The Bar Towel

Bytowner wrote: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.

I think you are talking about Otima Port. Quite a nice drink, and at a good price. I think it is made by Warre's. Sells for around $23.00.

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.

I tried someone's bag-in-box wine from French Cross (Canadian company pretending to be French while packaging what could easily be a blend of wine from Chile, Italy and/or Spain) - it struck me as a very balanced, finished and interesting table wine.

It might be the French Cross Cab-Merlot. Peller markets it. A box will last for weeks of inexpensive drinking.

Decided to post in here in case I awake the Rabbit (or whatever his bloody alter-ego is called). Just enjoying a nice big bottle of Fess Parker SBC Rodney's Vineyard Syrah. Amazing aromas, big mouthfeel, luscious dark fruits..........................it's actually quite subdued for a Californian red.

Oh, and cheers for starting this new thread Len

Torontoblue wrote:Decided to post in here in case I awake the Rabbit (or whatever his bloody alter-ego is called). Just enjoying a nice big bottle of Fess Parker SBC Rodney's Vineyard Syrah. Amazing aromas, big mouthfeel, luscious dark fruits..........................it's actually quite subdued for a Californian red.

Oh, and cheers for starting this new thread Len

Hey no worries there. My pleasure! A few people didn't like the idea of all of the wine talk. This is better anyway I guess. Those that don't like the wine commentary can now opt to avoid it altogether.

The Syrah you mentioned sounds lovely. I like that varietal the most in terms of new world reds. (My favourite is Sangiovese overall, but that is another topic). I enjoy lots of Cali Cabs, Aussie Shiraz (especially Mcleran Vale Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre). And when it is available, d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz is kick ass everytime.

Belgian wrote: I grabbed a few 2005 Luigi Bosca Reserva Malbec...
Later note - after giving it plenty of air the '05 Bosca did not lose the gassy raw edge.

Later later note... the Bosca opens up and becomes tastier after lots & lots of aeration.

Tonight a bottle of Cline Old Vine Zin.


From a recent vintages release, this Cali Zin sells for $19.95. It is pretty hefty, coming in at 14.5%. Nice jammy components in the nose meet the oak half way, a bit of spice too. No nose of the alcohol. Huge jammy flavours with spicy, woody flavours and a bit of vanilla. Highly recommended at this price ladies and gents.

tonight my wife and i shared a bottle of LA PUERTA SHIRAZ, LCBO # 614636. i found this to be hella drinkable. a new world shiraz with some wood and earthy notes. no artificial vanilla like some of the aussie shiraz. not mind blowingly complex but enjoyable for the price. my wife loves shiraz and when i can get her into either South African or Chilean/Argentian i enjoy it more. any other recommendations?

matt7215 wrote:tonight my wife and i shared a bottle of LA PUERTA SHIRAZ, LCBO # 614636. i found this to be hella drinkable. a new world shiraz with some wood and earthy notes. no artificial vanilla like some of the aussie shiraz. not mind blowingly complex but enjoyable for the price. my wife loves shiraz and when i can get her into either South African or Chilean/Argentian i enjoy it more. any other recommendations?

Hey Matt,


Your wife might like Bellingham Shiraz Viognier. It is from South Africa, LCBO # 554360. It is $13.95. Pretty good stuff when weighed against some of the other SA wines that the board carries.

And there is another grape variety coming out of South Africa that has been compared to Shiraz, and it is called Pinotage. You might want to try one if you can find one. There aren't a whole lot of them around, but the LCBO carries about 20 different ones in total. Some hard line wine people say that pinotage has no place in a vineyard, but other people, mostly South African winemakers, have embraced it, and made it their own.

If you can't find one, try Goats Do Roam Red. It is a vintages essential. LCBO #718940, $12.95. Excellent value here. It is made with mostly Pinotage but also contains Shiraz, Cinsault, Grenache, Gamay, Carignan, and finally Mourvèdre.

matt7215 wrote:either South African or Chilean/Argentian i enjoy it more. any other recommendations?

Don't forget Uruguay which grows the Tannat (more usual to Madiran)... and makes some wines with great style. Castel Pujol:
http://www.tasteto.com/2007/09/07/findi ... our-heart/

Matt if you like the big but softer reds California Petite Sirah does it for some people. Madrigal:
http://gpci.blogspot.com/2008/03/gpci-f ... se-at.html

SteelbackGuy wrote:And there is another grape variety coming out of South Africa that has been compared to Shiraz, and it is called Pinotage. You might want to try one if you can find one. There aren't a whole lot of them around, but the LCBO carries about 20 different ones in total. Some hard line wine people say that pinotage has no place in a vineyard, but other people, mostly South African winemakers, have embraced it, and made it their own.

I am really surprised that the LCBO has been slow to pick up on Pinotage. A great varietal and not as "aggressive" as a syrah/shiraz. Highly recommended. I was enjoying this about 10+ years ago in the UK, came here and it was nowhere to be seen. Then again, they have been real slow to pick up on good quality Spanish wines. But we are getting there slowly, but ever so surely!!!

I like the Pinotage too. I'm pretty sure there were a couple from South Africa three or four years ago that have subsequently been delisted. I guess they are not to everyone's taste. They can be big and have some "unusual" flavours for those who like soft, fruity reds I guess.

midlife crisis wrote:I like the Pinotage too. I'm pretty sure there were a couple from South Africa three or four years ago that have subsequently been delisted. I guess they are not to everyone's taste. They can be big and have some "unusual" flavours for those who like soft, fruity reds I guess.

It is an interesting varietal and one I enjoy. It offers a spicy earthiness that I am fond of.

One thing I have heard from people in the industry is that they find Pinotage too heated, or hot, unbalanced, and too brash, even with plenty of time exposed to air. It has met many a wine critic that thought it tasted like paint thinner or rusted metal.These are the people who think it has no place in a vineyard. And this just isn't people from the old world. There are a few South African vineyards that refuse to grow Pinotage. But that's funny as well because Pinotage is a hybrid between the highly popular Pinot Noir, and the just as popular blending grape Cinsaut, and it is Vitis Vinifera. So I don't see why they get all fussy about it.

Last night - PIERRE SPARR PINOT NOIR RÉSERVE 2007 -- very good!!

http://lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/ProductResults ... MBER=38992

Me and the missus watched this last night:

Wine ep01 The Firm.WnA
16 Feb 2009, 21:00 on BBC Four

Documentary series about the wine industry taking a look behind the scenes at Berry Brothers and Rudd, the oldest and poshest wine merchant in the world.

After 310 years of business there is still a Mr Berry at the helm as bombs, wars, kings and queens have come and gone, but this charmed existence may be under threat as the credit crunch bites deep. The film unwittingly becomes a chronicle of the changing world order, where the super-rich look alarmingly as though they are about to turn into the ancient regime.

Quaint anachronism it might seem from the outside, but this is the firm that turned fine wine into the sine qua non of the super-rich. Everyone here, from Berry's larger-than-life Bordeaux and Burgundy buyers to the eccentric and ambitious chateau owners and producers they do business with, services what seemed to be the ever-increasing demand for the finest wines available to humanity, until the rot creeps in and threatens three centuries of history.

Interesting show (with 2 more eps. to come). It was funny to watch a room full of experts have trouble guessing the age of a wine they were sampling that had been bottled in 1870.

Just finished a Miguel Torres Manso De Valesco Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Not your typical and average Cab Sauv, by far. Pours a dark purple with a huge nose of dark fruit and a lot of alcohol too. Nice tannins give a lovely dry fruity finish, but there is still a harsh alcohol tinge to the wine. Guessing another year or so would make it a bit more subtle and palatable. Still, a very enjoyable wine.