Canadian Wine Club - The Tasting

Last Thursday, the inaugural tasting of the Canadian Wine Club, an offshoot of the Canada Shop selling Canadian products to Londoners since the summer of 2001, took place at the Little Ship Club in London. This new initiative is greeted with a warm welcome for all of the activity surrounding Canadian wines in the UK these past few years has consisted mostly of downsizing. The extremely competitive UK market and the relatively high cost of production of Canadian wines explain the reduction in the number of Canadian wines available on the UK market. But there is hope on the horizon.

That evening, 20 Bees and Pelee Island wineries have shown that Canada can produce well made wines that can deliver great value for money. 20 Bees joined the ranks of Ontario wineries in 2004 when 19 growers decided to use their home-grown fruit to make wine themselves, and enlisted the help of the young and very talented winemaker, Sue-Ann Staff. There was definitely a buzz at the end of the 20 Bees table and of the six wines presented that evening, the most striking was the crisp and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc (see notes below). Their friendly, low-alcohol Baco Noir also stood out, for it was a well made example of that typical Canadian hybrid variety. It says on the label that the bees aim at producing unpretentious wine at affordable prices, and that is just what they do, with all four still dry wines at £8.39 a bottle.

The wines of Pelee Island Winery showed very good consistency. The unoaked Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Reserve are both good examples of their respective grape varieties, but the star of the show, without a doubt, was the Eco Trail Chambourcin-Cabernet Franc. I remember tasting a previous vintage of this wine and not thinking much of it, but the 2006's fruity, concentrated and very modern style won my vote. As it is made from a hybrid variety and is the result of a very unusual blend, it wins maximum points for originality. Its name, Eco trail, reflects the winery's concerns for the preservation of the natural beauty of Pelee Island, which is bound to appeal to the customer. Here as well, prices will not break the bank.

I should not forget to mention Cave Spring's utterly satisfying Riesling H. P. It is light, off-dry and very lively, and I would be happy to sip this well-crafted wine on its own, any day of the week.

I have now found enough good examples of Canadian wines in the UK to hold a tasting and introduce Canadian wines to fellow British tasters. I still hope that one day, the Canadian Wine Club will get its hands on some of the wines from British Columbia's smaller wineries, such as Black Hills, Burrowing Owl and Cedar Creek, for all to enjoy a more complete overview of the Canadian wine scene.

Below are my notes for the still dry wines presented that evening. A much succinct report on sweet wines and my favourite wine of the evening can be found here.

20 Bees Baco Noir 2006, Ontario VQA

Light refreshing nose of the sort you get from simple wines in France, fruity; mainly sour berries, very light, at 10 . 5 % alcohol. Light and fruity, it is the perfect afternoon tipple. Made from one of the hybrids that is unique to Canada, it is definitely original. 16.5/20, £8. 39

20 Bees Cabernet/Merlot 2006, Niagara Peninsula VQA

Unusually fresh and light for such a blend, very mineral, perhaps a little too light but balanced and well made. 16/20, £8.39

20 Bees Riesling 2006, Niagara Peninsula VQA

Bright; very closed; a little sweetness and a waxy texture, light, clean, with a certain minerality, not hugely long but well made. 16/20, £8.39

20 Bees Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Ontario VQA

Very bright; enticing floral character that is far from extreme greenness, some anise seed, aromatic but gentle; very crisp and refreshing, clean, good fruit concentration and length. Well done! 17/20, £8.39

Cave Spring Riesling Estate 2006 , Beamsville Bench VQA

Closed only just a slight flinty whiff; off dry with a very limey attack, rubbery mineral and grapefruit notes, very fresh. 16.5/20, £10.13

Cave Spring Riesling H. P. 2006 , Niagara Peninsula VQA

The nose is limey, flinty and mineral; off - dry and very satisfying, good balance and weight, lively acidity, some floral notes, sort of a half way house between Germany and Australia. Very good! 17.5/20, £8.49

Mission Hill S. L. C. Chardonnay 2004, Okanagan Valley VQA

Closed but soft and enticing buttery nose; a little too oaky and buttery but a lively acidity and some minerality are keeping it balanced; better than the Sauvignon Blanc. 16/20, £17.95

Mission Hill S. L. C. Merlot 2003, Okanagan Valley VQA

Youthful and closed; nice whiff of smoky oak, easy to drink as it is devoid of rough edges so in that sense, very Merlot, but much better than most uncomplicated and gluggable examples of the same variety . Good! 17/20, £19.95

Mission Hill S . L . C . Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon 2004, Okanagan Valley VQA

Sauvignon and its green aromas on the one side and Sémillon's typical fatness on the other, but not so together, seems to be lacking the concentration to match the oak. 15.5/20, £17.95

Mission Hill S. L. C. Syrah 2003, Okanagan Valley VQA

Youthful with grainy tannins and green sappy finish, smoky oak, restrained style with slight austerity; definitely needs time. 16.5/20, £19.95

Pelee Island Winery Unoaked Chardonnay 2006, Niagara Peninsula VQA

Mainly citrus fruits and some of Chablis' steeliness; good weight and length; Not spectacular, but a good wine. 16.5/20, £8.95

Pelee Island Winery Eco Trail Chambourcin /Cabernet Franc 2006, Ontario VQA

The nose is a little numb and hides what the palate has in store: juicy sour red berries in excellent concentration and some floral notes; not so big yet holds its place, very long. A fruit bomb style staying clear of heaviness and over extraction. Delicious, a winner! 17.5/20, £8.95

Pelee Island Winery Pinot Noir Reserve 2005, Pelee Island VQA

Gently perfumed with a typical lead pencil aroma; plenty of juicy fruit, very soft and well - made. Charming and not too expensive for a Pinot Noir. 17/20, £10.95

Southbrook Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

Bright, with hints of flint; bone dry, very fresh, even a little demanding. To have with food.

16/20, £16.00

Southbrook Chardonnay 2004, Niagara Peninsula VQA

Slight oxydation on the nose and may not have been the best bottle to taste, not appealing, too much oak, plenty of citrus fruit, definitely needs time . 15/20, price not available

Southbrook Triomphe Chardonnay 2000, Niagara Peninsula VQA

Very appealing evolved nose of white pepper, butter and oak, some finesse; oak still very present and persists on the finish, good weight; a good glass of wine. 16.5/20, £16.95

Summerhill Pyramid Winery Meritage 2001, Okanagan Valley VQA

The nose is gentle and integrated with smoke and lead pencil and some floral aromas; very presentable, good length. 16.5/20, price not available

Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Alchemy Chardonnay 2000, Oakanagan Valley VQA

Cooked fruits, flat and not very appealing; strange mix of cheese and sweet notes followed by a very bitter finish; the wine was too old or out of condition. 14.5/20, price not available

Vendredis du Vin no 8, gros bonus points pour moi!

C'est pas moi qui l'ai dit, c'est Lisa, notre hôte du mois, qui l'a voulu ainsi. 'Gros points bonis pour les hybrides de l'Amérique du Nord' qu'elle a dit, et comme je viens du Canada, tout comme Lisa, je vous fais la revue d'un vin dessert canadien tout à fait sympa, un 'vendange tardive' élaboré à partir de Vidal, cépage canadien par excellence. Issu d'un croisement entre l'Ugni blanc et le Seyval blanc, ce cépage sait résister aux froids intenses qui sont monnaie courante au pays de l'érable . Il pousse bien sur des sols inadéquats pour la culture de cépages de la famille vitis vinifera (tous les cépages connus, les classiques) et assure ainsi aux producteurs un profit non-négligeable. Il mûrit tout doucement et régulièrement et il a la couenne dure (la peau épaisse) comme on dit chez nous, ce qui en fait un candidat idéal à l'élaboration de vendanges tardives et de vins de glace. Sans plus tarder, le voici, le voilà, mon vin des grands froids:

2005 Late Harvest Vidal, 20 Bees, VQA Ontario, Canada

Le nez est attrayant, avec ses notes de poivre blanc, de fruits à chair blanche cuits et de miel, accompagnées d'une bonne minéralité. Puis, en bouche, il est d'une fraîcheur étonnante, il est jeune et vigoureux, avec une belle acidité et du poivre à revendre, tellement qu'on a l'impression qu'il nous mordille. Tout se tient, avec ce vin : l'étiquette, simple et amusante, ce regroupement de 19 cultivateurs et d'un oenologue (de là les 20 bees) ayant pour but de produire un bon vin savoureux sans prétention et à prix doux, et le produit final, ce vin équilibré, simple, mais non simplet et très bien fait. Réussi!

Sweet Zins and muscular Cabs

At a tasting of the Cellarmistress of the Professors' dining club at UCL last Tuesday, we tasted some Californian wines. 'Cellarmistress' is quite the title but our

hostess and manager of the club's cellar is called Kathy in real life, and she is far from being as scary as her title may suggest. Kathy had selected 11 wines from local merchants, of which Majestic and Imbibros played a big role.

My favourites were the two Cabernets Sauvignons. the Newton Red Wine 1997, Sonoma, still had plenty of youthfull fruit, it was fresh and was drinking rather nicely. The Laurel Glen Counterpoint Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 was even more fresh, although not devoid of Cabernet Sauvignon's typical structural attributes, but balanced by lovely floral and mineral notes. A finer example than the Newton, and one of the least alcoholic wines of the evening at 13.5%, it was also sensibly priced for a Cabernet from California at £14.70.

We finished the tasting with 4 Zinfandels, a struggling variety for me. I have to admit that they were good, well-made wines. Even if the Ravenswood Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2005 was all sweetness and alcohol on the attack, the finish was not too big and bruising, and for lovers of beefy, fruity wines, it is excellent value at £6.79. We can not say the same of the more expensive bottles of Zin tasted that evening. The Seghesia Sonoma County Zinfandel 2005 (£16.95) was certainly more together than the Ravenswood but at almost three times the price, it was a little warm and jammy and fell flat rapidly. Cult Ridge Lytton Springs 2000 (£26.85), was super rich and sweet, but did not display much finesse, which you would expect if paying over £20.00. If Ridge can not do it, than Zinfandel is simply not a variety to use for making fine wines. It seems Zinfandel's attributes of great sweetness and high alcohol are better used in blends and in bottles with less aspiration. This is precisely what my favourite Zin of the evening had to propose. The Walker's Pass Private Reserve Zinfandel 2002 (£8.95), is a blend of 77% Zinfandel, 18% Petite Syrah and 5% Carignane (takes an 'e' in the US). It had the most exciting nose of the Zins and had plenty of juicy dark berries with Zin's over-the-top sweetness being the most intergrated. This wine is bound to be a crowd pleaser: bold enough for lovers of big wines but balanced and not too alcoholic (13.5%) for the more delicate palates. Well done!

Be secure… and lose all your tasting notes

It happened again last Wednesday. We were tasting Spanish reds. A vast subject, one might say, but on second thoughts, so much of Spanish reds are made of Tempranillo that the tasting could have been a varietal one. Indeed, once all had been tasted and the bottles had been let out of their protective bags, we did realise that all of the wines were made mainly with Tempranillo.

It was a good tasting night. As usual, my two buddies helped me: Jack, my little pda, and TastingBuddy, a wine tasting note software designed to bring the wine trade and wine enthusiast into the 21^st century. I have been using the software for a year now and it was one of the best nights of tasting notes ever as all was in harmony: tasting was relatively easy as the wines were more talkative than usual, my newly repaired pda was responding quickly with the stylus now being very precise. It was a real pleasure, wine, machine, technology and man working well and easily together.

I finish tasting all of the wines and fill up my plate of cheese and salad. Others do the same and we chat a little before reviewing the wines. When the time comes, I grab Jack, see the dark screen indicating more than 5 minutes of inactivity, and press the power button. It comes back on but rather than seeing the TastingBuddy Software, I am asked to enter my pin code, to unlock the device. Then, no sight of TastingBuddy, and no response when I try to open the software again. Only by rebooting was I able to open the software again, but my tasting notes were nowhere to be seen...

The point of this post is this:

Security code + device set up to turn off after a few minutes = loss of tasting notes

So beware and do not set up any security systems on your device if you can avoid it. In my book, security set ups, on a device, on a file or a programme, only bring complications (and I could extend this to include security in the work place, on the roads and on the streets). Both heightened technology and security are phenomenons of the 21^st century, but the former is a boon while the latter is a curse. Stay well clear of it as much as you can and you will be much happier.

More of Maury

Nous étions dans le Roussillon, à la recherche d'une maison. Je n'avais pas compté déguster ni visiter des domaines ou des coopératives, mais le Roussillon oblige, chaque village, que ce soit Saint-Paul de Fenouillet, Lansac ou Cases de Pènes, étant peuplé en partie de vignerons. Sur la D117, le long de la vallée de l'Agly, qui jouit maintenant d'une réputation hors pair auprès des amateurs du Languedoc-Roussillon, nous nous sommes arrêtés à la cave des vignerons de Maury, en plein après-midi, en plein soleil aussi. Et hop, on passe à la dégustation. Un muscat sec de l'année retient notre attention : style rarement vu à Londres, c'est sympa, très frais et fruité, et, comme c'est tout récemment vinifié, le boire nous donne l'impression de rattraper le temps perdu, d'avaler une synthèse de l'année qui vient tout juste de s'écouler. Le rosé aussi est exemplaire, simple, bien fait et fruité et serait aussi sympa que le Muscat si, de style, il était aussi original, aromatique et exhubérant. Ensuite, place aux vins doux naturels, l'une spécialité du Sud de la France. Après un Maury blanc riche à souhait, le Maury réserve 1995 a terminé royalement la dégustation. Bien qu'il soit vieux de 12 ans, c'est une impression de jeunesse et de fraîcheur qui se dégage de ce vin rouge doux et bien alcoolisé. Moi qui aime mes vins plutôt jeunes dois avouer qu'ici l'âge fait bien les choses : sans avoir perdu de son fruit, les tannins sont devenus bien souples et la sensation de douceur a diminué. Bien que ce soit du costaud, ça se boit tout seul. Avec des copains, en fin de soirée, faut pas tourner le dos une minute, parce que vous ne mettrez la main sur la bouteille qu'une fois vidée!

L'accord inratable, Vendredis du Vin 007

Inratable je ne sais pas, faudra l'essayer à nouveau. On ne se fera pas prier. Ce choix d'une soupe de crevettes à la thaïlandaise et d'un Grüner Veltliner autrichien pour le VdV s'est fait par lui-même, une fois le fait accompli, un fois devant l'assiette et le verre. Voici donc le mariage que devra résumer Eric B, notre président, sur son site d'accords mets et vins.

On en est arrivé à ce mariage, en jumelant les maigres contenus de nos deux frigos : on fait la liste de ce qui s'y trouve et de ce qu'on peut bien rafistoler. Deux idées nous viennent à la tête : un chupe de camarones, réconfortant et délicieux, ou une soupe de crevettes à la thaïlandaise, épicée et savoureuse. J'ai plus envie de brûler que d'être réconfortée, alors on sort les crevettes, la coriandre, les piments forts, l'ail, le gingembre, le rapini (pas de brocoli chinois sous la main!) le citron vert, le tamarin et le nuoc mam. On concocte le bouillon à partir des carcasses de crevettes et pendant ce temps, je file à la cave. Tout en descendant, j'élimine rapidement le vin rouge, les vins blancs à base de Chardonnay, les vins blanc italiens (quoiqu'un Verdicchio aurait probablement fait l'affaire). Il nous faut de l'aromatique, du nerf et du vert. J'ouvre donc le compartiment réservé au Riesling et je prends la première bouteille, un Grüner Veltliner! C'est décidé, le Grüner, un peu moins aigu que le Riesling, fera l'affaire.

De retour en haut et aux fourneaux. Il faut sauter vivement les légumes au wok et mouiller avec le bouillon. On fait cuire séparément les pâtes chinoises aromatisées à l'essence de poisson que nous avons dénichées sous un amoncellement d'autres ingrédients, à la dernière minute. Ça y est, on s'asseoit et la bouteille est dévissée en un rien de temps. Ça sent bon, la soupe est relevée, pleine de saveurs et on note bien le piment qui se fait remarquer. Le vin, Am Berg 2005, Bernard Ott, Wagram-Donauland, Autriche, est tout juste ce qu'il fallait: un vin très frais au fruit pur avec assez de caractère pour tenir tête aux saveurs persistantes de la soupe, et juste assez léger et minéral pour ne pas la dominer non plus. Après ce repas, fin et digeste, nous dormîmes heureux, à faire de beaux rêves, au pays merveilleux où nagent les crevettes et où pousse le Grüner. On reviendra!

Taste of the week

On Wednesday, I attended a tasting at Vinopolis organised by Wine4Trade, a French group helping French producers market and export their wines abroad. The tasting gathered producers from South West France, most without representation in the UK. I am not an importer, and my interest in attending the tasting did not rest in its wines but in meeting a few people. Thus, I tasted briefly. I visited only four tables, and the quality of two red and one white wines tasted that day exposed a forward-thinking region working at producing good, modern wines that do not sacrifice regional character to the altar of sales and marketing.

The first of the red wines, Côtes d'Olt 2005, Cahors, from Vinovalie, was floral, mineral and fresh with juicy, supple fruit. It is a bit of a crowd pleaser but the finish stays clear of heavy and often sweet and over-extracted fruit found in New World wines of the same price. For a Cahors, a region with a reputation for blockbuster wines with tannins to match, this wine has impeccably well behaved tannins. It has spent eight months in American oak, which definitely seems to suit Malbec very well and clearly indicates Vinovalie's willingness to part with tradition and adapt their production to today's market. Vinovalie regroups four co-operatives from the South West who have joined forces to fight for a place on today's extremely competitive wine markets. With the Côtes d'Olt, it seems it will achieve what it has set out to do.

The two other wines come from Domaine de Cransac, in the Fronton appellation. The Renaissance blanc 2006, vin de pays Comté Tolosan showed the same determination as the Côte d'Olt in establishing itself as a wine of today. It is made of a 100% Sauvignon blanc, all of which was matured in oak barrels (% of new oak unknown). It retains Sauvignon typicity because of its distinct asparagus character, but the oak and the overripe fruit give it a fullness that is original. It differs in character from California's sweet and often confected Fumé Blanc as it is dry, mineral, with well-integrated oak. Many tasters were coming to retaste this most original wine, perhaps in indication that the wine will soon be available on the UK market. Domaine de Cransac's Tradition 2005, Fronton, a fruity, unoaked blend of Négrette (60%) and Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon (each 20%) is another example of a very fruity (unoaked) and approachable wine, floral, rubbery and a tad flirtatious. Its older brother, the Renaissance red 2004, Fronton, is a more conentrated and structured version of the the Tradition, with an exceptionally silky texture.

It appears that with a little willingness and open-mindedness from its vignerons, the South West has a serious chance of making a name for itself outside of France.