WineLife365

Archive for April, 2010

It’s from Oregon, it’s Pinot Gris, it’s got a pretty picture of snowcapped mountains on the label, but unfortunately the 2008 Pinot Gris from the peeps at Snowline Vineyards just doesn’t quite hit the same elevation as many of its Oregon peers.  The 2008 Snowline Pinot Gris dials up the right acidity, but doesn’t quite muster up enough crisp fruit flavors to get your taste buds all the way to the top of the mountain – it dumps you off the lift somewhere in the middle.

 2 Stars out of 4.
(Price: $8.99)

Last week, my wife and I decided to take a break and pack up the family truckster to head for Niagara Falls with the kids.  To save a couple dollars, we usually pack some wine with us for our hotel room.  However, since we were heading outside the US, we decided that we would purchase our stash once we crossed the border to avoid any issues with the Canadian Border Control.

Being that this was our first trip to Canada, I wasn’t familiar at all with how and where I could purchase wine.  I soon found out that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is the government – owned corporation that controls the sale of liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores in Ontario.  Established in 1927, LCBO stores are generally the only place that is allowed to sell hard liquor in Ontario. 

With that being said, after a 9-block trek on a very cold and rainy night to a local wine & spirits store (don’t worry the wife and kids were warm and dry in the hotel room), it didn’t take long for me to figure out my options:  Locally produced VQA born and raised wines from Ontario and nothing else!  Now I’m no stranger to drinking locally-bred wine, and I fully intended on trying plenty of Canadian wines, but damn – this was the very first time that I’ve ever stepped foot into a wine & spirits retail store and stared over such a massive army of locally-bred wines.  They had it all – Dry, Sweet, Red, White, Blushes, Sparkling, etc…and all 100% Canadian Vino! 

So, when in Rome…  I picked out a few whites and a few reds all costing around 20 US dollars and opted to save Canada’s famous Icewines for later. 

Out of the few wines that I purchased, only one of them left a lasting impression on me – the 2008 Fielding Estate Winery Pinot Gris.  It possessed outstanding crisp acidity with pear and apple flavors, and was overall just a well-made and delicious white wine.  As for my red wine selections, well… they were all relatively mild and lacked complexity found in similarly priced wines from other parts of the globe.   After this first experience with Ontario reds, I was beginning to wonder if bold red varietals just didn’t grow well in this particular microclimate…

Fast forward to our last day in Ontario.  Besides seeing The Falls and visiting the other tourist attractions in Ontario, my wife and I were also hoping to sneak in a pit stop or two along the Ontario Wine Trail.  However, if you’re parents of young children like us, then you probably know that visiting a winery is about as much fun for the kids as the 8 hour drive to Canada – it’s long, boring and they can’t wait move on to something more exciting like say… a 3-acre indoor water park! 

With this in mind, we decided not to torture our kids with multiple winery stops.  So on the recommendation of some WineLife365 fans we decided to make our one and only visit to the Inniskillin Winery! 

Not only did Inniskillin blow us away with their killer Icewines, but they also debunked any passing thought I may have had about the lack of bold reds in Ontario.  Inniskillin proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that the classic cool climate viticulture region of Ontario is also suited for growing outstanding Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling, as well as, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and even Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Here’s a list of the Inniskillin wines that had us cheering and waving the Canadian Flag:

1.      Inniskillin 2008 Legacy Riesling ($30 US) A world-class Riesling capable of holding its own against the best of ‘em.

2.      Inniskillin 2007 Reserve Series Cabernet Franc – At $17 US dollars, this Cab franc is a great buy packed with dark fruit and nice spices. 

3.      Inniskillin 2007 Winemaker’s Series Merlot – ($22) Concentrated, long finish and still has me scratching my head saying, “Ontario, Canada – Really?!”  Great juice and terrific winemaking!

4.      Inniskillin 2007 Winemaker’s Series Cabernet Sauvignon – ($25) Huge, rich - tastes like a big Napa Cab.  Very approachable now, but also age worthy.

5.      Give credit where credit is due… after trying the above four wines, Inniskillin’s fabulous array of Icewines is the icing on the cake!  Each one was a total powerhouse!

One final note about our visit to Inniskillin Winery - I’d like to give thanks to Mr. Jonathan Medhurst for an outstanding and insightful tasting experience, and a special thank you to my wife for keeping the kids entertained while I tasted through these terrific wines!

Go ahead and get out all of the snickering and laughter now so that you can take notice of what’s happening right before your very eyes in the wine industry.  The revolution has begun – better, tastier, 100% genuine grade-A juice that was once reserved only for glass bottles and natural corks is starting to find its way into a box!  That’s right; go take a trip down the box wine aisle the next time you’re at your favorite local wine shop. I’ll bet that you see a few familiar “bottle names” that have taken up residence in a box sitting right next-door to those names that have always been at home in the box, since way back in the day…

Life in the box is emerging and growing for lots of reasons:

• “The box” system reduces packaging waste by 92% and carbon emissions by 55%.
• By eliminating glass bottles, corks and closures – it reduces packaging and shipping costs.  In turn, this savings can then be passed along to customers.
• Consumers can receive the equivalent of four bottles of wine for the price of three in a nifty little 3L wine cask (i.e. bag–in-box).
• This packaging also allows your vino to stay fresh for up 6 weeks after opening.

Sounds great, right?  There’s only one little problem standing in the way of progress:  Too many wine drinkers are still of the mindset that wine that comes in a box is pure plonk!

I have to admit, I have been on the fence with my thoughts on box wine.  My box wine tasting experiences have been rather hit or miss.  While doing my best to keep an open mind, I recently had the opportunity to sample the 2008 Monthaven Winery Chardonnay from California’s Monterey County Central Coast.  Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of California Chardonnay.  Uh oh – do you see where this might be going?  However, to my pleasure and surprise, Monthaven Winery winemaker, Jeff Yamamoto did a fabulous job of allowing the natural tropical fruit flavors of this wine to shine through, while keeping that all too familiar Big California Oak trademark in check, to make a very pleasing and agreeable everyday wine.

This particular Chardonnay and all of the wines in this collection, come in a convenient 3 liter box system that’s called the Octavin Home Wine Bar.  This wine bar stores (20) five-ounce glasses of wine and keeps it fresh for up to six weeks after opening.   The 2008 Monthaven Winery Chardonnay is being distributed nationally with a SRP of $23.99. 

It’s a no-brainer folks – for what works out to be about 6 bucks a bottle, there’s plenty to like here.  If you’re an everyday white wine drinker that prefers a Chardonnay with a little less oak, often found in comparable or pricier offerings, then this is the box for you!

3 Stars out of 4. 

You gotta love Trader Joe’s!  I recently came across their Tilapia Citronette, and it has quickly become one of my favorites.  If you’re not familiar with this dish – its marinated tilapia fillets topped with grilled asparagus and sliced carrots.  However, I just have one little problem with it – the cooking directions.  The peeps at Trader Joe’s say that you can either nuke this dish or cook it in the oven.  Nuking this entree, per the instructions, makes the fish taste more like rubber chicken and the oven directions take way too long.

Luckily, I did not give up on this tasty dish even after having less than stellar results using their instructions.  I think that I may have struck gold, though, by using a combination of both suggested methods with my own little spin on them!

First, poke a few holes in the plastic and cook it in the microwave for about six minutes.  This will thaw it out a bit and get it ready for oven cooking.

I have 2 different recommendations for completion:

1.  Pan sear it a bit on the stovetop and then finish it off by placing it in a 385 degree oven for about 12 minutes.

 -OR-

2.  After taking it out of the microwave, cook it up on a medium/high heat stovetop for about 2 minutes on each side.

Either way works perfectly and yields the warm, white, flaky decadence that’s pictured on the packaging label.  Just remember, with either option, to coat your pan with plenty of olive oil to keep the fish from becoming permanently affixed to it forever!

Finally, to give this dish the Love TKO, serve this up on a dinner plate over an arugula salad.  While you’re at Trader Joe’s pick up a bag of baby arugula.  In a mixing bowl – Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt –n- pepper, and the arugula.  Mix together.

On a dinner plate, place a portion of the “arugula salad” down first.  Then top it with the Tilapia Citronette.  Pair it with an Argentinean Torrontes like the 2009 Alamos Torrontes and you’ve got a party!  If you want a little something extra, you can also add your choice of steamed vegetables.

Salud!