hooray for chardonnay

Yesterday was International Chardonnay day. We tucked into this last night.

Mmmmm. A bit of the tropics in a glass along with citrus, apple and a little floral note; it goes down smooth and then a crisp, pink grapefruit splash finishes things off ($13.95).

Did you drink a glass of Chardonnay yesterday? If not, there's always today.

birichino birichino

Last month I went to the California Wine Fair. All I have to show for it are a few scattered notes and some random photos. I'm not sure what happened. I think I was having too much fun and threw all attempts at seriousness out the window that day. Maybe the copious amounts of wine had something to do with it? That room was BIG.

One thing I did was spend a lot of time standing over the table at Birichino Wines touching the labels, sipping and sighing. You can't buy these wines in Ontario, so the last time I was in Montreal I picked up a few bottles of Malvasia Bianca. As the label can attest, it's a great bottle for this time of year. With a nice round texture on the palate and a dry, tart finish of orange peel and lime; it can stand up to a good chilling without loosing the definite aromatics of lychee, white flowers and jasmine ($21.90).

Sushi + Malvasia Bianca = good.

The Small Winemakers Collection is the agent for Birichino so you could always track down a case if you feel so inclined. It's worth it.

tasting wine and free tickets

Wine tasting events are a great way to: 1. taste a lot of wine; 2. try new stuff; 3. work on your palate because tasting wines back-to-back is the best way to compare and contrast; 4. talk to winemakers and learn a thing or two; 5. have some fun.

I go to quite a few tastings every year for all of those reasons. Mostly I'm diligent and numbers one through four rule. I take notes, spit rather than drink, ask a lot of questions, and stop to take a picture or two. Working up a post to write here helps to review what I've tasted and put things in order; it helps me remember what I've tasted. Sometimes though, number five gets the better of me and I end up just drinking, chatting and going home a little tipsy. Like at the last California Wine Fair. Sometimes its hard not to revel in the atmosphere.

I'm hoping to redeem myself at the next tasting that Savvy Company is hosting. They've gathered together a collection of Ontario wines some of which will be from the 2012 vintage. According to the VQA in 2102 "conditions were close to perfect going into havest."

One Unforgettable Taste and Buy is on Tuesday, May 28th at 7pm in Ottawa at the Agriculture and Food Museum and I have two free tickets. Be the first one to email me and they are yours.

chardonnay, shucking, and reading

I have been short on trips to the liquor store lately, which if you are me, is a good thing for both the liver and the wallet. When this inertia strikes - really I just don't want to get into the hot car and drive around in traffic - I raid the cellar. Last night, after a game of Eeny Meeny, this bottle of Chardonnay from Southbrook Vineyards went into my freezer for a quick chill. It's a 2011 and was ready for drinking. Almost past it's time, actually.

There is still a nice fruity presence in the glass with ripe yellow apple, pineapple, and pear layered over a buttery unctuousness and followed by a lemony presence on the finish. Ahhhh Southbrook. I don't think I've had one that I didn't like.

And does anyone else LOVE fresh fava beans? They make their presence in the market for just a flash at this time of year, and I load up on them as much as I can before they are gone. They are a bit of work to first shuck from those gnarly meaty pods, boil, and then peel the thin layer of white sheathing away, but worth the effort.

When I'm not lazing about with cellared wine, or shucking fava beans, I'm reading...

Pam Bustin
North of Nine Fine Wine
Second Ferment
Kate Christensen
WineAlign Cru
Kristen Lamb
Naomi Duguid
Still Crapulent

Happy drinking! Sooner or later, I'm going to have to make a rosé run. It's that time of year. Life's rough ain't it?

cuvèe catharine

Sunday I opened the windows; I took off my socks; I turned off the heat; I cleaned windows. It was our first, glorious, day of unbridled warmth. While the weather seems like it's still just a kiss of a promise, I felt the day deserved a pink, frothy topping. This bottle of Cuvèe Catharine was perfect in it's sour cherry-ness, it's earthy body, and it's slightly bitter finish ($29.95).

I had a taste of this last fall at the Wine Access (sadly a great wine rag that is no longer with us) Canadian Wine Awards. A bottle worth the little splurge if you have something to celebrate, like impending Summer and days at the lake.