WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for FEBRUARY 5, 2022
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 http://www.deantudor.com since 1994.
These notes for good wines available through LCBO Vintages (on a bi-weekly basis) can always be found at http://www.gothicepicures.blogspot.ca or at http://www.deantudor.com 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).
Currently, the wine media have no access to the tasting samples usually provided to us in the LCBO lab on a fortnightly basis. This will go on or some time. HOWEVER, the wine media will still have access to the advance spreadsheet of the wines to be released. So I know what is to be released and when. SOME (but not many) of these 100 or so biweekly released wines I have recently tasted since January 2020 or so, and I can comfortably recommend them based on this prior sampling.
** Some Recent Books about Gin that I reviewed ---
--LET THE FUN BE GIN; cocktail recipes & coasters for the happiest hours (Castle Point Books, St. Martin's Press, 2021, boards and coasters kit in book form, $24.99) is a collection of stylized 10 pop-out coasters and 10 cocktail recipes, designed to jazz any celebration with colour and with clever sayings. It's your own Algonquin Hotel (but without New York). Coasters are easy to save and to re-use. The 10 recipes include the Aviation: citric tones, herbaceousness, floral notes. Full instructions given!
--THE MARTINI; perfection in a glass (Artisan, 2021, 150 pages, $22.65 hardbound) is by Matt Hranek, who also wrote the definitive THE NEGRONI. It's a great basic guide, covering gin, vermouth, bitters, garnish – and even vodka (if need be). All the gin preps here can easily become vodka preps. It all depends on how much juniper-forward tastes you would enjoy. There's a cultural history of the drink, barware and glassware, various techniques (stirred, shaken, et al), and a whole pile of over 30 variations to try out. The martini is the consummate cocktail: writers, actors, politicians. You could start with the Martinez from 1849, but it's a lot sweeter since it uses sweet vermouth. It's more like a gin Manhattan without the bourbon. The concluding section has a listing of appropriate snacks, an espresso martini, and a listing of global places to savour this drink.
--NEGRONI (Ryland Peters & Small, 2021, 64 pages, $13.85 hardbound) is by David T. Smith and Keli Rivers. Here are more than 30 classic and modern recipes for Italy's iconic cocktail. Variations make use of dry and aged vermouths, along with ports and sherries and white bitters. One for the cocktail friends. Quality/Price rating: 90.
--THE NEGRONI; a love affair with a classic cocktail (Artisan, 2021, 160 pages, $22.95 hardbound) is by Matt Hranek, who has done major research in this area. The Negroni is a great Euro-cocktail with its botanicals from the bitters, the vermouth, and the gin. The best ones have a balance of bitter and sweet. This current book comes well-endorsed by Chef Michael Ruhlman: "This is one of the best books devoted to a single cocktail I've read." Hranek begins with the components of Italian bitters (I think Campari has a stranglehold here), moving on to Italian red vermouth (Antica Formula Carpano or Punt e mes) and then gin. Garnishes, ice, and equipment come next, followed by 31 recipes for the drink and 11 food snacks. Terrific illustrations, mostly posters. He's even got a list of the best places in Europe to enjoy the Negroni! Quality/Price Rating: 93
--STRANGER GINS; 50 things to drink while you watch TV (Dog 'n' Bone, 2021, 64 pages, $13.99 hardbound) has been compiled by Carol Hilker, a Chicago-based food writer. All of the shows are "series" and include old and new. Thus, there's Twin Peaks (recommended drink: Jacoby's Coconut). Fleabag (Hot Priest), Mad Men (Dirty Don Martini), and Seinfeld (Festivus)...But no Sopranos. She's got recipes and reasons for each show. PS: I'm not ashamed to admit having seen all of these shows but drinking just wine when I watched them. Quality/Price Rating:87
** Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these are good value...on sale January 31 through Sunday February 27 --
[red] +499384 Kacaba Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 2020 VQA Niagara Peninsula, LCBO & Grocery: normally $15.95, now $13.95, save $2.
[rose][fizz] +20995 BOTTEGA PROSECCO ROSE DOC SPUMANTE BRUT, VENETO: normally $17.65, now $15.65, save $2.
[white] +11452 Willm Réserve Riesling Alsace: normally $19.95, now $17.95, save $2.
Major Theme for Feb 5/22 – ARGENTINA
Wines Under $20
=========
W+492462 PELEE ISLAND WINERY VINEDRESSER CHARDONNAY VQA South Islands, Lake Erie North Shore 2017 $17.95
R+128629 LUIGI BOSCA CABERNET SAUVIGNON Mendoza 2019 $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89
R+273672 STORIA ANTICA SUPERIORE VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO DOC 2019 $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89
Wines Over $20
=========
Fizz+21172 GRUET BRUT SPARKLING Traditional method, New Mexico $26.95 MVC/QPR: 89
W+565861 CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES VIDAL ICEWINE VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario $28.95 MVC/QPR: 89
W+238642 INNISKILLIN MONTAGUE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY Single vineyard, VQA Four Mile Creek, Niagara-on-the-Lake 2019 $25.95 MVC/QPR: 89
R+317008 VERSADO MALBEC Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 2017 $24.95 MVC/QPR: 89
R+316984 VERSADO ANCIENT RESERVA MALBEC Mendoza 2014 $58.95 MVC/QPR: 89
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 http://www.deantudor.com since 1994.
These notes for good wines available through LCBO Vintages (on a bi-weekly basis) can always be found at http://www.gothicepicures.blogspot.ca or at http://www.deantudor.com 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).
Currently, the wine media have no access to the tasting samples usually provided to us in the LCBO lab on a fortnightly basis. This will go on or some time. HOWEVER, the wine media will still have access to the advance spreadsheet of the wines to be released. So I know what is to be released and when. SOME (but not many) of these 100 or so biweekly released wines I have recently tasted since January 2020 or so, and I can comfortably recommend them based on this prior sampling.
** Some Recent Books about Gin that I reviewed ---
--LET THE FUN BE GIN; cocktail recipes & coasters for the happiest hours (Castle Point Books, St. Martin's Press, 2021, boards and coasters kit in book form, $24.99) is a collection of stylized 10 pop-out coasters and 10 cocktail recipes, designed to jazz any celebration with colour and with clever sayings. It's your own Algonquin Hotel (but without New York). Coasters are easy to save and to re-use. The 10 recipes include the Aviation: citric tones, herbaceousness, floral notes. Full instructions given!
--THE MARTINI; perfection in a glass (Artisan, 2021, 150 pages, $22.65 hardbound) is by Matt Hranek, who also wrote the definitive THE NEGRONI. It's a great basic guide, covering gin, vermouth, bitters, garnish – and even vodka (if need be). All the gin preps here can easily become vodka preps. It all depends on how much juniper-forward tastes you would enjoy. There's a cultural history of the drink, barware and glassware, various techniques (stirred, shaken, et al), and a whole pile of over 30 variations to try out. The martini is the consummate cocktail: writers, actors, politicians. You could start with the Martinez from 1849, but it's a lot sweeter since it uses sweet vermouth. It's more like a gin Manhattan without the bourbon. The concluding section has a listing of appropriate snacks, an espresso martini, and a listing of global places to savour this drink.
--NEGRONI (Ryland Peters & Small, 2021, 64 pages, $13.85 hardbound) is by David T. Smith and Keli Rivers. Here are more than 30 classic and modern recipes for Italy's iconic cocktail. Variations make use of dry and aged vermouths, along with ports and sherries and white bitters. One for the cocktail friends. Quality/Price rating: 90.
--THE NEGRONI; a love affair with a classic cocktail (Artisan, 2021, 160 pages, $22.95 hardbound) is by Matt Hranek, who has done major research in this area. The Negroni is a great Euro-cocktail with its botanicals from the bitters, the vermouth, and the gin. The best ones have a balance of bitter and sweet. This current book comes well-endorsed by Chef Michael Ruhlman: "This is one of the best books devoted to a single cocktail I've read." Hranek begins with the components of Italian bitters (I think Campari has a stranglehold here), moving on to Italian red vermouth (Antica Formula Carpano or Punt e mes) and then gin. Garnishes, ice, and equipment come next, followed by 31 recipes for the drink and 11 food snacks. Terrific illustrations, mostly posters. He's even got a list of the best places in Europe to enjoy the Negroni! Quality/Price Rating: 93
--STRANGER GINS; 50 things to drink while you watch TV (Dog 'n' Bone, 2021, 64 pages, $13.99 hardbound) has been compiled by Carol Hilker, a Chicago-based food writer. All of the shows are "series" and include old and new. Thus, there's Twin Peaks (recommended drink: Jacoby's Coconut). Fleabag (Hot Priest), Mad Men (Dirty Don Martini), and Seinfeld (Festivus)...But no Sopranos. She's got recipes and reasons for each show. PS: I'm not ashamed to admit having seen all of these shows but drinking just wine when I watched them. Quality/Price Rating:87
** Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these are good value...on sale January 31 through Sunday February 27 --
[red] +499384 Kacaba Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 2020 VQA Niagara Peninsula, LCBO & Grocery: normally $15.95, now $13.95, save $2.
[rose][fizz] +20995 BOTTEGA PROSECCO ROSE DOC SPUMANTE BRUT, VENETO: normally $17.65, now $15.65, save $2.
[white] +11452 Willm Réserve Riesling Alsace: normally $19.95, now $17.95, save $2.
Major Theme for Feb 5/22 – ARGENTINA
Wines Under $20
=========
W+492462 PELEE ISLAND WINERY VINEDRESSER CHARDONNAY VQA South Islands, Lake Erie North Shore 2017 $17.95
R+128629 LUIGI BOSCA CABERNET SAUVIGNON Mendoza 2019 $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89
R+273672 STORIA ANTICA SUPERIORE VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO DOC 2019 $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89
Wines Over $20
=========
Fizz+21172 GRUET BRUT SPARKLING Traditional method, New Mexico $26.95 MVC/QPR: 89
W+565861 CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES VIDAL ICEWINE VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario $28.95 MVC/QPR: 89
W+238642 INNISKILLIN MONTAGUE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY Single vineyard, VQA Four Mile Creek, Niagara-on-the-Lake 2019 $25.95 MVC/QPR: 89
R+317008 VERSADO MALBEC Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 2017 $24.95 MVC/QPR: 89
R+316984 VERSADO ANCIENT RESERVA MALBEC Mendoza 2014 $58.95 MVC/QPR: 89
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