ml bottle VINTAGES#:  19244
$19.95

Errázuriz Max Pinot Noir 2019 is a special 150th anniversary edition commemorating their first year of wine production. Walking the land before he made it his winery, I wonder if founder Don Maximiano Errázuriz ever heard a voice say, ‘If you build it, they will drink.’

This Pinot is an intense cherry red colour. It is fruity with flavours of raspberry and blueberry plus there are hints of balsamic and spice.  At any rate, I for one am thrilled he built it. Thank you Don Maximiano. 

We’re in the last inning for this month’s visit. But before we go, I’d like to announce that beginning in our July issue and in the months following, I would very much like to include a section with wine favourites from Jim’s Affordable Cellar Dwellers. That means you! So if you have a wine or two that you would like to tell the rest of us about, in your words, let me know. I’d love to hear from you. That’s my pitch. 

I hope you’ll take me up on it.

Okay, game over for this month. Thank you to the country of Chile and its skilled vintners who hit home runs with their wines every year. 

Until next time, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

And please let me know if you’d like to share some wine you love with the rest of us. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com 

Issue #26 May 2021 

Each month we descend to the cool environs of the cellar to discover and get to know three new wine friends. But this month as we get settled around the old, oak tasting table, I thought it worth recounting the astounding story of a few divers who one day descended to the cold, dark underwater depths of an entirely different kind of cellar, where they made the wine discovery of a couple of lifetimes.

Welcome back to the cellar.

They dove into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Finland in 2010. Down, down they went to about 160 feet where they happened upon the remains of what was likely a sunken trade schooner. 

There, scattered amongst the wreckage they found a sunken treasure; 168 bottles of champagne that had aged in near perfect conditions for 170 years. At that depth of course, there was minimal light and the temperatures ranged between 35 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit. The labels were long gone, but researchers studied the corks to confirm the bottles were from several champagne houses including, Veuve Clicquot.

Philippe Jeandet, a professor of food biochemistry at the University of Reims described the wine this way. “It was incredible. The aroma stayed in my mouth for three or four hours after tasting it.” My guess is he may have had some kelp stuck in his teeth.

And from the ‘some people just have too much disposable cash file’, several of the bottles have since been auctioned off for up to 100,000 euros each. Thankfully, other bottles have been sent to museums and historical institutions. Weird, Jim’s Affordable Cellar didn’t receive any.

That said, it really is an incredible story. But it’s time for us to dive into our wines for this month.

Because I still have champagne on the brain, I thought it might be nice for us to get to know another bubbly. But it doesn’t come from the depths of the Baltic, this one comes from Argentina. 

It’s a tasty sparkling Rosé and why not, June is just a hop, skip and a sip away. And there’s nothing like an afternoon in June with the company of a bottle of pink bubbles.

Vuelà Pinot Gris Brut Nature Sparkling Rosé
Mendoza, Argentina
750 mL bottle  VINTAGES#:  18565
$15.95

Vuela Pinot Gris Brut, as the name states is a Rosé of the sparkling variety. It’s a dry and refreshing one too, with aromas of citrus and tastes of nectarine, peaches and strawberries. 

If you ask me, this is a beautiful way to put a wine glass to use. Especially before the sun goes down because those tiny bubbles dancing in the sun are a sight to behold.

Our next wine, comes to us from Hungary. You are right, this is the first time in our monthly get-togethers that we’ve tasted anything from the vineyards of this Central-European country. Hungary covers an area of 93,000 square kilometres and on some of that land grows the grape which makes this tasty wine before us. The grape called Irsai Olivér is the result of cross-breeding two other Hungarian grapes, Pozsonyi and Pearl of Csaba. Any grape called the Pearl of Csaba, has to be good!

Garamvári Irsai Olivér 2019
Hungary 
750 mL bottle  VINTAGES# 12070
$13.95

Garamvári Irsai Olivér 2019 is a pale, dappling yellow in the glass. It engulfs you with aromas of grapefruit, green apple and oranges. I have to say, my wife noticed the oranges, before I did. Ah, the power of suggestion. I think she’s right though.

Also, there are tastes of tropical fruits and lavender. This is a perfect summer wine; kind of like a Pinot Grigio but more fragrant.

This month’s red is a beautiful Pinot Noir that comes from one of the best Pinot growing regions outside of Burgundy and another region we’re going to for the very first time; Oregon. 

Wine has been produced in Oregon since the state was settled in the 1840s; however, winemaking has only been a significant industry there since the 1960s. Now, Oregon is recognized for producing some of the top Pinots in the world.

Foris Rogue Valley Pinot Noir 2018
Oregon, USA
750 mL bottle  VINTAGES#:  937128
$24.95

Foris Rogue Valley Pinot Noir is a glittering, light ruby. Clink a couple of glasses of it together three times and it will take you anywhere. It wafts aromas of red fruits; raspberries and cherries in particular. And it’s smooth, elegant and delicious. 

Foris also has full-bodied power with the tannins to prove it, but it isn’t heavy. 

A very nice Pinot for sure. 

Well, since we started our conversation this month with the story of that amazing underwater discovery, we will close by remembering the great deep sea explorer Jacques Cousteau, who left us 24 years ago next month. 

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, was a French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. My guess is, had he come across those 168 bottles of sunken champagne, it would have been a discovery that even for him, may have been hard to fathom.

Actually, he did discover almost 1500 sealed Roman wine jugs within a Greek wreck that were more than two millennia old. After retrieving them, Cousteau and his crew celebrated on the deck of his ship by sampling the find. He said it was “very sweet, with a hint of oak.”

Let’s leave with a toast to this great man, his curiosity that drove a life-long quest for new aquatic discoveries and his gift of sharing what he learned along the way. 

See you next month back in the cellar. Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.

Jim

Thanks to everyone for signing up to my web page where you’ll see this each month as a blog. If you know anyone who is interested in following the newsletter, they just have to visit jimsafffordablecellar.ca to submit their email. The button is below the ‘back issues’. They’ll be notified each month, as will you, when each new issue is published. And the newsletter is a little more reader friendly there.

If you’re enjoying my wine meanderings, I’m really glad. And please let me know your thoughts or tell me about any great wine you’ve discovered. roamingbuffalo44@gmail.com