Amarone

One of my all time favourite, Italian wines is Amarone. Born in the Veneto region of Italy, this big, rich red is made from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes that are dried out like raisins, concentrating the sugars and flavours. Then fermented to a bone-dry state, the wine is ripe, raisiny, high in alcohol, rarely released until five years after the vintage and extremely age-worthy. Check it out with game, especially venison, or try it with pot roast, beef stroganoff, full-flavoured risottos and aged salamis. It loves mature cheeses! With Parmigiano Reggiano and a drop or two of Balsamic vinegar, it’s a religious experience. You can even poach pears in it or include it in chocolate cake. Yummy!

Tawny Port for the Holidays

I love Tawny port for the holidays. Named Tawny, because long periods in barrel render it a tawny hue, several styles exist. A Tawny of Indicated Age comes in 10, 20, 30 and 40+ year designations. The number on the bottle reflects the average age of the wine within. Date of Harvest or Colheita Tawny is from a single year and will show that year on the label. In both styles, the year of bottling must appear somewhere on the package. Tawnies are extremely elegant with lots of toffee, raisin, nutty, figgy, date-like flavours. Older versions are like sipping liquid, Kraft caramels and are to die for. Great on their own or with desserts, nuts and stinky cheese, they’re absolutely scrumptious.

Bringing Wine to Dinner

With the holidays, come dinner invitations and one usually likes to bring along a bottle of wine. However, more often than not, the wine you bring doesn’t get opened as the host already has another few in mind to match the meal. This proves frustrating as you may have pulled something special or rare from your cellar or purchased a specific bottle for the event that you really want to taste. What to do? To ensure your wine is opened at the dinner, the “Good Doctor” suggests this. Call ahead and ask the host what the menu is because you want to bring a unique bottle to match a dish. This subtle gesture is viewed as considerate almost always ensuring that the wine you bring will be consumed.

Unusual Icewine

There was a time here in Canada when Icewine was only produced from Riesling, Vidal and occasionally Gewurztraminer. Today, however, Icewine is made from many grape varieties. Whites include Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Kerner, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Semillon and Ehrenfelser. Some work better than others because of their fruitiness. Even more astonishing are the reds: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and even Syrah/Shiraz. It’s hard to envision the tannin and earthy notes of many reds translating well to this naturally frozen nectar, but somehow they do. Either way, you should try some of these odd, varietal Icewines. They’re an unusual delight.

Niagara 2010 Vintage Report

Wondering what the 2010 Niagara wines will be like this coming year? Just look at the summer we had and it tells the story. Spring was mild and summer was sunny and hot with just enough rainfall…a great growing season indeed. In fact, it was the earliest grape harvest since the 1980s. The resulting fruit was superb with gobs of sugar. When the 2010s are released in spring of 2011, the wines, in general, should be rich and fat with great fruit structure and higher alcohol because of the heat. Insiders are calling this one of the best quality years ever, similar to 1991, ‘95 and ‘98. Maybe even better than the acclaimed 2007! We should be in for a treat when they start to make the scene.

Commandaria

Commandaria from Cyprus is the world's oldest named wine still in production. This luscious nectar dating back to the ancient Greeks is made from ripe, sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro grapes that have been crushed, pressed, fermented, and aged for at least 2 years in oak. Sometimes fortified, it’s served well-chilled and tastes like raisins, nuts, dried fruit, coffee, chocolate, orange peel, smoke and vanilla. Straight up, it’s heaven, but with fruit-based desserts, pastries, cakes, cookies, nuts, pudding and chocolate, it’s divine. Cook with it or match it to stinky cheese for a real treat. Now I know why Aphodite, the goddess of beauty and love was born on Cyprus…for this wine.

Torrontes

Torrontes is a fascinating, white grape native to Argentina. It produces aromatic wines full of spice, tropical fruit and flowers and is a great warm weather sipper and aperitif. Ideal for exotic cuisine, Asian and spicy dishes, it’s a delightful replacement for Gewuztraminer. Occasionally wines made from it show up here but not too often. Even when it is around, consumers aren’t sure what to make of it. I’ve always thought that Torrontes would do well here because of its similarity to our city’s name. You know, “sip some Torontes in Toronto”. I would have thought some saavy marketing folks would have latched onto the connection long ago and created a new phenomenon. Oh well!