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BY S . P E L L E G R I N O
Meet Chef Grant van Gameren, the culinary pioneer and driving force behind Toronto’s Bar Isabel, named as Canada’s Best New Restaurant in 2014. We asked him to reveal his sources for inspiration and ingredients, and tell us what’s on his radar for the future.
SAN PELLIGRINO SAME AS PAGE 11 SEPT 2014 CAPTURE THE ESSENCE O F W H AT ’S H A P P E N I N G IN THE CANADIAN CULINARY SCENE.
Orphans cooking with orphans. In Toronto, the people opening restaurants now are in their late 20s, early 30s who haven’t been slugging it out in a brigade-style kitchen for years like the founding fathers. There’s a generation of us rebellious teenagers just opening up restaurants, hiring our friends and taking risks. Hopefully, these young chefs grow into the leaders of Canada’s modern culinary movement. HOW DO CULINARY T R E N D S I M PA C T YO U R MENU?
I’m too busy to concern myself with trends. Evolution is made, not speculated. If there’s anything I’m into, it’s about finding something new. Maybe not something new to the world, but new to me. That’s my food trend. W H AT I S I N S P I R I N G YO U RIGHT NOW?
Gooseneck barnacles-pre-historiclooking crustacean creatures, super tasty. Only in season for about a month. When I sourced some, I was
so excited that I posted a photo on Instagram. 48 hours later there was an article about how these are the “next new thing.” ASIDE FROM THE F O O D , W H AT M A K E S A G R E AT R E S TA U R A N T EXPERIENCE?
Everything you put on the table matters. The details can dramatically elevate the dining experience—like a good quality napkin, artisanal bread or a bottle of S.Pellegrino. Even the bottle itself is beautiful; it’s like a bottle of wine. Water is the first thing served at the table and the last thing that remains. So it only makes sense that the kind of water you serve is considered. If you think about it, filtered water or tap water—it’s only as good as its source. GIVE US A HINT ABOUT W H AT ’S O N T H E H O R I Z O N F O R YO U ?
I’m excited about a new venture I’m working on inspired by the Pintxo bars of San Sebastian. It’s a completely different way of eating, very social and a new style for Toronto. It’s food-at-your-ownpace that takes traditional tapas to a whole new level.
GRANT VA N GA M E R E N
“E V E RY T H I N G YO U P U T O N T H AT TA B L E M AT T E R S . T H E D E TA I L S C A N D R A M A T I C A L LY E L E VA T E T H E D I N I N G EXPERIENCE, LIKE A GOOD QUALITY NAPKIN, ARTISANAL BREAD OR A BOT TLE OF S.PELLEGRINO.”
For more inspiration visit
T E XT BY
F I N E D I N I N G LOV E R S . C O M
PH OTO BY
Angie Mosier Brock Elbank
QUENCH MAGAZINE ... OCTOBER 2014 R.E.S.P.E.C.T. × 22 HAVE WE ABANDONED THE SCREWCAP? BY TIM PAWSEY CRUSHING IT × 24 LEARN HOW A HANDFUL OF SUMMERLAND WINEMAKERS ARE INNOVATING. BY RICK VANSICKLE BACK TO THE FUTURE × 27 THE QUESTION, WHAT’S NEW? CAN ONLY BE ACCURATELY ANSWERED: EVERYTHING AND NOTHING. BY TOD STEWART MAVERICK CHEFS 2014 × 32 WE CHOOSE THE TOP CULINARY ARTISTS IN CANADA. BY ROSEMARY MANTINI
27
OH, WHAT A YEAR! × 39 WE TASTE BAROLO’S IMPRESSIVE 2010 VINTAGE. BY EVAN SAVIOLIDIS SACRAMENT × 42 IN THE SMALL ITALIAN REGION OF MONTEFALCO, WINE IS A RELIGION. BY MICHAEL PINKUS DIGGING JUNIPER × 44 OR HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN GIN IN 4 EASY STEPS. BY LISA HOEKSTRA CANNED. × 47 SORRY, BUT THIS WON’T BE A “HOW TO” PIECE ON CANNING. BY DUNCAN HOLMES
44 DEPARTMENTS ... TOOLS OF THE TRADE × 52 ALL COOKS HAVE THEIR FAVOURITE TOOLS — THE GEAR THAT GETS THE JOB DONE — AND I’M NO EXCEPTION. BY NANCY JOHNSON
NOTHING IS PERFECT × 64 WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE FRET OVER TRYING TO FIND THAT PERFECT PAIRING? BY GURVINDER BHATIA
NOTED ... × 54 EXPERTLY-TASTED BUYING GUIDE FOR WINES, BEERS, CIDERS AND SPIRITS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
CELLAR STASHING MADE PERFECT × 66 HOW TO SMUGGLE THOUSANDS OF BOTTLES PAST PRYING EYES. BY TONY ASPLER
OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 3
@quench_mag ... Follow, like and connect with us online. DID YOU KNOW that all
I hate when smaller wine regions approprate not only the nomenclature of grander regions but their grape selection too. When I hear that Pinot Noir is at home in Niagara — let alone Prince Edward County — my head explodes. I don’t expect local winemakers to stick solely to hybrids (I do love a thick Baco through) but in the best of places, Pinot Noir is a hit or miss. And trust me, the minefield of Canadian winters is not the best place for such a fragile grape. But then again, I’m sure I can find one exception. Sunjit Singh, Milton, Ontario
the back issues of Tidings (and Quench) from 2011 to the present are available for free online. Just type back. quench.me in your browser window to be quenched. (Sorry for the horrible pun but we can’t help it.)
on twitter: @quench_mag facebook: fb.quench.me tumblr: living.quench.me pinterest.com/quenchmagazine videos.quench.me
What do you know. I used to read a magazine called Tidings and now it’s Quench. How apropos. Keep the good times coming. Christopher Jackson, email
Sarah Parniak’s article on classic cocktails was a great read. I’ll never forget the taste of my first Negroni while vacationing in Lombardy. Delightful. Silvia Reads, email
join us in the conversation
for recent back issues: back.quench.me
YOU MAY REMEMBER MY LAST EDITORIAL WHERE I TALKED ABOUT A BLIND TASTING I WAS HOLDING. In my
year of living frivolously, I had taken it upon myself to not hold back. I was going to open some of the bottles I’d always wanted to taste and was bringing my friends along for the ride. As we tasted, something fascinating started to happen. All these starch individualists, who never tread a path set by another, suddenly started to herd into little groups. But
4 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
that wasn’t the most amazing part of the night. As we tallied up the votes for our favourite bottle — I also asked which they believed was the most expensive one — a clear pattern started to emerge. (See the September issue for the list of wines) Out of those five, Bonny Doon’s Rhône blend was the most approachable with soft, easy tannins, a dark cassis and blackcurrant backbone, and a long, steady finish. That was the wine most of them chose as their fav. My friends all enjoy wine and have had multiple opportunities — with myself and through their own adventures — to taste. They are seasoned veterans, so I wasn’t surprised by their choice. What did set me aback was that those who have had more opportunity to taste more expensive wines — myself included — automatically gravitated towards the darker, heavier Ornellaia. So maybe, when it comes to tasting, we taste more vertical than horizontal. Those of us who have enjoyed more $40 bottles will pick the $50 bottle as their top choice and so on. The science isn’t all in but I’m willing to keep opening bottles to prove my hypothesis.
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CONTRIBUTORS ... Once described (by her sister) as someone who hoards books the way a crazy cat lady collects cats, Lisa Hoekstra has transformed her love of reading into a writing career that spans industries. Her portfolio includes kitchen tools and gadgets, geriatric care management, daily DIY tips and, best of all, wine.
Rosemary Mantini is a freelance editor and writer with a passion for words and ideas. She contributes regularly to academic journals, theses, e-books, websites and magazines.
Rick VanSickle is a freelance wine journalist and publisher of WinesInNiagara.com. He spends a great deal of time honing his craft (drinking wine) and has no problem telling you about it via Twitter (@rickwine), Instagram, Facebook, magazines or simply shouting from the mountain tops. It’s about life and living it to the fullest, which is the one thing he is very good at.
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Subscription Rates: Canada: $36 per year, $58 per 2 years; USA: $55 per year; Other: $75 per year. Single Copies: $5.95. Quench, Food and Drink Magazine, a registered trademark of Kylix Media, is published 8 times a year: (February/March, April, May/June, July/August, September, October, November, December/January). Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. © 2014 Kylix Media Inc. Member of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. ISSN 2293-412X. Publications Mail Registration No. 40063855. Printed in Canada on 10% post-consumer recycled fibres.
OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 7
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RED BADGE BUZET SAME AS PAGE 67 SEPT 2014 Merlot-Cabernet with very ripe fruit, intense pleasing flavours, expressive taste. Versatile, friendly, a great social wine.
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À LA CARTE Q SCHOOL × 10 CARVING OUT THE PERFECT TURKEY. GOOD FOOD BY NANCY JOHNSON × 13 LAYERING FLAVOURS IN A SIMPLE PAN SAUCE. UMAMI BY JOANNE WILL × 15 YOGA FOR YOUR BELLY. NEXT STOP × 16 COME WITH US TO THE BEST CHOCOLATE SHOPS IN CANADA. FEED BY TOM DE LARZAC × 18 WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THOSE BUSHELS OF TOMATOES. LAZY MIXOLOGIST BY CHRISTINE SISMONDO × 19 DON’T FORGET THE CRANBERRY. PREP × 20 MICHAEL PINKUS BRINGS US ON A TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA’S FRUITY WHITE WINES. BON VIVANT BY PETER ROCKWELL × 21 WHAT CAUSES SEDIMENT IN SOME WINES?
OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 9
Q SCHOOL ...
carve me
THE MOST ICONIC SIGHT ON A THANKSGIVING DINNER TABLE IS THE TURKEY —
perfectly browned with a warm, moist, pale taupe interior, surrounded by vegetables, potatoes and cranberry sauce. It takes practice to perfect the art of carving a turkey ... but in order to practice, you’ll first need some direction.
THE TOOLS ×× Carving board ×× Kitchen scissors ×× Flexible, sharp slicing knife (a serrated blade will tear the meat)
×× Carving fork
THE PREP WORK ×× Once out of the oven, let sit for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the meat to absorb the juices.
×× Transfer the turkey from the roasting pan to a carving board.
×× Cut the trussing with scissors and remove string. ×× Slice the neck cavity with an oval incision big enough to remove the stuffing but still leave the skin intact. ×× Remove the stuffing with a long-handled spoon.
10 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS ×× Start with the legs. ×× Remove: cut through and expose the leg’s second joint. Apply
pressure at the joint with the knifepoint. Pull on the leg and twist the knife to sever the thigh and drumstick. ×× Separate: lay the piece on a cutting board, skin up and knee toward you. Feel for the knee joint. Hold the knife parallel to the bone and slice straight down to sever the joint. ×× Slice the thighs: set thigh skin-side down. Remove the bone by cutting along both sides of it, then slipping the knife underneath and cutting along the length. The bone should pull free. Flip the thigh so it is skin-side up and cut into serving-sized slices. ×× Slice the drumstick: hold drumstick vertically by the ankle and rest the meaty part on the cutting board. Cut down along the bone, removing the meat in one piece. Rotate the drumstick and repeat that motion. Cut the drumstick meat into serving-sized slices. ×× Now to remove the wings. ×× Place the knife at the first wing joint. Apply pressure at the joint with the knifepoint. Pull on the wing and twist the knife to sever. ×× Move on to the breast. ×× Make a long, shallow cut along the breastbone for a guide. ×× Using the tip of the knife, cut down along one side of the rib cage. Use your free hand to gently pull the meat away as you slice. Allow the rib cage to guide your knife straight down until you’ve removed the breast completely. ×× With the skin side up, slice the breast against the grain. The thicker the slices are, the longer they’ll retain heat. For added flavour, keep the skin. ×
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GOOD FOOD BY NANCY JOHNSON ...
the saucy bits
A PAN SAUCE MAY SEEM UNPRETENTIOUS, but in truth
it’s a complex game-changer with the ability to lift your culinary prowess into the major leagues. Making a pan sauce is an easy-to-master technique of layering flavours, beginning with a hot sear for meat, poultry, fish or seafood in a good-quality skillet (such as All-Clad; see page 52). Stay away from non-stick finishes or cast-iron pans. You want those sticky, caramelized, browned bits (fond) on the bottom of the skillet — they’re loaded with flavour. Next deglaze the fond with a liquid — usually wine, Cognac, vinegar, high-quality stock or broth. As the pan deglazes, stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up all those tasty browned bits. Finally, add unsalted butter, which infuses the sauce with just the right amount of delicious fat and a velvety sheen, the sort you often see in restaurant sauces but rarely at home. Salted butter, in a pinch, can be used but be sure to hold back on salting the dish until you taste the sauce. I store unsalted butter in the freezer so I always have some on hand. Various seasonings will change the sauce’s flavour. If the recipe calls for shallots, use them. Don’t be tempted, like me, to use onions or garlic instead. Shallots are a sophisticated little bulb, with a subtle, well-balanced, not-too-garlicky vibe. Minced fresh herbs are often added, but in the dead of winter when herbs are at a premium, feel free to use good-quality dried herbs that have not been sitting in your spice rack for too long. Freshly squeezed lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, red pepper flakes, honey and other flavour enhancers are often used to brighten the sauce. The following basic recipe for scallops also works with shrimp, fish or chicken. For steak, use red wine and a bit of beef stock or balsamic vinegar instead of the Pinot Grigio and lemon.
SCALLOPS WITH HERB-BUTTER PAN SAUCE SERVES 4
1 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tbsp olive oil 450 g sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry 3 1 1/4 1/4
Pan Sauce tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces large shallot, finely minced cup Pinot Grigio cup fresh parsley and basil (minced) Juice of 1/2 lemon Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat oven to 250˚F. 2. Heat butter and oil in large skillet until melt-
ed and hot. Add scallops in one layer. Cook 2 to 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer scallops to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. 3. In same skillet, melt 1 piece butter. Add minced shallot and cook until softened. Deglaze pan with wine, stirring to loosen browned bits. 4. Cook until wine is reduced by one-half, about 1 minute. Add herbs and lemon juice. Whisk in remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Divide scallops among 4 plates. Spoon sauce over scallops. × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 13
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UMAMI BY JOANNE WILL ...
Yoga for Your Belly CHEF GEORGIA MORLEY HAS HELPED OPEN RESTAURANTS FROM EDINBURGH TO VANCOUVER (most recently
Heirloom, Vancouver’s largest vegetarian restaurant, named one of Canada’s best in 2013). Now in her 21st year in the food and beverage industry, Morley works as a holistic personal chef. “When I was seven months pregnant with my son, I really started to get interested in using holistic nutrition as a means to fuel my creative energy,” says Morley. “I started to see that people were eating based on what they were seeing on television, in marketing, and the pressure of what they were being inundated with. They weren’t making conscious choices around food. So it sort of spurred me into an area where I could work with individuals. “Everybody metabolizes food in a different way. So in combining the idea that we could use holistic or whole food in a preventative measure with disease, or say if I’m working with someone in sports and they need it to fuel their body, it can be very tailored to them and their specific requirements. And it’s brought me so much gratitude seeing the results — to watch people really come into their own in the way that they eat and choose food, how they feel about it, and the changes it offers them both spiritually and physically.” Morley offers short- and long-term consulting, and collaborates with restaurants for workshops and events. “I can also just come in and teach you how to make it easy. People have a real attachment to thinking that eating whole food is challenging and more work. We’ve been so spoon-fed this idea that everything should be cheaper, faster, bigger — and we need to move away from that.” In addition to nearly four years as a personal chef for Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, Chef Morley, who grew up in the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver, has also planned meals and provided nutritional profiling for Sting, Henrik Sedin, Tim Robbins, Jack Nicholson and on and on. So does she prefer working in a bustling restaurant kitchen, or one-on-one consulting? “They both have very appealing strengths,” she says. “The sense of community you get from being part of a large restaurant project is really incredible. Watching my cooks unfold in their journey through the culinary trade and being part of something
so magnetic is really exciting. And then, being a consultant gives you the means to find your brand, which has been a really big part of this journey for me, and the opportunity to create your own hours. I have a 9-year-old now, so I do a bit of both consulting and working with restaurants in contract.” Next up for Morley is a collaborative project in support of local agriculture. “We’re starting a local distribution business, working with agriculture in BC to expand their farmland and offer them more support to grow. Then we’ll be opening a hospitality brand that will be casual and support an entirely local-living economy — without any greenwash.” What advice does she have for those of us who enjoy eating meat? “If I had my way, everybody would be vegan tomorrow. But I’ve learned through my journey that it isn’t necessarily the truth for some, and doesn’t work for all. The best approach is: how can you find meat that’s raised without antibiotics and steroids in an environment that is compassionate, and consume less of it? So it isn’t as much about vegetarianism as it is about being responsible for the environment and making choices that support our bodies nutritionally. There are some people and certain blood types who do better with some protein from meat, and there are others who really thrive on a vegan or vegetarian diet. I think it’s all about finding a great balance.” × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 15
NEXT STOP ...
Heart with Darkness CARAMELIZED BANANA CHOCOLATE, truffles with a chewy spiced-pumpkin centre and flower-salted dark chocolate — the sweet confections from chocolatiers nationwide exceed the commercial variety in flavour, quality, presentation and sustainability, with many working together with cocoa growers to put forth the best chocolate there is, directly from the bean.
CHOCOLATS GENEVIÈVE GRANDBOIS
www.chocolatsgg.com Chocolatier Geneviève Grandbois took to chocolate making at the ripe old age of 20. The rich and flavourful fine chocolates on offer at any of the three eponymous shops she since opened in Montreal — including one at Atwater Market — are proof that she’s mastered the art. From gianduja (caramel hazelnut butter and chocolate) to chocolate with maple butter and pecans caramelized in maple sugar, every single confection is done using some of the finest European chocolates as well as cocoa harvested from Grandbois’ own plantation in Costa Rica.
BETA5
www.beta5chocolates.com The purple-peach warehouse building where this Vancouver chocolate-cum-pastry shop is located may be ordinary, but the artsy chocolate on hand is anything but. Its moniker is a nod to the Form V beta crystal polymorph — the most sought-after cocoa butter crystallization obtained through “tempering,” or the melting and cooling of liquid chocolate, which results in a firm, crispy and shiny bar. Indeed, the folks at BETA5 are all about the scientific approach, and their small batches of ethically grown, artisanal chocolates pack some serious appeal. Case in point: the candied olive Polygon Bar — a hilly confection melding candied Taggiasca olives and creamy white chocolate.
CHOKLAT
www.sochoklat.com This Albertan chocolate purveyor’s specialty is truffles — fresh, made-to-order truffles. Hand-rolled centres — think Bailey’s Irish Cream, Amaretto Disaronno and crème caramel — are then dipped in dark or milk chocolate before they are hand-rolled in a coating of your choice. But custom-made truffles isn’t chocolate maker Brad Churchill’s sole distinctive offering. The self-made chocolatier goes the extra mile — producing the main ingredient in house, rather than buying in bulk, all the while ensuring the cocoa beans he imports from growers of various South American plantations are harvested sustainably. × 16 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
MORE DELICIOUS PLACES TO VISIT
Habitual Chocolate Roasters www.habitualchocolate.com Camino www.lasiembra.com/camino/ Zazubean www.zazubean.com Dark Side Chocolates www.darksidechocolates.com Soma Chocolatemaker www.somachocolate.com Chocolatière de Victoria www.chocolatvictoria.ca Chocolatier Constance Popp www.artisanchocolates.ca Decadence Chocolates www.decadencechocolates.ca Epiphanie Chocolate www.epiphaniechocolate.com Island Chocolate Company www.islandchocolates.ca Thomas Haas www.thomashaas.com
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FEED BY TOM DE LARZAC ...
bushels THERE IS SOMETHING GREAT ABOUT MAKING A MEAL FROM SCRATCH. I’m often pleasantly surprised by how easy
some things are to make — and also how easy it is to make delicious food, sauces and spreads that can last, with the proper techniques. My family has always made pickled vegetables, but pasta sauce was my first foray into this delicious world. When pasta made its way onto the menu at my house, we would head over to the closest grocery store and pick up some spaghetti and the first jar of basil pasta sauce that we saw. Most of the time this was great, because we didn’t know any better. Then one day a friend invited me to a pasta sauce-making party. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, or what I was getting myself into, but it turned into a great experience, and one that will never be forgotten. “Pick up the tomatoes and bring some jars,” I was told. So I pulled up to the little vegetable stand where I was to pick up the tomatoes. I was surprised when then the owner loaded five bushels into my car. It looked like a lot of tomatoes, but I didn’t think much of it. Once I got to the party, I saw several bags of onions, dozens of heads of garlic, piles of basil, and several very large pots. The five bushels of tomatoes fit right in. After what felt like hours of peeling (it makes for a smoother sauce), chopping and mincing the onions, garlic and basil, we were finally ready to make the pasta sauce. As the ingredients went into the pot, I quickly realized that my initial suspicion of all those bushels being a lot of tomatoes was correct. We used all four burners, a propane burner and even started an outdoor fire in the pit. We made pasta sauce all day long, and well into the evening. In total, we made four rounds of sauce; each one was a little bit unique. Some had more basil, some had none; some had chili flakes and others had thyme. Eventually we lost track of what was what so when we started jarring the sauces, we each hoped for a good mix. In the end we ended up with nearly 100 jars of sauce, more than any of us had predicted. We each took some home and tried some new recipes. No matter what I made, though, the homemade tomato sauce was always the star of the dish. Now I just run to my basement, and not the grocery store, for extra jars of sauce. 18 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
HOMEMADE PASTA SAUCE
4 1/2 3 5 3
tbsp extra virgin olive oil sweet yellow onion, finely diced cloves of garlic, minced large tomatoes, peeled and crushed tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1. Over medium heat, add olive oil to a medium
pot. When heated, add onions and allow to sweat for 3 minutes. 2. Add garlic; allow to soften for 1 minute. Add tomatoes to the mixture and reduce heat to low as sauce begins to simmer. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper; be careful not to over-season at this point, as more can be added as the sauce is near finishing. If dried herbs are being used, add at this time. 3. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours till tomatoes have fully softened and sauce has begun to thicken. Add basil for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Add salt and pepper, if necessary. 4. If a smooth texture is desired, purée with a hand blender till desired consistency is reached. 5. Making this sauce in large quantities is easy, but it requires extra time for sauce to come to a simmer. Sauce is perfect for jarring and will keep in a cool, dark place for 6 to 12 months. ×
LAZY MIXOLOGIST BY CHRISTINE SISMONDO ...
Not Forgotten
WHERE HAVE ALL THE CRANBERRIES GONE?
Although they’re now something of a rare sighting these days, I can remember a time when it was harder to find a cocktail menu without cranberry juice. We had Cape Cods and Sea Breezes, both of which gave way to the omnipresent and super-popular Cosmopolitan that handily ruled the late 1990s and early millennium years — peak cranberry. But it wasn’t too big to fail. Sick of the Cosmo, one New York bartender (Sasha Petraske at Milk & Honey) refused to stock the juice. One by one, bartenders followed suit until we came to this current state of affairs, where a cranberry cocktail is nearly extinct — at least at craft cocktail bars. I wondered, though, given my love for tart and bitter ingredients (not to mention a splash of pink in my drink), if there was any way to reclaim the cranberry, without necessarily having to go back to the days of overly-sweet vodka drinks. For advice, I turned to Shane Beehan of Halifax, who runs the bar program at Field Guide, a restaurant so devoted to seasonal that it flips its entire food and drink program every month to make the most of fresh, local produce. “The cranberry is such a weird little ingredient,” says Beehan. “The colour is so deep, and it’s so tart and sour. There’s an awesome flavour in there but, other than just making it into juice, how do you turn it into a cocktail ingredient without muting its distinct flavour?” Beehan, who has plenty of experience delving into antiquated preservation techniques given his restaurant’s commitment to seasonality, answered his own question with a shrub — a vinegar-based fruit cordial that was commonly used to make the most of the short shelf life of berries before the advent of refrigeration. To make a cranberry shrub, Beehan roasts one pound of cranberries in the oven at 350°F until they start popping. He then removes from heat and adds a few stalks of fresh rosemary, a cup of sugar and three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a Mason jar, letting it cool overnight (giving it a rigorous shake periodically). In the morning, he strains out the solids and, voilà: cranberry shrub. “The reason I like it so much is the complex flavour profile you get,” says Beehan. “There are waves of flavours in even just the smallest dosage of shrub.” Beehan adds a small dose to orange liqueur and Prosecco for his signature cranberry drink, Heart of the City — a spot-on perfect way to bring back the cranberry cocktail.
HEART OF THE CITY
1 1/2 1/2 2 3
oz Grand Marnier oz cranberry shrub oz fresh lemon juice dashes Angostura bitters oz Prosecco
Stir all ingredients except Prosecco over ice. Strain into chilled coupe. Top with Prosecco. ×
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OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 19
PREP BY MICHAEL PINKUS ...
A Real Delight LONG-SUFFERING FANS OF SOUTH AFRICA REJOICE.
Let me clarify: I’m talking wine here. South African white wines are achieving a real flare these days and that’s good for value-seekers. While South African reds get criticized for tasting (or smelling) “dirty” or “road tar-ish,” or like “burning truck tires” — or in the case of the latest onslaught of Pinotage, achieving an unholy level of coffee character — the white wines are showing purity and delicacy in the aromatics department, while others, such as the Chardonnays, have got a lot of power and strength of character. Lately I have found myself gravitating towards a number of South African whites, and when I put them in front of friends they are as surprised as I was by the wine in their glass. I am not quite ready to say that there is a resurgence in South African winemaking, but I am here to tell you that their white wines are revving up the bandwagon we’ll soon be jumping on.
CAPE POINT VINEYARDS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 ($15.95) It’s a pretty bottle, and it houses an elegant Sauvignon Blanc with melon, white peach and hints of lemon pith.
KEN FORRESTER RESERVE CHENIN BLANC 2012 ($17.95) Grilled pineapple and apricot with hints of poached pear; I’ve come to expect good things from South African Chenin and this one seems to deliver.
BAYTEN CHARDONNAY 2012 ($17.95) I found this to be a good-value Chardonnay that hits all the high notes: plump white fruit with apple, pear and peach adding vanilla and hints of butterscotch for good measure, all with a spicy finish.
DE MORGENZON DMZ CHARDONNAY 2012 ($14.95) Another good-value Chardonnay with subtle pineapple and spice on the nose; palate finds peach with a touch of vanilla-spice; nothing overwhelms, everything seems in pleasant balance. ×
20 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
BON VIVANT BY PETER ROCKWELL ...
ILLUSTRATION: MATT DALEY/SHINYPLIERS.COM
What causes sediment in some wine? First we have to clarify (no pun intended) what you mean by sediment. Are you asking about the chunky monkeys that you sometimes find in a red or fortified wine? Or maybe you mean the glass-like crystals that magically materialize in some white wines. Either way, while coming across those kinds of floaties may not be the most visually appealing thing on Earth, they’re naturally occurring, harmless and are generally considered a sign of quality. This “good sediment” develops in a variety of ways. In those reds and fortifieds, it either shows up because the juice was not filtered before bottling or your vino is starting to show its age. Why would a winery not filter? For a time there, the idea that sediment (made up of a combination of dead yeast cells, fragments of grape guck, tartrates and a myriad of other molecules spawned during fermentation) enhanced a wine’s flavour was all the rage. Fancy-pants wine critics fell over themselves praising that added goodness, and winemakers responded with output that fit the profile. That sentiment is a lot less prevalent in this new millennium. Much like you and I, as a wine matures, things start to fall apart. What’s bad for us is actually good for a wine — especially if it’s a mucho macho brawny red. As time passes, the tannins and colour pigments in reds start to soften; separating from the liquid, they either coat the inside of the bottle or fall to its bottom. It’s a part of the aging process and makes the wine all the more enjoyable in the glass. Tartrates (tartaric acid in a solid form) are the primary culprits in white wine. Chilling brings them to life, so a winery can clear most (but not necessarily all) of them up with a little cold stabilization. If a white wine gets the cold shoulder somewhere along the way to your local liquor store, any remaining tartrates may make a guest appearance and stay put.
× Ask your questions at bonvivant@quench.me
Again, there’s nothing to fear. In fact, because of their gemlike look, and how much they are revered, tartrates crystals are often called wine diamonds. Admittedly, a mouthful of bitter sediment doesn’t turn my corkscrew. Just give your purchase the once-over against a bright light source and if it’s throwing, let it sit upright for an hour or so, then simply decant the unwanted particles out of that puppy and serve.
I love the wines from France’s Rhône region. What’s the difference between the juice from the southern and northern parts of the valley?
I share your love. France took it on the chin the hardest when the initial wave of New World wines hit shore and, unlike Italy and Spain, has struggled to find the momentum to support a major comeback ever since. The Rhône Valley has been the one bright light. Renowned for some masterful blending techniques that create undeniably drinkable wines, the region has become the gateway back to France for a whole new generation of oenophiles. As you mention, it’s considered the sum of two parts: The northern Rhône and the southern Rhône. While climate certainly differentiates one from the other (continental in the north and Mediterranean in the south), the grape focus of each really defines their individuality. The north is the home of Syrah (a red grape you may also know by the name Shiraz), which gives its wines darker, more brooding personalities. While Syrah is big in the south as well, the fruit-forward Grenache leads the way where it is blended with a cornucopia of other indigenous grapes. Need an example? Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the south’s most famous son, is a mega combination of up to 19 different grapes. Vive la France! × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 21
R.e.s.p.e.c.t. by Tim Pawsey
This November, it will be a decade since the launch of the International Screwcap Initiative. That was the period when the twist top revolution won its stripes, if you will. When the notion of Stelvin closures moved from being vaguely respectable (a still somewhat suspect alternative) to a force to be reckoned with that really has changed the way we bottle wine. It has me thinking about my own introduction to screwcaps and what’s transpired along the way. One steamy hot January evening in 1998, I was sitting in what was then the Melbourne Wine Room, a bustling spot, which mid-evening seamlessly shifted from casual resto and beer saloon to wine tasting bar. Even in increasingly wine savvy Melbourne, the room still enjoyed prominence, more as an Aussie tavern than a wine haunt, at least for most of the day. Our hosts suggested we should crack open some older Clare Rieslings and we jumped at the chance. Out came the bottles, several from the early 1970s. The other common trait they shared? They were all screwcaps. The wines were part of an ongoing test initiated by key Clare Valley Riesling producers in response to an issue they’d been experiencing with poor quality corks — and a resulting incidence of taint that some were estimating to be as high as 10 percent. If not cautious, we were certainly curious, although for many in the group the mere mention of screwcap conjured up images of Schloss Laderheim or Gallo Hearty Burgundy and the like. But this was a different species and these were vintage wines — and serious ones at that. I remember as we tasted how pleasantly surprised we were as our suspicions evaporated with the crisp and vibrant character of each and every bottle, evolved and aged for sure, with all that you’d expect and appreciate from a 20-plus-year-old Riesling but with a definitive clarity that was hard to believe — without a whiff of that all too familiar, if even slight, corkiness. 22 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
(A couple of years later, those same Clare producers took the bull by the horns and launched pretty well all of their premium Rieslings under Stelvin, and thereby kicked off what’s become, in essence, a revolution.) That all seems like ancient history now, especially in a time when the screwcap has become such a major part of wine culture (although some would argue the opposite) that we now think nothing of twisting the top off a bottle. And it seems that much of wine drinking world agrees. In the UK, reports suggest that initial resistance has crumbled, with up to 85 percent of consumers now accepting screwcaps. No doubt much of that can be linked to the English passion for Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, which, as far as I know, is almost entirely under screwcap. While the French were the first to dabble in artificial enclosures — having developed the technology several decades prior — it was the Aussies, on a small scale, who proved its reliability. Unquestionably, it has been the Kiwis who have taken things to the next level — Marlborough in particular. The other seminal screwcap moment that remains in my mind was during a 2002 visit to Vancouver by Dr John Forrest, from New Zealand’s Forrest Estate. He poured several of his estate wines from identical batches, side by side, one of each under cork and one under screwcap. The results, especially with the aromatics, were truly convincing. It was Forrest who, along with Ross Lawson (Lawson’s Dry Hills), John Belsham (Foxes Island) and John Stichbury (Jackson Estate) who led the charge in Marlborough
that has resulted in the most revolutionary, worldwide change in wine closure arguably since the advent of cork itself. Recently, I had the chance to ask Dr Forrest what it was that absolutely convinced him that screwcaps were the way to go. Here’s what he had to say: “I actually didn’t believe it until one day I had Jeff Grosset from Australia over. He brought one of the original Yalumba 34-year-old Rieslings, under screwcap. It was sensational! But the winemaker’s notes said: ‘awful vintage, shit wine, drink quickly.’ There under screwcap, 34 years later, it was still one of the best aged Rieslings that I’ve ever seen. I thought that was the moment, the epiphany for me, I was forever going to be a screwed up kind of guy!” While John Forrest’s Vancouver visit may not have turned the world upside down right away, it did kindle the flames of a fire that within a few years swept through the market, especially in BC. Maybe it’s part of our ‘frontier’ mentality, or that we’ve always just liked to live a little bit on the edge, but Vancouver consumers seemed to take to Stelvin a whole lot more easily than most — a fact not lost on more tuned in Okanagan producers. Tinhorn Creek was the first BC (and likely Canadian) winery to mirror Dr Forrest’s idea by packaging side by side bottles of its 2001 Oldfield Collection Merlot under Stelvin and cork. The choice of the upper-tier wines was deliberate, intended to counter the notion that screwcaps were suited only to budget wines, and also an echo of the Clare Valley move to Stelvin on premium
wines. The feedback was so positive that it wasn’t long before the winery switched over its entire production. At the time, then winemaker and now Tinhorn CEO Sandra Oldfield was asked about the “romance” of pulling a cork. Without missing a beat, she replied: “I’ve always believed that if you need a cork for romance, you’re sitting at the table with the wrong man.” Prior to the Clare Valley producer trials, it was Yalumba who first seriously explored screwcaps in 1964. There followed an on-again-off-again love affair that waxed and waned in concert with the consumers’ ardour, or lack thereof, which continued past the millennium. In Burgundy, Domaine Laroche bucked the trend by launching its first wines under Stelvin, which was, after all, made by a French company (and division of Alcan). Following the success enjoyed — including, finally, market acceptance — by the Clare group and especially by Marlborough’s Screwcap Initiative, other serious players around the world began to sit up and take note. Especially when the Kiwis morphed their organisation into one of more global scope at the 2004 International Screwcap Symposium, held at Blenheim, in Marlborough. The International Screwcap Initiative brought together all the pioneers to that date, and also made available their findings to drive and coordinate a global initiative that would work to improve the public’s perception of screwcaps. The association enjoyed multi-national support on its executive from the likes of John Belsham, Jeffrey Grosset and Michel Laroche. What the initiative achieved was to provide the building blocks to convey to a wider wine world, and to consumers at large, that the screwcap was more than a purely regional curiosity confined to the Antipodes or New World but a trend that merited serious consideration on any number of levels — and in most, if not all, wine regions. Aside from the challenge of corked wines, other factors have been driving acceptance of screwcap closures. Younger generations of wine drinkers see them as convenient and portable, which very much plays into the notion that wine is no longer confined to a formal dining setting. Then
there’s the much talked about but hard-topin-down “trunk-aged” statistic: that the average bottle of wine is consumed within, say, three hours of purchase. Then there’s the reality that most wine drinkers today, especially urban dwellers, don’t have the space to cellar wines at home. That all begs the question, which it seems has been already answered: Is it really worth putting a decent cork in a bottle that’s never going to see a wine rack, let alone a cellar?
— and that’s the downside.” Grahm also suggests we’ve barely scraped the surface as far as developing permeable screwcaps that can be adjusted according to need. Bonny Doon and Grahm, however, proved to be somewhat the exception, as the Golden State has been slow to make the switch. If Napa — generally inclined to be just a tad image conscious — feels the cork equates to Bordeaux, then perhaps that explains in part why both it and California at large has been more resistant.
While the French were the first to dabble in artificial enclosures — having developed the technology several decades prior — it was the Aussies, on a small scale, who proved its reliability. Even before the arrival of the Screwcap Initiative, in 2002 Bonny Doon’s Randall Grahm held a mock funeral at Grand Central Station for “Monsieur Bouchon,” complete with coffin and mourners on their way to an all-black themed dinner to mark the cork’s demise, and a wide ranging and witty eulogy delivered by Jancis Robinson. Grahm was one of the first screwcap trailblazers, moving his flagship Rhône Ranger le Cigare Volant to the closure for the 2000 vintage. In a recent YouTube clip, Grahm says although it’s still early days, the same wine sealed in cork rather than screwcap will not last as long. But, he adds, screwcaps also “can be very backward when they’re young
No doubt the debate over the merits of screwcap versus cork will continue to rage. Although my hunch is it will be with a whole lot less fervour, as we learn more and more that tasting fault free trumps image and romance every time. Consider how Jancis Robinson closed her eulogy to “Pierre Bouchon”: “But we will not mourn the social posturing you have — perhaps unwittingly — given rise to over the past centuries. The sniffing of the cork. How ridiculous is that when the most hideously tainted wines can be topped by perfectly sweet-smelling corks, and the most divine wines emerge from under a stinkbomb of a cork.” × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 23
Crushing it by Rick VanSickle
IT IS SIMPLY BREATHTAKING. A stunning swath of wind-swept land fills our view as we look down the throat of the Garnet Valley from the highest point of the property on a perfect spring day. Wild flowers — from purple lupines to a riot of colours from daisies, fireweed and wild mustard — swing in the breeze, a breeze that never stands still. Horses with riders trundle on by, and everywhere, evidence of deer, coyotes, rabbits, rattlesnakes and marmots add to the natural cycle of life. It is a self-contained environment, teeming with the flora and fauna, insects, birds and wildlife that are all part of the important symbiotic relationship for a healthy ecosystem. It’s here at the Garnet Valley Ranch, a sprawling and undulating 312 acres of lovely, pristine ranchland in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, that the arduous task of planting up to 70 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling has just begun. The rest of the property will be left as farmland and a nature preserve. It is a bold move, an unproven piece of Summerland vineyard expanse that Okanagan Crush Pad owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie hope will yield the kind of grapes they want to fulfil their dream as an organic winery making a portfolio of natural wines sourced from their own vineyards and farmed the way they want to farm it. “We want to make our wine in the vineyard,” says Coletta. “Our goal is to only have Summerland fruit, all organic, all made naturally without chemicals and additives. It’s about the flavour profile. We’re working hard to grow this fruit, so why hide it?” That philosophy begins in the vineyard and ends in the bottle. 24 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
Clockwise from top left ... Okanagan Crush Pad’s Christine Coletta; Matt Dumayne and Michael Bartier; Tyler Harlton from TH Wines
It has taken four years to convert the home estate’s Switchback Vineyard (all Pinot Gris) to organic fruit. Now, with the winery brimming with concrete fermenters — six 4,400-litre concrete tanks from Italy (weighing a total of 39 tons), six 2,000-litre black, egg-shaped, concrete tanks from Sonoma, and two 800-litre clay amphoras — OCP is close to their goal of eliminating stainless steel in their winemaking process. In fact, Coletta has put a moratorium on purchasing any more stainless steel and wants only concrete and neutral French oak 4,500-litre foudres for processing her wines. “I’m more interested in natural winemaking. Everything is natural in the vineyard and I want to take that philosophy to the winery,” she says. The idea of using concrete for fermentation comes from the winery’s consulting winemaker, Alberto Antonini, who uses the same tanks at his Poggiotondo winery in Tuscany and is very impressed with the results. OCP winemakers Michael Bartier and Matt Dumayne concur with the concept. Concrete had been used for centuries in winemaking, but was more or less abandoned with the arrival of stainless steel. These modern day concrete tanks take a forward-thinking approach to the Old World practice. “Okanagan Crush Pad is my first experience using concrete tanks and I am very impressed with the results,” says Dumayne. “We now have just over 38,000 litres in concrete tank capacity. They have excellent fermentation kinetics such as temperature retention. The conical shape of the tank moves the fermenting juice around in a vortex, which produces wines with enhanced depth, complexity and roundness of tannins. We have found that the resulting wines have a complexity and an enhanced creamy mineral character.” The Okanagan Crush Pad began life as a home for their flagship wines, Haywire and Bartier Scholefield, with a steady stream of custom crush clients designed to facilitate production of multiple small lots of wine from many different sources. Both parts of the business have been successful for Coletta and her husband, with 225 tonnes of grapes processed in 2011 and now at capacity with 450 tonnes processed in 2013 for OCP wines and six clients.
HAYWIRE SWITCHBACK VINEYARD RAISED IN CONCRETE WILD FERMENT 2012 ($30) A showcase for BC Pinot Gris, with a nose of ripe apple, melon and apricot-peach notes. Such complexity and a wonderful creamy texture on the palate with balancing acidity.
HAYWIRE RAISED IN CONCRETE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013 ($23) Aromas of fresh squeezed grapefruit, citrus and herbs. Made bonedry with a round texture on the palate and lovely fresh citrus fruit.
HAYWIRE CANYONVIEW VINEYARD RAISED IN CONCRETE PINOT NOIR 2011 ($35) Beautiful nose of cherry, raspberry, bramble and light spice notes. This is juicy, silky and elegant on the palate with red fruits that are joined by defining minerality. Pure and smooth.
TH WINES VIOGNIER/ PINOT GRIS ($25)
SUMMERGATE KERNER 2013 ($23) The nose shows lime, tropical fruits, peach and a nice minty-leaf note. It’s made slightly off-dry with apricot, creamy peach and a note of ginger beer through the long finish.
SILKSCARF UNOAKED CHARDONNAY 2013 ($21) I love this pure expression of Summerland Chardonnay. Made with no malo and no lees stirring, the nose shows fresh green apple, lemon-citrus and just a hint of tropical fruits. It’s highly refreshing on the palate with pure flavours balanced by crisp acidity.
SILKSCARF ENSEMBLE 2008 ($33) Aromas of cassis, figs, blackberry, chocolate and Espresso bean. Fantastic structure on the palate and harmonious fruit and spice.
8TH GENERATION CLASSIC RIESLING 2012 ($21)
This is a delight with a nose of apricot, peach, apple and melon. It is viscous and lush on the palate with ripe orchard fruits and touches of exotic mango and apricot.
Classic, in this case, means bone dry. Look for a foundation of slate minerality and rousing citrus fruit on the nose. The citrus is pronounced on the palate with added grapefruit and apple notes and a zesty, fresh finish.
TH WINES PINOT NOIR 2012 ($30)
8TH GENERATION SYRAH 2012 ($25)
Unfined and unfiltered, this is as pure an expression of Pinot as you will find anywhere. Such depth to the raspberry-cherry fruit on the nose. It is perfectly smooth and silky on the palate with gorgeously ripe fruit that echoes endlessly on the finish.
The nose shows roasted meats, pepper, dark fruits and thick spice notes. It’s highly extracted on the palate with an array of fruit and spice.
SUMMERGATE MUSCAT OTTONEL 2012 ($20) SummerGate is certified organic and only produces white wines from its small property. The Riesling is loaded with pure citrus fruit that is supported by laser-sharp acidity.
SILKSCARF VIOGNIER 2013 ($21) A floral nose with highly aromatic apples, peach and apricots. Lovely balance in the mouth with ripe tropical fruits, ginger, peach and zesty acidity.
SUMAC RIDGE PINOT GRIGIO PRIVATE RESERVE 2013 ($15) I know the label says Grigio, but this is made in the Gris style. The nose shows rich peach, tangerine, star fruit, melon and ginger. It has wonderful texture in the mouth with fleshy ripe fruits that are well integrated and quite tasty.
SUMAC RIDGE BLACK SAGE SHIRAZ 2012 ($24) I love the nose of plums, rosehips, boysenberry, roasted meats and spice. On the palate, the layers of rich fruit are joined by spice and a long, smooth finish. OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 25
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But plans change as you expand and see beyond the vineyard growing in your own front yard. With the purchase and planting of the Garnet Valley Ranch, a short drive from the home winery, Coletta can clearly see a new day dawning for a winery that is yearning to only process Summerland fruit, all organically farmed and all made naturally. “Right now we are the tenants in the basement suite. We’re (eventually) going to move upstairs and take over the whole house,” she says. The new biodynamic/organic Garnet Valley Vineyard, mapped out with an elaborate electro conductivity survey by terroir expert Pedro Parra of Chile, along with the 10 acres of Pinot Gris at the home Switchback Vineyard, will provide the fruit needed to be a self-contained 30,000 to 35,000 case production winery. There are already plans to expand the winery to accommodate the new estate fruit, which will come on stream in three or four years. High-quality, organically-grown fruit is the core of the operation; it begins there, in the vineyard. Pinot Gris is currently the focus of the OCP (with sourced grapes for other wines) with expansion plans to include estate Pinot Noir, Pinot/Chardonnay bubbly, Riesling, rosé and Chardonnay from the Garnet Valley Ranch. Beginning with the 2011 vintage, all Haywire wines were “Raised in Concrete,” as the label proudly displays, and all the wines use wild yeast and minimal sulphur. The 2012 Switchback Vineyard Wild Ferment is one of the best expressions of Pinot Gris I have tasted from Canada. It has a wild, feral nose of apple pie and ripe fruit with complexity and creaminess on the palate to go with weight and texture that fills the mouth. That texture is a feature that runs through entire portfolio that Dumayne showed me. It’s all fruit-driven with little oak cluttering the profile, even for the red wines like Pinot Noir. “We like oak as a vessel,” he says. “But not for aging. Oak dries the wine out and it loses its fruit. That’s the opposite of what we are trying to achieve here. We want Okanagan fruit, purity of fruit, roundness and delicacy.” The Okanagan Crush Pad is one of the jewels in the small but burgeoning Summerland wine fraternity. A collection of
14 wineries just off Highway 97 between Penticton and Kelowna in many ways has lifted the profile of the small region. Summerland is a pretty and quaint small town with a growing selection of local restaurants (don’t miss The Local) and shops. The wineries have come together to establish “Bottleneck Drive” to better market the region and entice wine lovers to get off the main Okanagan highway that leads north or south to the larger wine regions of Kelowna, Okanagan Falls, Naramata, Oliver and Osoyoos. Bottleneck Drive wineries exhibit the characteristics of the Okanagan Valley but all have a unique style. There is little sameness in the eclectic collection of mostly smaller, family-run wineries. North of downtown, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, founded by Harry McWatters, is the area’s long-established elder statesman and one of the most recognizable wineries in the Valley. Bonitas Winery is the new kid on the block and offers stunning mountain and vineyard views from their bistro patio. West of the town centre, visit Hollywood & Wine Estate Winery for certified organic wines, while the southern wine loop includes Thornhaven Estates Winery, Dirty Laundry Vineyard, Silk Scarf Family Boutique Winery, 8th Generation Vineyard and Adora Estate Winery. Then there’s TH Wines, a tiny winery tucked ingloriously away in a nondescript industrial park in Summerland. Vanquish from your mind that all around you are cars in various states of disrepair and step inside Tyler Harlton’s oasis, a one-man operation, where each bottle of wine is handmade from start to finish. Harlton, who grew up on a grain farm in Saskatchewan, is slowly churning out three to five extraordinary wines a year for a total production of 1,100 cases. His Pinot Noir 2012 is one of the finest Pinots I have tasted from the Okanagan, with lovely fruit, subtle spice and a silky, pure feel on the palate. Small, yes, but each wine is crafted in an uncompromising style that you can only get from a one-man operation. His spirit, his vision are what helps to define the wineries of Summerland; not just a pretty lakeside stop on the way to more glamorous destinations. Stop in, taste and see for yourself. ×
by Tod Stewart
BACK TO THE FUTURE OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 27
How new is “new”? How old is “old”? Trut accuracy of the terms depend on their co In the hyper-connected world of today, th between new and old gets blurry. New is happening. Everything is therefore old. The What’s new? can only be accurately answ Everything and nothing. In the wine world, things should be more straightforward, especially when talking about countries and regions. I mean, we have both Old World and New World demarcations. So you simply drop any wine area in question into the proper bucket. Tuscany = Italy = Old World = old country = old wine culture. Easy peasy. Of course, that line of reasoning collapses into so much semantic dust when you have new wine industries arising in very old wine territories. The wines were referenced by Pliny the Elder. The vines were some of the world’s oldest. But the region wasn’t given official recognition until 1989, with production of serious, acclaim-worthy tintos not happening for at least a decade following that. Welcome to Bierzo, Spain, one of the Old World’s newest wine regions. “This is a relatively unknown appellation, but not new,” confirms Isidro Fernández Bello, General Manager and Oenologist at the highly acclaimed Casar de Burbia winery. “We have been growing grapes for over 2,000 years. Our strength comes from the small family wineries that have limited marketing capability. However, a generation of young oenologists is turning El Bierzo into one of the top five Spanish appellations in terms of quality, showing that the quality of our wines is not just a fad.” As an Old World wine-producing nation, Spain is somewhat unique. Planted with more hectares of vines than any other country, it ranks third in wine production. This is due, in part, to large expanses of old, low-yielding vines. Unlike some other Old World countries whose vinous lineage stretches back over the course of centuries, the Spanish wine industry didn’t really kick into gear until the mid-1900s. Sure, sherry had established itself, particularly among the Brits (who referred to it as “sack”), but it wasn’t until phylloxera laid waste to the vineyards of France that Spanish wines (particularly those of Rioja), started gaining traction as French winemakers hopped the Pyrenees in search of pristine vineyards. (They also brought with them the technique of aging wines in 225 litre oak barricas, which was enthusiastically embraced by Spanish producers). The sparkling cava industry also starting experiencing growth at this time. 28 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
However, whatever gains had been made since then were effectively halted via a combination of the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War and the reign of Francisco Franco. With a few exceptions, it was only after Franco’s death in 1975 that real development in the industry began, and wines from regions like Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rías Baixas and Priorat became well-known and internationally acclaimed. It’s now time for those of Bierzo to solidify their reputation. As with most of Spain’s top-quality table wine regions, the hills and valleys of Bierzo are located in the northern section of the country, approximately equidistant from the northeast tip of Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean, in the Castile-León region. Ana de Andrés, of Bierzo’s Bodegas Peique, offers a good summation of what, from a winemaker’s perspective, makes the area unique. “Our landscape is hilly with many microclimates, with different exposures, soils, altitudes … we have many tiny little plots scattered around Valtuille, our village. This rugged landscape makes each individual vineyard very different from the next one.” Indeed, from the Otero and Toral de los Vados overlook you can see the towns of Parandones and Valtuille, with the expanse from the overlook to Valtuille being home to the highest concentration of vineyards in Bierzo. Though the vineyard plots are all more or less at the same altitude, varying by 50 metres or so, they are situated on differing exposures and experience the impact of the sun and winds differently. The soil composition also varies, with the mineral content increasing as you move higher up. Both the hillsides and valleys sport vineyards, but Luis Peique, Bodegas Peique’s manager of the winery and vineyards, is convinced that elevation is one of the secrets to the best quality fruit. “A stamp of identity of El Bierzo wines is the marked acidity that gives them a natural, amazing freshness,” Peique reveals, adding that vines grown at higher altitudes have a longer ripening period that, in turn, impacts the acid structure in the fruit and in the final wine. Most of these vineyards are less than a hectare in size and have historically been family owned. Each family made wine for local consumption, so the notion of producing wines for export is
th is, the ontext. he line s always e question, wered:
a relatively recent phenomenon. Credit for putting Bierzo on the map is largely conceded to Álvaro Palacios who, along with nephew Ricardo Pérez, founded Descendientes de J. Palacios in 1998. Having been instrumental in revolutionizing winemaking in Priorat, as well as reanimating his family winery in Rioja, Palacios was attracted not only to the beauty of the region, but of the most important indigenous black grape variety: Mencía. Once thought to be related to Cabernet Franc, Mencía has since been found to be the same grape as Portugal’s Jaén variety (though there still may be room for argument here, depending on which authority you side with). In any case, most Bierzo winemakers have embraced this variety, in spite of the fact that non-native strains are being experimented with. “We are focused on our native grape varieties,” confirms winemaker Jorge Peique. “They are perfectly adapted to our soil and climate. We don’t have any reason to import foreign varieties to plant here when we have our own grape: Mencía.” Though she is quick to point out that other native black grapes, Garnacha Tintorera for example, are not being abandoned, there’s something about Mencía that is as individual as the distinctive vineyard sites where it grows.
“The Mencía grape produces very aromatic wines with a strong mineral character; a character that can be stronger or less pronounced depending on the soil in which it is planted,” he reveals. Peique also points out that many of her Bierzo wines — particularly those produced around Valtuille — are crafted from vines that are over 50 years old. In fact, these are the youngest vines the winery uses. Others come in at over 90 years. Bello sums up the style as follows: “They are elegant; creamy, fruity (raspberry and cherry) and floral (roses). If I had to single out one thing, I would say that Mencía is chameleon-like. When young, there is a maximum expression of fruit and floral notes. But with aging, the terroir comes out, with citric undertones from the mineral plots, and ferruginous [iron-like] notes from clay soils.” Red wines made from this dark grape tend to be what most of the region’s winemakers are focusing on, but blancos (and rosados) are being made as well. The star grape for the majority of the white wines is once again a native … and once again, relatively unknown (at least on these shores). Say hello to Godello. Bello chuckles when he calls Godello the Great White Hope. “I sincerely think it will be recognized worldwide,” he says, “and, in the future, it might be even more widely-known than Mencía.” OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 29
WHITE BODEGAS PEIQUE GODELLO 2013 ($19) Vine age: 15 years. Aging: Five months stainless steel. Bright, fragrant, floral aromas with ripe peach, melon, citrus and white flower blossom segue to equally lively mineral-tinged, citrus/melon/tropical fruit flavours and surprisingly intense final notes. Shows equal parts fun and finesse.
CASAR DE BURBIA GODELLO 2013 ($19) Intense aromas suggesting vanilla bean, acacia, peach, fennel, almond, nutmeg and underlying tropical fruit. Full-bodied and ripe with lively citrus, melon, almond and vanilla notes. Well-balanced with a long, crisp finish.
RED
As Casar de Burbia’s Isidro Fernández Bello points out, the Mencía grape is chameleon-like, and it’s aroma and flavour profile can vary depending on where it’s grown, vine age, and the vinification and maturation regime used. However, as these notes indicate, certain elements seem to appear in almost all Mencía wines: floral notes, mineral/graphite, and dark fruit being the most common ones.
BODEGAS PEIQUE MENCÍA 2013 ($16) Vine age: 55 years. Aging: Two months in stainless steel; two months in bottle. Very forward with intense, grapy notes as well as rose petal, licorice, mild spice and some banana notes hinting at some carbonic maceration. Medium-bodied, with
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floral/blueberry flavours and a restrained earthy/meaty quality. Lively fruit with mineral notes on the finish.
BODEGAS PEIQUE TINTO MENCÍA 2012 ($16) Vine age: 55 years. Aging: Two months in stainless steel; two months in bottle. Less overtly grapey than the 2013, but still lots of fruity/floral aromas along with some bell pepper and anise. Pomegranate, dried herbs (thyme/rosemary) and dark chocolate on the palate.
BODEGAS PEIQUE RAMÓN VALLE 2013 ($19) Vine age: 55 years. Aging: Seven months in oak; three months in bottle. Dedicated to grandfather Ramón Valle. Aged in a combination of French, Russian and American oak, this wine shows dried herbs, anise, tobacco, cranberry, spice and rhubarb on the nose. Ripe, rich and savoury in the mouth with bing cherry and dried cranberry flavours, and long, mildly smoky end notes.
BODEGAS PEIQUE VIÑEDOS VIEJOS 2010 ($26) Vine age: 70+ years. Aging: 12 months in oak; 12 months in bottle. Complex aromas of wet slate, tar, loam/root, bell pepper, cedar, balsamic and ripe black cherry. Full-flavoured with peppery, graphite, dried herbs, black olive and a hint of fennel/basil as the wine tails off.
BODEGAS PEIQUE SELECCIÓN FAMILIAR ($52) Vine age: 90+ years. Aging: 18 months in oak; 15 months in bottle. This wine offers up an inviting aromatic profile. Cherry liqueur, violet, sandalwood, vanilla and mocha can all be detected, along with an
interesting whiff of gunflint. Broad-textured, supple and chewy in the mouth, with nicely integrated tannins. It’s flavours suggest black raspberry, tobacco, mild iodine and the usual tarry/mineral elements. The finish is long and smooth with traces of vanilla. Maturing beautifully, this wine should continue to develop over the next decade.
CASAR DE BURBIA MENCÍA 2010 ($20) From fruit sourced from the Finca Valdepiñeiro estate between 400 and 600 meters above sea level and given eight months aging in American oak. Smoky, earthy, black raspberry and currant on the nose with additional aromas of leather, tar, graphite and vanilla adding complexity. Dense and chewy with flavours suggesting chocolate, black cherry and vanilla, with a distinct savoury/mineral finish.
CASAR DE BURBIA TEBAIDA 2008 ($37) The fruit for this wine is sourced from 100-year-old Mencía vines cultivated on three separate estates at over 700 meters above sea level, and aged a minimum of 16 months in French oak. Floral notes of violets and rose petal give way to dried herbs, dark, smoky plum, blueberry, and mint. Full, intense, mildly tannic dark berry fruit, with currant/blueberry preserve flavours and distinctive mineral notes as the long finish fades. Should easily mature for another five to seven years, if not beyond.
CASAR DE BURBIA TEBAIDA NEMESIO 2010 ($40) Named after family patriarch Nemesio Fernandez
Bruña, this limited edition wine, sourced from century-old Mencía vines grown in clay-rich soil, opens with characteristic floral scents that intermingle with those of bright red fruit, cedar, tobacco, pencil shavings, tar, smoke and thyme. Very intensely flavoured with dark fruit and the slate/mineral nuances that seem to pop up in almost every Mencía-based wine. Moderately tannic with balanced acidity, the wine is nonetheless smooth and polished with the potential to age well over the next decade.
CASAR DE BURBIA TEBAIDA NO. 5 2008 ($50) Harvested from the “Plot No.5” vineyard. Planted in 1903 and situated up to 900 meters above sea level, the vineyard’s soil is rich in iron, slate and molybdenum. Mince meat, black cherry, sweet dark plum, eucalyptus, anise, charcoal and a touch of coconut on the nose from aging in French oak barrels. Powerful and concentrated with layers of dense black fruit, it sports a considerable tannic grip along with balancing acidity. It will reward another three to five years in the cellar and should mature gracefully over the next 15 to even 20 years.
BODEGAS Y VIÑEDOS GODELIA MENCÍA 2009 ($21) Juicy, plummy, jammy fruit, evident toasty oak with cedar/sandalwood and white pepper overtones in the aroma. Smooth, silky and polished with some toasty oak, ripe black cherry fruit flavours and hints of mocha. More of what I would call an “international” style, it’s definitely Spanish, almost reminiscent of Rioja.
“Our landscape is hilly with many microclimates, with different exposures, soils, altitudes … we have many tiny little plots scattered around Valtuille, our village. This rugged landscape makes each individual vineyard very different from the next one.” Isidro Fernández Bello
“Godello is also very interesting in terms of organoleptic profile,” Peique opines when the conversation switches from red to white wines. “As with other native grape varieties from the northwest of Spain, it is fresh and full at the same time, which is an unusual combination. Aromatically, I would say it is mainly mineral, with retama, lavender, hinojo [fennel] and all these herbal aromas. For me, it also has some nuances of Reineta apple, the typical apple variety here in Bierzo — which even has its own appellation. It is difficult to compare to foreign grape varieties, but it definitively has something in common with all the white grape varieties found in the northwest, including Albariño, Loureiro and Treixadura. Godello needs the fresh climate of El Bierzo to grow. It is a great variety for wines that you drink while still young, as they have lively acidity and good balance.” Bello also feels that trying to compare Godello to international varieties is a zero-sum game. (“Comparisons are odious, as we say in Spain.”) However, he concedes that a well-made wine, from fruit sourced from high altitude, mineral rich vineyards, reminds him of “some of [his] favourite winemaking regions outside Spain, which are in Burgundy, namely Montrachet.” Indeed, debates have been quietly raging in some rather lofty oenophilic circles over the “Burgundy-ness” of Godello wines. But as I’m sure both Bello and de Andrés would agree, debates of this sort are rather pointless. Try a Godello and compare for yourself, if you must. While more wines from Bierzo are finding their way to international markets, most garnering overwhelmingly favourable reviews, the region’s wineries still face something of an uphill battle for recognition. It’s somewhat ironic that the things that make their wines so unique are the same things that make them a bit of a tough sell outside of the world populated by true cork dorks.
First, you have a fairly obscure region. Second, you have fairly obscure grape varieties. Third, 50 to 100-year-old vines certainly produce intense, concentrated fruit; what they don’t produce are high yields. Add to that labour intensive harvesting and what you end up with is low quantities of high-priced product. This isn’t to say that you can’t find sub-$20 bottles, but the region’s top contenders can easily hit $40 and can go as high as $1,000. To real bottle snobs, this sort of equates to a fair amount of cash for not much cachet. Then there’s the obvious issue: it’s Spain. And for Bierzo, the economic crisis hit at a very inopportune moment. “I think the problem for our wine region is that the crisis started right when our wines were becoming recognized here at home as well as in foreign markets,” reckons de Andrés. “From my point of view, the higher priced wines are the ones affected the most by the poor economy … Our region in general makes high priced wines.” Bello puts a different — and perhaps more positive — spin on the situation, noting that the necessity of having to target the export market has forced the area’s wineries to become more dynamic and international in the way they market. Bierzo’s winemakers for the most part seem to be very aware of the challenges ahead. They are also determined to stay authentic, meaning they will continue to craft their wines from Mencía, Godello and other regional varieties. As most of the wineries are fairly small, it should come as no surprise, then, that Bodegas Pieque, Casar de Burbia and others, have grouped themselves together to form the Autóctona del Bierzo in order to increase their collective marketing clout and launch an ambitious promotional campaign entitled Authentic Bierzo. Both Bello and de Andrés report that their respective wineries are moving ahead with some exciting new projects, all the while embracing and expanding on the region’s authenticity and vinous history. Like the 100-year-old Mencía vines discovered and brought back to productivity by the winemakers of Bierzo, the region’s wines await discovery by a broader wine loving public. If you’re the type that generally plays it safe, runs with the crowd and waits for something to become mainstream before you accept it, you’re likely not going to favour Mencía over Merlot. However, if you have a sense of adventure, like to make new personal discoveries and are into wines that are unique, complex and, well, authentic, there’s a little place in northwest Spain that has just what you’re looking for. × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 31
MAV 2014 chefs
by Rosemary Mantini
THE SPIRIT OF THE MAVERICK IS ONE OF STAYING TRUE TO AN IDEA EVEN THOUGH CONVENTIONAL WISDOM MAY STAND AGAINST IT. It is the ability to see beyond the
ordinary to what could be. The maverick, though, doesn’t just stop there. This is an individual who sets a course of action aimed at achieving that goal whatever the obstacles may be. Maverick chefs — John MacNeil, Matthew Carmichael, Murray MacDonald and Louis Bouchard Trudeau — do exactly that every day. Throughout their careers, these four have consistently pushed themselves toward excellence and, in the process, have inspired those around them to do the same. Where does their passion come from and how do they nurture it over a lifetime? In the time I spent talking with these chefs, one thing became very clear: Not one of them is happy to just rely on doing the same-old-same-old day-in-day-out. These individuals make it a point to strive for inspiration and creativity. They find those qualities not only by pushing the boundaries of their own natural culinary talents, but also in a healthy variety of personal pursuits. Indulging in their hobbies is what helps to make them the mavericks they are. Whether it’s playing in a rock band, dabbling in design, cultivating sea life or being an enthusiastic researcher of all things culinary, pastimes create a necessary space in these chefs’ busy lives. Out of that space, clarity and new ideas emerge. MacNeil, Carmichael, MacDonald and Trudeau follow their bliss and the result, for us, is pure mouthwatering delight. 32 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
MURRAY MACDONALD
FOGO ISLAND INN NEWFOUNDLAND
“PICTURE THIS: 200 YEARS AGO IN RURAL NEWFOUNDLAND, A BUNCH OF THINGS HAD TO HAPPEN TOGETHER. You had to fish and salt cod; you had to have a garden grow-
ing root vegetables and a root cellar to store them in the winter; you had to keep some livestock, forage wild berries, make and bottle preserves.; flour, grains, molasses, salt and rum had to come in on the merchant vessels. If all of this didn’t work together, you were dead. That was life in rural Newfoundland,” explains Murray MacDonald, executive chef at Newfoundland’s modern Fogo Island Inn. So, given that climate, MacDonald should be thrilled to be a chef at a time when modern conveniences and at-the-ready ingredients from anywhere in the world are easily available, right? Not so. MacDonald is a locavore at heart whose creativity drives him to use his store of ingredients in new and very sumptuous ways despite the challenges. “It ain’t easy,” he admits. “The main thing is to have a culinary vision. Also, the menu has to change all the time. I like to say the menu changes with the wind and the tide.” MacDonald works with local small farmers for vegetables and meats, and all the seafood he uses comes from the Fogo Island Co-op. Beyond that, he reaches back into Newfoundland’s history, sourcing products from the province’s traditional trading partners, like Portugal and Spain.
Some discover their creative leanings once they’ve landed in the kitchen. For others, creative expression is a deep-seated part of their very being. MacDonald fits into the latter bunch. He’s been singing and playing the guitar in rock bands since he was 13. Music gives him a creative outlet and lets him express himself in ways not possible in a restaurant setting. “Playing music is a great stress reliever after long days in the kitchen. There is just something about cranking up the Marshall half stack and letting it rip,” he says. I asked him how his musical talent informs his work in the kitchen. “Chefs are just creative people that love to express themselves and work with their hands. And let’s face it, chefs are the new rock stars.” To his customers, MacDonald’s culinary creations positively sing in their mouths. MacDonald may be Newfoundland born and bred, but it was a desire to see the world that attracted him to the life of a chef. Having cooked in, and travelled to, many parts of the world including Bermuda, the Grand Cayman Islands, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Mexico and Vancouver, I wondered what enticed him to go back home. “It’s just one of those things,” he tells me. “Newfoundland is always in your blood. You can never shake it. So when the opportunity came up to pack up the family and move back home, I couldn’t pass it up.” He continues, “we’re just passionate people, cooking great food while introducing people to the one thing that is dearest to my heart — my love of my home province, its people, history, culture and food.” OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 33
MATTHEW CARMICHAEL
EL CAMINO OTTAWA, ON
CONNECTING PAST AND PRESENT, FUNCTION AND FORM ARE CENTRAL TO THE WAY MATTHEW CARMICHAEL OPERATES. “I love the process of figuring out how people live and
how that fits into home design. It’s that injection of the old and the new,” he explains. Design and cooking have always come naturally and easily to him. Carmichael admits that while he may have some trouble retaining some information, like the science-based courses he took in university, he has no problem whatsoever recalling the detailed elements of design or the culinary arts. “I was just really good at it,” he says of his talents in the kitchen, and having just completed renovations on his 100 year old rowhouse, he’s come to realize that he has quite the knack for that, too. Carmichael makes sure that his love of architecture and design are constantly incorporated into his work. When it came to designing El Camino, his first concept restaurant, Carmichael says, “I really wanted to get into the minds of the diners and not impose the space on them. I want them to bring their own meaning, and in that way, make the space.”
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Who has influenced your cooking the most? Chef John Taylor of Ottawa’s Domus Café. / What cookbook changed everything for you? Marco Pierre White, White Heat. / What was your first job in a professional kitchen? Prep cook. / What’s your favourite wine or drink? Chablis — I like a good crisp white wine. Also, Norm Hardie’s Calcaire is my favourite right now. / Is there something you refuse to have in your kitchen? I hate all these gadgets you might find in a kitchenware store, like a garlic press. / What rule of conduct matters more than any other in your kitchen? My staff needs to call me “chef,” not for an ego boost, but because I believe it’s important to respect the history of the classical kitchen. / What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you while cooking? When I was at Susur Lee’s, I had to clean the fryer out every night. There’s a little tap that you open to let the oil out. You have to scrub it down, let the soapy water out, then rinse it with hot water. Afterwards, I forgot to close the tap. The next morning, I dumped all the fresh oil in, and it went right through and all over the floor. I did that two mornings in a row! /
SCALLOP CRUDO WITH XO SAUCE, LIME LEAVES & THAI BASIL
What makes your restaurant stand apart from the others? The lack of pretension. I love seeing kids and seniors, then young adults later at night. We appeal to the whole spectrum of the public. I want everyone to feel welcome. / What are your plans for the future? I’d like to open another El Camino-style resto and a ramen spot because Ottawa needs it. I love classical food, like a veal stock bordelaise, so we’re taking over the old Imperial bank on Spark St. We’ll focus on that kind of more traditional food there. / What do you eat for breakfast? Mostly coffee, and I’ll grab something from Art Is In Bakery. / What was your favourite meal as a child? My grandmother grew up in Calcutta because her father was a journalist stationed there. She makes curries and something that my family calls clam chowder, but it’s more like fish chowder. / If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing? I’d love to be a residential architect. / Who or what is the greatest love of your life? My girlfriend, Kelly. But right now, I just bought a 1970 El Camino. It’s a gorgeous car. I’m happiest when driving it with Kelly in the passenger seat. / Who is your favourite fictional hero? Mr Incredible from Pixar’s The Incredibles. He can do so much, and I love the mid-century modern aesthetic. / What is your greatest regret? Probably not finding cooking sooner. But, I also wish I had done more travelling and staging earlier.
100 g sea scallops (Ocean Wise sustainable, if possible) Fresh lemon or lime juice Extra virgin olive oil Maldon salt Lime leaves, julienned very finely Thai basil leaves Shaved radish Chives, sliced
XO Sauce 1 cup dried shrimp 1 cup shallots, sliced thin 1/3 cup ginger, julienned 1/3 cup garlic, sliced thin
1 litre vegetable oil for frying at 350°F Palm sugar, made into a simple syrup Fish sauce, to taste Fresh red chili, chopped to taste 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, diced, seeds removed
1. Heat oil to 350°F. Fry shrimp, ginger, shallots and
garlic until golden brown. Drain on paper towel; let cool. 2. Place in a food processor and gently pulse (not chopped too fine). Add palm sugar and fish sauce to taste. 3. Fold in some of the frying oil and red chili to taste, and finally the tomato. 4. If the scallops are large, slice them; drizzle with citrus juice, olive oil and Maldon salt. 5. Place a dollop of XO sauce on top of each piece of scallop. Sprinkle with lime leaf, Thai basil leaves and sliced radish. OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 35
JOHN MACNEIL
BLACK PIG BISTRO CALGARY, AB
JOHN MACNEIL MAY WORK HIS CULINARY MAGIC IN LANDLOCKED CALGARY, BUT THERE’S A PART OF HIM THAT NEVER LEFT THE MARITIME HOME OF HIS BIRTH.
“I grew up in the small coal mining town of New Waterford, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia,” he says. For the last 10 years, MacNeil has been nurturing his passion for the creatures of the oceans. “I love aquariums, especially saltwater ones,” he tells me. “I used to have a 150 gallon [aquarium] in my tiny apartment, filled with bright colourful SPS hard corals that I grew from tiny fragments. I was ‘lobsterboy’ on many online forums, with many of my photos still out there on the Internet.” You might think that given his love of the sea, MacNeil would insist on a career cooking nothing but seafood. Luckily, his hobbyist obsession informs his work in more ways than one. MacNeil strives to master each cuisine that catches his curiosity. “[I’m driven by] the pursuit to be better, and [to] keep pushing myself,” he admits. Black Pig Bistro, named in honour of the “Black Iberian Pigs commonly found in southern Spain and Portugal,” offers MacNeil the perfect opportunity to further explore his talents. Working alongside his fiancée, Chef Alison Bieber, MacNeil exercizes his considerable commitment to high quality products and execution in ways that your senses are sure to love. That need to be the best is the essence of John MacNeil. 36 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
Where did you get your culinary training? The Culinary Institute of Canada, two-year program, and in Utzenstorf, Switzerland at a Michelin Bib restaurant for a year and half. I would have loved to stay but my visa ran out. / What made you decide you wanted to be a chef? First, I thought it would impress girls. It didn’t. Second, I thought it would be super easy. It was; it came naturally. Lastly, my father didn’t want me to work outside. He was a miner. He told me he never wanted his son to work in the damp and cold. Dad, I love you — thank you. / What’s your favourite country or region to eat in? Spain, 1,000 percent. My fiancée (Alison Bieber, chef-owner Black Pig Bistro) and I spent a month there last year, eating and cooking our way through the Catalan region. It was unreal. We stayed with the Silvesters, a Spanish family who taught us some family recipes and some new techniques that you can’t learn in school. / What’s your favourite kitchen tool or gadget? El Bulli straining spoon. It’s great for picking up encapsulations, straining minute sauces, even tasting. /
BUTTER POACHED FRENCH WHITE ASPARAGUS
1 l whole milk 450 g salted butter cut into small cubes then reserve in fridge Asparagus
1. Bring milk to simmer, then whisk in small cubes of cold butter. Peel white asparagus, leaving 1cm from the tender tip. 2. Drop the peeled white asparagus into the milk and butter; cook until very tender, approximately 10 minutes. 3. Take asparagus spears out and drop them into the lemon butter (see recipe below). Lemon Butter 1 lemon, zested and juiced 125 g butter 1/2 to 2 tsp sugar (depending on the acidity of lemon) you want the finished sauce to be a little tart but not sweet or sour. 1. Bring lemon juice and sugar to boil,
then whisk in cold cubes of butter. Once all is emulsified, add lemon zest and salt to taste.
What are you fanatical about? Paying it forward and anything El Bulli. I have a cabinet filled with signed menus, wine and ice buckets, forks, measuring spoons, bowls and even a 24k gold straining spoon from the famous restaurant. Don’t forget the stripped rock from the pathway when I visited in 2013. I am a fanboy. / What music do you like to play in the kitchen? No music is played in the prep kitchen. It can be a distraction and most everyone has different tastes. But in the past, I have listened to everything from Dethklok, Pete Tong and Rancid. / What’s your favourite wine or drink? Riesling; any type, any glass, hook me up. But an ice-cold tall boy of Pabst Blue Ribbon is a sure winner in my book! / What’s an under-rated ingredient? Sea salt. There are many different kinds. But they have different mineral qualities, sodium, chemical properties, tastes and textures. I can’t pick just one! / Is there a food you really don’t like? Smoked salmon. I have eaten lots only to know how to serve it. But you will never find it in my fridge at home or on a camping trip. /
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done while cooking (or biggest screw-up)? One night I spotted a clear cambo filled with liquid. It was light brownish with some specks or sediment inside it. I thought it must have been a quick stock someone had forgotten to put away. There wasn’t a label on it, so I tasted it. It turned out to be dirty cleaning water from the clean up. It wasn’t my finest moment when I realized what had happened. / You’ve got 24 hours left to live. What’s your last meal? 60 day dry age prime strip loin, cooked sous vide, finished on the grill and served with heirloom tomato salad, olive oil, basil and balsamic. / Where do you shop for ingredients? I usually shop everywhere, from the local summer farmers’ markets on the side of the road to the giant superstores. Every place has something different to offer and some products can only be found in certain places. I’m usually all over the city as well as online. / Who do you admire most? Ferran and Albert Adria. Their work is unreal and so passionate. Their focus is unmatched. / If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Nothing at all. I love everything about where and what I have done and everyone I have met along the way. I am who I am because of this. OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 37
LOUIS BOUCHARD TRUDEAU
LE BOUCHON DU PIED BLEU QUEBEC CITY, QC
LOUIS BOUCHARD TRUDEAU IS A RESEARCH BUFF. “I can
spend hours searching the Internet,” he says. “Before the Internet, I would buy books or borrow them from the library.” Strange sort of hobby, you might say. Maybe, but it’s one that has served Trudeau very well. “It was because of the research I did on charcuterie that I started making my own,” he admits. Trudeau explains that such easy access to so much information has helped him evolve as a chef. He suggests that it’s improved the industry as a whole, too. “It’s changed perceptions, including my own,” Trudeau says, “about how and what to cook. Now, everything’s possible. Before, a chef had to work in the right kitchens in order to gain experience and credibility. The food coming out of those kitchens was less unique, too. Now, my influence comes from everywhere … from the home cook to the professional chef.” Trudeau’s love of learning hasn’t abated and neither has his drive to test what he’s learned. Seven years ago, he and his partner, Thania Goyette, researched then began a catering business that continues to this day. Three years ago, he began making and selling his very popular charcuterie. Two years ago, the pair opened Le Bouchon du Pied Bleu. Trudeau continues, “I love how researching forces me to constantly question what I thought I knew. Take molecular gastronomy, for instance. I really like how scientists are now interested in quantum culinary phenomena as
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much as the designer is enthralled by the aesthetic of the plating. It’s an evolutionary process of continual learning.” Trudeau likes to experiment with molecular gastronomy, but doesn’t do the spheres or the gels at Le Bouchon. “Here, we’re more interested in tripe,” he tells me, “in both senses of the word!” Trudeau and Goyette fashioned Le Bouchon after a Lyonnaise-style “café-buvette” — a café in the morning and a wine bar in the evening. I asked Trudeau why he was so attracted by Lyons. “The cuisine of Quebec,” he explains, “is very reminiscent of the cuisine of Lyons. It’s one that’s both comforting and made for sharing.” Rustic, authentic and thoroughly delicious is what his customers say. Trudeau chose to call his restaurant Le Bouchon du Pied Bleu (translated loosely as “the cap of the blue foot”) after a very tasty type of mushroom that grows throughout the eastern stretch of North America. The idea of honouring that particular mushroom started to take form when Trudeau and Goyette first launched their catering business. They brought on a third partner, a colleague who sold mushrooms. “We would dream,” Trudeau says, “of one day opening a boutique where we could sell our charcuterie and mushrooms. And that’s what happened a few years later. A year after that, we changed the name to Le Bouchon du Pied Bleu!” ×
Oh, what a year! by Evan Saviolidis
FIRST, LET ME GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY: THE 2010 VINTAGE FOR BAROLO IS AN EXCELLENT ONE. This past
summer, I was invited back to Nebbiolo Prima, the annual new vintage tasting of all things Nebbiolo from the Langhe hills. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed with the wines. In fact, the quality of the vintage is comparable to modern classics such as 2001, 2004 and 2007. There are even those who believe — journalists and producers alike — that it is the best vintage in the past 20 years. Personally, I am not entirely convinced and would rather wait to see how the wines evolve before heaping such praise. The reason being that some minor variability exists in certain areas, while others over-achieved. I should also mention that 2010 favoured Barolo over Barbaresco, as the latter region received more rain and the wines come across as somewhat diluted.
GROWING UP
With the arrival of spring, warm temperatures inundated the area. This continued until May, when rainy weather took over and delayed flowering as well as reducing the crop load. This natural control helped with concentration and overall quality. As spring transferred into summer, it turned warm, but not overly, and was tempered by cool evenings. This diurnal shift helped to promote a gradual ripening, which was perfect for proper development. The only caveat was the rain that presented itself in mid-October, during harvest. Those who managed their crop yield and/or were on well-drained soils came out unscathed. Overall, the wines show all the hallmarks of a cool-climate, Burgundian-styled vintage: heady perfumes, concentration and ripe tannins. Yes, there are the heavy-handed tannins of Nebbiolo, but they have a roundness to them that is not always the case. That said, the wines will not re-
quire long aging before consumption. Rather, they will be terrific by the end of this decade and will age beyond. As always, these wines shine with food, so make sure the table is set for these beauties.
NEW RULES
It was announced at Nebbiolo Prima that, starting with the 2010 vintage, the practice of labelling two or more crus (vineyards) on the bottle is now outlawed. This mandate further strengthens the parallels between Burgundy. Historically, many producers would do this, since it was the tradition to combine different plots to achieve balance. Under the new rules, it is a single cru or nothing. Blending may still occur, but the wines will only read Barolo, and nothing else. Needless to say, there are more than a few producers who aren’t amused (rightfully so) as they have built a loyal following for their labelled and blended wines. OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 39
VIETTI BAROLO LAZZARITO 2010 ($150) Lazzarito tends to be Vietti’s biggest, baddest and darkest single vineyard Baroli, of which there are three. A recent mini-vertical confirmed this. Dark in colour and full bodied, there is a whopping perfume of red and black fruit, tobacco, vanilla, violets, spice and porcini. The concentration and layers bode well for a long life. Let this wine sleep until 2018 and then drink until 2035.
ODDERO PODERI E CANTINE BAROLO ROCCHE DE CASTIGLIONE 2010 ($90)
01
Made from a 1.6 acre plot of 70-year-old vines, this Barolo is produced in a modern style, where the new oak and fruit combine to become one. It truly beguiles with its complex mix of plum, cassis, cherry, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and tobacco. Super expressive with an ever-giving aftertaste.
BROVIA BAROLO ROCCHE DI CASTIGLIONE 2010 ($100) Truly impressive stuff! It starts off with red flowers and then the dill/mint, watermelon, cherry and raspberry flavours cut in. The same red fruit fleshes out over the elegant palate and carries the fabulous finish. It should age well for at least 2 decades, if not more. Do not miss out on this experience.
SANDRONE LUCIANO BAROLO LE VIGNE 2010 ($125)
02
Yes, the price is lofty, but the quality is undeniable. Toast, earth, tar, cola and violets, plum, cherry, spice and earth are all in play. Long finish. Fresh acid and firm tannins will ensure 2 decades of aging. That said, hold for 5 years before consuming.
CONTERNO FANTINO BAROLO SORI’ GINESTRA 2010 ($100) This impressive Barolo spent 2 years in French oak, of which a sizeable proportion was new. That said, it is robust with cocoa, sweet cherries, earth, crème de cassis, violets, tobacco and herbs weaving their magic out of the glass and onto the tastebuds, which then carry into the sunset. Hold for 5 and then drink until 2030.
PAOLO SCAVINO BAROLO BRIC DËL FIASC 2010 ($100) Made from vines ranging between 45 and 55 years old, this wine has seen some new 40 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
03 01 Oddero oenologist, Luca Veglio; 02 Federico Ceretto; 03 Mauro, Matteo and Martina Molino run the family winery
oak, creating a bouquet of cocoa, black cherry, plum, earth, toast and graphite. The palate adds cherry, vanilla and spice. It is concentrated with a long finish. It should drink well for 25 years.
GIUSEPPE RINALDI BAROLO BRUNATE BAROLO ($120) This traditionally-made Barolo features cherry, red flowers, spice, raspberry and earth. Long on the palate with solid underlying acidity and tannin.
CERETTO BAROLO BRICCO ROCCHE BRUNATE 2010 ($200) This perennial qualitative champion continues to deliver the goods. Why do I say this? After having tasted a vertical from 2004, this wine follows suit. Full bodied, the cherry, chocolate, undergrowth, clove and red flowers echo on the long finale. Tannins are ripe and polished, so drink over the next 20 years.
MARCARINI BAROLO BRUNATE 2010 ($75) Here is a mid-weight Barolo with cherry, raspberry, balsamic, undergrowth, violets and mint/herbs. There is excellent length; the tannins and acidity make a rather forceful appearance. Hold for 2 years and then drink until 2028.
BAVA BAROLO SCARRONE 2010 ($95) A classic Barolo nose of tar and cherry combine with cola, cherry, sweet plum and vanilla. There is lots of graphite on the palate, as well as sweet cherry, cassis and a spice-tinged aftertaste. Ripe with terrific balance.
FONTANAFREDDA BAROLO VIGNA LA ROSA 2010 ($75) Totally modern in style, with obvious new oak qualities. A fragrant, complex nose of dark flowers, dark cherry, strawberry, spice, vanilla and game. The palate is rich with layered fruit and superb length. Pretty stuff. Look for this wine to age for 15 plus years.
RAINERI MONSERRA BAROLO 2010 ($65) Mineral, flowers, tar, earth, cassis and cherry reveal themselves on the nose. The palate dances with cherry fruit, spice, cocoa, flowers, tar, earth and vanilla. Long finish with a grippy finale. Drink over the next 15 years.
MARIO OLIVERO BAROLO BRICCO ROCCA 2010 ($65)
PIO CESARE BAROLO 2010 ($59)
Very perfumed with copious amounts of sweet cherry, black raspberry, vanilla and flowers. Palate is ripe with cherry fruit, liquorice, earth, tar and a long berry-drenched finish. Lots of firm tannins, so let it sleep until 2018 and then drink until 2030.
Pio’s regular Barolo offers sumptuous drinking pleasure. It is not heavy; rather it is refined with dark cherry, raspberry, earth, liquorice, vanilla, spice and red flowers. The sweet berry fruit and florality carry the finale. Already accessible, it should drink well over the next decade.
CASCINA ADELAIDE BAROLO FOSSATI 2010 ($75)
MAURO MOLINO BAROLO BRICCO LUCIANI 2010 ($100)
The Nebbiolo grapes for this impressive wine were picked in November. Cherry, plum, earth, tobacco, red flowers and a singular fresh cheese note make for complex drinking. Nicely concentrated with sweet fruit that is long lasting. From 2017 onwards.
Made from vines averaging 30 years old. Plum, sweet cherry, vanilla and earth dominate this wine. Nicely concentrated with a long aftertaste and polished tannins, which do not overwhelm. 20 years of life ahead.
PAOLO SCAVINO BAROLO BRICCO AMBROGIO 2010 ($125) Sweet cherry, plum, liquorice, earth, spice, cola nut, vanilla and flowers thoroughly flatter the senses. Medium to full body, there are lots of powerful yet suave tannins lurking underneath. Hold for 3 more years and then drink until 2027.
PARUSSO BAROLO 2010 ($60) This blend of grapes from Monforte d’Alba and Castiglione Falletto spends 24 months in small oak barrels. The sensual perfume of morello cherry, rose hip, raspberry and earth meshes with immense florality, plum, earth, spice and cherry cola on the long finish. From 2017 to 2030.
FONTANAFREDDA BAROLO SERRALUNGA D’ALBA 2010 ($39.95) A wonderful perfume of dark chocolate, plum, dark cherry, violets, leather, tobacco smoke and spice beguile the senses. It is fullish with ample persistency and Nebbiolo tannins rounding out the experience. Braised lamb shank required. Time frame: 15 years of cellaring.
MARCHESI DI BAROLO BAROLO 2010 ($34.95) This mid-weight red delivers cherry, vanilla, spice, cocoa and violets on the nose, which transitions to the palate and melds with a long raspberry-cream finish. Tannins are in proportion and there is splendid persistency. A Barolo to be enjoyed over the next decade.
VIETTI BAROLO CASTIGLIONE 2010 ($59.95) This wine is still shy right now, but given its track record and underlying density, it will open up and start to strut its stuff by 2017 and then should be drunk until 2028. Strawberry, cherry, rose petals, liquorice, tar and herbs weave together on the medium body. Excellent length.
FONTANAFREDDA BAROLO 2010 ($30) This is probably the best bang for the buck Barolo you will ever come across. Not a powerhouse, but a good mouthful of cherry, liquorice, dried flowers, spice and chestnut. Solid length and tannins. Drink until 2020. It is made for osso buco and harder, saltier cheeses.
AMALIA CASCINA IN LANGA |BAROLO LE COSTE DI MOFORTE 2010 ($100)
ASCHERI BAROLO PISAPOLA ($44.95)
This wine was a discovery at Nebbiolo Prima this year. A superb nose of sweet cherry, vanilla, cola, humus and tar. Lots of sweet cherry, plum, cocoa and earth are layered on the rich and concentrated palate. The oak carries the finale with cherry kicking out at the end. Fine length and 15 plus year ahead.
This wine is a solid Nebbiolo offering, but not of the elite status. Strawberry, earth and dried flowers are present. It is mid weight, with a lean structure and very good length. Tannins dive in on the finish, but based on the depth of the wine, my suggestion would be to drink it over the next 8 to 10 years. × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 41
SACRAMENT by Michael Pinkus
THE RULES FOR THE WINES FROM MONTEFALCO ARE: never expose them to bright light, never get them wet and never,
ever feed them after midnight; no wait that’s for Gremlins — scratch that, none of those really apply, except maybe the bright light one. But in all seriousness, the Sagrantino grape is the heart and soul of the Montefalco region and their wines. It is one of the most tannic and acidic grapes in the world and so needs time in both barrel and bottle before release and/or consumption ... and on the plus side, it is also one of the most long-lived and best-aging wines. Montefalco is located in the heart of Umbria, and although the region is made up of five separate towns (Montefalco, Bevagna, Castel Ritaldi, Giano dell’Umbria, Gualdo Cattaneo), the region took the name of Montefalco. Its main vine is Sagrantino, which has been cultivated in the area since 1549 and is considered to be indigenous to the area: it has no relationship with any other known grape varieties cultivated in central Italy. The name Sagrantino comes from the word “sacrament” because its original use was for sacramental wine made by monks. The same type of wine is still made to this day: it’s called Passito, but these days it’s used primarily as a dessert wine and not just at church functions. In Montefalco, there are four types of wine authorized by the DOC, anything over and above that is up to the winery but cannot get DOC/DOCG certification: MONTEFALCO SAGRANTINO (DOCG) is the highest designated
wine … here they can use only 100 percent Sagrantino grapes, a true definition of the region — all efforts to grow this grape in other areas of Italy have produced less than desirable results. Because of its high tannins Sagrantino is ideal for long-term aging and is a perfect accompaniment for food, especially grilled meats.
MONTEFALCO ROSSO (DOC) … because cultivation of Sagrantino
is limited and it needs a long time to mature in barrel, the region developed another wine that features Sangiovese as its main variety and then allows 10 to 15 percent of Sagrantino and/or 15 to 30 percent of another grape variety — mainly Merlot, to add body and an element of richness. This was the wine I was most impressed with in terms of its great drinkability, smoothness and lovely flavour. (If you get a chance to pick up a Montefalco Rosso, take it.) MONTEFALCO SAGRANTINO PASSITO (DOCG) … as in Veneto,
where sweet Recioto is made, Montefalco has their own version they call Passito. As discussed above, it was originally made by monks for religious purposes. It is created in much the same way as Recioto — drying on mats (or left on trellises). The high natu-
42 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
ral acidity of the Sagrantino grapes helps to keep it fresh and the tannins add a very interesting element not often seen in a sweet wine — it comes off as sweet, but the tannins give it structure and the acidity cuts back on any cloying effect. MONTEFALCO BIANCO (DOC) … this type of wine is not a main
focus of the region, which seems to be mainly reds, but I did try a couple of whites that were of great interest. Made primarily from the Grechetto grape, though you can also find a special version of Trebbiano here as well called Trebbiano Spoletino. It’s a rare find and also rare to find a really good one, but when you do they are really worth their weight in gold.
SCACCIADIAVOLI GRECHETTO 2013 ($12) No oak is used so this is a very fresh version of white wine; exotic fruit like pineapple and guava with a little tinge of floral; that freshness can also be found on the palate with some grapefruit pith on the dry finish.
ARNALDO-CAPRAI GRECHETTO 2013 ($15) Floral and citrus with peach pit and tropicality on both the nose and the palate, but there’s also a nice touch of something bitter on the finish that keeps this from getting overwhelmed with that fruitiness.
COL SANTO MONTEFALCO ROSSO 2010 ($20) Aromas are alluring with raspberry and cherry while the palate kicks things off with cocoa and raspberry then finishes with big tannins and good acidity.
ANTONELLI MONTEFALCO ROSSO 2010 ($22) 70% Sangiovese and 15% each of Sagrantino and Merlot. Blackberry, cherry and a touch of blueberry drift out of the glass; in the mouth, it’s round and juicy with plenty of spiced cherry fruit.
SCACCIADIAVOLI MONTEFALCO ROSSO 2010 ($20) 60% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot and 15% Sagrantino give this wine a very approachable appeal. Black cherry and raspberry start things off plus plenty of other inviting fruit on the nose and that all follows on the palate with smoky-blueberry notes.
ARNALDO-CAPRAI MONTEFALCO ROSSO RISERVA 2009 ($46) Not all producers make a Riserva Rosso; this is a cru and vineyard selection from 70% Sangiovese and 15% each of Merlot and Sagrantino. Spicy, earthy, peppery, blackberry, cassis with big tannins grip — this one is quite hearty.
PERTICAIA MONTEFALCO ROSSO RISERVA 2009 ($33)
ARNALDO-CAPRAI “25” SAGRANTINO 2009 ($64)
The usual Sangiovese (70%) and Sagrantino (15%) are found here, but Perticaia foregoes the Merlot for Colorino and, as the name suggests, it adds colour to the mix. Nose is tobacco and cherry while the palate is approachable and truly yummy with plum and black cherry.
This wine was produced for the first time in 1996 (from the 1993 vintage) to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the winery. It’s a special selection of barrels chosen from older vine sites. Chocolate, plum, mocha with lots of dark fruit and an explosive flavour.
COL SANTO SAGRANTINO 2008 ($40) Two years in barrel and one in the bottle before release has softened this one, which shows a juiciness from the get-go with lots of spiced cherry, cocoa and plenty of acidity.
PERTICAIA SAGRANTINO 2010 ($38) Dark fruit, sweet tannins (which come from longer hang times); elegant, supple and complex. Most noticeably, the blackberry and cassis seem to be all over this wine.
COL SANTO SAGRANTINO 2010 ($40) Fresh fruit, red liquorice and sweet cherry aromas are followed by rich black fruit, blackberry, cassis and blueberry along with some smokiness and a big acid/tannins finish.
COL SANTO SAGRANTINO 2002 ($48) One of the oldest I tasted during my tour of Montefalco. Aromas of dried red berries, fig and plum; great flavours with a mixture of dried and fresh fruit, rich, succulent and supple but still with robust tannins and plenty of acidity.
ANTONELLI SAGRANTINO 2007 ($38) Cassis, blackberry and nice spice aromas; palate shows robust tannins with a heavy dose of spice, deep black fruit and blueberry skin.
Marco Caprai
PERTICAIA SAGRANTINO 2005 ($38) Similar vintage to the 2010, this wine shows power with elegance and great structure (all from 5-year-old vines) and longevity in spades — if you have any, you can safely hold another decade or longer.
PAOLO BEA PAGLIARO 2005 ($100) Perticaia’s Guido Guardigli and Alessandro Meniconi
Still very aggressive when compared with the other 2005 tasted; fruit is present in the form of plum, black cherry with a seam of vanilla and the acidity holding it together.
SCACCIADIAVOLI SAGRANTINO 2008 ($36)
PAOLO BEA PAGLIARO 2007 ($100)
A nose that sticks anise in the middle of black raspberries and vanilla smoke; again we find lots of chalky tannins, good acidity all enveloping raspberry and strawberry fruit.
Choco-cherry, black plum and other forms of dark fruit; comes across almost jammy at times, but those tannins quell that notion quickly.
ARNALDO-CAPRAI COLLEPIANO 2008 ($42)
COLLE CIOCCO PASSITO 2008 ($35)
Lovely, dark and smoky fruit with very balanced acidity and cocoa-like tannins; this wine turned into a pure hedonistic delight especially when paired with charred or grilled meats.
Black cherry, chocolate and plum are all found in this sweetie, but it does not overkill with sweetness as both acidity and tannins come swooping in to balance the wine: enticing and intense. × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 43
digging juniper or how to make your own gin in 4 easy steps by Lisa Hoekstra Gin: a juniper-flavoured tipple used as the basis of almost every classic cocktail, enjoyed on the rocks or neat, and universally recognized as the G in a G&T. A mystery to some but a necessity in every home bar. It’s no surprise that cocktail lovers and gin connoisseurs have discovered a way to make their favourite distilled spirit. The process is easy, if you’re looking for a so-so product that can serve as a basis for cocktails with many different flavour combinations. But for a great homemade gin, I’ve consulted the experts — Brady Caverly, owner of The Flintridge Proper, and Peter Hunt, general manager and master distiller for Victoria Spirits.
THE INGREDIENTS The Flintridge Proper is a gin bar based in LA with over 200 gins on their cocktail list, including their own house gin. It was founded as, and continues to be, a classic cocktail bar. Their focus is centred on keeping their cocktails classic. “Thanks partly to the fact that gin (of sorts) was available throughout prohibition while most other spirits were not, many of the truly great classics that survived from the Golden Age of cocktailing in the late 1800s are gin based,” Caverly says. “Gin was a natural spirit to feature in a classic cocktail program.” That focus has served them well. The Flintridge Proper will soon enter the prestigious ranks of the Guinness Book of World Records as the bar with the largest selection of gins on their menu. “Our total number varies a bit from week to week as we bring new gins in and rotate old ones out but we always have at least over 200,” says Caverly. Hunt is the master distiller at Victoria Spirits, a distillery in, you guessed it, Victoria, BC. According to Hunt, owners Bryan and Valerie Murray saw the success of their gin go through the roof, prompting them to move away from making anything else. “The original intention was to produce both wine and spirits,” says Hunt. “However, once we released the gin, the spirits side really took off.” Their goal was to provide gin-lovers with a product that ramped up their expectations. “When we set out to make gin, we wanted to make something that was better than what was currently on the market,” states Hunt. “I think we succeeded. So my go-to is Victoria Gin and not just because we make it.” Gin is made up of three main ingredients: neutral spirit, juniper berries and a botanical mixture. When you distill it down to its true essence, there is a gin out there for everyone. “A good gin is one that is complex and satisfying with a flavour profile that suits your tastes,” says Caverly. 44 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
To make a great gin, start with a quality neutral spirit. “We use two non-GMO corn neutral spirits and blend them to get the high quality and flavour balance that we are looking for,” says Hunt. “We have tried lots of different neutral spirits and it is a particular blend that works for us.” In the end, as long as the neutral spirit used for the base is of high(ish) quality, the resulting gin will be as well. “Neutral spirits, despite their name, do affect the final product and finding the right one is important,” Hunt mentions. “You want something that is high quality with no harshness, has nice subtle flavours and allows the botanicals to shine.”
The Flintridge Proper
The next step is to find the right combination of juniper berries and botanical. There are many botanical you could use. The Flintridge Proper aims for the local touch, using local ingredients and LA flare. “We use both dried and roasted juniper, several types of citrus and a variety of other local fruits and botanicals,” says Caverly. The result is “soft and approachable enough to appeal to first time gin drinkers and at the same time really manifests the pine, sage and other local flavours that define the area.”
Victoria Spirits’ goal was to really amp up the options. “We use ten botanicals,” says Hunt. “Juniper, coriander, lemon, orange, orris, cinnamon, angelica, roses, star anise and a secret ingredient (that we encourage our distillery visitors to guess). The botanicals are macerated overnight in the still with the spirits.” To really decide what flavours work for you will take some experimentation. Try a few gins that are on the market to see what flavour profile you really appreciate. “Like any food or drink, you are never going to please every palette with a single gin,” says Hunt. “Different gins have different forward flavours. Ours for example has a little less juniper than a London dry but lots of citrus, floral and spice.” “15 years ago it was rare that you’d find anything other than a London dry-style, which is very juniper and citrus forward,” says Caverly. “But now ... there are literally gins for every taste — some feature specific fruits and veggies ... or unusual spices like star anise or saffron, some are very floral or use unusual strains of juniper ... and some are barrel-aged gins that combine the flavours with those of aged spirits like bourbon and rye. There are new varieties coming out every week.” So sip a few and make tasting notes for your reference, then head to the grocery store to buy your very own ingredients. Do you have them? Good, because it’s time to get down to business.
THE PROCESS
There are three main ways to make a gin. Pot distilling, column distilling and compound distilling. The first two are complicated and require the right equipment. Pot distilling — where the base is made from barley or grain and redistilled with botanicals — gives the final product a heavier, malty flavour close to whisky. Column distilling — where the base spirit, made from grain, sugar beets, grapes, potatoes, sugar cane or any other agricultural material, is redistilled with juniper berries and other botanicals in a suspended “gin basket” — creates a botanical infused gin.
Let’s do it
Regardless of where you are in your journey, making a homemade batch for your bar will give you a better understanding of which flavours you prefer in the final product ... even if your experiment is a little less than successful. You’ll need: 2 glass bottles (375 ml) Fine stainless steel strainer Stainless steel funnel Vodka Juniper berries Botanical blend
1. Pour the vodka into one of the glass bottles. 2. Add juniper berries and the botanical blend of your choice (try out the suggestions by Caverly and Hunt or make your own combination of coriander, rosemary, lavender, rosehip, allspice, fennel seed, cardamom, bay leaf and/ or Tellicherry black pepper). 3. Let it sit for 36 hours. 4. Strain the mixture into an empty bottle.
OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 45
The third method is the easiest and is the way home-distillers do it. Compound distilling — where a neutral spirit is steeped with the botanicals and juniper berries — creates a citrusy gin, with lemon and bitter orange peel, as well as spices like anise, liquorice, cinnamon, almond, saffron and more (depending on the botanicals used). It works much the same way as steeping tea. You add the juniper berries and botanical mixture to the vodka (or whichever neutral spirit you’ve decided to use) and let it sit for 36 hours. When the waiting is over, you strain the gin of all the floating particles and enjoy (see page 45 for more concise directions). Of course, there are variations of this process that will deliver different results. For a more juniper berry taste, wait 12 hours before adding the botanical mixture. For a less juniper taste, do the opposite. It’s all about experimenting to find the right balance for your palate ... but each test will bring you closer to your goal and give you a better understanding of this essential ingredient to classic cocktails.
For someone who is still new to gin and not quite sure what to look for, there is hope. “We’ve found that many people who don’t like gin either don’t like juniper — in which case New World gins like Hendricks, Nolet’s and Uncle Val’s will be revelatory — or they’ve only had it in a gin and tonic and what they actually don’t like is the bitter flavour of the quinine.” If you’re just starting out, Hunt suggests trying a high quality, less juniper-y gin. “It’s often the overwhelming piny-ness from the berry that puts people off. If the gin is well balanced and has more going on than just juniper, it will be far more enjoyable.” So grab your cocktail set and a bottle of gin, and let’s stir things up.
THE REWARDS
Caverly and Hunt share their favourite cocktails.
PROPER MARTINI
“Our Proper Martini is awfully good. Simple but the ingredients and ratios make all the difference,” says Caverly.
2 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin 1/2 oz Dolan Dry Vermouth 2 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
Stir for about a minute and pour into a cocktail glass.
FLINTRIDGE COCKTAIL
If you’re looking for something light, frothy and oh so popular, Caverly suggests their Flintridge Cocktail.
1 3/4 1 2
oz fresh lemon juice oz local honey egg white oz London dry gin (like Beefeater or Bombay)
Build in a shaker tin. Dry shake (without ice) for 5 to 10 seconds to emulsify the egg white. Add ice and shake again — HARD. Then strain into an egg coupe.
MODIFIED AVIATION
“My favourite cocktail is a modified Aviation (a classic),” says Hunt. “It’s a great summer drink and super easy.” “With the resurgence of the ‘cocktail culture,’ gin is important for two reasons,” says Hunt. “First, a spirit-forward cocktail gin brings a lot to the table. It has so much complexity on its own, where a vodka would just get lost. Second, gin was one of the original spirits used in cocktails. That, along with whisky and brandy, was pretty much what most classic cocktails were based on.”
A NOTE FOR NEWBIES
It’s so much more than the cocktails that draw us to this old faithful. It’s the flavours and how they work on their own and in a blend. “No other spirit has the diversity of flavour profiles as gin,” says Caverly. “Particularly with the New World gins, which dial the juniper back and feature all sorts of other wonderful notes and scents instead.” “People are getting back to cocktails in a more classic style — drinks with depth, complexity and more spirit forward,” says Hunt. 46 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
2 oz gin 1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino 1/2 oz lemon juice
Shake it, pour it over ice, add a twist of lemon.
BUTCHART GARDEN
Another great sipper for the warm-ish October nights as you enjoy the waning summer sun. This recipe was created by Vancouver’s Shangri-La Hotel for Victoria Day in 2009.
2-3 2 2 1/2
pieces of cucumber oz Victoria Gin oz fresh pressed apple juice oz elderflower cordial A dash of bitters, if you like
Muddle cucumber, add remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Strain and garnish with a slice of cucumber or a flower. ×
Canned. by Duncan Holmes
Sorry, but this won’t be a “how to” piece on canning. OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 47
THE WEB AND YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE HAVE A COLLECTIVE HARVEST OF INFO ON THIS ALCHEMIC SUBJECT, AND A “HOW TO CAN” STORY SIMPLY WOULDN’T FIT. What I
will offer are the confessions of a canning junkie, a glimpse into my aromatic world of jams, jellies and other cannables — is there such a word? — the lovely stuff that we gather at this time of year from our gardens, orchards and markets to preserve for later consumption. Hopefully I can motivate you to relish — yep, those too — the satisfaction of putting a lid on freshness and basking in the magic, high-five world of having done it all yourself. I have just finished canning the bounty from another great season and once again I’ve no idea what drove me to do it. There is no end to my canning. I’m in a loop and I could start a trendy store with the goods that are now labelled and stored around here. Enough greengage plum jam to inspire a whole new summer, blackberry jelly to top the toast of swishy hotel breakfasts from here to wherever; tomatoes to supply pasta for every paesano from Pisa to the tippest toe of Italy. I have canned, jarred, preserved, put up and/or put down everything that poked its leafy self into the golden summer of 2014 and went on to produce harvest edibles. We could live on this stuff until 2020 and beyond. And probably will. I surveyed the colourful, glass-bound scene the other night, knowing full well that there is more yet to come and asked: “Why am I doing this? This is either the work of a sick mind or of one who really believes that The Big One will come. “Why have I bought Bernardin’s entire decorator production, their snap lids, labels and laborious instructions? Why have I consumed most of the sugar output of Fiji or wherever it comes from, the herbs and spices of the Indies, blatantly drained watersheds unknown? Why have I consistently broken the rules of the power company to “process” all of this stuff, waited into the wee hours to count down popping lids, heart a-flutter until I hear the sound of satisfying, certain seals?” Am I alone in all of this, or are there others our there who pluck, pick, peel, cut, squeeze, pack and prod food into jars? What motivates this driven, squirreling army? 48 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
I was not a child of the Depression, although goodness knows I heard about it often enough and lived the clean-up-yourplate-or-you-don’t-leave-the-table lessons it taught my parents. They were certainly preservers. Peaches, apricots, pears and all the rest went into jars, the rubber rings were set carefully in place and the lids were snapped firm with rusty clasps, before the water bath bubbled the harvest into its sugary preserved state. But even back then, the deed having been done in a ritualistic, annual way, I can’t recall ever actually eating those treasured goods. This was no longer food. It had been transformed into preserves, icons of the age, destined to be kept forever. Not too long ago, at my mother’s house, we opened pears that were put down — isn’t that something you do to a cat? — or up, in 1927! Almost ninety years ago, two years before the Crash, those pears were preserved for nothing more than a rainy day. We ate them in glorious sunshine with ice cream and a splash of Grand Marnier, as Mother grumbled away about the extravagance of it all. For Depression types like her, biblical rain will come — and you don’t break open the good stuff until the flood is licking at the bottom of your Sealy Posturepedic. Many of my preserves are no more than a mere decade old. Like wine that is stored well, their quality improves — and it really does seem a bit early to start snapping lids, just because they are there. Besides, ‘82 was a good year for peaches. Not a great year mind you. Adequate nose, but a little excessive in attitude. So the great put down continues. The Scrooge McDuck of the squish circuit is driven — as others with passions are driven — to keep going until the last tomato is plucked, the last apricot pitted, the biggest strawberry jammed. True canners hunt for deals on jars, scan sugar futures, adjust computer programs to generate even more perfect labels, worry excessively about pops in the night that may not come, seek out new mini-storage locations that may be required to hold bigger case lots. Contemplating the “Nature of the Jell Point” instead of the navel. And on and on. I need help, brothers and sisters! Either that or one hell of a party to get rid of it all.
Emily’s Dills This is a very simple recipe that was given to me years ago by Emily Scott, a wonderful lady who always sends birthday cards to absolutely everyone. Don’t you hate people like that?
1 3 1/4
cup cider vinegar cups water cup pickling salt Dill pickles
1. Mix ingredients and bring to a boil. Add a clove of garlic and a healthy sprig of dill to well-scrubbed pickles placed whole in sterile jars. 2. Pour the hot liquid over the dills to cover. Seal with screw top lids. I don’t process the dills. They last up to a year in a cool place. 3. The ingredients can be increased proportionately for larger quantities. I once used a four-gallon mayonnaise bucket, picked up from a restaurant. The dills sat on the deck all year. It’s more fun diving into a pickle barrel than it is into a jar.
OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 49
AN ELUSIVE POINT
The best things you can have going for you when you’re making jams and jellies are precision and patience. Especially when it comes to what we canners know as the jell point — when enough liquid has evaporated from the fruit you are using (e.g. strawberries) to concentrate the sugar, acid and pectin into a mixture thick enough to spread like jam or jelly. The best way to confirm that you have reached jell point is to use a thermometer. Check the temperature of boiling water where you live — higher than 220˚F up in the mountains — then allow your mixture to boil until it’s eight degrees higher than your boiling point. It’s then that your mix will have reached jell point. The patience thing? It always seems to take ages to add those extra degrees. And stand well back as the mixture goes plop plop and some of it ends up on your stovetop! Remember that if you don’t get to jell point, you’ll end up with a runny jam, and have to do it all again! (There are other ways to check for jell point, but the thermometer method is best.)
STRAWBERRY JAM
This isn’t a fancy recipe. It’s an old-fashioned winner with a bright red colour.
8 cups crushed strawberries 3 tbsp lemon juice 6 cups sugar
1. Hull the berries and place in an 8-quart or larger pot 2. Add the lemon juice and sugar; bring slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. 3. Cook rapidly to jell point — eight degrees above boiling. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. 4. Remove from heat and skim with a metal spoon to remove foam. 5. Ladle into clean, hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space, seal. 6. I don’t process the jam in a water bath. As the jam begins to cool, you will hear the lids pop into a concave position. The seal is secure and complete. Store when cool. 50 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
Pickled Beets YIELDS 4 PINTS Everyone knows how to pickle beets, but here’s how I do them. They’re a fabulous accompaniment to cold meats and salads, and as an extra at any time of year.
8 cups beets (about 2 inches diameter) 1 1/3 cups sugar 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar 1 cup water 2 tsp whole allspice 1 cinnamon stick, broken 1 tsp salt 1. Wash beets, leaving tap roots and 2 inch stem attached. Cook in boiling water until just tender (about 20 to 30 minutes); plunge into cold water, remove skins, stems and roots. 2. Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot and simmer 15 minutes 3. Pack beets into clean, hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Cut bigger beets into slices or pieces if you wish. 4. Return liquid to boil and pour over beets, leaving 1/2 inch head space, seal. 5. Process in boiling water bath for 30 minutes.
GREEN TOMATO RELISH
YIELDS ABOUT 4 PINTS This relish is crisp, tart and complements all sorts of dishes. You will have to adjust for the quantities of tomatoes you plan to use.
2 cups green tomatoes, coarsely ground (4 or 5 medium) 2 cups cucumbers, peeled and coarsely ground (2 medium) 2 cups onions, peeled and coarsely ground (4 medium) 3 medium-size tart apples, peeled and coarsely ground 1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely ground 2 small bell peppers, seeded and coarsely ground 4 cups water 1 1/2 tbsp salt 2 cups white vinegar 2 cups white sugar 1 tbsp mustard seed 6 tbsp all purpose flour, sifted 1 tbsp dry mustard, sifted 1/4 tsp turmeric
1. Grind green tomatoes, cucumbers,
onions, apples, and green and red peppers in a food (meat) grinder, using the coarsest blade. 2. Place vegetable mixture in a large pot, add water and salt, let stand for 24 hours. 3. Drain liquid off vegetables. Add sugar, 1 1/2 cups of the vinegar, and mustard seed. Bring to a slow boil and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4. Sift flour, mustard and turmeric together. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup vinegar to make a smooth paste. Smoothness is important. Stir paste into boiling vegetable mixture. 5. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until mixture has thickened, stirring occasionally. 6. Fill clean, hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Seal. Process in boiling water bath, 10 minutes.
MANGO CHUTNEY
I love a good curry with fluffy rice and lots of heat. I like it even better with a good chutney, the sweet taste of which perfectly complements everything that makes a curry what it is. One Saturday afternoon at a supermarket produce department, when those little flies had begun taking a fancy to the fruit, I said to the produce man: “What
are your plans for those mangoes?” And he said: “If they don’t sell this afternoon, they’ll be chucked.” “Ten bucks for the case,” I said. “Deal,” he said, and it really was.
1 cup distilled white vinegar 3 1/4 cups sugar 10 or so mangoes, peeled and sliced (ideally they should be firm, but if you make a deal at the supermarket, take what you can get!) 1/4 cup ginger root, peeled and freshly grated 1 1/2 cups raisins 2 chili peppers, seeded and finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/3 cup onion, sliced 1/2 tsp salt 1. Boil the vinegar and sugar in a large pot for five minutes. 2. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 30 minutes or until thick. Remember that everything will be reducing and thickening, and can easily burn! 3. It’s best to use a pot with a thick bottom, which on a re-read sounds a bit rude! Pack into clean, hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, seal. 4. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Wait for the lids to pop before you go to bed. Make fancy labels.
PEARS IN SHERRY
It’s always a kick to add alcohol to canning syrups. And it makes the perfect gift.
9 lb fresh Bartlett pears 2 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/3 cups water 1 1/3 cups golden sherry 1/2 cup lemon juice 1. Pare, halve and core pears. Combine sugar, water, sherry and lemon juice in a large pot and heat to boiling. 2. Drain and rinse pears in cold water. Drain again and add to the pot of syrup. Cover and cook until pears are almost tender — about eight minutes. 3. Pack pears carefully in clean, hot jars. Fill jars with the syrup, leaving 1/2 inch of head space. 4. Run a table knife between the fruit and the glass to release any air bubbles. Seal. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. Set aside and wait for the lids to pop. × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 51
bouquet garni by nancy johnson ...
Tools of the Trade
ALL COOKS HAVE THEIR FAVOURITE TOOLS — THE GEAR THAT GETS THE JOB DONE — AND I’M NO EXCEPTION. I realized this when, in a moment of penury-fuelled
Scroogery, I opted to replace my broken Cuisinart with a noname discount food processor. After several unsuccessful and frustrating attempts to cut, purée and barely shred with my feckless budget-basement processor, I handed off the appliance to a friend who never cooks and promptly shelled out the dough for a Cuisinart. Now, I really try to abstain from being a name-dropper like my friend who posts pictures of himself with Paul McCartney on Facebook. I am aware there may be other food processors that work just as nimbly, but for me, the Cuisinart is the Holy Grail. Which makes me wonder — what other kitchen gadgets can I absolutely, positively and beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt not live without? For starters, I live with a pair of tongs in my hand. Then there is my knife set — a motley crew of well-known suspects — with a chef’s knife and a paring knife as the central characters. Plus, I love my All-Clad pots and pans — so sturdy and sure I will hand them down through the generations. (Oh look! There’s my dear friend with Sir Paul again!) I have a cast-iron grill pan that fills my house with smoke whenever I sear a steak on it, but it’s a kitchen essential, especially in northern climes after the barbecue has been tucked away for the winter. I can’t live without my immersion blender, which turns so-so soup into smooth and creamy restaurant du jour with ease. I’m stocked with all sizes of spatulas to easily sweep out the last of the cupcake batter, should I ever bake cupcakes. I love my whisk, which whips all things into fluffy nirvana, and my chinois, which strains away the celery leaves, fresh herbs and pork bones from my spaghetti sauce. I should throw my Microplane grater, slow cooker, stand-up mixer and corkscrew onto this list as well. Of course, tops among my culinary arsenal is my souvenir-of-France apron, protecting me from the sometimes unsuccessful, often turbulent and never boring experiments I launch in my kitchen.
CHEDDAR, BACON AND RED PEPPER DIP
Bacon never lets me down — this is a delicious dip. Use your food processor to shred the cheese and mix the ingredients. A spatula is the tool for folding in the bacon.
3/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup bottled or fresh roasted red peppers, drained and chopped 1 tsp hot sauce 3 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 scallion, minced, for garnish
In a food processor, blend cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, red peppers and hot sauce. Fold bacon into cheese mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour. Just before serving, garnish with scallion. Serve with crackers and vegetables. 52 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
× Search through a wide range of wine-friendly recipes on quench.me
CHIPOTLE TOMATO SOUP
SERVES 4 Use an immersion blender to smooth out this smoky soup. You can dial the heat up or down by adding more or less chipotle. Chop San Marzano tomatoes right in the can with a pair of kitchen scissors. If desired, add cooked whole-grain brown rice before serving.
4 1 2 1 2 3 2
tbsp unsalted butter onion, chopped cloves garlic, chopped tbsp minced chipotle in adobo sauce tbsp flour cups chicken broth cans San Marzano tomatoes, chopped Sour cream, minced fresh cilantro and tortilla chips
1. In a Dutch oven, melt butter. Sauté onion until softened.
Add garlic and chipotle. Cook 1 minute. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. 2. Add broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soup 30 minutes. Remove soup from heat and purée with handheld immersion blender until smooth. 3. Divide among 4 bowls. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro. Pass tortilla chips at the table to crumble on top. MATCH: This is very nice paired with a Viognier.
CRISPY CIABATTA-CRUMB CHICKEN
SERVES 4 This recipe is where an oven-proof skillet comes in handy. If you don’t have one, transfer the chicken to a baking sheet after sautéing. To make bread crumbs, cut Ciabatta bread into cubes and pulse in food processor. Place crumbs on a baking sheet and toast in a 200˚F oven for 10 minutes or until dried. Store any leftover crumbs in the freezer. Start this recipe a few hours before dinner as the chicken needs to chill in the fridge for an hour.
2 eggs 2 tsp cornstarch Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 1/2 cups dried Ciabatta bread crumbs 1 tsp dried parsley 1/2 tsp thyme Salt and pepper, to taste 4 chicken breast halves, lightly pounded to 1/2 inch thick 3 tbsp olive oil 4. Preheat oven to 400˚F. 5. In a large shallow bowl, beat eggs, cornstarch and lemon
juice with a fork. Set aside. In a separate shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. 6. Dip chicken in egg mixture and then in bread crumbs to coat. Let chicken rest in fridge for about 1 hour. This will help keep the crumb coating on the chicken while sautéing. 7. In a large skillet, sauté chicken in hot oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and cook about 10 to 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. MATCH: I love breaded chicken with Pouilly-Fumé.
SPICE-RUBBED GRILLED FLANK STEAK
SERVES 4 This is one of those recipes that wouldn’t work if I didn’t have a cast-iron grill. Be sure to turn on the fan if you grill at high heat like I do. You can change the spices in the rub to whatever suits your fancy.
1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika 1 tsp dried oregano Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 450 g flank steak 1. In a small bowl, mix paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Rub mixture over steak. Coat a grill pan with cooking spray. Heat on high. 2. Add steak and grill 6 minutes per side for medium-rare or until desired doneness. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. MATCH: An Australian Shiraz is a good match. × OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 53
NOTED ... 89 BODEGAS ALTO MONCAYO VERATON 2010, CAMPO DE BORJA, ARAGON, SPAIN ($32.75)
Dark ruby. Ripe black berry-fruits with notes of soft spices. Full-bodied, it fills the mouth with its thick fruity layers and supple tannins that turn firmer near the finish. It has the typical warmth of 100% Grenache wines. (GBQc)
87 UNION SQUARED RED 2012, NIAGARA ($17.95)
This singular blend of Bordeaux, Rhône and Burgundian varietals spent 12 months in French oak. Mid-weight, it doles out raspberry, cassis, cherry, herbs, pepper, vanilla and cocoa flavours. The palate is soft with the oak echoing on the lengthy finale. The price is right for this wine, and it’s a perfect match with steaks and roasts. (ES)
89 CLOS DE LOS SIETE BY MICHEL ROLLAND 2010, MENDOZA, ARGENTINA ($29.99)
Shows complex, deep developed dark fruit and subtle notes of spice on the nose. Rich dark fruit flavours with notes of plum, blackberry and black cherry come encased in velvet tannic structure with a splash of dark chocolate on the harmoniously integrated finish. (SW)
94 GMH SHIRAZ 2010, LIMESTONE COAST, AUSTRALIA ($14.75) Clear deep garnet. Interesting nose featuring raspberries, leather, black pepper and a bit of mint and other green herbs. On the palate, it is full-bodied with rich stewed-fruit flavours of plums and raisins. Peaking now. Good value. (RL)*
54 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
90 TENUTA DELL’ORNELLAIA LE SERRE NUOVE 2011, BOLGHERI, TUSCANY, ITALY ($60)
Nose is a bit shy but has depth, with notes of blackberry, torrefaction from the oak char and hints of spices. Full-bodied; the tannins have a very fine grain, almost like powder. The finish is very tight and dry. Aging potential of 5 to 8 years. (GBQc)
90 50TH PARALLEL PINOT GRIS 2013, OKANAGAN ($28)
The first release of winemaker Grant Stanley shows that 50th Parallel is a winery to watch. Fresh, rich and juicy with citrus, pear, apple, peach and nectarine, and a touch of spice; grippy mid-palate, nice complexity and weight while maintaining great freshness and brightness on the juicy finish. A great match with poultry, seafood and rich Asian dishes. (GB)
94 ROBERT MONDAVI RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010, NAPA, UNITED STATES ($139.95)
I tried this wine 5 times over the period of 1 month, and every time the wine scored the same. Powerful, concentrated, intense, rich and layered were but some of the descriptors I used. Full-bodied; the dark fruit comes at you from every direction, followed by mint, violets, cinnamon, cocoa and vanilla. Needless to say, the finale is super long, and there is a boat load of tannins that will ensure 3 decades of aging. (ES)
× Find a collection of wine, beer and spirit tasting notes at quench.me/notes/
Each wine is judged on its own merits, in its respective category. Our scores are based on the wine's quality as well as price point. Readers should assess these, and all wines, using the same criteria. Carefully study the commentaries to get an idea of whether the wine might appeal to your taste. The prices listed are suggested retail prices and may vary from province to province. Since a large number of these wines can be purchased across Canada, check with your local liquor board or private wine store for availability. Our tasters are Tony Aspler, Gurvinder Bhatia, Tod Stewart, Evan Saviolidis, Rick VanSickle, Ron Liteplo, Harry Hertscheg, Sean Wood, Gilles Bois, Crystal Luxmore and Jonathan Smithe. QUENCH USES THE 100-POINT SCALE 95-100 = Exceptional 90-94 = Excellent 85-89 = Very good
SPARKLING 89 CHANDON BRUT RESERVE MÉTHODE TRADITIONNELLE ($28)
Pale yellow with a lasting rim of fine bubbles. Attractive fruity nose (apple, pear, apricot) with a delicate floral touch and fresh mushroom. Easy drinking with its barely perceptible dosage that balances the acidity. Nice dry finish. Probably from California but it may include grapes coming from other states. (GBQc)
87 RAZA DOLCE TORRONTÉS SPARKLING 2013 ($16)
A nice bubbly from Argentina with a nose of citrus, star fruit, white flowers and melon. On the palate, there is moderate fizz with tropical fruits, citrus and orange accents in a semi-sweet style. Good summer fizz. (RV)
87 GRUHIER EXTRA BRUT CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE 2010, BURGUNDY, FRANCE ($21) An enticing nose of lemon curd, apple, cream and buttered toast. It hits the palate with a vigorous mousse, rigid acidity and lemon biscuit that echoes on the palate. Very nice and affordable sparkling wine. (RV)
85 TWO OCEANS SAUVIGNON BLANC BRUT 2012, WESTERN CAPE ($14)
Cool breezes between the warm Indian Ocean and cold Atlantic Ocean ensure
80-84 = Good 75-79 = Acceptable 70 & under = Below average *Available through wine clubs
that the bright Sauv Blanc varietal character comes through even in this crisp, off-dry bubbly. Fresh herbal, zesty citrus and tangy tropical-fruit notes punch through the lively, carbonated fizz. Whets the appetite; serve well chilled. (HH)
WHITE ARGENTINA 86 SALENTEIN PORTILLO CHARDONNAY 2013, VALLE DE UCO, MENDOZA ($14)
Presents fresh floral, citrus and tropical fruit on the nose with lemon citrus and green apple in the mouth. Finishes with crisp acidity and mineral grip. (SW)
AUSTRALIA 88 MCGUIGAN THE SÉMILLON BLANC 2012 ($13.99)
This modern-style Sémillon was developed to compete with popular Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc. It does offer similarly lively and aromatic character showing floral, lemon-citrus and mineral on the nose and succulent limpid green fruit flavours on the palate. Polished, very drinkable wine punching above its weight. (SW)
87 MCGUIGAN BLACK LABEL PINOT GRIGIO 2013, SOUTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA ($10.99) A bargain-value wine offering lightly aro-
matic, fresh green fruit with grapefruit-accented citrus flavour, background notes of pear and a light, nutty sensation on the well-balanced, refreshing finish. (SW)
85 BLACK SPRINGS MATURE RELEASE SÉMILLON 2008, HUNTER VALLEY ($22)
The Hunter Valley expression of Sémillon is uniquely Australian. Clear medium-deep yellow with a green tinge. The nose has good Sémillon typicity with aromas of hay, sage and mace. Full-bodied and perfectly dry, with lemon/lime zest acidity that will make you drool. Ready now but will continue to improve. The ideal wine for lightly steamed buttered asparagus or artichokes. (RL)
84 WINE MEN OF GOTHAM CHARDONNAY 2011, RIVERLAND, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ($14.99)
Mellow ripe citrus, melon and stone fruit on the nose evolves towards bright lemon citrus and crisp green apple on the palate. This is a lean, lower-alcohol wine to pair with shellfish and simple fresh seafood recipes. (SW)
AUSTRIA 88 WINZER KREMS SANDGRUBE 13 GRÜNER VELTLINER 2013 ($12.80) For under $13, this wine is a rock-solid value as well as a great primer for those who haven’t experienced the joys of Grüner. Spice, apple, grapefruit, white peach, white flower and bell pepper are built on a crisp, food-friendly frame. Try
OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 55
NOTED ... with sautéed shrimps with lemon or grilled vegetables drizzled with balsamic/ olive oil and topped with chèvre. (ES)
and white flowers. The palate carries more citrus and mineral as well as solid acidity and some residual sugar. Fine length. (ES)
CANADA
89 WILD GOOSE MYSTIC RIVER VINEYARD PINOT BLANC 2013, OKANAGAN ($19)
92 LEANING POST CHARDONNAY FOX CROFT VINEYARD 2012, NIAGARA ($35)
This is a contemplative Chard with a mélange of ripe pear, citrus and spice against a background of limestone minerality. It has some weight on the palate, with ripe fruit in tandem with butterscotch cream, minerality and a long, smooth finish. Winemaker Ilya Senchuk has embraced the warmth of the season but found balance with the acidity. (RV)
91 TINHORN CREEK GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2013, BC ($16.99)
A BC Gewürz with true varietal character. Pale straw colour with a fragrant lychee and rose-petal nose; elegant, perfumed, lychee and ginger flavour; beautifully balanced, clean, fresh and lingering. Simply delicious. (TA)
90 BENCH 1775 SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013, BC ($17.90)
A stylish Sauvignon from this new Naramata Bench winery. Pale straw in colour with a grassy, minerally, green-plum nose; crisply dry on the palate with well-extracted grapefruit and green-plum flavours that fill the mouth and linger enticingly. (TA)
89 QUAILS’ GATE GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2013, OKANAGAN ($17)
This Alsatian-style white is sourced from vineyards throughout the Kelowna area. Rose petal and lychee scents strike the nose. A fruit-forward style with enough lively acidity to freshen the off-dry sweetness. The spiciness goes on and on. A very appetizing set up for Thanksgiving festivities. (HH)
89 REDSTONE LIMESTONE VINEYARD SOUTH RIESLING 2012, TWENTY MILE BENCH ($19)
Made from 14-year-old vines, this wine is reminiscent of a ripe Mosel Kabinett. The fragrance reveals honey, lime, grapefruit 56 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
A peachy nose along with ripe pear, crisp citrus and savoury melon aromas and flavours. Stainless-steel fermentation keeps the juicy palate clean and bright, while some barrel fermentation and lees-stirring imbues spiciness, mouthfeel, complexity and structure. Some welcome minerality with the off-dry finish. Delicious with seafood. (HH)
89 BENJAMIN BRIDGE TIDAL BAY 2013, NOVA SCOTIA ($21.99)
Aromatics reveal floral scents together with notes of grapefruit, green apple, Muscat and a hint of green herb. Very crisp, almost lean, on the palate showing white peach, green apple and incisive mineral. Has just a light touch of residual sugar but finishes very dry. (SW)
89 TINHORN CREEK 2 BENCH WHITE 2013, BC ($23)
A blend of 31% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Chardonnay, 28% Sémillon, 9% Viognier, 3% Muscat. A more focused blend than the 2012 vintage of this wine. Light straw in colour with an aromatic, peachy nose (the Muscat comes singing through). Medium-bodied, spicy and dry; nicely balanced peach and citrus flavours. (TA)
89 NK’MIP CELLARS ‘QWAM QWMT’ CHARDONNAY 2012, OKANAGAN ($30)
Lovely balance between rich vanilla, baked apple and cream while maintaining citrus, floral and freshness; round and elegant with juicy acidity, a leesy character that adds to the complexity and a slightly nutty finish. (GB)
88 FORT BERENS RIESLING 2013, LILLOOET ($18)
The nose shows crisp apple, citrus, Mandarin orange and racy lime with mineral notes. The palate reveals honeydew, peaches and citrus with a touch of honey and balanced out by fairly good acidity. (RV)
88 WILD GOOSE PINOT GRIS 2013, OKANAGAN ($18)
Generous aromas and flavours of crisp apple, ripe pear, spicy apricot and honeydew melon. The touch of French oak confers spice and toasted hazelnut notes on the finish. Also showcases juicy acidity and off-dry sweetness. A perfect match for dukkah-rubbed pork tenderloin. (HH)
88 PLANTERS RIDGE L’ACADIE 2013, NOVA SCOTIA ($19.99)
From Nova Scotia’s newest winery, this one offers aromatic green fruit showing hints of grapefruit, green herb and floral overtones. Lively crisp green-apple flavour dominates the palate backed by grippy mineral, brisk acidity and suggestions of stone fruit and lychee on the finish. (SW)
88 PLANTERS RIDGE TIDAL BAY 2013, NOVA SCOTIA ($21)
Stone fruit with subtle floral and light herbal scents, shifting towards green apple and citrus flavours in the mouth; classic mineral, crisp acidity and lingering floral and fresh-fruit notes. (SW)
88 JOIEFARM UN-OAKED CHARDONNAY 2013, OKANAGAN ($23)
This was a little tight when I tasted it, but it still showed apple, pineapple, citrus and mineral notes on the nose. Made in an elegant style with fresh pineapple, apple and citrus zing on the finish. (RV)
88 PERSEUS WINERY CHARDONNAY 2012, OKANAGAN ($30)
Aromas and flavours of baked apple, pear, citrus and stone fruit; rich texture. Maintains a nice fresh quality and bright finish. Versatile with a variety of food. (GB)
87 SOUTHBROOK ORGANIC CONNECT WHITE 2013, ONTARIO ($15)
This fun and easy-drinking white, made primarily from Vidal, is off-dry, with peach, melon, citrus and apple flavours. At under 10% alcohol, it is meant for casual sipping, appetizers or cheese platters. (ES)
87 WILD GOOSE AUTUMN GOLD 2013, OKANAGAN ($19)
One-third each of Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc. Very fragrant
nose led by elderflower, honeysuckle and orchard blossoms. Well-balanced medium-sweet palate with juicy acidity and flavours of spiced apple and honeydew melon. Honey and ginger notes linger. Delightful on its own or with spicy dishes. (HH)
87 WILD GOOSE GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2013, OKANAGAN ($19)
Sourced from 25-year-old vines, there’s some intensity and complexity in this Gewürz. Perfumed aromas of rose petal and orchard blossoms. Spicy flavours of lychee, pear, apricot and grapefruit on the off-dry palate. Generous guava and lime on the tangy finish. A match for coconut milk–based Thai dishes. (HH)
87 WILD GOOSE RIESLING 2013, OKANAGAN ($20)
Sourced from 25-year-old vines in Okanagan Falls. A thread of petrol runs from nose to finish. Bold aromatics and flavours of fragrant orchard fruits, fresh citrus and savoury minerality. The off-dry, fruity palate finishes with tart, refreshing grapefruit and green apple notes. Pairs deliciously with lime-stuffed roast chicken. (HH)
86 UNION GOLD 2011, NIAGARA ($14) A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauv Blanc and Gewürz. Mid-weight; there is oak aging here, which adds vanilla and cinnamon to the peach, pear and apple qualities. The palate is slightly creamy at first, then the refreshing acidity weighs in on the finish, culminating on a caramel note. Well made, well priced and ready to drink. Pair with roast chicken or halibut. (ES)
CHILE 88 CONO SUR RESERVA ESPECIAL CHARDONNAY 2013, CASABLANCA VALLEY ($12.95) A highly extracted Chardonnay from one of Chile’s cooler regions. Pale straw colour offering a pear bouquet with a touch of oak. Thick on the palate, redolent with mouth-filling peach and citrus flavours; full-bodied and fleshy. (TA)
87 CORNELLANA CHARDONNAY/ VIOGNIER RESERVE 2012, CACHAPOAL VALLEY ($12.67) Clear, pale silvery-yellow. Aromas of pineapple, honeydew melon, McIntosh apple, lemon and a bit of vanilla from oak fermentation. Full-bodied with lots of clean fresh peach and pineapple flavours. Good acidity and a long finish. Drink now. Good value. (RL)*
FRANCE 88 CHÂTEAU BONNET ENTREDEUX-MERS 2012, BORDEAUX ($17.45)
Pale yellow. The herbaceous, citrusy nose has a nice freshness; a dry stone nuance adds a bit of complexity. Sharp attack, slightly vegetal taste, intense flavour that lingers on with a round middle palate. Clean finish. Ready to drink. (GBQc)
87 PÂTISSERIE DU VIN CHARDONNAY/MUSCAT 2013 ($12.80)
This is a good introduction to dry white wine for those who have never tasted one before. Pale straw colour with a nose of oranges and honey. Aromatic, fruity, soft on the palate and full in the mouth with some sweetness. Easy drinking and not to be sneezed at. (TA)
ITALY 88 TENUTA LE VELETTE RASENNA ORVIETO CLASSICO AMABILE 2012, UMBRIA ($16)
This white blend of Trebbiano, Grechetto, Malvasia, Verdello and Drupeggio continues to impress following the 2011 vintage. A pretty nose of ripe apple, peach skin, apricots and melon. It’s perfectly off-dry on the palate with mature peach and apple and just a touch of spice. Try with soft and semi-matured cheeses. (RV)
87 TENUTA LE VELETTE BERGANORIO ORVIETO CLASSICO 2013, UMBRIA ($16)
A traditional blend of Trebbiano, Grechetto, Malvasia, Verdello and Drupeggio that’s pure, fresh and floral on the
nose, showing an array of orchard fruits and interesting minerality. It’s crisp and harmonious on the palate with robust apple and melon flavours, and favourable acidity. (RV)
NEW ZEALAND 89 ASTROLABE PROVINCE PINOT GRIS 2012, MARLBOROUGH ($27.99)
Displays vibrant aromatic green fruit with mineral and floral background notes. Lushly flavoured but crisp green apple and grippy mineral intensity in the mouth. A good example of the finely focused Pinot Gris produced in New Zealand. (SW)
83 TUA TUA BAY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012, MARLBOROUGH ($19.33)
Clear pale silver. Nose of gooseberries and lemon in an herbal green salad. Light-bodied and light-flavoured, with gooseberry and lime acidity. (RL)*
SOUTH AFRICA 87 FLEUR DE CAP CHARDONNAY 2012 ($13)
A nose that shows friendly pear and apple fruit with soft vanilla and hints of fresh lime-citrus. The pear and apple fruits on the palate are joined by oakytoasty spices and balancing acidity. Good-value wine. (RV)
UNITED STATES 92 BERINGER PRIVATE RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2012, NAPA ($45)
I have become a big fan of this wine since winemaker Laurie Hook has toned down the oak level. Still full-bodied and full of flavour; the peach, pineapple, honey, apple and toast on the nose meet up with banana cream pie and spice on the long finale. Drink over the next 5 years, preferably with a salt-and-pepper-grilled salmon filet or a chicken breast topped with a jalapeño/tropical-fruit salsa. (ES) OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 57
NOTED ... 91 SMITH-MADRONE CHARDONNAY 2011, SPRING MOUNTAIN, NAPA ($39.95)
This wine bursts with flavour. Bright straw in colour, it presents on the nose with waves of peach, minerals and vanilla oak. The texture is oily and full with flavours of peach and citrus fruit backed by a toasty, nutty note. Great length. (TA)
90 ROBERT MONDAVI FUMÉ BLANC 2012, NAPA ($22.95)
As the label denotes, this is a dry Sauvignon Blanc (with the addition of 13% Sémillon). Furthermore, it is an aromatic beauty with nectarine, verbena, gooseberry, lime, fresh herbs and minerals. Lengthy on the finish with refreshing acidity. Ceviche and freshwater fish were made for this food-friendly bottling. (ES)
90 STAGS’ LEAP VIOGNIER 2011, NAPA ($36.95)
Not flamboyant like some V-wines, but it is varietally accurate with its peach, apricot, nectarine, banana, honey, spice and white-flower character. There is even fresh acidity and a mineral undercurrent, which perks things up and adds sophistication. Ready to drink. (ES)
89 BERINGER CHARDONNAY 2012, NAPA ($19.95)
Bosc pear, sweet apple, peach, honey, anise, cream, vanilla and minerals are framed on a medium body. There is fresh acidity and superb length. Just make sure to put a good chill to it, so as to quell the 14.5% alcohol. (ES)
89 BENZIGER SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012, SONOMA ($23)
Fresh and zippy with well-balanced lemon-lime citrus aromas, a touch of passion fruit, mineral; refreshing acidity and a focused finish. Immensely drinkable. (GB)
88 BENZIGER CHARDONNAY 2010, SONOMA ($25)
Rich and complex, yet still fresh, with aromas and flavours of fig, butter and hazelnut. Silky, elegant and refined with a creamy, citrusy finish; vibrant acidity gives it backbone and sustains the flavours on a long, minerally aftertaste. (GB) 58 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
ROSÉ 90 CHÂTEAU ROUTAS 2013, COTEAUX VAROIS EN PROVENCE ($18) This stylish Provençal rosé reveals subtle berry-fruit and floral hints on the nose with plenty of substance in the mouth. Disciplined balance of fruit, acidity and mineral grip leads into a dry, food-friendly finish. (SW)
89 JEAN-LUC COLOMBO CAPE BLEUE 2013, IGP MÉDITERRANÉE ($16) Pale salmon-pink. Attractive but a little shy on the nose of light strawberry and candy. Precise fruity flavour enhanced by a lively acidity leading to a somewhat thick middle palate full of roundness. A beautiful rosé to be enjoyed on its own or with summery, lightly flavoured dishes. (GBQc)
89 DOMAINE DES CARTERESSES TAVEL ROSÉ 2013, RHÔNE ($18.85) This is an all-year-round rosé, not just a summer sipper. Deep pink in colour, it has a minerally nose of orange and strawberries with a floral grace note. It’s medium- to full-bodied, dry and flavourful with a structured finish. (TA)
85 CLOVELLY THE ROSÉ 2012, WESTERN CAPE ($14.17)
From the Pinotage grape. Clear pale salmon colour. Complex nose of rhubarb, raspberry, grapefruit and candy floss. Light-bodied with light fruit featuring cranberry and citrus flavours. Drink up. (RL)*
RED ARGENTINA 89 MAIPE CHAKANA WINES RESERVA BONARDA 2011, MENDOZA ($18.95)
The Bonarda grape lives in the shadow of the Malbec, but it produces some very tasty wines. Dense purple in colour with an earthy plum nose; mouth-filling plum, mocha and coffee bean flavours with ripe tannins. A full-bodied, red-meat wine. (TA)
88 URBAN UCO MALBEC/ TEMPRANILLO 2012, UCO VALLEY, MENDOZA ($13.70)
Deep purple-ruby colour with a nose of dried flowers and cherries that open on the palate as flavours of liquorice, dark chocolate and cherry; medium-bodied and dry with a savoury finish. (TA)
AUSTRALIA 91 BRIAR RIDGE TRIO 2011, HUNTER VALLEY/ORANGE ($19)
Clear medium-deep garnet. Nose of green pepper, cassis and raspberry. Full-bodied and sweetish, with lots of fruit: blackcurrant, blackberries, blueberries. Drink now. (RL)*
88 BERTON VINEYARD FOUNDSTONE MERLOT 2012, SOUTHEAST AUSTRALIA ($14.17) Clear medium-deep scarlet. Scents of raspberry and violets with a hint of black liquorice. Medium-bodied with lots of sweet strawberry and cherry fruit. At its best now. (RL)*
88 CHAKANA MAIPE BONARDA 2011 ($19)
Nose shows plums, violets, cassis, bold, smoky and jammy fruits, mocha and an array of other spices. It’s bold and rich on the palate with liquorice, stewed plums, dark cherry, savoury spice and good acidity to perk it all up. Try with pulled-pork sammies. (RV)
86 WINE MEN OF GOTHAM SHIRAZ/GRENACHE 2012, RIVERLAND, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ($14.99) Fleshy ripe-berry scents with spicy and peppery overtones yield to blackberry and dry baker’s chocolate in the mouth. Brisk acidity and firm tannic grip could stand some additional aging to soften and integrate further. Finishes almost bone-dry. (SW)
CANADA 90 JOIEFARM GAMAY 2012, OKANAGAN ($36)
Elegant and layered, with ripe blackcur-
rant, black cherry, spiced plum fruit and notes of liquorice, pepper, bacon fat and mineral; lovely integration, refined tannins, juicy-tart acidity and a long, lingering finish. Pairs well with everything. (GB)
90 JOIEFARM PTG 2012, OKANAGAN ($36)
Inspired by the Burgundian Passetoutgrain blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir, the wine is fresh and balanced. Showing pretty notes of black raspberry, cherry, pepper and spice with a delicious savoury quality and well-meshed acidity. Ideal with cassoulet and curry dishes. (GB)
90 REDSTONE SYRAH REDSTONE VINEYARD 2010, LINCOLN LAKESHORE ($39.95)
Very respectable length and supple tannins make for short-term aging potential. Drink until 2018. (ES)
87 RIVER STONE STONE’S THROW 2012, OKANAGAN ($24)
The Merlot, Malbec and Cab Sauv are from the same vineyard within a “stone’s throw” of each other; then matured 14 months in French oak. Fragrant bouquet of floral and dark berries. Damson plum on a rich, full-bodied palate. Cigar-box finish. Opens up from aeration, so worth decanting. (HH)
87 BAILLIE-GROHMAN MERLOT/ CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011, SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY ($25)
The Syrah grapes for this wine were planted back in 1999, as part of the Thomas and Vaughn winery — where the Redstone winery is being built. An explosive perfume of pepper, raspberry, cassis, plum, cherry, tobacco and oregano leads into a weighty palate stuffed with red and dark fruits coated with cracked black pepper. (ES)
Sourced from the Similkameen, but still made in their Creston winery by New Zealand winemaker Dan Barker. A cool vintage, so look for fresh wild red-berry aromas with dried herbs and a hint of tobacco. Tangy acidity and dry tannins on a medium-bodied frame. Savoury cigar-box finish. A solid choice for bacon burgers. (HH)
88 FORT BERENS 23 CAMELS RED 2012, LILLOOET ($22)
87 BAILLIE-GROHMAN PINOT NOIR 2011, CRESTON ($25)
A blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose shows savoury/spicy aromas to go with cherry-raspberry fruits. It’s smooth and friendly on the palate with black cherry, pepper, herbs and toastyspicy notes on the finish. (RV)
88 RIVER STONE CORNER STONE 2011, OKANAGAN ($29)
Merlot (53%), Cab Sauv (16%), Cab Franc (20%) and Malbec (11%); aged 18 months in French oak. Abundant red and black fruits led by blackcurrant and flecked with smokiness. Juicy acidity, tangy mouthfeel and foursquare structure. Persistent roasted coffee bean and dried herbs. Drink over the next 5 years. (HH)
87 SOUTHBROOK ORGANIC CONNECT RED 2012, NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE ($15.95)
This mid-weight, Bordeaux-inspired red wine features pretty aromas of raspberry, redcurrant, tobacco, vanilla and cocoa.
Sourced entirely from their Home Block in pioneering Creston, a 4-hour drive east of the Okanagan in the mountainous Kootenay region. Employs 30% new French oak. Complex nose and palate with floral, red berry-fruit, cedar and some gaminess. Finishes crisply on cedar notes. Food-friendly with a wide range of dishes. (HH)
86 RIVER STONE CABERNET FRANC 2012, OKANAGAN ($26)
Sourced from 11-year-old estate-grown vines and matured 14 months in 100% French oak. The bold nose features herbal, spicy and red-berried aromas. The rich, full-throttle palate delivers concentrated raspberry and tobacco flavours. Intense, spicy finish warmed up by its 14.7% alcohol. Not for the faint-hearted. (HH)
85 WILD GOOSE HORIZON 2011, OKANAGAN ($22)
A blend of fruity Merlot (55%), savoury Cab Sauv (25%) and rich Petit Verdot (20%). Fragrant aromas and flavours
of blueberry, cassis, cherry and a hint of smokiness. Medium body with fresh acidity and firm tannins. Sharp liquorice notes on the short finish. (HH)
CHILE 90 MONTES LIMITED SELECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON/ CARMÉNÈRE 2011, COLCHAGUA VALLEY ($14.75)
A bargain at the price. Deep ruby colour with an intense nose of cassis and vanilla oak. Rich and full on the palate with flavours of crushed blackcurrants, charred oak and roasted coffee beans. The ripe tannins finish the flavour nicely. (TA)
FRANCE 88 DOMAINE CAZAL-VIEL ST-CHINIAN VIEILLES VIGNES 2012, LANGUEDOC ($13.15) Bright purplish colour. Raspberry and other red-berry fruits, a little jammy with a hint of smoke and spices. The fruity taste has a good freshness, a spicy middle palate, semi-soft tannins and a balanced finish. Perfect now on charcuteries. (GBQc)
88 LES VIGNERONS DE BUZET “RED BADGE” MERLOT/CABERNET 2010, AOC BUZET ($14)
A “Bordeaux” blend, but definitely a southern experience. Fresh berry, red apple, cocoa, cinnamon, dried herbs and mint all make an olfactory appearance, with juicy berry, dried herbs and wet slate capping off the flavour profile. Nice complexity and a long, coffee-tinged finish. (TS)
88 DOMAINE DU POUJOL JAZZ 2011, AOC COTEAUX DE LANGUEDOC ($17)
Grenache and Cinsault are the main players in this red blend, with Carignan, Syrah and Mourvèdre playing additional roles. The aromatic emphasis is on dark fruit, but there are also nuances of tobacco leaf and wild herbs. Medium weight with crisp, clean, well-defined, mineral-tinged flavours and a touch of char on the finish. (TS) OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 59
NOTED ... 88 GUIGAL CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE 2010, RHÔNE VALLEY ($18)
Full ruby. Red and black fruits, spices, fresh mushroom and dry earth. Nice fruity taste, balanced with a supple texture and a round mouthfeel. Emphasis is on generosity more than finesse. Ready to drink. (GBQc)
87 DOMAINE DE L’ARJOLLE Z DE L’ARJOLLE ZINFANDEL 2011, MIDI ($20) This hearty Zin seems to be enjoying itself in the south of France, as witnessed by this “first in France” offering. Blackberry, black olive, dried herbs, vanilla and cedar are all evident on the nose. Rich and smooth, with dark berry, mild spice, mineral and smoke. If you like your reds rich and cuddly, this is for you. (TS)
GREECE 89 LYRARAKIS KOTSIFALI/SYRAH 2010, ALAGNI REGION, CRETE ($22) Intriguingly complex nose unwraps ripe fruit, fine spice with dried herbal and tobacco-like background aromas. Ripe raspberry, blackberry, black plum and dark chocolate flavours are supported by firm tannic structure with good weight and balance. Drinking well now but can benefit from further aging. (SW)
ITALY 93 TENUTA DELL’ORNELLAIA ORNELLAIA 2011, BOLGHERI, TUSCANY ($189)
Very dark colour. Rich, complex nose, open and fresh with notes of black fruits, luxurious oak, smoke, a floral touch. Very elegant overall but still in its youth. Velvety mouthfeel, very full-bodied and concentrated, intense taste. Tight tannic structure, very firm in the finish, even a little rough. It needs time to soften up. (GBQc)
90 FATTORIA DEI BARBI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2008, TUSCANY ($48.25)
Medium ruby. Typical Brunello: elegant nose of small red fruits and subtle oak notes. Very supple on the palate, great ripe-fruity taste, tight and firm. (GBQc) 60 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
90 FATTORIA DEI BARBI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO VIGNA DEL FIORE 2006, TUSCANY ($67.75)
88 DALCERO TENUTA MONTECCHIESI SELVERELLO SANGIOVESE 2012, TOSCANA IGT ($17.99)
89 LA FERLA NERO D’AVOLA 2010, SICILIA IGT ($13.67)
87 TENUTA LE VELETTE ROSSO DI SPICCA ROSSO ORVIETANO 2011, UMBRIA ($16)
Nose shows some complex, tertiary aromas of evolution over very ripe red-cherry notes. Very soft texture, round mouthfeel but intense taste. It becomes tighter and tighter towards the long finish. Wait another 5 to 6 years for its peak. (GBQc)
Clear, medium-deep plum red. A little volatile acidity disperses quickly, followed by aromas of cherry, plum and mocha. On the palate, there are lots more cherry and plum flavours accented by a tinge of bitter almond. Medium acidity, high alcohol and tannins that are now smoothing. Will improve for another year. Good value. (RL)*
89 TOMMASI POGGIO AL TUFO ROMPICOLLO 2011, MAREMMA IGT TOSCANA ($19.99)
Opens with dark fruit, cinnamon, clove, white pepper and earthy, leathery notes on the nose. Adroitly balanced between Sangiovese-influenced red cherry and Cabernet Sauvignon’s typical blackberry and blackcurrant character. Good weight and structure, it finishes with a touch of tannic astringency. (SW)
89 TENUTA DELL’ORNELLAIA LE VOLTE 2012, IGT TOSCANA ($30)
A blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Cab Sauv that shows nice kirsch notes with a floral touch that brings freshness to its nose. Tight and full in the middle palate; its tannins are supple and glide smoothly on the tongue. Tight, tender finish. A wonder with a rib eye. (GBQc)
88 ALBOLA 2012, CHIANTI DOCG ($16.99)
Warmly scented ripe red cherry with a touch of cinnamon on the nose. Appetizing lightly-bitter cherry backed by firm tannic structure, well-balanced acidity and medium weight on the palate. Textbook Chianti to drink with grilled meats, tomato-based pastas and firm, ripened cheese. (SW)
Complex, rather refined nose reveals developed fruit with a subtle overlay of spice and a whiff of tannic astringency. Black cherry leads on the palate with dark chocolate and appetizingly bitter bite. Will benefit from further aging. (SW)
A nose of black cherry, cassis and blueberry with just a whiff of vanilla and spice. It’s a full-bodied red on the palate that’s loaded with red fruits, liquorice and minty-savoury notes through the finish. A Sangiovese blend that punches well above its weight class. (RV)
SOUTH AFRICA 86 NEDERBURG WINEMASTER’S RESERVE SHIRAZ 2011, WESTERN CAPE ($13) Impactful aromas and flavours of ripe plums, black cherries, vanilla and dark chocolate. The rich, full-bodied palate and plush tannins finish with lingering clove spiciness. Very upfront and fruit forward, but not complex, so well-suited for boldly spiced kebabs. (HH)
86 INCEPTION DEEP LAYERED RED 2011 ($14)
Nose shows smoky tar, espresso bean, thick cherry fruit and meaty dark fruits. It is rich, quite sweet and bold on the palate with blackcurrants, cassis, kirsch, peppery spices and dark chocolate. A bit unbalanced. (RV)
SPAIN 89 BODEGAS BORSAO TRES PICOS 2011, CAMPO DE BORJA, ARAGON ($20)
Full ruby with purplish rim. 100% Grenache done in an international style. Seductive nose of red fruits and spices from the oak. Very supple, even silky, but warm on the palate. Full, generous and ready to drink. (GBQc)
88 RADIO BOKA TEMPRANILLO 2012, VALENCIA ($10.95)
90 BERINGER CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011, NAPA ($49.95)
87 BENZIGER MERLOT 2009, SONOMA ($28)
87 BODEGAS BORSAO CRIANZA 2010, CAMPO DE BORJA, ARAGON ($15.50)
90 BENZIGER TRIBUTE 2008, SONOMA ($109)
DESSERT
A well-made wine for the price that comes through on the palate loud and clear. Dense purple colour with a bouquet of red berries and cedar. Dry, elegant and perfumed, it’s surprisingly light on the palate with a firm finish. (TA)
Dark ruby. Simple but attractive nose of red fruits; its Grenache character hides the fact that the blend also contains Tempranillo grapes. Easy drinking; the tannins have a thick feeling but no roughness at all. Good buy. (GBQc)
UNITED STATES 93 BERINGER PRIVATE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009, NAPA ($150)
This iconic, black/purple Napa Cab is starting to sing at the top of its lungs. Blackberry jam, cassis, dark cherry, vanilla, cinnamon and earth just flatter the senses. Full-bodied and concentrated, the textured mid-palate and firm yet unobtrusive tannins will ensure another 15 years of life ahead, at least. Impressive juice indeed. (ES)
92 MARIMAR ESTATE MAS CAVALLS PINOT NOIR 2009, COAST SONOMA ($42.95)
This wine is pure pleasure. Deep ruby in colour, it offers rich, spicy nose of black raspberries, smoke and milk chocolate. The fruit is sweet and richly extracted, perfectly balanced. Definitely not Burgundy but a swaggering Sonoma Pinot of great style and energy. (TA)
92 STAGS’ LEAP WINERY NE CEDE MALIS PETITE SIRAH 2010, NAPA ($89.95)
Not for the faint of heart, this purple/ black-coloured monster reveals layers of black fruit, violets and spice. Powerful and extracted, it has a rich personality with loads of tannins and a long finish. Drink until 2030. (ES)
Medium-bodied offering with a personality of plum, cherry, raspberry, savoury herbs, smoke and spice. Excellent length and supple tannins make for immediate drinkability. Rack of lamb was made for this wine. (ES)
Fresh, rich, full and vibrant with ripe plum, black cherry, blackberry, currant and spice. Mouth-coating supple tannins; balanced, penetrating and persistent, finishing with a touch of earthiness and grip. (GB)
89 CA’MOMI CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, NAPA ($19.95)
On the full side, this fruit-driven wine shows a seductive nature of blackberry, cassis, raspberry, toast, cocoa and herbs. The palate shows ripe, almost sweet fruit, medium tannins and generous length. It should age well over the next 5 years. Make sure to pick up a couple of bottles for the wine rack. (ES)
89 FREI BROTHERS RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011, ALEXANDER VALLEY ($23.95) Dense purple colour with a spicy nose of blackcurrants, ripe plums and dark chocolate. Full-bodied flavours of sweet blackcurrant and creamy plum give the wine a soft mouthfeel, kept honest with a lively spine of acidity. (TA)
89 STAGS’ LEAP WINERY PETITE SIRAH 2011, NAPA ($40)
From a cooler vintage, this Petite Sirah reveals lots of hickory on top of blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, violets and vanilla. There is depth, but the finish is on the dry and hard side. Protein is required here, so grab a rib steak, crust it with salt and pepper, and cook it to medium-rare. (ES)
88 BENZIGER CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010, SONOMA ($30)
Loads of ripe and juicy black cherry, blackberry and plum flavours with an elegant and fresh complexity; lush, supple tannins with a long, fruit-filled aftertaste. A darn good bargain. (GB)
Smooth, rich and supple with aromas and flavours of black cherry, mocha and spice. It leads to rich flavours of currant, sage and spice with elegant tannins, full mouthfeel and long, soft finish. (GB)
90 WHISTLER CHARDONNAY LATE HARVEST 2013 (BENCH 1775), BC ($19.90/375 ML)
Straw coloured with a honeyed nose of peach and sultanas; initial sweetness curbed by racy acidity gives the wine a clean, continuous line of well-balanced, medium-sweet flavours of peaches and honey. (TA)
BEER 87 SEA LEVEL BREWING BLUE HERON EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER 5.5%, PORT WILLIAMS, NS ($15/6-PK)
Medium amber coloured with floral and herbal hoppy fragrance together with nutty malt aromas, fruity citrus and nutty malt flavours kicking in on the palate. Culminates in a very dry, hoppy, bitter finish. (SW)
CIDER HOITY TOITY CELLARS 66 PICKUP CIDER, MILDMAY, ONTARIO ($14) Shows soft apple flavours; not overly acidic and is made in an off-dry, lightly carbonated, comfortable style. Introductory cider made for a warm summer’s day by the pool. (RV)
SHINY APPLE CIDER AVEC PINOT NOIR, NIAGARA ($20)
A unique concoction that combines Ontario apples with Pinot Noir wine, and made with relatively high (9%) alcohol. Delicious and truly innovative with notes of cherry, berries, subtle honey and sparkling citrus that is refreshing from start to finish. (RV) OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 61
WELL NOTED ... 91 CORNELLANA SPARKLING BRUT NV, CACHAPOAL VALLEY, CHILE ($14.17)
Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend, made by Charmat method. Medium butter-yellow with a delicate but long-lasting mousse. Clean, light nose of lemon and rising dough, accompanied by cantaloupe, pear and coconut aromas. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, dry and tart, tasting of citrus and pineapple. At its best the year after purchase. Terrific value. (RL)*
88 CASCINA DEL POZZO ROERO ARNEIS 2012, PIEMONTE, ITALY ($19)
Very pale. Fresh almonds, a floral scent, white peach and a touch of anise noticeable on the finish. Fat mouthfeel, round and full with a nice firm acidity that keeps it balanced. Long finish. Drinks well now and over a few more years. (GBQc)
92 LEANING POST THE FIFTY 2013, NIAGARA ($22)
Perhaps the best “unoaked” Chardonnay I have tasted in Niagara (and, trust me, I have searched far and wide for a style that satisfies my inner Chablis-ness). So beautiful on the nose with fresh ripe pear, apple, pineapple and tropical fruits. It has a velvety, mid-weight feel on the palate followed by a stream of minerality and fruit that is pure and expressive of the vineyard. This is unoaked Chard done right. (RV)
91 NUGAN KING VALLEY FRASCA’S LANE CHARDONNAY 2010, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA ($18) You won’t find better-value Chardonnay in Oz than this finely crafted wine. Straw colour with a hint of lime, it has a barnyard nose of peaches and toasty oak. Medium-bodied, fresh and lively on the palate, it’s beautifully balanced and crisply dry. (TA)
85 OBIKWA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012, WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA ($9.99)
Grassy and asparagus aromas precede scents and flavours of guava, gooseberry, green fig and sweet tropical fruit. Crisp acidity and a round, ripe palate followed by a citrus-zest finish. Delightful with leafy salads and very good value, too. (HH)
62 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
89 CHÂTEAU GRAND CAUMONT 2011, CORBIÈRES, LANGUEDOC, FRANCE ($13.50)
Dark ruby. Black berry-fruits, spices and earth. Full-bodied, ripe fruity taste, a soft rich texture. The balanced finish leans slightly on the warm side. Ready to drink with venison or other tasty red meat dishes. (GBQc)
89 SOUTHBROOK VINEYARDS TRIOMPHE CABERNET FRANC 2012, NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE ($21.95)
This biodynamic Cab Franc includes 12% Merlot. There is a deep ruby colour and a complex combination of raspberry, cassis, plum, violets, cinnamon, roasted herbs and tobacco. Balance is the mantra on the palate, with moderate alcohol, good body, considerable length and ripe tannins. Enjoy this lovely wine over the next 5 years. (ES)
HOYNE BREWING COMPANY VOLTAGE ESPRESSO STOUT, VICTORIA, BC, ($6.25/650 ML) Made by infusing plenty of fresh espresso from Habit Coffee in Victoria, this fall seasonal release from Victoria’s Hoyne Brewing has aromas of chocolate and wet coffee grounds, a soft mouthfeel and a tannic coffee finish. Smooth and java-forward without harsh roastiness. Makes a great substitute for coffee at brunch, or serve in 5-ounce pours with vanilla ice cream for dessert. (CL)
rum diaries ... It’s been around since the days of yore, and today, rum is as popular as ever. While Scotch and Bourbon have captured much of the spotlight, premium rums like these are becoming more sought after by adventurous imbibers seeking maximum quality at affordable prices. Look for a full rum report in the pages of Quench’s upcoming November issue. DIPLOMATICO “RESERVA EXCLUSIVA” RUM, VENEZUELA ($48)
With its silky, slightly sweet profile, this rum is almost a borderline liqueur. Not to say that it isn’t really tasty stuff, though. Dried fruit, mocha, marzipan and cocoa powder all show up when you give it a sniff. Rich, full, toasty and nutty, with lingering vanilla notes. Seductive. (TS)
MOUNT GAY EXTRA OLD BARBADOS RUM, BARBADOS ($45)
A fairly recent repack of the Mount Gay Rum line adds an additional note of sophistication to a rather sophisticated spirit. The multiple-award-winning Extra Old epitomizes the “sipping rum” style, with some toasty oak, citrus fruit, banana and leather/tobacco on the nose. Well-balanced in the mouth with suggestions of white pepper, tangerine, and baked apple. The final notes are fairly complex, dry and spicy. (TS)
Vanilla bean, caramel, molasses, nutmeg, honey and a touch of smokiness on the nose. Warm, well-balanced and smooth on the palate with traces of toffee, candied orange, clove and toasted nuts. Finishes smooth and long. (TS)
A blend of primarily Guyanese rums along with a small portion of other Caribbean pot still rums, aged for up to 15 years. After blending, the final rum is aged again in a combination of French and American oak barrels. The aroma of this rum is quite distinctive, with a pronounced top note of orange liqueur, along with some ginger and hard toffee. Gently sweet and very smooth with orange marmalade, ginger, tobacco and brown sugar. There’s a nice “zip” to the finish that counterbalances the overall sweetness. Certainly a “user-friendly,” if somewhat unusual, style. (TS)
BRUGAL 1888 GRAN RESERVA FAMILIAR “EDICIÓN LIMITADA”, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ($70)
Aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, the Brugal 1888 delivers aromas of treacle, caramel, vanilla, marmalade, walnut and polished wood on the nose with just a bare hint of acetate. Dry and complex in the mouth, this rum sports flavours suggesting sultana raisin, orange peel, baking spice and a dash of pepper on the finish. (TS)
APPLETON ESTATE JAMAICA RUM “EXTRA” 12 YEAR OLD, JAMAICA ($40)
PYRAT XO RESERVE RUM, GUYANA ($50)
LEMON HART ORIGINAL DEMERARA RUM, GUYANA ($27)
From the famous sugar producing region of Guyana comes this well-established Demerara rum. Traces of anise and clove mingle with aromas of oak, molasses, vanilla and a whiff of fruit. Cocoa, fruitcake, dark sugar and spices in the mouth with some lingering vanilla on the finish. (TS)
SAMMY’S BEACH BAR RUM, HAWAII ($30)
Having successfully proven his skill at marketing spirits with his Cabo Wabo tequila, rocker man Sammy Hagar is now shaking the rum arena with Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum. It’s the only white rum in this tasting, and like the man himself, this stuff is pretty unique, so be prepared for something a bit unexpected. It’s also the one rum of the bunch that is made from sugarcane juice rather than molasses, which is maybe why it reminds me a bit of cachaça with its nose of spun sugar, combined with some grassy, slightly vegetal nuances. Raw cane sugar with traces of banana and pepper, along with some grassy/ herbal notes on the palate. (TS) OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 63
DAVINE BY GURVINDER BHATIA ...
Nothing is perfect The concept of pairing wine and food is not an exact science. Quite honestly, too many people make too much of it. What I mean is that too many people fret over trying to find that perfect pairing. Food and wine are meant to be together, but it’s important not to get caught up in rules. Forget about white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat. Forget about rules that say only certain wines can pair with certain types of foods. Flavours, weight, texture and acidity all play important roles, but the most important factor is balance — balance in the wine, and balance in the food (and, of course, being open to trying everything and anything). All the components should belong and nothing should seem out of place. If I’ve learned anything over the past 20 years, it’s that certain wines just go with everything. They are a chef’s best friend because they are so versatile, so well made and so even that the range of dishes with which they will pair extends beyond what most sommeliers would even consider recommending. The beauty of these wines is that they will change, as they should, depending upon the dishes with which they are served. Hence their versatility. Having these wines in your arsenal (on your wine list or cellar) is like having a collection many times larger. And it’s kind of nice to know that regardless of what’s coming out of the kitchen, you can rely on these wines to pair well with little effort. But don’t tell your friends. Let them think you agonized to find that perfect pairing. They will definitely be impressed.
NAVARRO LOPEZ GRANROJO GARNACHA 2012, CASTILLA, SPAIN ($16.99) An incredibly attractive nose that totally delivers on the palate. Elegant and polished showing graceful intensity with black cherry and raspberry flavours; vibrant and minerally, firm, well-integrated tannins and lively crisp acidity. Screams for lamb, but delicate enough for grilled squid.
STAGS’ LEAP AMPARO ROSÉ 2012, NAPA, USA ($32) Rosé gets a bad rap because of White Zinfandel, but good dry rosés are delicious and default food wines. Made from Grenache grapes, this wine is full and concentrated with aromas and flavours of raspberry, cranberry, pomegranate and cherry with hints of spice and earth; refreshing and crisp, firm structure and a long, fresh finish. Anyone who thinks rosés aren’t serious wines should try this. It will pair with everything.
MALIVOIRE GAMAY 2012, NIAGARA ESCARPMENT, ONTARIO ($28) Gamay is making a comeback, and for good reason. Whether it’s Beaujolais or Canadian Gamay, producers have raised the bar and are showing consumers that great Gamay has little resemblance to insipid Beaujolais-Nouveau. Full flavours of cherry and fresh berries with pepper and spice, lovely floral notes; has soft, silky, juicy tannins while maintaining freshness and elegance and a nice minerally finish. Will pair well with salmon, chicken, duck, pork or vegetarian dishes.
S. MARIA LA PALMA LE BOMBARDE CANNONAU 2011, SARDINIA, ITALY ($18.99) Expressive aromas of bright raspberry, liquorice, clove and other exotic spice with penetrating flavours of plum, cherry, spice, earth and leather. A silky, lingering, vibrant finish. Not a heavy wine, but possesses tons of flavour and an underlying structure that may fool you at first. The perfect example of a sophisticated, easy-drinking wine that doesn’t have to be in-your-face to be great. Pairs with everything from poultry, seafood and vegetarian dishes to spicy squid and Asian cuisine.
COS CERASUOLO DI VITTORIA CLASSICO 2011, SICILY, ITALY ($46) A go-to wine regardless of what’s on the dinner table. Complex layers of juicy and savoury cherry and raspberry, liquorice, meat, earth, mineral and spice, with silky tannins, a great underlying backbone and persistent finish. So approachable; a wine that’s hard not to love. 64 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
David Paterson, winemaker at Tantalus
TANTALUS OLD VINES RIESLING 2011, OKANAGAN, CANADA ($48) Amazing power, intensity and focus with mouth-watering, bracing acidity and loads of lime, nectarine, apple, grapefruit and mineral with layered complexity. A tight, steely backbone, racy with a long, wet-stone mineral finish. Great with seafood; great with a steak.
VIÑA LA RESERVA DE CALIBORO ERASMO BARBERA/ GRENACHE 2013, MAULE VALLEY, CHILE ($30) Youthful, bright purple with beautiful fresh aromas and flavours of wild berries, chocolate and spice; juicy with silky-smooth tannins, great balance, immense drinkability and a long, persistent finish. Delicious as an apéritif with an assortment of hors d’oeuvres, grilled meats and seafood. Serve slightly chilled. Owner Count Francesco Marone Cinzano has always said that wines should be made to pair with food, and this wine is a great example.
partners for a variety of dishes. Rich and textured with apple, melon, quince and pear flavours, loads of fresh mineral notes and a long, bright finish.
JOSEF CHROMY PINOT NOIR 2012, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA ($35) Elegant, juicy and supple with loads of mineral, bright cherry, currant, earth and berries; a silky texture, gaining more depth with every taste, and finishing long and fresh. Great balance between ripe fruit, earth and acidity, and showing nice restraint.
BOUGRIER VOUVRAY DOUCE 2012, LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE ($18.99) Bright, lovely, fresh and floral with pure apple, fig, citrus peel and ginger spice; easy-drinking, zippy acidity and just a hint of sweetness on the balanced finish. 100% Chenin Blanc. A natural partner with seafood and Asian cuisine, but don’t restrict what dishes this wine can and will partner with.
MAYCAS DEL LIMARI CHARDONNAY RESERVA ESPECIAL 2009, LIMARI VALLEY, CHILE ($28)
POGGIOBELLO FRIULANO 2012, FRIULI, ITALY ($32)
Who says that Chardonnay is not a good food wine? Perhaps the over-oaked Chardonnays that are fortunately becoming less prevalent may lack versatility, but elegant wines allowed to express the grape and vineyard in the bottle are outstanding
Fresh, lively and refined with layers of pear, stone fruit, citrus and melon. Just the right mix of mineral and spice, a touch of ginger, great focus, zesty acidity and just a touch of softness on the zippy finish. Even pairs with earthy vegetarian dishes. ×
SPAIN & PORTUGAL TOUR THE PASSION OF THE IBERIAN OCTOBER 3 – 16, 2014
Tour Spain and Portugal
with WH Henry Travel Inc.
The Iberian Peninsula, home of two wine producing countries known worldwide for their long winemaking history, unique varietals and luscious wines. The countries Spain, where Tempranillo, sherry, Albariño, Catalonia and Cava are familiar faces; and Portugal, where Vinhos Verdes, Port and Alentejo are just a few of the many native varieties.
AGENCE DE VOYAGES W. H. HENRY INC.
TRAVEL AGENTS
Our tour will take us through seven regions of the northern Iberian Peninsula: we will start in Spain with the Ribera del Duero, Burgos and Rioja; the Portugal leg of our trip will include Vinho Verde, Douro, Oporto and Lisboa. Visit vineyards, see picturesque cityscapes and enjoy the varied, warm weather.
12 NIGHTS IN THE IBERIAN PENISULA: $5,965.00*PER PERSON, SINGLE SUPPLEMENT $1,970.00 *price based on double occupancy, including GST/HST, QST and FICAV contribution of $2.00/$1000. Quebec licensee.
Please call Lucy Rodrigues at 514 369 3300 or email whhenrytravel@gmail.com for brochure. WH Henry Inc. 5165 Sherbrooke Streat West, Suite 500, Montreal QC H4A 1T6
OCTOBER 2014 × QUENCH.ME × 65
AFTER TASTE BY TONY ASPLER ...
Cellar Stashing Made Simple MY WIFE, DEBORAH, HAS A STRATEGY WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING CLOTHES.
She arrives home with designer bags, and when I roll my eyes she opens hers wide and says innocently, “but they were on sale.” When it comes to my wine purchases, I can’t make the same disclaimer, since liquor boards don’t believe in discounting anything. So this column is about how to smuggle wine into the house without your spouse or partner knowing you are adding to your already-overstocked cellar. It’s not easy to sneak bottles of wine into the house undetected but here’s a ruse: get hold of one of those six-bottle plastic carrier bags they sell at the liquor stores. When your wife asks you to pick up milk and coffee beans and stuff from the supermarket, take along the wine bag. Make sure your wife sees you emptying the contents of your shopping expedition. If she asks you why you are using a wine bag, you tell her the compartments keep everything separate and safe. Do this a few times and your wife will get accustomed to you using a wine bag for shopping. She’ll think you’re nuts, but it’s just another of your lovable eccentricities and in due course she won’t scrutinize the purchases. This way you can introduce a bottle or two into the weekly grocery shopping without suspicion. I learned this ruse from an old joke about the East German who arrived at Checkpoint Charlie every week pushing a wheelbarrow full of hay. The border guards would comb through the hay looking for contraband. But it was always just hay. Week after week he arrived at the checkpoint and eventually the guards would wave him through without inspecting his wheelbarrow. Years later, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was in a bar and one of the guards recognized him as the old man with the wheelbarrows. “Tell me,” he said, “what were you doing with all that hay? We knew you were up to something.” The old man smiled. “You’re right. I was smuggling wheelbarrows.” Once you’ve got the wine into the house you can always pull the old “I’ll-take-out-the-garbage” ploy. Place your bottles at the bottom of the blue box and cover them with empties. Then make a detour to the cellar before taking the box to the curb. I have a friend who bought a wine cabinet that he keeps in the garage so that he can deposit the bottles without entering the house. Before we moved into a condo, we lived in a house with a 66 × @QUENCH_MAG × OCTOBER 2014
wine cellar. There was no room in the condo for a cellar so I went to the owners of the building and asked what they could do for me. I needed something more secure and discreet than one of those wire mesh lockers, something I could keep at a regulated temperature of 12°C. They sold me 10-by-10-foot space on the second level of the underground parking — a space too small for a parking bay. I had walls built and a cooling unit installed — and an alarm system. It has a slot capacity of 1,500 bottles. Now I no longer have to tiptoe around when I buy wine. I just drive into the parking area and park my bottles, guilt-free. Incidentally, that figure of 1,500 bottles is significant. I did the math. Deborah and I have a bottle of wine with dinner every night. We also entertain, which means we go through some 500 bottles a year. On the principle of “drink one, buy two” so that you’ll have a constantly maturing cellar, a wine lover needs space for at least 1,500 bottles. QED. × ILLUSTRATION: FRANCESCO GALLÉ, WWW.FRANCESCOGALLE.COM
XAd Kiss French
Drink German!
GERMANY SAME AS P5 SEPT 2014
www.germanwinecanada.com @germanwineca
Twister
XAd S TA I N L E S S S T E E L T W I S T E R A E R AT O R & D E C A N T E R S Y S T E M
PRODUCT SPECIALTIES IN FOLDER The Final Touch速 Twister 3 Phase Aeration & Oxygenation System will instantly provide up to twice as much scent & flavour compared to traditional decanters.
AVA I L A B L E AT:
F I N A L T O U C H 速 T W I S T E R 3 P H A S E A E R AT I O N & O X Y G E N AT I O N S Y S T E M : 1
PHASE 1: Pour the wine into the Twister and the filter will catch any sediment while disbursing the wine into the first aeration chamber.
2
3
PHASE 2: The wine is gently disbursed again from the first Twister chamber into the specially designed second chamber.
PHASE 3: The wine continues into the twisted aeration tube & travels strategically out & onto the sides of the decanter providing superior aeration & oxygenation.
WIDE BODY DECANTER: The large surface area of this extra wide decanter exposes the wine to even more air. When the wine comes to rest at the bottom it will be at its best and ready-to-drink!
W W W. F I N A LT O U C H W I N E . C O M
INCLUDES: Aerator Drying Stand