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Cute, macabre, fascinating: Potter’s taxidermy dioramas. from Aeon Video on Vimeo.

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Alternative discourse about the Muslim experience from Rap duo Deen Squad #Rap #Islam #culture #CAnada

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Ramos Pinto Duas Quintas 2012

Douro, Portugal $17.95

Yum. I know — that’s neither helpful nor sophisticated, but that’s my instinctive reaction to this wine. It’s big and fruity but also soft and rich. It’s almost licorice-y, and quite sophisticated. It’s not quite the bargain of other wines I tried recently,  but it’s well worth the extra dollars.

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Quinta Das Camélias Reserva 2009

Dão, Portugal, $13.95

This wine is less approachable than the others I’ve been drinking this week. But I’m new to the Dão region, so perhaps there’s just a lot to be learned. After some aeration I tasted very dark fruit, super strong tannins, and spice. Its really a lot of complexity for the price. This wine is perhaps not for everyone or every occasion, but has kindled my interest in the region.

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Buró de Peñalosa Crianza 2009

Ribera Del Duero, Spain $23.95

I hadn’t meant to take all the best wines first, but it’s clearly what I’ve been doing. This one was extremely easy to drink, if slightly lighter than I expected from a Duero Tempranillo. It was beautifully smooth fro the first sip with delightful, vanilla wrapped around sweet berries. Perhaps a weee bit less complex than it’s “92″ rating would promise, but a gorgeous wine nonetheless.

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Catedral Reserva Dao 2010

Dão, Portugal  $10.95

This gutsy Portuguese pleaser almost stole the show at a champagne bash I attended last month.  The current batch at Ontario liquor stores has a “90″ sticker on it (who is paying whom these days?) which seems excessively high, but it certainly is very good — especially at this price. Initial fruit explosion gives way to spice and a nice, longish, tannin finish. It was super with a ash-topped chevre, but would surely shine with barbecue, a  too-late spring lamb,or, of course, Churrasco chicken!

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Domaine Martin Plan de Dieu 2011

Côtes du Rhône-Villages, France. $19.95

I’m a sucker for a classic, Grenache-based Rhône wine, and this one delivered what I hope for: Black cherry-ish start, tannin-rich centre and an easy finish. It would be great with cheese and fruit, or even with a lovely steak-frites… but I just sipped a (small!) glass on its own as I worked into the early evening. Some nice complexity. Another winner! 

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10 wines in 10 days: Day 1 Primus The Blend 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon

Colchagua valley, Chile $19.95

This wine had a lovely silky feel, a good strength and a solid tannin finish. It came with a braggart-ly “93″ sticker on its bottle. If I were inclined toward rating things I’d give it 4, not more, because it could have been a tad less sweet and a little bit bigger. Still, great value for the money as it drank like an even pricier bottle.  Good fun with cheese or for sipping. Might not have held up against  more robust meals. Definitely should buy more!

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It might not be the most informative wine blog, but their self-designation as "enthusiastic (if slightly uninformed)" is kind of fun.

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Negroamaro Mezzo Mondo

I admit that on occasion I have Champagne tastes ...but I regularly return to  a cheap little date: NEGROAMARO MEZZOMONDO

Price: $ 8.50 CDN, Red Still Table Wine13.5% Alcohol/Vol.Sugar Content : 1

Made in: Puglia, ItalyBy: MGM MONDO DEL VINO S.R.L.

Even Tony Aspler has good things to say about it:

You won't find better value than this beefy red from the heel of Italy. Ruby coloured with an earthy, black cherry nose; fruity, firmly structured, full-bodied, somewhat rustic but gulpable with a lively acidic finish. ***

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Coppola Syrah-Shiraz

My previous experience of Coppola wines had been mediocre; the Gold label Chardonnay was tasty enough for that grape variety (which is not my favourite), but I found the rest of the Green label Diamond series to be a bit harsh.

But not the Syrah/Shiraz! In a wine-and-gnocchi-induced haze last summer, we bought this bottle at Coppola's Zoetrope café in San Francisco. When I uncorked it tonight, I worried that it wouldn't be as good as it was that night, and was haunted by the harshness of the Diamond series reds I'd tasted in the past. I was wrong! It has a lovely black cherry flavour, with a soft roundness to the finish. Yum!

Sadly, it's not available in Canada -- or not yet, anyway... but you might smuggle it back from a trip south of the border.

Wine: Syrah-Shiraz

Origin: California, USA

Price: $16.00

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About Me

Singer, scholar, broadcaster, undedicated instrumentalist, obsessive, dreamer, amateur photographer. I love music that's true no matter what the genre; I love good radio, red red wines, and a bunch of other things. I have an excess of "Chi". and a lack of Los Angeles.