First of all Don't worry about the picture of the bottle having wine in it it was finished the same day it was opened. Its like the scene from Arrested Development once the a bottle of vodka is opened it has to be finished the same day, ahh how I love arrested development.
The Stats: Sergio Traverso (From Opimian Wine Club) Argentina (Mendoza) 13% Alc. 100% Torrontes
The Look: Lite Golden, Lite being the clear word of choice. Very Pale
The Nose: When I first smelled it, it automatically made me love this wine it has those aromatic qualities of Gewurztraminer and Viognier have that I just love Floral, White Peaches, Tropical Fruit (Gooseberry, Papaya). Just Thumbs up from me.
The Taste: Creamy lime zest with the small touch of vanilla bean and the acidity to win me over just awesome (I like my Acid) Medium mouth feel.
Conclusion: I love this wine, I could drink this all my itself which I did for most of the bottle while I was preparing dinner. This is a perfect summer wine [Meanwhile Im drinking this in the middle of a snow storm.] Then again it is nice and cozy in here like a warm beach mmm minus the humidity.
The Stats: Poplar Grove Winery 2005 Merlot [Okanagan / Naramata Bench] 95% Merlot 5% Malbec 14.2% Alc 18 Month French Oak 12 Month Bottle Aging 1100 Cases Produced
The Look: Dark Ruby Colour Just a beautiful wine to look at bright, with the tinge of cherry on the edge leaning towards the brown side very pretty.
The Nose: Fresh Cherry Juice, Smoke, Picking up some of the oak nose which I had picked up in the 04 but a lot less which I really like
The Taste: Red Fruit on the Tart side (not pucker your lips tart) Sour Cherry, Kirsch Flavored. Has a hint of "Tonic Water minus the sugar" it made me want to grab some gin and limes, If you like Gin and Tonic then I guess its a good thing hah. Soft tannins, Medium body (it is a Merlot) Lots of acid in this wine I would definitely wait to drink this wine needs a year minimum.
This wine would definitely benefit from letting it rest in your cellar I have one bottle left Maybe next year Ill try it again to see how it is doing.
This is some old photos from Cold Show 2008. [Testing too see if I can add a slideshow]
What is Cold Show? Its where you make stuff look like real beautiful food, everything is non-edible, some of it is real food and some of it is stuff to look like real food it is then all glazed in gelatin to make it shinny and hold its look in a warm envirment for 8hrs.
I've been craving sparkling wine last little bit, I didn't know it was possible to crave sparkling but hey I guess its true hah. I had a Spanish sparkling last week (Lavit rose tasty) had a glass of Blue Mountain Sparkling NV. I guess I could thank Brooklynguy, him doing a "Friday Night Bubbles" and of course the usual talk about how champagne can pair with food, I mean it is wine with bubble in it its not some magical thing. So I decided to open a half bottle which btw are awesome to have.
The stats: Georges Gardet Champagne NV Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay Aged 4 years on lees in bottle
The Look: Golden Colour typical champagne colour fine bubbles bubblying away.
The Nose: How can I put this, it reminds me of a dessert I had made smelled like "Baked Apple Tart with Cream Cheese" baked apples for sure Cream Cheese it has a cheesy tanginess which is pretty cool.
The Taste: Tastes of Apply Peels, Green Apple like granny smiths, and mix that with 7up sweetness.
Overall I enjoy this Bubbly (Champagne)tasty and doesn't need to be saved for a special occasion. Drink Now!
Every once and a while we get "VIP" dinners at the restaurant. Now when I say VIP I mean VIP (Very Important Person) who are they? well generally they are friends, family members or people in the industry we know (not people we don't know or care about sorry to say). When we have these VIP's come in they get stuff out side of the ordinary, because our restaurant is casual not every table gets Amuse-Bouches', so we send out an Amuse we have ones we always fall back on which you can not like Baja Diver Caught Scallops with [Pea Risotto, Asparagus Risotto, Brandade, Lemon Mash]. And when we really know them or they want a special menu or something just special we take the time to make them something out of the ordinary. We come into work early making stuff that isn't on the menu.
Funny story about making special items not on the menu at work I like to make the dessert plates that go out its what I like. So I made this dessert plate which is awesome on top of white table cloth.
First of all I would decant this wine for an hour to two hours in decanter (I have a large base decanter) or at least a couple hours if just opening the bottle. That being said the colour when first poured comes out light (Im thinking it is young vines) had defintily has the colour of it being sitting in oak (21months says the label) The Stats: Poplar Grove Winery Syrah 2005 100% Syrah 21 Months in French Oak 8 month bottle ageing 475 Cases Produced 13.8% Alc
The nose on first smell is off Dried Sour Cherries, syrupy fruit hint of strawberry leather for sure and a touch of oak. Now when First smelled it had some game notes that I would say you would find in a burgundy red but when I tried it after an hour was no longer there. The oak at about 1.5hr to 2hr came through from the decanter just big wiffs the same smell from the Poplar Grove 04 Merlot, must be the oak they use because it has a smell that is uncanny. Syrupy Eucalyptus notes. Also Notes of leather definitely. The taste feels like it has a cool climate character like Rhone Valley but really far north not deep south. Notes of tart cherry mixed with cranberries, nice tannins easy drinking now with nice acid which is great for food the finish is medium length. Now the beauty of this wine is the way it goes with food, I had a tangy Salad and a Rich Creamy Polenta and both went together which is why this is a must have for dinner. If you going to drink this have it with food not by itself it shrines through with food. Side note: About 3 hours later when I poured another glass the wine was darker no longer as light as I would say
GMH Meritage / 2004 / Limestone Coast / Geoff Hardy Lots of Oak on the nose getting the liquorish, anise coming through which I don't like, the wine it self is nice but still alot of oak coming through over all not my favourite do have a couple left in the cellar.
Mas de Beaulieu Syrah / 2007 / Vin de Pays Nice drink would defiantly drink again, not alot of pepper notes which I dont generally like in Syrahs. Thumbs up for me
Chianti Colli Senesi / 2006 / Chianti Tuscany Didn't like this I have one bottle left in my cellar going to have to find a way to unload it the major problem was the next day the sulfites hit my chest and to me that means lots of sulfites which makes my next day a bad day and the flavour was mild and boring with food it did "alright".
Poplar Grove Merlot / 2004 / Okanagan BC Read Review here big nose I have 2005 will try that soon to see how it is.
Chateau Beau-Site [70%~ Cab Sauv]/ 2005 / Bordeaux A 2005 Bordeaux! read review here
Moulin-A-Vent [Gamay] / 2006 / Beaujolais Its a Beaujolais yes, I drank it while watching Hellboy 2 because I wanted a easy drinking layed back wine. It did the drink it is what it is a Beaujolais. Tasty yes but nothing to write home about, nice fruit on it that and the movie distracted me hah which btw was a good movie I like Del Toro.
Tua Tua Bay Sauv Blanc / 2007 / Marlborough / Your Typical New Zealand Sauv Blanc grassiness included tasty delicious when in need of a NZ Sauv Blanc would pick this yes sir.
Poplar Grove Chardonnay / 2007 / Okanagan BC Read Review here
The Stats: Mainly Cab Sauv Aprox 75% I had found what it was on the internet but lost it Bordeaux AC Saint-Estephe 13.0% Alc
The Nose: I found it to be closed and I decanted it for aprox 45mins maybe it was due to the fact that I was having the Poplar Grove Merlot 04 at the same time which was big and in your face. Did Pick up hints of candied red fruits some spices going on.
Taste: Can't remember this is couple days writing this what I can say was I did enjoy the wine wasn't over the top in your face was a nice drinking with food wine.
Ah Beef Tongue how weird and creepy it looks raw and out of the bag. Touching it and realizing the the tongue is rough like a cats tongue made it even more creepy, if thats even possible at this stage.
So this is my first time cooking beef tongue I bought it at the farmers market from a lady who owns a ranch up in northern BC Empire Valley Beef, they raise Angus Open Range Beef. Also I had dinner at this Italian restaurant La Querciain Kits and ordered the beef tongue because I've only had it once before and it was good (Fuel Restaurant). So I thought time to cook this tongue up
The Facts: Beef Tongue is a tough piece of meat, it has a an outer membrane which is not edible and needs to be peeled.
With that out of the way I took it made a salt marinate with Salt, Mustard, Brown Sugar, Black Pepper and Touch of Merlot Vinegar. Wrapped it in Saran wrap and left it over night to cure / marinate.
Once that was done I cryo vac'd it in a bag with 1/4cup of demi thyme and more black pepper. and Sealed. Threw it into my water bath I had setp up in my stove which was sitting at 60-69C and let it cook for 48hrs.
A note on the water bath it was a large stock pot no lid, because it was long braising I wasn't worried to much of temperate fluctuations. But If I was going to sous-vide a steak or even a chicken I would definitely want something more accurate and that didn't fluctuate.
In the end it was awesome the large section of the tongue the back part tasted way better then the tip of the tongue it didnt have as much fat and dried out. The back was melt in your mouth delisious and because I used alot of pepper it had a corned beef flavour.
Wow talk about big nose, has that Turpentine / Pine nose just big that I pick up from the Malbec maybe its just big smell it from a mile away.
The Stats: Poplar Grove Winery Merlot 2004 95% Merlot 5% Malbec 18 months in French Oak barrels, 12 motnhs bottle ageing 686 cases produced 14.5% alc.
Sight: Tawny Brown, Bing Colour Juices.
Aroma: Turpentine/pine, Cherries, Clove (spice), caramel (later on at the end).
The Aroma is big just bang hits you right in the face very "new world" style I would say.
Taste: Silky Smooth, round with being 14.5% you couldn't tell it was so high in alc. the flavour I couldn't pick up Maybe need more time it has a nice acid balance but the tannins were just nice a smooth.
Paired well with the 48Hour 60Degree Sous-Vide beef Tongue which I cooked the fatty gaminess went really nice with the wine
The Stats: Poplar Grove Winery Okanagan Valley 2007 14.5% Alc. 50% Barrel Fermented New Oak 6 month Sur lee 50% Stainless Steel 405 Cases produced 22$ (From Winery) 24-28$ Liquor store
Sight: Pale Golden, with a tinge of green, light colour.
Aroma: It was definitely opened picked up passion fruit mixed with apricot hints of vanilla and lime. Their was a hint of Rubber Cement Petrol'ness to it. (My mom said she picked up some mineral notes too it)
Taste: Dry wine with fruit more on the tropical side and a little bit of "bitterness" from the Oak the Pheonal notes. It was creamy definitely from the Barrel Fermentation.
Went well with vegetarian egg rolls and with Sea Salt Caramel.
Overall Score I rated 14-15. It was a nice white had the oak'iness which I like in Chardonnays.
So at work I get two drinks a night part of my pay (salary, tips, 2 drinks). What I end up choosing every night (about 75% of the time) is Blasted Church Chardonnay Musque 2007. It is a refreshing wine that just at the end of the night I fall into drinking, there are about 10 wines by the glass to choose from, its the one I pick. Why do I pick it, one reason is its a big seller so the bottle is always fresh even on the slow nights, and the Monster Vineyard Pinot Blanc 2007 is a little fruity for an after work drink (10PM~). The Monster Rose is awesome btw (I think its 2007) and the Pinot Blanc 2006 was really nice had the nice fruit / acid balance.
Anyways Back to the Blasted Church, it has the fruit, the acid, the refreshing'ness for an after work drink. And To quote cellarmaster from Urbandinar.ca forum "I call it Chardonnay for people who don't like Chardonnay." Which in reality I am. The Chard is Unoaked (Which Im not generally a fan of). I like my chards oaked but barrel fermented oaked like the 2005Pacific Breeze Chard. (Made in New Westminister BC, grapes from California.
Ok this is my first wine “review” with food pairing. So bare with me. Didn’t do to well in high school with the grammar and such. More of a math geek. Also a big thanks to Lou for giving methis wine tasting / journal very nicely done helped me break down flavor and go through the wine step by step.
I knew what I was cooking and decided to pick a wine from my mini wine fridge (holds about 30 about 15 types of wine in it).
How I came across with wine was through the opimian wine society of Canada I'm a member and ordered this last year
For Dinner
Sous-Vide Free Range Chicken Breast glazed with Chestnut Honey, Bird eye Chili and Fresh Thyme (from my backyard) served with Israel Couscous; Carrot Scented (hints of brussel sprouts and tomatoes in it), and for veg (just because I should be healthy) wilted Swiss Chard [Champagne Vinegar, and no its not fizzy hah, Caramelized Onions and Garlic and Butter]
What I paired it with
Tua Tua Bay
Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc
2007
13.5% Alc
Why Did I pick this wine you ask, well I didn’t want to drink red wine for dinner firstly I looked through all my wine saw some reds that could of went but really with the bird eye chili glaze (not really that spicy when I ate it) Chestnut Honey (has a medicinal taste can be over powering) and carrots (sweet duh!) I figured I nice NZ Sauv Blanc would work [Though the Alsatian Gewurtz was calling my name too btw and the Mini bottle of Champagne was looking mighty tasty]. I went with the Sauv Blanc.
The Wine First off
Sight:
Clear with pale yellow / tinge of green colour very light.
Taste:
The Nose med intensity had a sweet smell of Tropical fruit Guava I would say with touches of Grass/hay combination on the green side hints of Herbaceous’ness to it mixed with maybe a little of the methanol family (eucalyptus)
Taste:
Taste of lime, pears, pineapple, grass meets wet dampiness? Crisp clean medium finish didn’t linger on and on but at the same time it lingers where you don’t want it to go on forever it has the right lingerness (mm got to love the English language add ‘ness to everything and it makes it sound just right) soft texture too
For the Pairing:
The big question you are all asking is did it pair?!?! Well with the swiss chard I thought it was perfect because the high vinegar content of it made me want to drink the wine because it just washed away that acid on your tongue in a good way. The Israel couscous was too mild and the wine did over power it think Israel Couscous “Macaroni and Cheese” minus the cheese hah. The chicken it did go with the sweetness/acid from the wine went nice with the sweetness/”spiciness” of the chicken remember chestnut honey is a funny thing can be Way to strong on certain items especially the one I have. It isn’t made for Granola and yogurt in the morning; it will put hair on your chest.
All and All A tasty meal, wish I had more Couscous it was a good comfort food, and the wine almost finished the bottle as I write this.
