La Gourmandesse

As I mentioned in the Peach Buckle post, I am a big follower of the blog Smitten Kitchen. I’m going to take the risk of looking like a blog stalker, and re-post another one of Deb’s masterpieces. And then I’ll give it a rest for a while, I swear. It’s just that there’s so much great local fruit around lately, and Deb just keeps giving me delicious ways to use it up!

I love blueberry muffins. My mom used to make huge batches when I was little and our family would devour them in a few days. Her recipe was called “Helen’s Blueberry Muffins,” I can still see them written out in her recipe notebook. I don’t know who Helen was, but she made a good muffin.

However, the muffins I made today have blown Helen’s out of the kitchen. They are a masterpiece of a muffin. I think they’d be great with peaches or raspberries too.  I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter, so I’m going to be lazy and just give the link to Perfect Blueberry Muffins.

I am usually rushed when baking, but today since I am procrastinating from all the things I should be doing, I decided to go all out with the hand mixer and the sifter.  Actually following the recipe produced the fluffiest muffin to ever come out of my oven.

The only changes I made were to add a drop of vanilla to the wet ingredients, a squirt of lemon juice because I didn’t have a lemon for zest, I used 3% plain yogurt and I baked them in a 6 cup muffin tin. Deb’s recipe made 9-10 medium muffins, so I went for 6 monster muffins. They were perfectly done at 25 minutes.

Moist muffin perfection!

2007 Candidato Tempranillo Garnacha, $7.70. LCBO#523811.

Lately I’m loving Spanish wine. It is coming close to dethroning Italy as my fave source of old world wine. Or maybe I should call it old world with a new world price twist?

This bottle is simple and enjoyable. Medium bodied, a bit oaky, incredibly smooth. Need I say more?

We had it with burgers, which were a great match. It was still tasty to sip after dinner, the smooth finish helps it do well without food.

Overall, I give this wine 8.5/10 for taste and 4.5/5 for value.

2007 Penascal Estate Tempranillo, $9.00. LCBO#343434.

I’ve been wanting to make another forray into Spanish wine for a while now. I went to a wine tasting a few years ago based around Spain and Portugal, and I just loved the earthy robustness of the wines.

I can’t exactly call this bottle robust, but it is certainly interesting. I don’t usually go for Tempranillo, although I love the word, so I don’t know exactly what I should expect from it.  The bottle was a bit earthy/funky upon opening, which never deters me, in fact it usually makes me hopeful that something delicious lurks beneath the stink.

The wine is a deep and luscious purple, making me wish I had a dress or scarf, or something luxurious to wear, in the same shade. Beneath the earthy nose are grapefruit and pepper tastes, with a light to medium body and a dry, tart finish. The LCBO says sour cherry, but I’m sticking to grapefruit. Whichever fruit you choose, this wine isn’t too tart, just sort of zippy and fresh.

I read an article recently about red wines that can be chilled in the summer, and I think this Tempranillo might be a candidate. It’s light and fresh, yet interesting, and probably is best enjoyed in the summer.

Overall, I give this wine 8/10 for taste and 4/5 for value.

2008 Cono Sur Bicycle Merlot, $9.95. LCBO#457176.

I found this bottle in a list from Wine Align. It scored 88/100 for the 2007 vintage, and I thought it was a worthy candidate for the $10 wine list. It is the first bottle from Chile that I’ve tried on my quest for a cheap and worthy wine.

I’m disappointed to report that I found the bottle to be only average. It starts out well, the colour is a deep and satisfying purple, but it doesn’t have much of a nose.  The taste is very even, and the wine is medium bodied and soft, as you would expect in a merlot. I don’t have much else to say about it.

Maybe the problem is that I like things a bit fruitier, a bit deeper and more complex than the average merlot can deliver. There’s nothing offensive about this wine, it’s easy drinking with almost no hint of tannins.  It’s a bit on the dry side, so that might be a turn-off for some, but it’s very smooth and would probably pair well with most food.

I would say this is a decent wine, but not one that’s interesting enough to make it into my wine basket on future trips to the LCBO.

Overall, I give this wine 7.5/10 for taste and 3.5/5 for value.

2008 Spinelli Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, $7.40. LCBO# 454629.

I’m long overdue for a review of a new $10 wine, and have had this one waiting to be sipped and judged for a while. I paired this Italian red with our pizza masterpiece, as it only seemed fitting. Unfortunately, it was far less spectacular than the pizza.

While this bottle comes in at the same price point as one of my Italian favourites (Farnese Sangiovese Daunia, $7.40), it doesn’t have nearly the same body and soul. I know I’m comparing apples to oranges as far as grape varietal, but I’m really comparing value for money and drinkability in the cheap Italy aisle at the LCBO.

Part of this wine’s weakness may be the alcohol content- it sits at 12%, which gives an almost watery quality. While it does go down easy with nothing much to complain about taste-wise, it’s also missing something to make it interesting.

It started out promising, a nice ruby red colour and slightly earthy nose. But the taste is a bit indistinguishable; the LCBO references dark berries, leather and herbs. My palate picked up “mediocre but very affordable red wine.” It also says this is medium bodied, where I would call it light.

I think this is a case of what you’re looking for in a red. When I pick up an Italian table wine, I’d like it to be full and robust, and bring something to the meal. Hence my love of Farnese. However, if you are not a full bodied red kind of person, this wine might be your style. It’s light, easy to drink, and doesn’t overpower the food. It might also be good to drink on its own- not so much flavour that it overwhelms your taste buds.

Overall, I give this wine 7/10 for taste and 3.5/5 for value.

Our 8 economical bottles, ordered from highest score to lowest.

I am very happy to report that last night, a good time was had by all.  We hosted our very first $10 wine tasting, which I hope is only the first of many variations on that theme.

The rules were: you must bring 2 bottles of your favourite $10 wine (red or white), one for tasting and one for the prize basket. The bottles for tasting were wrapped in brown paper bags and were sampled “blind,” ordered from white to red and randomly numbered.  The bottles were scored out of 20 (5 for nose, 5 for taste, 5 for finish and 5 for overall impression). We picked the basics: how does it smell, do you like the taste, how does it leave your mouth, and what do you think of it overall? Here is a copy of the $10 wine tasting score sheet for those who want to host a similar event. The score sheet is certainly not designed for wine snobs and sommeliers, but for ordinary folk who might not be thinking of uppity terms like balance, complexity and bouquet.

Last night we had 13 attendees and 8 bottles (5 white and 3 red). The winner was Beringer California Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, $9.95. Sadly it was not my entry, but a wine I’ve reviewed in the past and been very pleased with regarding quality at its price point. Good choice, Eve & Tomek. Congrats on winning 8 bottles of wine, and thanks for sharing a few with your hosts!

Kevin and I entered our latest favourite white, Sogrape Gazela Vinho Verde 2009, $8.95. Unfortunately it was not a fan favourite, and we came in 6th. I think our crowd enjoyed off-dry whites the most, and weren’t into its crisp dry spritzy quality.  But I still love it!

Here is a list of the 8 wines and where they fell in the ranks:

1. 2008 Beringer California Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, $9.95. LCBO# 113001. (California)

-Soft vanilla and oak flavours, very smooth finish and medium-full body.

2. 2009 Deinhard Green Label Riesling, $11.95. LCBO# 8094. (Germany)

-Off-dry, fruity and fresh.

3. 2009 Ruffino Orvieto Classico, $11.75. LCBO# 31062. (Italy)

-Slightly off-dry, clean and crisp with flavours of apple and pear.

4. 2009 Copper Moon Moonlight Harvest Pinot Grigio, $9.45. LCBO# 158303. (Ontario, Canada)

-Off-dry with flavours of citrus and melon.

5. 2009 Argento Chardonnay, $9.95. LCBO# 591701. (Argentina)

-Fruity with a sweet, almost maple syrup finish.

6. 2009 Sogrape Gazela Vinho Verde, $8.95. LCBO# 141432. (Portugal)

-Dry, light and effervescent. Flavours of citrus and tomato leaf.

7. 2008 Finca Flichman Misterio Malbec, $7.95. LCBO# 28803.  (Argentina)

-Oaky nose and blackberry flavours. Medium-bodied, fruity and toasty.

8. 2009 Funky Llama Shiraz, $9.90. LCBO# 614685. (Argentina)

-Black currant flavours with a hint of oak, medium-bodied.

All the bottles were enjoyed and represented great quality for price. My personal top 3 were the Beringer Cab-Sav (17.5/20), Gazela Vinho Verde (16/20) and Ruffino Orvieto Classico (16/20). Funnily enough they are all wines I have reviewed before and really enjoyed.  Even with a “blind” tasting, I still like what I like!

2008 Ruffino Orvieto Classico, $11.75. LCBO#31062

I am on a white wine kick lately…..must be all the sunshine and blooming bulbs putting me in the mood for summer sippers.  This week’s Wine Wednesday offering comes from Italy, one of my favourite affordable wine locations.  This bottle clocks in at a bit over $10, but is still very affordable at $11.75, and was given to me by my very generous friends, Juliana & Kamary. I am told that this is their go-to bottle of wine.

The wine is a medium straw colour, and has the aroma and taste of apples and pears. Very slightly off-dry, as well as light bodied, clean and crisp.  Definitely easy drinking!  Could be fun on the patio, served extra chilled. Would go well with some spicy Asian food or seafood. We paired it with a spaghetti concoction featuring scallops, roasted tomatoes, olive oil & garlic.  Very tasty, and a good balance for the delicious oiliness of the pasta dish.

Overall, I give this bottle 8/10 for taste and 3.5/5 for value.

2009 Sogrape Gazela Vinho Verde, $8.95. LCBO#141432.

I have a lovely spring sipper to share for this wonderful wine Wednesday. My colleague Shelley recommended that I check out vinho verde, and I am happy I took her advice. I have to admit I picked this bottle because it was the prettiest one I saw in the Portugal section of the LCBO.  Luckily my very unscientific selection method worked in my favour. As well, it fit the under $10 criteria, much to my delight.

Vinho verde means “green wine,” which I suppose is fairly intuitive; it refers to wine that is meant to be enjoyed young. White vinho verde is actually made from green grapes. The name “Gazela” should probably have warned me that it is a sparkling wine….but I am a bit thick at times, so I was surprised by the bubbles. A good surprise, mind you, as the spritziness makes the wine even fresher and more appropriate for spring/summer.

Sogrape’s Gazela is a nice pale straw colour, with crisp citrus notes; it’s very dry, light and refreshing. I often don’t enjoy sparkling wines because they can be on the sweet side, but this bottle is dry enough for me. I would even take it to a celebration in place of an affordable bottle of champagne, because champagne at a price point comparable to this would hardly be drinkable. This would be great for a girl’s night or get together with tapas. I can’t wait to get another bottle of Gazela to pair with some seafood and then enjoy it on my patio under the sun.

Overall, I give this bottle 8.5/10 for taste and 4.5/5 for value.

2008 Sangiovese Daunia, $7.50. LCBO#512327.

I found this wine during the LCBO’s food pairings promotion. It was in the “goes well with spaghetti” section, so therefore I had no choice but to add it to my basket. Surprisingly we branched out from our usual carb-loading and tried it with chicken, which still worked.

The fact that it was on sale for $7 made me feel like it was daring me to try it. How good could any wine be for $7?  I was feeling a bit jaded because I took a leap on a cheap bottle of Cesari  Merlot ($7.30, LCBO#572453) a few weeks ago and it was so pitiful I haven’t even bothered to write it up.

I think this is my favourite Wine Wednesday pick so far. Farnese delivers on a robust wine that won’t break the bank.  In fact, you can even buy the 1.5L version for $12.50!  I can’t quite believe that I am extolling the virtues of a wine that costs less than your dinner ingredients, but there you have it. Wine Align calls it the best wine you can find for under $8, and so far on my wine tasting journey, I would have to agree.

The wine is deep plum coloured, has an earthy nose, and a fruity, almost sweet taste. There’s just enough oak and spice to balance the wine, which has a smooth finish and a medium to full body.  It hits all the right notes for me, especially since I love full and fruity wines.

This Sangiovese is great to sip alone, but pairs well with most dinners that I would concoct. The 1.5L would be a smart idea for a holiday dinner or a big party, as long as your host is fairly un-snobby and/or doesn’t read this blog (and thus know what a cheapskate you are).

Overall, I give this wine 8.5/10 for taste and 5/5 for value.

I’m not typically one to browse the German section of the LCBO, especially because smaller stores seem to mainly feature such atrocities as Blue Nun, wine that Germans themselves would never touch.  So I am not terribly familiar with German varietals and wineries.

2008 Pelee Island Gewurztraminer, $9.95. LCBO#135970.

By some strange coincidence, however, two Ontario wines based on German grape varietals have crossed my path this week. Last night, our friends Mac and Stacy dropped by for dessert and brought a bottle of Gewurztraminer that was a great partner for my Fudgy Layer Cake.

Pelee Island Winery’s 2008 Gewurztraminer is floral, fresh and fruity.    Most of Pelee Island’s wines are VQA, but this one is a 30% domestic/70% foreign blend, cellared in Canada. We’ll have to forgive them as a little research has informed me that Gewurztraminer is a very temperamental grape to grow. A crisp pale straw colour, with a typical bouquet of roses and flavours of peaches and pears; it is very balanced with a smooth finish. Definitely on the sweet end of the spectrum, it’s a great dessert choice, but is quite sippable and could pair well with spicy asian food.

Overall, I give this Gewurztraminer 8.5/10 for taste and 4/5 for value.

2007 Trumpour's Mill Riesling, $11.95. LCBO#28258.

Tonight, our spring salad with baked salmon needed a white wine partner, so it was the perfect time to break out a VQA Riesling we got this fall.  It’s from the Grange of Prince Edward County, an incredibly charming little winery on a farm property near Picton, ON. Their Trumpour’s Mill 2007 Riesling is an interesting bottle. We got it as part of a food and wine festival door prize, and I’m not sure I would ever have picked it up on my own.  We had 2 bottles of it, and looking back at my November 2009 notes, this second try has me drawing the same conclusions.

The wine has a strange chemical quality to both the nose and the taste. Kevin and I agree that it is reminiscent of cheap dollar store erasers. I have to admit it ruins the wine for me, I can’t get past it. If the chemical aspect was absent, it would be a nice, crisp, off-dry wine with a taste of apples and citrus. It has a bit of a tart finish that leaves you puckering in a good way.  Maybe future years of this wine will not have the same chemical issues. Until then, I will pass.

Overall, I give this Riesling 7.5/10 for taste and 3/5 for value.