Let it Snow!

Snow; not something one would usually push for at the end of an unusually wintery March, but we are very close to breaking snowfall records throughout much of Ontario, and dammit, I want bragging rights!  “I remember the great snow of ot’ eight, we skied until June”.

“Winter gave Spring and Summer a miss and went straight on into Autumn”

Narrator, Scene 19 - Monthy Python and the Holy Grail

Snowstorms and shovelling aside, we have a few amazing events to remind you about, including our annual Portfolio shindig, notes from the field, a couple of great reviews, a ‘heads-up’ on some Vintages products and a great idea for the grill.

At this juncture it would be appropriate for you, dear Imbiber’s Report subscriber, to grab a glass of something warm and summery and while away a few minutes with this, the late March edition of The Imbiber’s Report.

Accolades

90 POINTS!

Gord on Grapes, March 15^th, 2008

d’Arenberg “The Hermit Crab”

Viognier Marsanne 2006

LCBO # 662775, $14.30

 “A huge hit globally, this white brims with tropical guava and pineapple with a hint of banana. The flavours play with pear, grapefruit, lemon and tropical notes. On the finish, a hint of apricot. A complex white for the bucks.”

The Hermit Crab was released on the 15^th of March and still has decent distribution around the province as of Wednesday the 26^th. 

We love this wine because it is versatile with food, it is delicious by itself and it comes with a handy-dandy screw top that is perfect for a spontaneous glass of wine with your friends.

Notes From the Field

“What a trip! What a trip! Blizzards all the way! Snow 20 feet deep! But we had to get that serum through! It was mush, mush, mush all night!”  

Daffy Duck – Daffy Duck Hunt

Earlier this month part of the Churchill Cellars team had an opportunity to visit California’s Lodi, Napa and Sonoma regions where we had a chance to explore some wineries and to meet some fantastic people.  The team was fortunate enough to visit Copia for lunch and bit of wine and food history. We met with several winemakers and learned a great deal about winemaking and how different each winery really is.  We spoke a great deal about the terroir of each region that we visited and got into some real nuts and bolts with regards to specific sites.  The mustard was just finishing up but still populated many of the vineyards we visited and daffodils, tulips and other spring flowers were nearly in full bloom.

Lodi:  In Lodi with Todd Ziemann, Director of Winemaking for Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, we tasted through the 2007 whites and the 2006 reds.  The whites were all showing well with vibrant fruit and good acidity.  The Pinot Grigio was particularly delicious with great intensity and loads of ‘fun’ fruitiness.  The 2006 reds are an absolute delight, showing exceptional varietal characters with a bit more zip than you might expect in this price range.  We re-discovered the Merlot (yes, I said it out loud), with its wonderful ‘moco-cherry’ roundness and soft dark berry fruit.  Todd has got the acidity level in this wine up to the fresh level, so it is not at all cloying or lazy.  The entire Woodbridge range has improved immeasurably over the past few years and the 06/07 vintage change over continues that tradition.

A quick visit to Turner Road Vintners was highlighted by a tour of their waste water facilities (no kidding), where the winery naturally filters their waste water through a giant wetland.  Along with the wetland comes a new habitat for all manner of fish and fowl.  There are even a few families of Australian Black Swans who have taken up residence.  The Turner Road facility is a model for the California wine industry and has set a very high benchmark.

Twin Fin  We sampled the two newest wines from Twin Fin which will be hitting the LCBO shelves in early April.  Both wines are in PET bottles and carry the same irreverent, sunny message about enjoying wine with friends. 

Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon 2006 showed solid Savvy notes upfront with gooseberry and pepper on the nose and a bit of sweetgrass.  It strikes a good balance with Semillon contributing a bit of weight and citrus towards the end.  This is a great ‘house-pour’ for the barbecue set, the cottage or any time that you want something fresh and zippy.

Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2006 contains cooler-climate Lodi fruit and packs good weight and intensity.  The nose and palate show rich berry fruit with good savoury undertones and a clean, mouth-watering finish.  Cool this wine down a touch and serve it with everything.

Napa: A visit to the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery included a tour of the To Kalon vineyard, a tour of the winemaking facility and a superb lunch on the still-enclosed terrace (Pan Seared Black Cod on Carrot Purée and English Peas was a trip highlight).  Our patio tasting, hosted by Senior Wine Educator Dana Andrus, included the 2005 PNX Pinot Noir, Carneros, 2005 Carneros Chardonnay, 2004 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Fumé Blanc and the 2005 To Kalon Vineyard Fumé Blanc Reserve. 

The ’05 Napa Cab is available through Vintages Essentials right now and it is well-worth investing in a case or two.  There is elegance and depth here that you don’t often find in Napa Cabs under $50.  Open up a bottle each year on your birthday as a treat.  The Napa Fumé Blanc, also an Essentials listing, keeps getting better as well.  Smoke, grapefruit and a boundless energy are the hallmarks of this wine.  Its chameleon-like complexity allows it to match a vast array of different foods.

Franciscan Winery:  We had a smashing tour of Franciscan where we tasted a fanatic line-up of wine which included the 2006 Cuvée Sauvage Carneros Chardonnay and the 2004 Magnificat.  The very elegant Agatha Mehserle, Icon Estate Senior Wine Educator, was our host for dinner in the library.  A brined, smoked and grilled porkchop with salsa verde accompanied the 2002 Magnificat and showed a little Latin-Cali flair.

Sonoma:  At the Blackstone Winery, enthusiastic and gregarious winemaker Gary Sitton illustrated the effects of oak on a number of different Blackstone wines.  We mixed and matched barrel samples of various toasts and producers and made our own blends.  Terrific fun! 

We tasted the 2005 and the 2006 Winemakers Select Merlot. There is currently a small amount of the 2005 Merlot still available through Vintages, and this vintage will be available throughout the summer.  The 2005 was a team favourite (here we go with the Merlot again).  The 05 has a juicy fruit, playful acidity that counters a soft, warm berry and chocolate mid-palate.  The wine finishes dry-ish with soft coco tannins and spice.  Take a bottle of this to a friend’s house and plan a summer weekend together.

events

Churchill Cellars Portfolio Tasting

Monday, April 7, 2008

National Ballet School

Subscribers to The Imbiber’s Report should have received their invitation to our Annual Portfolio Tasting on April 7.  If this has not appeared in your Inbox, please contact Carly Darby at our office for information.  Kindly note that your name MUST be on our guest list for you to attend.  This is your opportunity to taste your way through many of our fine products available at the LCBO.

Toronto Wine and Cheese Show

The International Centre

6900 Airport Road, Mississauga

April 4-6, 2008

Friday, April 4: 12noon – 10:00pm

Saturday, April 5: 12noon – 9:00pm

Sunday, April 6: 12noon – 6pm

The Toronto Wine & Cheese Show is one of Canada’s largest and leading shows of its kind. In 2008, the show celebrates its 25^th Anniversary.

To purchase tickets online CLICK HERE

3rd Annual Hamilton Food & Drink Fest

March 28 – 30, 2008

Hamilton Convention Centre

1 Summers Lane

Hamilton, Ontario

Experience an exciting variety of local and international wines, specialty beers, and culinary sensations created by some of the Hamilton, Halton & Niagara Region’s most popular restaurants, breweries, & wineries. Enjoy terrific live entertainment, fun informative cooking demonstrations all in one great location, and all for a great cause!  A portion of all proceeds is being donated to the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

Show Dates/Times

Friday March 28^th: 5pm - 10pm

Saturday March 29^th: 12noon - 10pm

Sunday March 30^th: 12noon - 5pm

Entrance Tickets Sold at Door

$12 per person (Includes Free Souvenir Wine Glass)

Additional cost for food and drink sample tickets.

Cash only - credit card and debit card payment will not be available.

For your convenience, there is a Cash Machine in the lobby of the Hamilton Convention Centre.

LCBO Promotions

The following promotions are available only from March 31^st to April 27^th, 2008 at the LCBO:

Banrock Station Shiraz Carton (668962), Banrock Station Cabernet Sauvignon Carton (668970) and Banrock Station Unwooded Chardonnay Carton (668954)

When you purchase 2 or more of the “Eco Chic” featured products you will receive 4 Bundled Bonus Air Miles.

Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio (523431)

4 Bonus Air Miles

Save $0.85 off 20 Bees Growers’ White Carton (49635)

Free 50 ml bottle of Danfield’s Private Reserve Whisky when attached to Black Velvet Canadian Whisky 1.14 L (1586)

2 Free 50 ml bottles of Danfield’s Private Reserve Whisky when attached to Schenley Golden Wedding Canadian Whisky 1.75 L (114934)

On Wine and Food

The Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc got me thinking about spring, which naturally that led me to think of food and grilling.  We will soon be inundated with a wave a spring vegetables including one of my favourite ‘seasonals’, fresh Ontario asparagus.  This is one of the simplest foods to grill and a breeze to present nicely.  We often include it with our mixed grill of veggies and accompany it with sausages and a green salad.  You can dress grilled asparagus up as a starter with some cooked pancetta bits and some lemon zest or purée it down with some potatoes and leeks to make a deeply satisfying spring soup.

Method:  As with anything there are several schools of thought with grilling asparagus with plenty of opinion in between.  To blanch or not to blanch, peel or not to peel, snap or not to snap, those are the questions.  For me, it depends on how much time I have and what sort of meal we are having.  Casual grilled asparagus gets a quick rinse, a pat dry, the bottom woody stock is snapped off and then the whole lot is tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and place diagonally on the grill and cooked until done (yes, you’ll have to eat a few while you are grilling them).  When we want to dress up the affair, I peel the stringy bits off the bottom of the stocks, cut them all the same size and blanch them in some salted water for about 10-20 seconds or until they have all turned dark green.  They are plunged into a cold bath, patted dry, tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon and daintily placed on the grill until lightly charred.

Which ever way you choose to prepare your grilled asparagus, make sure you have some cold Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Fumé Blanc on hand because it is as perfect a match as you could imagine.

Happy Grilling!

Mark Donaldson, Editor

Telephone: 416-368-5108 Fax: 416-368-1349

mark@churchillcellars.com