The Event: Annual Tasting of Imported Sparkling Wines by the Wine Writers' Circle of Canada. Sept 21

The Date and Time:  Monday, September 21, 2015   10:30AM to 1:30 PM

The Event: Annual Tasting of Imported Sparkling Wines by the Wine Writers' Circle of Canada

The Venue: Quebec Avenue Meeting Place

The Target Audience: members of the Wine Writers' Circle of Canada

The Availability/Catalogue: most wines are available through the LCBO, some are by consignment, others by private order only. Our thanks to the many suppliers who contributed samples for our tasting.

The Quote/Background: This year there were far too many sparkling wines to taste in one go, so we divided them up into Imports and Domestics. We just tasted the imports this time; the domestics will be tasted in two weeks.

The Wines: All wines were chilled and corks popped at the same time. Members went through at their own pace, filing notes individually (this was not a competition nor a judging). What follows are my own scores from tasting the wines, and reflect my own opinions. [J. de Telmont,O.R. 1735 - Brut,2004,$186,+107069,100% Chardonnay – was badly corked]

 

My personal FAVE, best overall score of 96: Domaine Legras et Haas,Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc Extra Brut,NV,$79.95, 100% Chardonnay Grand Cru Selection Parcellaire. cyndi@melleceywinegroup.com

My FAVE for the price was Trapiche,2014,Trapiche Extra Brut,$11.95,+262261.

 

Wines are rated generally within a range but NOT ranked within.

 

 

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

-NINO FRANCO,Grave di Stecca,2011,$39.95,+422758,100% Gerla

-Louis Roederer,Roederer Estate Rose,NV,$42.95,+479758,Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

-J. de Telmont,Cuveé Sans Soufré - Brut,NV,$123.86,+107036,100% Chardonnay [from www.espritduvin.ca]

-Fowles Wines,Stone Dwellers Sparkling,NV,$19.95,+43074,Chard/Pinot Noir

-Champagne Tarlant,Reserve Brut,NV,$42.40,+325167,"1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Meunier, 1/3 Pinot Noir"

-Champagne Henriot,NV,Champagne Brut Souverain, $69.95,+944206

-Louis Roederer,Brut Premier,NV,$69.95,+268771,Pinot Meunier & Chardonnay

-Champagne Taittinger,Brut Reserve ,NV $59.95,+365312,"Pinot Noir, Chardonnay"

-Laurent-Perrier,Cuvée Rosé Brut,NV,$99.95,+158550,Pinot Noir

-Perrier Jouet,NV Grand Brut,$67.95,+155341

-LOIRE VINS DOMAINE Chateau D'Eternes, Saumur Brut $14.95,+429696,Chardonnay

-Domaine Legras et Haas,Champagne Tradition,NV,$64.95 50% Chardonnay 25% Pinot Meunier 25% Pinot Noir

-Domaine Legras et Haas,Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc,NV,$74.95 100% Chardonnay Grand Cru

-Domaine Legras et Haas,Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru Millesime 2008 $91.95 100% Chardonnay Grand Cru Selection Parcellaire

-Domaine Legras et Haas,Champagne Rosé,NV,$70.95 50% Chardonnay 25% Pinot Meunier 25% Pinot Noir

-NINO FRANCO,Vigneto della Riva di San Floriano DOCG,2014,$27.95 100% Gerla

-NINO FRANCO,BRUT Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG,NV,$21.95,+349662,100% Gerla

 

 

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

-Jansz Premium Rose,NV,$32.95,+142421,

-Villa Maria,2014,Villa Maria Lightly Sparkling,$17.95,+429969

-Soc.Agr.D'Aione s.r.l.,,TUBOLLE Brut,$29.95,+688118

-Ruffino Prosecco,NV 100% Glera

-Barone Pizzini,n/v,Franciacorta,$29.95,+422691

-J. de Telmont,Grand Couronnement - Brut,2002,$136.87,+107051,100% Chardonnay

-Henkell Trocken Rose,NV,$14.95,+203125,Select Classic Varietals

-J. de Telmont,Grand Rosé,NV,$62.63,+107077,85% Chardonnay

-Antech Limoux,Antech Expression Brut Cremant de Limoux,2012,$19.95,+68239,"Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac"

-Louis Roederer,Roederer Estate Brut,NV,$29.95,+294181,Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

-Trapiche,n/v Extravaganza $17.95,+424838

-Freixenet Sonoma Caves,n/v,Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut,$33.95,+192898

-Freixenet Sonoma Caves,n/v,Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs,$33.95,+925735

-Freixenet Sonoma Caves,n/v,Goria Ferrer Blanc de Blancs,$33.95,+223792

-Aimery Sieur d'Arques,n/v,Grande Cuvee 1531 Cremant Blanc,$17.95,+428086

-J. de Telmont,Grand Réserve Champagne - Brut,NV,$53,+107028,33% Chardonnay

-Delegat Limited,NV,Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée Brut,$21.95,+163634

-J. de Telmont,Grand Vintage - Brut,2005,$67.44,+107044,40% Chardonnay

-Domaine René Meyer,Crémant D'Alsace - Brut,2013,$24.67,+935733,60% Chardonnay

-Domaine Deliance,Cremant Brut Reserve,NV,$29.95 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Prunes

-J. de Telmont,Grand Blanc de Blancs - Brut,2007,$67.44,+107093,100% Chardonnay

-Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte,Brut ,NV,$49.95,+537605,"20% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier"

-G.H Mumm ,Non Vintage,Mumm Cordon Rouge $64.95,+308056

-Lanson Black Label Brut,NV,$54.95,+215962,"50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier "

-Codorniu Raventos,NV,Seleccion Raventos Rosé Cava,$15.95,+370080

 

*** GOOD -- Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-KWV Cathedral Cellar Brut 2010,$16.95,+296426

-Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay Pinot Noir,2012,$21.95,+606285, Chardonnay,Pinot Noir

-Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee,$14.95,+210633

-Kim Crawford Fizz,2009,$29.95,+381236,60% Pinot Noir and 40%  Chardonnay

-Delegat Limited,NV,Oyster Bay Sparkling Cuvée Rosé,$21.95,+280172

-Yellow Tail NV Bubbles,$13.95,+229047

-Yellow Tail Bubbles Rose,$13.95,+229039

-Bottega,Il Vino dei Poeti Rosé Brut,NV,$13.45,+277202,"60% Raboso, 40% Pinot Noir"

-Henkell Trocken,NV,$14.95,+122689,Select Classic Varietals

-Sichel Sohne, Blue Nun 22K Gold Sparkling,$14.95,+425199,

-Codorniu Raventos,NV,Clasico,$13.95,+215814

-Henkell (Spain),Cavas Hill,NV,$13.20,+370866,50% Xarel-lo, 35% Macabeo, 15% Parellada

-Segura Viudas Reserva,$14.95,+216960

-Gonzalez Byass,NV,Vilarnau Brut Reserva,$17.95,+134683

-Freixenet Carta Nevada Brut Cava,N/V,$12.95,+216887,33% Parellada 33% Macabeo 33% Xarel.lo

-Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava,N/V,$13.95,+216945,40% Parellada 35% Macabeo 25% Xarel.lo

-Ca'del Bosco,Cuvee Prestige,NV,$39.95,+105353,"75% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Bianco, 15% Pinot Nero"

-Villa Sandi,Il Fresco Prosecco DOC Treviso Spumante,NV,$13.95,+394387,100% Glera

-Domaine de Mouscaillo,AOP Crémant de Limoux,NV,$25.14,+938703,70% Chardonnay

-Santa Margherita Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOC Brut,NV,$18.95,+687582,100% Glera

-Domaine Deliance,Cremant Rosé,NV,$32.95 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Red Wine

-Cono Sur,Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose,NV,$13.95,+365205,Pinot Noir 100%

-LaCheteau,Chateau de Montgueret Cremant de Loire,NV,$19.95,+217760,"Chenin, Chardonnay & Cabernet Franc"

-La Gioiosa Prosecco DOC Treviso ,NV,$14.95,+789263

-La Marca Prosecco,NV,$17.95,+298987,Glera

-Riolite Vini,David Rocco's Dolce vita Prosecco,N/V,$14.95,+385906,100% Glera

-Luce Della Vite,Danzante Prosecco,NV,$14.95,+288910,Prosecco 100%

-Bottega,Il Vino dei Poeti Prosecco D.O.C.,NV,$13.95,+897702,Glera/Prosecco

-Colli Vicentini,Prosecco DOC Vescovi $13.95,,Glera

-PIERA MARTELLOZZO S.P.A.,Blu Giovello Prosecco,$13.95,+85316,Glera

-BELCANTO DI BELLUSSI PROSECCO DI VALDOBBIADENE SUPERIORE $19.95,+53215,Glera

-Henkell,Mionetto Il Prosecco,NV,$13.95,+588053,100% Glera

-Henkell,Mionetto Treviso DOC,NV,$17.95,+266023,100% Glera

 

The Food: bread and water

The Contact Person:  deantudor@yahoo.com

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 90.

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

WORLD WINE WATCH (LCBO VINTAGES TIP SHEET) FOR OCTOBER 3, 2015

WORLD WINE WATCH (LCBO VINTAGES TIP SHEET) FOR OCTOBER 3, 2015

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

By DEAN TUDOR, Gothic Epicures Writing deantudor@deantudor.com. Creator of Canada's award-winning wine satire site at http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com. My Internet compendium "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 www.deantudor.com since 1994. My LCBO tastings are based on MVC (Modal Varietal Character); ratings are QPR (Quality-to-Price Ratio). Prices are LCBO retail. Only my top rated wines are here.

 

NOTE: The LCBO does NOT put out all of the wines of the release for wine writers or product consultants. Corked wines are not normally available for a re-tasting. It is getting more difficult to endorse wines under $20 for the simple reason that the LCBO does not release many of them into the Vintages program, ones that can be deemed to be worthy of your consideration. So I will now just ADD some "under $25" suggestions, along with point values.

 

 

====?>>> ** BEST WINE VALUE OF THE RELEASE *UNDER* $20

 

Angels Gate Mountainview Chardonnay 2010 VQA Beamsville Niagara, +116384, $19.95: great value for a chardonnay while under $20 in price, 13.5% ABV, barrel fermentation, eight months in new and used French oak. Nicely aged to richness, "subtle" oak is now more strongly nuanced but the fruit remains vivid. Gold Medal winner. QPR: 91.

 

 

TOP VALUE WHITE WINES under $25:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1.Domaine Seguinot-Bordet Chablis 2014, +289371, $22.95. QPR: 89.

2.Doudeau-Leger Sancerre 2014, +426866, $21.95. QPR: 90.

3.Santa Alicia Gran Reserva de Los Andres Chardonnay 2013 Maipo, +406991, $18.95: delightfully fresh, but still needs time to open up. Very well-presented butterscotch with US oak component (coconut and toast). QPR: 89.

4.Chateau de l'Orangerie 2013 Entre-deux-Mers, +425520, $14.95: soft, not too zesty, just 85% sauvignon blanc. Sip or food. Gold medal winner. QPR: 89.

5.Gorgo San Michelin Custoza 2014 Veneto, +428045, $14.95: dry blend of four indigenous grapes really works, 12.5% ABV, fresh fruit on the nose. Sip or first course. QPR: 89.

6.Quinta da Murta White 2013 Bucelas Portugal, +380279, $14.95: another aromatic white with plenty of delicious fruit tones. It also comes with a finish suitable for food. 12.5% ABV. QPR: 89.

 

TOP VALUE RED WINES under $25:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1.Henry of Pelham Reserve Baco Noir 2012 VQA Ontario, +461699, $24.95. QPR: 90.

2.Marques de Caceres Reserva 2009 Rioja, +702761, $24.95. QPR: 89.

3.Escorihuela Gascon 1884 Estate Grown Malbec 2013 Mendoza, +375444, $16.95: exceedingly great value, toasty mocha nose with red and black fruit in its plumminess. Cork closure. 14% ABV. QPR: 89.

4.Vina San Esteban In Situ Reserva Carmenere 2012 Aconcagua Valley, +37952, $15.95: deliciously herby, dense plums, mocha, balanced now but ready soon. 14.5% ABV. Gold Medal winner. QPR: 89.

5.Tabali Reserva Syrah 2012 Limari Valley, +662692, $14.95: intense syrah component, with blackberries and French oak tones, very Euro in style and feel. Good wine. QPR: 89.

6.Chateau de Lisennes Cuvee Tradition 2010 Bordeaux Superieur: very tasty, ready soon, good barrel aging showing (elevee en barrique), 12.5% ABV, 78% merlot/20% cabernet sauvignon/2% cabernet franc. Typical MVC for Bordeaux at a great price. QPR: 89.

7.Chateau Les Tourelles 2010 Bordeaux, +426247, $14.95: another typical MVC Bordeaux with black fruit all over it, cigar box (of course) in mute tones. 13% ABV. Gold Medal winner. Decent price. QPR: 89.

8.Rivera Cappellaccio Riserva Aglianico 2008 Castel de Monte Puglia, +305276, $17.95: a firm wine with good depth, lots of smoke and development, now 7 years old – enough to tame down the aglianico. Well-priced for a wine that has been in storage by somebody else. 13.5% ABV. QPR: 89.

9.Tommasi Graticcio Appassionato 2013 "Product of Italy", +338939, $15.95: air-dried concentrated grape flavours in the Amarone style are all the rage, and at this price level, you can get a decent copy, with value for its density. Who knows where the grapes are from, but they have been air-dried and Tommasi is a major company in the graticcio business. Some oak treatment, 13% ABV. If you want to know what all the excitement is about, you cannot go wrong with this tasting sample at $15.95. QPR: 89.

 

 

VALUE: "RESTAURANT READY" or "BRING YOUR OWN WINE BOTTLE" over $25 RETAIL

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Restaurants should consider offering these FINE VALUE wines at a $10 markup over retail; the wines are READY to enjoy right NOW. Consumers should buy these wines to bring to restaurants with corkage programs.

 

1.Nicolas Potel Montagny 1er Cru 2010, +127431, $28.95 retail.

2.Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese 2013 Mosel, +336396, $28.95

3.Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2010 VQA Short Hills Bench Niagara, +616433, $39.95.

4.Vineland Estates Kevin O'Leary Trevor Family Reserve Red 2012 VQA Niagara Peninsula, +421347, $29.

5.Pahlmeyer Merlot 2012 Napa, +978023, $133.95. This month's $10 mark-up special!

6.Dobbes Family Estate Grande Assemblage Cuvee Pinot Noir 2012 Willamette Valley, +70565, $42.95.

7.Chateau Tourbadon 2008 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, +425470, $27.95.

8.Vieux Chateau Gachet 2000 Lalande-de-Pomerol, +191023, $29.95.

9.Roche Costamagna Rocche dell'Annunziata Barolo 2010, +413484, $44.95.

10.Tenuta San Vincenti Gran Selezione Chianti Classico 2011, +414417, $54.95.

11.Baron de Ley Gran Reserva 2008 Rioja, +642496, $29.95.

Chimo! www.deantudor.com
AND http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
AND https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

Dean Tudor, Ryerson University Journalism Professor Emeritus
Treasurer, Wine Writers' Circle of Canada
Look it up and you'll remember it; screw it up and you'll never forget it.

Chimo! www.deantudor.com
AND http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
AND https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

Dean Tudor, Ryerson University Journalism Professor Emeritus
Treasurer, Wine Writers' Circle of Canada
Look it up and you'll remember it; screw it up and you'll never forget it.

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Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
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Chimo! www.deantudor.com
AND http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
AND https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

Dean Tudor, Ryerson University Journalism Professor Emeritus
Treasurer, Wine Writers' Circle of Canada
Look it up and you'll remember it; screw it up and you'll never forget it.

The Event: A tasting of a new Victoria and Don Ziraldo project in Portugal with Senhora do Convento Douro wines.

The Date and Time: Friday, September 11, 2015  11AM to 2PM

The Event: A tasting of a new Victoria and Don Ziraldo project in Portugal with Senhora do Convento Douro wines.

The Venue: Novotel Esplanade.

The Target Audience: wine writers, restaurateurs, and opinion-makers.

The Availability/Catalogue: the Ruby and Tawny ports are at the LCBO; the rest

The Quote/Background: Don spoke on the tables wines and some of the ports, Victoria spoke on the Ruby and the Tawny Ports, and Don spoke on his Ziraldo icewine. Tom Noitsis from Eurovintage spoke about his agency's involvement in both the Portuguese wines and in the Ziraldo icewine. Wines will be available through the LCBO eventually; estimated retail prices are attached (see below).

The Wines:

 

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

-Ziraldo Riesling Icewine 2014 VQA Niagara Peninsula, 375 mL, $89  ziraldo.ca

-Senhora do Convento 20 Year Tawny Port, est $29.95

-Senhora do Convento 10 Year Tawny Port, est $19.95  – bargain of the tasting

-Senhora do Convento  2009 Vintage Port, est. $89.95

 

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

-Senhora do Convento Douro Red 2012 Portugal, est. $18.95

-Senhora do Convento Aguias Red 2012 Douro Portugal, est. $39.95

-Senhora do Convento Quinta do Convento 2009 Douro Portugal, est $24.95

-Senhora do Convento Tawny Port, +398248, $16.95

-Senhora do Convento  2011 Vintage Port, est. $28.95

 

*** GOOD -- Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Senhora do Convento Ruby Port, +398230, $16.95

 

The Food: platters of nuts (cashews, walnuts, et al) and cheeses (including blue), plus a variety of nut breads and olive oil (from the estate) brushed on bruschetta breads.

The Downside: I was actually looking forward to staying home today since I seem to be at the LCBO every Friday of the year, and the LCBO had nothing skedded today.

The Upside: A chance to re-connect with the Don and his wife Victoria (a former student of mine)and to taste his new icewine.

The Contact Person: ananorris@eurovintage.com

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 89.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

The Event: a tasting of Antique Europe wines (Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia, Romania) plus some rare Greek wines for sale at the LCBO's “200 Danforth” store, the first roll-out of the specialty wine markets.

The Date and Time: Thursday, September 3, 2015   11:30 AM – 3 PM

The Event: a tasting of Antique Europe wines (Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia, Romania) plus some rare Greek wines for sale at the LCBO's "200 Danforth" store, the first roll-out of the specialty wine markets.

The Venue: Cava Restaurant

The Target Audience: members of the Wine Writers' Circle of Canada

The Availability/Catalogue: most of the Eastern European wines are now (or will be) at the LCBO, the balance are via private orders and consignment.

The Quote/Background: We started the Fall 2015 season off with a bang, with a huge turnout of members for this great tasting. Zoltan Szabo made all the arrangements for the restaurant and for the wine collection.

The Wines: I did not taste all the wines, many were roaming around the room as there were only one or two bottles of each wine. However, I did have some names and prices of

some of these wines, and they are noted below as unrated and untasted.

 

ANTIQUE EUROPE

 

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

-Puklus Pinceszet Tokaji Aszu 3 puttonyos 2010 $20.95 +980805 Vintages

-Purcari Chardonnay "1827" 2013 Moldova $16.50 Vintages TBD

 

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

-Purcari Rara Neagra de Purcari "1827" 2013 Moldova $19.55 +426262 Vintages October

-Gitana Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Moldova TBD CARTO Wines  info@cartowines.com

-Feteasca Neagra Monser 2012 $14 +315069 Vintages December

-J & J Eger Kekfrankos 2011 Hungary, ~$24.95 Trialto Liquid Art Consignment

-Garamvari Szolobirtok Balatonlellei Irsai Oliver 2013 Lake Balaton

$12.25 +12070 Vintages

-Orbelus Hrumki 2012: Early Melnik 30%, Mourvedre 30%, Marselan 30%, Syrah 10% Bulgaria   PO  Bogie's Best Imports

-Grasa de Cotnari 2013 $13.95 Romania +73205 Vintages April 2016

-Gilvesy Sauvignon Blanc 2013 Balaton Hungary  Nicholas Pearce np@npwines.com

-Lovico Winery Syrah/merlot 2013 Stambolovo Estate $15.05 Bulgaria www.vinatovin.com

-Lovico Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2011 $15.05 Bulgaria www.vinatovin.com

 

*** GOOD -- Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Lovico Winery Chardonnay 2013 $14.35 Bulgaria www.vinatovin.com

-Lovico Winery Kotta299 Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $21.30 Bulgaria www.vinatovin.com

-Garamvari Szolobirtok Tokaji Yellow Muscat Semi-Sweet Puklus 2013 $15.95 +46508 Vintages

-Orbelus Melnik 2011 (organic) Early Melnik 86%, Grenache 9%, Petit Verdot 5% Bulgaria PO Bogie's Best Import

-Marani Saperavi Kakheti 2013 (Georgia) $15.95, +419382 Vintages

-Vranec Tikves 2012 Stobi (Republic of Macedonia),$13.95,+317297 Vintages

-Alazanis Valley Red S-sw 2013 Tbilvino (Georgia), $14.95, +142109 Vintages

-Cotnari Tamaioasa Romaneasca 2012/2010 Romania $13.95 off-dry +651653 Vintages Dec.

-Cramele Odobesti Sarba Monser 2013 Romania $14 +417006 Vintages

-Castel Mimi Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Moldova TBD CARTO Wines  info@cartowines.com

 

GREEK WINES

 

From Cavas Piliadis, all wines are at LCBO 200 Danforth Store (special Greek section)

 

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

-Biblia Chora Ovilos 2012 Pangeon White [50assyr/50sem], $38.89 +151125

-Biblio Chora Plagios 2012 Pangeon White [85chard], $37.65 +151166

 

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

-Katsaros Valos 2013, $32.80 +151216

-Ktima Brintziki Enipeas 2014 Pisatis [75roditis], $21.40 +151331

-Parparoussis The Gift of Dionysos 2014 Achaia [sideritis], $25.15 +151265

-Biblia Chora Areti White 2013 Pangeon [assyrtiko], $30.25 +151067

-Ktima Rhous Estate 2014 Crete White [80muscat], $27.45 +151372

-Brintziki Avgoustiatis 2011 Ilia, $27.70 +151356

-Parparoussis Petite Fleur Rose 2014 Achaia, $27.70 +151257

-Domaine Katsaros Chardonnay 2014 Krania, $21.40 +151208

-Ktima Rhous Skipper Red 2013 Crete [70kotsifali], $35.05 +151398

 

*** GOOD -- Three Stars (85 – 87 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Oenofilos Paraparousis 2011 Achaia [cab/merlot], $35 +151273

-Tselepos Canava Chrissou 2014 Santorini [assyrtiko], $42.60 +151323

-Biblio Chora Sole Pinot Noir 2012 Pangeon, $43.95 +151117

-Biblia Chora Ktima Rose 2014 Pangeon [syrah], $31.50 +151083

-Ktima Rhous Skipper White 2013 Crete [70vidiano], $32.50 +151380

 

Greek wines not tasted and thus not rated:

 

Brintziki Tinaktorogos   $22.65  +151349

Parparoussis Nemea Reserve  $50.19 +151299

Biblinos Oenos   $45.65  +151109

Biblia Chora Estate White  $30.25  +151141

Areti Red   $35.75 +151075

 

The Food: It was impossible to taste all the food against each and every wine, so we all made our own best choices. I did try for a comparison of two wines with each (a white or a red or the same colour). The Purcari Chardonnay 1827 seemed to be the most obvious choice since it was done up in a mid-Atlantic style as a crowd pleaser. The Plagios and Ovilos were pretty good even with the substantial food. I could not find the heavier Greek reds, so I stuck with the 2009 Cabernets which went better with food than when tasted on their own.

 

Food was presented family buffet style, beginning with Langos (Hungarian): leavened potato cake with Edam cheese and garlic chips. Followed by Tolma: cabbage rolls of lamb in a fenugreek tomato sauce, and skewers of Chicken hearts and livers with a walnut pomegranate sauce (Georgian) – which went with every single wine I tried.

Kalmakha: salad of oyster mushroom, bacon, green chilis, basil and cilantro, was very heavy but dynamite in flavour, best with the roses.

Ajapsandali (Georgian): eggplant potato and pepper stew was substantial, with the heavier reds.

Lobio: beans with corn onion and tarragon, and Beef goulash with caraway and paprika went with all forms of red.

Palacinky was for dessert: cheese and peach crepes, along with the unctuous Tokaji 3 puttonyos. This will be the last release of the 3 putts (and any 4 putts) as the Hungarian regulators have decided develop and promote only the 5 puttonyos level, and that is what will be imported to Ontario.

The Downside: it was a bit chaotic in the tasting, and resulted in my missing a few bottles. If we had had more time, a list could have been drawn up and that could have been used as a checklist.

The Upside: great foods from Cava; Chef Doug Penfold tried really hard to prepare a wide variety of substantial food for us.

The Contact Person: deantudor@deantudor.com

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 91.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

* THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS...

...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Some magazines will reissue popular or classic recipes in an "easy" format. Here are some recent "re-editions"...

 

 

25.THE GOOD COOK'S BOOK OF OIL AND VINEGAR (Skyhorse Publishing, 1992, 2015, 429 pages, ISBN 978-1-63220-587-2, $18.99 US hard covers) is by Michele Anna Jordan, a Bear Award winner and cookbook author (Good Cook's series and a dozen more). She still writes for a local paper and hosts a radio show in California. It was originally published in 1992 (23 years ago) at 264 pages, with 100 recipes, by Perseus Books. Here, it has been expanded to 429 pages and with 150 recipes (50% more). It is a good guide, one which has withstood the test of time. There is a discussion on oils and vinegars in two chapters, updated with the latest health information. She's got notes on oil tasting and vinegar tasting, as well as stocking the pantry. The cookbook itself begins on page 71, and runs through the gamut of courses, apps to desserts and beverages. The appendices list an updated bibliography, resources, glossary, and templates for tracking tasting note and recommendations. She's got Fall Fruit Gazpacho with watermelon, Garden Minestrone , umpteen salads, and the usual standards of bruschetta, tuna tapenade, feta with olive oil, grilled pizzas, spaghettini with walnut and parsley sauce, and poached eggs with warm shallot vinaigrette. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Some dishes come with beverage recommendations. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

26.THE APPLE COOKBOOK, 3rd edition (Storey Publishing, 1984, 2001, 2015, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-61212-518-3, $14.95 US soft covers) is by Olwen Woodier who has written six cookbooks. This is an updated collection to some 125 "freshly picked" preps, originally published in 1984 with a second edition in 2001. The range is both sweet and savoury, from breakfast through late night snacks. There is material on pick-your-own farms, cider mills, and nostalgia. It is all accented by 95 updated recipes and 30 brand-new ones. At the end she's got a description of the more prominent 28 varieties, with pictures, and some material on 27 heirloom varieties. Then she has charts showing which varieties are best for eating, salads, sauces, baking whole, pie and freezing. Be prepared for fragrant lamb stew, curried ham and apples, polish sausage with apples and red cabbage, and a variety of pies and salads. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

 

27.THE VEGETARIAN'S BIBLE (Skyhorse Publishing, 2012, 2015, 351 pages, ISBN 978-1-63220-309-0, $18.99 US paper covers) is by Inga-Britta Sundqvist, a chef-writer in Sweden. The book was originally published in 2012 in Sweden with an English translation that same year. This is the paperback edition of that hardback book. She's got 350 quick and relatively easy preps for a fresh take on food and life. The recipes are good for a range of conditions: raw food, low glycemic, vegan, lacto-ovo, and gluten free. This is home cooking, and she recommends five seasonal buffets for any large crowd when entertaining. She's got a whole range of descriptions about non-meat foods, and finishes with vitamin and mineral guides and a variety of indexes for recipes and foods. It is an all-in-one book. Arrangement is by food category: salads, dips, apps, soups, pasta, through to mains, desserts, breakfasts, breads, and drinks. Most, if not all, are classic dishes, suc has as mango salsa, lemon marinated haricot verts, gomasio, tabbouleh, oat with apple and ginger, and zucchini pasta. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there are also tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

28.COOKING UP A STORM; recipes lost and found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans (Chronicle Books, 2008, 20157; distr. Raincoast, 368 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-4400-9, $30 US hard covers) is edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker. This is the 2015 HARD cover reprint of the original paperback release from 2008. All the preps come out of the Times-Picayune newspaper. It is interesting that the newspaper became a post-hurricane

swapping place for old recipes that were washed away by Katrina. There are about 225 recipes here, along with the stories of how they came to be. They have been collated from the newspaper archives, local readers and chefs, and local restaurants. Both classic and contemporary are repped here, so you'll get a dose of beignets, chicken with okra, red beans and rice, grits, and local drink recipes. It is wide-ranging, and not all recipes are Creole or Cajun – it is more like a community cookbook from New Orleans and the parishes. And it means that there are many non-Creole dishes such as "Mexican lasagna" or "liver with onions" or "beef kababs".  Arrangement is by course, from apps to desserts, with, of course, a lagniappe chapter. The book concludes with a guide to local descriptions of food, such as po-boy or gumbo. Recipes use avoirdupois measurements, but there is a table of metric equivalents at the far back. Anecdotes and pictures of a lost New Orleans complete the package. Some interesting recipes include pain perdu, seafood gumbo, fresh corn and shrimp chowder, banana bread, anise cookies, praline cookies, and muffuletta. Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

 

 

29.BEST SALADS EVER; recipes for sensational salads all year long (Grub Street, 2009, 2015, 174 pages, ISBN 978-1-909808-33-1, $29.95 CAN soft covers) is by Sonja Bock and Tina Scheftelowitz; it was originally published in Copenhagen in 2008. This is the English translation via a London UK publisher, first released in 2009. The arrangement is by category: beetroot salads, cabbage salads, root veggie salads, potato salads, and then noodles, pasta, grains, beans, greens, and then fish, meats, and fruits. These are followed by a chapter on dips and dressings. They conclude with lots of buffet ideas and recipes for entertaining. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

30.THE BEST OF JANE GRIGSON; the enjoyment of food (Grub Street, 1992, 2015, 462 pages, ISBN 978-1-909808-28-7, $39.95 CAN hard covers) is material by the late Jane Grigson as compiled by Roy Fullick. It was originally published in 1992 By Michael Joseph, and this is the 2015 reprint. "This book is intended both as  tribute to Jane Grigson's culinary skills and scholarship and as a practical cookery book." It's divided into chapters that reflected her interests: England, France, Charcuteries, Mediterranean, Europeans, Americas, India, and Celebration Treats. There is a bibliography of her writings at the back. Preparations have their ingredients listed mainly in metric measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. A good book to read, a great book for gifting. Quality/price rating: 90.

 

 

 

31.GOOD AND CHEAP (Workman Publishing, 2015, 190 pages, ISBN 978-0-7611-8499-7, $16.95 US soft covers) is by Leanne Brown. It was her master's paper in food studies and food policy from New York University. It became a PDF with 700,000 downloads, morphed into a Kickstarter campaign to self-publish the book (40,000 copies), and that self-published book won the 2015 IACP Judge's Choice Award. As every copy of the Workman edition is sold, there will be a book donation to a family who needs it. The current book's premise is to present recipes to nourish people on only $4 a day. 46 million Americans have to survive on only $4 a day for food: students, grads seeking jobs, young families, retirees. It has been revised from its original publication. She's got a strategy and a flexible approach. Every prep is costed and there are economical cooking methods. The page on leftovers gives suggestions which are mainly for sandwiches or wraps, and soups. Nothing should be wasted. Typical foods include green chile and cheddar quesadillas, teriyaki carrots, breakfast quinoa, ramen-inspired deviled eggs, roast chicken, chana masala tomatoes. The global scope emphasizes some of the poverty areas of the world. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 90.

 

 

32.175 ESSENTIAL SLOW COOKER CLASSICS (Robert Rose, 2006, 2015, 320 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0524-3, $27.95 CAN paper covers) is by Judith Finlayson, a longtime food writer who the publisher claims has sold more than 750,000 slow cooker books and close to 1 million cookbooks in all. If you have a slow cooker and don't have any of her other cookbooks, then where were you? This current book includes many preps from her first three books plus sixty new ones that were developed for inclusion here. Slow cookers are a mature industry, and they are one of the safest electric appliances. There's a wide range of meals plus different levels of expertise and different situations, from family home cooking (and kids' use of slow cookers) to entertaining. Useful are sweet potato lasagna, leek risotto, and buttermilk lemon sponge. Most dishes can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated; not everything here is a soup or a stew. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

 

33.MR.WILKINSON'S WELL-DRESSED SALAD (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2015, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-57912-993-4, $27.95 US hard covers) is by Matt Wilkinson, a market owner and chef-owner  of many restaurants in Melbourne. He also authored Mr. Wilkinson's Vegetables, a top seller and IACP Design award winner. This current book was originally published by Hardie Grant in Australia as Mr. Wilkinson's Simply Dressed Salads. I'm not sure why the title was changed, since "simply dressed" and "well-dressed" are at opposite ends of the word spectrum. Simply dressed implies lightness while well-dressed is more formal and heavy. Nevertheless, this book is arranged by the seasons (spring through winter) with a primer on growing your own leaves, creating your own dressings, and a glossary. For autumn we have an old man's slaw, egg with green olive and dukkah salad, and torn fresh figs & grapes with almonds and strawberry balsamic. The book is well-presented and laid out, so it is sure to wine another book design award somewhere. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

* FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! : Yogurt Culture (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

YOGURT CULTURE (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-544-25232-5, $22 US hard covers) is by Cheryl Sternman Rule, author of Ripe and the award-winning culinary blog 5 Second Rule. She's also a free-lance food writer appearing in Cooking Light, Eating Well, Vegetarian Times, and more. You also cannot beat the log rollers of Mollie Katzen, Deborah Madison, Anne Mendelson, and others. Yogurt has been around North America for about a century, but lately, with the advent of Greek-style Yogurt (which is simply drained yogurt and thus sweet and creamy when most of the whey has been eliminated), sales have climbed. Most of the yogurt now sold is Greek-style (sweet and creamy). This is a basic cookbook, subdivided by topics such as Flavor, Dress or spread, Sip, Slurp, Dine, Bake, Chill, and Lick. Within each is material on different kinds of global yogurts from Afghanistan, Mongolia, India, Serbia, Turkey, Israel and more. There is a primer on how to buy yogurts, visit yogurt producers, read labels, and even make your own (and yogurt cheese such as labneh). Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. She concludes with a selective bibliography, a resources lists, some end notes, and three full pages of acknowledgments.

Audience and level of use: yogurt users.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: strawberry-rhubarb compote; fennel-pear-carrot slaw; savory lassi; cauliflower bacon soup; little cheddar-chive-cornmeal pancakes; shahi korma (creamy beef curry).

The downside to this book: it has been awhile since the last yogurt cookbook, but do we indeed need another one?

The upside to this book: she has a FAQ troubleshooting section.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

WORLD WINE WATCH (LCBO VINTAGES TIP SHEET) FOR SEPT 19, 2015

WORLD WINE WATCH (LCBO VINTAGES TIP SHEET) FOR SEPT 19, 2015
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
By DEAN TUDOR, Gothic Epicures Writing deantudor@deantudor.com. Creator of Canada's award-winning wine satire site at http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com. My Internet compendium "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 www.deantudor.com since 1994. My LCBO tastings are based on MVC (Modal Varietal Character); ratings are QPR (Quality-to-Price Ratio). Prices are LCBO retail. Only my top rated wines are here.

NOTE: The LCBO does NOT put out all of the wines of the release for wine writers or product consultants. Corked wines are not normally available for a re-tasting. It is getting more difficult to endorse wines under $20 for the simple reason that the LCBO does not release many of them into the Vintages program, ones that can be deemed to be worthy of your consideration. So I will now just ADD some "under $25" suggestions, along with point values.


====?>>> ** BEST WINE VALUE OF THE RELEASE *OVER* $20

Bodegas Balbas Ardal Reserva 2006 Ribera del Duero, +167700, $21.95. QPR: 91.

TOP VALUE WHITE WINES under $25:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1.Calamus Barrel Kissed Chardonnay 2013 VQA Niagara Peninsula, +330613, $16.95: in French oak for 18 months, exhibits vanillins, apple, lemons, and some butter. QPR: 88.
2.Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2014 VQA Niagara Peninsula, +80234, $16.95: very riesling, very Mosel, off-dry, twist top, lowered alcohol. Excellent value. +80234, $16.95, QPR: 89.
3.Thirty Bench Riesling 2013 VQA Beamsville Bench, +24133, $18.95: very good quality, consistent over the years. 10.6% ABV, dryish mode, MVC riesling. Twist top. QPR: 89.
4.Tabali Rserva Viognier 2013 Limari, +406967, $13.95: exceptionally floral, value priced and value packed, good length for first course, otherwise a sipper. 13.5% ABV, twist top. QPR: 89.
5.Thornbury Sauvignon Blanc 2014 Marlborough, +734798, $18.95: a very lively savvy, zesty with lots of citric and green tones (herbs, grass, gooseberry, beans, typical low ripeness). Very much a Kiwi Savvy, best at lunch. 13% ABV, twist top. QPR: 89.
6.Pella the Vanilla Chenin Blanc 2013 WO Stellenbosch, +389619, $14.95: with its vanilla accents and cream (US oak BF dominates), this is the perfect match with coffee pinotage. Make your own latte...who needs food? 13% ABV. QPR: 88.
7.Argyros Atlantis Dry White 2014 PGI Cyclades Santorini, +371658, $17.95: very good value in the under $20 santorini market, 13% ABV. QPR: 88.
8.Dominio de Punctum Viento Aliseo Viognier 2014 La Mancha, +424713, $15.95: biodynamic Demeter certified, exceedingly floral and stone fruit tones. 13% ABV, cork closure. QPR: 88.

TOP VALUE RED WINES under $25:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1.Strewn Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 VQA Niagara Peninsula, +426502, $24.95. QPR: 90.
2.Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Napa, +73817, $24.95. QPR: 89.
3.Astrolabe Valleys Pinot Noir 2013 Wairau Valley Marlborough, +374454, $23.95. QPR: 89.
4.Chateau Fleur La Mothe 2009 Medoc, +424614, $24.95. QPR: 89.
5.Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso 2011 Umbria, $20.95. QPR: 89.
6.Kent-He Voyageur Pinot Noir 2013 VQA Niagara Peninsula, +373407, $19: elegant, typical MVC pinot earthiness tempered with dried red fruits. 12.5% ABV. QPR: 88.
7.Rockway Meritage 2012 VQA Twenty Mile Bench Niagara Peninsula, +388264, $19.95: very ripe but also a bit tight, from a hot vintage, 13.8% ABV. Useful bordeaux-styled wine. QPR: 88.
8.Bodega Paiman Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Valle de Chanarmuyo La Rioja Argentina, +423186, $19.95: impressive fruit, depth and length. 14.5% ABV powerhouse of blackness. QPR: 88.
9.Don Cristobal 1492 Barrel Selection Shiraz 2012 Mendoza, +236133, $15.95: definite Euro style in its syrah expression, black fruits and elegant long finish. 14% ABV, cork closure.
10.Basilica Cafaggio Chianti Classico 2010, +421107, $16.95: a nicely aged beauty, MVC chianti all the way, excellent price. 13% ABV. QPR: 89.
11.Quinta dos Roques Vinho Tinto 2012 Dao, +986075, $18.95: another deep dark and delicious Portuguese wine, black fruits all the way. 13.5% ABV. QPR: 88.
12.Coral Duero Rompesedas 2006 Toro, +425868, $19.95: here's value for 9 years aging, new oak for a year and a half. Lovely elegant wine, underpriced. 15% ABV. QPR: 89.
13.Valdemar Inspiracion Seleccion 2010 Rioja, +166512, $19.95: showing some raisins but toasty too, good Rioja value. 14% ABV. QPR: 88.

VALUE: "RESTAURANT READY" or "BRING YOUR OWN WINE BOTTLE" over $25 RETAIL
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Restaurants should consider offering these FINE VALUE wines at a $10 markup over retail; the wines are READY to enjoy right NOW. Consumers should buy these wines to bring to restaurants with corkage programs.

1.Westcott Estate Chardonnay 2013 VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara, +427484, $26 retail.
2.Alain Geoffroy Beauroy Chablis 1er Cru 2013, +744501, $29.95.
3.Norman Hardie County Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2013 VQA Prince Edward County, +125310, $39.
4.Paillere de Pied-Gu Gigondas 2012, +425413, $34.95.
5.Aurelio Settimo Rocche Dell'Annunziata Barolo 2010, +293761, $57.95.
6.Prinsi Gaia Principe Barbaresco 2007, +334516, $27.95.
7.Capanna Brunello di Montalcino 2009, +378513, $44.95.
8.Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2009, +368910, $29.95.
9.Castello Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 2011, +719864, $34.95.
10.Masi Brolo Campofiorin Oro 2010 IGT Rosso del Veronese, +976092, $26.95.
11.Convento San Francisco Seleccion Especial 2005 Ribera del Duero, +185751, $32.95,

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

GOOD FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS

3.THE DUMPLING SISTERS COOKBOOK (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2015, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-297-60906-3, $34.99 CAN hard covers) is by Amy and Julie Zhang aka The Dumpling Sisters. They have been active on YouTube for two years now, with 41,000 subscirbers. Their philosophy is that Chinese cooking an be a breeze, and this family cookbook can prove it. There are oabout 100 preps here, ranging from noodles to banquet to baked goods, emphasizing too the mouthfeel of the foods (there are explanations). Exotic foods can be added from purchased packages, such as wood ear mushrooms, golden needle veggies, salted preserved fish, dried bean curd, and others. It all begins with yum cha (Cantonese drinking tea), with pork and prawn open dumplings, silky congee, pork pot-stickers, pan-fried turnip cake – all the major and well-known dim sum. There's a lot on basics, pantry, ingredient names, and suppliers in the UK. Preparations have their ingredients listed in mainly avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: beginners, millennials

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: five spiced pork belly with spring onions; zingy orange pork schnitzel; beef kebab sticks with satay sauce; broccoli oyster sauce noodles with fried onions.

The downside to this book: most of the recipes are easy.

The upside to this book: great pix.

Quality/Price Rating: 86

 

 

 

4.FEED YOUR ATHLETE (DK Publishing, 2015, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-3537-8, $22.95 US paper covers) is by Michael Kirtsos and Joseph Ewing, both Registered Dietitians. Kirtsos also teaches sports nutrition, while Ewing also writes cookbooks for DK. Here is a cookbook to fuel high performance, with 150 easy natural recipes for those on-the-go. At a minimum, the book is extremely useful for all school athletes and would-be marathon runners. The collection includes pre-competition dishes to build a body's resources, snacks and replacements to maintain energy during events, recovery meals, and how to stock a pantry. There are sports drinks, soups, snacks, salads and entrees, plus desserts for each category. Each has nutrition tables. At the end, there are meal plans and body fat calculations. Two indexes: alphabetical and by nutrient content (high carb, high fiber, high protein, low fat, low fiber). Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: those in training, those who want high performance foods.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: chickpea salad, banana orange sunrise smoothie, snack mix cereal bars, low-fat banana bread, frozen cherry cheesecake pops, pineapple basil mojito.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

 

 

 

5.EVERYDAY VEGETARIAN (St. Martin's Griffin, 2015, 288 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-06616-9, $24.99 US paper covers) is by Jane Hughes, editor of Vegan Life magazine, cookery school teacher, and food writer. It has been endorsed by the American Vegetarian Association. Its subtitle says it all: 365 days of healthy seasonal recipes. There's a recipe for every day, but the book is divided by season, beginning with spring, and further arranged by course (soups and apps, mains and sides, desserts and drinks). Unfortunately, there are no menus, so you'll need to pull together a complete meal yourself. Vegan dishes are indicated by a V. It is a good database, filled with classic dishes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: vegetarians or those looking for veggie alternatives.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: blackberry and feta salad; spiced winter pickles; poached pears with chocolate sauce; summer ratatouille.

The downside to this book: no menus.

The upside to this book: nifty collection.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

 

 

6.GRILL IT, BRAISE IT, BROIL IT, and 9 other easy techniques for making healthy meals (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 297 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-88809-9, $19.99 US soft covers) is from the American Heart Association. Previous cookbooks from the AHA have stresses slow cookers, fresh foods, low-salt, and safe cardio preps. This one, with 175 recipes, stresses healthy cooking techniques. Besides the three in the title, these are: slow cooking, microwaving, blending, stir-frying, stewing, steaming, poaching, roasting and baking. Recipes can then be customized, so there are more than 175 here. The arrangement is by technique, with a primer at the beginning for shopping and lifestyles, and a resources checklist at the back for a pantry, cooking equipment, safety basics, and food groups. A good all-purpose book with service notes, nutrition counts per serving, and clear instructions. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents, which is a drawback in a book like this, especially since the nutrition data is in metric.

Audience and level of use: those looking for a healthy eating style.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Peruvian quinoa salad, pork loin stuffed with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, Madeira flank steak, peanut butter and banana "ice cream", shrimp and grits with greens.

The downside to this book: no metric tables.

The upside to this book: good idea to cover food by technique.

Quality/Price Rating: 87.

 

 

 

7.THE BARBECUE LOVER'S BIG BOOK OF BBQ SAUCES (Harvard Common Press, 2015, 288 pages, ISBN 978-1-55832-845-7, $18.95 US paper covers) is by Cheryl and Bill Jamison, who have written many other BBQ books (at least 7), including Texas Home Cooking. They cover 225 sauces, rubs, marinades, mops, bastes, pastes, and salsas for smoke-cooking and grilling. There are, of course, detailed instructions on using a recipe for smoking or grilling. It's arranged by type of meat, from beef and bison through poultry, fish, lamb and venison, veggies, and fruit. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: BBQ fans of the Jamisons.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: bacon jam, Northern Alabama white lightning, magic black hot sauce, red chile honey butter, chile-lemon baste, roasted onion ranch dressing, umami bomb.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

 

8.BREW BETTER BEER (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 234 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-631-7, $23 US hard covers) is by Emma Christensen, a homebrewer and former beer reviewer, and now the recipe editor for www.thekitchn.com. It's a basic book, covering from grain to glass; she does a nice job. And the book should appeal to women brewers as well, simply because there are so few other beer books authored by women. At the moment I cannot think of any. The subtitle here is "learn (and break) the rules for making IPAs, sours, Pilsners, stouts and more". Her primer opens with getting to know your ingredients (malts, water, hops, yeast) and your equipment (brewing, fermenting, bottling), followed by brewing your first and easy batch. Then it is on to types: pale ales, Indian pale ales (IPA), brown ales, porters and stouts, British ales, Belgian ales, Scottish and Irish red ales, wheat beers, rye ales, saisons and gluten-free beers, and ending with lagers (Pilsner, Octoberfest, and San Francisco Steam Beer. As in the better baking recipes, preps here are scaled – in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, with equivalents converted on the end pages. There are lots of choices in this book, with subtle additions or subtractions of ingredients to extend the database of recipes.

Audience and level of use: beginner brewers and others.

Some interesting or unusual facts:

The downside to this book: some beers have special ingredients that you may not want much of. For example, the Campari IPA is good as a bottle or two for that herbal complexity with beer, but a whole batch of five gallons? Only for the steely. Best to just add a shot of Campari to an IPA.

The upside to this book: wide selection of recipes.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

9.COCONUT KITCHEN (Familius, 2015, 184 pages, ISBN 978-1-939629-72-2, $19.95 US paper covers) is by Meredith Baird, co-author of other cookbooks (Raw Chocolate, Everyday Raw Detox, Plant Food). Here she is concerned with just coconut, a superfood for health (digestion aid, immune boost, candida prevention, cholesterol balance, detox, inflammation reduction, eczema and psoriasis treatment) and cosmetic skin care, as well as food (milk substitute, non-diary kefir, sweetener, cooking oil, vegan desserts, gluten-free flour). She's got the primer about preps and what coconuts can do for you. This is followed by the recipes, divided by course: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert.

Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: vegans, those wanting a detox, those with a surplus of coconuts.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: coconut butter with apple, blueberries and cinnamon; coconut toast; peaches and cream parfait; coconut chia pudding; coconut matcha smoothie; coconut with spinach, golden raisins and pine nuts.

The downside to this book: ingredient listings are in bronze colour and do not stand out too well on the printed page.

The upside to this book: good photos.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

10.OKTOBERFEST COOKBOOK (DK, 2015, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-3939-0, $20 US hard covers) is by Julia Skowronek, living in Munich and has worked the Hofbrau tent for the past two decades. These are typical dishes served at the Oktoberfest, along with material on dress and beer tent culture, history, Munich beer, other attractions in Munich, etiquette, and a phrase guide to beer-tent Bavarian. Arrangement of the preps is by course: snacks, soups, entrees, veggies, sides, and sweets. There is exceedingly good charm in this book. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: German beer and food lovers; those interested in Oktoberfest.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: brotzeit platter with cheese, cold cuts and radishes; pork schnitzel cordon bleu; beef roulades; beer battered fish; Bavarian cabbage.

The downside to this book: everything is "heavy", but then that's their nature.

The upside to this book: lots of Oktoberfest pictures.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

11.MY BUSY KITCHEN (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-444-79920, $38.99 CAN hard covers) is by Alex Hollywood. It reflects her food background influences of Norway, Scotland, France and Spain. These are uncomplicated family recipes with foreign tinges and fringes from her past (the book's subtitle is "a lifetime of family recipes"). She delves into pantries (with country flavour themes) and larders, freezers, and basic sauces and stocks. She's arrange her book by course: breakfast, salads, lunches, veggies, mid-week meals, suppers, and entertaining. Plus the open-ended desserts, applicable anytime including tea. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: beginners, those looking to refresh their memories

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: raspberry chocolate bombes; roast pineapple with homemade custard; tartiflette; marinated olives with manchego cheese; mont d'or en croute; chicken, fennel and ouzo gratin; smoky fish pie.

The downside to this book: the hook did not grab me, but they are good family dishes.

The upside to this book: lots of interesting quirks and ideas to jazz up simple dishes.

Quality/Price Rating: 87.

 

 

 

12.CITRUS (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 177 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-767-3, $19.99 US hard covers) is by Valerie Aikman-Smith, an LA writer and food stylist.

 

AND

 

13.SWEET AND TART (Chronicle Books, 2015, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-3479-6, $19.95 US hard covers) is by Carla Snyder, baker and Beard-nominated cookbook author based in Ohio.

 

Both books came out about the same time, same length, 75 preps in the Aikman book and 70 in the Snyder. They are also both up against last year's PUCKER from Whitecap Books, which only covered the more sour citrus families (no pomelos or oranges). Aikman is arranged by type (lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and the rest (citron, yuzu, kumquats). Snyder is by food (cookies, bars, pastries, tars, pies, cakes, frozen desserts, muffins, etc.) with a small chapter on savouries. Aikman's preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a table of metric equivalents. Snyder is avoirdupois with no tables of equivalents. Aikman has 16 lime recipes, while Snyder does just 2. But many can be interchangeable if you wish to explore. I do not think you need both books; just one will do.

Audience and level of use: intermediate.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Aikman – gravadlax with lemons and green peppercorns; ricotta with Persian lime oil; Meyer lemon and thyme hearth bread; lime and coconut lassi; Szechuan shrimp and ruby grapefruit salad.

Snyder – 4 Meyer lemon preps (candied, blackberry ices, drop cookies, ice cream); 4 ricotta (crepes, flat bread, cookies, tyropita); orangey fig and almond biscotti; grapefruit custard pie.

Quality/Price Rating: 87 apiece.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

SOME *SELECTED* FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS IN REVIEW

3.THE SPROUTED KITCHEN BOWL AND SPOON (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 226 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-655-3, $25 US hard covers) is by Sara Forte who got a Beard nomination for her book The Sprouted Kitchen. Here she concentrates on using the bowl with a spoon to create and eat singles dish loaded with proteins, greens, veggies, and whole grains. It is perfect for sitting around and watching TV or just lying on a couch: and there may even be leftovers for the next day's lunch. It is a good collection, arranged by time of day or size of bowl. Morning Bowls are followed by Side Bowls, Big Bowls, and Sweet Bowls, with a chapter on dressings and sauces. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents on the inside back cover.

Audience and level of use: millennials and others who want a quick but nourishing meal.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: roasted pasilla and goat cheese sauce; seared scallops in Thai broth; herbed falafel bowl; Spanish chopped salad with walnut paprika vinaigrette; mixed greens with beet and walnut puree; turkey meatballs in tomato sauce.

The downside to this book: too many cute non-food photos.

The upside to this book: a good idea, just the bowl and spoon.

Quality/Price Rating: 87.

 

 

 

4.CAKE MY DAY! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 304 pages, ISBN 978-0-54426-369-7, $18.99 US soft covers) is by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Both are experienced cookbook authors with followings, and creators of the serious of cupcake books <www.hellocupcakebook.com> Here they have expanded to bigger things, but you would of course also consider the cake a larger cupcake. With more room for decorating. Nice good ideas for kids and parties, they are just having fun. Contents range from round cake, to rectangles, loaves, bowl cakes, measuring-cup cakes, and decorating store-bought pound cakes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: party lovers, kids' parties.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: yellow taxi cab; workman's boot; Barney; cow; gingerbread-type house; pumpkin; zebra; goat cake; pig cake, etc.

The downside to this book: a little goes a long way.

The upside to this book: good designs and templates.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

 

5.THE GREAT ROTISSERIE CHICKEN COOKBOOK (Appetite by Random House, 2015, 202 pages, ISBN   978-0-449-01640-4, $24.95 CAN paper covers) is by Eric Akis, a Victoria-based food writer who had worked in the hospitality industry as a trained chef for 15 years before starting a journalism career. This is his eighth book. Given that you can buy rotisserie chicken in every supermarket, large convenience store (plus Costo, etc.) and butcher, it  was just a matter of time before the millennials would have discovered it and used it in many meals – since the chicken is already prepared. If you want to cook it yourself, Akis gives a few recipes. Otherwise, just buy the chicken and use it in a variety of settings. There are over 100 recipes for the pre-cooked bird, plus others for doing it yourself. If it is just one or two of you, then there will be leftovers (certainly there will be enough for a stock for soup, or bone soup). The meals can be made within an hour or less. He's got preps using the bird and preps (salads, sides) to accompany the bird. International cuisines are the themes. He's also got 10 preps on spicing up your home-cooked birds: BBQ, Spanish, Moroccan, jerk, Piri-Piri, Chinese, Tandoori, Thai curry, et al. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: millennials, those who may fear cooking.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Asian-style noodle salad with chicken and peanuts; chicken pad thai; country-style chicken and cabbage soup; pulled chicken sliders; chicken on mixed-mushroom risotto; Vietnamese style chicken and rice noodles; shrimp and chicken paella.

The downside to this book: while he preaches food safety, rotisserie birds are notorious for their over-salting (not pointed out).

The upside to this book: a good idea, useful ideas.

Quality/Price Rating: 85.

 

 

6.FIKA; the art of the Swedish coffee break (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 162 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-586-0, $17.99 US hard covers) is by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall, both of Swedish extraction and both involved in the food writing and blogging business. About half of the book concerns a history of Swedish coffee and the whole break thing, including a modern day break and eating outdoors. A lot of it is life stories and memoirs. Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric plus avoirdupois weights and volumes measurements.

Audience and level of use: lovers of Swedish food and coffee.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: sliced chocolate cookies; prunes and rye bread; caramel cake; jam fig preserves; anise and hazelnut biscotti; oat crisp chocolate sandwich cookies; Swedish mulled wine; Swedish pancakes.

Quality/Price Rating: 85.

 

 

 

7.SESAME & SPICE (Headline, 2015, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-4722-2360-9, $36.99 CAN hard covers) is by Anne Shooter, food writer for the Daily Mail in England. It is a baking book, concentrating on the flavours of the Middle East, principally Jewish (her heritage). Thus one can expect apples, honey, almonds, figs, pomegranates, cinnamon, orange zest, sesame, lemons and vanilla aromas to be incorporated into flatbreads, cakes, and cookies. And here they are. It is a nice collection of recipes, with a chapter on baking for Passover (with gluten-free recipes). She's even got a small collection of savoury bakes too. Preparations have their ingredients listed in mainly metric measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: lovers of Jewish food or new baking ideas.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: deli style rye bread, upside-down apple and honey cake; spiced raspberry and sour cream cake; Ottoman sponge cake; apricot and feta spelt with honey crème fraiche cookies; quinoa and pineapple spice cake; black and white cookies; Jerusalem cheesecake.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

 

 

8.THE TOMATO BASKET (Ryland Peters & Small, 2015, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-598-6, $21.95 US hard covers) is by Jenny Linford, a London food writer and author of 15 books. Here she gives us 75 or so preps spread over chapters dealing with small bites, soups and salads, flesh, veggies, ice and pasta, breads, sauces and preserves. Along the way she discusses varieties, growers, festivals, and heritage tomatoes. All with the usual sharp photography from RP & S. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: tomato lovers, intermediate level cooks.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: honeyed duck and apricot tagine;tomato ketchup; harissa sardines with tomato salad; tomato fennel buns; tomato tabbouleh; tomato risotto; eggplant lasagne; panzanella; sun-dried tomato and rosemary corn bread.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

9.TWENTY DINNERS (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-34528-6, $37.50 US hard covers) is by Ithai Schori and Chris Taylor, partially trained in restaurants but great home cooks. This is entertaining at its finest, assisted by Rachel Holtzman as the focusing food writer. The arrangement is by season, beginning with fall and moving through to summer. At the end, there is ancillary material on pantries, techniques, equipment, shopping advice, and other lists. There are 20 dinners here for one to duplicate, five to a season, for every other week or so. Desserts are downplayed, and service is both family style and plated for the proper expression of flavours and of eating food together. Given that many food books go all out for gastroporn, there are way too many gratuitous non-food photos (an empty chair? A sunset? Logs?, Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: millennials looking for some ideas on easy food preps.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: from dinner 7 – duck confit and tagliatelle; radicchio salad with pears, blue cheese and bacon. With a smoked Earl Gray hot toddy as pre-prandial and pinot noir with the meal.

The downside to this book: the dinners really work well if you make the entire meal with no substitutions.

The upside to this book: wines are suggested by varietal name

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

10.SIMPLY ANCIENT GRAINS (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 262 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-588-4, $27.50 US hard covers) is by Maria Speck, cookbook writer and multiple-award winner for her book "Ancient Grains for Modern Meals". Here, with some log rolling from Deborah Madison and The Joy of Cooking authors, she advances further into the realm of grains. There is the primer to some two dozen of these (all with an indication to gluten), including freekeh and some farros. This is followed by chapters on breakfast and brunch, salads and sides, soups and stews, pasta, mains, and sweets. At the end there is in ingredients section plus sources. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: health conscious, those looking for new foods.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: quinoa salad with roasted red beets, blood oranges, and pomegranate; barley and wild rice dressing with fennel, apples and Marsala;  warm wild rice salad with herb-roasted mushrooms and parmesan; minted lamb sliders with pine nuts and currants; red rice shakshuka with feta cheese.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

 

 

11.YOGURT (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-712-5, $19.99 US hard covers) is by Janet Fletcher, author or co-author of more than two dozen cookbooks. She writes a lot on cheese, and teaches cheese-appreciation courses. So yogurt fits right in. These are sweet and savoury recipes for every meal and snacks, arranged by course from apps to desserts. The opening primer on making yogurt at home is valuable, although of course you can buy your own. But with homemade yogurt you get to control the milk source (organic?) and its freshness. We make our own organic cow's milk yogurt but buy organic sheep milk yogurt for its richness. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: yogurt lovers, cheesemakers.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: lamb meatballs in warm yogurt sauce; lamb souvlaki with skillet flatbread; orzo with spicy lamb, chickpeas and yogurt; yogurt parfait with peaches and peanut brittle; banana-fig smoothie.

The downside to this book: I'd like more discussion on sheep milk yogurt, and yogo cheese.

The upside to this book: she's got three nice recipes for yogurt (yogo) cheese.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

 

 

12.MEAT MAN (Mosaic Press, 2015; distr. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 154 pages, ISBN 978-1-77161-127-5, $27.95 CAN paper covers) is by Ronald Chapchuck, one of the major meat suppliers (principally beef) to Toronto's restaurants, delis, pubs, hotels, and steakhouses for over 40 years. He's worked at J.J. Derma Meats in Kensington Market, then Honeyman's Beef and then Sysco Fine Meat, through 2013. He still works at a meat purveyor in Oakville, but wrote this memoir in his spare time. The coverage is nominally 1950 – 2000. It is loosely arranged by type, beginning with his earliest moments in Chinatown and then progressing through delis, butcher shops, hotels, restaurants, et al. For each place he has some history and some stories to tell. Many, of course, are no longer with us (a quarter-century of life seems to be the limit): Bassel's, Bistro 990, Bombay Bicycle Club, Napoleon's, Brown Derby, Corner House, Danish Food Centre, Diana Sweets, Eaton's, Mermaid, Indian Rice Factory, Hop and Grape, Walker House (Franz Joseph, Rathskeller), and more. But some are still here: Fran's, La Bodega, Tom Jones Steak House, Black Angus Steak House, Shopsy's. He's got some nifty black and white photos along with reproductions of some menus and match boxes, and the like. But I am still waiting for the swizzle stick collection, like the one from Chicken Palace of the 1950s. A good collection of vignettes and anecdotes, with a valuable index to the places and people.

Audience and level of use: Toronto historians, food historians, nostalgia lovers.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Napoleon's had a mysterious explosion in 1984.

The downside to this book: it needed a few more themes to pull it all together, otherwise it is a collection of vignettes.

The upside to this book: great stories, index.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

13.WITHOUT THE CALORIES: takeaway favourites (Orion Books, 2015; distr. Hachette, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-4091-5473-0, $18.99 CAN soft covers) and

 

14.WITHOUT THE CALORIES: quick and easy (Orion Books, 2015; distr. Hachette, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-4091-5471-6, $18.99 CAN soft covers)...

 

...are both by Justine Pattison, a UK diet recipe writer who specializes in preparing recipes for TV chefs and presenters, as well as writing food columns for British publications. She's got four other books in this series, dealing with comfort food, past and rice, one pots, and baking). Her 123 Plan is an easy approach to meals: each prep has been counted for calories and some nutritional data. The emphasis is to reduce weight by reducing calories, and she also has some ideas and tips on a global scale. "Takeway favourites" is arranged by cuisine: Indian, Chinese, SE Asian, Japanese, Mediterranean, and US. For the latter she's got lower fat burgers, fish burgers, chicken strips, and smoky pulled pork. For the Mediterranean, there's red pepper hummus, pita crisps, Moroccan marinated olives, pollo pasta with pesto. "Quick and easy" is arranged by major ingredient (breakfast, chicken, pork, lamb, fish, meat-free, sweets) with avocado and cucumber soup, tom yum soup, poppadum poppers, and smoked trout pate. Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric measurements, but there are tables of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: beginners, the fat conscious.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: see above

The downside to these books: more preps are needed

The upside to these books: good layout, calories listed in large type of a different colour.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

 

15.THE ELIMINATION DIET (Grand Central Life & Style; dist. Hachette, 2015, 331 pages, ISBN 978-1-4555-8188-7, $27 US hard covers) is by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre. She's a chef-blogger-nutritionist <nourishingmeals.com> while he is a nutrition academic researcher. Together they have also authored The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook (2008, 2014) and the website, concentrating on "whole food" recipes, including gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free dishes. Almost something for everyone. Their current book helps you to discover the foods that are making you "sick and tired", and what you can do about it through whole life nutrition. It is thorough and comprehensive, beginning with a primer on diet sensitivities, the need for whole foods, the larder, the equipment, the cooking techniques. The 100 recipes begin on page 190, and are arranged by course, from soups to desserts, beginning with smoothies, bacteria-cultured foods, whole grains, dips and sauces, snacks and beverages. All with large type, easy to use instructions, and tips/tricks. There is also a web resources listing and a listing of printed references; there's more at www.wholelifenutrition.net (recipes, courses, newsletters, blogs). For all of this to work, you must detoxify (2 days of smoothie and juices), eliminate potentially inflammatory foods over two weeks, and then reintroduce the eliminated foods over two months to see what works and what doesn't work. Recipes have been sub-categorized into detox (phase 1), elimination (phase 2), and reintroduction (phase 3). Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: those seeking a cure that might actually work.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Moroccan-spiced veggie stew; black beans and yam and avocado taco; chickpea curry with potatoes and kale; herb-roasted wild salmon; beet-fennel juice; purple veggie juice; red cabbage and berry smoothie.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

WORLD WINE WATCH (LCBO VINTAGES TIP SHEET) FOR SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

WORLD WINE WATCH (LCBO VINTAGES TIP SHEET) FOR SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^an

By DEAN TUDOR, Gothic Epicures Writing deantudor@deantudor.com. Creator of Canada's award-winning wine satire site at http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com. My Internet compendium "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 www.deantudor.com since 1994. My LCBO tastings are based on MVC (Modal Varietal Character); ratings are QPR (Quality-to-Price Ratio). Prices are LCBO retail. Only my top rated wines are here.

 

NOTE: The LCBO does NOT put out all of the wines of the release for wine writers or product consultants. Corked wines are not normally available for a re-tasting. It is getting more difficult to endorse wines under $20 for the simple reason that the LCBO does not release many of them into the Vintages program, ones that can be deemed to be worthy of your consideration. So I will now just ADD some "under $25" suggestions, along with point values.

 

 

====?>>> ** BEST WINE VALUE OF THE RELEASE *UNDER* $20

 

Alceno Premium 50 Barricas Syrah 2012 Jumilla, +398933, $13.95: a selection of 50 barrels from Jumilla wine stock, and tastes like a breezy herby syrah from the deep south of France, with plenty of black fruit and that MVC syrah flavour in spades. 14.5% ABV. QPR: 92.

 

TOP VALUE WHITE WINES under $25:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1.Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 2014, +424820, $21.95. QPR: 89.

2.Studert-Prum Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese Riesling 2009 Model, +409680, $21.95. QPR: 89.

3.G. Silva Boya Sauvignon Blanc 2014 Leyda Valley, +389726, $14.95: good intense verve in the grassiness, with a nice long crisp citric finish. Food all the way. 12.5% ABV, twist top. QPR: 89.

4.D'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier/Marsanne 2013 McLaren Vale, +662775, $19.95: tasty, with a small percentage of the viognier BF and BA in US and French oak. 13% ABV, twist top. Fruity sipper and/or first course wine. QPR: 89.

5.Domaine La Haute Fevrie Sur Lie Muscadet Sevre & Maine 2014, +390625, $13.95: Muscadet prices are holding well with this "LCBO Muscadet Release of the Month", 12% ABV, cork closure. Apple-lemon minerality. QPR: 89.

6.Vila Real Old Vines in Young Hands White 2013 Portugal, +424374, $12.95: the winery claims that this wine is from the Douro but putting that word on the label would make the wine more expensive. Really? How so? Where more expensive? LCBO is an export market, so who cares?...Nevertheless, the wine is decent entry level at 12.5% ABV with a longer fruity finish than expected, proving its "old vine" provenance. One wit said that this was a cougar wine great for sipping at parties. There is a Tinto as well, but not in Ontario yet. QPR: 88.

 

TOP VALUE RED WINES under $25:

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1.Vignamaggio Gherardino Chianti Classico 2012, +963512, $24.95. QPR: 90.

2.Olarra Clasico Reserva 2009 Rioja, +423541, $18.95: damn good price for a six year old MVC Rioja at this level, 14% ABV. Decanter Gold. QPR: 90.

3.Casa Cadaval Vinha Padre Pedro 2010 Tejo Portugal, +425256, $13.95: well-developed red fruit notes, use of 80% indigenous varieties plus 15% cabernet sauvignon and 5% merlot. 13.5% ABV. At this price a definite best buy. QPR: 89.

4.Abad Dom Bueno Mencia 2008 Bierzo, +291989, $15.95: from older vines, somewhat like a wine from Cahors with its still impenetrable stylings. Good value for its age, showing age complexity, 13.5% ABV. QPR: 90.

5.Terrulenta Schola Sarmenti Roccamora Nardo Negroamaro 2006, +379768, $16.95: robust rusticity, dense and spicy, developing nicely from hot Puglia. Very tasty, and mature (9 years old). 13.5% ABV. QPR: 89.

6.Domaine Lafage Tessellae Cotes du Roussillon Old Vines Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre 2013, +343517, $17: the label includes "grenache gris" in the listing of grapes used, I assume that would be part of the 40% grenache total content. Good tasting but dense, value priced. From old vines, 14.5% ABV. QPR: 88.

7.Sagelands Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Columbia Valley, +420810, $18.95: PNW cabbies continue to best other West Coast cabbies at this price level. Exceedingly tasty, with cabernet sauvignon as it should be (or once was?). Some muted berries and chocolate give it a Euro feel, but perhaps it may come around better at Christmas. 13.3% ABV. QPR: 89.

8.Montgras Antu Syrah 2012 Colchagua Valley, +425900, $17: almost there as a good syrah, needs more bottle age. 14.5% ABV, cork closure. QPR: 89.

9.Swartland Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2013 WO Swartland, +419648, $12.95: as a basic Euro-style bordeaux clone, this is terrific value. 14% ABV, cork closure. QPR: 89.

 

 

VALUE: "RESTAURANT READY" or "BRING YOUR OWN WINE BOTTLE" over $25 RETAIL

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Restaurants should consider offering these FINE VALUE wines at a $10 markup over retail; the wines are READY to enjoy right NOW. Consumers should buy these wines to bring to restaurants with corkage programs.

 

1.Hidden Bench Chardonnay 2013 VQA Beamsville Bench, +68817, $28.95 retail.

2.Domaine Laroche Les Vaudevey Chablis 1er Cru 2012, +416057, $38.95.

3.Paul Prieur et Fils Sancerre 2014, +350421, $26.95.

4.Chateau Haut-Logat 2010 Cru Bourgeois Haut-Medoc, +424556, $27.95.

5.Le Ferme du Mont Cotes Capelan Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2011, +78857, $80.

6.Castello di Querceto Chianti Classico Riserva 2011, +650754, $29.95.

7.Verbena Brunello di Montalcino 2009, +165126, $39.95.

8.Santa Sofia Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2008, +713669, $49.95.

9.Inspiracion Valdemar Graciano 2005 Rioja, +423525, $34.95.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

* DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! : The Tea Book (DK)

1.THE TEA BOOK (DK, 2015, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-3606-1, $22 US hard covers) is by Linda Gaylard, a Canadian certified tea sommelier. She does a lot of international writing and lecturing as well as her blog www.theteastylist.com. She explores 16 of the most important tea-growing regions after a primer section on definitions, infusions, and tisanes. Next she has about 100 recipes, divided by type of tea: green, iced, white, oolong, kombucha, black masala – 11 in all. She concludes with specific features on tea cultures around the world. It is a nice all-purpose tea book, great for new tea lovers, and perfect (and affordable) for students. Well-illustrated too. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: beginners, students.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts:

The downside to this book: could have more depth.

The upside to this book: basic text for students.

Quality/Price Rating: 90.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com