March

In some ways it feels like spring is just around the corner, but I don’t fully trust it yet.  So while there are a couple wines here fit for warmer days and maybe even firing up the BBQ, there’s also a couple picks for cooler days as well should that occur.

Today!  We are pouring wines for “Untethered” by Elevation Gallery, an open event featuring works from the unbound to the unhinged by over twenty artists.  We’ve found some suitably untethered wines to pour, this is a great opportunity to try some things that are far from the beaten path.  Besides that, have some cheese, listen to some music, take in the art, and maybe you’ll take a piece home!

Last night we had our thirteenth Wine Workshop!  Thank you to everyone that joined us for it! It was a sold out night going over the basics of tasting wine to get everyone up to speed before diving into our World of Wine, and so, without further adieu…

The Wine Workshop: Burgundy

Yeah, we’re starting big.  Through all of the Wine Workshops I have constantly been bringing up Pinot Noir, and yet, we have yet to taste one!  This month, March 28th we will be featuring Beaujolais, White Burgundy, and a Gevrey-Chambertin.  

That’s village level wine - which I’ll explain on the night of.

For now just know that it is really, really good stuff.  Do not miss this.

Cave de Lugny

Cremant de Bourgogne

Burgundy, France

Alongside Cava, it is my goal to bring Cremant the recognition it deserves.  Cremant as a term refers to any sparkling wine made in the style of Champagne, but from other regions of France.  There are nine different regions in France that can make make sparkling wine under the Cremant designation, and they all have differing grape varietals and styles. In this case though both Burgundy and Champagne focus primarily on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and that’s what this Cremant is in a fifty-fifty split.  It is very much Champagne styled with fine, almost creamy, bubbles, and a great toasty brioche presence from lees aging.  Like any great sparkling wine the acidity keeps this crisp and refreshing, and serves to perk up the fruit profile of nectarine, lemon, and a touch of cherry from that Pinot Noir. 

Care

Rosado

Spain

Here we have another fifty fifty blend, in thise case a Spanish Rosado from Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Those bold grapes give a deeper colour and make this a great cool weather rose that feels more fitting for a dinner party than a patio party.  A little floral, a little spice, and a little white peach, but riding over all of that is a brambly mixed berry note.  I would love to pair this with a spinach salad with berries and balsamic dressing, topped with a piece of seared salmon.

Wee Angus

Merlot

Central Victoria, Australia

Our first red here, Wee Angus Merlot from Australia is your typical new world, easy drinking, easy pairing wine.  As mentioned in our last newsletter, we are cutting back on our American wines, and this is a perfect budget friendly substitute that is very similar in style to California reds.  Soft and fruit forward with juicy blueberry and black plum that fades into prominent oak flavours of vanilla and coconut.  This wine isn’t terribly complex beyond that and so I say pair it with something equally simple and enjoyable.  Cheeseburgers & Mission Impossible movie, that sort of thing.

Aia Vecchia

Lagone

Toscana, Italy

When we agreed to select and pour wines for Elevation Gallery’s opening of “Untethered” we knew we couldn’t pick everyday wines.  We threw around a lot of ideas, one of them being Super Tuscans.  Ultimately we decided even this was playing it a little too safe, but we did want to feature this wine in some way, and so here it is for our monthly selection. at 60% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauv, and 10% Cab Franc, this is a 100% Bordeaux styled Tuscan.  Aging takes place in traditional 225L Bordeaux barrels, with 30% new oak and the rest varying in age up to five years.  Aside from that recipe for success, Lagone is considered by Aia Vecchia to be most representative of their goal of delivering the highest possible quality at a reasonable price, which more or less sums up our philosophy as a retailer too.  Now that’s a pairing.

Montes

Alpha Syrah

Colchagua Valley, Chile

Last month at the Wine Workshop we featured the Alpha Carmenere for it’s tomato leaf aromas as we discussed herbaceous notes in wines, when I heard they had a Syrah I knew I had to bring that in too.  While this is a New World wine, it’s styled very much like an old world, indicated by naming it Syrah rather than Shiraz.  Bold fruit aromas show as red fruited on the nose, then shift towards black fruit on the palate.  Licorice and cocoa are apparent, and an addition of 7% Cabernet Sauvginon and 3% Viognier bring some cassis and violet.  Structurally the extra hit of tannins from that Cab fraction is tamed by twelve months in oak, 50% new, giving this a firm, but smooth feel.  To get the most out of  this wine I would recommend decanting for half an hour to an hour, or just drinking slowly so your second glass is even better than the first, but isn’t that usually the case?

Errazuriz

Pinot Noir

Aconcagua Costa, Chile

The time has finally come to bring in the final offering in the Aconcagua Costa lineup from Errazuriz.  I’ve been quite vocal about my appreciation for this series, and am excited to say we now have all four labels available!  Grown 12km from the Pacific coast in Chile, these grapes are kept cool by sea breezes, allowing for high acidity and slow ripening to develop clear and complex flavours.  In particular this Pinot shows a beautiful floral nose to it, alongside that are the usual flavours of tart cherry and raspberry, forest floor, and a touch of smokiness from oak.  These high acid, fine tannin Pinot’s are one of the few red’s that can be paired with fish!  A dense fish like Tuna, Mahi Mahi, or Swordfish off the grill would be a wicked pairing.