Quench Magazine Fall 2021 issue no.368

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ENTRÉES

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The Mystery of the Lebanese Mushroom Burger Omar Mouallem Why the recipe remains a trade secret of the Lebanese burger mafia.

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Oregon Wine Mavericks

Michaela Morris The tale of Oregon’s wine foundations serves as a reminder of how far the state has come in a short time.

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Perfect Pairings: Ecstasy or Agony?

Michael Apstein Agonizing over what wine to serve with certain foods? My advice - don’t.

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Separating the Art from the Artist

Michelle Bouffard Can we separate the art from the artist’s behaviour?

And, as important, should we?

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Indie Music: Do-it-Yourself (with a little help from your friends) Kathy Valentine Kimberley MacGregor finds a community in her corner.

33 Reaching the Tipping Point?

Tod Stewart How did we reach a state where it is the responsibility of the customer to make a server’s wage livable?

DIGESTIF

AMUSE-BOUCHES

8 | THE BOOZY BACKSTORY Christine Sismondo The appropriation and gentrification of tequila.

65 | CHIANTI CLASSICO: VINTAGE REPORT 2018 & 2019 Emily O’Hare

68 | BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO: VINTAGE REPORT 2016 Emily O’Hare

71 | THE BUYING GUIDE The best wine, beer and spirits from around the world recommended by our experienced panel of tasters.

80 | THE QUENCH CROSSWORD PUZZLE Test your wine knowledge.

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82 | AFTER TASTE Tony Aspler The greatest threat facing the global wine industry today is climate change.

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The Black Influence on American Barbecue

Adrian Miller Whatever form barbecue took, African American cooks were often the ones in their community who gave customers their first tastes of authentic southern barbecue.

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Unceded Terroir: How First Nations helped build the BC Wine Industry

Tim Pawsey Almost lost in the excitement of the ascent of BC’s industry is the fact that BC’s Indigenous population has played a pivotal role in today’s success.

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One More Time Tom Murray

An upcoming documentary recounts a respected crew of session musicians who, during the first wave of British rock, fulfilled much the same role in London as The Wrecking Crew in LA.

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The Intersection of Wine & Music

W. Blake Gray

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There is enough research to prove that music does affect how your wine tastes, and moreover it’s easy to prove that it does.

Tortellante Åsa Johansson Italian three-star Michelin chef Massimo Bottura and his wife Lara Gilmore started a project for young adults with autism called Tortellante … a project that is both tasty and important.

SHAREABLES

13 | FAVE 5 with MACY GRAY Tom Murray

17 | CHEF PROFILE: FLORIANO PELLEGRINO AND ISABELLA POTÌ Åsa Johansson The rebel chefs from southern Italy

29 | FAVE 5 with ROMANO NERVOSO Tom Murray

37 | CHEF PROFILE: BARDIA ILBEIGGI Aman Dosanj Recently opened Delara ( ‫ ) دلارا‬is a love letter to Ilbeiggi’s heritage.

47 | FAVE 5 with ALLISON RUSSELL Tom Murray

51 | BILL REDDICK: FROM CLAY TO CAKE Brie Dema The clay master’s pandemic transformation to master baker.

54 | BALANCE & STYLE Christopher Sealy Ontario Cabernet Franc comes of age.

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Letter from the Editor TO SAY THAT THE PAST 20 MONTHS HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. 2020 was the year of “Enough!” The world shut down amidst a pandemic during which a fed-up Mother Nature seemingly imposed a global reset; the murder of George Floyd may have finally woken up and infuriated enough of mainstream society (that have long benefited from the status quo) into acknowledging, not just the existence, but prevalence of systemic racism and will hopefully “move the needle” from a place it has for too long been stuck. And the #MeToo movement forced us to reckon with the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and assault, and actually listen to those victimized and stop completely overlooking the actions of the offenders (unless, of course, you are Donald Trump). These struggles continue in 2021 and likely will, sadly, for years to come.

2020 may have also been the year that people rediscovered the importance of supporting local and independents. I’ve always believed in the economic, cultural, and emotional importance to a community of supporting independent, locally owned businesses, but the significance of the practice reached a heightened sense of urgency during the pandemic. The buying decisions we made and continue to make will determine which businesses still exist once the pandemic is over.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities, and we all need to make a conscious effort to support our locally owned restaurants, independent wine shops, butcher shops, record stores, bookstores, galleries, bakeries, and the list goes on. It’s been shown that 2/3 of every dollar spent at a locally owned business remains and is reinvested in the community (compared to less than half of every dollar spent at a chain store). As importantly, locally owned, independent businesses give our communities their identity.

Quench Magazine is and has always been proudly independent, and the magazine has gone through its share of challenges and changes over the past year. The pandemic shut down our printing press and as a result the magazine has been out of print since mid-2020. Add to that new ownership, a new editor-in-chief and a renewed direction … with almost 50 years of publishing history, this magazine will not be maintaining the status quo.

We have always challenged convention and we will continue to elevate our efforts as the magazine embarks on its next evolution beginning with this (Fall 2021) issue, which marks the relaunch of print for Quench.

The magazine will be a greater, truer reflection of our society. We will explore and share the stories of the iconic, the change-makers and the up-and-comers in the culinary, wine and craft beverage industries, and we will be expanding our coverage into music and the arts – because we know that those who love wine and food are also passionate about other art forms that elicit emotion and spark discussion.

We are committed to amplifying the historical and cultural context of wine and food and to making food and wine accessible, engaging, relevant, and enjoyable for all audiences by telling the stories that need to be told, the way they should be told, by the people who should be telling them.

We are excited to share the many upcoming changes, new voices, and new features. We also know the importance of remaining an independent publication with a diverse group of talented writers. To achieve this together, we have launched the Quench Writers’ Fund on Patreon to support our mission to serve you, our readers, even better and to provide opportunities and mentorship to underrepresented voices and young writers and storytellers. Scan the QR code on page 9 for more information.

We are committed to making a difference and we will continue to tell new stories, by both new and familiar storytellers, with the same spirit, integrity, and soul as we have for the past half century. Welcome back to Quench Magazine.

Gurvinder Bhatia editor-in-chief

Scan the QR code for the quench.me website

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CONTRIBUTORS Adrian Miller Adrian Miller is a food writer, James Beard Award winner, recovering attorney, former special assistant to President Bill Clinton, and certified barbecue judge who lives in Denver, Colorado. Adrian is featured in the Netflix hit High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America. His most recent book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue, was published earlier this year. His go-to restaurant that never disappoints is Georgia Brown’s in Washington D.C.

Åsa Johansson Åsa Johansson came to Italy from Sweden in 2001 because she loved Italian films from the ‘50s and ‘60s and wanted to learn Italian. It was love at first sight. Following a degree in political science and journalism at the University of Florence, she now writes about wine, food, and travel and lives in the Tuscan hills. Since 2019 she produces her own extra virgin olive oil from the olive trees near her home. Her go to cocktail is a gin & tonic and the best concert she ever attended was Alanis Morissette in Stockholm in 1997.

Christopher Sealy A graduate of the University of Toronto with a French Language and Literature Degree, Christopher Sealy is the wine director for the alo food group. In 2019, Christopher was voted #1 Sommelier by Canada’s 100 Best. He is a mentor for Vinequity, an organization which aims to amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour and LGBTQ+, in the Canadian wine community. Christopher’s favourite comfort food is Bajan Coconut Bread and in addition to all things wine, he enjoys dark rum.

Kathy Valentine Kathy Valentine has been working as a musician and songwriter for over 40 years, most notably as a member of the groundbreaking Go-Go’s – recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Kathy’s acclaimed memoir All I Ever Wanted: A Rock and Roll Memoir was published in 2020. Kathy still shows up for gigs with her rock band The Bluebonnets in her hometown of Austin, Texas. The best concert she ever attended was Prince at the Los Angeles Forum.

Omar Mouallem Omar Mouallem is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. His second film, The Last Baron, which documents the unlikely link between fast-food and Lebanese refugees, and second book, Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas, are both set for release this fall. His favourite travel destination is San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico.

No. 368 The intersection of wine, food, music & art Editor-in-chief Gurvinder Bhatia editor@quench.me Managing Editor Tom Murray Contributing Editors Michaela Morris Tod Stewart Columnists Tony Aspler Christine Sismondo

Tasters Tony Aspler Gurvinder Bhatia Michaela Morris Michelle Bouffard Tim Pawsey Christopher Sealy Donatella Dicca Christine Sismondo Robin LeBlanc Creative Director Alex Chan

Contributors Adrian Miller Aman Dosanj Åsa Johansson Brie Dema Christopher Sealy Fish Griwkowsky Emily O’Hare Kathy Valentine Michael Apstein Michelle Bouffard Omar Mouallem Tim Pawsey W. Blake Gray

Creative by Studio Reface

Editor & Publisher Gurvinder Bhatia editor@quench.me

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THE BOOZY BACKSTORY

EARLIER THIS YEAR, INSTAGRAM’S “DUDE WITH SIGN” SPOKE FOR ALL OF US WITH A POST ON CELEBRITY SPIRITS. THE DUDE’S SIGN READ: “YOU CAN BE FAMOUS AND NOT HAVE A TEQUILA BRAND.” But can you, really? Because it seems like even famous people I’ve never heard of are launching tequila brands these days. In fact, the only reason I know who they are is because they are into agave.

A more important question, perhaps, is: “Are any of these celebrity tequilas any good”?

The answer is complicated, since some of Mexico’s best distilleries are actually pumping out the liquid that goes into the ornate, carefully branded bottles.

“Most people who want to build a tequila brand don’t go ahead and build a distillery,” says Chantal Martineau, author of How the Gringos Stole Tequila and Finding Mezcal. “They go to a distillery that already exists with an idea for a brand and they ask that distillery to make it according to what they’re envisioning for their spirit.”

Christine Sismondo

Martineau isn’t only referring to celebrity brands here. Almost all the brands you see on the retail shelf and behind the bar come to fruition this way. There are fewer than 150 licensed, actively operating tequila distilleries in Mexico and over 1,500 brands of tequila on the market. A single distillery might produce the juice used for 20 or 30 brands.

Is there a problem with any of this? Well, in general, the appropriation and gentrification of tequila, a uniquely Mexican heritage product, has led to sustainability issues.

Tequila is rather famously only made from a single species of agave (Blue Weber), so its popularity has spawned a monoculture and all of the ecological problems that come with that.

And, at the end of the day, although tequila is an important industry in Mexico, the bulk of the money is made by foreign investors and packagers, not locals.

As Martineau points out, though, this didn’t start with Kendall Jenner, who is currently taking heat for cultural appropriation over imagery used to promote her brand, 818, which launched in May. Bing Crosby started importing Herradura tequila to the United States in the 1950s, and, ever since, a string of gringos have stolen this spirit, from massive multi-national corporations to boutique brands, and marketed their expressions as rustic and “authentic” traditional products.

The slew of actors, musicians, influencers, and reality TV stars populating late-stage tequila capitalism have made it much harder to suspend our disbelief, since it’s patently obvious none of them have a nuanced understanding of distillation or the history of agave spirits. And the trend has, funnily enough, exposed an entire industry of appropriation.

“It’s an old story,” says Martineau, “None of this is new, but it’s funny because, five or six years ago when my book came out, a lot of people were offended at the idea of tequila being appropriated.

“Now everyone’s like ‘Of course this is appropriation’.”

LA ROSITA

Tequila doesn’t always need citrus, as this twist on a Negroni demonstrates. While there are a few independent brands of tequila that are truly great (Ocho and Fortaleza), it can be difficult to source them in Canada, so I tend to stick to old-school brands like Patrón or Herradura, because they maintain the original crisp, citrussy and bright flavour profile that converted me to tequila in the first place. To my palate, a lot of the newer brands taste mild, soft and sweet, with cooked agave front and centre.

Ingredients 1½ oz Herradura Blanco ½ oz Campari ½ oz sweet vermouth ½ oz dry vermouth 1 dash Angostura bitters 1 lemon twist (for garnish) Method Stir liquid ingredients over ice. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a twist.

Christine Sismondo, PhD, is an historian and the author of America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops; Mondo Cocktail: A Shaken and Stirred History; and, most recently, Canadian Spirits: The Essential Cross-Country Guide to Distilleries, Their Spirits and Where to Imbibe Them (with Stephen Beaumont). Sismondo also acts as Canada’s Academy Chair for The World’s Best 50 Bars and as a judge for the World Gin Awards. Her cocktail of choice is a Pisco Sour.

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The Mystery of the Lebanese Mushroom Burger

By Omar Mouallem

Photos by Amber Bracken

A MUSHROOM BURGER IS, WELL, A BURGER WITH MUSHROOMS. After that, sky’s the limit. It might be topped with white cheese, yellow, blue cheese, onion rings, avocado—whatever floats your ‘shroom. They have no hard-fast rules and tend toward distinguished tastes, which is probably the reason you won’t find them at many fast-food chains.

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But there’s one region of the world where the

mushroom burger is a definable entrée—a sizable beef patty smothered in sautéed canned mushrooms and sauce comprised mostly of cream of mushroom soup. You’ll find it across Alberta and inland British Columbia, and the mountains of Lebanon—homeland of the man who popularized it in Western Canada.

Riad “Rudy” Kemaldean obviously didn’t bring the burger recipe with him from his home village in the 1950s when he immigrated with his brother. He found the sauce in Edmonton at one of a few remaining Burger Barons, a floundering fast-food shack that made a roaring comeback after he bought it. Joined by his relatives, the Kemaldeans/Kamaleddines (spelling varies depending on which brother filed the paperwork) soon had a dozen Burger Barons under their spell. After civil war broke out in Lebanon, these restaurants became training grounds for future Lebanese restaurateurs who took the recipes with them when it was time to strike out on their own.

Some of them even took the name.

While the mushroom burger recipe is standardized, the Burger Baron franchise isn’t.

It’s not really even a franchise. It went bankrupt in 1961, a few years before the Lebanese immigrants discovered it, and since creditors never bothered to sell the brand’s intellectual property, and Jack McDonnell—the inventor—never

thought to will it to his family, the entire brand is basically public domain.

The McDonnell and Kemaldean families did manage to band together eventually and reregister the trademarks in 1996, but the legal grounds of their corporate ownership are shaky. Regardless, you can’t patent a recipe — only an original ingredient — and so their secret mushroom sauce remains part of the collective memory of Lebanese Canadians.

“That mushroom sauce is important—it’s iconic,” says Judy Schulz, who first tasted the mushroom burger on an assignment for the Edmonton Journal in the early ’80s.” Then the paper’s dining out critic, she had prejudices against hamburgers, but the Journal wanted her to review something more accessible to readers in the blue-collar city. Schulz begrudgingly drove to four fast-food joints, bought one burger from each, and brought them back to the office. “The mushroom burger won, hands down.”

Only a few Burger Barons remain in Edmonton, but you’ll find the iconic burger at mom and pop diners throughout the city and beyond. Whether the restaurant owners call their establishment Burger Baron, Burger Barn, Baron Family Restaurant, or something else completely, their businesses thrive mostly in rural communities. I’m related to several of them, and one, the owner of Boondocks

Grill in High Prairie, 370 kilometres north of Edmonton, is my brother Ali. Think of these diners as the Lebanese version of the small-town Chinese or Greek restaurant, only you’re more likely to find spring rolls and souvlaki on the menu than tabouleh. Their offerings vary depending on the local competition. One of the only things they agree on is that one burger.

Despite the discrepancies between them, their mushroom burgers are remarkably consistent. Ali learned the recipe from our dad, back when the family business was in fact called Burger Baron Pizza & Steak. Our dad apprenticed with his uncle, who bought one of the original Burger Barons in a neighbouring town from another Lebanese man, who apprenticed with Rudy in the ‘70s. I have tasted all four of their mushroom burgers—and many more spanning Alberta—and they all strike the same balance of tanginess, saltiness, and soupiness.

The sauce base is an open secret. Nothing can conceal the distinctiveness of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, and the restaurant owners have given up trying. “The first time I tasted that mushroom sauce, I was eight years old again, back in my mom’s kitchen,” says Schultz, “and I can see her opening that can of mushroom soup, which I think plays heavily in the mushroom sauce. The mushroom sauce is

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very much like that. The taste, the smell, the texture—it brings it all back.”

It’s the other ingredients that are harder to pin down, even for a career foodie like Schultz.

“I think there may be some mayonnaise or lemon juice, or something—there’s just a nice little note there, off to the side.” My childhood memories of the back of the restaurant conjure up rows of jumbo-sized mushroom soup cans, but not a lot of mayonnaise jars and definitely not lemon juice.

The owners guard the secret closely, even though they themselves got it through a breach of security. A former kitchen staff of the now defunct Burger Bank food truck told me his boss used to make him wait outside while he assembled the sauce.

I recently interviewed many Lebanese restaurateurs for a documentary about the Burger Baron. Nobody was willing to share the recipe completely with the exception of Sam Chehdi. The long-time restaurateur in Mayerthorpe (population: 1,320) insisted the sauce is nothing more than soup, straight out of the can. To prove it he proceeded to cook mushroom burgers this way for us while our cameras rolled. He then fed them to our crew.

Though it was a very tasty burger, something tasted off.

Walid Sahr of Whitecourt, who immigrated in 2000 and got into the business based on his

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first transcendent experience with a mushroom burger, fessed up to three additives—soya sauce, Tabasco, Worcestershire—then, somewhat suspiciously, added “there are some spices.”

“Sumac? Cumin?” I asked.

“I don’t like to talk about that.”

Khalid “Kelly” Kamaleddine, who kicked my film crew out of the stock room of his Edmonton Burger baron, denied using any spices, but insisted there was a fifth ingredient, plus a specialty soya sauce. I wasn’t sure if these were red herrings. When I pressed him, he said, “Go ask your dad.”

I did—but my dad, long retired, could not remember the proportions or whether there was in fact a fifth ingredient. So, I asked my brother.

Ali could only recall it the way he was taught using industrial soup cans. Indeed, his recipe was a square dance of soup, Tabasco, soya, and Worcestershire.

Does he cook the soup or thin it out with water? I asked. No—but make sure the soup is Campbell’s recipe. “No low sodium or fat.”

“Does the soya have to be anything special?”

“Yes, very.”

“Really?”

“Nope,” he replied with a laugh. “We use Wings. Have used China Lily.”

I took the recipe back to a stage kitchen where we recreated it with the intention of

revealing the recipe for the movie. After sharing a photo of our success on Instagram, we received complaints from members of the Kemaldean family. Nobody served us a cease and desist. They simply reminded me of what this is truly a recipe for.

“Families like yours and many others were given a chance at making something for themselves,” the daughter of retired Burger Baron owners told me. There may not be a patent to the brand and food, and each location may have mastered their own style of the sauce, but she hoped that we would covet this one secret to living out the immigrant dream.

And so, for now, it remains a trade secret of the Lebanese burger mafia.

Omar Mouallem is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. His second film, The Last Baron, which documents the unlikely link between fast-food and Lebanese refugees, and second book, Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas, are both set for release this fall. His favourite comfort food is, perhaps surprisingly, not a mushroom burger (its lebneh).

FAVE 5 with MACY GRAY There was no chance that a little thing like a pandemic was going to slow down Macy Gray.

The acclaimed soul/r ‘n’ b singer used her time at home in California for fun, small self-improvement projects, as well as briefly opening a toilet paper company and pursuing a few TV show ideas. Eventually, of course, she went back to doing what she does best: making the kind of funky, uplifting music that sets hearts a-soaring. With the assistance of her backing band, The California Jet Club, she recorded and released the song Thinking of You in April, with an accompanying one shot video.

“We were working on this in lockdown, but towards the end of it,” says Gray, still perhaps best known for her hugely popular 1999 debut, On How Life Is, as well as the massive single I Try. “The goal was to keep it simple like the song. We shot it about 10 times, I think, and I picked the best one. That is the music video that is out there today.”

The band are still working on the full album, titled The Reset, but there’s no release date nailed down. In preparation for her 11th full-length and accompanying 2022 tour we asked Gray about her favourite five venues to both perform at and listen to music in the world:

THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL "The Hollywood Bowl is probably the A1 place to play in L.A. It is beautiful, huge, and the sound is always perfect. You get a laid-back crowd that loves your music and might sing along, but mostly they just want to be amazed, eat, drink wine, and have a good time. "

ANY OUTDOOR FESTIVAL "I just love playing festivals; they’re like different realities. They bring people from all walks of life that love music enough to get up early, stand in ridiculous lines, and spend an entire day on a field where it’s either hot or raining. As a performer, when you are onstage in front of all those people who are excited and committed to the music, it always makes for an unforgettable experience for everyone involved."

ST. ANDREW’S HALL “It’s not that big, but Saint Andrew’s Hall in Detroit is a unique place. It used to be a church and has these amazing high ceilings and acoustics where some singers do not even need a mic to be heard. There’s an organ in the basement that I used on a song called Oblivion a long time ago too. This place is quite special.”

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE “Of course the Opera House in Sydney is one of the most legendary venues in the world. Just looking at it is amazing. The interior is perfect and gorgeous. When you are inside, you get this feeling that you do not want to touch anything because it all seems so precious. It feels like a museum where the halls themselves are art.”

CANADIAN VENUES “Finally, any venue in Canada is iconic. I just love Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, because I have a lot of amazing memories from playing many different venues there. I remember one time during a show of mine, this kid snuck backstage and sang me a song and he had this wild voice. It was something like I have never heard before. I do not remember his name, but I always wonder if he has a career in music today and is now super famous and I just do not know it.”

Scan the QR code to watch videos of Macy Gray performing FALL 2021 Photo supplies: Tom Murray

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Oregon Wine Mavericks: The Original & Next Generation

By Michaela Morris

Photo credit: supplied

The tale of Oregon’s wine foundations has been recounted many times, but the story never gets old. It lends insight into the industry’s personality and serves as a reminder of how far the state has come in a short time.

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David Adelsheim Photo credit: supplied

Grapes were first planted in 1847, but Oregon’s burgeoning wine industry was nipped in the bud by prohibition. It wasn’t until 1961 that Richard Sommer established the first post-prohibition licensed winery in the Umpqua Valley.

Shortly after, UC Davis graduates David Lett, Charles Coury, and Dick Erath made their separate ways to the Willamette Valley. They believed that the cooler reaches of Oregon were better suited for Pinot Noir than California despite being advised otherwise. The trio were soon joined by David and Ginny Adelsheim, Pat and Joe Campbell (Elk Cove), Dick and Nancy Ponzi, and Susan Sokol and Bill Blosser.

Oregon’s original pioneers were united by their unorthodox aspirations. “In the ‘70s and ‘80s, we were so heavily reliant on each other,” recalls David Adelsheim. “We were broke and had no idea what style of wine would be appropriate in Willamette so we tried to forge a common style.” Through a collaborative spirit they crafted individualist wines.

It was David Lett’s 1975 Eyrie South Block Reserve Pinot Noir that put Oregon on the international radar when it placed in the top 10 of the Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades in 1979. Even with accolades, Oregon wine was not an instant success. “The biggest problem in the ‘80s and early ‘90s was not being taken seriously as a wine region,” continues Adelsheim. Wine drinkers didn’t start embracing Willamette’s cool climate Pinot Noir until the turn of the century. There has since been a boom in growth - from 139 wineries in 2000

Photo credit: Carolyn Wells-Kramer

Photo credit: supplied

Jesse Lange of Lange Estate

Alison & Alex Sokol Blosser, siblings & co-Presidents of Sokol Blosser

to 908 in 2019. Nevertheless, Oregon remains a region of boutique producers.

Besides making a name for itself with Pinot Noir, Oregon has distinguished itself as a leader in sustainability. In 1997, a handful of Oregon winegrowers established LIVE. Short for Low Impact Viticulture and Enology, LIVE certification has now been awarded to almost 300 wineries and vineyards. Producers were also early adopters of Salmon Safe which prohibits pesticides and protects fish habitats. Sokol Blosser was the first to be certified in 1996. “My parents have always had a good-for-the-earth organization but what that has meant has changed as years go by,” says winemaker and Co-President Alex Sokol Blosser.

The latest uptick is in wineries getting B Corp certified, a third-party organization that considers the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. “It holds us accountable for all aspects of our business and sheds light on what we can improve,” Sokol Blosser explains. Oregon’s largest wine producer, A to Z Wineworks was the Willamette’s first B Corp certified winery in 2014. Oregon now boasts eight – apparently the largest number within any region around the world.

Oregon’s wine future is now securely in the hands of the next generation. Some are direct descendants of Oregon’s founding figures while others were mentored by them.

Before establishing her eponymous label, Kelley Fox worked for David Lett at The Eyrie Vineyards. “They opened the door and set a

very high bar and over time the general ethos seems to have been shared with those to follow,” she says of Lett and his peers. While Fox doesn’t own vineyards, she personally farms the plots she buys fruit from, employing biodynamic practices. As for winemaking, additives are essentially limited to minimal sulfur, and she has completely renounced new oak. Her wines speak to Oregon’s idiosyncratic beginnings.

While Pinot Noir is firmly cemented as Oregon’s flagship (Pinot Gris is a distant second), Chardonnay is on the rise. This grape got off to a rocky start as Oregon’s original clones came from California. In the early ‘90s, David Adelsheim was able to bring in earlier ripening Dijon clones which have smaller clusters and berries and are better suited to a cool climate. “They really helped change the dynamics of Willamette Valley Chardonnay,” says Jesse Lange at Lange Estate. His parents have been making Chardonnay since 1987.

“Now the vines are mature, we’re a three-decade overnight success,” he jokes.

The challenges facing Oregon’s winemakers today are vastly different from those encountered by their predecessors. “The most obvious is climate change,” says Bree Stock, Master of Wine and Education Director for the Oregon Wine Board. She points to increasing heat waves and drought conditions and the implications for Oregon’s dry-farmed areas as well as water availability in irrigated zones, not to mention the style of wine produced.

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Photo credit: Phong Nguyen

Sokol Blosser Estate Pinot Noir, 2017, Dundee Hills ($40) Pronounced scents of smoke and leather infused with clove and cinnamon make for an exotic nose. Medium weight yet plush with a mix of ripe summer berries framed by sweet wood tannins. This offers immediate appeal.

Salmon Safe, organic and B Corp certified.

Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, 2018, Willamette Valley ($40) Launched by Jim Bernau in 1983, WVV was the first ever crowdfunded winery. It was also a founding member of LIVE as well as Salud! which supports free and accessible medical care for vineyard workers. The estate Pinot exudes aromas of sweet herbs, coconut and blackberry. Silky and layered, the palate brings in cola and oak spice. Lots to chew on but buoyant and light on its feet.

To help mitigate the effects of climate change in the vineyard, Mimi Casteel is championing regenerative agriculture. Daughter of Bethel Heights’ Ted Casteel and Pat Dudley, she set out on her own in 2015 to establish Hope Well Wine and Vineyard equipped with a master’s in Forest Science and experience as a botanist and ecologist. She has honed farming techniques that emphasize soil health, biodiversity, cover crops and no tillage in order to improve water retention and sequester carbon.

Regenerative farming is gaining steam. It was the focus at both the 2019 and 2020 Oregon Wine Symposiums and in June 2021, Troon Vineyard in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley was the state’s first winery to receive the newly established Regenerative Organic certification. Truth be told, this isn’t a new concept.

David Lett established The Eyrie Vineyards on these tenets in 1965 and his son Jason has continued this legacy.

Jason Lett has also adopted his father’s innovative nature and planted alternative varieties such as Trousseau, Chasselas Doré and Melon de Bourgogne. According to Stock, this is a simmering trend as growers look to diversify their plantings and winemakers seek to experiment with different grapes. “The beauty of Oregon is that there is still much plantable land available, and no restrictions surrounding varietal diversity and wine style,” she says.

Rather than a tsunami, Oregon’s evolution comes in slow, steady waves from well-established foundations. And while a spirit of pioneering runs deep, so do collaboration and sustainability. Oregon is in it for the long game.

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Wines

Adelsheim ‘Breaking Ground’ Pinot Noir, 2016, Chehalem Mountains ($70)

Erath Pinot Noir Rosé, 2020, Oregon ($23)

A complex and intriguing mix of dill, wet earth, mushroom and mineral with distinct cherry overtones. Oak is integrated and polished tannins are suede in texture sticking appropriately to the finish. Besides writing Oregon’s wine labeling regulations, David Adelsheim drove for recognition of several Oregon AVAs. He sold the winery in 2017 to partners Lynn and Jack Loacker.

Owned by Chateau Ste Michelle since 2006, Erath produces a line of accessibly priced wines blending estate and purchased fruit from throughout Oregon. The rosé is on point with its pale pink hue and decidedly dry palate. Clean, steely and refreshing with watermelon, citrus and pretty floral accents.

Left Coast ‘The Orchard’ Pinot Gris, 2019, Van Duzer Corridor ($28) Established in 2003, Left Coast was the first winery in the windy Van Duzer corridor and instrumental in the zone achieving AVA status in 2019. Restrained and leesy, the Pinot Gris offers fresh cut apple and pear.

A concentrated fruity core is countered by bitter grapefruit pith and vibrant acidity.

Domaine Drouhin ‘Arthur’ Chardonnay, 2018, Dundee Hills ($90) Made from Dijon clones, this is a testament to the potential of Chardonnay in Oregon and a tribute to its Burgundian heritage. Hints of butter and lemon curd lead to a creamy palate with apricot, pineapple and a subtle but lingering nuttiness. Elegant and deftly balanced in its proportions.

Chemistry Pinot Noir, 2018, Willamette Valley ($30) Bill Stoller’s newly launched Chemistry label sources fruit from growers across the Willamette Valley for an attractive and affordable package. It’s plump and fresh with dark black cherry, crushed florals and a playful touch of bubble gum. Fine ripe tannins cleanse the mouth and lead to a minty finish.

Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Pinot Noir, 2017, Willamette Valley ($90) Grace and Kevin Evenstad were among a surge of early believers settling in the Willamette Valley in 1989. One of the first wines they produced, the Reserve Pinot Noir is a blend of estate vineyards. It is noticeably toasty up front with chai spice and caramel ceding to earthy nuances. Flavours of sumptuous cherry and dark raspberry are interwoven with cedar and brightened by energetic acidity.

Michaela Morris is an international wine writer, educator and speaker based in Vancouver, Canada. She has worked in various capacities of the industry for 25 years. Besides holding the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma, Michaela is an Italian Wine Expert certified through Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) and leads seminars on Italian wine around the globe. Not surprisingly, her go-to cocktail is a negroni.

PROFILE:

Floriano Pellegrino + Isabella Potì - the rebel chefs from southern Italy By: Åsa Johansson

Photos supplied by Bros’

Floriano Pellegrino and Isabella Potì from restaurant Bros’ are young, beautiful, and talented. Their confidence and smart marketing have divided the Italian food world in two. Love them or hate them, Pellegrino and Potì aren’t interested in staying “right” as in the mainstream. Or fucking right, as Floriano himself has probably put it. Meet the rebel chefs from southern Italy.

Restaurant Bros’ opened in 2016 in the

baroque city of Lecce, in Apulia, on the Italian heel. Two years later, their first star arrived in the Michelin Guide. From the beginning, Pellegrino’s brothers were involved as co-owners, hence the name, but today the brothers have preferred to go other ways. Apulia is a region more associated with Italian mothers, who cook traditional dishes in large steaming pots, and not ambitious fine dining. This is something that Bros’ intends to change.

Pellegrino and Potì returned home after years of work abroad, accruing a great deal of experience in the process. Potì, among other jobs, worked at Hibiscus in London and Geranium in Copenhagen, while Pellegrino was at Noma as well as three-star Azurmendi with chef Eneko Atxa. But it is Martín Barasategui, at the three-star Spanish restaurant Lasarte, and one of Spain’s most influential chefs of all time, who is their mentor. In addition to Bros’, Pellegrino and Potì recently opened a traditional trattoria called Roots and a pastry bakery called Sista’.

They have also taken over the old local football stadium and started a rugby team.

RECIPE:

Spaghetti Scorranese and Pasta Burro Rancido e Bottarga by Bros’

Scan the QR code to see Bros’ recipes for Spaghetti Scorranese and Pasta burro rancido e bottarga

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Floriano Pellegrino WHERE DO YOU LIVE:

I live in Scorrano, in the province of Lecce. The centre of Salento in Apulia.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP:

I was born in 1990 and grew up between Scorrano and Trepuzzi, two small villages in Salento. My parents are divorced, so I shared my time between the two.

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD:

Pizza and all that is good and fucking perfect.

WHY DO YOU SAY FUCKING SO OFTEN:

(laughter) It was a chef at Noma who swore all the time and since then it has stuck with me.

WHY OPEN A FINE DINING RESTAURANT IN LECCE:

We are beautiful, we are talented. Both Isabella and I have been on Forbes’ list of the most influential people under thirty. Two from the list working on the same project. There is no one else in the world who does. We are a fucking case study. Bros’ would have been cool in New York but is even cooler in Lecce. As the Spaniards say, we have cojones.

FAVORITE INGREDIENT TO COOK WITH:

Lemon.

BEST CHILDHOOD FOOD MEMORY:

Being Italian, I am very attached to my grandmother.

The best memory of my childhood is in the summer when on Sundays she made eggplant parmigiana.

YOUR GO-TO RESTAURANT:

Martín Barasategui.

WHO IS YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT CULINARY INFLUENCE:

Martín Barasategui.

WHAT DO YOU DRINK AT HOME:

Always still cold water.

MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO WHILE COOKING:

Trap and rap.

HOW DID YOU START COOKING:

My mother had a farmhouse and my grandparents were farmers.

I couldn’t help but get close to gastronomy and cooking.

ON THE FUTURE:

We are architects of our destiny, and our decisions are closely linked to our future, and therefore I try every day to make important decisions and to surround myself with the right people.

The goal is to create a new Basque Country in Salento. Look at fucking Denmark, ten years ago they were nothing. Everything is studied on paper. We can do it too.

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Isabella Potì

Isabella Potì, born in 1995, moves with ease between her kitchen and the fashion world where she is often requested for commercials and television shows. She is confident, extroverted, and very friendly when meeting in person.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE:

in Scorrano, close to Lecce, in Apulia.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP:

I grew up between Surbo and Giorgilorio, in Apulia. I come from a very humble family. My mother is Polish and my father is Italian.

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD:

I love “cuccumarazzi” salads and I like leavened products, but I don’t have a favorite food. (Cuccumarazzi is a local vegetable from Apulia that tastes and looks like a mix between a cucumber and a melon) FAVORITE INGREDIENT TO COOK WITH:

Lemon. It is an almost fundamental element in my recipes. My desserts always include some kind of citrus. I love the acidity it brings.

BEST CHILDHOOD FOOD MEMORY:

I have so many! For example, freshly milked cow’s milk. In Poland I drank it every morning, my grandparents took it from the lady next door. It’s a beautiful food-related memory from my childhood. Another is when my great-grandmother went to pick the strawberries we had in the garden.

YOUR GO-TO RESTAURANT:

Alain Passard or some great Italian chef like Andrea Berton.

WHO IS YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT CULINARY INFLUENCE:

I have a technical base ranging from Spanish to Nordic and French cuisine. After my experiences abroad, Floriano has been my main culinary influence. Together we have been studying taste for some time and continue to do so at our restaurant Bros’.

WHAT DO YOU DRINK AT HOME:

Still water and lots of homemade fruit juice.

MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO WHILE COOKING:

A little bit of everything, I love rock music, but I also really like R&B and I like singing it.

HOW DID YOU START COOKING:

With the little experiences I had when I was a little girl. I was very close to nature because my father and mother taught me this. I was very lucky. But I don’t have anyone with a background connected to food in my family.

ON THE FUTURE:

I see the future as something that I can’t wait to discover. I see it immersed in nature, with much joy and certainly making my biggest dream come true; cooking and having my family, friends, and animals close by.

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FALL 2021

Perfect Pairings – Ecstasy or Agony?

By Michael Apstein Cartoon by Fish Griwkowsky

PEOPLE I KNOW AGONIZE OVER WHAT WINE TO SERVE WITH CERTAIN FOODS. MY ADVICE —DON’T. Sure, there are classic combinations in which the food and the wine seem to act synergistically to enhance the overall pleasure; briny oysters with Chablis or Muscadet leap to mind. I wish I knew more about the science of taste. But what I do know is that there’s more to it than just what’s on the table.

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In Florida, some years ago, I stopped by a cavernous wine shop to pick up a bottle on our way to a seafood shack that had great fish, but an abysmal wine list. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted a Jacques Prieur Meursault Clos de Mazeray. Prieur is a top Burgundy producer and Clos de Mazeray, while not a premier cru, is owned entirely by them (a monopole) and is one of their stellar white wines. I hurriedly snagged one of the few remaining dark green bottles and headed to dinner. We got to the restaurant, they chilled the bottle, popped the cork, and poured. Imagine my surprise when I saw the color. Unbeknown to me at the time, about ten percent of the Clos de Mazeray is planted with Pinot Noir. So, there I was, with a red Burgundy to accompany stone crab followed by grilled pompano. Not a choice I would have made, but it worked. It taught me that people make more of matching wine to food than they should.

Why did that red Burgundy work with seafood? Because it’s not only the food and wine that determines the enjoyment. Sure, it helped that both the wine and the food were stellar.

But equally important, and sometimes more important, is the setting and company.

Picture this: you and your spouse or significant other are on vacation in the South of France or the Amalfi Coast. You’re sitting on a highly acclaimed restaurant’s flowered terrace overlooking an azure-blue Mediterranean.

The weather is perfect. I venture to say that any wine you have with dinner will be divine.

In this instance, the setting far outweighs the particular food or wine. Even insipid rosés are memorable in this context.

A recent meal reminded me of the importance of company. At dinner, my two nephews and I started with a lovely bottle of 2004

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Drouhin Chablis Les Clos. We sat down and continued with it when the oysters arrived. I thought the power and chiseled minerality of the Chablis would be an ideal match with my striped bass swimming in a sauce Barigoule (Provencal sauce of artichokes, Mediterranean herbs, and white wine) that I had ordered. The 1978 Château Meyney, an earthy, but suave, St. Éstephe, that we had brought would be fine with my nephews’ duck breasts. By the time the mains had arrived, the Chablis was, not surprisingly, gone, and I was forced to drink ’78 Meyney with fish. You know what? It was a memorable dinner. Why? Because it was the renewal of our monthly dinners after a 15-month Covid-19 hiatus and the high that accompanied it. It hardly mattered what was on the table. The wine was excellent, the fish was superb. I don’t even remember whether the Meyney and my fish meshed. It was all about who was around the table and our emotional state.

If there was a lesson learned it was to consider the setting and the people before obsessing about which wine to serve. Bob Harkey, owner of Harkey’s Fine Wines, a top-notch shop in Millis, Massachusetts, just west of Boston, once gave me excellent advice about selecting wine for Thanksgiving, a meal at which there’s a plethora of flavors on the table: “Match the wine to the guests, not to the food.”

Even without the memorable setting or the special company, wine and food can be strange bedfellows. Earlier this year I was tasting 30 Corton-Charlemagne from Domaine Louis Latour for a five-decade vertical tasting I wrote about for another article. Although I had many of those wines with the customary “white wine dishes,” seafood or chicken in a cream sauce, to name just two, I did wind up drinking some of them with the not immediately obvious

pairings of grilled rib-eye steak, coq au vin, and other “red wine dishes.” But they worked. Yes, some were mature, 20 and 30-year old, Grand Cru wines with depth of flavor, and some were youthful. More importantly, they all had brilliant acidity and freshness, which it turns out, is what you need regardless of what’s on your plate. Most importantly, the wines were so damn good that eating most anything would have been fine.

So, my advice is to ignore, or at least, reconsider, the so-called rules you may have heard.

They may have had relevance in the past before fusion cuisine exerted such an influence on modern dining and the food was more sharply defined, but now, with so many cross-cultural influences in play on the dinner plate, it’s time to rethink your options.

Also, please discard the generalizations you might have heard about which single type of wine works with the food from a specific country. The cuisine of India is so varied—are we speaking of relatively mild Tandoori chicken or a fiery hot lamb vindaloo—that the advice that Gewürztraminer “works with Indian food” is both meaningless and wrong. Similarly, the flavors within Chinese food range from delicately prepared seafood common to Cantonese cooking, to the mouth-singeing Mongolian hotpot, so do you really think a single specific type of wine will be perfect with Chinese food?

At a seminar matching Sauternes with Chinese food at VinExpo a few years ago, Jeannie Cho Lee, a Hong-Kong based MW, pointed out a critically important, but often overlooked, element. The Western attendees were pontificating about the pairings. At the end, Lee diplomatically noted in a low-keyed, but decisive voice, what in retrospect should have been obvious, that it’s difficult for a Western palate

to relate to how Eastern palates react to foods.

So, what Westerners think is a marvelous food and wine combination may not work around the world.

As is apparent, I dislike rigidity about food and wine pairing. There’s no need for self-imposed restrictions or fear that something might not be the perfect pairing, whatever that means. And, indeed, sometimes you are wowed by the wine and then enjoy the food.

They are rarely in your mouth at the same time. The only way you’ll know if a particular wine works with a dish is to try it. So, feel free to wing it. For those who might feel reluctant to “wing it,” at least initially, here’s some very general advice.

First, decide whether the food or the wine is more important. For wine geeks who are opening a treasured old wine, such as a decades-old Bordeaux or Barolo, choose a simply prepared meal, a grilled steak or a rack of lamb.

An unadorned grilled swordfish steak for that 20-year Grand Cru white Burgundy is another example. No complicated sauces or preparations that add additional flavors to the plate are needed. The wines are the centerpieces in this instance. Let them speak.

For the vast majority of people, the food comes first. In that instance, match the weight of the wine to the weight of the food. This often coincides with seasonal eating though there are plenty of meaty cuts on the grill in the summer. The acidity of the wine is paramount regardless of the season or the weight of the food. While low-acid wines may be preferable when sipping them as a stand-alone aperitif, think a glass-of-Chardonnay-as-a-cocktail kind of wine, it’s the acidity that makes your mouth water, refreshes the palate, and keeps the wine fresh and lively during a meal.

Heavy food, those stick-to-your-ribs winter stews, call for robust or rich reds. Lighter summertime fare calls for light reds or whites. For the grilled meats in summer, remember that it’s fine to chill reds. Chilling accentuates the astringency of the tannins, so chilling low-tannin reds, such as Beaujolais or Bardolino, is the way to go. Indeed, I prefer chilled reds to almost all rosés in the summer.

Next, consider the level of heat. The conventional advice, which I think remains valid, is that as the heat increases, so should the level of sweetness in the wine. Off-dry Riesling or Chenin Blanc is a good choice because they display a range of sweetness or fruitiness that will offset the fire. But other choices will work well in this setting, so feel free to experiment.

Wines high in alcohol, such as Zinfandel or Grenache-based wine, to name just two, or those high in acidity, such as Barbera, also work well with fiery foods, especially meaty BBQ, because the alcohol lends sweetness and the acidity cuts through everything.

It’s difficult to generalize for dishes that feature spices that don’t singe the tongue, such as cinnamon, cloves, cumin, turmeric and the like, so present in contemporary cuisine. This is where experimentation can be even more rewarding.

You’ll notice I’ve omitted rosé. That’s not an oversight. More on that in a later column.

When in doubt, have Champagne or sparkling wine. It truly does go with everything.

There’s the importance of acidity, again. And the sound of the popping cork transforms an evening from ordinary to special.

Michael Apstein has written about wine for over three decades. He received a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award in 2000 and was nominated again in 2004 and 2006. Dr. Apstein is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Division of Gastroenterology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He lectures and writes frequently about wine and health. When he is not traveling in Paris or Burgundy, he can be found dining at Troquet in Boston, or drinking red and white Burgundy as often as possible (plus Bordeaux, oh, and don’t forget Italian wines) at his home in Massachusetts.

FALL 2021

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Separating The Art Time stopped. Without words, we were all staring at our phones in disbelief. A highly regarded wine producer we all knew had just been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment. His wines were entered in the competition we were judging and if the past years were an indication of the future, many of his labels would likely be awarded a gold. His wines always stood out in blind tasting competitions. After reflections and multiple discussions, the organizers, with the support of the judges, decided it was best to pull the wines out from the competition.

Just the week before, I found myself at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona admiring the talent of the artist. Yet, he was known for mistreating women. As recently as May 27, 2021, a group of students wearing t-shirts saying “Picasso, women abuser” protested at the museum in the hope of shedding light on the artist’s dark side. Was I wrong to stand in that museum? Can we separate the art from the artist’s behaviour? And, as important, should we?

The subject is complex. While Picasso has a bad track record with women, his work contributed to the evolution of modern art.

Should we stop exhibiting his artwork and stop speaking about his work altogether? If we leave Picasso and that known winemaker aside and we analyze what is acceptable versus what is not acceptable, it adds layers of complexity. While these are clear condemnable behaviours, others sit in the gray zone of what is ethical and what is not. The answers are

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tied to our own personal beliefs, values and culture as well as our perceptions of what society deems acceptable. Furthermore, very few who are accused publicly end up being criminally convicted. And when they are, they leave behind a team of employees who often do not have anything to do with the actions of the criminal.

Before we explore whether we should continue to advocate for and buy wines from producers who have been accused or are guilty of immoral behaviour, it is worth evaluating the list of criteria that can be considered when deciding if a wine producer is ethical or not.

Personally, I like the idea of looking at the sustainable model as a guideline. The concept includes the economic, social and environmental aspects of the business and those who operate it. For example, if a business is not profitable, the owners are unlikely to pay the employees appropriately. The commitment to

support communities, advocate for diversity and inclusivity and treat employees with respect is covered in the social aspect. When it comes to the environment, adopting practices to ensure the earth will be in good condition for generations to come is important. This includes the business’s commitment to minimize the impact on the planet and the actions taken towards mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Perhaps, as you are reading this, you are thinking that the list is going too far: not everything is equal when it comes to the repercussions of bad behaviour and what is condemnable. Perhaps it is a question of perspective and opinion. I like to think of this ‘sustainable list’ as one which reflects our era, our values, our concerns but most importantly, our evolution as a society. As a society we make mistakes and learn from them, and it is our duty to adopt new behaviours and grow. This year, Black Lives Matter and the resurgence of the #MeToo movement made us reflect on what as individuals, society and businesses, we must do to initiate changes.

With respect to the environment, climate change has become a major preoccupation.

People from all over the world mobilized to march along with Greta Thunberg to unite their voice and beg governments and corporations to act. Behaviours like racism, sexual harassment and human exploitation are usually, socially, seen as unacceptable. However, others might think that a lack of respect

from the Artist for the environment is not as condemnable.

But think about the fires in California, British Columbia and Australia and the severe frost in Europe. Those extreme climatic events have led to death, bankruptcy, and despair. And as climate change continues to be a growing concern, poorer populations are likely to suffer the most.

So, what should a wine critic do when they know that a producer does not meet those ethical requirements? Of course, it comes down to personal values and beliefs. Which behaviours are not acceptable and which behaviours are more forgivable? But this too is a nebulous road to travel on. Do we always know everything about every producer? Of course not. They might tick all the boxes, but at home they might be a bad husband or a bad mother.

We will never know everything. And we have no guarantee of knowing. Until that moment at the wine competition when I was looking at my phone in disbelief, I was an advocate of this producer. To the best of my knowledge, he was meeting all those criteria. Until I learned he was not.

However, when you do know, does it change everything? Is it right to celebrate the work of someone who violated values that society deems to be important? Especially in 2021.

As a society, we can’t change the past, but we can change the present and the future. Just like in other fields, the world of wine boasts many great wines from many respectable and talented people. Recommending wines made

from ethical producers and highlighting their good practices is a way to educate and voice what matters to us, as a society. It is also a way to guide consumers and inform them.

As consumers, we also have power. By supporting producers with sustainable practices, we send a strong message. Nothing is perfect, and if you believe in constant improvement and redemption, shouldn’t we look forward to future actions and contextualize past actions without dismissing them?

When I taste blind at wine competitions, I have no way of knowing if the producer of the wine I award meets with my personal values. As a wine critic, when I decide to write about a wine, it is my duty to research and get informed on the producer’s practices as much as I can. Gandhi purportedly said: be the change you want to see in the world. We are all responsible for that change in ourselves, and for supporting those who shine and inspire.

Should you still appreciate the work of Picasso even though he was not particularly good to women? That’s a personal choice, but understanding that his work was fundamental to the evolution of visual art cannot be dismissed. It’s a conundrum that many of us find ourselves in as we investigate significant figures in our shared history. Working collectively towards a just society and endorsing talented artists who also exhibit ethical behaviour is the only way to create fewer such conundrums for generations to come.

By Michelle Bouffard

Michelle Bouffard is a sommelier, author, speaker, educator and consultant based in Montréal. Her first book Dis-moi qui tu es, je te dirai quoi boire was published in 2017 and for the past six years, she has been the sommelier on the popular Quebec cooking show Curieux Bégin. In 2017, Michelle founded Tasting Climate Change, an international symposium to explore the challenges and solutions in the wine industry. Ever the eternal perfectionist, she is continuing her studies at the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine.

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ROMANO NERVOSO

By Tom Murray

New Jersey gave us Bruce Springsteen, Liverpool had The Beatles, and La Louvière, Belgium, will always have Romano Nervoso.

As both the band and stage name of La Louvière native Giacomo Panarisi, Romano Nervoso has been heading down more musical pathways than the moniker “Godfather of Spaghetti Rock” would suggest. Created in 2009 after Panarisi realised that he was more suited to being a frontman than a drummer, Romano Nervoso has released five albums of sweaty garage-rock occasionally dipped in Ennio Morricone western twang, horror movie references and Italian lyrics, classic punk wrestling with glam. That’s just the entry point description for the ever-evolving all-star unit, who tightened up on the hard rock velocity for 2020’s The Return of the Rocking Dead.

They’ve picked up some high profile fans in the process, including Canadian hard rocker Danko Jones and French legend Johnny Hallyday, who handpicked the band for a string of dates in 2012.

Panarisi hasn’t let the pandemic kill his creative drive; he’s been recording solo material under the name Giac Taylor, playing all of the instruments and singing on soon-to-be-released albums First of All, Fuck You; Jesus Loves You But I Don’t; and Dead Man’s Shoes. Once venues start booking again, he’ll have a lot of new songs to present to the public.

When that happens, you might see him perform at one of his five favourite clubs in Belgium:

MAGASIN 4 “There aren’t a lot of places in Brussels left for rock ‘n’ roll, but I really like going to Magasin 4. It’s a really punk and heavy metal kind of place, and the beer is cheap. The people you meet there are the type that enjoy live music and weird music, so there’s no like hipsters or YouTubers or anybody like that, just real people.”

it.” They started without money, and step by step built it into what it is today. One floor is live music, and the second floor is like electro-rap and stuff like that. You have all kinds of people going there, it’s always packed. There’s no fights there, it’s like Woodstock, very chill. On my third record there’s even a song called Thursday Night Fever (At the Rockerill), because it’s like, I work on weekends so Thursday night for me is when I go out for the night and break everything.”

EDEN “Another good place in Charleroi is Eden, which holds something like 300 people. I’ve played there a lot as well. It’s a little bit classier and expensive of a venue because it’s brand new. Sometimes the small, sweaty venues are the best; that’s where I saw Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.”

CENTRE CULTUREL RENÉ MAGRITTE “I like Centre Culturel René Magritte in Lessines because there’s programming for everyone from seven to 777 years old, from bluegrass to blues rock. It’s financed by the government, and there’s always somebody that I want to see play there at least twice a month. They have a festival once a year called Roots and Roses that is the best; I saw Rocket From the Crypt there, and it was amazing.”

LA BOTANIQUE “Number five on the list for me would be La Botanique which is again in Brussels. The venue is really beautiful, it looks like a big garden with a greenhouse, and there are like five spaces to play in there. I saw the Arctic Monkeys there when they were unknown, playing to 50 people, and I saw my favorite Rocket From the Crypt show there as well. They’re one of those venues that gives small bands a chance to play, and I really appreciate that.”

ROCKERILL “There’s a venue in Charleroi called Rockerill, and it used to be a metal factory. They wanted to destroy it but some friends stepped up to save it, saying “we’re going to take care of it and do things with

Scan the QR code to watch videos of Romano Nervoso performing

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Indie Music: Do-it-Yourself

(With a Little Help from Your Friends)

Photo Credit: Levi Manchak

Kimberley MacGregor Finds a Community in her Corner

By Kathy Valentine

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Photo Credit: Levi Manchak

One hidden treasure of stepping out on your own is discovering how many people you can count on.

A little over a decade ago, Edmonton singer/ songwriter Kimberley MacGregor had settled into a career track that guaranteed advancement and security in the world of banking.

The job didn’t exactly conform with her desire for a career in music, but the stability kept her comfortable while she kept her dreams on the backburner. Music had always been a part of her life: she’d sung in choir, played flute in high school, and taught herself guitar.

Wanting to take her natural talent further, Kimberley became certified in opera by the Royal Conservatory and found people to play with—at one point she counted herself as a member of six bands. It wasn’t until near the end of her twenties, with a milestone birthday looming, MacGregor began to question if what she needed was to be less comfortable.

Thinking “one day, perhaps…” had finally led to her own personal crossroads where the choice seemed obvious. Put herself, her voice, and her songs upfront and foremost in her life, or let the dream wither into a sideline hobby.

“I felt like if I didn’t choose this path that I would be miserable. That I would not be able to live with myself,” MacGregor says.

Initial encouragement came first from a surprising place: her bank employers, who offered a minimized working option that would help subsidize living expenses while giving MacGregor the time to compose and

arrange the songs for her first album. Next, several musicians from the bands she’d been involved in as a supporting player offered to back her up as a lead singer and front person.

The songs came together as if they’d been waiting patiently to be written; songs about life, love, loss, and finding your way. And in 2014, Kimberley MacGregor’s first album was released. True showcased her talent on ten original songs sung with effortless power and control—a voice that could deliver across a range of music—and hold up alongside the 13-piece band she put together for live shows.

The Edmonton music community, which has given the world such notable figures as country superstar k.d. lang, rapper Cadence Weapon, and indie-rocker Mac DeMarco, responded with enthusiasm. Kimberley took home two top honors from the Edmonton Music Awards, winning Female Artist of the Year and Best RnB/Soul Recording.

Inspired by the autonomy and musical integrity of activist and artist Ani DiFranco, MacGregor embraced every aspect of the process involving the creation and the business of music.

“It’s not enough to practice, write, and make records,” she says. “I have learned—through trial and error—how to write press releases, run my own website, do my own bookings, organize a band, apply for grants. And I pay for

all my own recording costs. This independence allows me to make the music I want to make.

But it’s a full-time job.”

Following up on a successful debut can be daunting, but Kimberley had hit the ground running, propelled by the fulfillment of realizing her lifelong dream. In 2015, she wrote and recorded her second album, I Am My Own, utilizing the same self-driven focus, now augmented by the acclaim of peers and fans.

This record brought more affirmations—radio airplay, press reviews, showcases and touring.

And if Kimberley thought her hometown could not uplift her any higher, she was soon set straight, taking home for the second consecutive time, the 2016 Edmonton Music Award of Female Artist of the Year.

The second award multiplied tour and show offers, and in a classic case of “be careful what you wish for,” MacGregor found herself caught in a blitz of momentum.

“I was working full throttle,” she says, “15-hour workdays without breaks, touring across Canada.”

On the verge of burning out, life threw a curve when her mother unexpectedly passed away. The loss led Kimberley to a new search, this time for the space to process the changes she’d been through and choices she’d made.

Slowing down to a more sustainable pace, she found outlets in her creativity, and supFALL 2021

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Scan the QR code to watch and listen to Kimberley MacGregor perform

port again from her community. With her long-time friend and musical ally slide player Nathan Burns, she put together a new band, calling it the Right Band, featuring bassist Melissa Walker, Kevin Brereton on drums and vocals, with Twin Peaks singer Lindsay Pratt providing backup vocals.

Bringing the musicians together felt like a fresh, balanced beginning for her next record.

Kimberley wanted to be certain the new work was a strong step forward and would capture the experience and progress she’d made since launching her career. Although grateful for guidance in making her first two records, MacGregor had very specific ideas about having the next one reflect her vision entirely. She began by choosing a predominantly female team to make it, including Nashville-based producer Brandy Zdan and Edmonton engineer Emily Bachynski.

“It was really important to me to amplify the voices of women in the studio, in the roles of engineering and producing. I get so much strength and support from women, so it was a wonderful experience,” says Kimberley.

The result, Sitting, With Uncomfortable Feelings was released digitally in February of this year. As in the past, MacGregor’s voice takes the spotlight. With remarkable ease and fluidity she shapeshifts her instrument to fit the songs, from gritty and raw lo-fi tracks—think Black Keys—to modern soul, blues stompers, and folk tinged rock. Authenticity is the key element. A solid branch off the Lucinda Wil32

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liams, Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge or Patty Griffin family tree.

Kimberley melds these influences with her own attributes to make every lyric and emotion believable, holding nothing back from listeners. When she sings “It’s just a hard day / it isn’t always this way / try to do some work on these hard days, hard day” it is a simple truth that resonates with the condition of being human.

Late summer and into the fall saw successive releases: a physical release, three additional B-sides for singles, and an entire video set created by filmmaker Heather Hatch to accompany each song. Stretching out the release means taking more time and building a slow burn while enjoying initial radio play and the visual storytelling of her songs with Hatch. With pandemic and Covid protocols easing and gatherings becoming safer for vaccinated people, she plans to have a local event unveiling the entire work. Kimberley says getting to share the triumph of Sitting, With Uncomfortable Feelings is important to her: “Having a big bash for my record is how I celebrate me: it’s like a birthday, shower, and wedding, all rolled into one big party.”

Kimberley MacGregor has a lot to celebrate with the community that has supported her emergence as a fully realized professional singer, songwriter, and musician. And she has every reason to expect that community to grow alongside her continued creative achievements.

Kathy Valentine has been working as a musician and songwriter for over 40 years, most notably as a member of the groundbreaking Go-Go’s - who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this October. Kathy’s acclaimed memoir All I Ever Wanted: A Rock and Roll Memoir was published in 2020. In 2017 she created “She Factory” a non-profit event series to benefit women-centered charities. In addition to ongoing music and writing pursuits, Valentine graduated from college in 2021 with a degree in English and Fine Arts. Music is always foremost in her creative pursuits.

Kathy still shows up for gigs with her rock band The Bluebonnets in her hometown of Austin, Texas where she resides with a teenage daughter she says is her “greatest pride and joy.”

Reaching the Tipping Point?

By Tod Stewart

I have one of those tip calculator apps on my phone, and it’s there for two reasons.

The first is that when it comes to all things numeric, I’m basically a deer in the headlights. The mathematical genius gene possessed by my father did not choose to affix itself to my DNA. Attempting to calculate a percentage of a restaurant cheque in my head results in smoke emanating from my ears. The second reason I have the app is that I know I have no choice but to leave a tip. Sure, in theory tipping is voluntary, but who’s kidding who?

I realize these days that if you’re paying with a credit card, as most of us do, the handheld banking gizmo will do the calculation for you, but you still have to choose the percentage to add. That in itself can cause its own level of mini-distress. For most of us, tipping is likely the part of the restaurant dining experience we wouldn’t mind seeing go away.

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Photo credit: supplied

Ryan Donovan, co-owner of Toronto’s Richmond Station

Yet tipping on the tab is still largely obligatory in North America for a number of socio-economic reasons. How did we get to this point? How did we reach a state where it is the responsibility of the customer to essentially make a server’s wage livable?

When, where, and why the practice of tipping actually originated is a matter of historical debate and speculation. No matter what explanation you choose to side with, the reality is that in these parts today, leaving a post-prandial sum on top of the cost of the meal is not a voluntary gift to the server, it’s an expectation. And it really has nothing to do, in my opinion, with perceived level of service (if it ever really did in the modern world). In fact, the expectation/assumption that tips will be handed out is baked into the minimum wage structure of most US states and several Canadian provinces (without much consistency to be sure).

In all but seven states, restaurateurs are only required to pay a fraction of what would be a particular state’s minimum wage. For example, the federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25/hour. However, as a server, the restaurant can pay you as low as $2.13/hour. The understanding here is that the tips you receive will bring you up to at least the federal minimum. (Individual states are free to raise their minimum wage above the federal rate should they choose to…and a few do). The restaurateur can claim the difference between $2.13 and $7.25 as a credit. The flip side is that if there aren’t sufficient tips to reach the federal minimum, the restaurant owner has to top up the server’s wage.

In Canada things are a bit more balanced. Only Ontario and Quebec continue to maintain a tipped minimum wage, and the disparity between that rate and the provincial minimum is not as wide as it is stateside. That being said, some Canadian restaurateurs take little comfort in this.

“The concept of tipped minimum wage needs a rethink,” contends Ryan Donovan, co-owner of Toronto’s Richmond Station. “You buy many things in a day or a week wherein the service is built into the

product price. In some cases, the service is extraordinary [as is] the bulk of the experience. Have you ever tried on five pairs of jeans only to buy one - or none? Helpful sales people are part of so many of your purchase experiences, and in many cases you simply don’t think to tip because it is not cultural. Fair, insurable, pensionable wages for all is the best way forward.”

Practically everyone you talk to in the foodservice industry agrees that tipping is not the best - or even the right - way to compensate servers. Study after study and incident after incident conclude that tipping contributes to pay disparity (servers often earn double what cooks make), abets prejudice based on age, race, and gender and makes servers more vulnerable to sexual harassment from customers (better looking servers make better tips, but at what cost?).

Add in animosity between front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) staff, and even animosity between FOH and FOH to up the toxicity level a bit*.

Tipping doesn’t really even make good business sense. Assuming they both tip the now pretty much standard 20%, the diner who actually spends $100 on a bottle of wine is, in a way, being punished via the increased tip amount compared to the diner who gets a $50 bottle. It’s hard to argue that opening the $100 bottle takes twice as much effort as opening the $50 bottle. Obliging patrons to pay more because they chose to spend more is an odd way of showing gratitude for a larger cheque.

A foodservice professional for over a decade, and currently part of the Richmond Station team, Katarina Weltner has worked in both tipping and non-tipping environments. While she appreciated - and was incentivized by - the “…immediate gratification of receiving cash at the end of every shift,” she acknowledges the tipping environment does, in fact, impact service, but not in a good way.

“I do think tipping culture negatively affects service for certain demographics. It causes servers to evaluate tables based on [potential]

*tip-pooling and other revenue sharing schemes can alleviate this disparity to some degree, but it can also be a source of discontent when servers are asked to give up the total of what they see as being justly earned and deserved. Also, in the US, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) dictates that tips can only be distributed among servers.

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Photo credit: supplied

Nick Kokonas, co-founder of The Alinea Group

reward. I also think it gives some guests a sense of entitlement, which leads them to not treating their servers with common courtesy because they feel that the tip they will leave at the end of the meal is a reward… for which a server must jump through hoops and put up with abuse [to obtain].”

So if restaurant industry professionals, observers, and diners would all like to see the end of tipping, what is slowing the move away from it?

In large parts of Europe and Asia, servers are seen as (and are) professionals and are treated as such. They are paid a living wage and tipping is out. If it works there, why not here? Wouldn’t simply replacing the tip with a flat service charge make life easier and possibly better for everyone in the dining out food chain?

“This is entirely psychology,” maintains Nick Kokonas, co-founder of The Alinea Group and a strong advocate and practitioner of the tipfree environment. “Humans like optionality; they’d rather pay $10 for a burger and feel like they can control the other 20% of the tip, instead of paying $12 for the burger. The reality, though, is that if you do the service charge, 98% of the people gladly pay it. The burger still costs $10, the bill is still $12, but the restaurant can legally control that $2 as ordinary income. The biz owner pays more in taxes and FICA but in my experience, it is completely worth it.”

Switching from a traditional tipping environment to what is generally referred to as a Hospitality Inclusive (HI) model is not something most restaurants can do without serious commitment, planning, and likely, at least initially, some monetary sacrifice.

“Most restaurant owners are not savvy business operators,” admits Kokonas. “I’ve talked to large groups that are generally well run, and they have no real idea how to replace tipping. Also, there is a significant ‘innovator’s dilemma’ involved. If they are making money, why change?

I talked to a very prominent Chicago restaurant group owner who said - pre COVID - ‘hey, I made 18% margins on my restaurants last year; I just bought a summer home, and things are good. Why would I risk changing the entire employment model?’ I replied: ‘Perhaps you can offer benefits, improve operations, retain more employees…and while

they make more money, so do you! Maybe you can get to 22%.’ And he just looked at me like I was nuts.”

However, those who have made the switch maintain that, in the end, the benefit of having an equitable workplace leads to a happier, more dedicated workforce that in many cases reap benefits not available to their sub-minimum wage counterparts.

Kokonas’s The Alinea Group employees receive 50% health care (which gets bumped to 100% after two years), benefits offered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), 401(k) with 4% matching, and a minimum hourly wage of $16.25.

Employees at the Restaurant Pearl Morissette (RPM) - the fine dining establishment connected to Niagara’s Pearl Morissette winery - are treated to a number of welcome perks. And all employees are treated the same.

“We don’t have a different system for front of house and back of house,” reports Chef Daniel Hadida. “Everyone gets health benefits - including dental and mental health - a couple bottles of wine per month, and something we call the ‘Wellness Box’ that includes local vegetables and produce. We have an RRSP matching program for those who choose to sign on for it, and we subsidize any educational or travel experiences if they are relevant to the work people do here.”

For Weltner and others working the floor, non-tipping systems typically provide more security in that all earnings are insured.

“I feel that HI provides a system that expresses more value to the front of house staff,” she also notes. “Instead of paying staff a low, non-liveable wage - and expecting our guests to subsidize wages through tips - we’re paying our staff what they are worth. I think this is especially important at a restaurant like Richmond Station where we expect a high level of professionalism from our FOH team. They are expected to study the wine list, beverage and food menus to be able to speak critically with tables about our offerings.”

In spite of these incentives, the HI environment isn’t for everyone.

Kokonas admits he’s surprised that only about 20% of his employees actually take advantage of the benefits offered. “To the rest they don’t

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Photo credit: supplied

Daniel Hadida of Restaurant Pearl Morissette

see value in the insurance or retirement benefits; they aren’t planning ahead. I’ve been really surprised how many employees don’t take advantage of the 401(k), for example.” In fact, staff leaving an HI establishment is probably the main reason why restaurants that have tried implementing such a system end up reverting to the tipping model.

The reason for this is likely that in North America, a job as a server is not seen as a long-term profession as per the European/Asian server mindset. The sub-minimum wage structure and reliance on tips creates an environment that leads to the transitory nature of the foodservice workers, with servers always in search of higher-end or busier restaurants where cheques - and therefore, tips - are the largest. It’s even led to situations where cooks, often having spent considerable time, effort, and tuition on a reputable culinary institute, decide to become servers since this is where the money is.

Be that as it may, most who are running HI establishments are not interested in taking on servers that are simply in it to make some fast cash between acting or modelling gigs. “Some servers are professionals,” Kokonas maintains, “and some don’t care about the quality of the establishment, the creativity of the food and service, they just want the most money for the least work or standards. I’m fine with losing those employees. The way we work to retain employees is to educate them on the value of the stability and benefits.”

According to Hadida the job application and hiring practices at RPM are transparent with respect to the working environment for servers.

“People know exactly what to expect coming in,” he explains. “Those who have any apprehensions don’t typically come on board.”

As with any significant cultural/behavioural paradigm shift, the move to HI will be evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary. But some feel the shift is inevitable, and the impact of the pandemic might just be the catalyst needed to speed change along. Having the luxury - as Hadida did - of implementing HI from the get-go is one thing. For restaurants considering a shift from traditional tipping to HI mid-stream, it’s not so easy. Yet for restaurants who have experienced total dine-in shut down

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and laid off staff, the circumstances might almost be similar to starting from scratch.

“For any organization, wholesale changes to the compensation model are difficult to implement when the business is moving and the staff are working,” concedes Donovan. “There are legal issues that have to be considered, and there should be consideration for the emotional impact on workplace culture. The easiest transition to HI I could imagine is when a restaurant outlines their compensation model and welcomes employees to that model in the case of a new operation. So, if the pandemic has meant a restaurant has no staff and is looking to rehire a team, yes, I would say that presents a good opportunity to change to HI.” Times are indeed unprecedented. For the foodservice industry - the survival of which has always depended on imagination, innovation, and adaptability - the time for unprecedented, or at least significant, change may be here.

Tod Stewart has been a beverage alcohol industry professional for close to 40 years. He is an awardwinning journalist and published author who has worked as a consultant, trainer, and educator to the hospitality industry, the Ontario wine industry, and the beverage alcohol trade. He has traveled and written extensively about international food, drink, culture, and history. His book, Where The Spirits Moved Me is currently available on Amazon and Apple. His cocktail of choice is a classic martini and the best concert he ever attended was Jethro Tull in 1978.

PROFILE:

Bardia Ilbeiggi, Delara (‫)ارالد‬

By Aman Dosanj

Photo Credit: Golnar Khalesi

reminiscent of his mother’s kitchen during his childhood, are very much alive on Canada’s west coast in the newly opened Delara.

BARDIA ILBEIGGI ON HIS NEW RESTAURANT:

Delara is a love letter to my heritage. The name literally means ‘she who brings beauty to the heart.’

The philosophy behind it is simple: humble and thoughtful Persian food and hospitality. At the same time, I’m hoping to push some boundaries with Persian cuisine as well. I think we should always try to progress. Tradition is lovely, but paired with creativity, you can find magic.

ON SUPPORTING LOCAL:

ON THE FUTURE:

I love teaching. I think mentorship is something that most chefs are too busy to think about. I really hope cooking and the hospitality industry can gain a better reputation. Myself, other chefs and restaurateurs need to create kind and respectful environments where we can get young cooks excited about cooking again. Restaurants should be able to offer a better work/life balance, higher compensation and a nurturing space where staff can learn and focus on their professional development. I mean, I just started this, so I might sound naïve, but I promise to try as hard as I can.

YOUR GO-TO RESTAURANT:

Temaki Sushi (Vancouver). Unassuming spot in my neighbourhood; always on point.

WHO IS YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT CULINARY INFLUENCE:

All the chefs I worked with have had a huge impact. My last chef Dave Gunawan [Farmer’s Apprentice], who has the utmost respect for farmers, really helped me appreciate the quality and seasonality of ingredients.

WHAT DO YOU DRINK AT HOME:

Lots of coffee and tea, sour beers are pretty popular in our home, especially on taco nights. And with more elaborate dinners, a light, easy-drinking red wine.

MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO WHILE COOKING:

I have different playlists for different moods.

Sometimes mellow bands like Beach House, Andrew Bird or First Aid Kit; other times, I crank up modern Persian bands like Pallet, Marjan Farsad or King Raam.

RECIPE:

Persian Breakfast by Bardia Ilbeiggi, Delara (‫)ارالد‬ Photo Credit: Golnar Khalesi

What’s a young math whiz at IBM with a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace (with high honours, of course) to do after work each day? “I was either watching the Food Network or cooking stuff in my tiny kitchenette,” recalls Chef Bardia Ilbeiggi, who opened Delara (‫ )ارالد‬in Vancouver, British Columbia this summer.

“I quickly realized my passion for creativity, and I enjoyed working with my hands. While cooking lots at home, I started researching how to become a chef, read inspiring stories about successful chefs, then gravitated towards the dream of becoming a chef and having my own restaurant. I had the choice between comfort and passion - I chose the latter!”

And so, by 2011, Bardia was off to France for a 6-month Intensive Professional Program in French Cuisine at École Grégoire-Ferrand, and a 6-month stint at Frenchie in Paris — a modern bistro made famous by Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations.

Back in Vancouver, Bardia honed his kitchen powers at L’Abattoir for four years, followed by another three at Farmer’s Apprentice. His endless curiosity even led him to the recently closed one-Michelin starred Relæ in Copenhagen, Denmark for a stage.

Fast-forward to 2021 and the mounds of fresh, fragrant herbs, strawberry jam-making sessions, and grilled eggplant on the fire, all

Once you work with local and seasonal ingredients and establish relationships with amazing, hard-working farmers, there’s no way back. Even though most common Persian dishes originate from a warmer climate, I’m interpreting the cuisine through the lens of seasons and what’s available at the time. This way we’ll have the highest quality ingredients to work with while we keep it exciting for the kitchen when we come up with new dishes. I hope that this will resonate with the customers as well.

BEST CHILDHOOD FOOD MEMORY:

My grandfather filling a wheelbarrow full of charcoal as a makeshift BBQ to grill kebabs for the entire family. Every time I light up my charcoal BBQ, it brings me back to those days.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE:

Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver WHERE DID YOU GROW UP:

I grew up in Tehran, Iran. I was there until I was 19 years old when I moved to Ottawa to go to engineering school.

FAVOURITE COMFORT FOOD:

Crispy, nutty, saffron-y tahdeeg (aka Persian crispy rice) FAVOURITE INGREDIENT TO COOK WITH:

This changes from season to season, but I’m very much into cauliflower: raw, pickled, roasted or fried.

Scan the QR code to see Bardia’s recipe for Persian breakfast

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The Black Influence on American Barbecue

By Adrian Miller

Photo credit: Eudell Watts IV

In June 1839, a writer for The Bangor Whip newspaper described a “Virginia barbecue” to readers in Maine. Anticipating that a northern U.S. audience would be unfamiliar with this southern U.S. food tradition, the writer tapped “[a] friend, who is a native of Virginia,” as an authoritative source. While describing the logistics for putting on a barbecue, the Virginian noted: “On the previous day, some favorite negro man, of reputation for skill and experience in the business, is sent up with his assistants, who proceed to make a kiln or pit of stones . . . . “ This Virginian’s observation was not an isolated example. Many newspaper articles and diary entries in the 1800s have underscored his essential point that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were barbecue’s principal cooks.

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Photo credit: supplied

GA BBQ Harper’s Weekly v39 no 2029 11-9-1895 p1055

This wasn’t always the case. In the 1500s, indigenous peoples in the Americas were barbecue’s earliest cooks. By the late 1600s, the culinary foundation laid by Native Americans in Virginia was combined with the culinary techniques and traditions of enslaved Africans and European colonists. A trial-and-error process created what would eventually be called “Virginia barbecue,” “southern barbecue,” and “pit barbecue.” Due to a failed attempt at mass enslavement and a nearly successful genocide, European colonists transitioned from enslaved Native Americans to enslaved African Americans for barbecue cooks.

For most of U.S. history, a barbecue in the South was a Black experience from start to finish. Why? Because preparing traditional southern barbecue was very labor intensive.

Someone had to clear the rural area where the barbecue would take place, chop down trees and burn that wood into coals, dig a trench, fill that trench with the burning coals, butcher, dress, cook, and season whole animal carcasses (usually cows, pigs, or sheep), maintain a separate fire to replenish the coals, prepare, and serve gargantuan portions of meat, side

dishes, desserts, and beverages. Before they themselves could eat, enslaved African Americans entertained the white barbecue attendees by singing and dancing. Given the racial dynamics of the antebellum South, enslaved African Americans were tasked with mostly uncompensated, heavy labor. Wherever slavery spread to from Virginia, barbecue soon followed.

Barbecues, as social events, started off as small gatherings of family and friends. Sometimes these gatherings could be a little raucous as attendees played games and shot guns while copious amounts of alcoholic beverages were consumed. Barbecue became the perfect party food for large gatherings throughout the South because it was scalable. As long as there was enough land, enough food, and enough free or enslaved labor, thousands of people could be fed and a large amount of cooking equipment wasn’t needed. There’s a reason that you don’t hear about fried chicken dinners for 10,000 people happening in the nineteenth century, but you do for barbecue. Politicians and preachers figured out pretty early on that a free barbecue was a great way to attract a big

crowd and persuade them to do something you want whether that was getting votes or joining a church’s congregation. In time, barbecues, as a social event, became an important part of civic life that marked special occasions from holidays to the completion of important public projects.

After Emancipation, enslaved African Americans’ prominent role in barbecue didn’t wane. Barbecue remained a vital community celebration, and African Americans with barbecue expertise were recruited and brought to every corner of the nation by boat, stagecoach, and train to give a salivating public a taste of authentic southern barbecue. From the Civil War’s end through the 1880s, it’s hard to find examples of barbecue for any occasion that wasn’t prepared by Black cooks.

Don’t think for one moment that African Americans solely barbecued for others.

During slavery, barbecue was a beloved food on weekends and special occasions when the plantation work schedule slowed and there was enough time to do this specialized cooking. Cooking a whole animal demands a crowd, so barbecue reinforced social ties, provided a

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Photo credit: John Marshall

Photo credit: supplied

Boston Herald 8-27-1894

venue for sharing information, and built community amongst enslaved African Americans.

In fact, some of the most potent, yet ultimately unsuccessful, slave rebellions were planned during African American-only barbecues.

Some pro-slavery whites tried, and failed, to ban such barbecues because of the potential threat to the slave regime. After the Civil War, barbecue was a regular part of African American church summer events, Emancipation celebrations, and political rallies. With all of the barbecuing happening, a large number of African American cooks developed and honed a coveted and marketable skill. That skill created effective southern barbecue “ambassadors,” who migrated to other parts of the country.

In their newly adopted homes, they often kickstarted that community’s barbecue scene, especially when it came to restaurants.

A big turning point in U.S. barbecue culture happened in the 1890s. More white men got involved in barbecuing, and they got significant media attention even though they still relied heavily on African American labor.

In the early decades of the twentieth century, millions of Black and white southerners

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Woody Smith KY BBQ Man by John Marshall

moved to urban areas throughout the United States, and they brought barbecue with them.

According to Robert Moss, Southern Living magazine’s barbecue editor, the culinary shift brought on by the mass migration spurred an intense period of barbecue innovation. Before then, barbecue was fairly standardized by cooking whole animals directly over a pit dug in the ground and filled with burning coals.

That type of cooking was more challenging in an urban context given space constraints and public health regulations. Ultimately, more cooks, especially those new to barbecue, started cooking smaller cuts of meat like pork shoulders, spareribs, and beef brisket. They built, and barbecued on, artificial pits made of concrete or metal in enclosed buildings. This development made barbecue a food available all year for several days of the week, instead of primarily on weekends and special occasions.

Hordes of barbecue restaurants opened across the U.S. in the 1910s and 1920s, many of them operated by whites.

African American barbecuers, who had been traditional barbecue’s standard bearers, adeptly adjusted to the new culinary terrain.

Black cooks remained strongly associated with the major regional barbecue styles that flourished during this time. Here’s a quick tour of those styles, and for our purposes, I’m just going to focus on the meats because I could spend a lot of time just talking about sauces, side dishes and desserts. In Virginia and the Carolinas, whole hogs and pork shoulders are the starring attractions. In the Deep South states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi, chicken, pork shoulders, and pork spareribs are favored. In Tennessee, it’s a mix of whole hog barbecue in parts of the state, and spareribs and pork shoulder sandwiches in Memphis. In Kentucky, lamb is a barbecue menu mainstay, but sliced pork shoulder steaks are also common. Further north, on the south side and west side of Chicago, chicken, pork sparerib tips, and spicy sausages called “hot links” get top billing. Kansas City barbecue restaurants feature an eclectic menu of chopped, sliced, or the charred “burnt ends” of beef brisket, chicken, hot links, lamb, pork shoulder, and pork spareribs.

Finally, we get to Texas which has a few distinct styles within the state. Texans in the

Photo credit: Library of Congress

“Man Slicing Barbecue” from the Library of Congress

central and eastern part of the state both like chopped or sliced beef brisket, pork shoulder, pork spareribs, and various types of sausages with some slight variations in the cooking process and presentation. Southern Texas has a long-standing Latino tradition where meat such as a cow’s head (cabeza), goat (cabrito), and lamb (barbacoa) are cooked underground in an earth oven. Whatever form barbecue took, Black cooks were often the ones in their community who gave customers their first, and on-going, tastes of authentic southern, or pit, barbecue. Running a barbecue restaurant was one of the most lucrative businesses for Black entrepreneurs, and they made the most of it.

Unfortunately, starting in the 1990s, the culinary legacy of African Americans gradually diminished or was completely erased in the media. The cooks who get celebrated now are primarily white men, and that’s mainly because it’s white-dominated media who often decide which food stories get told and who gets put in the spotlight. When people with a growing interest in barbecue wanted to know what this particular type of food is and where

to get the good stuff, white dudes were presented as barbecue experts even though many Black barbecuers could have been selected.

Don’t despair! I don’t want to end on a bad note. Change is coming. Barbecue competition shows on television now include more Black contestants and the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri has gone from one African American inductee to several in the past few years. Rodney Scott, an award-winning barbecuer based in Charleston, South Carolina recently published a cookbook . . . the first cookbook published by an African American barbecuer in three decades. Other Black barbecuers have books on the way.

Though fewer Black-owned barbecue restaurants exist today than three decades ago, the Black barbecue scene still thrives in backyards, church gatherings, family reunions, food trucks, parking lots, public parks, and roadsides.

Thankfully, we’re seeing a restoration of African Americans to the center of the American barbecue story. That’s worth celebrating . . . with some barbecue!

Adrian Miller is a food writer, recovering attorney, and certified barbecue judge who lives in Denver, Colorado. He served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton with his Initiative for One America – the first free-standing office in the White House to address issues of racial, religious and ethnic reconciliation.

Adrian’s first book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time won the James Beard Foundation Award for Scholarship and Reference in 2014. His most recent book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue, was published earlier this year. Adrian is featured in the Netflix series High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America. His go-to restaurant that never disappoints is Georgia Brown’s in Washington D.C.

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Unceded Terroir: How First Nations helped build the BC wine industry

By Tim Pawsey

Photo credit: supplied

Justin Hall

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Justin Hall is pretty excited these days, and with good reason.

Photo credit: supplied

In July, he was appointed head winemaker

at Nk’Mip Cellars in the South Okanagan. As a member of the Osoyoos Indian Band that makes him the first Indigenous head winemaker on the continent— and, possibly, in the world.

Hall brims with optimism. He’s supremely passionate about his work and a true testament to how successful a vehicle Nk’Mip has become for the band.

Hall took over the role from his mentor, Randy Picton, who retired from the position in late June of 2021. Nk’Mip’s founding winemaker in 2002, Picton originally hired Hall as a cellar-hand in 2004. Within just a few days, the young worker was firmly convinced that someday he would become a winemaker. With Picton’s encouragement, he went on to study winemaking and viticulture at Okanagan

University College, later traveling to Western Australia to work at Goundrey Winery. Ultimately he received his Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology from New Zealand’s Lincoln University.

No stranger to viticulture, many of Hall’s family had, over the years, worked at the Inkameep Vineyards in Osoyoos, which was among BC’s most significant early plantings and very much a foundation of the modern British Columbia industry.

Actually, Nk’Mip Cellars (which opened in 2002) was an ongoing part of a long story where First Nations very much helped drive both the early and present industry.

This fact is often overlooked. Almost lost in the very palpable excitement that surrounds the ascent of BC’s industry is the fact that BC’s Indigenous population has played a piv-

otal role in laying the groundwork for today’s success— in particular, the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB).

Prior to the mid-1960s, wine grape plantings in the Okanagan were few and far between, amounting to around 250 acres. However, in 1968, Andrew Peller teamed up with the OIB to establish the fledgling Inkameep Vineyard, just north of Oliver. The BC government had permitted Peller to establish his Port Moody winery on the condition that he would also plant a vineyard in the Okanagan. In the interim, Victoria allowed him to import fruit from California. When Peller’s initial plantings in the Similkameen were less than successful, he turned to the Osoyoos Band as a partner.

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Photo Credit: Josie Tyabji

Photo Credit: Chris Stenberg

Eliana Bray

Don Triggs and Chief Clarence Louie circa 1998

early days in the BC wine industry, where the emphasis was still on hybrids and, above all, volume. However, the subsequent success of Inkameep (as well as a shift to quality vinifera) resulted in more families being able to find employment closer to home and stay together.

In 1980, the band constructed an industrial building north of Oliver and leased it to T.G. Bright and Co. which equipped it as a winery with state of the art equipment. It evolved to be Jackson-Triggs Estate Winery and is now the Arterra Winery. First Vincor and then later Arterra made considerable investments and improvements, investing some $45 million as time went on. However, most importantly, the majority of the employees were, and are still, band members.

During the late 1960s and ‘70s, large tracts of vacant land and areas off the reserve were being developed into agriculture, recalls Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie. He says that conditions were indeed favourable to start a vineyard, especially given some of the economic development funds available.

“Over the years, that vineyard eventually grew to be one of the biggest privately owned

vineyards in the country, now 230 acres,” notes Louie. He also feels that somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of all BC VQA wines are made from grapes grown on band-held lands.

He points out that all of BC’s major wineries, including Mission Hill, Andrew Peller and Arterra, lease vineyards on Osoyoos Indian Band land amounting to around 1500 acres.

The Chief recalls that initial discussions about the Band building its own winery were taking place as early as the mid-1970s.

“No question, it’s the dream of every major vineyard owner to eventually have their own winery,” he says.

“Everybody talks about doing these things, but unless you have the money and expertise, it ends up being just talk. Everybody has a dream and most of the time their dreams never happen,” he adds. “It never did come about until Vincor wanted to lease over 1,000 acres of our land for what (then- Vincor CEO) Don Triggs called The Big Idea.”

As to where The Big Idea came from, Triggs says: “We were scratching our heads one day, wondering how the First Nations were able to be so successful in developing casinos. We

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thought: why couldn’t we take that same idea and evolve it into the wine industry—where we didn’t have to own the land? The First Nations would continue to own the land. We could develop a partnership, where we worked together in the mutual interests of both the Band and Vincor. We called it The Big Idea.

But it really wasn’t. We actually got the idea from what the Band had been doing with their casinos. So we just transplanted the idea to the wine industry.”

Chief Louie says he told Triggs that if he was to recommend that his people lease out such a significant amount of band property it would have to be approved through a band referendum. “Also, if we were going to do that we would want something major back. And that was going to be a joint venture winery,” he says.

Up to that point, the Band hadn’t been able to move ahead because they lacked the expertise but, says Louie, “We convinced Vincor. They wanted something from us and we wanted something from them: that’s a pretty good partnership.”

Triggs says it’s important to give some of the credit to Ed Arnold (then president of Bright’s).

Photo credit: supplied

Nk’Mip Winery

“It’s been a very long relationship. In 1981, it was Ed who really initiated the relationship with the Osoyoos Indian Band and Sam Baptiste, the OIB chief at the time,” he notes.

“The vision of the OIB has been really well nurtured by Clarence Louie. This is the fifth generation of management that has evolved since the first investments were made on the land and in the wine industry. The only constant has been the Band and, for a large part, it’s been Clarence. I had a great time working with him. He was always consistent, always setting high goals. And he was reliable. When he said something he delivered.”

He concludes: “I just have an enormous amount of respect for him, his integrity and his leadership skills. I wish him and the Band well. And I’m really pleased to have been a part of helping them along the way.”

Louie, who has initiated numerous projects (including the Nk’Mip Resort that’s home to the winery), feels that First Nations people see things differently. “In terms of numbers, we don’t have just one bottom line, like most entrepreneurs. Most white people only look at the profit side. We also have another bottom

line, probably even more important than that—the jobs and career opportunities that come out of that operation.”

Robert Louie says that he, too, dreamed about a winery for many years. The former (over 24 years) Westbank First Nation Chief and his wife, Bernice Louie, opened West Kelowna’s Indigenous World Winery in 2016.

“As a young fellow growing up, I always worked for others in the industry, including in vineyards and orchards. I always aspired to eventually being an owner,” he says.

The more Robert Louie was involved in politics and business, the more convinced he became. His opportunity arose when he met “wonderful winemaker, Jason Parkes,” who’s also the brains behind wineries such as The Hatch, and Crown & Thieves, and other pace-setting projects.

“We decided this was an opportunity to not only establish a new winery but also to promote Indigenous culture—in a very positive way,” says Louie, as he describes the beginnings of the winery and (more recently opened) Indigenous World Distillery. Guests are introduced not just to the wines but to Syilx, artworks

throughout the winery, along with bites of traditional cuisine at the distillery tasting bar.

Louie, whose children also work in the winery, says most visitors are locals but others come from all over, including Asia and Europe.

“Some are pleasantly surprised to see an Indigenous-owned wine business so openly focused on the culture. The response is generally always favourable. People are impressed. They love the culture. They love hearing the stories about the wine, about the labels, and about our family history represented on the bottles,” he says.

Both Indigenous World and Nk’Mip Cellars, with its impressive Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, are important milestones in the journey of the Syilx, Okanagan Nation. But while success stories such as Justin Hall and others may be gratifying it can still be challenging for First Nations people to advance in the wine industry.

An adopted, full-status Kehewin Cree Nation member, Eliana Bray is one of just a few Indigenous certified sommeliers. Bray got her introduction to the wine industry in 2000, working at Mission Hill prior to the building of the new winery. She later moved to Vancouver

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Photo credit: supplied

Photo credit: supplied

Robert and Bernice Louie

for studies and started working as an assistant manager at the original Mark Anthony Wine Shop which led, in turn, to several key positions managing the company’s Artisan Wine Shops.

Bray worked hard to hone her wine knowledge and qualifications, became a certified sommelier through the ISG (International Sommelier Guild) and WSET certified (Level 3) and is currently enrolled in the WSET Diploma program. Eventually she moved on to open a number of locations for Firefly Fine Wines & Spirits before returning to the Okanagan to establish ZWine Ninja Consulting. Those plans have been on hold since 2018, when she became executive manager at Roche Wines in Naramata.

“Then COVID happened,” she says. “And my main focus was making sure that Roche was still around. And we are!” She adds that the decision to build a new website last year (in part to support the wine club) has paid off in spades.

“We did even better during COVID than a normal year, and this year we’re even further ahead.”

Bray says she’s faced no shortages of career challenges along the way.

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Indigenous World Winery

“It just seems to me that most management positions in liquor were male dominated and they were mainly white males. It almost seemed that to be considered for a position I needed to be even more qualified to command a good salary. I guess that’s why I worked extremely hard,” says Bray, also a trained chef.

Part of the reason there aren’t many Indigenous women in wine, Bray feels, is due to the high cost of education. She is grateful to Vinica Education Society for awarding her a scholarship to attend their Wine Master Tasting program. A not-for-profit, Vinica is dedicated to diversifying the wine industry through education and mentorship and is proactive in supporting people who are encountering systemic barriers in advancing their wine careers.

“Subconsciously,” says Bray, “I think I always felt I needed to achieve more. So one way to stand out was with my Twitter handle (@zwineninja), which has become my identity. Almost like being a force for good, it’s instilled in me the need to work harder than most people. It’s part of my personal drive. But... as a First Nations person, and as a female, I feel that I need to prove myself a bit more.”

Tim Pawsey (aka the Hired Belly) is a well-seasoned food and wine journalist who’s spent the last few decades documenting in particular the ascent of British Columbia wine and food.

He has also traveled to most of the world’s major wine regions. Tim is a founding director of the BC Hospitality Association (which supports those in the hospitality industry facing financial crisis due to a health condition). His favourite travel destination is Lisbon, Portugal and his go-to restaurant that never disappoints is Le Crocodile in Vancouver, BC.

FAVE 5 with ALLISON RUSSELL

By Tom Murray

Allison Russell’s young daughter is pestering her for a bobby pin.

It’s not enough to derail the conversation we’re having, but it is enough for the Montréal born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter to shift gears towards the then recent news about the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children at a residential school in Kamloops B.C. “That was announced on the day of my Grand Ole Opry debut,” she says. “I was wearing a pretty vintage dress, having my hair done, and was totally checked out of the news cycle when a friend told me about it. Ever since I’ve been thinking a lot about ongoing struggles, and the toxicity and insidiousness of white supremacist ideologies that are the underpinnings of all of it. We have so much work to do.”

In truth Russell (who first popped up on the musical radar with the band Po’ Girl in 2000) has been thinking about such matters for some time now, as evidenced by a number of the songs on her debut album Outside Child. A heady mix of country, r ‘n’ b, soul and folk, the record may have been born out of personal or societal trauma but it’s not about trauma; in fact, it’s about hope and resilience, as shown by album closer Joyful Motherfuckers, or the unblinking, soulful Nightflyer.

Russell, who with husband (and Birds of Chicago co-founder) JT Nero moved to Nashville a couple of years ago, is raring to get back into performing. Here’s a list of five of her favourite venues in her newly adopted home:

THE RYMAN/GRAND OLE OPRY “I got to perform at the Ryman for the first time with Our Native Daughters (a singer-songwriter supergroup that also features Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, and Leyla McCalla) during Americana Fest in 2019 and it was amazing. It was a really beautiful, powerful moment to get to be a part of that. Just a few days ago on May 28 I played the Grand Ole Opry and it was a surreal and dreamlike experience. They have a piece of the stage from the original Ryman, and it just sort of felt like stepping into a circle of music in history and creativity that felt really beautiful and uplifting. It felt especially good because they’re starting to be more open to sharing that space with folks that look like me.”

DEE’S COUNTRY COCKTAIL LOUNGE “There’s a place called Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge, a tiny little hole in the wall where I’ve seen some of my absolute favorite shows.

Actually, my first indoor show since the pandemic was as part of an all-vaccinated, private crowd to see Margo Price record a live set, and it was so joyful just to go. It felt like life was returning. It’s a dive bar full of characters in a suburb of Nashville called Madison, and they’ve been supporting musicians and writers in this town for a number of years.”

MUSICIANS CORNER “I have to mention Musicians Corner, a free concert series in Centennial Park. We’ve played it as Birds of Chicago, and it was actually where I had my first (solo) show back on June 11th. It’s this beautiful outdoor amphitheater with wonderful sound, and it’s an expansive and inclusive event. I just love when music is free, and when kids are able to go. So, so often children are shut out of these musical events just because they’re 21 plus, but this is free for anybody at any age.”

CITY WINERY "There are City Wineries in a lot of cities like New York and Atlanta, and a great one in Chicago, and I really appreciate them because they pay musicians really well. They’re selling wine and food but they also have beautiful stages with terrific sound. The one in Nashville is great as well, with fantastic programming and diverse artists represented, lots of women especially. I feel like they’re creating a community in a really beautiful way and supporting the arts and artists. They have an amazing green room, which really makes a big difference in our lives. Our daughter loves a good green room.”

BLUE ROOM “Last, but definitely not least, is the Blue Room, which is part of Third Man Records. It’s probably my favorite room, and maybe my favorite Birds of Chicago show ever. It’s totally genre fluid and amazing. I love their label, too, I think they have some really interesting artists. During the senate election (of 2020) we had a telethon there for the Democratic candidate, Marquita Bradshaw. Her run was historic and we just couldn’t get the numbers; convincing Tennessee to vote for a Black woman was hard, but I’m hopeful for the future.”

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Brian Bennett and Ray Russell Photo Credit: Chris Tubbs Photography

One More Time

By Tom Murray

At first, Alan Boyd was simply mesmerized by the stories.

Photo Credit: Conor Connolly

Director Alan Boyd

MINGLING AT A NETWORKING GET-TOGETHER IN LONDON run

by English TV presenter Steve Blacknell, the Canadian-born guitarist and producer found himself pulled into a musical deep dive as veteran bassist Mo Foster recounted anecdotes about his time as a first call studio musician

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and sideman for the likes of Jeff Beck, Ringo Starr, and Phil Collins. Not only was Boyd intrigued by the recollections, he was also curious. A longtime musician and music fan, Boyd wondered: why had he never heard of Foster before?

“These were fascinating stories about the people he knew and worked with,” recounts Boyd, director of One More Time, an upcoming documentary on Foster and other session musicians from the busy London scene of the ‘60s through to the ‘80s. “Hanging out backstage at a gig talking to Ringo when Eric Clapton walks up to chat with him, that kind of thing. He knew everyone.”

That’s because Foster was part of a small but respected crew of session musicians who came into their own during the first wave of British rock, eventually fulfilling much the same func-

tion in London as The Wrecking Crew in L.A., the Swampers in Muscle Shoals, or the Funk Brothers at Motown in Detroit. Unlike the other assemblages, all of whom were eventually celebrated in print and in film, Foster and his compatriots had somehow snuck under the radar, never even acquiring a nickname.

At the time Boyd was initially chatting with Foster he was riding high personally, securing a music publishing deal after composing the score for a 2009 star-studded BBC mini-series remake of The Day of the Triffids. This did not last long, as Boyd discovered the vagaries of the industry he was working in. By 2013, his career in stasis, Boyd began casting around for something new to do.

“That’s the point where I turned to Mo and said, ‘you know, we should get your stories down and turn this into a film.’ He said ‘oh,

Photo Credit: Chris Tubbs Photography

Madeline Bell

well, you should talk to my friends (guitarist) Ray Russell and (drummer) Clem Cattini.’ It became this thing where he told two friends and they told another two friends, and it started growing. I was learning as I went along, and it sort of exploded my North American idea of how the British rock scene developed, that it really wasn’t around until The Beatles and the original British Invasion bands.”

Foster, Russell, and Cattini patiently brought the new director up to speed on the pre-Beatles history of Britain, from the John Barry Seven (which featured a young Russell) to Cliff Richard, The Tornadoes to Johnny Kidd & the Pirates (both anchored by the solid drum work of Cattini). Boyd started recording the interviews with a digital camera using a simple setup, making use of skills he’d picked up working on various television productions since moving to London from Vancouver, B.C., in 1994. In response to Boyd’s tenacity, the three studio musicians used their contacts to bring in peers like Cliff Richard and Donovan for more interviews, and Boyd began to feel he was onto something.

“You could see the story coming together,” says Boyd, who went through both a serious inner ear condition and a heart attack while in the midst of putting the film together. “We looked into people like keyboard and Hammond player Alan Hawkshaw, who ended up

doing all of this library music that’s becoming hip. A track that Alan wrote called New Earth was sampled by Jay-Z for his song Pray, and a sample of the song The Champ that he played on (with The Mohawks) is all over tracks by Salt-N-Pepa, Eric B and Rakim, and MC Hammer. There’s a whole generation of hip-hop producers that are very aware of Alan, Mo, and all of these studio guys.”

In a sense these hip-hop stars were reflecting back music that the London crew were assiduously learning from African American musicians over the radio during the earliest days of rock ‘n’ roll.

“I was immensely jealous hearing American musicians talk about the stations they grew up with,” laughs Foster. “We had the BBC, and at the time that was fucking awful. They just played the worst drivel. The only thing that saved us in the ‘60s was a station called Radio Luxembourg, which we could hear if we were in the right spot at the right moment. They played all of the good stuff we wanted to hear, but it would fade off all the time.”

They must have learned well. According to Boyd, when such heavy hitters as the Jackson 5 came to town they would request their favourite players among the extended crew.

“Michael Jackson was like, ‘oh yeah, hey Clem, how’s it going?’ They all knew these guys and admired them. They had the feel and they

played everything. They’d do jazz sessions in the morning, then maybe a film score, and then at night, pop, or country, or rock. In America you’d have to go to different areas for each style.”

Some notable members of the revolving crew of musicians, like composer Hans Zimmer, managed to attain name recognition.

Best known for scoring such films as Gladiator, The Lion King, and the Dark Knight Trilogy, Zimmer (who moved to London from Germany as a teenager) started out as a synth player in various new wave bands, including The Buggles, before making the leap to television ads, jingles, and movie scores. It was through his ad work that he eventually made his way to Hollywood along with such London-based directors as Ridley Scott.

“At that time, London was the place to go for film music,” Boyd notes. “That’s where the best (music) readers were, as well as some great studios. Now L.A. has got some fantastic rooms as well, but London had places like Trident, or Pye, where Bowie used to record a lot. There was Abbey Road, where the Beatles recorded, and which had a bigger room where they did a lot of the film scores. There were just so many fantastic sounding rooms.”

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Photo credit: supplied

Vic Flick

John Barry, Georgie Fame, Lou Reed and the Bay City Rollers. According to Foster, Parisian producers of the ‘70s went out of their way to use the London crew because of their innate “feel.” They were adaptable but often unacknowledged, unlike Glen Campbell and Hal Blaine of The Wrecking Crew, or Charlie Daniels and Jerry Reed, who broke out to huge success after time spent as members of the Nashville Cats.

“There’s the guitarist Big Jim Sullivan, who was one of the real forces in music and unfortunately he’s passed away (in 2012), so we never got a chance to talk to him,” Boyd laments.

“That guy was on so many hit records (like Thunderclap Newman’s Something in the Air and The Walker Brothers’ The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore). He went to America in the ‘70s and was part of the Tom Jones TV show; he was also on an episode of Space 1999 playing guitar in this sort of futuristic setting.”

Sullivan’s name may not roll off the lips like Jimi Hendrix, but in the industry of the time there was nobody more highly ranked. He gave lessons to Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, worked with The Who, and palled around with Elvis. Eventually he formed his own band called Tiger, though he continued playing sessions and sideman gigs with the James Last Orchestra and the post-Grease phenomenon that was Olivia Newton-John.

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“They weren’t always playing with the same people,” says Boyd, “they were moving around, and every time they walked into a session, they had to look and see who they were playing with.”

Foster chimes in. “I’d record in Colorado, or Canada, or the West Country (in England),” he says “We were all over the place.” When back in London they never lacked for gigs.

“The good music directors would start to know who to put with who on a certain session,” Boyd says. “Like bringing in Herbie Flowers to play bass with Lou Reed on the Transformer album with Clem Cattini (who played on over 40 UK number 1 singles) on drums.”

The filming is done but the story continues. As of this writing, Boyd and his producer Christine Cowin are sending around rough edits of One More Time in order to secure more financing to clear the rights to the music. As Boyd notes, it doesn’t really work without the necessary Beatles, Bowie, or Serge Gainsbourg song at the right place. Still, Boyd feels as though they’re nearly there.

“We’ve got some great interest coming from some of the major broadcasters, but yeah, we’re in that final push to get the funding. We’re talking about some of the biggest tracks of that era that we’re looking to get into the film, and that means negotiating some of them down in cost. But, you know, at the moment I’ve got a

hard drive with a film that I think is really good on it, and we’re bringing in an editor with a lot of music documentary experience to make the next cut. We’re so, so close to getting this done and I’m feeling really good about it.”

Tom Murray is a freelance writer, barely competent gardener, and your first call mandolin player if anyone ever wants to start a Pogues cover band. He’s written about music, movies, art, and food for over 25 years. As a touring musician he’s slept on more floors than anyone you know, and as a writer he’s angered an ex-member of The Byrds and hit it off with a hobbit. Tom has nearly won a few regional writing awards, almost been in a hit Hollywood movie, and could have been a member of a critically acclaimed touring ensemble. As it is, he’s just happy to crank out words for a living and learn the occasional Earth, Wind, & Fire cover in his basement with friends.

He lives in Western Canada with two dogs, a perennially angry cat, and a, thankfully, understanding wife.

Bill Reddick: From Clay to Cake Photo Credit: Gurvinder Bhatia

The clay master’s pandemic transformation to master baker

By Brie Dema

I’ve always been a ‘glass is half full, look on the bright side, manifest positivity’ kinda gal. Of course, we all wish the pandemic didn’t exist, but since it does the next best thing is to look for silver linings and opportunities to spread some good out into the world.

Enter Bill Reddick, a celebrated and renowned pottery artist made famous for designing Canada’s official dinner service ware; his ‘Maple Leaf Service’ plates can be seen at Rideau Hall, having graced the dinner table for the likes of Barack Obama and other visiting international dignitaries over the last few decades.

Reddick’s journey during these past two years was carved out of struggle and necessity. His pottery business, which relied mostly on in-person sales, dried up during the pandemic’s many lockdowns. Faced with the need for income he chose to take an uncharted path, and dove into an idea that had been on his back burner for several years - he hung up his potter’s apron (temporarily) and donned a chef’s hat to focus on baking cakes. Not only did Reddick trade porcelain for almond flour, he also pivoted to the world of online sales, and out of all of it grew a delicious new business.

Reddick’s cake journey can be traced back to an interest in baking from a young age. “My friend Mike from grade 1 boasted ‘I remember Bill was making cakes when he was six years old’… I really had a thing about baking cakes and cookies.” Recipes from his early life are used, such as the Belgian Chocolate icing found in the center layers of two of his delectable creations, a family recipe that dates back to “war times.”

The Peterborough, Ontario resident built the foundation for his cake business out of one recipe that he calls The 56, named as such for its

weight and inspired by rich chocolate flavor memories from his childhood. “My intent at the beginning was that I only had one cake; what a beautiful business, a singular product, and the market is all of Canada.”

Realizing there was demand for more and encouraged by repeat customers, he added on three more flavors. The Orange 42 came first followed

by The Orange 56 and (my personal favorite) The Orange Spice 56. When asked if he will be adding other flavors, he isn’t rushing to do so, citing that most of his sales are far reaching.

“We make a beautiful classic white birthday cake,” he says, “but the problem with that is that the buttercream icing can’t be shipped. I have a feeling that I’m just going to let things sit for a while (with the four selections).”

Reddick is still evolving however, primarily through his truly unique baking method. Initially he had used a friend’s commercial kitchen, but after some experimentation with no-knead bread in his studio walk-in kiln, he tried kilning his cakes for the first time. It was a great success, albeit with some challenges. “Using the kiln is not like using a convection oven where you set your temperature and timer and walk away,” he notes “(With the kiln) I need to be engaged, and just like with pottery, become more intimately connected with the process, and you ultimately realize there are possibilities. This is something I’ve always enjoyed, this working with processes.”

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He uses the kiln’s two burners, one set to flame and one as an air intake, thus creating a controlled convection style environment. One difference which adds an element he hadn’t experienced with a standard convection oven is the thermal shelving that is unique to a kiln. “Having the one inch thermal mass where I put…the tray directly on that, immediately heat is conducted up through the bottom of the cake so it’s not just air cooking the outside edges and the top, (the result is that) it really pushes the cake up; it’s remarkable.”

This move to kiln baking has allowed him to work entirely in his studio space; the result is both a timesaver and a benefit to work/life balance. The move will potentially see him returning sooner to pottery, though the aim is to maintain both pursuits. There is an elegance in how cake and pottery have intersected, each supporting the other. With his self-proclaimed ‘baptism by fire’ entry into the world of online cake sales, he will now continue to apply these new tech skills to his pottery business so he “can get on with the plan, which is using the cake website to introduce pottery that is appropriate to the cakes, like plates and cappuccino cups, and ultimately have a parallel pottery website.”

He isn’t rushing to build up the businesses too quickly as the intimacy of personal correspondence with his coast-tocoast customers has been one of his favorite aspects, made possible by the current scale.

So, which cake to try? All of them would be the correct answer in my books. If you are a chocolate fanatic, The 56 is perfect; decadent fudgy icing and rich, comforting chocolate cake that is reminiscent of childhood dreams.

I also loved the 42, a moist, dense orange flavoured flan style, though decidedly not a classic flan. But the ‘icing on the cake’ so to speak is my favourite, the Orange Spice 56, a marriage of the two with the addition of Belgian Chocolate icing and strata of spices woven throughout, adding a beautiful complexity.

As we return to in-person activities, look to see what materializes with visits to his studio… and pick up some cake and a piece of pottery art while you are at it. You won’t be disappointed, I’ll bet an Orange Spice 56 on it.

Brie Dema has a career rooted in hospitality and has worked with several fantastic Canadian wine and culinary programs including Langdon Hall, Fogo Island Inn and the Elora Mill.

She has studied with WSET and CMS, holding the Diploma and the Advanced Pin respectively. Brie played the part of a bumblebee in her dance studio’s production of Peter Pan when she was five. She has a lousy sense of direction but can always find her way to the bottom of a glass of wine. Brie’s favorite role and greatest accomplishment is being a mom to her wonderful daughter Una. She wishes she was a better cook, but is glad she married a chef.

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Reddick’s cake website is full of great information on service temperatures and additional tips to maximise enjoyment. There are several ways to snag a cake: if you live in the Peterborough area or are passing through there are two porch pickup locations or free delivery. Farther abroad, you may order delivery from his website billreddickcakes. com. He can also be found on Instagram @billreddickcakes. If all else fails, drop him an email on his contact page and he will happily get back to you.

Photo Credit: Mike Taylor

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Photo credit: supplied

Balance & Style: Ontario Cabernet Franc Comes of Age

By Christopher Sealy

There has never been a better time to fall in love with Cabernet Franc, the black grape of the Loire, Bordeaux – and Ontario. Yes, you read that correctly – Ontario! When the right balance is achieved Cabernet Franc produces wines of nuance – from fresh berry and herbal savoury tones to a riper darker fruit and black currant intensity – and retains its dynamic aroma in the glass. It has all the ingredients of a charming and complex wine in youth, while also being cellar worthy – and Ontario is [finally!] getting it right.

Any Ontario gardener will tell you that planning a garden in spring can be a tricky and humbling business. Just a touch too ambitious or a few weeks too soon and you will wake up to a raised bed full of dead seedlings. While other wine-growing regions have seasons that allow the vine to grow with little or no unpredictable weather shifts, a cool climate zone and short growing season present a number of challenges for Ontario winegrowers. Where Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon struggle to survive an Ontario winter, Cabernet Franc is stable, which goes some way toward explaining why Cabernet Franc is the most planted red variety in Niagara.

Put simply, it suits our climate and can therefore play its best cards at just the right time.

It hasn’t always been this way. In the beginning, Cabernet Franc was merely the grape best positioned for volume. At a time when a demand for wine in and from Ontario was on the rise and Niagara was putting down its roots, so to speak, many producers took advantage of its 54

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vigour and energy, harvesting as much as they could and getting as much wine to market as possible. This overproduction generated a style of wine reminiscent of the Loire Valley, though without the charm. The wines were fresh, lean with bright fruit, and angular with ‘herbal’ flavours. It was like garlic to a vampire, however, and the market recoiled.

The solution was to blend in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, creating a style of wine – the Cabernet/Merlot blend – unique to Ontario. This combination was either oaked to give a ‘bold’ New World flavour or unoaked to create an easy-going entry-level wine. Though an efficient way to work with the surplus of planted Cabernet Franc and to build experience with the grape, winemakers had yet to learn to tune in to what the land was giving them and what the vine and vineyard needed to express. New ways take time to establish roots, but older vines – and more experienced winemakers – are now evolving together.

To the question of whether the Ontario climate creates a Bordeaux or Loire Valley-style Cabernet Franc, I would reply – neither. Ontario creates its own unique Cabernet Franc – one that has emerged and is now rightly gaining attention for its elegance and perspective, with an allowance for the quirks of soil and place.

In the Ontario microclimates unique to our wine-growing regions, Cabernet Franc can live its best life and, depending on how warm or cool the vineyard area is, can present a new or unexpected tone.

Stratus Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake is a great example of a winery that is leading the way in this diversity of expression. Cabernet Franc can be full bodied, there is no shame in that. The Stratus vineyards are in a pocket of the Peninsula that is quite warm: on any given day it can be 5–10 degrees warmer here than on the Bench, a 30 minute drive in the opposite direction. This allows winemakers to create a riper and bolder profile of Cabernet

Paul Pender, Tawse Winery Photo credit: supplied

Photo credit: supplied

Franc as the grapes can be harvested into late October and November. Even when it’s cold outside, the sun’s energy still warms the grapes, achieving optimal ripeness and balance for an expression that veers toward a desirable fuller-bodied style. For those looking for the nuance of Cabernet Franc in Ontario, tasting through ‘single vineyard’ allows us to enjoy these wines in diverse expressions. The single vineyard is like isolating the voice in the choir. Tasting through ‘cooler’ sites around the region from the lakeside vineyards up into the escarpment makes room to smell and taste the ‘voice’ of that vineyard.

Tawse Winery has had a long run with some of the most notable vineyard sites for Cabernet Franc. Any soil nerd knows that the grape is uniquely expressive on various soil types, from red clay and limestone to sand, and this expression allows winemakers to re-examine what can be made new. This is now happening both at long standing wineries such as Vineland Estate Winery, a pioneer with Cabernet Franc, and at the next generation wineries, such as Fourth Wall Wines or Fogolar Wines.

The story here is that it’s never too late to make a shift.

Cave Spring and Malivoire, both with a history of offering everything from Chardonnay to Gamay, have wisely made Cabernet Franc a new focus. Some of these wines are sourced from varying soil types and vineyards adjacent to the lake and up into the escarpment. Cabernet Franc has provided a variety of fruit with which these and many other wineries have been able to craft wines that reflect the region and the winery as a brand.

So, is there a distinct Ontario style? Yes, and the style is about balance. Wines are not perfect; they can only ever be an expression of where they are from and a reflection of the vintage, and Ontario cannot build a reputation for fine wines on marginal production or with grapes that only barely make it to ripeness.

When married with attentive wine growing in the vineyard and clarity in winemaking, Cabernet Franc, more than many others, is a grape that can produce great wines of balance in areas of Ontario.

With all its vigour and energy, Ontario Cabernet Franc is finally being taken seriously,

and it should be. To paraphrase Drake, another Ontario-born style icon, if you are reading this, it’s not too late… to grab a bottle.

Cave Spring Rosé 2020, Beamsville Bench VQA ($24.95) Estate Grown. 100% Cabernet Franc. Deep salmon pink in colour, the nose displays nuance of fresh from the field strawberry and raspberry. The palate is dry with a vibrant streak of verve and wet stone down the middle with elements of strawberry and raspberry playing on either side. Finishes with a slight piquant energy of spiked watermelon, weighing in at 14% abv.

Southbrook Vineyards ‘TriompheOrganic’ Cabernet Franc 2018, Niagara Peninsula VQA ($21) Harvested from organically farmed Laundry Vineyards & Saunders Family Vineyards, this is a Cabernet Franc with all the Cabernet Franc-ness, floral, cherry, raspberry and bramble fruit with intense pot-pourri of purple and red floral. There is a lightness of being with this wine. It is a fresh and medium bodied wine with true to form blue currant, blueberry leaf, all the ‘herbs’ but just enough, rather tart and I know we hate to say it, but it’s crunchy…lets’ say croquant, as the French would. Layered and complex. Winemaker Anne Sperling collaborates with family grape growers to offer the best organically farmed grapes for this wine!

Fourth Wall Wines ‘Meta’ Cabernet Franc, Lincoln Lakeshore VQA ($29) 87% Redfoot Vineyards / 13% Il Vigneto – co fermented, aged in demi-muid. Made in partnership with Pearl Morissette. A semi-opaque ruby verging on purple, the charming aroma of Cabernet Franc, combining a fragrant purple floral aroma, interchanging with blue/ black fruit of the forest and the garden. It teases you with herbaceous reflections on the palate which is dry, with tension of more of that dark berry fruit, herbs and spice of sage, open and engaging. Fourth Wall, from sommelier Joel Wilcox is one of many new, up-and-coming virtual wineries in Niagara.

Grange of Prince Edward Cabernet Franc 2017, Prince Edward County VQA ($32) Estate Grown. The unique Prince Edward County entry raised from their Northfield Block planted in 2003. This corner of the estate experiences a warmth in microclimate which is evident in this wine. The nose expresses nuances of plum, currant, fig with cardamom spice. Concentrated and in full bloom is the palate verging on a fuller bodied red with dark berry and dried plum. With a decant, the subtle spice of mint, spearmint and dried herbs over time creeps in on the finish. A wine richer than expected from a cooler climate corner of Ontario VQA.

Cave Spring Estate Cabernet Franc 2019, Beamsville Bench VQA ($35) Soil nerds will find delight in this wine raised on limestone and clay at the estate of Cave Spring. Appropriately reflecting a depth of berry aroma, the limestone soils provide a certain piquant tone and the clay weighs in with a robust fruit expression. There a is tension in the currant, plum to wine gum scent with an added mint spice. The palate delivers bracing minerality within a fine boned structure with chalky, salty, mineral, blue fruit that one can expect from this vineyard that sits in the sun at the base of the escarpment.

A serious effort from winemakers Angelo Pavan and Gabriel Demarco. Worthy of the cellar from one of Ontario’s founding winery families. OG written all over.

Vineland Estate Winery ‘Cab Ride’ Briar Creek Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2016, Four Mile Creek VQA ($35) Vineland Estates is one of the pioneers of Cabernet Franc in Ontario. This wine has a certain polish and finesse. Deeper extraction in colour and fruit, but not an overly heavy wine, blue forest berry and bramble support the classic floral tone of the grape, oak is evident but not a distraction. The palate is firm, fruit flavours are tart but rich, ripe and generous.

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Vineland Estate Winery ‘Cab Ride’ Smith Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2016, Niagara Lakeshore VQA – clone 214 ($35)

maker who has won international accolades (2015 vintage) for this isolated small vineyard organically farmed Cabernet Franc located further up in the Bench. 214 cases made.

The wine has a striking floral tone, with the tart bramble fruit and herbal aroma, and just a tinge of baking spice. The wine has lift and sufficient intensity in aroma. The palate shifted to cool blue and black fruit, generous with its time and energy underlined by herbs. The wine is a very good expression of Cabernet Franc – there is a freshness that sits in a good space presenting clarity in structure and intent. It is Cabernet Franc from one of the ‘godfathers’ of Ontario Cabernet Franc.

*reference from Uptown Top Ranking by Althea & Donna

Stratus Cabernet Franc 2017, Niagaraon-the-Lake VQA ($39) The soul of the Stratus Winery portfolio of Estate production is Cabernet Franc from wine-maker J.L Groux. A Loire Valley native, here he understands that he can get the maximum out of Cabernet Franc. The wine kicks off with aromas of rich, creamy currant, to raspberry with an oak and lemon pepper spice with dash of tomato leaf. There is gentle embrace freshness with zest that fills the glass before dipping into an equally rich palate of black and ripe red fruit, with a firm palate of gripping and muscled tannin. Bold & beautiful for some, this is a full throttle expression of the Cabernet side of the Franc.

Pearl Morissette ‘Racines du Ciel’ Cabernet Franc 2018, Creek Shores VQA ($43) From vines on the ‘Home’ Vineyards, the initial journey of flavour meanders between fragrant florals of the night garden to forest berry, ripe plum and black cherry, with a distinct herbaceous and savoury aromatic persistence. All of this sits on the palate, poised and nuanced. It gives what you want!

If you need delightful mouth play from your Cabernet this is the one! The ethos of winemaker Francois Morissette & Co. shines within this Cabernet Franc. It did what needed to be done!

Thirty Bench ‘Small Lot’ Cabernet Franc 2016, Beamsville Bench VQA ($75) This wine is Uptown Top Ranking* - A truly opulent wine from the Bench. I had to pinch myself to wake up from the reverie in aroma that took me to a hybrid land of Bordeaux Right Bank meets Tuscany in a cool climate.

Aromatically the wine keeps one in this stasis field of ripe, yet fresh, black and red berry fruit aroma, cherry, currant. It is Franc-ly Cabernet. Palate is all dusty cocoa powdered covered blue currant, plum candy, laced with soft wood spice. All the notes sit in balance between the vineyard offering and a mastery in winemaking. Emma Garner is the wine56

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Tawse Winery Lowrey Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2020, St. David’s Bench (barrel sample) St. David’s Bench is a sub-appellation of Niagara-on-the-Lake. This was a barrel sample from a single vineyard historically intended for the Growers Blend. Floral, with crunchy blue and bramble fruit, the palate was showing some sweeter bramble berry fruit with gentle tannin and medium acid, with the Cabernet Franc signature herbaceous element. A lot of energy and purity in flavour.

Tawse Winery Il Vigneto Cabernet Franc 2020, Lincoln Lakeshore VQA (barrel sample) Single vineyard barrel sample, potentially destined for the Growers Blend. The aroma is dense with dark bramble fruit, mineral stone and dusty coming from clay and limestone soil. The palate had great structure, gripping tannin and a nice backbone of acidity. You would think you were in Niagara-on-the-Lake, though it was the brightness and verve of the wine that brought us back to the Lincoln Lakeshore.

Tawse Winery ‘David’s Block’ Cabernet Franc 2020, Twenty Mile Bench VQA (barrel sample) Single vineyard barrel sample, the foundation for Growers Blend and on occasion single vineyard bottling. Of all the samples this had an impression of still waiting to reveal itself.

Aromatics were cool to the touch, yet bright and quiet in fruit expression. The palate was sweet bramble fruit in its baby fat, but gripping.

Tawse Winery ‘David’s Block’ Cabernet Franc/Merlot 2010, Twenty Mile Bench VQA (library selection) Entry into the aroma of this single vineyard wine was floral, evolving into dried plum and violet with dried fig. The Merlot dominates the intensity of the perfume on this wine. The palate was soft and engaging with fresh juicy dark fruit, the acid intensity of the wine was falling off. Reminded me of Bordeaux.

and bramble. A distinct mineral and ‘iron/ graphite’ like intensity invaded the glass.

Perhaps verging on tea leaf or orange pekoe.

The palate was equally expressive with structure and flavour in balance, gentle and steady blue and dark red fruit.

Malivoire Winery ‘Wismer’ Cabernet Franc 2020, Twenty Mile Bench VQA (barrel sample) A wine still very much showing primary fruit aroma, crunchy bramble fruit, raspberry and berry fruit. The palate is bright, a tart blend of all the berries – still searching and creating its identity.

Malivoire Winery ‘Wismer’ Cabernet Franc 2018, Twenty Mile Bench VQA ($27) This wine was made just after winemaker Shiraz Mottiar took a trip to the Loire Valley.

The aroma presents lifted floral, bright red berry fruit. Aromatics are clean, spritely and energetic. The wine presents the fruit spectrum of the Cabernet Franc grape, while the palate is easy going, gentle and pleasing.

Medium – to light in body.

Malivoire Winery ‘Wismer’ Cabernet Franc 2016, Twenty Mile Bench VQA (library selection) This wine was an example of early work with Cabernet Franc. It has more in line with wines tasted recently for this article. The current style of Wismer Cabernet Franc has moved in a seemingly opposite direction. It seems a reflection of its maker. This wine is ruby and garnet in colour, certainly in evolution with blue fruit, currant and the Cabernet Franc tone coming through. The oak is well integrated. The palate is still showing riper cherry and black berry fruit, firm and fine tannin spice and herbal yet still medium bodied on the palate.

Christopher Sealy is the wine director for the alo food group. Christopher has been with the group since late 2015 when alo, the flagship restaurant, began to garner national and international attention as Canada’s premier fine dining tasting-menuonly and wine pairing restaurant. alo currently sits at #90 on the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants. In 2019,

Tawse Winery ‘Growers Blend’ Cabernet Franc 2013, Niagara Peninsula VQA (library selection)

Christopher was voted #1 Sommelier by

A wine in full stride with a floral intensity, herbs and spice around tart currant, plum

People of Colour and LGBTQ+, in the

Canada’s 100 Best. He is a mentor for Vinequity, an organization which aims to amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, Canadian wine community.

The Intersection of Wine & Music

By W. Blake Gray

Let’s say you open a fine bottle of Burgundy and it’s OK but not as delicious as you hope. What can you do? It’s not like food, where you could add hot sauce or a little salt.

But there is a step you can take: change the background music.

If you want the wine to taste richer, play music

with a deeper bass line. If you want it to taste fresher, try playing something high-pitched.

Taste and sound interact. This makes intuitive sense; consider whether you would rather drink your fine Burgundy at an active construction site or in a rural meadow. And we already know that other senses, notably vision, affect how things taste. University of Oxford experimental psychologist Charles Spence has shown that strawberry mousse is perceived as 10% sweeter when eaten from a white container instead of a black one.

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Considering the amount of money spent in tasting rooms, it’s surprising that there hasn’t been more research into the correspondence between music and wine. It’s something wineries think about, but generally in terms of ambience, not the actual taste of the wines.

However, there is enough research to prove that music does affect how your wine tastes, and moreover it’s easy to prove to yourself that it does. We’ll give you a little experiment at the end of this story, but there’s wine so don’t think of it as homework.

Wineries have been playing music to their barrels for at least two decades; some say they think the music might influence the wines, while others, like Chile’s Aurelio Montes Jr., believe it will have a positive effect on the winery workers.

But the idea of actually pairing music to affect the taste of wine appears to date to 1998. Don Blackburn, then the winemaker at Bernardus in Carmel Valley, California, poured three different Chardonnays at a symposium, played 10 different pieces of music, and asked the attendees to choose which piece went with which wine.

One of the attendees at that symposium was Clark Smith, a maverick winemaker and wine technology consultant who is best known for his work on alcohol reduction. Smith set out to prove that music affects wine, sampling 150 different wines with 250 different songs until he came up with a convincing presentation that he could share with others.

It was, indeed, convincing. I believe I was the first person to write about Smith’s discoveries, in 2007 for the San Francisco Chronicle.

But I won’t be the last, as Smith is currently working on a book about music and wine pair58

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ing with philosophy professor/wine blogger Dwight Furrow.

Smith won me over with a simple demonstration of two songs with two Chardonnays: a Glen Ellen California Chardonnay that, tasted in silence, I described as “a light and sweet airline wine,” and a Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay that I called an “oaky butter bomb.” I didn’t really like either. He played the Beach Boys’ California Girls and suddenly the Glen Ellen wine was brighter and more lemony, and I liked it. Then he played Ella Fitzgerald’s St. Louis Woman, a rollicking blues song, and the Glen Ellen wine tasted like a sour candy while the Rombauer was fat and rich with a long finish, and easily the better of the two.

Spence brought this idea into an academic setting. In 2012 he did a study about pairing classical music with wine, asking subjects to decide which piece went best with which wine.

Dr. Jo Burzynska, a sound artist and wine writer in New Zealand, decided to go deeper, making the correlation of wine and music her doctoral research topic. Burzynska and Spence first worked together on a study of how low-frequency sounds affect the perception of wine.

“A low-pitched tone basically made people perceive the body of a Pinot Noir to be fuller,” Burzynska told Quench. “It increased the weight of a Pinot Noir in a statistically significant manner.”

“With high pitches, in research that preceded mine into general flavor, robust associations had already been found between high pitches and sour taste,” Burzynska said. “You can amplify acidity in wine by high pitches.

But some people didn’t like the fact that their wine became a lot more crisp.”

Burzynska said she did a demonstration in

2017 in which she poured Pinot Noir with a variety of music.

“I included a piece of dubstep music that had huge bass. It turned it almost into a Shiraz,” Burzynska said. “That’s not what I like in my Pinot Noir. But someone came up to me and said they liked that one the best. I asked what kinds of wines he likes, and he liked richer wines.”

Tone is not the only important aspect, Burzynska says: timbre matters as well, especially in perceived mouthfeel.

“If I’m drinking a rich Chardonnay, I’ll go for something with a rich timbre,” Burzynska said.

“If I’m drinking a Riesling, something edgy would be the order of the day. Special wines, special meals, I think about what I’m going to listen to because I know how much it affects the experience.”

With Cabernet Sauvignon, Smith recommends music with darkness to it, and in fact he thinks all red wines benefit from a little darkness in the music; his demonstrative example was The Doors’ People Are Strange. Burzynska prefers ambient music with Cabernet.

“The matching of intensities is important,” Burzynska said. “I’ve done some things with really bombastic pieces of music that really overpower even Cabernet. If you have a young Cabernet that’s a little angular, I might put on Brian Eno’s Discreet Music.”

Burzynska says that if you intuitively think a piece of music might go with a wine, based on its tone and timbre, you might be right: try it out. But she says restaurants that play the music they like without regard for the cuisine or wine are making a mistake.

“In Sydney, a restaurant opened which was Japanese food and grunge music,” Burzysnka

Photo Credit: Pilar Law

Clark Smith

said. “People who didn’t have the same background as me were complaining that they don’t go together. The Japanese food is so delicate and the music overpowered it.”

Burzynska composed a lovely piece of music to go with Central Otago Pinot Noir: it opens with birdsong and brings in slightly mournful cello, giving it both light and darkness. She also founded a Christchurch wine and sound bar, The Auricle Sonic Arts Gallery, where sound installations played upstairs and patrons drank wine downstairs. She created a new playlist each month to go with the wines on offer.

Large companies have dipped their toes into this kind of pairing as well. Pre-pandemic, Krug Champagne house invited musicians each year to visit, taste Champagne, and write pieces based on their impressions. Krug has made these pieces available online under Krug Echoes, so you can test them out for yourself.

Krug also worked with Chilean composer Roque Rivas to create 10 soundscapes to complement the 10 main components of its Champagne, and has a sound installation in the Krug Family House where visitors can experience it with a 360-degree ambisonic system.

Kosta Browne, the high-end Sonoma County Pinot Noir producer, likes to describe its wines in musical terms. This makes sense, as three researchers at Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires published a paper in 2011 showing that different musicians, when asked to represent tastes like “bitter” and “salty” with musical improvisations, consistently created similar riffs. Kosta Browne winemaker Julien Howsepian says he often thinks about specific songs when he’s tasting wines in barrel.

“The ‘17 Cerise (Vineyard) Pinot Noir was a song called Under the Pressure by The War on Drugs,” Howsepian said. “The first 20 seconds are an interesting reverberating electronic acoustic sound. Then a little synthesizer comes in the background. Then the beat drops.

When I think of Cerise Pinot, it’s not the typical Kosta Browne wine. It’s a little more fringe, a little more ethereal. You open it and think, this might be a little different from what I’m expecting. Then you take a sip and say, I really like this. I think it’s a 3 or 4 minute song condensed into a glass of wine.”

In fact, researchers have long described a phenomenon known as synesthesia, in which some people experience sounds or flavors as colors. That’s an extreme example, but research like Spence’s and Burzynska’s seems to show that we all experience some level of sensory crossover. And not just with wine.

Jack Daniel’s whiskey started a pre-pandemic project that it plans to pick up again soon, in which musician Carlos Calvo plays live riffs on the guitar that accompany different bottlings.

“There was a lot of science backing that sound and tone affect your palate,” said Jack Daniel’s brand ambassador Eric Tecosky. “We looked at each other and said, yeah, it’s there, but it’s really boring. You can’t bring this to a tasting. People aren’t going to get excited about research about how your brain reacts.

Our knee jerk reaction was to find songs that fit different expressions of Jack Daniel’s. Like, Whole Lotta Love seems to fit Single Barrel.

But they didn’t write that for Jack Daniel’s. We wrote riffs for each expression of the whiskey.”

Tecosky said the riffs are about 45 seconds long, and they haven’t recorded them because

“we’re trying to avoid a Zoom performance.”

He expects the music and whiskey roadshow to resume soon.

I promised you something you could test at home. I’m not a fan of Frank Sinatra but when I did my first article on this in 2007, Smith suggested the best album I could buy for sparkling wine was Sinatra’s Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!

I bought it and have been using it ever since; if a bubbly is a little underwhelming, that album brings out the, well, bubbliness: it’s cheerful without being insipid, which is just what you want from Prosecco or Cava. Try it, especially the song You Make Me Feel So Young.

And I also urge you to try your fine Cabernet with The Beach Boys, and then with The Doors.

You’ll see – or should I say, you’ll taste.

W. Blake Gray is US editor for WineSearcher, the world’s most-visited wine website. He has written about wine for many publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times. In 2013 he won the Roederer Award for best online wine writer in the world. During the pandemic, Blake rediscovered his childhood love of cheeseburgers, but his death-row meal is steamed crabs. His cocktail of choice is a Manhattan. Blake lives in San Francisco.

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Tortellante – Italian three-star Michelin chef Massimo Bottura’s magical tortellini!

By: Åsa Johansson Photos supplied by Osteria la Francescana

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Massimo Bottura and his wife Lara Gilmore, from the three-star Osteria la Francescana in Modena, started a project for young adults with autism called Tortellante … a project that is both tasty and important.

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“If you do that, your tortellini can’t lie on my tray,” Charlie says, shaking his head.

I am in Modena, trying to make tortellini with about ten young adults with autism. They all participate in the Tortellante project which started in November 2018 following an idea by Silvia Panini, a mother in Modena with an autistic son. She got the idea after seeing how her son enjoyed working in the kitchen and making pasta with his grandmother.

Panini then contacted Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore, the couple who started one of the world’s most famous restaurants, the three-star Osteria Francescana in Modena. They quickly took up the idea because their son Charlie is also autistic.

Charlie is not happy with my tortellini, and I can honestly understand why. It is more difficult than it seems to fold and spin the small square of pasta without the filling falling out. Charlie, on the other hand, like his colleagues, works with efficient calm. Charlie’s tortellini are easy to recognize because they are pointed without folded edges. Mine are different and they do not fit in.

Today, at Tortellante, about twenty young adults between the ages of 16 and 25 with various forms of autism, work together in different shifts.

When these young adults leave school, a big void awaits. Either they end up in a day care centre or they are back at home with the family. Through Tortellante they get a meaningful job, and they earn their own money.

“It’s mostly boys because autism mostly affects men, no one knows why,” says Lara Gilmore. She is full of positive energy and has a big smile on her face as she shows me around and talks about the project.

Tortellante is located in a yellow two-storey house in central Modena, inside the city’s former market for vegetables and fruit. Downstairs is the laboratory and kitchen, upstairs an office and dining room where the morning shift workers have lunch.

Tortellante, Osteria Francescana and Casa Maria Luigia In Modena, in addition to Tortellante, you find Massimo Bottura’s three-star restaurant Osteria Francescana and a more easy-going brasserie called La Franceschetta58. The latest addition is the luxurious country hotel, Casa Maria Luigia, where you can try Bottura’s historic dishes in an elegant yet relaxed setting.

“We understood that something was not right with Charlie when he was six months old. He did not react like other children and his face grew in a strange way,” says Lara.

The search for a diagnosis took up more and more time, but getting an answer was something that turned out to be an almost impossible task.

“Charlie got his diagnosis when he turned sixteen, so it took a while,” says Gilmore, adding that the best advice she received was to concentrate on everyday life and not just on getting a diagnosis. “You really want to know and get answers, but it often takes a long time before doctors can say something with certainty because there are so many different shades of autism,” she says.

“Charlie is bilingual today, no one would have thought that would have been possible when he was little,” says Gilmore, who is originally from New York.

Charlie and his colleagues go to Tortellante every day. There is a morning and an afternoon session and on average Tortellante makes 650 kilos of tortellini every month. One kilo of tortellini costs about 35 euros. The project is self-financing and has customers such as Gucci, Maserati and TetraPak. “Our project is socially important, but our tortellini must be of a high standard and really tasty,” says Gilmore, adding that the grandmothers, le nonne in Italian, who come to Tortellante and teach the long and proud tradition of making tortellini, are strict.

Nonna Loredana is one of them and she monitors the work with an attentive gaze. She is determined and welcoming at the same time, just as one would expect an Italian grandmother to be. Loredana has known Bottura and Gilmore since the beginning, long before Michelin stars and international attention. Among other things, it was Loredana who got to make fresh pasta in front of the famous French chef Alain

Ducasse, when he came to taste his apprentice Massimo’s dishes in the mid-nineties.

“When I retired, I did not have much to do, so when I was asked to come here, I answered yes immediately. It is incredibly rewarding for all of us who participate in this project,” she says.

Loredana shows how to cut the thin pasta sheets into small squares and how to work the filling with pork, prosciutto di Modena, mortadella and parmigiano reggiano with practised movements.

“For tortellini, you have to let the pasta dough go through the pasta machine until the last number to get it really thin, whatever pasta machine you use,” she says.

“Every tortellini reflects the person who makes them,” says Loredana, smiling as she looks at my bumpy little knots. I feel that they do not give a super positive reflection of my personality. Loredana shows once again with great patience what I should do to get a perfect tortellini, because this is not a game; on the contrary, this is serious business for everyone involved.

At Tortellante, there are also psychiatrists and psychologists who follow the daily routine. Alessandro Rebuttini and Martina Rossetti coordinate the work and together with the rest of the team they adapt a special program for each person.

“There are several touching stories about how our workers come home with their tortellini to the family and get a lot of positive attention. For many, it is the first time they feel that they are not an obstacle but on the contrary, a positive part of the family,” Gilmore explains.

Bottura and Gilmore are active in several social projects around the world and according to Bottura, well known chefs around the world should do more to make society better. Just cooking beautiful FALL 2021

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and delicious food is no longer enough. “Think what a change we could make,” he says. Together with Gilmore, he has started Food for Soul, a project that takes food leftovers that are then prepared and served in a beautiful environment to the needy. Food for Soul is available today in the USA, Italy, France, Canada, Brazil and Peru.

After the morning at Tortellante I get to meet Bottura at home in his and Gilmore’s apartment in Modena. Walls and tables are covered with the family’s collection of modern art and Bottura often refers to artists, musicians and philosophers who have meant a lot to him.

“Culture provides knowledge. Knowledge leads to consciousness.

And when we become aware, we are steps away from becoming socially responsible. Culture is the key,” says Bottura.

Both he and Gilmore believe that food traditions can be used to make a difference in society. They hope that the Tortellante project will be able to spread to other cities and countries where local food traditions can be used to start similar projects.

While we sit and talk, Charlie comes home after finishing his morning shift.

“How did Åsa do?,” Bottura asks, and Charlie makes an Italian hand gesture which means something like “not so good” and Bottura bursts out in a big loud laughter.

The young crowd at Tortellante are just as serious as the three-star chef. Because to all of them food is important and can make a difference.

Åsa Johansson came to Italy from Sweden in 2001 because she loved Italian films from the ‘50s and ‘60s and wanted to learn Italian. It was love at first sight.

Following a degree in political science and journalism at the University of Florence, she now writes about wine, food, and travel for Swedish, Norwegian, Italian and Canadian publications. Åsa travels back to Sweden on a regular basis to hold courses and seminars on Italian wines. Since 2019 she produces her own extra virgin

Scan the QR code to view Tortellante’s tortellini recipe

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olive oil, La Collina Blu, from the olive trees on the Tuscan hills where she lives with her husband Stefano and two children. Her latest project is Sweden’s first podcast about Italian wine.

CHIANTI CLASSICO

VINTAGE REPORT: 2018 & 2019

Emily O’Hare

“Strade Serpente” - Snake Roads?! If you have ever driven around Chianti Classico this description will make a lot of sense. The roads twist and turn every couple of seconds and with each turn there is a different exposure to wind, sun and rain, a drop or increase in altitude, and certainly a change of soil compositions.

The wine world cheered in June, as passionately as Italian football fans this past July, when it was announced that sub zones would appear on the labels of Chianti Classico starting with the Gran Selezione category. The elation is for good reason as Sangiovese is particularly sensitive to site and when grown with a minimal interventionist hand, is capable of eloquently expressing and transmitting the character of the site to the bottle, reinforcing the link between the wine and the site in which it is grown.

As to the vintages of 2018 and 2019, there is much to report, though generalisations are hard to extract from winemakers here. Their experiences of weather tend to be very local. In 2019 in Gaiole for example, there was a fierce hailstorm mid-July that caused tremendous damage to the leaves and grapes, greatly reducing production and impacting ripening of fruit. Whereas in neighbouring Radda, not a stone dropped.

There is agreement however that 2018 was the more challenging of the two years. Rain in spring and then again in August when, according to Piero Lanza of Poggerino in Radda, “Sangiovese really does not want the rain,” coupled with warm temperatures meant humidity throughout the season putting vineyards at risk of disease.

However, in mid-September, a northerly wind swept through Tuscany, refreshing and drying the fruit on the vine, reducing water content and intensifying flavours and sugars. Those who picked late were rewarded with elegant, thought-provoking, powerful wines.

In 2019, the season was a comparatively easy ride. It was much drier with no humidity compared to 2018, and without the drought and heat spikes of 2017… and the vines were productive! Quantity across the region is high for this vintage, but quality also. Many producers enjoyed a very late harvest into mid-October, which, for a late ripener such as Sangiovese, was a gift!

On the sheet for this year’s annual press tasting of Chianti Classico, Badia a Coltibuono, an historical property in Gaiole, wrote not “native varieties” to confer that their Sangiovese was blended with Tuscan varieties Canaiolo, Colorino and Ciliegiolo. Instead, “varietà complementari tradizionali” was indicated, honouring the role these varieties play in the Chianti Classico blend.

Few producers seem to be blending with the international varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Maybe 5% of the 400 that were on show included those grapes. And, as of this June, it is forbidden to blend international grapes with Sangiovese for Gran Selezione wines - only autochthonous varieties are permitted. We are in another interesting phase of this fascinating region’s story and the twists and turns continue.

Annata CASTELNUOVO BERARDENGA RECOMMENDED

Bindi Sergardi Chianti Classico DOCG ‘La Ghirlanda’, 2018 ($23) A rich and velvety Chianti Classico from vineyards to the north of Siena, surrounded by woodland, 500 metres above sea level.

The wine has a soft centre, dense and plush, supported and sweetened by oak maturation.

Very approachable Sangiovese.

RADDA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Tenuta di Carleone Chianti Classico DOCG ‘UNO’, 2018 ($36) Sean O’Callaghan, ‘il guercio’ or the one-eyed bandit, sees and feels the potential of Sangiovese acutely. His wines are a celebration of this variety. This sees a long maceration of up to 60 days in open top vats and 90% maturation in cement, with 10% in new tonneaux.

Rarely can Sangiovese wines be described as silky, but I defy you to find a better word to express this wine. Drink now or age, taking pleasure from early drinking and a reward for waiting 5, 10 or 15 years.

Istine Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($30) Cool and clean with beautiful precision on the palate, shades of delicate red and black fruit are lifted by acidity and held by tannins. Nuanced

and subtle with a great sense of place, high up in wild Radda, one of the highest communes, and the most densely covered in woodland.

Poggerino Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($30) Chianti Classico is a wine region that overdelivers especially considering the average price per bottle. And Poggerino never, ever fails to overdeliver, at both the annata and Riserva levels. Piero Lanza’s wines are so essential to know for the Chianti Classico lover. They have exquisite definition and clarity of terroir and fruit. This wine has the attraction for me of a great Cabernet Franc from the Loire, piercingly fresh red fruit aromas, cool long lines of acidity, medium body - long in limb, defined further by taut tannins and on the finish a persistent, cleansing mineral note.

Desert Island wine - what else could work with those fish cooked on stakes in a fire?

RECOMMENDED

Podere Val delle Corti Chianti Classico DOCG, 2018 ($27) An ebullient red wine, a safe alternative to a hot air balloon ride and equally exciting.

Bristling with high-toned fruit notes and deeper toasted, praline aromas and flavours from 18 months oak ageing. Great in the mouth - super active, lip-smacking acidity and satisfyingly gummy. Be sure to get it up into your teeth. I was sad to swallow, but the sensation of the wine lasts and lasts. Very physical - fun without food, but possibly sensible to serve with.

Castello di Radda Chianti Classico DOCG, 2018 ($23) Super bright, animated red hues in the glass.

Great clarity to aromas and flavours also. Fresh and bold and on the palate. Classic Radda acidity creates crunch and refreshment.

GAIOLE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($30) Damn, this is a graceful wine. The colour - ruby with purple tints screams royal blood, and the nose and palate are so aligned. The structure, the posture - long graceful fingered tannins hold perfectly ripe black, red and blue berry fruit. And the ACIDITY is wonderful creating a sophisticated and assertive wine that has the balls to bite you, which makes you just want more. It is like a bitey Katharine Hepburn, and who wouldn’t want to show up to a dinner with a bitey Katharine Hepburn?

Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($33) Luminous cherry in colour, with purple flowers – iris and violet - and shades of grey mineral, wet stones on the nose. That minerality is present on the palate, enhanced by the high acidity, and fleshed out with red fruit. A confident classic.

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San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($42) San Giusto a Rentennano is an iconic, historic estate in Chianti Classico. Luca Martini di Cigala makes wines that other winemakers love to drink - carefully knit with great power and concentration. Those resonant Gaiole tannins have impact but do not overwhelm. The aromas and flavours are fresh and complex - fennel herb and forest fruits entwined with the spice of subtle, used oak - and the acidity is tantalising. Luca finished the harvest on the 16th of October - a very classic Sangiovese vintage, and a very classic Chianti Classico.

RECOMMENDED

Mannucci Droandi Ceppeto Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($25) Youthful in colour but with aromas that transport to another era - of old apothecary shops where treatments were found in crushed flowers and dried herbs. Twelve months of ageing in used oak barriques softens the grip of powerful tannins and works well with the concentration of fruit. There is a feeling that one might - one will - be healed by this wine.

PANZANO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Monte Bernardi Sangio Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($28) GLORIOUS. If you’re into heroes, then this wine is for you. It smells and tastes just like I imagine Odysseus might - of olive brine, warm skin and blood orange. On the palate, it is robust and muscular, hailing from windy and sunny vineyards, on mostly galestro soil at an altitude of 400 to 550 metres. It sees less oak than Monte Bernardi’s Retromarcia - 30% rather than 70%, and the rest matures in cement. According to winemaker Michael Schmelzer, it is accessible a bit sooner.

GREVE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Montecalvi Chianti Classico DOCG, 2018 ($45) Far reaching - not just in the potential this has to age well; but when you sip this wine you feel it reaching right to the back of the mouth. It fills and throws shapes, tannins dance, acidity elevates, and the fruit is joyful.

This is Englishman Tim Manning’s first vintage at Montecalvi. His career has spanned two decades, working in New Zealand, USA and now Tuscany. He is clearly at home in this terrain and with this variety. A brilliant opening chapter in this wine.

Ottomani Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($30) Started by four friends who met at university whilst studying wine, “Eight Hands” is a small production of wines made with great faith and passion. There seems to be no ego between these eight hands. This is an earnest expression of grape and place - transparent and brilliant ruby, with simple fruit expression on the nose and palate. Not at all overworked 66

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or laboured, the fruit sings the entire way through the bottle. Whilst I was tasting at this estate, a particularly well-known winemaker from further south in Chianti Classico, making more intense and built wines, arrived to pick up cases of this wine for drinking at home.

Fantastic bevibilità!

SAN DONATO IN POGGIO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Castello della Paneretta Chianti Classico DOCG, 2018 ($28) Warmth is suggested at first glance - warm red tones with flecks of peachy orange just beginning to appear at the rim of the wine. It smells sweet and ripe. Aromas of black cherry and subtle spice - vanilla and clove translate obediently onto the palate. The tannins are extremely satisfying. They reach into every part of the mouth, not at all abrasive, but appetising, firm and supportive.

Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($36) So pure (aromas and flavours are primary, primary, primary!) and yet so dark! There is a profound depth to this young wine and assured tannins that cast shadows on the bouncy buoyant fruit - a fun interplay that is eminently drinkable. Drink “with abandon” Monsanto suggest. I second that. I thought I might dissolve happily into this wine after just a 50ml taste. I can’t imagine how I’d feel after a magnum. Extremely well, I am betting.

Fattoria Le Masse Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($37) Bevibilità, or drinkability unfortunately seems to get less points than concentration of colour or intensity of flavour in many critics’ ratings.

But for me, drinkability is so crucial - particularly with Chianti Classico annata. I want to eat with it and be refreshed by it, and this wine scores highly for its capacity to refresh and to charm. Bright and vivid in colour, youthful blues and purples swirl. In the mouth, it crunches like fresh cranberries, perking up the palate and nourishing the soul with its directness. Complexity at the annata level can be overrated. A simple wine made very, very well by one of the coolest winemakers you could ever meet - Robin Mugnaini.

Isole e Olena Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($38) It was bizarre the thoughts that sprang to mind tasting this wine from winemaker extraordinaire Paolo de Marchi. I recalled my son being given his first bath in hospital, and how expert the nurses were that handled his tiny body. They showed such authority and that is the word that this wine summons. If only this could be everyone’s introduction to Chianti Classico, there would be no need for Burgundy! Though do grab a Burgundy glass to enjoy this red. It needs the room to relax.

Like Luca at San Giusto, Paolo is a big fan of the native Canaiolo grape variety - it makes up 15% of the blend. It seems to persuade those dynamic Sangiovese tannins to calm down a little... A masterful wine.

CASTELLINA RECOMMENDED

Concadoro Chianti Classico DOCG, 2018 ($19) Forthcoming, not at all shy, this wine washes over the palate like a wave. Mouth filling and engaging, it has a really appetising saltiness that teams well with the sweetness of the fruit. A simple, straightforward, well balanced red to drink now.

Casale dello Sparviero Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($30) Tarragon scented, creamy in texture and balanced. Medium body of red berry and currant fruit flavours and tannins not too tight or bitter. A very food friendly wine with nice typicity.

SAN CASCIANO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Montesecondo Chianti Classico DOCG, 2019 ($34) This is a wine that en route to the winery visited the butcher’s, the baker’s and the candlestick maker’s, for in the glass one detects warm cake and spice and that clean sweet smell of fresh meat. And when you taste the wine, it impresses on to the tongue and gums like fingers into candle wax. Intriguing and complex yet drinkable now. Chianti Classico continues to astound me.

Riserva CASTELNUOVO BERARDENGA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Agricola San Felice Il Grigio Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, 2018 ($28) Nipotella is an herb that grows profusely in Tuscany, it smells and tastes like a cross between mint and oregano. It works a treat with porcini. This wine smells of that herb and would pair perfectly with a plate of those protein rich mushrooms, as well as liver and fava beans as preferred by Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. (Il Grigio is featured in the film.) For the wine itself is meaty savoury on the nose, sweet and sour cherry fruit on the palate, with mature, ripe tannins and curt acidity (a smart balance of mid-Sept and early-Oct picked fruit). A relatively large production does not impinge on quality at this estate. A well made Riserva.

GREVE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Ottomani Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, 2018 ($39) A magical mix of extremely drinkable and thoughtful. From vines of at least 30 years of age, this wine is aged in 20hl Italian oak barrels. The four owner/friends are passionate about their Riserva maturing in Italian wood (it is slightly less sweet than French oak), and they are lucky to be close to one of the few

coopers of Italian oak in Tuscany. The wine is energising with a sense of charge from the fruit and wood tannins and great density of fruit. A sensitively made Sangiovese drinking deliciously now but can be held on to well in to the late 2020s.

Querciabella Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, 2017 ($48) Explicit AND sophisticated, decadent and disciplined?? How does a wine manage to be all? I want to be this wine! Super attractive with fresh red fruits and fresh red meat.

Exposed and ripe, it should be served at a Damien Hirst exhibition. Masterful, beautifully composed and structurally sound (as ever with Querciabella wines), this wine is a pleasure to think about and to drink. Hidden depths still to be revealed.

RECOMMENDED

Vignamaggio Gherardino Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, 2017 ($38) I didn’t want to fall for this wine. I saw that there was 15% Merlot in the blend with Sangiovese and I was sure it was not the wine for me - being somewhat of a purist for native varieties. But I was wrong. This wine is delightful in its dark ways. Hypnotic with its plush colour, and black berry and cherry perfume mingled with Mediterranean herbs and bitter, powdery cacao. It is chewy and sweetly tannic.

Though drinking now (and extremely easy to drink now) avoid the temptation and lay it down for a couple of years. Delicious.

RADDA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Poggerino Bugialla Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, 2018 ($55) Bugialla comes from fruit harvested in the second half of September, from the 24th onwards. Dense and concentrated, it is blended with a small percentage of fruit picked on the 15th of September. The wine is unsurprisingly balanced, concentrated and rich yet refreshing. Challenging vintages can yield the most fascinating wines... from the most skilled producers. Really an estate to follow, year on year for the most honest expression of a vintage and always exceptional quality.

Monteraponi Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG ‘Il Campitello’, 2018 ($80) The single vineyard, ‘il Campitello’ is the oldest at Monteraponi. Forty-year-old vines are hemmed in on all sides by oak trees up at 420 metres above sea level. Spontaneous fermentation and a 35-day maceration in cement is followed by 26 months in old, large Slavonian oak. Soaring aromatics with an intricate palate, very fine tannins and subtle alcohol of 13.5%, this is seamless Sangiovese.

Istine Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG ‘Le Vigne’, 2017 ($59) It was a number of colours, aromas, flavours and textures that got me humming the Grease theme tune whilst tasting this Riserva. Bold,

vivid reds in the glass, as red as a coca cola sign. And on the nose, sweet perfectly picked ripe fruit, densely aromatic, warm and hot blooded. On the palate, tannins are shapely.

Light tertiary flavours of leather and tobacco naturally encourage thoughts of leather jacketed t-birds and perfumed pink ladies.

Very much a youthful wine but promising a lively future.

GAIOLE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG ‘Le Baròncole’, 2017 ($90) Ah, when the classics are always exhilarating!

On this wine, you can bet your bottom dollar it’ll be great. Flavoursome and exhilarating, this is a well-known, super well-established Riserva and it is consistently excellent, year on year - and age worthy. Even the 2017 has acidity to keep life exciting 10 to 15 years down the line. Le Baròncole is a Sangiovese blended with 3% Canaiolo, of which winemaker Luca Martini di Cigala is a great fan. His Canaiolo vineyards date back to 1958. “It never covers the character of Sangiovese but softens its nature.” Buy by the case and don’t look back, the 2008 is drinking beautifully!

Gran Selezione CASTELLINA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Casale dello Sparviero Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG ‘Vigna Paronza’, 2018 ($60) For the Riserva and this Gran Selezione, I had made musical notes for the wines - “melodic” and “well-tuned”. I was tasting blind and only later found out the names of the wines I had tried, so was pleased to see there was this quirky family resemblance. They are curious to me, the wines from this property, somehow combining attractive austerity with ample fruit. A very generous palate, a great mouthful of concentrated, ripe fruit flavours from the single vineyard on the Paronza hill in Castellina. Tannins are driven, tapering the weight of fruit as it moves across the mouth. A succulent wine for a good meal.

RADDA RECOMMENDED

Volpaia, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG ‘Coltassala’, 2018 ($100) Despite new oak barrique ageing, this wine - like all those from Volpaia - feels fine-boned and lifted. The presence of the oak certainly grounds the wine, the grip of tannins particularly firm. But the fruit aromatics will not be dominated, perhaps due to that predominantly sandy soil and high-altitude vineyards (up to 650 metres above sea level).

On the nose there is intense black fruit, red apple, freshly pounded pepper, clove and cinnamon spice. The acidity is a delight. This is what we drink Sangiovese for - for that drama of acidity married with a slim body, rarely full or overbearing and of course those dynamic tannins and thorough finish.

PANZANO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Fontodi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG ‘Vigna del Sorbo’, 2018 ($110) Burly, supple, muscular, densely tannic, charged Sangiovese... But despite the density, intensity, weight of fruit, tannins and alcohol; light seems to pass through it - like the colour of skin through lace. Sultrier than Fontodi’s Flaccianello, this wine will turn events extraordinary.

GREVE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Villa Calcinaia Conti Capponi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG ‘Vigna La Fornace’, 2018 ($75) I think it is too long since I have attended a festival. But on looking at, smelling and tasting this wine, the image of flags flew to mind - like those you see at music festivals above the big tents or on top of royal castles in fairy tale films. Lustrous inky purple and red colours set expectations high. The aromatics meet those expectations with ease. They are plush, fresh and fragrant of clean linen, lavender, rose and plum (soils are predominantly sandy). Polished and precise on the palate.

Bibbiano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG ‘Vigne di Montornello’, 2018 ($65) “If it is not recognisable as Bibbiano, then we are not doing the right job,” says owner and winemaker, Tommaso Marrocchesi Marzi. This is an exquisite 100% Sangiovese, dusty on the nose - the good dust that inspires thoughts of libraries, old atlases and exotic travels to unknown lands. Bergamot and pomegranate aromas are present on the palate while dark bitter chocolate and smoked sage flavours mingle with typical Sangiovese cherry fruit.

There is a great sapidity that is present in all of the Bibbiano wines - a recognisable trait for Tommaso - that persists and cleanses long on to the finish.

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BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO & ROSSO DI MONTALCINO

VINTAGE REPORT: 2016 & 2019

Emily O’Hare

The annual Brunello tasting held in February in Montalcino was, in 2020, the last public wine tasting in Tuscany before COVID took everyone in the country into severe lockdown. Those of us tasting the highly acclaimed 2015 Brunelli and very good 2018 Rossi had no idea what was ahead of us, but we knew we had fine wine in our glasses.

However, the energy was rather flat. The 2015 Brunelli ticked all the boxes. It’s a five-star vintage that is powerful, composed, ready to drink (even so soon after release) and yet capable of ageing.

But we were all rather robotic at the tasting. Admiring, agreeing, writing, scoring, yet maintaining some distance from (before distancing became such a ‘thing’), and not captive to, the wine.

This year, things were different on many fronts. All the wine reviewers had to be seated, and sadly there could be no producers present to talk to over their wines.

But despite our sedentary situation, the atmosphere felt electric, jubilant. Brunello di Montalcino from 2016 are potent, mesmerising, hypnotic wines, barely contained by the glasses into which they are poured.

They are exceptionally balanced, impossibly dense and deft. The tension created by this interplay of tannins, fruit and acidity is thrilling.

Sebastian Nasello, winemaker at Podere Le Ripi, explained that the major difference between the two stellar vintages of 2015 and 2016 is that during August of 2016, daytime and night-time temperatures fluctuated dramatically. Days were hot and dry, and nights were cool. This diurnal range meant that during the night the sugar development in the vines slowed and acidity was preserved creating fresher, more aromatically lively wines with greater definition and clarity.

The Rossi from 2019 heightened the excitement and enthusiasm further. The Rosso di Montalcino 2019 are super wines, a delectable, sophisticated wine choice for the customer in a restaurant, or to drink at home.

Elisa Sesti of Sesti - Castello di Argiano sees the Rosso di Montalcino as the messenger, the herald proclaiming whether a vintage will be great. If the Rosso is stunning, then we can look forward to a great Brunello a little later down the line. And by the quality of the Rosso 2019, it is clear that we have much to look forward to in 2024 when the 2019 Brunello are released.

Interesting to note is the growing number of single vineyard bottlings appearing from estates in Montalcino. These crus are valuable to the denomination. I find them to be intimate wines, their subtleties and complexities allow the consumer a greater focus on the intricacies of the Montalcino terroir. And as wine lovers, this possibility to understand a region or wine in greater detail is wonderful.

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ‘Le Due Porte’, 2016 ($175) From a 1.24-hectare vineyard, rich in albarese, 540 metres above sea level and very close to the centre of Montalcino, this is a Brunello full of flesh and crunch with oak that enhances but does not distract. Though the fruit character feels so joyously fresh and uplifting, the current beneath the surface is strong. Tightly coiled tannins impress their potential in the mouth matched with high acidity. This wine has intent to age. An authoritative Brunello.

San Polino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ‘Helichrysum’, 2016 ($110) Helichrysum is a biodynamically farmed single vineyard in the hamlet of San Polino in the south of Montalcino at an altitude of 450 metres above sea level. Swirling the wine in the glass one is immediately compelled as by fire, as the rim of the wine is the colour of flames. On the palate, a muscular shapely tannic frame is filled with densely rich black fruit, cedar spice and new leather, all of which

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sounds very dark, but there is an ethereal quality to the wine that enthrals. Drink now and enjoy - or drink in ten years or more and enjoy. There is already such pleasure to be had. Perhaps best to get a case just to keep an eye on it.

La Màgia Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ‘Ciliegio’, 2016 ($160) That bit in Ghostbusters with the phantom in the library is an amazing scene. My parents told me afterwards that ghosts do not exist, but decades on, I find they do in really top Sangiovese. The ghost is reading a book in a dusty corridor of shelves and tomes, and that perfectly suits this wine. That fabulous slightly dusty note that Sangiovese can have is here on the nose. The ghost leaves the bottle at the nose, for on the palate, the wine is full of life. It has great concentration with fruit arriving from 40-year-old vines with a naturally low vigour. There is a sensation of coolness, weightlessness about the wine, maybe driven by a certain mineral quality.

Le Ripi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ‘Amore e Magia’, 2016 ($175) I am reminded, when smelling and tasting this wine of a meeting between Master of

Wine, Nick Belfrage and pioneer, legend and (previous) winemaker at Salicutti, Francesco Leanza. Leanza comments to Nick that journalists have misunderstood the soul of Montalcino, which is “elegance, perfume, lightness of touch - not power and depth”.

Here the perfume of fresh fruit is heightened by the most subtle notes of volatile acidity.

On the palate, the wine feels featherlight in touch; the tannins are silky and carefully worked within the elegant body of the wine.

On the evidence of this wine, Le Ripi very much understands the soul of Montalcino.

Corte Pavone Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ‘Campo Marzio’, 2016 ($100) Of Corte Pavone’s “Seven Dynamic Cru”, Campo Marzio is my favourite. At his estate to the southwest of Montalcino, Hayo Loacker used infrared sensors to identify seven distinctly different single vineyard sites - seven cru. Campo Marzio has the oldest vines and enjoys a more stable, balanced microclimate than the other six. The wine is at once sturdy and sensuous. In colour, there are even some deep purple tones to the ruby reds. The texture is firm and polished and the flavour intense with pristine cherry fruit and sage. I think Gevrey-Chambertin lovers might love exploring this wine.

Lisini Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ‘Ugolaia’, 2015 ($160) Such a charming nose, but still a little closed with much still to tell. A refined and understated blockbuster if ever there was one. An intensely knit wine with finely, tightly thread tannins and acidity, fresh and ripe red and black berries, butter mint and orris root. A friend of mine who tastes wine draws a line graph to show the entry to the finish of a wine. For this wine, his image looked like waves. Ongoing rewards for those who invest in this wine for drinking come 2025.

Le Chiuse Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($85) Power and presence and vigour. Tannins are so flexed - do not be surprised if images of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger cavorting on Venice Beach spring to mind on sipping this Brunello. But unlike Schwarzenegger’s body, it doesn’t seem built or bulky. Careful cellar management is evident, for after five years, the fruit is so fresh and fragrant with the most subtle of oak notes from three years ageing in botte grande. The palate is lithe leading to a long and rigorous finish. A very classical expression.

Casa Raia Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($105) So evocative on the nose - or perhaps that should be provocative in aroma. I wanted to laugh out loud in a very silent and studious tasting room. Intriguing, tantalizing aromas - thyme and violet, black cherry and plum - heightened by a touch of volatile acidity.

Strong, flavoursome palate. Tannins are supple and engaging making you go back for another glass.

Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($125) If Disney witches made Brunello this would be that wine. The clarity and beauty of the fruit aromas and flavours are so perfectly ripe they do not seem real. Fruits of the enchanted forest are pronounced on the nose and plump and mouth filling on the palate. The palate is vibrant and juicy with broad, resounding tannins. After a sip, I did feel rather magic.

Salvioni La Cerbaiola Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($300) Luminous and transparent yet with a depth of aroma and flavour, and intrigue of texture which one might not ever get to the bottom of. A full bodied, life enhancing wine. With every swirl a different land, a new scent, flavour and sensation. So firm and gripping that the drinker is forced to engage. It is a very physical interaction between wine and wine lover. There are aromas and flavours of nori, the edible seaweed used to wrap sushi rice - salty seawater and slightly toasty.

But before I spin too far away from the source, I am drawn back by that haunting flora and fruity backdrop of violets, fennel

seed and blood orange peel, perfuming this rather umami scene. The longest finish - with further development of flavour. A wonder.

and the acidity seems to draw the fruit back into the mouth like the elastic on a catapult.

A wine with great vintage expression.

Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($93)

Capanna Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($85)

It is tricky when you get to the letter ‘C’ in an alphabetically organised tasting of over 150 wines and find you are unwilling to spit the wine out. This wine smells warm. It is a great generalisation but that warmth on the nose helps me (sometimes) to single out a Sangiovese from Montalcino. The warmth on the nose, I realise, is there in the glass also - warm reds and rusts and golds. On the palate, velvety in texture, flavours fold in structured pleats, defined by tannins that lend a sense of dynamism, of movement, of three dimensions. A wine with great nuance.

A work of Giotto that you can drink.

The exotic aromas of star anise and black tea leaf might direct the nose a little further afield than Tuscany but there is a great sense of place on the palate. Very much Mediterranean and local asserted by firm tannins, brisk enlivening acidity and more classic, familiar Sangiovese red cherry fruit flavours. Though on the long finish that exotic character reappears - a charming quirk given that the wine is from the cooler northern side of Montalcino in the zone of Montosoli.

Agostina Pieri Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($75)

A young winemaker at an old, established winery situated in the southern part of Montalcino. When it was established in 1965, Caprili was one of less than 20 wineries in Montalcino. The wines express their warmer site with aromas of baked fruit - grilled plums dusted with golden sugar. The sweet notes are charming. They encourage easy drinking or perhaps it is simply that the wine exhibits such equilibrium on the palate, nothing is out of line. I might have dissolved into the wine were it not for the assertion of the tannins on the finish, which are particularly and enjoyably feisty. One must return to the glass to keep things sweet.

Deliciously fruity and full bodied - plums and black cherries marry with sweet wood vanilla, nutmeg spices and incense smoke. Fleshy berry fruit is punctured with high acidity. A dazzling dance, a merry communion between wine, sweet wood spices and incense smoke.

Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($130) A classic producer, in a classic vintage...

I was expecting restraint and elegance, and I enjoyed a robust and vibrant wine, a characterful classic. Crunchy, inky summer fruits with balancing high acidity. Imagine a handful of fresh cranberries appeased by ripe-to-bursting raspberries. These fruits are met with chalky tannins and oak that lends support without getting too involved in the conversation. Hearty and friendly and fine.

What a beautiful combination.

Il Paradiso di Manfredi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($210) “Thrillingly alive” is how I’ve heard this wine often described. In 2016, that description sure is relevant. The nose has a sensation of heat to it - of sun warmed skin, baked plum and sweet and savoury spice. And the palate has a wonderful fluidity. It does not feel compact there is some space in between the notes, like some master musician at work handling the pauses. But there is intensity of flavour, and tannins are neat and engaging. You simply get the impression that this is a wine made under the instruction of the vineyard, of the fruit, with a very obedient and ego-free winemaker managing its élevage.

Casanuova delle Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($80) There is so much potential energy here.

The wine seems neonatal, not even in its infancy, but the structure is in place for a great development of this wine. Tannins, like scaffolding, support dense, furled sweet fruit,

Caprili Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($80)

Máté Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($80) My son is into space and the planets. We have a LOT of stuff on Saturn. Looking into the glass of Máté Brunello, in the amber rim circling the ruby core, I saw Saturn - the planet named after the Roman god of agriculture. Rightly, I thought that things should take a cosmic turn when tasting this wine (whose organic vineyards were designed by Gaja’s agronomist). There is always a note of expanse to Máté’s Brunello, a great spectrum of aromas and flavours. There is something painterly, layered and detailed about the texture and composition of this Sangiovese.

The palate is orderly and controlled. Fruit entwines carefully with oak, compact sweet tannins and refreshing acidity. Finish is long and complex.

RECOMMENDED

Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ‘Vigna Loreto’, 2016 ($150) A charismatic, well bred, playful and powerful wine from a single vineyard Brunello cru - Vigna Loreto. It should absolutely be laid down and enjoyed at least in 2026, but damn it is fun to spar with now. Such a mouthful of wine, succulent and lip smacking, heady and rich, and revelling in its southern exposure on the southwest of Montalcino, sheltered by Monte Amiata.

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Baricci Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($115) The Baricci family famously have all their vineyards on the hill of Montosoli, a hill to the north of the town of Montalcino. The soil is predominantly marl, light in clay. An historic Brunello cru...some might say Grand Cru. I would agree. This Brunello shows the typicity of Montosoli - elegant, austere with high levels of refined tannins and bracing acidity that seems to draw out the mineral notes in the wine.

ROSSO DI MONTALCINO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Casanova di Neri Rosso di Montalcino DOC ‘Giovanni Neri’, 2019 ($65) A resplendent Rosso, super substantial, made from the fruit of 40-year-old vines and aged for 13 months in French oak tonneau. Very subtle minty notes on the nose and palate are here in this Rosso. Generous fruit on the palate with austerity lent by those firm, oak enhanced tannins.

Camigliano Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($80)

Sesti Rosso di Montalcino DOC, 2019 ($55)

From one of the earliest producers of Brunello di Montalcino, this is a beautifully harmonious wine. There are peachy tones to the rim of the ruby wine. Attractive fruity scents combine with notes of almond and rose. The wine washes cleanly across the palate with plenty of pertinent acidity. Rich in flavour but not heavy in body. A very drinkable and appetising Brunello.

This wine is everything. The epitome to me of Italian wine - savoury and sweet, heart breaking and heartful, Sangiovese at its most human and divine. There is great breadth to the palate, expansive as Sangiovese can be particularly here in the southern reaches of Montalcino where the salty sea wind from the Tyrrhenian can be felt, and where cloud and rain are kept at bay by ever watchful Monte Amiata. Warm and hearty. To be glugged when times are challenging and sipped when more serene.

Argiano Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($75) With HB pencil shavings (always a nostalgic note) and blackberry fruit, this wine shows the ripeness and power of the southerly situated sites. Tannins are ripe and soft lending a silky, creamy texture to the wine yet still there is that pleasurable Sangiovese chew.

Albatreti Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($95) Just as there is perfume of subtle florals, essential oil of lavender, jasmine tea, delicate sweet spices and nervous acidity, there is intense black cherry and black olive brine flavours and imposing tannins. Gaetano Salvioni has managed to bottle Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski in one bottle. Potent, nervous and dramatic, this might enjoy some time to mellow... though it depends upon what you look for in a performance.

La Fornace Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($75) A great BOOM of a Brunello, a timpani rumble that resonates across the palate and rings in your ears. Glowing and warmly scented, hearty and fruity with campfire embers and dried porcini, toast and roasted coffee bean.

There is high toned red fruit too, cheerfully elbowing oak notes into submission.

Altesino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2016 ($65) Pronounced aromas of fresh morello cherries and five spice translate to equally fresh fruit flavours on the palate. Salivating and juicy, the fruit character is pneumatic. There are zero signs of age to this wine, not a tertiary note in sight, not a wrinkle to the tannins.

Brimming with youthful energy. Drink with old friends for balance.

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Mastrojanni Rosso di Montalcino DOC, 2019 ($35) The Rosso category is such a great way to know estates whose Brunellos are usually best after eight to ten years of age. I find Mastrojanni’s Brunellos incredibly age worthy, but I cannot afford the space (or the Brunello!) to wait for the wine. So, for now, this Rosso is my access point. Summer fruits on the nose with hints of spice from ageing in large French oak barrels, creamy in texture and compact in tannin, this is a smart Rosso that would even benefit from decanting.

Salvioni La Cerbaiola Rosso di Montalcino DOC, 2019 ($105) There is a tomato tang and meaty density about this impressive Rosso that reminded me of one of the best quotes ever on the essence of Italy. New York restaurateur Franny Stephens defines it as “anchovies and sausage and tomatoes and salinity”. There is of course ample fruit - brambly and fresh, and with food this sweet fruit becomes even more apparent. One of the most expensive Rosso from Montalcino but really a great gift to self!

Agostina Pieri Rosso di Montalcino DOC, 2019 ($35) A tasty salinity to this Rosso tempers the bright and sweet fruitiness. Tannins are firm but softened by 12 months in a mix of large Slavonian oak casks and French barriques. A structured, thoughtful Rosso.

San Polino Rosso di Montalcino DOC, 2019 ($40) Light, bright and juicy with a slim frame, brilliant colour of blue toned reds, high acidity and slight sinewy tannins. Very drinkable and food friendly, this could even be lightly chilled to suit a picnic lunch. Much, much lighter in complexity and density than the Brunello. A sensical Rosso.

Baricci Rosso di Montalcino DOC, 2019 ($50) Beautiful! A precise and perfumed exceptional Rosso, it hits the target so perfectly with focused acidity, active appetising tannins and plenty of fruit. Really a delight to drink.

Fossacolle Rosso di Montalcino DOC, 2019 ($32) Of the 4 hectares of vineyards within this family run estate in Tavarnelle, 1.5 hectares are for Rosso. The attention and care that is given to the Brunello is evidently lavished on the Rosso also, for this is a really charming wine. Fragrant, flavoursome and supple with a clean, persistent finish. I’m not sure you can ask for much more!!

Emily O’Hare left her job in August 2014 as head sommelier and wine buyer at London’s The River Cafe to participate in the grape harvest in Italy. After a magical party on Monte Amiata she decided to stay in Italy with the casanovas and courtesans she had met at the (fancy dress) party. Based now in Siena, Emily is certified as a Vinitaly International Academy Italian Wine Ambassador and writes for several publications on Italian wine. She also organises bespoke wine tours of Tuscany and teaches the WSET programme from beginners Level 1 to the more intensive Level 3.

The Buying Guide All wines listed are recommended by our experienced panel of tasters. Each wine is rated based on its varietal character, representation of style and/or region, balance and price-quality ratio. Readers should assess these, and all wines, using the same criteria. Browse our experts’ tasting notes to find the wines that may appeal to your taste or pique your interest to try something new. After all, one of the best parts about wine is the discovery. The prices listed are approximate retail prices and will likely vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. A large number of these wines can be purchased across Canada and the USA, so check with your local private wine store or liquor board for availability.

Our tasters are Tony Aspler (TA), Gurvinder Bhatia (GB), Michelle Bouffard (MB), Michaela Morris (MM), Tim Pawsey (TP), Christopher Sealy (CS), Donatella Dicca (DD), Christine Sismondo (CSO) and Robin LeBlanc (RL).

STELLAR VALUES (Buy by the Case):

Troupis Fteri Moschofilero Peloponnese PGI, 2019, Peloponnese Greece ($17)

Nicolas Grosbois Chinon AOC ‘La Cuisine de ma Mère’, 2020, Loire France ($19)

Incredible values that overdeliver with respect to their quality/ price ratios. Ideal for everyday drinking and entertaining. Wines in this category retail for less than $25.

Mochofilero is in the family of ‘gris’ grapes – pink-skinned grapes that are capable of making naturally coloured rosé, sparkling, off-dry and semi-aromatic wines.

Raised at altitude in the heart of Mantinea, Troupis fashions a wine of rose petal, lychee, bergamot citrus perfume, with hints of white tropical fruit. The palate, despite the aromatics, is dry with a notion of candied rose petal, citrus and pear. One of the ambassador grapes for Wines of Greece. (CS)

Light body with crisp acid and vibrant notes of fresh crushed raspberries lifted by an herbal touch. Refreshing and thirst quenching, this wine has everything to fit the #glouglou category. Serve slightly chilled and enjoy with charcuteries and pâtés. (MB)

Thalia Rosé Crete PGI, 2020, Crete Greece ($11) An unusual blend of native Cretan varieties, Kotsifali and Mandilaria. Bright, coppery-salmon in colour; minerally, wild strawberry nose; light to medium-bodied, dry, cranberry, redcurrant and strawberry flavours carried on lemony acidity and a floral note.

Good length and great value. (TA)

Maculan Pinot Grigio Veneto IGT, 2019, Veneto Italy ($16) This is what Pinot Grigio should taste like!

There are too many insipid wines in this category that lack character and energy. Pale straw in colour; a nose of white peach and lemon with a mineral note. Light to medium-bodied, dry; white peach and Mirabelle plum flavours with a lemony finish. (TA)

Navarro Lopez Granrojo Rojo Garnacha Castilla VdlT, 2020, Castilla-La Mancha Spain ($16) Fresh, accessible, and balanced with bright red fruit, soft tannins, good character and pleasantly easy to drink without being simplistic. The ideal party wine and so much better than the swill served at most hotel banquets and receptions. (GB)

Sophenia Altosur Cabernet Sauvignon Gualtallary Uco Valley, 2019, Mendoza Argentina ($17) I’ve always been impressed with Cabernet Sauvignon coming from the Uco Valley and this wine reminds me why. In style, it sits somewhere between Bordeaux and Argentina. Full body with an elegant palate that combines the rich cassis and chocolate notes with a touch of graphite and green bell pepper. Fine, firm and ripe tannins. Outstanding value. Perfect for steak. (MB)

De Angelis Rosso Piceno DOC, 2019, Marche Italy ($18) Without question, some of the best value wines in the world are grown in Italy’s Marche region. Located on the east-central coast along the Adriatic, Marche is still predominantly rural with a strong agricultural spirit.

The Rosso Piceno is all about freshness and flavour with ripe meaty cherry fruit and a hint of smokiness. A blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. Always a tremendous value. (GB)

Weingut Pittnauer Pitti, 2019, Burgenland Austria ($18) (Blaufränkisch 50 %, Zweigelt 50 %) Dry with medium body and juicy savory notes of blue plum, dark cherries and black liquorish.

Crunchy tannins give a nice structure. Made for burger night. (MB)

Laurenz V. Singing Grüner Veltliner, 2019, Niederöstereich Austria ($19) Vibrant with thirst quenching notes of lime, lemon and pink grapefruit. The slight spritz adds freshness. The perfect wine to serve at the aperitif when you are having people over.

A crowd pleaser. (MB)

Nicolas Baptiste Les Tète Blanche, n/v, Vin de France ($19) (Chenin Blanc 34%, Roussanne 33%, Sauvignon Blanc 33%) An improbable blend that leaves you wanting more. Dry, fresh and juicy with crisp acidity and aromas of green apple, Meyer lemon and a touch of melon and marzipan. Nice creamy texture coming from the lees contact. Just as suited for an aperitif as it is with white fish simply prepared with butter and white wine. (MB)

Accornero Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese DOC ‘Bricco del Bosco’, 2019, Piedmont Italy ($20) An ancient grape, Grignolino was once recognized as an aristocratic wine. Alas, it fell out of favour and is only thanks to a handful of producers – like Accornero – who are restoring it to its former glory. Scents of pepper, cranberry and strawberry lead to a pretty, red-fruited palate where red currant and flowers coalesce. It’s juicy, clean and mouth cleansing with a lightness of texture and slender scratchy tannins. Absolutely glug-able with salumi. (MM)

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Fort Berens Rosé Lillooet VQA, 2020, British Columbia Canada ($20) Made with 100 percent Lillooet grown fruit, this rosé is a blend of Pinot Noir as well as Cabernet Franc and Merlot from the winery’s new Red Rock vineyard, planted in 2018. The Pinot character comes through nicely, with up front red berry aromas and a vibrant, juicy cherry, raspberry and melon toned palate.

Fruit driven but overall kept appealingly dry and gently tart. Eminently sip-able but also very food friendly, as in ‘bring me anything, from cold cuts to grilled salmon.’ (TP)

Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay Okanagan Valley VQA, 2019, British Columbia Canada ($20) I tasted this wine blind and thought it was from the Mâcon region in Burgundy. Proud to find out that it is from my backyard. Beautiful Burgundian nose with notes of butter, hazelnuts and vanilla in symbiosis with lemon.

Medium body with pleasant creamy texture and bright acid cutting through richness.

Truly impressed by this wine! Pan-seared scallops, lobster or roasted chicken? A bottle for each meal. (MB)

Rascallion Wines - With Love from The Cape Chenin Blanc, 2019, Western Cape South Africa ($20) Flamboyant label will compel or repel but the juice inside the bottle is confirmed delish.

Lemon and lemon balm, bay leaf and ripe apple, this is light and zippy with a steely edge. All very thirst-quenching right down to the juicy finish. (MM)

Val des Rois Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Valréas AOC, 2019, Rhône France ($20) Medium body with fresh notes of red plum, cassis and violet and fine tannins. Not overly complex but harmonious, elegant and comforting. Easy to drink on its own but suited for game meat or rack of lamb. (MB)

Morisfarms Morellino di Scansano DOCG, 2018, Tuscany Italy ($20) I am a long-time fan of Morisfarms and this vintage does not let me down. Simple yet very charming with notes of cherries and cinnamon lifted by bright acid with medium dusty tannins. The perfect wine for a pizza night. (MB)

Alta Alella GX Garnatxa Catalunya DO, 2019, Cataluña Spain ($21)

This organic wine from Alta Alella is their ‘Sea Series’ - focused on old vine vineyards adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea on sand and granite soils. The result is a wine of pomegranate, to soft sweet cherry fruit, with freshly picked field raspberry and strawberry.

Almost feels like what naturally made ‘RED CRUSH SODA’ would taste like for adults.

The palate gives way to the charm of warm

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climate Garnatxa/Grenache, with red licorice and nibs. This an easy Tuesday night wine that will take you to Spain, just outside of Barcelona. (CS)

A&D Vinho Verde DOC ‘LIV’, 2020, Baião Portugal ($22) Aromatic, bright, fresh and playful, well balanced with lively fruit, acidity and minerality, easy and enjoyable. A well made blend of Avesso and Arinto, indigenous varieties to the region. (DD)

Domaine de la Rochette Côte Roannaise AOC ‘La Rochette’, 2019, Loire France ($22) Cru Beaujolais is often my go-to for an everyday red. This is a great substitute!

Also made from 100% Gamay but from the lesser-known appellation Côte Roannaise.

Light on its feet with soft silky tannins and abundant juicy notes of wild strawberries and cherries. Best served slightly chilled. Just as suited to grilled tuna or salmon as it is to veal, pork or chicken. Dangerously easy to drink.

(MB)

The Winery of Good Hope Chenin Blanc ‘Bush Vine’, 2020, Stellenbosch South Africa ($23) Quite lively with lots of citrus and spice, balanced with bright acidity and a tight focus, a very accessible wine that doesn’t lack in quality or character. (DD)

Finca Decero Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Remolinos Vineyard’, 2017, Mendoza Argentina ($24) Truly one of the best Cabernet Sauvignons for the dollar available on the market. The high elevation at which the grapes are grown result in an elegant, multi-dimensional and layered wine with lovely balance, aromas and flavours of black and red fruit, spice and a touch of graphite, velvety tannins and a long, lifted finish. (GB)

OFF THE WALL (Absolutely worth a shot): Unique, distinct, interesting wines from lesser-known grape varieties or regions that are worth tasting because they are that good. Don’t bypass them because they may be unfamiliar or judge them by the first taste.

These are well made wines and your palate deserves to give them a shot even if it takes a little time to get to know them.

Sandhill Sovereign Opal Okanagan Valley VQA, 2019, British Columbia Canada ($17) A uniquely Canadian wine and a rarity, this variety is a cross of Golden Muscat and Marechal Foch. Believed to be the only planting in Canada, it comes from the pioneering Casorso Family Vineyard in South Kelowna, where many of the vines date from 1981.

Aromas of orchard and stone fruits lead to a luscious palate of tropical tones, citrus and nectarine. Nicely balanced fruit and acidity.

Truly a glass of Okanagan sunshine! (TP)

Zsirai Furmint, 2017, Tokaji Hungary ($27) Such an interesting and well made wine showing hay, mineral, laser focus and a briny saltiness. The two sisters, Petra and Kata, have carried on what their father began and are bringing attention back to a region that is not new to wine production, but quality and deveopment was stagnated from decades of communist rule. The purity and elegance of Zsirai’s wines are showing the quality that is once again being grown and bringing attention back to this historic region. Start shucking the oysters. (GB)

Moon Curser Arneis Okanagan Valley VQA, 2020, British Columbia Canada ($27) A hard-to-find variety in the Okanagan, fruit comes from the winery’s estate vineyard on Osoyoos’ East Bench at the foot of Anarchist Mountain. Floral and herbal notes precede a well-textured, mouth-filling palate of apple and pear with kiwi hints, mineral and spice undertones through a lengthy, gently edgy close hinting at brine. Well balanced with forward fruit kept well in check by a streak of acidity. Liable to induce cravings for at least a dozen fresh oysters on the half shell, scallops with cream sauce or a slice of Manchego or well-aged Cheddar. (TP)

Domaine Alzipratu Corse-Calvi AOC ‘Fiumeseccu’, 2019, Corsica France ($30) This wine is combined elements of Niellucciu, Sciaccarello, Grenache and Syrah. If you never had Mediterranean Island wine, this could be the wine to break that bubble. Sourced from granitic soils on the north edge of Corsica.

Expect sun-kissed fruit aroma, vibrant in the way red Kool-Aid comes across, with a dash of sea salt. There is a sense of garrigue as the environment is rather an extension of South France. The palate is supple with joyful ripe red berry fruit and more garrigue-esque flavours. It is not at all ‘heavy’. Be ready for a slap of acidity – it all there keeping the fruit in check. This is a wine of place. France has many faces – this one is a hybrid of cultures - Spanish, French and Italian - all in one great island red. (CS)

Grey Gardens Skin Fermented White Niagara Peninsula VQA, 2019, Ontario Canada ($373.80/12-bottle case) Private label from Toronto’s Grey Gardens restaurant goes public. This skin contact Pinot Gris is appropriately brassy in hue with orange, strawberry and subtle tea notes on a leesy backdrop. A modest 10.5% alcohol makes this extra easy to drink as does the refreshing prickle on the finish. Available by the case only through Tawse winery’s online store. $5.50/bottle goes towards the Encampment Support Network which assists people living in encampments in Toronto. (MM)

Prieler Weisburgunder Liethaberg DAC, 2017, Burgenland Austria ($37) This wine exhibits a very fine aromatic profile of yellow-golden apple, peach skin and apricot with a lick of citrus and wet stone. Lees add a depth of pear and nuttiness. Palate opens with richness, more of that orchard and stone fruit, with pear nectar to add. Complex and seriously good.

Weissburgunder aka Pinot Blanc is a ‘clonal variation’ of Pinot Noir. Some examples don’t live up to the presumed reputation of lineage.

In the hands of Prieler, this grape presents a sublime expression that we should look out for. (CS)

Casale del Giglio Biancolella, Lazio IGT ‘Faro della Guardia’, 2019, Lazio Italy ($40) The obscure but lovely Biancolella grape was born on Campania’s island of Ischia. It now grows in the neighbouring region of Lazio exclusively on the island of Ponza. Clearly it thrives in Mediterranean seaside climes where it bears a salty backbone proudly.

Pink grapefruit and apricot are inflected with thyme and flint. Rich and round, this glides smoothly across the palate leaving a piney, sappy wake. (MM)

Fratelli Alessandria Verduno Pelaverga DOC ‘Speziale’, 2019, Piedmont Italy ($40) Verduno may be one of Barolo’s lesser-known villages, but it has a secret weapon up its sleeve: the charming and joyful Pelaverga grape. Fratelli Alessandria makes one of the finest examples. Uber fresh raspberry accented by white pepper and rose with ginger and cinnamon joining in on the lithesome palate.

Very fine, almost barely-there tannins. This is a super red to pair with exotic ethnic cuisine. (MM)

Moon Curser Dead of Night Okanagan Valley VQA, 2017, British Columbia Canada ($43) Known for growing varieties considered ‘off the wall’ for the Okanagan, Moon Curser has contributed greatly to the reality of the region’s actual ability to grow a diverse range of grapes versus the general perception of what should be possible. This blend of Syrah

and Tannat is juicy, meaty, firmly tannic with an abundance of black fruit, peppery notes and an appealing tartness. It is balanced and interesting, structured yet very approachable.

Cheers to nonconformity. All I need now is a bison ribeye. (GB)

Henry Marionnet Touraine AOC ‘Renaissance’, 2019, Loire France ($44) The back label asks: what did they drink in the 16th century during the Renaissance?

Marionnet proposes a wine from ungrafted vines and no added sulfur. This is made from Gamay, on its own rootstock of course. It’s clean but thrillingly wild, like diving headfirst into a tangle of summer berries and flowers you’d find growing in the forest. Sumptuous and fresh with a ton of personality. (MM)

Quinta das Cerejeiras Grande Reserva Óbidos DOC, 2016, Lisboa Portugal ($47) For the Burgundy lover who thinks they have everything... From the obscure denomination of Óbidos, this blend of Chardonnay, Arinto and Vital is partially fermentation in French oak barrels. The nose offers lemon curd on buttered toast with grilled almonds, wood spice and pineapple. It suggests a big rich white, but this is by no means fat. In fact, the palate is searing and steely and nuanced by a briny, salted almond kiss. (MM)

Gulfi Nerojbleo Terre Siciliane IGT, 2017, Sicily Italy ($52) Nero d’Avola is the main red grape of Sicily and has the ability to make stunning wines, but for many years it was misunderstood because too many producers tried to overripen it or mask it with too much oak or overpower it with international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Nero d’Avola does have the ability to translate the character of the sites in which it is grown, much like Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo and Gulfi was one of the first producers to show the versatility of the grape.

The wine’s aromas are filled with a purity of crushed red fruit, spice and fresh herbs which carry through to the palate. The tannins are juicy yet firm and the wine possess an incredible freshness and mouth-watering salinity. Versatile enough for seafood or red meat and everything in between. (DD)

Gulfi Carricante Terre Siciliane IGT ‘Carjcanti’, 2016, Sicily Italy ($62) Italian white wines are often underestimated, but the incredible freshness, depth and complexity of this wine should change those minds. This is fresh and juicy with stature, complexity and multi-layers of apple, citrus, mint and herbs, firm acidity with a long and juicy finish. Delicious when young, but has the ability to age for several years like a great Riesling. A great wine with shellfish and white meat, but also versatile enough for a multitude of globally-inspired cuisines and possesses enough structure to pair nicely with a steak. (DD)

Birichino Mourvedre Old Vines-Vignes Centenaires Lime Kiln Valley AVA ‘Enz Vineyard’, 2019, Central Coast California USA ($82) Wow, wow, what a delightful wine, elegant, refreshing, pure cherry and plum fruit flavours, juicy, grippy tannins, perfect balance between acidity, fruit and structure, leaning to bright and crushable with fresh, stony mineral that collectively all enhance the wine’s drinkability and enjoyment. Once again, the wines of Birichino prove that a wine doesn’t have to punch you in the face to be significant and great. (GB)

Prieler Blaufrankisch Liethaberg DAC, 2015, Burgenland Austria ($88) A wine still showing youthful plum, black and blue currant, with licorice, roasted fennel seed and light scented herbs of the garden.

The oak integration gives a nice lift to all of this before moving into the palate of blue fruit and forest berry to herbal energy. Feels like fresh black kale and chard with clove or cardamom – a very fine and polished expression of this grape from one of the more energetic protagonists of the region. If you want an adventure away from Burgundy and Beaujolais – take this trip along the Danube to East Austria. (CS)

CELLAR-WORTHY (Rewarding patience): Wines that will not only benefit from some time in your cellar, but will evolve, develop and reward those with patience. Cellaring times are recommendations only and optimal drinking windows will depend on each individual wine lover’s personal preference.

La Ferme du Mont Gigondas AOC ‘Jugunda’, 2017, Rhône France ($34) When you first taste this wine, you might wonder why I am telling you to hold on. It is so enjoyable right now! But my years of experience with this Gigondas has shown me that if you wait 6-9 years, the wine reveals an extra layer of depth and complexity. Rich with ripe tannins, generous notes of black olives, blackberries and dried herbs, and wet stone underneath. The freshness is impressive considering the region and the alcohol level of 14.5%. Once again, the talented Stéphane Vedeau crafts an elegant wine that belies the hot climes of the Southern Rhône. (MB)

La Colombera Colli Tortonesi DOC Derthona, 2019, Piedmont Italy ($35) In southeast Piedmont, the hills of Tortona are making a name for themselves with the local Timorasso grape. Elise Semino FALL 2021

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at La Colombera was among the early champions leading its revival. She crafts a textbook example that demonstrates this white’s complexity, structure and ageability.

Pronounced peach is backed up by white blossoms and a flinty minerality. Full without packing any excess weight this is balanced by laser-sharp acidity and a tactile, textural mouthfeel. I recommend investing in a few bottles and cracking them over the next 5 to 7 years. (MM)

1 Mill Road Pinot Noir Naramata Bench Okanagan Valley VQA, 2019, British Columbia Canada ($50) Former Laughing Stock owners, David and Cynthia Enns are now following their true passion - the quest for perfect Pinot. Grapes are sourced from their home property, on a glacially formed bluff above the lake.

Fermented and aged in large French oak as well as neutral barrels, this second release invites with cherry, leather and earthy hints followed by a plush but precise palate of dark cherry and strawberry. Wrapped in silky, well integrated tannins with a touch of spice and a definite savoury streak through the close.

Layered and nuanced, this wine will continue to develop over the next few years. (TP)

Intersection Estate Winery Axiom, 2015, British Columbia Canada ($50) From one of few Okanagan wineries that holds back its releases to benefit the consumer. A blend of Oliver estate Merlot and Cabernet Franc with Osoyoos sourced Cabernet Sauvignon. Forward notes of red and black ripe berry fruits, with intense cassis and pepper hints, lead to dark plum, cherry and cedar notes on the palate. The broad mouthfeel is wrapped in structured but well integrated tannins and underpinned by a streak of mineral and spice through a lengthy end. Superb finesse, from a stellar vintage.

Very approachable now but also truly age worthy. Think prime rib, serious barbecue cuts or strong, ripe cheeses. (TP)

Capezzana Toscana IGT ‘Ugo Contini Bonacossi’, 2016, Tuscany Italy ($67) This is one of the most iconic wineries in Tuscany you have never heard about. The Carmignano DOC, just 1 hour northwest of Chianti Classico in the foothills of the Apennine mountains, is where this estate makes all of its Sangiovese based wines. On clay, schist and limestone soils, this wine is Sangiovese true and true, with tart black cherry, sweet rose-floral notes, orange peel, cacao and minted chocolate. In fewer words, the aroma is elegance and power which translates to the palate in a very fine way. It can be hard to explain how Sangiovese, when done well - there is an intensity of structure that is very fine yet poised and immovable. A great example of Tuscan Sangiovese that one should seek. This bottling is produced only in ‘good to great’ vintages. (CS)

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Stonestreet Estate Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley AVA, 2016, Sonoma County California USA ($68) Harmonious, elegant and well constructed with dark fruit, spice and eucalyptus on the nose, complex, rich, concentrated and integrated red and black fruit flavours with spice, anise, cocoa, well integrated tannins, fresh acidity and lengthy finish. Should develop nicely in the cellar over the next decade. (GB)

Chiara Condello Romagna Sangiovese Predappio DOC Riserva ‘Le Lucciole’, 2016, Emilia-Romagna Italy ($95) One of Italy’s brightest young stars is Chiara Condello. After only a few vintages, Condello is already wowing wine lovers with the quality and purity of her wines. She represents the future of Sangiovese in Romagna. There is an incredible freshness and purity to this wine, with cherry, earth, fresh herbs and slightly dusty tannins that are elegant and firmly focussed all the way to the bright, persistent, mineral-packed finish. It will be a pleasure to see how this develops and evolves over the next 5-8 years. A stunning wine and destined to become a benchmark for Romagna Sangiovese. (DD)

Familia Torres Priorat DOQ ‘Cos Perpetual’, 2017, Cataluña Spain ($100) A blend of Cariñena and Garnacha Tinta.

Dense purple-ruby colour; black raspberry nose with oak spice and dark chocolate notes. Full-bodied, savoury, black fruit flavours with ripe tannins and lively acidity.

Firmly structured. A wine that will cellar for a decade. (TA)

Roland Lavantureux Chablis Grand Cru ‘Vaudesir’ AOC, 2018, Burgundy France ($110) Pretty though demure, the nose hints at mandarin, meadow blossom and smoked almond. Very succulent, the palate shows deft use of oak and a firm backbone. Finishes with wet stone. Tuck this away for another four or five years. It has a solid 15 years of serious drinking pleasure. (MM)

Palladino Barolo DOCG Riserva ‘S. Bernardo’, 2013, Piedmont Italy ($136) One of the classic houses from Serralunga d’Alba and perhaps one of the most understated, but the quality of Palladino’s wines should not be overlooked. This Riserva brings everything to the table – intensity, elegance, perfume, fruit, savoury, structure, finesse, personality and style all packaged together seamlessly in a wine that will continue to age well and develop over the next 10-15 years, although it opens up beautifully now with some time in a decanter. So delicious, but the layers will continue to evolve. (DD)

TOP SUSTAINABLE WINE PICKS: Sustainability refers to social, economic and environmental practises. It is important to understand that it is a process and journey rather than a finite destination. No one is perfect and we make no claims as to the degree to which the practises of these producers align with varying global standards, guidelines and certifications. But, the wines selected for this category are from producers who appear engaged in sustainable practices and, in the opinion of the reviewers, deserve recognition. Of course, they also taste great.

Viña Chocalan Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, 2020, Maipo Valley Chile ($16) Green pepper and sweet pea offset tropical passion fruit with some wet stone lurking in the background. This refreshing and zippy little number is straightforward but with ample personality and flavour to satisfy die-hard Sauvignon Blanc fans. Definitely a ‘stellar value’ contender. Chocalan was one of the first companies to gain Wine of Chile’s certification for sustainability through reducing energy and water, recycling dry goods, using lightweight bottles made primarily from recycled glass and contracting local workers and suppliers to support the surrounding community. (MM)

Muré Sylvaner Alsace AOC ‘Originel’, 2018, Alsace France ($19) Dry and rich yet balanced by crisp acidity and minerality. Generous notes of yellow plum, honey, red apple and red currants. So much character and made for the table. A natural with quiche Lorraine and washed rind cheeses. (MB)

Parés Baltà Brut Cava, n/v, Cataluña Spain ($20) Third generation family owned Parés Baltà has been farming organically for 40 years and Demeter certified for biodynamic viticulture since 2012. The vineyards are a model of biodiversity and irrigation is strictly avoided even though it is permitted by DO regulations. As for the Cava, it could easily be my house sparkling. Subtle hints of toast, mocha and nougat mingle with lemon and almond. Light and airy with effortless, creamy bubbles, this is simply a joy to drink. (MM)

Filipa Pato & William Wouters BicalArinto Vinho Branco DOC ‘D.N.M.C.’, 2019, Bairrada Portugal ($32) The D.N.M.C “Dinâmica” is a blend of 80% Bical and 20% Arinto harvested from a selection of vineyards throughout the region.

The wine has a fresh, linear backbone of acidity, fleshed out with pear, spice, fresh herbs, and a juicy salinity. Immense drinkability and a great match for shellfish, sushi and salads.

Pato/Wouters follow biodynamic practices and only work with the indigenous grapes of Bairrada. (DD)

Filipa Pato & William Wouters Baga Vinho Tinto DOC ‘D.N.M.C’, 2019, Bairrada Portugal ($32) The red companion to the D.N.M.C white, the wine is 100% Baga from different vineyard sites throughout the region, blended together for complexity, and highlights the drinkability, fruit driven character and juicy tannins that Baga can display, but often does not particularly from the hands of less attentive wine growers. Really fresh, vibrant and inviting, with loads of crunchy red fruit, spice and herbs, firm but soft-ish tannins and lingering finish. Give it a little air when you first open the bottle (ie decant) just to allow the wine to lose some of the reductive character which is common for Baga when not aged in oak. (DD)

Meinklang Graupert Pinot Gris, 2019, Burgenland Austria ($35) A little hazy in the glass with a pretty salmon core and a bit of sediment. Beautiful nose with bitter aromas of orange and pink grapefruit peel mingling with delicate balsamic notes. Dry and savoury with a medium body and firm chalky tannins. Quenches the thirst and truly shines with root vegetable dishes.

I enjoyed it with Yottam Otolenghi’s roasted baby carrots with harissa recipe and it was divine. (MB)

La Cuadrilla Ballard Canyon AVA ‘Stolpman Vineyards’, 2019, Santa Barbara California USA ($40) La Cuadrilla is overseen by the Stolpman vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano who employs his workers year-round for job stability. Each is given a plot to cultivate so they can hone their farming skills and profits from the wine are divided among the vineyard crew. Built on a backbone of Syrah with Grenache and Sangiovese, the 2019 bursts with mint and dark bramble fruit.

Smooth and curvaceous with plush tannins giving a bit of grip on the backend. This pops fresh plum. (MM)

Il Palazzone Rosso del Palazzone ‘Lot 21’, n/v, Tuscany Italy ($40) Declassified Brunello, Lot 21 is based on Sangiovese from 2019 with support from 2018 and 2020. It captures the freshness of pure

crunchy summer berries with forest earthiness framed by mellowed, approachable tannins. Kudos to this winery for switching to lightweight bottles, renouncing single use plastic and polystyrene, using recycled packaging, recovering rainwater and stopping this wine with a recyclable sugar-cane cork.

(MM)

Feudo Montoni Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC ‘Lagnusa’, 2018, Sicily Italy ($42) Owner Fabio Sireci calls Feudo Montoni “an island within an island” because it is located at elevation in the centre of Sicily. This characterization describes not just the winery’s remote location, but the isolation of its vineyards due to the massive fields of durum wheat that have surrounded Montoni for the past several centuries. The winery farms organically and organics (organic in Italian is biologico and bios means life) is a philosophy that Sireci believes extends beyond agriculture and to the people of the region, giving them the possibility to work and providing them with a sense of purpose and pride. The Nero d’Avola vines in the ‘Lagnusa’ vineyard are an average of 35 year old and have been grafted from the ‘Vrucara’ vineyard which consists of century old pre-phylloxera vines.

By utilizing this method, Montoni is able to maintain the unique character of the estate.

The wine is perfumed and elegant with loads of cherry, blackberry and plum, spice, mint, mineral and a long, bright, lasting finish. (GB)

Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Ruppertsberger ‘Gaisböhl’ G.C., 2016, Pfalz Germany ($63) One of Germany’s first wineries to convert to biodynamics - all 85 hectares. They made mistakes but stuck with it and helped others convert too. An estate monopoly, the Grand Cru Gaisböhl is intense and focused with spice, preserved lemon and mineral-like stony aromas. Dry and racy, it expands across the palate with textural, mouth filling precision and lingers with salted peach.

Thrilling and age worthy! (MM)

Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut Champagne AOC, n/v, Champagne France ($90) This Pinot Noir-led Champagne is rich and toasty offering appetizing brioche, pie crust and baked apple nuances. A commanding yet elegant Champagne with layers and depth brought to the fore by fine, persistent bubbles. Bollinger was first Champagne house to receive both the Haute Valeur Environnementale certification in 2012 and the Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne certification in 2014 reducing their carbon footprint through waste management and switching from fuel to electric. (MM)

QUENCH HOUSE WINES: What the editors and writers of Quench are drinking at home and why.

Paolo Conterno Dolcetto d’Alba DOC ‘L’Alto’, 2018, Piedmont Italy ($20) Right when you put your nose in the glass, the intoxicating aromas transport you to Piedmont - place speaks first. A touch rustic but so much soul! This could be, without a doubt, my new house wine. Dry with medium body and generous notes of bright red cherries, red plum and a touch of tar. Dusty tannins give just enough structure to make this wine an ideal candidate for beef tartare or spaghetti ragù. (MB)

Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Frizzante ‘Piria’, n/v, Emilia-Romagna Italy ($22) This is the summer fling I couldn’t give up.

It has a permanent place in my fridge, ready for anyone who drops by for the apertivo.

Depending on your disposition, this might be a bit deficient in colour, but I call it cranberry red. It tastes like cranberries too, and red currants and violets with mouth cleansing bubbles and tangy acidity. What I love about this most is the smile it puts on everyone’s maskless face. (MM)

Anselmo Mendes Alvarinho Monção e Melgaço DOP ‘Contacto’, 2019, Vinho Verde Portugal ($28) From one of the greatest agents of change in the region of Vinho Verde. The Alvarinho spends on average 5-6 hours of skin contact and a long ferment to produce this youthful wine of green apple, citrus, white floral blossom with orange zest and plenty of stone fruit. Granitic soils allow for an embrace of salt, citrus pith and wet stone mineral edge.

Transition to the palate with a dry edge of texture, more orchard fruit and citrus pith. Lees and perceived salinity give a peach-sweet mouthfeel. This is an engaging example of what Vinho Verde is and can be. I always have Alvarinho around, it’s what people expect of me when I walk into a room! (CS)

PRÁ Soave DOC Classico ‘Staforte’, 2018, Veneto Italy ($30) Dry, medium body and chalky texture. Notes of pear, lily and almond mingle with wet stone. Bright acid lifts the wine. Long delicate finish. Soave at its very best!! I love the versatility of good Soave at the table – this is perhaps why I always have a bottle in my fridge. I enjoyed this one with mushroom risotto. (MB)

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Finca Decero Mini Ediciones Cabernet Franc ‘Remolinos Vineyard’, 2018, Mendoza Argentina ($35) Altitude plays an important role in the freshness and drinkability of Finca Decero’s wines and drinkability, freshness/crispness, elegance and layers are what I want from the wines I drink at home. The Cabernet Franc is elegant and finessed with pepper, mineral, fresh herbs and plum notes with fresh aromatics, bright acidity and great length.

The wine has great potential for aging, but it is incredibly delicious now. This was one of my lock-down wines. (GB)

BEST OF THE REST: Wines that are Recommended and Highly Recommended by our experienced panel of tasters listed by price from low to high: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Spearhead Pinot Gris Okanagan Valley VQA ‘Golden Retreat Vineyard’, 2020, British Columbia Canada ($22) Lovely, bright aromas of citrus and stone fruit, mouth-filling, juicy and textural with the ripeness of the fruit balanced with fresh acidity and a richness and weight resulting from 10% of the grapes being fermented in 2-year-old French oak barrels. The wine finishes long with lifted mineral notes. Quite delicious and a great example of how really good Okanagan Pinot Gris can be. Would pair well with warm lobster rolls, rich seafood dishes and chicken in cream-based sauces. (GB)

Y. Amirault Bourgueil AOC ‘COTE 50’, 2018, Loire France ($25) Vibrant and elegant. Crunchy red fruit is in harmony with pencil shaving and cedar notes. Moderate ripe yet firm tannins giving structure. I never get tired of good Cabernet Franc from the Loire: the bottle finishes without you noticing… A great match with lamb or grilled sausages. (MB)

Manoir de Mercey Bourgogne HautesCôtes de Beaune AOC ‘Au Paradis’, 2018, Burgundy France ($27) A convincing red Burgundy at a relatively reasonable price. Deep purple in colour; attractive, intense bouquet of cedar, cinnamon, violets, toast and black raspberry.

Medium-bodied, dry with richly extracted cherry and raspberry flavours carried on lively acidity. Great value. (TA)

Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Wachau ‘Terrassen’, 2018, Niederöstereich Austria ($29) A classic wine from one of the oldest producers of the region, mature vines producing a Gruner of pronounced aromatic

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intensity: candy peach, confected pear, with mandarin. After a decant, the peppery floral spice reveals itself with added sweetness of curds and cream. The mineral and salted back bone link the aroma with a palate of honeyed peach and waxed pear. A gloriously complex wine. Lifted, lean and clean. Highly Recommended Grüner never disappoints!

Biodynamic and good for you. (CS)

Martin & Anna Arndorfer Handcrafted Grüner Veltliner Kamptal DAC, 2019, Niederöstereich Austria ($31) Don’t be fearful of the slightly hazy appearance, this is unfined and unfiltered for maximum flavour. Perfumes of peach and pear with a snap of white pepper lead to fresh fruit in spiced syrup on the palate. Concentrated with a long, explosive finish. (MM)

Little Engine Silver Sauvignon Blanc, 2020, British Columbia Canada ($34) Quite simply this is the best Canadian-grown Sauvignon Blanc I have tasted this year.

Had I tasted blind, I would swear it was a fine white Bordeaux although the producer swears there is no Semillon in it. Pale straw in colour; grassy, lanolin and green plum nose.

Medium-bodied, crisply dry, passionfruit and gooseberry flavours. Vibrant and mouth-freshening. (TA)

Bartier Bros The Orchard Row Okanagan Valley VQA, 2019, British Columbia Canada ($37) I totally dig this delicious blend of Cabernet Franc, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir and splash of Syrah. Juicy, fresh red fruits, agile with firm but graceful tannins, notes of fresh herbs, long and lifted. Difficult to stop drinking. Keep on hand for whatever or whomever you are serving. Only 209 cases produced. (GB)

Rosehall Run Small Lots Pinot Noir Beamsville Bench VQA ‘Mottiar Vineyard’, 2019, Ontario Canada ($40) A regional exchange. The fruit came from Niagara’s Mottiar Vineyard, owned by Malivoire’s winemaker, Shiraz Mottiar (who exchanged grapes in order to make a Pinot using Pinot from Rosehall Run’s vineyard). Medium ruby in colour; lightly floral, raspberry nose.

Medium-bodied, dry, elegant and lacy on the palate. A beautifully balanced wine. (TA)

Palladino Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC ‘Bricco delle Olive’, 2017, Piedmont Italy ($41) The Barbera grapes for this wine come from two small vineyard sites totaling only 1 hectare in the hills around Serralunga d’Alba.

The wine is powerful and fresh with loads of black cherries and spice, well balanced with lush tannins, bright fruit, balsamic notes and a long finish. Delicious. (DD)

Bartier Bros. Grenache-SyrahMourvedre Okanagan Valley VQA, 2019, British Columbia Canada ($42) Loads of raspberry and blackberry, elegant, medium-bodied, full-flavoured with a touch of spice, lovely texture, floral notes, savoury and deliciously balanced. Bright, long and fresh. Only 275 cases were produced. Seek this out. (GB)

Bruna Grimaldi Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC ‘Scassa’, 2017 Piedmont Italy ($42) From low yielding Barbera vineyards throughout the Barolo region, Grimaldi’s Scassa sports a gorgeous nose of lavender, thyme, fennel and violet. The palate is equally appealing in its dark-fruited character. Dense without being heavy, ripe cherry is lifted by a twist of citrus while fine velvety tannins provide support. Stunning in its exuberance, brightness and purity. (MM)

Tement Terrassen Chardonnay ‘Ried Hochkittenberg’, 2015, Südsteiermark Austria ($53) A magnificent Chardonnay from Austria.

Light gold in colour; minerally, Russet apple bouquet with a light floral note.

Medium-bodied, dry, elegant and restrained.

Lovely mouthfeel and great length on the palate. (TA)

Scarpa Barbera d’Asti DOCG ‘Bogliona’, 2013, Piedmont Italy ($55) Scarpa is a historic company in Italy’s Asti region, and they do a grand service to wine lovers by holding back wines so we can enjoy them with some age. This 2013 shows the ageing potential of Barbera and drinks younger than its 7 years. It is vertical in expression and light in texture. Bright red berries and plums are at the fore eventually giving way to a hint of leather and saline tanginess on the finish. This was an absolute treat with agnolotti del plin tossed in a simple butter sage sauce. (MM)

Tenuta di Carleone Toscana IGT ‘Il Guercio’, 2018, Tuscany Italy ($70) Il Guercio or ‘one-eyed’ is winemaker Sean O’Callaghan’s nickname as he is indeed blind in one eye. He approaches this high-altitude Sangiovese with the lightest of touch allowing its intrinsic character to burst forth.

Gorgeous florals of cherry blossom, violet and yellow bloom weave through pure strawberry fruit. Fine-boned with a flowy mouthfeel. Cru Beaujolais meets Chianti Classico. (MM) RECOMMENDED

Villa Wolf Pinot Blanc, 2018, Pfalz Germany ($17) This easy going, soft, mid-weight white makes for a lovely aperitif with pretty orchard fruit and accents of delicate lemon blossom.

Despite a touch of sweetness on the backend, it remains refreshing. Just give it a proper chill. (MM)

Township 7 Rosé Okanagan Valley VQA, 2020, British Columbia Canada ($25) A blend of mainly Merlot and Cabernet Franc with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot, sourced from Naramata and Osoyoos.

Just four hours of cold soaking on the skins produced a pale salmon colour. Forward red berries with some savoury and herbal hints.

The palate is reminiscent of strawberries and cream with vibrant berry fruits underpinned by appealing savoury notes. Crisp and clean through the close. Very much a restrained and sophisticated interpretation, a definite nod to Provence. (TP)

Narrative Chenin Blanc Okanagan Valley VQA, 2019, British Columbia Canada ($25) Though Chenin Blanc was one of the earliest vinifera planted in the Okanagan it remains elusive. Whole bunch pressed and fermented (using wild yeast) in concrete ‘eggs’, this is a delicious, vibrant and juicy wine that simply allows the purity of the fruit to shine through while the texture is amplified by the concrete.

Up front floral and citrus notes lead to a luscious, tropical toned palate with zesty citrus, keenly focused acidity and underlying minerality through a lengthy end. One of the most exciting wines yet from Okanagan Crush Pad, which continues to be an Okanagan ‘concrete’ trailblazer. (TP)

Malivoire Stouck Viognier Lincoln Lakeshore VQA, 2020, Ontario Canada ($25) This wine has quintessential Viognier character. Bright straw colour; honeysuckle and peach bouquet. Medium-bodied, dry, perfumed, spicy, peach and melon flavours with lively acidity and a mouth-freshening finish. (TA)

Coterie by Wildeberg Cabernet Franc & Malbec, 2018, Coastal Region South Africa ($28) This south African red sits somewhere between the stereotypes of old and new world wines with a savoury dustiness on the one hand and a soft fruity appeal on the other. Notes of sage and lead pencil mingle with cocoa and spiced red plum. Though the structure is accessible with soft tannins, this is no pushover as it grabs gently yet insistently at the palate. (MM)

Peak Cellars Riesling Okanagan Valley VQA ‘Block 11’, 2020, British Columbia Canada ($28) From Carr’s Landing Vineyard in Lake Country, where winemaker Stephanie Stanley (a self-professed ‘acid hound’) is making Riesling a priority. Vibrant aromas of citrus

and tropical notes with some flinty hints and developing petroleum. A wonderfully expressive example, with lemon lime and grapefruit zest on the racy, fruit-driven palate balanced by some pleasingly tart elements, with alcohol (10.8%) kept well in check. Think aged cheeses, even mildly spiced curries, or pan-fried breaded and chili crusted oysters with lime. (TP)

Stoller Family Estate Pinot Noir Dundee Hills AVA, 2019, Willamette Oregon USA ($35) This bottle of Pinot Noir from Stoller is luminous with aromas of raspberry, red currant, sour cherry – layered between floral geranium, spice, and white pepper. The palate is tart and fresh, light and lifted with a distinct medium-lighter bodied style of Pinot that can be appreciated for a measured intensity.

Gateway to Oregon Pinot Noir, on the lighter side of the spectrum. (CS)

Hartford Court Chardonnay Russian River Valley AVA, 2019, Sonoma County California USA ($42) Rich, ripe and full, with ample bright fruit and floral notes, citrus, apple, honey and ginger, textural with a long round finish. A nice example of a full, barrel fermented style of Chardonnay that still maintains freshness, elegance and brightness of fruit. (GB)

Adelsheim Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains AVA ‘Breaking Ground’, 2016, Willamette Oregon USA ($45) A winery that is celebrating 50 years as a founding family of Oregon wines. This Breaking Ground Pinot Noir is an example of the AVA, with black sweet cherry, raspberry perfumed aroma. There is a touch of cola, birch spice that veers towards cinnamon and clove. This wine sits in the zone of distinct markers for Pinot Noir married with what the AVA is giving with cherry/berry fruit in a solid medium bodied structure. There is a delicatesse and persistence in flavour. If you look for it, it is there. Drink now or hold for 5-10. (CS)

Culmina Golden Mile Bench Okanagan Valley VQA ‘Hypothesis’, 2016, British Columbia Canada ($46) This flagship Bordeaux style wine blends equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc (33%) with Cabernet Sauvignon (16%) Malbec (5%) and Petit Verdot (1%). Aromas of red and black fruit with cassis, herb and leather hints lead to a layered and complex palate of mulberry, damson, vanilla and spice hints. It opens to more red fruit and mocha, as well as a touch of mineral and chalky notes in the lingering close. From a stellar vintage, with fruit and integrated, very approachable tannins in perfect balance, this is drinking well now but also well worth keeping for a few more years.

Ideally paired with slow roasted or braised meats but also very much a contemplative drop for a warm winter hearth. (TP)

Penner-Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley AVA, 2017, Oregon USA ($48) Elegantly textured and well-constructed with cherry, plum, cocoa and fresh herbs, a touch of earthiness, medium weight with a mix of herbs, red fruit and a rich freshness on the finish. Smoked duck, bison or elk carpaccio and cassoulet would all be delicious matches.

(GB)

13th Street Winery Cabernet Franc Creek Shores VQA ‘Essence’, 2018, Ontario Canada ($50) A really nice example of Cabernet Franc that’s lean and focussed, but full in flavour and character. Plenty of raspberry with fresh herbal notes, tight core, long finish with balanced bright acidity. Quite approachable now but will develop more layers with a few years in the cellar. (DD)

Il Molino di Grace Toscana IGT ‘Gratius’, 2017, Tuscany Italy ($60) Beware of judging a wine solely by its vintage.

In Italy, 2017 was notoriously hot and dry but that doesn’t mean all the wines were reduced to marmalade. Indigenous grapes fared better. Here Sangiovese is blended with a dash of Colorino and Canaiolo Nero. Gratius exhibits the warm dustiness of the summer while retaining an intense juiciness - the high, 580-metre altitude site surely contributes to this. Brambly berries are punctuated with cedar and sage and wrapped in slightly rustic tannins. This midweight red is ready and able to take on any and all grilled meat. (MM)

Rudolf Fürst Klingenberg Spätburgunder, 2018, Franken Germany ($63) Crafted from young vines in the Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) Schlossberg site, which boasts an iron-rich, stony soil. A touch of bubble gum leads to cedary, woodsy oak, but it’s well-integrated. Light in body with fine boned tannins, the palate is stony and savoury with sour cherry, mushroom and medicinal herbs.

The brightness of this is made for hearty fare on a chilly autumn evening. (MM)

BEFORE… Sparkling wines, fino sherries, other wines that would traditionally be served before dinner Champagne Pommery Pop Extra Sec Champagne AOC, nv, Champagne France ($18, 200mL) Bright, light straw colour, tiny bubbles. A nose of white blossoms, honey and apple with a toasty top note. Just off-dry, a honeyed apple flavour, well-balanced with a long, bready, lemony finish. A good introduction to champagne. Enough for a celebratory aperitif before dinner. (TA) FALL 2021

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Hester Creek Old Vine Brut Golden Mile Bench Okanagan Valley VQA, 2018, British Columbia Canada ($35) Inaugural vintage, made from Pinot Blanc, chosen because “it comes from an old block, and has such nice structure,” says winemaker Mark Hopley, who also felt it would have the backbone for traditional method sparkling.

Hand-picked, hand-sorted and whole cluster pressed, en tirage for 24 months. A stream of fine bubbles and a persistent mousse, appealing brioche notes with orchard fruits.

The palate yields a textured mouthfeel with citrus and green apple notes, through a creamy, lengthy finish. A worthy nod to a Champagne style rarity. (TP)

Noble Ridge Sparkling Brut ‘The One’ Okanagan Falls Okanagan Valley VQA, 2016, British Columbia Canada ($45) This traditional method sparkling is becoming one of the benchmarks for bubbles in BC. A blend of 69% Chardonnay and 31% Pinot Noir, the wine is nutty and complex with a toasty brioche nose, elegant, full, creamy with citrus, lemon preserve and biscuit, persistent length, depth and a stony minerality. Not just great with oysters and French fries, but as an accompaniment with your main course of poultry, pork or seafood. (GB)

…AND AFTER Dessert wines and digestifs that would traditionally be served after dinner

Coffele Recioto di Soave DOCG Classico ‘Le Sponde’, 2018, Veneto Italy ($80/500ml) This wine achieves what so many producers of sweet wines seem incapable or unwilling to do and that is having a necessary amount of acidity to seamlessly balance the wine’s sweetness. The wine is rich, fresh and complex and with perfect balance between sugar, acid and fruit, with a range of aromas and flavours from dried fig, apricot, and candied citrus, to caramel and notes of coffee. A little gem and perfect with sbrisolona (a crumbly almond cookie-cake typical of the area). (DD)

SPIRITS The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey ($50)

An exciting, mature sparkler, bright in the glass, light golden colour with tiny bubbles.

Toasty, apple nose with buttery notes.

Medium-bodied, mature, apple, pear and lemon flavours. Elegant and long in the mouth with zesty acidity. (TA)

It’s not unusual to age Irish whiskey in sherry butts, but it is unusual for a single malt from the Emerald Isle to be so rich in chocolate, baking spice and dried fruits that it essentially qualifies as dessert. Although the ornate black-and-gold label on this distinct, squat, hexagonal bottle doesn’t advertise it, most people are pretty sure the liquid comes from Bushmills and, after that, is aged in European oak, previously used for Oloroso sherry.

Whiskey connoisseurs are bound to find it sweet and ever-so-slightly off balance, since it tingles rather than bites but, it’s an extremely diplomatic choice and crowd-pleaser for post-dinner party tastings. (CSO)

Von Buhl Riesling Brut Sekt, 2017, Pfalz Germany ($53)

Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey ($60)

Rosehall Run ‘Stardust’ Brut Cuvée Prince Edward County VQA, 2013, Ontario Canada ($50)

A trend setting traditional method sparkler that has inspired other German producers to seriously up their Sekt game. This sports all the lip-smacking nuances and structure of Riesling with bonus creamy bubbles. It’s subtly toasty and smoky with flavours of candied lime peel, peach and pastry rocked by rip roaring, energetic acidity. (MM)

Summerhill Cipes Ariel Premier Cuvée Okanagan Valley VQA, 2000, British Columbia Canada ($100) A unique BC bubble as the wine spent 17½ years on the lees and has been bottled in tiny batches since 2019. A blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Meunier, the wine, upon opening, is showing its age but is remarkably rich and complex with good acidity and length, round with a focussed core, notes of citrus, ginger, mineral and dried cognac-soaked stone fruit and a pleasing, lingering finish. Not a wine that needs more time. If you find it, drink it. (GB)

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Since this spirit is aged in former rum casks sourced from Central America, it’s perhaps unsurprising to find such pronounced tropical notes of ripe banana and coconut mingling around with hints of coffee, raisins and marzipan in this creamy, round and full-bodied Irish whiskey. Dublin’s Teeling Whiskey is one of the OGs of the new Irish whiskey revolution, which is pushing the envelope by developing whiskeys that go beyond the light, mild and honeyed profile we’ve come to expect from Irish. Previously only a seasonal release in many markets, Teeling’s Small Batch will be permanently available in most provinces. (CSO)

Writers Tears Double Oak Irish Whiskey ($68) A big player in the premiumization of the Irish whiskey movement, Walsh Whiskey has always been careful to preserve the DNA of this nation’s signature spirit in its Writers Tears brand but, at the same time, offer fuller, richer expressions than the usual imports that dominated the market a decade or so ago. Aged in both American and French

Oak from Cognac, this bold whisky has a sweet toffee aroma, the classic Irish traits of delicate honey and vanilla, but tempered with a little stone fruit and lighter citrus notes that keep this whiskey dancing. (CSO)

Glendalough Pot Still Irish Whiskey ($83) Since the Glendalough Distillery only completed construction in 2013, it doesn’t have enough mature stocks for any one release to be made entirely from liquid distilled at its facility in County Wicklow. While they’ve been patiently waiting, though, the partners have done wonders with novel ageing techniques, including this phenomenally tasty expression aged in ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in virgin Irish oak from the Wicklow’s Clara Vale.

The tannins from the wood are right there, but it’s nicely offset with cinnamon, dried fruits, a touch of clove and a distinct flavour reminiscent of those vanilla maple cookies from back in the day. (CSO)

Bushmills 16-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey ($130) Although many consumers drive past Bushmills, drinks writers and cocktail bartenders all praise Black Bush for delivering a lot of punch and value not usually found at mid-shelf prices. When you spring for the top-shelf 16YO, the story gets even better, starting with a distinct rich port wine aroma and a complex meld of chocolate, raisins, candied orange and nutty almond notes all swirling around on a buttery body, making it one of our picks for best Irish whiskey in show. (CSO)

BEER & CIDER 2nd Shift Brewing Reign or Shine, St. Louis, MO, USA (6% ABV; 473ml can $2.50 USD) A tropical-style stout made in collaboration with BlaQ & Soul, an education and consulting initiative that centers the experiences of Black LGBTQ+ folks in the food and beverage industry, England’s Cloudwater Brew Co., The Queer Brewing Project and Rock Leopard Brewing. Featuring a malt bill that gives off rich notes of cocoa and roasted coffee along with sweet cherry, profits from this beer are being donated to the Trans Women of Color Collective, which works to uplift the narratives, lived experiences and leadership of trans and gender non-conforming people of color, as they build towards collective liberation for all oppressed people. (RL)

Revolution Brewing Rev Pils, Chicago, IL, USA (5.5% ABV; 355ml cans $10 USD/6-pack) A trip to Revolution Brewing’s taproom or their fabulous brewpub is mandatory if you want to get an idea of just how excellent the Chicago beer scene is. While Revolution has a wide variety of styles on offer, including the Freedom session sour series and the much-

hyped Deep Wood barrel-aged series, the best place to start is with the staff favourite Rev Pils. Brewed with water from Lake Michigan, featuring can art that pays tribute to the Illinois Centennial Monument in Logan Square, and only brewed in the city, this crisp, clean pilsner with a noble hop finish is the perfect love letter to Chicago. (RL)

Spearhead Brewing Co Queen of Wheat, Kingston, ON, Canada (5% ABV; 473ml can $3.25 CDN) In a time when most beer collaborations celebrating Pride festivities in June disappear once the month is over, the folks at Spearhead have made the wonderful decision to keep their beer going year-round. Joining forces with activist and drag performer Rowena Whey and The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD), the Belgian-inspired wheat beer was brewed with peach and features hints of banana and clove that get rounded out with subtle sweetness from the fruit. An absolutely solid wheat beer for any time of year with a portion of the proceeds going to CCGSD’s education efforts. (RL)

Corsaire Microbrasserie Anne Bonny, Lévis, QC, Canada (4% ABV; 473ml can $3.99 CDN) “Had you fought like a man, you need not have been hang’d like a dog.” So says the infamous Anne Bonny, known in history as one of the few female pirates to rule the ocean. With fiery red hair and a short temper, she proved ruthless in battle and quick-witted on the seas. So it goes without saying that she’s quite a wonderful namesake for this award-winning pilsner out of Quebec. A wonderfully crisp lager with notes of lemon and floral noble hops mingling nicely with malt sweetness. (RL)

People’s Pint Brewing Co. Helles Island Unfiltered Lager, Toronto, ON, Canada (4.9% ABV; 473ml can $3.50 CDN) Named after Ellis Island in New York, this Munich style light lager comes forward with a bit of malt sweetness that is quickly followed by the bitterness from the all Michigan hops the beer was brewed with. In a lot of ways Helles Island is the perfect beer to crack open after a hard day at work. (RL)

Red Arrow Brewing Co. Sweet Leaf IPA, Duncan, BC, Canada (6.3% ABV; 473ml can $4.13 CDN) The Cowichan Valley in B.C. is an area with a massive food and drink scene that prides itself on supporting the local area and Red Arrow Brewing in Duncan is no exception.

Sweet Leaf IPA is one of their signature beers and conceptually one that best defines life on Vancouver Island surrounded by lush greenery. Notes of pine, grapefruit, and tangerine blend with a sweet caramel malt backbone that will have you feeling like you’re wandering the lush greenery of B.C.! (RL)

Taybeh Brewing Co. Taybeh Dark, Taybeh, Ramallah District, West Bank, Palestine (6% ABV; 330ml bottle $4.15 CDN)

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A family-owned business that was established in 1994 after the Oslo Peace Agreement and being the first brewery in the Middle East, Taybeh is a brewery with a rich history of overcoming adversity and remaining steadfast in their support for local.

They’ve been imported to America for years and, most recently, Canada. The Dark feels like it’s a beer purpose-made to be a comforting sipper for a quiet evening, with a nice roasted note and some nuttiness followed by a light toffee sweetness towards the end. (RL)

Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek Geuze, Lot, Belgium (6% ABV; 375ml bottle $14.80 CDN) In the village of Lot there exists one of the last traditional lambic breweries in Belgium.

Initially founded in 1887, 3 Fonteinen’s beers are synonymous with expertly crafted quality and are some of the most sought after in the world. The Oude Kriek Geuze, macerated with sour cherries and aged for five months prior to releasing them for sale, is no exception.

Pours a ruby/mahogany colour with earthy funkiness paired with light cherry flavour that, due to aging, has developed into an almost wine-like flavour. This is a beer to mellow out with and enjoy the complexities as it warms. (RL)

Big Drop Brewing Co. Galactic Dark Noir, Ipswich, Suffolk, England (0.4% ABV; 355ml can $2.45 CDN) Big Drop is perhaps one of the best breweries making contemporary styles of non-alcoholic beers out there. With many awards to back up their quality along with their insistence on working with brewery partners around the world to ensure that locals get the best version of their beer possible, Big Drop has a lot going for it. The Galactic Dark Noir is their stout offering, which has notes of honey, 75% cacao chocolate, and roasted coffee in a fairly light body. A great beer for a night in a cozy pub with friends that won’t have you feeling like you’re sacrificing quality for going non-alcoholic. (RL)

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Dovetail Brewery Rauchbier, Chicago, IL, USA (5.6% ABV; 473ml can $4.00 USD) The smoked lager known as rauchbier has been undergoing a bit of a resurgence lately and Chicago’s Dovetail Brewery, known for their skill in old European techniques matched with modern American creativity, is making one of the best examples of the style to date that happens to be perfect with the chill of Autumn. The flavour is rich with smoked bacon, though not overly so, blending nicely with notes of oak, dark chocolate, and brown bread in a creamy body. A perfect beer for those times when you’re looking to be cozy by a fire. (RL)

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DOWN 1 Richard Nixon is said to have secretively drank this while serving his

guests cheaper wine 2 River bordering the wine regions of Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal 3 Wine region at the southern tip of Napa and Sonoma 4 Long mistaken for Merlot in Chile 5 If you are drinking Sassella and eating Pizzoccheri you are most

likely in this northern wine producing alpine valley of Italy 6 When botrytis has favourable results, it’s called 8 The ancient Greeks’ nickname for Italy meaning ‘land of wine’ 9 Marsala category requiring the wine to be secco and aged a

minimum of five years 11 In Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Audrey Hepburn always had a bottle of

this in her fridge 13 He introduced the concept of labeling wines by grape variety

in California 14 Label designating dry-farmed, bush trained, old vine Carignan in

Chile’s Maule region 15 Room in which grapes are dried for Amarone production 18 The most-planted wine grape in California in 1990 22 The most-planted white grape in Austria 23 The glassy winged sharpshooter carries this deadly vine disease 24 Traditional method sparkling wine made primarily in Spain’s

Penedès region 25 New Zealand’s key region for Sauvignon Blanc production 27 The colloquial name for Chenin Blanc in South Africa 28 The name of the dominant soil type of Chablis 29 The smallest AVA in the USA 30 Tannat is the flagship grape of this country 32 Burgundy quaffer made from a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay 35 This Italian white variety, native to the Abruzzo/Marche area is also

the name of a cheese 36 Tokaji sugar measurement 38 The traditional stone walled terraces in Portugal’s Douro Valley 39 If you are nibbling on pintxos in Spain’s Basque Country you’d likely

be washing them down with this slightly spritzy white 41 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano’s new designation which divides the

region into twelve subzones 45 Home to Edelzwicker 48 The happy result of fermentation 50 Wine region thought to have the world’s highest percentage

of centenarians 55 The main grape in Prosecco

ACROSS 1 A fortified wine from Portugal that isn’t Port 3 A French synonym for Malbec 7 Prädikat level between Spätlese and Beerenauslese 10 Fino-like sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda 12 Northern region in Germany producing stylish Pinot Noir 16 Country boasting the most Fiano plantings outside Italy 17 He planted the first Pinot Noir vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley 19 Central Otago is highly regarded for this grape 20 Known as Rossese di Dolceacqua in Liguria, this red grape shows up

in Provence rosé 21 James Bond prefers the ‘53 25 Method for producing sparkling wine also known as Charmat 26 Pioneer of planting high altitude Malbec in Mendoza 31 The birthplace of Zinfandel 33 Germany’s largest wine region 34 The first US President to serve US wine at a state dinner 37 Outstanding white grape native to the island of Santorini 40 Most important red grape variety in Sicily 42 Wind gap that gives its name to one of Oregon’s newest AVAs 43 South African crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut 44 A rosé-only appellation in France offering pink wine with ageing potential 46 Biodynamic certification exclusively for wine 47 Greek region known for high-quality reds made from Xinomavro 49 Famed Lebanese Chateau 51 Washington’s largest AVAs that stretches in Oregon 52 Founded as a joint venture between Chateau Mouton Rothschild

and Robert Mondavi 53 Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent and Fleurie are all examples 54 White grape allowed in Côte-Rôtie 56 Region in Argentina known for making Torrontés 57 The pulverized granitic sandy soil found in Rías Baixas

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Scan the QR code for answers

AFTER TASTE

Tony Aspler

THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THE GREATEST THREAT FACING THE GLOBAL WINE INDUSTRY TODAY IS CLIMATE CHANGE.

You only have to watch the news to see the growing number of forest fires in wine regions each year and the number of prolonged droughts in places like California and Australia.

While most winemakers are thinking how best to protect their vineyards from heat and drought by planting at higher elevations, changing rootstocks and canopy systems, the major work has to be in reducing carbon footprints caused by the winemaking process and distribution (think flying winemakers, etc.)

Two of the world’s leading environmentally-conscious wineries, Familia Torres in Spain and Jackson Family Wines in California, teamed up two years ago to address the problem. Their intention was to create an association of wineries across the globe to co-operate in efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The goal of the International Wineries for Climate Action (www. iwcawine.org) is to reduce total carbon emissions by 80 per cent by the year 2045; and in the shorter term, 50 percent by 2030.

At the time of writing, the group has signed up ten members – the two founding wineries along with Spottswoode (Napa), Symington Family Estates (Douro Valley), VSPT (Chile), Yealands (New Zealand), Alma Carraovejas (Ribera del Duero), Silver Oak (Napa, Sonoma, Willamette Valleys), Cullen (Margaret River) and Matarromera (Duero Valley).

The member wineries will share the commitment of achieving the 80 percent reduction by 2045.

How will they do this? The IWCA will establish a framework ‘to understand and measure progress towards the defined goal, involving three key points: in the first place, establish a baseline of current carbon emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 by conducting third-party verified annual greenhouse gas emissions inventories; secondly, adopt the guidance established in 2015 through COP21 and the Paris Agreement to take a science-based approach to reducing emissions; and finally, utilize at least 20% renewable energy generated by on-site systems to offset winery energy consumption.’

“Our goal,” says Miguel Torres, “is to share best practices that mitigate climate impacts in vineyard and winery operations so that we can act collectively to decarbonize the global wine industry today, by applying direct solutions avoiding off-setting carbon credits.”

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The founding wineries, Familia Torres and Jackson Family, practice what they preach: both wineries have reduced more than 25 percent of their total CO2 emission per bottle since they started auditing their respective carbon footprints.

And in 2018, Familia Torres bought a property in Chilean Patagonia covering over 5,000 hectares in Chile’s most southerly region. Not to plant vineyards, but to plant trees.

The thinking behind the project, Miguel Torres wrote in the press release, is “to compensate for the winery’s carbon footprint by means of our own efforts and to recover the forest landscape that historically characterized this area.”

Two years before that, Familia Torres purchased a 740-hectare estate in the Chilean Patagonia province of Coyhaique in an area known as Altos de Ñirehuao, to reforest and preserve the local flora and fauna.

Torres has calculated that they could dedicate - for those willing to make a contribution - one hectare of trees (about 1,230 trunks). This number is based on the assumption that the donor, on an annual basis, would fly two-round trips to Europe or 5 round trips of about 5 hours duration within Canada and the United States. So, to compensate for the carbon emission of plane travel in one year, you would need to plant 123 trees in your name. Those ten years of air travel would cost you 2,500 EUR for a hectare of trees to assuage your guilt and beautify the landscape of southern Patagonia.

Miguel Torres emailed me to say that he hopes to have planted a total of two million trees in ten years.

Saving the planet, one tree at a time.

Tony Aspler, Order of Canada recipient, has been writing about wine since 1975. He is the author of 18 wine books, including The Wine Atlas of Canada and three wine murder mystery novels. The best concert he ever attended was Rush with the Tragically Hip as the opening band.

His favourite comfort food is milk chocolate and his cocktail of choice is a Kir Royale. At home, he drinks wine (lots of wine).

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