Valentín Bianchi Finca Los Primos Malbec 2007

San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina
Alcohol:14%
Available in government ($9.96) and private stores

Another bargain from south (very far south!) of the border. Malbec is virtually Argentina’s signature grape (as Zinfandel is for California), but originally came to Argentina from France. Malbec is normally used as part of a blend in Bordeaux, Cahors (where it is known as Cot) and the Loire in France, but now it’s best known as a single varietal wine from Argentina. (There is even some Malbec grown in British Columbia; look for Kettle Valley’s and Inniskillin’s for good local versions.) And within Argentina, Mendoza is the “home” for good, great, and not-so-great Malbecs.

Typical of Malbecs, this wine has a very dark colour and appears dense. You can see some purple on the edge of the wine, indicating the wine’s youthfulness. The nose is dominated by the black fruit, with some smoke and spicy tones. Those flavours carry on into the mouth, with plenty of dark fruits (plums and black currants) sit over smoke and spices. There is a nice amount of acid to balance the richness of the fruit, with some nice, soft tannins to provide structure for the wine.

I’ve heard that the Finca Los Primos is the best selling Malbec in British Columbia and it would make sense. It’s tasty, ready-to-drink, not expensive, and a very good value. You can enjoy this on its own or with some rich winter fare (ribs or stews spring to mind). While this wine could age for a few years, it’s hard to resist opening it now.

Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon “Circus” Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Argentina
Alcohol: 13.5%
Available in private stores only ($16.10)

Argentina is well known for both its beef and wine. We may not see much of the beef here, but we certainly see a lot of the wine, ranging from inexpensive “quaffers” through to $100 plus bottles. And a whole in between!

This wine is one of the “in between”. It is a dark burgundy colour, with aromas of very fresh dark fruits (plums, blackberries and raspberries), chocolate, peppers, and other spices. In the mouth, it has soft tannins and medium acid. The dark fruit flavours are there again, but even more (if it’s possible) fresh and bright than on the nose. There are also hints of the spices and chocolate again. The finish drops off quickly, but then lingers for a while, making for a clean and pleasant end.

Overall, very enjoyable, with good fruit and character. Not as fruity as other Southern Hemisphere wines around this price, and all the better for it. Well suited to casual dinners at home and seasonal parties when you’re looking for something enjoyable to drink, that works well with many foods (i.e., not big enough to “drown out” the flavour of the food, but with some character), and – in these uncertain times – doesn’t break the bank.

Rebel Wine “The Show” Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

California, USA
Alcohol: 13.9%
Available in government ($18.99) and private stores

Rebel Wine is a joint venture between the Three Thieves (Charles Bieler, Joel Gott, and Roger Scommenga ) and Trinchero Wines (owner of Sutter Home and other brands). Their goal is to “liberate premium wine” and the packaging of their wines – including this one – is anything but conventional. (Check out their Web site to see the whole line-up: http://www.threethieves.com/index.html#1)

The Show is a big wine, no question. It starts with the eye catching label and then the bottle (heavy barely describes it!). Then there’s the nose: big, ripe, and lush sprang to mind, with lots of jammy red fruit and spices (cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg), plus some vanilla and violets. The boldness carries on into your mouth, where the strong fruit and spice flavours are balanced by the acid and soft tannins. The finish is smooth, medium long, and clean. While I couldn’t find the exact blend, the wine is roughly 80% Cabernet Sauvignon (multiple regions), and the rest is combination of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Sirah, and Petit Verdot.

This is a nicely priced, enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon that is more “wine fun” than “wine geeky”. It’s a strongly flavoured wine, so should be matched with similar foods (boldly flavoured sauces and grilled meats, instead of white fish or cream sauces).

Mission Hill Family Estate Five Vineyards Cabernet-Merlot 2006

Okanagan Valley VQA, BC
Alcohol: 12.5%
Available in government ($18.99) and private stores (including Mission Hill stores), and at the winery

Mission Hill might be the largest entirely-within BC winery and makes everything from inexpensive wines (blended from imported and BC grapes) using several different labels, through to the ultra-super premium Oculus (a Bordeaux inspired wine).

The Five Vineyards line is Mission Hill’s entry-level 100% BC line-up. The 2006 Cabernet-Merlot is a blend of Merlot (48%), Cabernet Sauvignon (37%), and Cabernet Franc (15%). It has a dark ruby red colour, with purple tones. The nose has notes of rich, ripe dark fruit (plums, blackberries, and dark cherries). The ripe fruit flavours continue onto the palate, with the addition of some spices (including cloves). The flavours, soft tannins, and medium acid combine with a lingering finish to produce a pleasant wine that is easy to enjoy.

This is a wine that shows that some of the advantages of being a large (in BC terms) winery: it’s well priced against other BC wines, widely available, and delivers. It is a wine that is enjoyable on its own, but also works well with a variety of foods (including the ubiquitous red meats, pastas, and cheeses). It’s a fitting entry point for such a well known winery.

St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Reserve 2007

Barossa, South Australia, Australia
Alcohol: 14.5%
Available in government ($14.23) and private stores

The St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Reserve is the red equivalent of the Poacher’s Blend that I reviewed earlier this month. While neither is a “special occasion” wine, both are reliable and provide excellent value. They are also widely available, making for an easy choice when you’re in a hurry.

Another similarity between the wines is the blend. The label on the Gamekeeper’s Reserve says Shiraz–Grenache (a traditional blend in France’s Rhone Valley), but they use a third grape to give it a bit more character: Touriga Nacional. Never heard of it? No surprise; it’s a Portuguese grape that is traditionally used to make Port. That’s probably how it made its way to Australia, but winemakers have recently been using it in tables wines, either on its own or as part of a blend. Although St Hallett only uses about 4 or 5% Touriga Nacional in this wine, it certainly helps the wine stand out from other inexpensive Rhone inspired blends.

The wine is a dark ruby colour, and has spicy, blackberry, and floral aromas. Once you get it in your mouth, the blackberries are joined by flavours of dark cherries, plum, tobacco, and a touch of smokiness and earthiness. The tannins and acid are soft but obvious from start to finish. The flavours linger in the mouth and the alcohol is pretty obvious during the finish. While there has been no oak aging for this wine, it has had left on the “lees” (the yeast residue that sinks to the bottom of the container after fermentation), adding more complexity.

While this is a wine that is easily enjoyed on its own, it also works well with plenty of foods. It’s light enough to be a Pinot Noir replacement, so will work with lightly flavoured cheeses, meats (e.g., chicken), and vegetables. But it has enough fruit and character to also work with more flavourful foods, such as steaks, lamb, and even mild or medium hot curries.

Wine Suggestions for Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, so it seems like a good time to suggest some wines for your turkey dinner.

Many people seem to feel that choosing a wine (or wines) for a turkey dinner is difficult. My response is that there are usually so many different dishes on the table that almost any wine will pair nicely with something! If you choose a wine that you like, you will probably enjoy it with your Thanksgiving dinner as long as it doesn’t wipe out the food flavours.

However, I do have a few classic pairings to help get you started. Any of the aromatic varietals usually work well with turkey: Riesling (dry or off-dry), Gewürztraminer, or Alsatian Pinot Gris come to mind. Lighter reds (such as Pinot Noir, Syrah or Grenache from the Old World, or Gamay) often work well without  overwhelming the flavours of the food.  Rosés are another option, but avoid the sickly sweet, overly fruity ones and go for a drier version.  The Joie Rosé would be great (I know that Firefly Fine Wines & Ales still has some magnums), but there are many other choices.

For something really different, consider a sparkling red. The Australians virtually swear by sparkling reds with turkey dinners. These wines are almost uniquely Australian (Sumac Ridge now makes one too) and not well known in British Columbia, but there are some available here. If you want to splurge, try the E&E Sparkling Shiraz ($69.99 in the government stores): this is made from the famed still wine – always a treat – so this is both an excellent Shiraz and a fun sparkling wine. There is also a Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz ($23.90 in private stores) that I expect will work well.

These are really just some off-the-cuff suggestions. I’m working on a list of wines to enjoy over the Hanukkah/Christmas/New Year season. Look for it in late November.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2006

Calatayud DO, Spain
Alcohol: 14%
Available in government ($14.99) and private stores

Spain has a long history of winemaking and several of its regions are well known (e.g., Rioja). In addition to the fine wines, there have also been plenty of rougher, less expensive Spanish wines. It has only been recently, however, that Spain has been a source of inexpensive, well-made, everyday wines. The change is due – at least in part – to an influx of foreign capital into the Spanish wine industry that has allowed the wineries to upgrade their equipment, adopt new techniques, and even improve the science behind the wines.

One of my favourite, nice, inexpensive Spanish reds is the “garnacha de FUEGO”. (FYI, the Spanish “garnacha” is the same as the French “Grenache”.) This wine stands out on the shelf due to the flames on the label, but it also stands out once it’s opened due to the simple “likeability” of what’s in the bottle. Some of the character may be due to the fruit coming from old vines. (“Old vines” is an unregulated term that has come in for some abuse, but I understand that the fruit for this wines comes from vines 30 to 60 years old.)

The wine is an intense, deep red, with some purple tones on the rim. There are aromas of red fruits (such as blackberries, cherries and plums), spices, and even a hint of smoked paprika. The red fruit flavours carry on into the mouth, as does the smoked paprika. The tannins and acid are clearly there, but neither are too noticeable or aggressive. The finish is light but long, making for a nice transition to the next bite of food or another sip of wine.

There is enough fruitiness to the wine for drinking on its own, but it will also work with a wide variety of food. The usual red meats and pastas, of course, but also burgers and pork. This wine would also work well for turkey dinners, as it has the right fruit and spice flavours and is not too strong for the usual turkey dinner dishes.

Peachy Canyon “Incredible Red” Zinfandel 2006

Paso Robles, California, USA
Alcohol: 13.9%
Available in government ($19.95) and private stores

Zinfandel is the “signature” wine of California and there are a number available in BC at a wide range of prices. Zins have always tended to be big, bold wines, but lately some have become much too “jammy” and alcoholic for my taste. (By “alcoholic”, I mean not just the alcohol content – over 15% for some Zins – but also that the alcohol is more noticeable, rather than integrated into the wine.) These wines tend to dominate a meal and quickly tire out my palate.

That’s not a problem for this wine. It is 100% Zinfandel, but the 13.9% alcohol is balanced by the fruit and acid, making for a nicely integrated wine. It is a medium red colour with touches of orange brick. There are aromas of bright red fruit, spices, and oak. The wine is full bodied, with good acid and hardly noticeable tannins. The red fruit and spice characters carry onto the palate, with the alcohol and oak aging (a combination of French, American, and Hungarian oak) adding to the structure. The flavours continued into the finish, which lingered lightly and pleasantly.

The wine seems to be made for food and the fact that it’s not a huge Zin helps it go with a wider variety of foods. While Zins always seem to go well with steaks, this one would also be a good match with lamb, meaty pizzas, and pasta with tomato sauce; foods that have flavour but aren’t overwhelming.

Buller Black Dog Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Victoria, Australia
Alcohol: 14.5%
Available in private stores only ($20.60+)

Much of the state of Victoria in Australia can be considered a “cooler” climate, but only in the context of Australia, where “cooler” seems to mean hot only some of the time. Joking aside, many of the best wine regions in Victoria are cooler than the best regions in South Australis, such as the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. This allows them to shine with different grapes (e.g., Pinot Noir in the Yarra Valley) and to create wines with different styles from other regions in Australia.

Buller is an established producer (since 1921) in Rutherglen, a small town along the Victoria-New South Wales border that has been long known for its fortified wines (“stickies” in the Australian vernacular). (When I visited in the early 1980s, there was a billboard at the entrance to the town proclaiming that “Sydney may have a great harbour, but Rutherglen has a great port”.) Less well known but gaining attention are the table wines. The Black Dog Creek line (named after a creek on the Buller property) gives us a choice of the Cabernet, a Shiraz, and a Chardonnay, all at a reasonable price.

This wine is a nice Cabernet Sauvignon, with out getting too crazy in style or price. It is a dark ruby colour, with plenty of purple and some brick colour on the rim. It smells of raspberries and other red fruits, plus some tones of earth, cedar, and vanilla. In the mouth, it is full bodied, with soft tannins and a good dose of acid. The raspberries and cedar are even clearer in the mouth than on the nose. There is a the typical Cabernet Sauvignon doughnut, with strong flavours at the start, followed by a drop in the middle and then a good finish that lingers for a while with noticeable alcohol that, in this case, is balanced by the fruit.

This is no “fruit bomb”, with a tad more depth and maturity than expected. The brick colour tones, and some of the flavours (cedar and earthiness) indicate enough age to make me think that this wine is probably near its peak, so grab a bottle and enjoy it before the end of the year.

Line 39 Petite Sirah 2006

Lake County, California
Alcohol: 14.5%
Available in government ($17.99) and private stores

I’m not sure if two constitutes a trend, but I have been running into a few California Petite Sirahs lately. If they are all as good as the Parducci and this week’s wine, then that’s a good thing. And the two are a good contrast in styles.

According to the Web site, “Line 39” refers to the latitude “where many of the great wine growing regions of the world are found.” Oddly enough, they don’t actually say that’s where their winery is, but they are located in the rather appropriately named Vineburg, in California’s Sonoma Valley.

This is a big and juicy Petite Sirah that belies the word “petite” in the grape’s name. The wine is a deep, dense purple in the glass, with aromas of fresh, ripe blackberries, raspberries, and a hint of mint. It’s full bodied, with lots of fruit (blackberries, raspberries, and a jot of cherry), a touch of vanilla (from the oak barrels), and a good dollop of acid, which leads to a nice overall balance. The finish lingers and the oak is a bit more noticeable than the palate.

This wine is ready for drinking now. It is tasty on its own, but would suit strongly flavoured foods such as grilled red meats (it really cries out for steak) and vegetables, robust tomato dishes (pasta or ratatouille). The wine is too big and strong for anything delicate.