The Bar Towel

Have at it!

For those of you, who on occasion, find pleasure in the imbibing of wine or spirits. Talk about your latest findings here.


I'll start it off.

My most recent purchase was Cousino-Macul Dona Isidora Riesling 2007. I found bottles marked down at the LCBO for $8.95. I believe that these were $13.00 at some point. Unfortunately, they have been de-listed and are being sold at this excellent price.

This is a Chilean riesling. Not a grape that generally is popular from that region, and I suspect this is the reason no one bothered with it at the LCBO. But man, this is nice. It is 14%, so it is pretty big in terms of body, but the alcohol is not even traceable. Nice mineral on the nose, some citrus and grass. Medium body overall, dry fruitiness, with a touch of petrol that I normally find in the ALsation Rieslings. Went really well with my ocean perch and tartar sauce.

I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried any of the high-end sakes from the lcbo? After tasting a whole bunch in Japan the cheaper stuff just doesn't cut it anymore.

Also, for you wine guys. I have a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte Cramant 1996 in the rack at home. Will keeping this for an additional few years be worthwhile or should I crack it open soon?

Tried the Los Molinos Gran Reserve, I looked for the 1999 but although Maple showed it in stock, all the clerk could find was the 2001.

Could definitely taste Cherry and Tobacco, and the Oak was quite prominent. Good but not a repeat purchase for me

SteelbackGuy wrote:
My most recent purchase was Cousino-Macul Dona Isidora Riesling 2007. I found bottles marked down at the LCBO for $8.95. I believe that these were $13.00 at some point.

Will grab a few!

Riesling is a big favorite, a really consistent white, and since it is usually grown in cool climates I bet this Chilean will be really different. Or maybe the particular area or micro-climate was too cool for other grapes to ripen? I'll shut up and try it...

Bobsy wrote:I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried any of the high-end sakes from the lcbo?

I'm also interested in this. Any recommendations?

Also - just wanted to say thanks for starting this, Len. I'm not too knowledgeable in the way of wine, but I do, on occasion, pick up a bottle or two for a special event. It'll be nice to have this thread as a resource for those times.

velovampire wrote:

Bobsy wrote:I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried any of the high-end sakes from the lcbo?

I'm also interested in this. Any recommendations?

I've tried a few. Generally I find that the price is prohibitive for some of these. The Gekkeikan (Laurel Crown) Black and Gold Junmai Ginjo Sake was not that great for the $20.00 price tag, but there are good ones available for much less that are on the regular list.

Hakutsuru (White Crane) Sayuri Nigori Sake is available for close to $8.00, as is Hakutsuru (White Crane) Superior Junmai Ginjo Sake for around the same price. They are both totally different examples of sake, but they are both very good and worth the money. Give them a shot and go from there.

im finishing up a tetra of Turning Leaf Merlot that I opened on Saturday night. I dont know much about wine but I drink it often, please feel free to make fun of my choices here and I look forward to a continuing wine education on this part of the site.

Johnnie Walker Green Label - it has been discontinued, so if you enjoy this all malt blend, stock up.

matt7215 wrote:im finishing up a tetra of Turning Leaf Merlot that I opened on Saturday night. I dont know much about wine but I drink it often, please feel free to make fun of my choices here and I look forward to a continuing wine education on this part of the site.

In terms of pricing Matt, you really can't go wrong. I believe this is now around $9.00 at LCBO, for 1 litre of wine.

I'm not huge on straight up Merlot, but I do enjoy a few from California and France. I haven't had a good one from Ontario to date. In fact it is hard to find great reds from this province at all. (Whites are a different story).

Try some Bordeaux Saint-Émilion reds. They are mainly merlot with Cab franc as a second varietal and sometimes with a splash of cab sauv. for structure. Thay are usually bone dry, with lots of varietal characters. if you like merlot to be a bit fruitier, and perhaps a bit sweeter (though not much) try some stuff from Cali. Sterling vineyards merlot is about $17.00 and is well worth the money for the complexity you will get.

If you like Merlot, try some Ontario Baco Noir. it is one red that we do fairly well with, and you might find the supple, silky fruitiness relates somewhat to merlot, though I find Bacos to have more natural acidity.

SteelbackGuy wrote:

matt7215 wrote:im finishing up a tetra of Turning Leaf Merlot that I opened on Saturday night. I dont know much about wine but I drink it often, please feel free to make fun of my choices here and I look forward to a continuing wine education on this part of the site.

In terms of pricing Matt, you really can't go wrong. I believe this is now around $9.00 at LCBO, for 1 litre of wine.
.

thx Len. when i worked for the LCBO i bought wine all the time. at first i loved ausie shiraz, with south african shiraz as my second fav. i then got really into pinot noir and baco noir. when i quit the LCBO my beer obsession started. ive started to revisit wine but no longer enjoy the ausie reds as i once did. lately ive enjoyed some great deals on tetras prices less then $10. i know these wines arent world class but i really enjoy them.

With so much beer out there, and so little time (and money) to try them all, when is there much chance to try any other type of alcoholic beverage? The only non-beer alcoholic beverages I manage to squeeze in come from Kittling Ridge, in Grimsby. A couple times a year, we have a bottle of their Icewine & Brandy, which is an excellent dessert drink. As well, every four weeks or so, an ounce of their Oh Canada Maple Liqueur ends up in my Sunday morning coffee. It is also great on ice cream! (Usually the Saturday night before it ends up in my Sunday morning coffee). It's not at the LCBO though, so every six months I have to take drive down to Grimsby and get another bottle, but it is worth it. I would highly recommend it.

It's probably not considered an elite whiskey by anyone's standards, but I've always enjoyed a glass of Jameson every now and then.

DragonOfBlood wrote:It's probably not considered an elite whiskey by anyone's standards, but I've always enjoyed a glass of Jameson every now and then.

DoB, if you haven't already, you should check out Redbreast 12 year old. It's a bit pricier than Jameson, but oh so worth it. Really nice nose, and quite full-bodied. Super nice and well-rounded. Awesome bottle too.

I forget the name (thought it was Optimo or Optima or something like that, but no hits on the LCBO site), but I have a bottle of Canadian, Cab Franc "port" that's pretty darn tasty. I love the grape variety and this drink certainly has the really nice fruit that you get out of a good Cab Franc. I'm enjoying it.