La Gourmandesse

Luccarelli Primitivo 2011, $9.80. LCBO#253856.

The new year calls for a return to wonderful $10 wines and I have a good one to share. Primitivo is a favourite varietal of mine, and I love that you can get a great Italian bottle for a good deal.

This one does not disappoint and is very typically fruity and ripe, full bodied, dry but not too dry, and just generally fun to drink. We had it with steak but it was delicious solo too. I think it might also be good with chocolate but it didn’t last long enough to find out.

This vintage is sold out in most major Ontario cities but there are still quite a few bottles in rural Ontario areas. Maybe you’ll luck out and find a few bottles (or maybe you live elsewhere and your wine shop has lots of this gem). And trust me, you’ll want more than one.

Overall, I give this wine 9/10 for taste and 5/5 for value.

Trapiche Astica Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon 2011, $7.95. LCBO#359083.

I’m long overdue for an affordable wine post or two, so I thought I would follow up my January tasting of the Trapiche Astica Merlot Malbec with one of their white wines. I was happy with the value of the red, and so this week, whilst browsing the LCBO shelves for new finds under $10, this $8 beauty stood out. Always on the hunt for crisp, dry, refreshingly affordable whites; this one fit the bill.

It is citrusy, a bit herbal and grassy, with a touch of sour green apple, and none of the sweet apple-y tones that tend to turn me off cheap whites. Great alone, also nice with the fish we had for dinner, and would be lovely in a white wine spritzer (a drink preferred by me and cruise loving divorcees the world over). I’m not ashamed to admit my spritzer love- it also happens to be my favourite under $5 drink at a pub- laugh if you will. It’s the perfect hangover prevention recipe since you are forced to hydrate as you imbibe.

I think this little Argentinian treat has dethroned my usual South American Sauvignon Blanc go-to bottle- Casillero del Diablo- which is sadly now $11 and stretching my $10-and-under quest. Perhaps it is time to try a few more of Trapiche’s affordable bottles. Stay tuned!

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

2010 Caliterra Bio Sur Reserva Carmenere, $10.65. LCBO#142711.

The beginning of BBQ season appears to have woken me from my blogging coma. It’s not that I haven’t cooked something tasty, or taken a picture of it, since February. I’ve certainly drank quite a few lovely things as well. But I just haven’t been in the mood to write about it until now. After a long weekend of fabulous weather, we’ve got a fresh new BBQ and I’m full of inspiration. Tonight’s menu included some grilled veggies and cedar planked salmon, but that’s so simple it is hardly worth posting about- the wine was the star of the show.

Kevin was recently given this bottle as a work gift, which always makes me eye it cautiously as I put it in the wine rack. But I shouldn’t have worried, it’s a great affordable bottle, and the smoky oak notes went perfectly with the cedar planked salmon. It is a smooth, dry, full bodied red; dark purple with lots of deep fruit flavours. I plan to grab this one again on the way to a summer get together. Super reasonable price and a great match for anything smoky and flame grilled.

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

2010 Trapiche Astica Merlot Malbec, $7.45. LCBO#359075.

I’m writing this post in response to a friend who recently said, “Can you post some more tasty wines on your blog?” Why, yes of course! And, you can always find a list of past $10 wine reviews here, for easy reference.

This Saturday night was full of great conversation, fun ladies, and a rather hilarious ride downtown crammed into a cab like 18 year olds. But before all that came to pass, I was in a rush out the door to start the evening, and grabbed the first bottle of wine I saw. It was one of Chatelaine’s November wine picks, deemed a perfect wintry red.

I didn’t actually know the price while I was drinking it, and have to say I thought it was more than a $10 bottle. The fact that it is $7.45 is amazing. Hello new fave red!

It has a nice balance of spice from the Malbec, and a smooth finish from the Merlot. Easy to drink on its own, it would go well with pasta or pizza too. A bit fruity, dry and smooth; just an easy, tasty bottle.

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

2011 KWV Chenin Blanc, $8. LCBO#18689.

I may being selling my soul to the Walmart of South African wineries with this review, but I have to say that this is the best cheap white wine I have discovered to date.

I bought it on a whim, because I really like Inniskillin’s Chenin Blanc from the Okanagan. It is crisp, fresh, not too dry, perfect in the summer. It is also hard to come by in Ontario, so I usually only enjoy it on a patio in Calgary once a year. A bottle runs about $17, which is a fair price for the quality.

This KWV bottle caught my eye in the LCBO, but the $8 price tag left me sceptical and even feeling a little guilty. How can you grow the grapes and get them all the way to Canada at that price, without some serious worker exploitation? I can’t speak for KWV’s business practices, but if I can’t get a decent bottle of wine all the way from New Zealand for less than $15, how can they produce one for $8? As well, if a Canadian Chenin Blanc runs for the double the price, how good can an $8 bottle be?

But once I sampled some of the KWV, I was sold. All social conscience flew out the window, and all I could think was, I can buy many, many of these bottles, and my bank account will be still be happy.

To date, most white wines I have tried that are under $10 are watery, or sweet, or yeasty or just plain crap. My first sip of the KWV was a blissful change from the usual disappointment.

The wine is crisp, medium bodied and dry. Still fruity and tropical, with some green apple and citrus in there, and is nicely balanced. Very food friendly- I used some to make a sauce for chicken, and it went nicely with the meal as well.

It is safe to say that this wine will have a permanent place in the door of my fridge- ready to take the edge off a bad day at work, to cook with, or to share with a friend.

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

2009 Sandbanks Shoreline Red, $14.95. LCBO#159962.

Kevin & I have been big fans of Sandbanks Estate Winery for the past few years. I first visited the vineyard on a PEC tour in 2009, and came home with bottles of Dunes & Baco Noir, which quickly became our go-to Ontario wines. Dunes is perfect with appetizers, especially anything cheesy, and the Baco Noir is great solo or with something meaty.

On our latest trip to Prince Edward County, we stopped by again to see their new building (which is lovely) and had a fun tasting out on the patio with one of their energetic young staff. We came away with yet another winner, the newly released Shoreline Red. I’m having trouble deciding if it has dethroned Baco Noir as my personal favourite. It’s along the same lines, but a bit more restrained. The fruit is still in there, but it’s not such a cherry bomb. The Cabernet Franc in the blend lends some smoothness and a bit of vanilla.

The thing I love most about Sandbanks is that they make such reliably great wine at really reasonable prices. The quality and price in Prince Edward County really varies, and while I love trying new wineries there, I also like knowing I can count on Sandbanks for very drinkable wine.

Ontario wine drinkers may want to note that while prices from the winery and the LCBO are the same, when you buy direct from the winery, they get to keep a greater share of the profit. Sandbanks offers complimentary shipping; consider ordering directly from them on their website. I notice that other PEC wineries are also offering complimentary shipping as well.

Overall, I give this wine 9/10 for taste and 4/5 for value.

On the eve of my official return to work, post-summer break, it seems fitting to weigh in on the last of the CBC “All in a Day” summer wine picks. We managed to try all 6 bottles since we found the list in July, and included a few friends along the way in our taste testing. I got around to formally reviewing 4 of them, which are all linked below. The final 2 were a bit lack lustre, so I’ve just included a few notes on them below.

To Recap: “All in a Day” Wine Panel’s Summer Picks

Rod’s Picks:

• White: Cono Sur Viognier (Chile) $9.95- 8.5/10 for taste and 4/5 for value- would buy again.
  
• Rosé: MASI Modello Rosato (Italy) $10.95- 7.5/10 for taste and 3.5/5 for value.
• Red: Antonin Rodet Cotes du Rhone (France) $12.95- 8.5/10 for taste and 4/5 for value- would buy again.
  

Stacey’s Picks:

• White: Grooner Gruner Veltliner (Austria) $13.30- 8/10 for taste and 3.5/5 for value.
• Rosé: The Beach House Rosé (South Africa) $9.95- Overly sweet and a bit yeasty. Felt like a cheap bottle of flavoured wine, it was just missing the fake strawberry taste. Would not buy again, although would never have bought it, had it not been on the list.
• Red: Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere (Chile) $11.95- A dry red, spicy and peppery. Had a high alcohol content that took a long time to dissipate. Not the greatest because the alcohol really overwhelmed the flavour.

Trying these new bottles was a fun experiment, although it was not extremely useful in finding wines I would buy again. I think my wine taste is closer to Rod’s, I would buy both his red and white recommendation again, probably next summer. Stacey’s picks weren’t my favourite, all of them were a bit blah or cheap feeling, which is disappointing, because there are lots of $10 wines out there worth buying.

I think the verdict is, there are lots of wines on my $10 list that I would recommend ahead of these 6.

Thanks to Joe Shlabotnik for the photo.

2010 Cono Sur Bicycle Viognier, $9.95. LCBO#64287.

We are making good progress on the “All in a Day” summer wine list, having polished off 4 of the 6 bottles so far. We tested bottle number 4 out at a BBQ hosted by white wine loving friends. The wine was served well chilled while we nibbled on some Fifth Town goat cheese, with crackers and olive tapenade from Tuscany. Not too shabby if I do say so myself!

The wine went wonderfully with the cheese, and was also great on its own.  A medium golden colour with plenty of ripe fruit on the nose, some peach and melon for sure. The taste is full of orchard fruit as well as something a bit tropical, with a nice citrus acidity. It is a 1 in sugar content, but is well balanced and not overly sweet.

It’s a really fresh and fruity wine that is optimally consumed with bare toes touching the grass, and one’s bottom cushioned by a comfy deck chair. It’s backyard gathering wine for sure. I don’t know if I would pick it up in the winter, it probably would not be as fun to drink.

This wine went well with goat cheese, both sharp and mild, and would also be a great pair to some spicy asian takeout, seafood or fried chicken. At the $10 price tag, you can’t go wrong.

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

Antonin Rodet Cotes-du-Rhone, $12.95. LCBO#8979.

This wine is the third we’ve tried from “All in a Day’s” 6 summer wines, and the first that I would buy again. It was exciting to turn to Kevin and say “I really like this one!” It started out well from the pour, a beautiful deep ruby colour, the kind that promises flavours just as rich.

There was some oak and cherry on the nose, with cherry on the palate. It is dry, yet balanced, and medium to full bodied. It is great for steak or burgers, but isn’t overwhelmingly big and fruity.

I definitely agree with this as a summer pick, as I sometimes find full bodied reds just too much in the heat. This bottle hits the right balance of body and fruit, without going overboard.

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

2010 Grooner Gruner Veltliner, $13.30. LCBO#168625.

This bottle was my second test of “All in a Day’s” 6 summer wines. I brought it along to a girl’s night of wine, cheese and chatter (thinly disguised as watching So You Think You Can Dance). This white was a good match for the Camembert and pate we gobbled down, and also was sippable on its own.

I was intrigued by the Austrian heritage, as I rarely drink European bottles from beyond the Mediterranean region. Gruner Veltliner is described as a dry white, and a match for Sauvignon Blanc, but I would disagree. I would put it somewhere more in the neighbourhood of Pinot Grigio, bordering on off-dry, while not actually being sweet. It just didn’t have the acidity I enjoy in a white during the summer; however, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a nice wine. Plus, the label is extremely fun and cheeky.

There are flavours of apple and pear, but I didn’t pick up on the promised citrus. This would be a good bottle for folks who like something refreshing but not overly crisp or tart. I however, will be saving $2 and sticking with my favourite cheap and cheerful summer white. The Grooner was perfectly passable, but just not a fit for my personal tastes.

Here’s hoping that I find something from the picks that becomes a regular on my wine list.

2 down, 4 to go.

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