Issue #7 October, 2019
Lucky for us, in this neck of the woods October is synonymous with colour. This is show time for our numerous deciduous trees as they display their many shades of yellow, crimson, orange and magenta. These are the colours that arrest us every fall. The same colours that captivated our wonderful Group of Seven and inspired their vivid interpretations using colours known by slightly different names; yellow ochre, cadmium red, chrome orange and burnt sienna.
So, for this October issue of Jim’s Affordable Cellar, it is only right that we pay special attention to colour. But as is our way each month, we’ll focus on the two colours that matter most. Red and white.
Welcome back to the cellar.
Pull up a chair to the old oak tasting table and together let’s add a little colour to our cheeks.
The red I’m going to talk about (I’d sing about this wine if I could) comes to us from the land of Port and those amazing custard tarts. Portugal. But it’s also the land of great wine. As evidenced by this Bergamota Private Selection from 2015.
Berga-fantastic I’d say.
Bergamota Private Selection 2015
Portugal
750 mL bottle VINTAGES#: 646893
$13.95
It’s dark and dense as a night without a moon. And in the air, there are dark cherries, chocolate and something floral. Roses? Then you taste it and discover it’s smooth and scrumptious. Full bodied and rich. If they hadn’t turned these grapes into this beautiful wine, it would have made a beautiful port for sure.
This month’s white comes to us from the western edge of France’s Loire valley, not far from the Atlantic. Les Fils des Gras Moutons Muscadet features the grape, Melon de Bourgogne which thrives in the region’s magnesium-rich soil of clay, and produces wine known for its crisp and refreshing personality.
Le Fils des Gras Moutons Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie 2017
France
750 mL bottle | VINTAGES#: 363150
$15.95
In your glass, it’s a soft yellow. The kind of yellow that October’s paintbrush applies to a Birch or Poplar. It wafts of earthiness, like the aroma of Autumn itself.
And when you take a drink, it’s mildly effervescent with flavours of crisp green apple. It would be a nice quencher following a long afternoon walk on a leaf-covered forest path. Or more realistically, after you’ve built a major thirst from bagging a billion frickin’ fallen leaves in the yard.
I also like this wine for how its name translates. ‘Son of the fat sheep.’ And now as we do each month let’s go ‘under the radar’ and get to know a wine that may be a bit of a mystery. In this case, not only a wine but a particular process of making wine. Ripasso.
Ripasso is produced in Valipolicella in the province of Verona, Italy using the technique of “re-passing” Valpolicella wine over the dried grape skins of the beautifully full-bodied wine called Amarone. Enough of the tech talk. Let’s make way for Remo Farina Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2017
Remo Farina Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2017
Italy
750 ml bottle | VINTAGES#: 999946
$18.95
Remo Farina is the deep crimson of a shaded red maple. It beckons a sip with aromas of dark ripe fruit, hints of orange and dark chocolate. (They should make a chocolate bar with this wine). And while it’s soft on the tongue, there’s a lively, tasty richness that rewards you for choosing it. Making Ripasso is an art for sure.
So let’s call this Ripasso, somewhat of a Picasso.
Sadly, the leaves are off the tree for this issue. But we’ll get together again in a few weeks as we try to make November feel a little less like well, November. Until then, keep your glass of wine close and your friends even closer.
Jim
Jim's Affordable Cellar 