13.0% alc./vol. - VQA approved/sub-app not noted; Ontario, Canada - $19.95 in Ontario (573147)
8 Grapes
If you need a safety net purchase in the Vintages section, you found it. Lots of bright, rosy vanilla off the nose (if, you can imagine vanilla to be rosy). Apple blossom and pie crust throughout with an underscored subtle toast. Very well built for the price. Composed of barrel fermented and stainless steel portions; b-f the majority shareholder. (JW)
9% alc./vol. - VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario, Canada - $11.95 (375mL) in Ontario (129759); $18.95 (750mL) at Winery
8 Grapes
Also known as “spritz,” the Chardonnay Musqué hits some key style marks in the guilty-indulgence category. Lightly effervescent, sweet, yet with some quality balancing acid too. Pretty good varietal-perfume play off the nose with an underlying tangerine zing. Tangy zip better than Miracle Whip. Could be wicked cool with a dessert like baked Alaska. (JW)
An honourable hybrid. Where most fall into the realm of short and pithy, there’s admirable depth here. Barrel-spice leads the charge on the nose, augmented by a little leather and a tart, juicy dark-fruit combo (prune? blackberry?). Cap it off with a whiff of drying leaves in the autumn breeze. Not a worldbreaker, but a fighter punching above its weight. (JW)
12.6% alc./vol. - Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia - $20.00 in Ontario (72868)
8 Grapes
Overloaded with aroma and charm at the outset, this good value sparkler gushes apricot, dough and peach pie crust. Average mousse, not outstanding, but again, we’re talking valuevaluevalue here. I’d like to serve this before dinner with casual friends who look like models, a light snowfall outside (fireplace on), wearing GAP or Banana Republic clothing, remarking how great life is. (JW)
13% alc./vol. - Crozes-Hermitage AC, Rhone, France - $21.95 in Ontario (127720)
8 Grapes
I’m leading this description with egg whites. Yeah, egg whites. (Two guesses what they used to fine it, maybe?) Creamy mouth. Fleshy, filling. White flowers, chalk dust, pineapple core and lemon zest. Acid muted around 10 degrees but really lights up around 13. I may yet be sold on Marsanne, but it’s taking its time. Uber-compatible with curried lentil soup. (JW)
12% alc./vol. - Vouvray AC, Loire, France - $16.95 in Ontario (140624)
7.5 Grapes
Straw coloured to the eye, a cute little drinker. Some of the Chenin familiars are here in this medium-dry quaffer. Picture drinking warm honey, with moderate-high playful acidity under a light-medium weight frame. Straddles fruit lines too, packed with nectarcot (apricot+nectarine, my own invented fruit), plus a little dirty funk to it. Kewl Riesling alternative for those with apricot-tofu tagine ready.
Ch. de Valmer seems named to draw those who would buy Grand Cru Chablis from Valmur… I talked to at least 20 people in line who thought so. :/ (JW)
This wine has changed since sampling upon release, maybe faster than first expected. I admit I’m having trouble pinning down the fruit, swarmed by barrel-heavy aromas. Smoked grain, caramel-toffee, muesli, butterscotch; a commendable, supple texture too. Spotting a touch of tropical citrus and some still-bright acid suggests another aging 2-5 years, then release the caged bird and let it sing with warm, butter-drenched lobster. (JW)
12.3% alc./vol. - VQA St. David’s Bench, Ontario, Canada - $55 at winery
8 Grapes
How do we judge reds? Because this is a good red, if not a very good red, but it’s tough to make the leap to great or exceptional red when a region hasn’t truly defined its blends. Rich purple colour with low opacity, Ravine’s Reserve Red delivers crushed currant/cassis, herb and barrel-accents with bracing structure. Great length and not exceptionally tannic with fine sensual appeal here. (JW)
I laughed when I first heard Kanye West’s lyrical dissemination on “Run this Town” (Jay-Z. Blueprint 3, 2009), but after seeing the video I’m all mixed up about it.
Watch this, or, at least 4:03-4:14 of it.
“I’m beastin’ / Off the Riesling” — that’s a pretty fantastic line right there.
One line doesn’t make a song, but sometimes it does make a sale.
I can’t lie: after hearing the song, I figured we’d see some sort of club-scene where he’s a got a Loosen, or maybe a Finger Lakes Riesling. (If he’s rolling with Jigga, he should have NY pride, right?) Maybe he’s swigging from a bottle on top of a Hummer, scads of scantly-clad lasses hoping to get a whiff of him. No worse than a Coors ad.
I was hoping the song might spark a Riesling renaissance, but the video just has some sort of post-apocalyptic sexualized gang violence sans Riesling! And here I was, thinking I was the only one to entertain a ridiculous dream where vine cultivation is dead and the remaining bottled Riesling becomes a currency.
Maybe it’s for the best that a specific Riesling bottle wasn’t featured. We all know what happens when brands get carried into popular culture. (See: Jay-Z vs. Cristal from a few years back. Has it been that long already?) Although, if a brand-bottle of Riesling isn’t featured, perhaps the potential buyers wouldn’t have that lightning-rod-wine to attract customers.
Bah. Nobody listens to lyrics anymore, anyway. If they did, the producers wouldn’t have allowed that absurd Rihanna chorus.
At any rate, kudos for Kanye for keeping Riesling in a popular cultural space, and props for letting us peek into his shopping cart… and if you want to insult Taylor Swift in your own home too, now you know what to get!
10.5% alc./vol. - British Columbia, Canada - price not noted
8 Grapes
Big ups to Joie Farm for delivering a simply fantastic wine… eventually. Upon first aeration, my nose was saying nothing at all. Closed and indistinct. However, slowly coaxing the bouquet over a few minutes delivered a truckload of aromatic fun. Super-heady perfume, and with fresh-picked, delicate flowers. Below the surface, I lapped up a little tinny-peach, pineapple juice, Lite-Brite style sweetness, and an underlying citric tone. Lightweight with mild acid and good length. Don’t overthink it, just hit some tapas or curried couscous. (JW)
