Monthly Archives: July 2010

If you go on a vacation with me, even a quick weekend road trip, you can rest assured that I will find some sort of booze-related place to visit, no matter where we are – and I’ll drag you along with me.

Such was the case during my recent trip to Winnipeg: I dragged my husband and his band mates to Half Pints Brewing Co., a local craft brewery. Granted, convincing a bunch of 20-something guys to visit a brewery and try free samples of beer wasn’t exactly a difficult task.

Winnipeg isn’t particularly known for its craft brews; Half Pints and the Fort Garry Brewing Company are pretty much the only local breweries. I’ve heard that the Fort Garry brewery is pretty cool, but I’ve tried all their beers previously so I opted for Half Pints instead. I had never tried Half Pints’ brews before, even though they are also available in Alberta; their quantities are more limited than Fort Garry, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Sherbrooke is probably the only Edmonton supplier – and it’s rather easy to miss things in their never-ending beer cooler.

The tour was led by David Rudge, brewmaster and co-owner, who led us through all the stages of the brewing process. We started in the grain room among the dozens of bags of roasted barley, sniffing that wonderful, farmer’s-field smell of grain dust. (Well, it was wonderful for me – my husband turned out to be slightly allergic to it.) There is a grinder and auger in a corner of the room, which crushes the barley and channels it into the mash tun waiting outside. I just love the shiny copper of the mash tun and kettle. The barley is first boiled with water in the mash tun to extract all the goodness from the grains, and the liquid (now known as “wort”) is then pumped into the kettle and boiled again to clarify and concentrate it.

mash tun & kettle

From there the wort is pumped into the fermenting tanks, where it is fermented with various yeasts in order to transform the starch into sugar; carbon dioxide is created in the process. Half Pints just added two quadruple-sized fermenting tanks at the beginning of July, which raised their brewing capacity by nearly 50% – they are now capable of producing about 8000 hectolitres annually. This was their second expansion within the last two years. Business has been good and their demand has grown quite a lot; because their beer isn’t filtered, it needs a bit more time in the fermenting tanks for the yeast to settle out of the beer (incidentally, the difference between a lager and an ale is where the yeast settles: to the bottom of lagers and to the top of ales).

fermenting tanks

As we neared the end of the tour and began trying some of their brews, Rudge informed us that Half Pints hand-labels and hand-fills all of their bottles – they don’t have a bottling line or label machine. That seems just crazy too me; even though they don’t produce oceans of beer, they still make quite a bit. Then again, slapping labels on bottle after bottle could make for a fairly chilled out day at work, perhaps a good task if one did a bit too much “quality testing” on the previous day. It’s also kind of cool to know that every bottle of their beer has been lovingly handled by a living, breathing human being.

We sampled four of Half Pints’ beers, and all of them were tasty and unique:

St. James Pale Ale – Wonderfully smooth, yet it’s got just enough hops bite to keep the malt in check. Pale Ale is my preferred choice of beer when I’m looking for something thirst-quenching, and this is one of the best expressions of it that I’ve encountered. I could drink buckets of this stuff – and apparently so could a lot of other people. As Rudge notes, “Within about three weeks this became our best-selling beer, and in less than a year we brewed more of this beer than we had of our stout since day one. It was pretty ridiculous, and a bit of a shocker!”

Bulldog Amber Ale – A nice, solid amber ale. Perfect for cooler days, or for pairing with some food. The sweet malt character is kept in check by a nice dose of hops.

Little Scrapper IPA – I’m not crazy about IPA as I prefer beers that are heavier on malt, rather than hops. However, while the bitter hops are prominent in this one, they aren’t overpowering or skunky. A great example of the IPA style.

Stir Stick Stout – I was stuck for words to describe this beer; the best I can do is stating that it is coffee beer, and it is the closest thing you will get to coffee without actually drinking a cup. It is also really, really good. It tastes just like a robust black coffee, only the bitter edge is gone and it’s carbonated, which makes it all perky and bubbly and happy. I was so impressed; most coffee beers are a little too sweet for my taste, but this one is perfectly balanced.

The stout is made with fair-trade, organically grown, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, from Black Pearl, a local Winnipeg coffee importer and roaster. Rudge describes Yirgacheffe as “the fine red wine of coffees” – I’m not enough of a coffee geek to offer my own opinion on this, but it sure tasted damn good in beer. (Though maybe this would be heresy to a coffee geek; just like using Mouton-Rothschild to make sangria would be unspeakable to a wine geek.)

If you’re looking for something to do in Winnipeg on a Saturday, drop by Half Pints. They do a tour and tasting every Saturday starting at 1pm.

***Disclaimer: the shots of the beer labels are not my own pictures; I got them from flickr – sorry, but my camera died by that point in the tour. If one happens to be yours and you want me to take it down, just send me an email.

You know what I like more than tasty wine? Tasty cheap wine.

Enter New Harbor Sauvignon Blanc. This is easily the best QPR (quality-for-price ratio) wine that I’ve found all summer. It’s just over ten bucks a bottle, but it tastes like it’s worth double the price.

2008 new harbor sauvignon blanc

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is always refreshing in the heat, and the New Harbor does not disappoint: fresh, clean and juicy flavours of melon and ripe peach, some gooseberry and a touch of grass, and tons of acidity that will force you to salivate as much as a dog eyeballing an unattended T-bone.

This is a quintessentially New Zealand expression of Sauvignon Blanc, from a region that has established itself with this grape – yet, though the New Harbor definitely has the classic Marlborough tropical fruit characteristics, it doesn’t weigh in too heavily; everything is nicely balanced.

And that’s it, really. This is a tasty wine that’s made even tastier by being so inexpensive. It’s great on its own in the summer warmth, or pair it with salads and lightly-seasoned seafood dishes and you won’t be disappointed. Now go buy a case before they jack the price with the next vintage.

The most memorable meal of my recent Winnipeg trip was served at the Tomato Pie Company, a cute little restaurant in trendy Osborne Village. Tomato Pie serves authentic southern Italian food, primarily based around the cuisine of Campagna and Naples. Now, I’m the first to cringe at the use of the word “authentic” to describe, well, anything – it has become such a cliché. However, Tomato Pie comes as close to true Italian food as I’ve ever encountered, so I think it’s an apt descriptor.

The décor is pretty and cozy, featuring the work of local artists hanging on the walls. The menu features several classic pasta dishes and a very thorough offering of pizza (after all, Naples is the birthplace of modern pizza). There is also an attractive build-your-own pasta option that goes beyond the basic “chicken in tomato sauce over rotini” – we’re talking about ingredients like rapini and pine nut or spicy eggplant in arrabiatta sauce over whole-wheat fettuccine.

I didn’t need to peruse the menu much, however, as I was sold by the server’s description of the evening’s special: mussels and shrimp in spicy garlic tomato sauce, served over whole wheat penne. The sauce was seriously SO good, with just the right amount of heat, and so savoury that I was grateful for the hunk of chewy rustic bread to mop up every last bit. The pasta came absolutely laden with mussels, which was awesome – I hate it when you order a dish like this and all you get is a bowl of pasta with three measly mussels slumped on top.

mmm mussels

My co-diners’ dishes all looked equally fabulous, though we were all so ravenous that we immediately attacked our own plates and scarcely looked up; there was no sharing at this meal! I barely managed to snap a picture of everyone’s plates before I dove into my own.

oven-baked canniloni stuffed with ground beef, veal & mozzarella

pizza pellegrino: sausage, feta cheese & peppers

I should mention the salad that we all had at the start of the meal (each entrée comes with a salad): they were so simple, yet so good. Just some uber-fresh lettuce, Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion, drizzled with olive oil and vinegar. We all remarked that it was a welcome break from the typical gloppy mayonnaise-based dressing that often plasters the average restaurant salad.

We shared a bottle of 2008 Alpha Zeta Valpolicella (Veneto, Italy); it was an innocuous, simple wine with bright cherry fruit and a nice dose of zesty acidity. It wasn’t the greatest pairing with my pasta, as the spice in the sauce clashed a bit with the wine, but it was still enjoyable to quaff before and after the meal.

2008 alpha zeta valpolicella

The service was friendly and efficient, but never overbearing; the prices were perfectly reasonable. Overall it was an eminently satisfying meal, and a great way to finish off our weekend in Winnipeg. I had not enjoyed a good Italian meal for some time before, and after this delicious experience I think I’ll wait a bit before I search out another – I’m content to bask in this one for a while longer.

I was in Winnipeg over the weekend on a whirlwind road trip with one of my husband’s bands, who played a show at the Fringe. We drove over 2800km in four days. I never want to do that EVER again.

Because I only had a couple days to check out the food and drinks scene, unfortunately I didn’t get a really good sense of the city’s epicurean offerings. Nonetheless, there were still some memorable meals and drinks, and I’ll be posting about them over the next couple days.

After waking up bright and early on our first full day in the city (just kidding – I think we rolled out of bed just before noon), our first stop was to the Underground Café. This vegetarian café is tucked in a little corner of downtown, in the basement of the Silpit Building on Arthur Street. The café is funky and eclectic, with vintage 1950′s-style tables and chairs and vibrant wall murals rife with pop culture figures – just imagine how my heart throbbed to see the stoic face of Captain Picard steadily gazing at me as I dined.

*throb*

hooray for orange vinyl chairs!

I was less thrilled to have Ron Jeremy looming over my shoulder...

The Underground Café serves vegetarian fare, and they are famous for their sunburger – a juicy, seed-filled patty slathered with lime dill sauce, served on a whole wheat bagel. My husband actually worked at the Underground when he lived in Winnipeg several years ago, and he’s raved about these burgers ever since I met him. He tried to make them at home a couple times and while they were good, they just weren’t quite the same.

the fabulous sunburger

Though I definitely had a bite of my husband’s sunburger, I wasn’t quite hungry enough to have one myself (they are quite big and filling). Instead, I had The Wendy: an egg salad sandwich with pickles and aged cheddar, served on marbled rye. It was very tasty and fresh; the eggs were perfectly fluffy and the mayonnaise was applied judiciously, rather than with a spatula, which seems to be the common practice among places serving egg salad.

the wendy

Overall it was a very satisfying meal; the perfect starting point for a busy day exploring a new city. I was sad that we didn’t get a chance to visit the Underground again, as there were many other items on the menu that I wanted to try. Next time I visit Winnipeg I’ll definitely be stopping here again. In the meantime, we’ll try to perfect our own version of the sunburger.

I’m in Winnipeg right now on a mini-vacation; very soon I’ll blog about the wine, beer and food I’ve encountered here. In the meantime I’m playing catchup on the news items from the last week or so:

• Extortion in the wine world: the Casella family, creators of the insanely successful Yellow Tail brand of Aussie wine, were blackmailed for years by Matteo de Dominicis.

• The world’s oldest bottle of Champagne was found on the bottom of the ocean. The wine is believed to have been made by Veuve Clicquot between 1782 and 1788. That’s almost too old to drink, even for an English palate. Almost.

• Every time you open a screwcap, a kitten dies. Uh huh. Is it just me, or are the cork producers getting increasingly desperate these days?

• Can you open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew? Apparently sticking it in a shoe and whacking it against a tree is supposed to work. Could be a fun party trick…but I think I’ll pack a corkscrew just in case.

• How Japan is creating a new generation of sake drinkers – France, take note: this could help with your own problem of the younger generation forsaking wine for vodka.

• Here is an interesting piece on biodynamic wine, though I’m a little disappointed they’re playing up the “voodoo” cliché.

• Please don’t buy me this for Christmas: the Wine Rack, an aptly-named bra that holds a whole bottle of wine. I like how they say that when filled, the bra “imperceptibly” increases by two sizes. Um, I’m pretty sure that on most women, growing an extra two sizes would be anything but imperceptible.

no comment.

• These are just plain sexy: wood floors made from wine barrels.

• Fun with fruit: watermelon pyramids! I should try this with the veggies in my own garden…

• Jelloware is so much cooler than Tupperware.

eminently better than the Tim Horton's bread bowl

• Edmonton can expect a new wine bar to open in the fall (hurray!): Amanda Babichuk of D’Lish Urban Kitchen just announced that she’s renovating the space (located on 124 Street and 104 Avenue) and plans to re-open in September, as D’Lish Urban Kitchen and Wine Bar. 70 seats, full-service lunch, small plates and charcuterie in the evening. Win.

• And finally, this is unrelated to food and drink, but it’s pure awesomeness (and related to my other passion, knitting): how to make your own spider silk thread.

I just can’t stop myself from regarding the world of wine through a literary lens. (Blame it on that English degree.) Wine has its own language; it’s own set of terms and definitions – from the most banal, technical descriptors of wine’s physical characteristics (colour, tannin, acidity, weight), to the highly subjective, even poetic, elocutions of taste and aroma.

Writing is fundamental to wine; it is the site of disambiguation and dissemination of information. We need wine writing to provide us with the knowledge to better understand and appreciate wine; this knowledge is also crucial to making good consumer choices.

But writing can also obscure; poor writing clouds the true, useful information and inhibits our ability to make sound judgments; it can perpetuate false information and create a new set of obstacles for the would-be wine enthusiast or drinker.

Enter the problem of wine clichés. Definitions are important, and in my experience I’ve noticed that clichés are conflated with other figures of speech, like puns and generalizations. However, I would acknowledge that some wine puns and generalizations have been so overused that they’ve become clichés.

For this discussion we’ll go with the Wikipedia definition of cliché, since it’s adequate enough:

A cliché is a saying, expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, ‘played out’, rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel.

Clichés are dangerous, as they do not offer any real or accurate information and can, in fact, impede one’s ability to discern the original and true meaning, and perpetuate falsehoods and misinformation.

Clichés pervade all forms of writing, and wine writing is no exception. However, I would argue that clichés are more prevalent in wine writing than in, say, fiction. (In general, of course – certainly there are examples of very clichéd fiction writing and cliché-free wine writing, and vice-versa.)

Perhaps this is by virtue of the medium: tasting notes are usually brief snippets of language, 50 words or less. Similarly, the back of a wine labels affords no more space than 100 to 150 words. It’s hard to stay original within such tight confines. Though other, longer examples of wine writing exist in magazines, newspapers, books, and blogs, the vast majority of wine drinkers are not willing or able to spend hours reading these longer pieces. Rather, most people must satisfy themselves with quick, 30-second descriptions of the juice – clichéd or otherwise. In my experience working in the retail wine business, most consumers just want to be reassured that the wine tastes good, and clichés seem to have the unfortunate effect of providing this (false) reassurance.

Now, in the strictest sense of the definition, one could argue that the vast majority of wine writing is clichéd. Put simply, a variety of expressions are commonly used over and over again, as they are good, trusted ways of presenting basic wine information. However, in these cases, the clichés are actually truisms, and they are useful methods of dissemination. The constructions of “this wine smells like x,” or “this wine is balanced,” or “this wine has firm tannins and a refreshing streak of acidity” aren’t necessarily clichés – nor is re-using the same descriptors for different wines; a LOT of red wines have aromas of red and black fruits, and stating this isn’t really a cliché – it is an overused description, to be sure, but it’s not a cliché.

Additionally, certain figures are able to use certain phrases and terms that may be clichéd in any other instance. Granted, these instances would be the exception, rather than the rule, and only respected wine critics or other noted experts in the field would be able to pull something like this off. If Jancis Robinson were to describe a wine in clichéd terms, it probably wouldn’t actually seem clichéd at all – but the same cannot be said for the drunken lout standing next to you at a free tasting, tossing out the same epithets.

Jancis could utter the worst wine clichés and I'd still think she was awesome

In January 2006, Frank J. Prial wrote an excellent article on wine clichés for the New York Times (link here). Prial’s piece inspired me to present my own list of the wine clichés that truly irk me. Now, my list is by no means comprehensive or complete; it merely represents a collection of repeat offenders:

• This hand-crafted wine




• Our wine is made in the vineyard




• Almost any reference to the wine’s terroir
  (This is a huge, loaded subject that I’ll fully address another day. On a related note, the word terroir is often punned upon; most tend to play on its similarity to the word “terror” –  i.e. “terroirists.”)
• Stop and smell the rosé




• Suitable for every occasion




• A classic example of [insert grape variety here]




• Reserve
  (As in the term “reserve” appearing on a wine’s label – this term is not regulated and has no recognized meaning; though it’s generally considered an indication that the wine is above-average quality and made in smaller quantities, it is also commonly found on cheap, entry-level wines made in batches of several hundred thousand barrels.)
• Suggested food pairing (red wine): beef, pasta dishes, cheese




• Suggested food pairing (white wine): poultry, pasta dishes, cheese

As I previously mentioned, puns and clichés are two different phenomena, but there are some puns that I would argue have been so overused that they have attained cliché status. Possibly the worst  offender is Zinfandel – poor, noble Zinfandel. “Zin” is a pseudo-rhyme with many other words, notably “sin” – and marketing agents just love a good play on words. Various convolutions of “zinful” wine descriptions thus emerged, and this quickly spread into terribly punned wine names, including:

• 7 Deadly Zins




• Cardinal Zin




• Now and Zin




• Earth, Zin and Fire

it's not just a terrible name; this label was created purely to make graphic designers cry

Beyond writing, there are also many clichéd images associated with wine – one tends to see a lot of these online, but also as pictures and posters adorning the walls of wine shops and tastelessly-decorated houses:

• Pastoral scenes of French- or Italian-esque vineyards, done in washed out hues or sepia tones, often with a table in the foreground on which rests some bottles of wine, wine glasses, and some cheese and fruit.



• A still life of a bottle of wine surrounded by fruit and cheese. Also usually done in washed out hues or sepia tones, and occasionally in an Impressionistic style.




• A back-lit, close-up shot of a glass of wine




• A darkened figure of a woman lifting a glass of wine to her lips.

This isn’t to say that there is nothing original in the world of wine and wine writing. Many examples of absolutely fantastic, originally-marketed wines exist, and thank god for that. The wines of Bonny Doon and d’Arenberg and the writing of Jancis Robinson particularly come to mind; I would encourage anyone involved in wine writing and/or marketing to check out such examples before attempting to create that wine label or write that tasting note.

If anyone would like to share their own examples of wine clichés and/or puns, please do! Even though they offend my sense of aesthetics, it’s kind of like picking a scab – it feels gross, but for some reason you just can’t stop.

Ah, finally I’ve found a sparkling pink wine that doesn’t reek of jammy red fruit and have a sugary palate that leaves your teeth furred and your head sore.

The NV Luis Pato Casta Baga Brut is a sparkling wine (or “vinho espumante”) from Portugal, made from the indigenous Baga variety. I’ve only previously encountered Baga as a red wine, and it makes for enticingly earthy, rustic wines that go great with roast pork or wild boar – the local specialty. Luis Pato is an ardent supporter of the variety and indeed, of Portuguese wines as a whole – I’ve had several of their wines, and they are all solidly made.

As for a description of the flavours of this particular wine, I offer a visualization: picture walking through a sun-warmed field of weeds and grasses, nibbling on the occasional wild strawberry or fresh pomegranate seed and sniffing a dry, mushroomy earthiness on the breeze. It’s fresh and crisp when cold; as it warms up those lovely wild aromas unfold.

check out that sunburst of effervescence - so pretty!

This wine was made in the Champagne method, which accounts for the delicate effervescence and little bubbles that just prickle gently across your tongue. It’s a prime example of food bubbly: sparkling wine that’s refreshing enough on its own but becomes eminently better when correctly paired with food. In my case, I paired it with fresh salmon baked with dill and lemon, served with corn on the cob and lemon-dill rice. It was an absolutely delicious pairing, if I may say so myself. The wine’s got plenty of acidity to stand up to the lemon, but it’s also round enough that it doesn’t clash with the fatty texture of the salmon. The colour of the wine also matches the salmon perfectly – let’s not forget the importance of aesthetics.

If I had to do it all over again, I would.

I have to share something I found when I first started researching this wine: a listing on an online wine shop has the most hilarious description of this wine. Clearly they just plugged it through some kind of online translator, providing further evidence (like you needed any more) of the importance of a good human translator. Still, I can’t help but giggle when reading about the “chaste Baga” and how it “harmonizes with fish, seafood and roast beef in the oven.” Seems like kind of a bit of discrepancy between food types, but ok.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why there’s ducks on the label – “pato” means “duck” in Portuguese.

• Check out the top five bar and cocktail trends of 2010. I generally agree with these, but most of them aren’t really that new. (Though it’s exciting to see rum top the list, given my upcoming debut as a rum writer for the Sherbrooke blog.)

• Who would have thought that the good people of Philadelphia were so ardent about wine that they’d install wine vending machines? I personally wouldn’t ever use them, and not just because of the highly questionable nature of the wines on offer – to get the wine, you have to swipe your credit card, look into a camera, and blow into a breath sensor. Talk about an identity theft bonanza if someone hacks one of these things.

call me old-fashioned, but these things just leave me feeling uneasy (photo c/o Bradley C. Bower, Associated Press)

• James Suckling, perennial wine writer and taster, has left Wine Spectator. Read about it here and here. Suckling has been with the influential wine magazine since the 1980′s, and while there is no official word yet on where he’s headed, he tweeted today (@JamesSuckling) saying that he’s got “exciting things to come.”

• I’ve actually been working on a similar list myself: check out the top 10 pubs in literature. (I’m currently compiling a list of notable literary wine references.)

• The Japanese are always the first to do the cool stuff: ANA is the first airline in the world to offer draft beer keg service on flights.

• File this under “Bad Food Ideas”: the lasandwich.

...I'll pass.

• File this under “More Bad Food Ideas”: the Candwich. In related news, the Candwich financier is currently being sued for fraud.

...please, just no.

• How is this possibly considered an acceptable excuse? Newly elected British MP Mark Reckless apologized for being “too drunk to vote” on the budget. Well, at least he was honest about it. And I guess the guy’s name IS Reckless.

• I’m all for adopting eco-friendly practices in all areas of life, fashion included, but I think this bio-fashion nonsese is taking things a little too far. Can you imagine swathing your body in a sheet of bacterial-cellulose? *shudder*

• I’m definitely making one of these for my new house: a wine cork bath mat!

finally, a useful purpose for all those corks I've been saving!

• The next Alley Kat cask night at the Sugarbowl is tonight, July 15 – so head down there around 5pm to taste some local brew and chat with the host, Edmonton beer guru Jason Foster. I’m happy to see that these cask nights are quickly becoming regular events!

• Every Saturday in July, Vinomania is offering a free tasting of premium Canadian wines from their Enomatic system. You’ve still got another three days to check it out; drop by the store anytime between 11am and 5pm on July 17, 24 and 31.

• Local fruit winery en Santé is hosting a Saskatoon Stomp on August 1 – come to the winery, pick some saskatoon berries, and then foot-tread them yourself! The juice will be used to make their delicious Saucy Saskatoon wine. I’m definitely going to be at this one – call the winery at 780-657-2275 to book your spot, or visit their booths at the Old Strathcona and City Centre farmer’s markets to buy a ticket. (For some background on the winery, read my articles about them here and here.

A friend of mine just landed a job at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, so she was eager to brush up on her wine knowledge – and I’m always eager to expand upon my own. We settled on doing a tasting of Californian wines, as these are the predominant offerings on the Ruth’s Chris wine menu.

Of course, I had to whip up a selection of snacks to taste with the wines. I opted for a selection of cheeses (smoked applewood Cheddar, Brie de Chèvre, smoked Gouda, aged Edam) and meats (two kinds of capicola and goose pâté), fresh BC cherries, and some crackers and sliced baguette. I also included a couple of locally-made wine jellies, which I recently wrote about here.

best. dinner. ever.

Now, the wines we chose weren’t anything special; we tried to pick a few of the main California grape varieties, from several of the common regions. We were on a budget, and unfortunately California is usually one of the worst regions for values. There is plenty of good juice made here, but the really decent stuff seems to start around $30 a bottle. At any rate, here are the ones we tried:

2007 Bonterra Chardonnay (Mendocino County)
Pretty classic California Chardonnay, strikes a great balance between oak and fruit. There’s some caramel and butterscotch from the oak, underlaid by crisper notes of apples, lemon and under-ripe melon. The lively acidity keeps the palate nice and fresh; I definitely prefer Chardonnays from the cooler regions in California (which Mendocino certainly is), as the grapes retain their acidity much better than in the scorching heat of the hotter AVAs.

2009 J. Lohr Wildflower Valdiguié (Monterey County)
This wine was a bit of a surprise to me; previously I had never heard of the Valdiguié grape variety. It is pretty uncommon, grown mainly in the Languedoc-Roussillon area of France, though there is a fair bit of it planted in California. Naming this wine “Wildflower” is completely apt – this wine is the colour of flowers; its vibrant, dark purple-pink, with almost magenta-like colour reminds one of a field of blossoms. Aromas of raspberry jam, strawberries, sultana raisins, cranberry cocktail, and a spritz of some kind of perfumy, candy-like bouquet. It is quite light-bodied, with rather high acidity, low alcohol, and low tannin. It bears a striking resemblance to Gamay and especially Beaujolais Nouveau – indeed, this variety was thought to be Gamay until 1980, when genetic analysis proved otherwise. Once we had chilled the wine a fair bit, it was really enjoyable in a guilty-pleasure sort of way.

2005 Kenwood Merlot (Sonoma County)
This was oxidized. Not sure if it had done so naturally and was therefore way past its peak, or if the bottle was faulty – but the cork looked fine and there was no evidence of leaking. This was a half bottle (375mL), which tends to make wines age faster, so that could have been the culprit. Either way, there was some baked aromas of stewed plums, and maybe some spice and savoury herbs under all that sour fruit. Low to medium tannins, medium acidity – it seemed to be a pretty standard Californian Merlot under the oxidation.

2006 Beringer Founder’s Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
Aromas of cassis, dark cherry, pencil shavings, and hints of spice at the back. Firmly medium-bodied, with rather gentle tannins. It almost seemed a little hollow; I was hoping for more tannin – I mean come on, its Cabernet Sauvignon! Granted, the fact that this doesn’t come from a specific AVA means they made it purposefully bland and blindly quaffable. Good for someone who just wants to taste red wine and not think about it.

2006 Wall Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
Black cherry, plum, toasty oak, blackcurrant, roasted red peppers, blueberry, black raisins. Medium acidity and medium tannins, could use a little more of both. Overall decent quality, but rather forgettable.

On Friday I had the good fortune to have lunch with Steve Crosta, General Sales Manager for Crew Wine Company. Crew produces several Californian wine brands, including Mossback, Sawbuck, and Matchbook, as well as a brand of New Zealand wine called Chasing Venus. Ryan Everitt, Senior Sales Consultant for Altovin, organized the lunch, which has held at the Urban Diner. Also in attendance was Diana Funnell from Culina/Bibo and Peter Seepish from 123 Street Liquor Store; we were joined a little later by Lorraine Ellis from The Manor Casual Bistro.

In addition to our yummy, comforting diner food (see pics below) we also tried three of the Matchbook Wines. These wines hail from the Dunnigan Hills AVA in Yolo County. If you don’t know where this is, fret not – I had to look it up myself. Dunnigan is tucked up in the northern end of California, north and east of Napa Valley. We don’t see a lot of Dunnigan wines in Alberta, and in fact this was my first taste of them.

Though Dunnigan Hills may not be a familiar name to most people, the name of the region’s biggest winery probably is – and indeed, the history of R.H. Phillips intertwines with that of Matchbook. However, before I launch into a recap of Matchbook and Crew’s history, let me first say a word about the wines: they are good. Surprisingly good, especially when you consider the price point – we tried the 2006 and 2007 Syrah, which sells for under $20; it’s depressing to admit that this is hardcore bargain territory where California wine is concerned.

matchbook wines

Both vintages of the Syrah were consistently good, with aromas of red and black fruits (cherries, blackcurrant), a judicious amount of toasty oak, lively acidity and round, well-integrated tannins. The 2006 had an appealing whiff of star anise; I couldn’t get any of this on the 2007 so only time will tell if this is a secondary characteristic of the wine as it gains some age, or if it was a specific trait of that vintage. (And at this price point it’s not a stretch to buy a few bottles to tuck away.)

We also tried the 2005 Tinto Rey, Matchbook’s signature wine. It displayed much more earthiness than the Syrahs: some slate and mineral aromas, coffee and chocolate undertones, spicy cherry and an initial whiff of agar. The palate had an absolutely lovely, velvety texture. The tannins were perfectly smooth, counterbalanced nicely by a streak of freshening acidity.

The Tinto Rey is a blended wine, comprised of Syrah, Tempranillo (Matchbook has been experimenting with several Spanish varieties), Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Graciano. I’m excited to see more blends crop up in the New World – it’s time we all got over our obsession with single varietal wines.

Given that we were tasting some bolder red wines, I should have ordered something a bit heavier for lunch. However, the salmon burger proved too much of a temptation. It clashed rather fantastically with the wine, but I still enjoyed each separately.

salmon burger with mango salsa and coleslaw

Steve was adamant about sharing a plate of the macaroni and cheese among everyone, and I was rather happy about this when I tried a bite of the gooey, soul-comforting dish. (It didn’t go very well with the wine either, but no matter.)

diner mac n' cheese

And now for today’s history lesson! The Crew Wine Company was formed eight years ago by John Giguiere, founder of R.H. Phillips; several former employees (the “crew”) of R.H. Phillips are also involved with Crew. (Steve joined R.H. Phillips in 1994 as International Sales Manager; he moved with John to Crew and occupies a similar role.)

R. H. Phillips dates back to 1983, when it was founded in Dunnigan Hills by John, his wife Lane and brother Karl. What began as a small family-owned winery making a few thousand cases of wine from a few dozen acres of vines transformed into a large, 750,000-case operation, all within a decade. R.H. Phillips was purchased by Vincor International in 2000; John remained with the company for a few years but left in 2005 to start Crew.

John & Lane Giguiere (photo c/o Craig Lee, Chronicle)

This departure can be regarded as a matter of philosophical difference: the Giguieres wanted to produce “wines of people, place, and time” that reflect the vineyard site rather than the brand style. Their goal is to stay family-owned and limit their production – they will probably max out around 100,000 cases: a comfortable number for them, and one that seems positively tiny next to the output of the big Californian producers. (To put things in perspective, Gallo produces 40 million cases of wine annually.)

After we finished lunch and were savouring the last sips of the Tinto Rey, Steve directed our attention to the corks used for the Matchbook wines: Crew has invested in DIAM corks, which I have wrote about previously here. It’s great to see them being used enthusiastically by wine producers; I think that anyone bottling wines with corks should be using the DIAM or something comparable – there’s simply too many risks associated with plain old natural cork, not to mention the horror that is the synthetic closure. (I’m also a big fan of the screwcap, but that’s a battle that’s already been fought– click here and here if you want to revisit those tumultuous times.)

One last note, about availability: the 2006 Matchbook Syrah is in several stores already and they are moving through the supply quickly; the 2007 will probably appear within a few months. The Tinto Rey is also making its entrance into the city and should appear in the better wine stores shortly. Bibo Wine Bar will also feature all the Matchbook wines on its wine list, the Urban Diner will carry the Syrah, and The Manor will have the Tinto Rey. For more info on availability, you can search for the wines on the Alberta Liquor Guide.