Parker Station Syrah 2005

Parker Station Syrah 2005

Central Coast, California, USA
Alcohol: 14.5%
Available in government liquor stores ($19.85) and private stores

This is always a good recommendation: a fun, fruity, well made and enjoyable California Syrah, that seems made for BBQ’ed meats in the summer and strongly flavoured foods year-round.  It’s made by the Fess Parker Winery.  If the name seems familiar, Fess Parker stared in the Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone TV shows, and in Old Yeller.  I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that his was one of the first celebrity wineries.  (FYI, Fess Parker Winery provides the setting for one of the most memorable scenes in the movie Sideways, when Miles learns that his book won’t be published.)

The wine is a dark, opaque red, with aromas of ripe, dark fruit (really ripe raspberries and blackberries all mushed together), smoke, earth, and hints of spices.  The aromas continue on into the flavours, where the blackberries and spices meld nicely.  There is good balance between the acid, alcohol, and fruit, and a long finish where the alcohol shows up a bit more.

Until recently, you could only find this wine in the private stores, but now it’s available through the government stores too.

Chat-en-Oeuf Red 2005

Côtes du Ventoux AC, France
13.5% ABV
Government and private stores: $14+

This is an easy to remember label: it features a cat sitting on an egg (literally, a chat en oeuf)! It is also a play-on-words with the well-known Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, which makes for a fun name for a fun wine.

Not that you’ll be confusing this for the more expensive Châteauneuf wines. It’s softer, fruitier, and ready now, but that helps make it a pleasant drink.

The wine is made from Grenache and Syrah (aka, Shiraz). It has a deep garnet colour and aromas of cherries, crushed red fruits, and hints of spices and tobacco. It’s medium bodied and well balanced, with soft tannins, medium acid, lots of fruit (those cherries and red fruits again, plus the spices), and a nice finish.

This is a wine designed to be enjoyed year-round. Right now, this is a good wine for picnicking, weekends at the cabin, or parties on your balcony or patio. It will be nice with many medium bodied foods, including pork, chicken, and pastas with cream or light tomato sauces.

Laughing Stock Wine and Mount Pleasant Cheese Tasting

When: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, July 18th
Where: Firefly Fine Wines & Ales, 2857 Cambie Street at West 12th Avenue
Cost: Free!

Stop by Firefly Fine Wines (www.fireflyfinewinesandales.com) this Friday for a delicious tasting of wines from Laughing Stock and cheeses from the new Mount Pleasant Cheese Shop (www.mountpleasantcheese.com).

The wines from Laughing Stock (another Naramata Bench producer) are good and usually hard to find; the Portfolio (their Bordeaux blend) and the Chardonnay will be available for tasting.  The Mount Pleasant Cheese Shop is all about Canadian cheese, and they know a thing or two about pairing cheeses and wines.

See the Firefly Web site (under “Events”) for more information.

Joie Rosé 2007

Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, British Columbia
12.5% ABV
Winery (via mailing list) and private stores only: $25+ for 750ml; $54+ for 1.5l

This is my current favourite of summer 2008: It’s fresh, zingy, and oh-so refreshing! The front label carries the slogan, “Re-Think Pink” and I think that this wine is a great mid-point between red and white.

The wine is a blend of Pinot Noir (56%), Gamay (26%), Pinot Meunier (8%), and Pinot Gris (10%). (The use of a white wine is unusual, but adds citrus flavours and extra acidity to the wine.) The colour is a nice solid pink, with salmon tones. There are plenty of citrus aromas, tending towards tangy grapefruit. The grapefruit (tart and sweet at the same time) continues onto the palate, but there’s also a lovely burst of strawberries, cherries, and sweet fruit. The wine is slightly off-dry, but there is a crispness on the finish the makes me want to go back for (yet) another glass.

This is a medium bodied wine that will go well with a range of food (warm or cold chicken, seafood, and Thai food), but it also makes for a nice drink while you’re waiting for the food to cook on the BBQ. The wine is also available in a magnum (1.5l), which are always fun for a larger group.

Think Pink

No, I am not suggesting that you rush out and purchase anything sickly sweet that will make you think of liquefied cotton candy. The “pinks” that I’m thinking of are the real rosés. Not only does the colour make me think of hot summer days (picnics and lazy days on boats), but the wines are excellent matches for food.

Rosés are traditionally made by allowing limited contact between the freshly crushed juice and the skins. (Oddly enough, rosé Champagnes are made by blending white and red wines.) Depending on the time and grapes, rosés can range from lightly coloured salmon through to darker shades of pink. And the flavours also have considerable range. The grapes used also vary, but you can find wines made using all the usual red varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Grenache, Syrah, etc. While there are some single varietals rosés, blends seem to be common, especially from Europe.

There are also a variety of styles, ranging from bone dry to off-dry to horribly sweet. I tend to think that the European rosés are intended for drinking with food, while many of the New World wines are good for both sipping on their own and with food.

So the next time you’re thinking about doing something summery, consider trying something pink and adding to the summer fun!

Sendero Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Writing about value wines made me think of this Chilean white. I was told that Concha y Toro, Chile’s largest winery, created this brand specifically for Canada. Whatever the case, they pack a lot of flavour into each bottle.

As soon as you open the bottle, the citrus aromas (lemon and grapefruit) are hard to miss. The lemon lemon and grapefruit continue onto the palate, but there is also a bit of something softer (peaches?) as well. The wine has plenty of acid, making it crisp and refreshing, but not so much as to overwhelm the fruit. There is a short but satisfying finish. A great wine to serve at any large gathering (e.g., a summer BBQ), drink at home, or to cook with.

Available in private stores only: $11.00+

Inexpensive vs. Cheap Wines

There’s cheap wine and then there is inexpensive wine. I don’t like the first, but I am a big fan of the second. What is the difference? In my mind, both don’t cost a lot, but inexpensive wines are enjoyable while cheap wines lack quality.

There are lots of occasions when you might not want to spend a lot of money on a wine (budget, it’s only for you on a Tuesday night at home, the people you will be sharing it with don’t care about wine, and so on), but that is no reason to drink bland or – worse yet – bad wine. I don’t know who said it first, but “life is too short for bad wine!”

Personally, I am always looking for “value” in wines. This is a pretty subjective standard, but so is almost everything about wine. I have had wines that cost a lot and may be technically well made, but didn’t get me as excited as I expect for the price. On the other hand, I have had wines at every price that are interesting, fun, enjoyable, and taste like they should cost more than they do. These are always a treat and I will share some of my favourites with you. Why don’t you let me know what some of your favourite “value” wines are?