OPA! My Favourite Greek Wine

If you’re into trying a Greek wine, try Agiorgitiko! Agiorgitiko is the most widely planted red grape variety in Greece.

Agiorgitiko is widely planted in the Peloponnese region of Greece (see map above). Agiorgitiko is a red grape. It is characteristically spicy with notes of plum. It is usually medium-bodied and fruity. It is dark purple in colour.

This wine is made by a winery called Boutari. The Boutari Winery was founded in 1879. The original winery, outside of Naoussa, has a 124-acre vineyard. There are also five other wineries located throughout Greece in Goumenissa, Attica, Mantinia, Santorini, and Crete. The Santorini Boutari Winery is known for its distinctive white dome, typical of its coastal location of the Greek island of Santorini (see picture below).

My favourite Greek wine, Agiorgitiko Boutari, is featured below. Hope you enjoy trying this wine!

Tasting Note

This wine is a clear ruby red colour. You can smell cherry and plum aromas with leather and sweet oak spice. It has a dry, medium body. You can taste ripe cherry and plum flavours on the palate. It has balanced acidity and fine tannins. 

Price

This wine is only $ 11.95 at the LCBO. It is a bargain for the quality.

Serving Suggestion
They suggest that you serve this wine with grilled meats. I think you should serve this wine with chicken or lamb souvlaki!   

News / Awards

The Boutari winery is among the top 10 international wineries featured in “Wine & Spirits” magazine. They were awarded for the 15^th time the very important award “International Winery of the Year 2011”.

In 2008 Boutari was the first and only Greek winery to ever win the award “European Winery of the Year” by the top US magazine “Wine Enthusiast”, after evaluating its performance in wine making over time.

Yolanda’s Trip to Prince Edward County!

My friend Yolanda went to PEC last month and I asked her to write about her experience!

Here is what she wrote:

We decided to rent a little farm house in Prince Edward County for the august long weekend.  We went with another couple, and decided that since none of us had ever been on a wine tour we would do it.  We used Prince Edward County Wine Tours and had a private vehicle all to ourselves for 4 hours with our own guide!

Farmhouse we rented

PEC has almost 40 wineries and what makes their wines unique are the limestone-rich soils.  The natural minerality of the soil is highlighted in the wines along with other flavours developed from the nutrients and minerals that the grapes absorb as they grow.

We started our tour at Hillier Creek Estates wineries.  I really should have thought twice about brushing my teeth right before we left! (Wine tour Virgin!)  We did pick up a bottle of the Estate Reserve Pinot Noir and had it with our steak dinner the following night and it was great! It was Lovely brick colour with hints of spice and a flavour of cola and raspberry with red fruit.   It was very nice and so smooth!

We visited a few others that I wasn’t overly impressed with so I will skip to the highlight of the tour: Sandbanks Winery and Karlo Estates.

Us at Sandbanks

Sandbanks Winery was my favourite.  They were having their Summer Wine Release Party.  They had a band and it was buzzing with wine lovers.  It was such a relaxing atmosphere and you could order a glass of wine and sit on the Muskoka chairs and enjoy the band our relax amongst their beautiful grounds.

They were VERY generous with their samplings which is important.  I mean who wants to try only 2-3 wines.  At Sandbanks we tried 11 samples! The vineyard was planted in 2000 with hybrids and vinifera. Hybrids were chosen because they ripen early so they obtain the desired sugar levels, even in colder years. They are the perfect choice to handle our tough Canadian winters. At Sandbanks, they practice sustainable farming and do not use any herbicides or pesticides which I love!

They are well known for their Baco Noir which is sold at the LCBO.  It is A full-bodied red wine with intense plum and wild cherry flavours. Notes of toasted oak provide a lingering finish.

My favourite wine at sandbanks!

We purchased one of their newly released reds called Mouton Noir which I absolutely loved and now have to order a case from their website (not in lcbo yet!)! It’s A full-bodied rustic red charmer with exciting flavours of coffee and raspberry, with spicy notes and layers of toasty oak. Aged in local oak barrels.

We really enjoyed their new Pinot Grigio and you can purchase it at the LCBO.  It had nice pear and fig flavours, blended with exotic fruit flavours.  Delicious and light!

Karlo Estates

Karlo Estates was a favourite as well.   “Karlo Estates is an artisanal winery which integrates the best of old world and new world winemaking. Wild fermentations, minimal filtration and reserved use of oak create clean fruit driven, well balanced wines with great complexity.” What was unique about that experience was you could order a flight of wines for tasting and each tasting was paired with food.  Each sample was only $1!

We tried 7 different wines.  The food pairing was such a unique experience as most of you wine lovers knows!  It really brought out the distinctive flavours of their wines.  The most surprising to me was their Port.  When I thought of Port drinkers I think of my grandpa (who got a great gift from me after this wine tour).

Trying port for the first time at Karlo Estates

The port was paired with dark chocolate (yum!) and it had a spicy dark raspberry flavour and nice and sweet like most ports. Here is the official description:  Our Port is a first in the county. Spicy black raspberry and cassis dominate the nose with red licorice and cedar. Round and full on the mouth with rich ripe fruit and a lingering finish.

I highly recommend a visit to PEC! It was a wonderful experience and great to try something different than Niagara.  Their small boutique wineries are charming and welcoming.

-Yolanda Sharp

Negroamaro – Italian Red Wine

This wine is my friend Meg’s favourite wine. She brings it over to our house all the time!

It is made by a winery in Puglia, Italy called Mezzomondo. The grape varietal is called Negroamaro. Negroamaro is a red wine grape that is native to southern Italy. This grape is grown exclusively in Puglia (see map below). Puglia is the peninsula which can be visualized as the heel of Italy’s boot.

Negroamaro often produces wines very deep purple in color. Wines made from Negroamaro tend to be very rustic in character, combining perfume with an earthy bitterness. They are dry wines with medium body and a bit of fruitiness.

Tasting Notes

This wine is a deep ruby-red colour. You can smell aromas of green leaf and cherry. It has a smooth texture with ripe cherry, plum and woody flavours. There is a  long, cherry finish.

Price

This wine is only $9 at the LCBO!!

Serving Suggestion

This wine is very food friendly and can be paired with chicken or pasta (think Italian food)!

News/Awards

This wine has won numerous awards for being such a tasty wine at such a low price. Especially if you think about how it is bottled, labeled and shipped halfway around the world!

This wine has won the “20 wines under $20 at the LCBO” award.

National Post said “Hands down one of the most delicious and food friendly, killer values in the country”.

 

Disaronno Terrace, Toronto

This season Disaronno is hosting a series of Disaronno Terrace events in Toronto and around the world with live music, special guests and original Disaronno Sour cocktails. More details can be found on the Disaronno events page. Be sure to hashtag #DisaronnoSour and #DisaronnoTerrace to connect with the brand.

(Disaronno Terrace, Terroni, Toronto)

Disaronno is a brand of fruity amaretto. Amaretto is a sweet almond flavoured Italian liqueur. It is usually made from a base of apricot pits and almonds.

Disaronno is a deep brown colour. It has an almond and maraschino cherry aroma. It tastes like a very sweet cherry with a bit of bittersweet almonds. Despite the almond smell and taste, it contains no almonds or nuts.

The company describes Disaronno as an infusion of “apricot kernel oil” with “absolute alcohol, burnt sugar, and the pure essence of seventeen selected herbs and fruits”.

Disaronno claims its original amaretto “secret formula” has been unchanged since the year 1525!!

This liqueur is associated with a famous fairy tale called the Luini tale.  In 1525, a church in Saronno, Italy commissioned one of Leonardo da Vinci’s pupils, Bernardino Luini, to paint the sanctuary. Luini wanted to paint the Virgin Mary so he used a young widowed innkeeper as his model. During his time painting the church, his model became his lover. Out of gratitude and affection, the young widow wished to give him a gift. Her simple means did not permit much, so she steeped apricot kernels in brandy and presented the resulting concoction to Luini.

Today, Disaronno is still produced in Saronno, Italy… but the product is sold worldwide.

Disaronno can be served on the rocks or as part of a cocktail. We were offered a sample of Disaronno as a cocktail at the Disaronno Terrace events.

(Disaronno Terrace, Spoke Club, Toronto)

(Disaronno Terrace, Spoke Club, Toronto)

Price

You can get a bottle of Disaronno at the LCBO for $ 29.95.

Persian food with an interesting wine pairing!

We tried some Persian food at a yummy Persian restaurant called Sheherzade. It is located right at College and Bathurst.

The wine we ordered was called CAVALLINA NERO D’AVOLA. It is from Sicily, Italy.

The varietal or grape this wine is made from is called Nero D’Avola which is similar to Syrah. The grape Nero D’Avola is one of the most important and popular red wine grape varietals in Sicily. This varietal is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily and its wines are compared to Syrah or Shiraz. They usually have sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavours. 

Tasting Note 
This is a dry red wine. It is deep ruby red colour with purple hues. There are intense aromas of blackberry, cherry and vanilla. This is a medium bodied wine with flavours of ripe red fruits. It has a soft and spicy finish. 

Serving Suggestion
A perfect match for pasta bolognese or Persian food! 

Price

This wine is $ 8.20 at the LCBO and we paid around $24 at the restaurant. This wine is a great price for the quality!! I highly recommend it!  

 

 

Hot to Trot

My childhood ski friend Carrie brought this wine over to our patio for a BBQ on Canada day! We loved the name of the wine “Hot to Trot”!

This wine comes from a winery called 14 Hands Winery. 14 Hands Winery is located in Washington State (see map below).  The winery’s new facility and tasting rooms is called Horse Heaven Hills. The inspiration for the name of the winery, 14 Hands, comes from a time when wild mustangs once freely roamed the hills of eastern Washington State.

 

This is a dry red wine. Which is full bodied and smooth. It is a blend of red grapes. They use predominantly Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon to make this wine.

 

Price

This wine costs $16.60 at the LCBO.

Tasting Note

This wine is a deep purple or ruby colour. It has aromas of ripe, dark fruit including raspberry, cherry, cassis or blackcurrant. It is full bodied and easy to drink.

Awards / Critical Acclaim

“This polished, ripe and stylish red features cherry, orange peel and black tea flavors that glide easily over refined tannins, balanced with refreshing acidity. Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre.”
– 88 Points Wine Spectator

Serving Suggestion

Food pairings suggested are: herbed leg of lamb, spicy barbequed beef dishes, roasted game birds, lamb meatballs in tomato sauce.

 

PKNT Carménère

This wine is one of Nick’s Picks from an iYellow tasting event we attended last summer! Not only do I love the simple purple pepper on the front of the bottle but I love the wine as well!

My first questions when I looked up this wine was what does PKNT stand for?  It stands for Passion, Knowledge, Nature, and Time which is the winery’s motto for a new way of enjoying wine.

 

The PKNT carménère comes from Chile. This is a dry red wine that is medium bodied and fruity. These carménère grapes come from 12 year old vineyards located in the Maule Valley (blue area in map of Chile below). 

The Carménère grape varietal  is predominately found in Chile. Carménère wine is usually a deep dark red color and often has aromas of red fruits and berries. It is similar to Cabernet Sauvigonon but has less tannins.  Also, Carménère is a medium bodied wine (whereas Cabernet Sauvignon is full bodied). Carménère often has a cherry-like, fruity flavor with smoky, spicy and earthy notes. Its taste might also be reminiscent of dark chocolate, tobacco, and leather. The wine is best to drink while it is young. 

Tasting Note 

This wine is ruby red. It smells like dark fruit with herbal, earthy and peppery notes. It is medium bodied. It smells of black cherry with hints of coffee and spice flavours. This wine has soft tannins and a medium length on the finish. 

Price

It is a really good price of only $ 10.95 at the LCBO!!! 

Serving Suggestion

Although soft enough to be enjoyed on it’s own, this wine goes really well with Mexican food or something spicy.

 

Maison Harbour Wines for Sale

Wine makers Colleen and Nick Harbour are so happy to announce their first bottles of wine!

Their wine is a 2013 vintage from Burgundy, meaning the grapes were picked in 2013 and come from parcels of land near the small town that they live in called Savigny-lès-Beaune. Maison Harbour’s wine production is small and will be just over 300 cases. It includes 2 Chardonnays and 4 Pinot Noirs.

Here is a list of the wines including maps that show where they come from:

Chardonnay – white wine aged in french oak barrels

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘En Cailleret’ (2 barrels / 600 bottles)

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘En Remilly’ (3.5 barrels / 1050 bottles)

Pinot Noir – red wine aged in french oak barrels

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Combe au Moine’ (1.5 barrels / 450 bottles)

Gevrey-Chambertin ‘La Justice’ (4 barrels / 1200 bottles)

Pommard 1er Cru ‘Les Chanlins-Bas’ (2 barrels / 600 bottles)

Vosne-Romanée ‘Champs-Perdrix’ (1 barrel / 300 bottles)

Maison Harbour is currently doing a pre-sale in July 2014. Then wines will be bottled in December 2014 or winter 2015. Finally the wines will be shipped in the spring of 2015!

Sign up on their website to be notified about the wines!

Reif Winery

Over the Easter long weekend we went to taste some white wines at Reif Winery for Meghan and Andrew’s Wedding!

Reif is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL). The winery owners are from Germany. Their family made wine for generations in Neustadt, near the Rhine River Valley in Germany. This wine making tradition transcended to a new continent when founder Ewald Reif purchased a plot of land in NOTL in 1977. 

Read more about Reif’s story here.

 

We tasted some amazing wines at Reif! Meghan’s top picks were:

1. Riesling – $12.95 in LCBO

– Aromas and flavours of citrus, lime, ripe pear and apple fruit. Dry white wine, medium-bodied.
– Serve with roast pork and apple sauce; ham; chicken; or Asian foods.

2. The Magician – $19.95 in LCBO

– Pinot noir and Shiraz blend.

– The nose is expressive with plums, currants, blackberry, kirsch, sweet minty herbs and pepper spices with a subtle note of cocoa powder. It’s velvety smooth on the palate with ripe red fruits, red licorice, bramble, wild herbs, pepper and sweet oak spices. 

– Serve with cajun shrimp, spicy sausage, or pork tenderloin.

3. Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc – $12.95 

– Only available at the winery.

– Aromas of crisp apple and pineapple, subtle notes of banana and gooseberry on the palate.

– Serve with crisp salads, lightly seasoned fish and grilled poultry.

4. Cabernet Franc Reserve – $22.15

– Only available at the winery.

– Aromas of chocolate, gooseberry, black currant, mineral notes and pepper on the nose.

– On the palate, a rich medley of chocolate, black currant, pepper spice fill your mouth. A finish of lively acid and integrated tannin’s yields a perfect match for grilled meat or game.

– Serve with lamb, veal, grilled eggplant and portobello mushrooms.

5. Vidal Select Late Harvest – $19.95

– Only available at the winery.

– This wine is a late harvest wine which is almost as sweet as an icewine but is less than half the price.

– Honey nose complemented with peaches and apricots. A very rich texture of honey, peaches and apricots on the palate. Very sweet!

We had so much fun at Reif! Next time we want to do a tour of the vineyards and the winery!

Vinho Verde? Green Wine?

Vinho Verde is a white Portuguese wine. It is great for a hot summer day!

Despite the name it is not a green wine! It is very crisp, dry, and often when you open the bottle there is a bit of fizz!

I first tried Vinho Verde in Portugal with my friends Anup and Mai. Click here to read more about this trip and wine region.

My favorite Vinho Verde at the LCBO is called AVELEDA (see picture of label below).

Tasting Note 
This wine is a pale lemon yellow colour. It has hints of pear, apple, grapefruit, and citrus aromas and flavours. It is a crisp, light, clean, and refreshing wine with a spritzy finish. It has steely mineral notes as well as flavours of lime and granny smith apples.

Price

You can find this at the LCBO for only $ 9.95!!!

Serving Suggestion
Great with seafood, fish or salads. Oysters, grilled shrimp or deep fried calamari! Or as an aperitif on a hot summer day!  

(my friend Anup drinking Vinho Verde in Lisbon)