French Cremant sparkling wines...

"Cremant" is a sparkling wine made in eight regions of France (in addition to the six regions below, Cremants are also made in Die and in Savoie). It is produced by the "Traditional Method" or "Methode Champenoise". It is different from Champagne only in that it uses local specified grape varieties, but not necessarily chardonnay/pinot noir/pinot meunier as specified in Champagne. The closest a Cremant can be to Champagne is Cremant de Bourgogne, which uses the same varieties as for Champagne. Cremants represent great value, and here are the latest 27 (some of which are sparkling roses) at the LCBO as of the New Year's 2024 [more different ones may be at the Consignment warehouse or available by private order]:

Chateau de Montgueret Cremant de Loire Brut $24.05
Montgueret Cremant De Loire Rose $21.00
Grande Cuvee 1531 De Aimery Cremant De Limoux $23.95
Bailly Lapierre Réserve Brut Crémant de Bourgogne $24.95
Sieur Gaillard Cremant de Bordeaux $23.65
De Chanceny Cremant De Loire Rose Brut $25.80
Veuve Ambal Cremant De Bourgogne Grande Cuvee Brut $25.30
Vitteaut-Alberti Cremant De Bourgogne Blanc Des Blancs $29.25
Domaine Schaeffer Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose Terroirs 2018 $27.95
Cremant de Loire Brut Nature Leon & Jean $33.70
Cleebourg Clérotstein Auxerrois Crémant d'Alsace $19.95
Domaine Schaeffer Cremant d'Alsace Brut Tradition 2018 $26.05
Viteaut-Alberti Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs Brut $28.25
Edition Abtei Himmerod Cremant Riesling Brut  $25.95
Montgermont Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs Brut Sparkling $28.95
Koenig Brut Crémant d'Alsace KPM $27.95
Henkell Brut Crémant de Loire 2016 $21.95
Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé Brut Perle d'Aurore Louis Bouillot $35.95
Domaine Baud Brut Sauvage Crémant du Jura Brut Sparkling $36.00
Veuve Ambal Grande Cuvée Brut Rosé Crémant de Bourgogne $19.95
Celene Cuvée Royale Rosé Crémant de Bordeaux $19.95
De Chanceny Brut Crémant de Loire $24.95
Louis Bouillot Perle Rare Brut Crémant de Bourgogne 2018 $22.95
Cave de Lugny Brut Blanc de Blancs Crémant de Bourgogne $22.95
Cave de Ribeauvillé Giersberger Brut Crémant d'Alsace $22.95
Louis Bouillot Perle d'Aurore Brut Rosé Crémant de Bourgogne $27.95
Emile Beyer Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Crémant d'Alsace $23.95

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism

Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

The experts: wine writers and sommeliers on 20 ways to choose cheap reds, whites and fizz | Wine | The Guardian

The experts: wine writers and sommeliers on 20 ways to choose cheap reds, whites and fizz

The experts: wine writers and sommeliers on 20 ways to choose cheap reds... What can you learn from the weight of the bottle, the style of the label and the year of production? More than y...

Virus-free.www.avg.com

A Child's Christmas in Scarborough...

Time for my annual Christmas Greeting to all my beloved friends...A Child's Christmas in Scarborough...
 
A Child's Christmas in Scarborough
 
By Howard Engel  with apologies to Dylan Thomas
 
 
Whenever I remember Christmas as a child in Scarborough, I can never remember whether the slush was new or old, or whether we lived on the sixth street north of the shopping plaza stoplights and I was seven years old, or whether it was the seventh street and I was six. But still my nose and fingertips tingle at the thought of Christmas in the row-housing, whose names rang their challenging, forlorn ways down to the fast-backed, nerve and gear-wracking lanes of the freeway: Elegance Manors, Tweedingham Mews, Buckingham Back Courts; and I am again a boy among boys, riding our crash-barred, chrome-bedazzling bikes through the supermarket swing doors, grabbing girls' toques and Popsicles in the Mac's Milk and diving with our arms spread to make angels in the snow-banks that the ploughs churned up, plunging our hands to the soggy, stitch-straining armpits and pulling out, as I am doing now, uncles with ham-red hands, scratchy and sizzling-hot in their wife-bought cable-knits and après ski, who through the live-long Christmas afternoons watched the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams battling in full colour on a purple field, and sat through Sugar Bowls and Dust Bowls, Cotton and Flannel Bowls until the punch bowl was emptied for the last time and they moved up the queasy, shifting stairs from the rec-room to the hall. And clear as the chlorinated water in the taps, but not so clear as a secret rivulet in the snows that we boys found near the highway that was gone in the spring when the hill was cleared for a condominium, I see Uncle Harry turning away the Salvation Army girl at the door and making us all laugh as she fell on the path on the ice I should have chipped away.
 
Christmas in Scarborough was nothing if it was not families and laughter. But before the compacts and the late-models and the single sports car owned by Aunt Hetty, the divorcee, who bought the Fugs record, before the hoards of uncles and aunts and cousins jousted for a parking spot and the superintendent appeared to ask us to remove a car that had been parked in someone else's spot, there were the presents that smoothed Father's absence due to overtime, and Mother's voice raised in the kitchen downstairs while the supper held in the stove at low heat congealed.
 
And there were disappointments, for as one scavenged among boxes and ribbons and discarded batteries from robots that never worked, and broken strings from suddenly mute Talking Barbies, there had to be one, small, bright and unutterably just right present that lies forever hiding over the rim of memory even now, as I remember, I can see it dancing somewhere in the dark room before sleep, and even in the dreams of Christmas night, when I ran through the vanished fields of our subdivision and climbed and tumbled in the haylofts of the vanished barns, it was there amongst the ghosts of swallows and blue jays and horses -- all gone now, like the words we wrote in last year's snow: Fanny Hill puts out. And, in the moonlight in the dark of the yard unlit by streetlights because of Charlie's air rifle and where no car would desecrate its stillness and the dark velvet of its shadows with the cold incandescence of its lights, I crept close to the sleeping whaleback of the hay-breathing house. I stole past the oaken veneer majesty of my parents' door, and finally warm in the acrylic goose down of my bed above orchards and cockcrow and the sailing ship moon on the skating pond; I slept until dawn sped back the whole farm and the cattle and the soft-eyed horses back to the darkest corner of my room where the sun never shines and socks can sometimes be found amid the slut's wool.
 
And then it was afternoon: and all the cousins, friends of friends, who had been stuffed into spare rooms and cautioned to nap because they had stayed up all night in candy-caned anticipation of catching Santa and delayed for a day his return to the department store throne, were awakened and sent off into the streets. And, waking from a dream in which I chased the blue and white stocking-capped boys, bigger boys from the skating rink at City Hall, glimpsed once on television, I dress in my fur-lined boots, was stuffed into station wagons with protesting uncles who drove as though the football games of all the world were punting in the shadows of the last-minute goalposts. And then we were sliding down the slopes of everlasting snow, everlasting for as long as the machine flew Niagaras of chipped ice over its diesel-throbbing back. And there, in that spinning time, I have my ski-lift ticket stapled to me, as though I were my own receipt for being, and hug for dear day the live cable that pulls me to the top and almost doesn't let go, and then I am poised on last year's skis, and am ready to take my turn. And then I do that. And I do it again, and then I come home for tea, uncles and the barracks of my Christmas soon-to-be-forgotten child's life.
 
And I remember that Aunt Hetty, who was the centre of attention in the kitchen but was not allowed in to help with the gossip, lay stretched out on the Spanish sofa, her soft, brandy-breath keeping Ernie, her latest lover, stupefied. Then Uncle Herbert appeared from the depths of the basement like a drunken porpoise and chased the whole kitchen gaggle with a plastic spring of mistletoe, and came to a bad end with his elbow in the gravy boat. Then Father phoned from Number 41 Station to say that he had been in the eggnog again and that he would be detained, and Mother drank the cooking sherry, and the turkey went unbasted. Then Uncle Frank who had been a stockbroker and then a convict tried again to dance the Windfall of '65 and fell through the picture window. Then the neighbours knocked on the wall and we knocked on the neighbour's wall and then the police came.
 
Chimo! www.deantudor.com

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism

Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for DECEMBER 16, 2023 release.

WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES:  under/over $20 for DECEMBER 16, 2023 release.

By DEAN TUDOR, Gothic Epicures Writing deantudor@deantudor.com. My "Wines, Beers and Spirits of the Net", a guide to thousands of news items and RSS feeds, plus references to wines, beers and spirits, has been at  https://pages.pathcom.com/~dtudor since 1994. These notes for  better or best wines available through  LCBO Vintages (on a bi-weekly basis)  can always be found at http://www.gothicepicures.blogspot.ca  or at https://pages.pathcom.com/~dtudor No winery can buy their way into – or out of – this publication.

Scores are a combination of MVC (Modal Varietal Character, e.g. a Southern Rhone would taste like a Southern Rhone) and QPR (Quality/Price Ratio value in the marketplace, above or below its price).
I was one of the first to jump on the Robert Parker bandwagon, using numerical indications for scores. Why? Because with a database I could rate, rank and order wines in any fashion. It was just so convenient using databases. Unfortunately, the numerical system has been shown to be disgraced by overuse and "inflated numbers", so I am quitting any ranking by number. From now on, it will just be GOOD, BETTER and BEST, which will give me some wiggle room (e.g. is this wine an 87, 88, 89, or 90? Or all of them...depends on my mood and time of day). With the rigorous standards and lab testing by the LCBO, I can safely say that every single wine at the LCBO is at least GOOD, which I would numerically rank at 75-85 points. For reasons of time and space, I will NOT be listing the GOOD wines. Just the BETTER (86-89) and the BEST (90+ ) wines. This spread of points will relate to SILVER and GOLD medals, with BRONZE being "GOOD".  Significantly, this also fits into my scheme for trade tastings (as noted below).

MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
MVC/QPR: BEST (90+ )

MAJOR THEME:  Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles!

Wines Under $20
=========
W+311456 ZONTE'S FOOTSTEP EXCALIBUR SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022  AUSTRALIA $19.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
W+251470 TRIUS DISTINCTION BARREL FERMENTED CHARDONNAY 2021 VQA $19.95 MVC/QPR: BEST (90+ )
W+389726 BOYA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 CHILE $17.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
W+573683 FERZO ABRUZZO PECORINO SUPERIORE 2022  $18.95 MVC/QPR: BEST (90+ )
W+919514 WITHER HILLS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022  NZ $19.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
W+20970 LE BONHEUR CHARDONNAY 2022  SOUTH AFRICA $18.25 MVC/QPR: BEST (90+ )
R+261867 FABRE MONTMAYOU RESERVA MALBEC 2021 ARGENTINA $17.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
R+34606 SANTA EMA 60/40 BARREL RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON/CARMENÈRE $19.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
R+224915 DOMAINES ANDRÉ AUBERT VISAN CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2022 $17.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
R+908079 BENI DI BATASIOLO NEBBIOLO 2020 $19.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)

Wines Over $20
=========
Rose+493171 OYSTER BAY ROSÉ 2022 NZ $20.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
W+360297 JACKSON-TRIGGS NIAGARA GRAND RESERVE WHITE MERITAGE 2021  $29.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
W+685222 LA CHABLISIENNE GRANDE CUVÉE CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2021  $54.95 MVC/QPR: BEST (90+ )
W+82255 ROGER & DIDIER RAIMBAULT SANCERRE 2022 $39.95 MVC/QPR: BEST (90+ )
W+485854 CHÂTEAU DE NAGES JT WHITE 2021 Rhone $29.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
R+594002 JACKSON-TRIGGS GRAND RESERVE MERITAGE 2020 VQA $32.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
R+35464 LOUIS AINE & FILS MORGON 2022 BEAUJOLAIS $22.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
R+13438 CHÂTEAU DE MONTFAUCON BARON LOUIS LIRAC 2018 Rhone $32.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
R+16210 CHÂTEAU MAUCOIL PRIVILÈGE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2020 $62.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)
R+994095 ALTESINO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 $64.95 MVC/QPR: BEST (90+ )
R+574251 FANTI POGGIO TORTO ROSSO 2020 Tuscany $23.95 MVC/QPR: BETTER (86-89)

FIZZ --  recommended (but not rated) bubbles from the December 16 release...

+105353 CA' DEL BOSCO CUVÉE PRESTIGE EXTRA BRUT FRANCIACORTA $46.95
+113035 PELLER ESTATES SIGNATURE SERIES ICE CUVÉE ROSÉ SPARKLING VQA $36.95
+14421 FLAT ROCK TWISTED SPARKLING 2021 VQA $19.95
+520411 VIENI SPARKLING RIESLING VQA $19.95
+284547 PELLER ESTATES SIGNATURE SERIES CLASSIC ICE CUVÉE SPARKLING VQA $35.95
+183624 CAVE DE RIBEAUVILLÉ GIERSBERGER BRUT CRÉMANT D'ALSACE $22.95
+32269 MONTGERMONT CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE BLANC DE NOIRS BRUT $28.95
+178137 LOUIS BOUILLOT PERLE RARE BRUT CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE 2018 $22.95
+32270 PITARS EXTRA DRY PROSECCO 2021 $25.95
+302752 SANTA MARGHERITA BRUT ROSÉ SPARKLING $21.95
+16836 GRAN BARÓN BRUT RESERVA CAVA 2020 $18.95


LTO -- LIMITED TIME OFFERS: Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these  are good value...on sale through Sunday December 31
 
W+250696 Banfi Principessa Gavia Gavi Piedmont now $18.95, save $3
W+350041 Paco & Lola Albarino Rias Baixas Spain now $21.95, save $3
W+38117 Vineland Estates Elevation St. Urban Vineyard Riesling VQA Niagara now $19.95, save $3
R+229781 A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir Oregon now $26.95, save $3
R+337238 Concha Y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Chile now $21.95, save $3
R+259721 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone $21.95, save $3
R+177345 Muga Reserva Rioja now $24.95, save $4
R+590414 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir Marlborough NZ now $19.95, save $3
R+741769 Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico Tuscany now $17.95, save $3
R+303800 Trius Red VQA Niagara now $24.95, save $3
R+225086 Umberto Cesari Liano Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon IGT Rubicone, Emilia-Romagna now $24.95, save $5
Fizz+147504  13th Street Cuvee Brut Sparkling Rose Trad. Method VQA Niagara now $28.95, save $3
 [splurge]R+433417 Tedeschi Amarone Della Valpolicella Veneto now $46.95, save $3

** Some New Wines I Tasted Over the Past Season ---

REPORT ON TASTING OF WINES FROM CHATEAU D'AIGUEVILLE COTES DU RHONE AND HENRI DE VILLAMONT BEAUNE BURGUNDY
The Date and Time: July 27, 12:30 - 3PM
The Event: Chateau d'Aigueville and Henri de Villamont wine tasting.
The Venue: National Club
The Target Audience: wine media
The Availability/Catalogue: the wines will mostly be available at LCBO/Vintages over the next little while, before Christmas in most cases.
The Quote/Background: Domain Henri de Villamont (Savigny-les-Beaune) is one of the oldest producers in the region, with ten hectares in the Cote de Beaune (Savigny) and Cote de Nuits (Chambolle-Musigny). A wide range of appellations are matured in 4,000 barrels in their cellars. We sampled six different wines. From the organic certified Chateau d'Aigueville in the Southern Rhone (soon to be biodynamic with the 2023 harvest), we sampled six more wines. Both wineries are owned by the Schenk family wine merchants of Switzerland (in all, Schenk harvests 3500 hectares of vineyards world-wide).
The Wines: Prices are estimated retail...

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Chateau d'Aigueville Vin de France La Source Blanc 2021 (mostly clairette)
-Henri de Villamont Bourgogne Chardonnay Prestige 2021 ($24)
-Henri de Villamont Macon-Villages 2018 ($29)
-Henri de Villamont Pouilly-Fuisse Grumes d'Or 2020 ($53)
-Henri de Villamont Santenay Les Champs-Claude 2017  ($43)
-Henri de Villamont Savigny-Les-Beaune Le Village 2019  ($59)
-Chateau d'Aigueville Cotes du Rhone Massif d'Uchaux 2020

***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Henri de Villamont Bourgogne Pinot Noir Prestige 2021  ($24)
-Chateau d'Aigueville Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2021
-Chateau d'Aigueville Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2022
-Chateau d'Aigueville Cotes du Rhone Villages 2019
-Chateau d'Aigueville Vin de France La Rosee Rouge 2022 (all syrah)

The Food: iced heritage tomato caprese salad, followed by a large chicken supreme with veggies, and with fresh berries and ice cream for dessert.
The Downside: I had to leave early due to a prior engagement.
The Upside: it was hot outside but nicely chilled inside.
The Contact Person: Tom Noitsis-- sales@eurovintage.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 91

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism

Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

TEN OF THE BEST WINE AND DRINK BOOKS PUBLISHED IN 2023...

TEN of the Best Wine and Drink Books Published in 2023....

The Wine List: Stories and Tasting Notes Behind the World's Most Remarkable Bottles, 

by Grant Reynolds. 

Publisher: Union Square & Co.

The New French Wine: Redefining the World's Greatest Wine Culture [Two-Book Boxed Set],

by Jon Bonné. 

Publisher: Ten Speed Press.

Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals,

by David Suro Piñera and Gary Paul Nabhan. 

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company.

The Encyclopedia of Cocktails: The People, Bars & Drinks, with More Than 100 Recipes,

by Robert Simonson. 

Publisher: Ten Speed Press.

Gin A Tasting Course: A Flavor-focused Approach to the World of Gin,

by Anthony Gladman. 

Publisher: DK Books [Random House].

How to Make Better Cocktails: Cocktail Techniques, Pro-Tips and Recipes,

by Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge, Natalia Garcia Bourke, and Andy Shannon. 

Publisher: Octopus Books.

Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails From Two Centuries of African-American Cookbooks, 

by Toni-Tipton Martin. 

Publisher: Clarkson Potter.

The Maison Premiere Almanac: Cocktails, Oysters, Absinthe, and Other Essential Nutrients for the Sensualist, Aesthete, and Flaneur, 

by Joshua Boissy, Krystof Zizka, Jordan MacKay, and William Elliott. 

Publisher: Clarkson Potter.

Strong, Sweet and Bitter: Your Guide to All Things Cocktails, Bartending and Booze from Behind the Bar,

by Cara Devine. 

Publisher:  Hardie Grant.

Tropical Standard: Cocktail Techniques & Reinvented Recipes,

by Garret Richard and Ben Schaffer. 

Publisher: Countryman Press.

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism

Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

REPORT ON MARK ANTHONY PORTFOLIO TASTING September 2023

REPORT ON MARK ANTHONY PORTFOLIO TASTING September 2023

The Date and Time: Monday September 25, 2023   5P-9P
The Event: Mark Anthony's Port to Place Portfolio Tasting
The Venue: Second Floor Events King Street west
The Target Audience: private buyers, sommeliers, wine media
The Availability/Catalogue: There was a paper listing, with label photo, for all of the wines and spirits, and with prices. It was arranged alphabetically (for the most part) by winery or ownership, or by first name. They did a good job for all of the details of all of the products.
The Wines: I did not try wines that were available at the LCBO. Nor did I try any fortified wines or spirits or seltzers. Prices are retail, for the consignment (con) and private orders (po).

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Alois Lageder Chardonnay Alto Adige 2022, $20.95 private order
-Alois Lageder Porer Pinot Grigio 2022, $33.95 po
-Attems Ramato DOC Fruili Rose 2022, $24 con
-Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Valpantena DOCG 2019, $59.95 con
-Bertani Soave Original Vintage Edition DOC 2022, +36341 con Dec 2023, $27.25
-Brotte Domaine Barville Red CDP 2018, $60.95  po
-Brumont Montus Pacherenc Vich Bihl 2015, $43.95  con
-Chateau St Jean Chardonnay 2021, $19.95 po
-Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages Sonoma 2018, $132 con
-Henkell Cremant de Loire Brut AOC NV, Vintages, $21.95
-Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs NV $42.25 con
-Segura Viudas Heredad Cava NV Vintages December $39.95
-Mission Hill Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2022, $24.95 con
-Checkmate Fool's Mate Chardonnay 2019, $95
-Lanson Black Label Champagne NV, %86.75
-Lanson Rose Champagne NV, $79.95 po
-Lanson Le Vintage 2012, $99.95
-Davis Bynum Chardonnay 2021 $34.95  po
-Tenuta Luce Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2018 $165.95  con
-Gabbiano Riserva Chianti Classico 2028  $24.65  con
-Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon  2019 Vintages $47.95

***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Alois Lageder Terra Alpina Pinot Grigio 2022, $21.95 consignment
-Arboleda Chardonnay 2021 Chile $19.95 po
-Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc 2021, $14.95 po
-Brotte Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne Creation Grosset 2020, $21.95 po
-Brotte Cotes du Rhone Villages Laudun Bord Elegance 2022, $18.95 po
-Austin Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, $29.95 con
-Martin's Lane Simes Pinot Noir 2019, $99.95 con
-Louis Latour Macon Lugny Les Genievres 2020 $29.95 con
-Rodney Strong  Sonoma Chardonnay 2020 $19.25 con
-The Wine Group Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2022 $17.95  con
-The Wine Group Band of Roses 2021  $26.95  po
-The Wine Group Imagery Sauvignon Blanc 2022  Vintages  $23.95

The Food: there were cheese and charcuterie boards loaded with salami, Celtic blue cheese, Beemster cheese, rye crisps, grapes, various fruit sauces (peaches, etc.)
The Downside: the food disappeared quickly (but then, this is a wine tasting not a food tasting).
The Upside: a chance to evaluate recent vintages
The Contact Person: scaputo@markanthonywineandspirits.ca;
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 89

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism

Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

REPORT ON A RELAXING SUMMER SATURDAY AFTERNOON TASTING September 2023

REPORT ON A RELAXING SUMMER SATURDAY AFTERNOON TASTING September 2023


I was invited by Giovanni Silvestri of Rome's International Marketing Communications to a small group tasting at Restaurant Deco in Toronto's Junction (Keele and Dundas). Actually, it was a family-style lunch with wine and with kids. Deco was still springing back from the pandemic: they had opened just before covid-19 attacked. There were seven adults here, and we tasted the wines with multiple food courses. For food we had shareable platters of Italian chewy breads with porchetta and olive oils, followed by caprese with fresh local tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. There were two hot courses: one with short pasta and guancale in Roman style, and another with gnocchi bolognese. There were six wines, and the tasting was led by Giovanni who also represents Gambrero Rosso Worldtour. Full disclosure--he's also the brand ambassador for Casale del Giglio wines:


**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Casale del Griglio Bellone 2022 Lazio IGT 13.5% ABV. Bellone as a grape harkens back to Roman times but it has once again risen to its potential in sales with a "juicyfruit" tenderness and a long palate. It had been a major seller at our LCBO, and Giovanni points out that it may be coming back. Bellone is also often found in white wine blends in Lazio and Umbria.

-Castello di Gabiano Corte Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Piemonte DOC [organic] 10.50 Euros 13.5% comes from the southern part of Piedmont but still delivers the typical sauvignon blanc herbaceous character so necessary for food wines.

-Castello di Gabiano Adornes Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2015 Piedmont DOCG 14% ABV was my fave of the tasting, with its deep richness and satisfying aging. Aged 18 months, at least six in barriques, and more in the bottle before release. Barbera is the principal red grape of Piedmont, although, of course, it is lighter than barbaresco and barolo (both made from nebbiolo, a different but more tannic grape). Cherry-berry complexity makes the wine approachable, especially the older wines. Look also for what are known as "warm spices" or "pumpkin pie" spices with a shot of vanilla as it is aged in wood.


***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Casale del Griglio Satrico 2022 Lazio Bianco +569806 $18.95 6g/L residual sugar, 13% ABV: made up in stainless with a combo of grapes (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, trebbiano giallo) almost like a field blend. This results in a good grip based on the grapes, such as herbs and grass, orchard fruit, lemons, and an underlying minerality. A good wine to sip on the patio or deck.

-Anselmi San Vincenzo 2022 Veneto IGT +948158 $19.95 5g/L residual sugar, 12.5% ABV is much like Soave with its garganega grape blended with chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, exhibiting flowers and plums, even aromas of red currants. It's off-dry and best with food as a first course.

-Castello di Gabiano La Bruja Barbera d'Asti 2020 Piedmont DOCG 14.5% ABV was fermented in concrete (60%) and then aged for a year. Expect a variety of red fruits such as sour cherry, strawberry and raspberry. Better years will have a shot of dark fruit such as black cherry or blackberry nuances. The higher acid makes the wine more food-friendly as the wine cuts through the rich creams and sauces.



Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism
Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

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STOCKING STUFFERS for the Holidays

Stocking stuffer books should be at the very top of everybody's gift list: something affordable from under $10 up to $25 or so, and that can also double as a host gift, being something small and lightweight. And of course, they can all stuff an adult stocking.

Typical for food are:

--DINNER WITH JANE AUSTEN; menus inspired by her novels and letters (CICO Books, 2023, 64 pages, ISBN 978-1-80065-264-4 $19.99 CAD hardbound) is by Pen Vogler who has written many such historical British cookbooks (Tea with Jane Austen, Dinner with Mr. Darcy, Dinner with Dickens, et al). These are Regency menus and dinners that have been fully updated for modern times: the originals are next to the updates. There are five menus with notes about the times and about compelling dishes. For example, there is Mrs. Bennet's Dinner to Impress from Pride and Prejudice (fresh pea soup, partridges with bread sauce, spiced mushrooms, and everlasting syllabub). There is also a bibliography and an index. A top book for the top of your stocking stuffers. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.

--MAGNIFICENT MEALS IN A BOWL COOKBOOK; healthy, fast, easy recipes with vegan-and-keto-friendly choices (Fox Chapel Publishing, 2016, 2023, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-4971-0384-9, $18.99 CAD softbound) is by Gabrielle Garcia. It's derived from three other bowl books authored by Garcia. This makes for a good compilation at the entry level for a variety of 150 savoury dishes -- each in a bowl. The table of contents include preps for breakfast, combo salads, green salads, sandwiches, pasta and noodles, grain bowls, and rice bowls. Each is easy to make, starting with a basic bowl of bacon and eggs with kale, moving through chicken bruschetta salad, cabbage with eggs and lo main, shrimp and beet barley bowls, and sweet and sour items atop rice. A good choice for beginning or solo cooks. Nice rich close-up photos. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.

-- COMFORT FOOD ESSENTIALS; over 100 delicious recipes for all-time favorite feel-good foods (Fox Chapel Publishing, 2023, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-4971-0320-7, $22.99 CAD softbound) is by chef-owner Kim Wilcox (It's All So Yummy Cafe in Knoxville, Tennessee).
Her preps cover the basic three meals of breakfast, lunch, dinner, with other material on sides, soups, "childhood comforts", snacks, breads, toppings, condiments, et al. It is a good basic entry-level cookbook, useful for new families, college students, singles and solos beginning life away from home. The comforts of home can be replicated here. It's loaded with tips and advice. A good starter book, and a great stocking stuffer. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.


Other little books for beverages include those on beer, wine and spirits:

--IT'S NO FUN WITHOUT RUM! 50 fabulous recipes for rum-based cocktails from mai tai to mojito (Dog 'n' Bone, 2023, 64 pages, ISBN 978-1-912983-78-0 $12.99 USD hardbound) is a publisher's book with 11 different contributors: Ben Reed has largest number of recipes (15), followed by Michael Butt (13). It's a basic handy guide to a pile of delicious rum cocktail preps. We all know daiquiri, pina colada, planter's punch, cuba libre, and hurricane. But do we know officer's nightcap? Or tiki negroni? Or graham cracker crunch? We do now. Nifty photos. A good book to serve as a host gift or stocking stuffer. Quality/Price rating is 88 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.


--JUST A SPRITZ: 57 simple sparkling sips with low to no alcohol (Artisan, 2022, 176 pages, $25 hardbound) is by Danielle Centoni, with Eric Medsker as photographer. The Italian export, the Aperol spritz, with its classic (and simple) makeup of fizzy prosecco, sparkling water, and a splash of the bittersweet, citrus-flavored liqueur, is just the beginning. In Just a Spritz, Danielle Centoni shares a world of spritz variations. Add in sweet liqueurs and bitter amari, fresh juices, flavored kombuchas, and drinking vinegars to update the sparkling spritz. A spritz is quick to assemble and does not require a stocked pantry. Here there are more than 50 recipes (and numerous variations) organized by flavor profile and theme, including the Raspberry Beret, the Margarita Spritz, and the Cucumberbatch, as well as nonalcoholic spritz drinks. For a spritz newbie, a classic Negroni Sbagliato may be just the thing. Or the fruity-floral, scarlet-purple, picture-perfect Lady Lavender. Whatever the craving, from a sweet peach spritz to a slightly bitter and citric Cappelletti Shandy, there's a recipe to satisfy every thirst, along with colourful photos. Remember, these are all LO-AL or NO-AL concoctions. Quality/Price rating is 88 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures Writing.

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism

Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures