A Bounty of Wine

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!

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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

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