the thirsty doctor dr. neil pollock Dr. Neil Pollock is a member of the Wine Writers’ Circle of Canada; visit his website on wine at vinovancouver.com or send feedback to drneil@pollockclinics.com. He practises no-scalpel, no-needle vasectomy and infant circumcision.
test your vintage What’s your current wine IQ?
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o are you a gumshoe when it comes to grapes? A guru? Or somewhere in between? Take this quiz to find out how far you fall from the vine…and get a chance to win wine from Nagging Doubt’s first vintage in 2010. “The Pull” is a Merlot base blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet
nagging success Sincethereleaseof its first vintagein2010, the smart newBCwinery NaggingDoubt has become a producer towatch. Its proprietors Roband AbbeyWestbury havealways lovedwine—with passionas real anddeepas a merlot. Robsays hefantasizedfor years about openinga winery but knewhis dreamhadtowait for theright timetoripen. Only after it hadcontinuedtonag at him—lingeringlikethepersistenceof oak or leather onthepalate—didhecomeupwiththe planfor this concept winery. Rather thangettingits namefroma region, NaggingDoubt is namedfor theitchthat sparks thecreativeprocess. It adds thought-provoking depthtothewines, simply becausemost of us can identify withthestruggles that goalongwithany truly creativework. But now, Westbury, alongwith principal winemaker Mark Simpson, has doubts in nameonly. Aninspirationtodreamers everywhere, NaggingDoubt pairs edgy art withadventurous tastes—andis preparingfor a secondvintage. Evensuccess has not convincedWestbury toforgo his boutiquevalues for commercial expansion. For now, hewants NaggingDoubt tostay small and artisanal. Eachwinehas a unique, hand-drawn label designedby Brooklynchalkboardartist and designer DanaTanamachi. Thesemedia-savvy labels alsoincorporatea QRCode, whichcustomers canscanwitha smartphoneandthenseethe actual label beingdrawnvia a time-lapsevideo. NaggingDoubt seems destinedtobea freshforce ontheCanadianwinestage.
Franc and Malbec. It’s a rich and full wine with dark fruit notes (blackberry, black cherry, plum) and ribbons of vanilla. The “Viognier” is like a summer shower—crisp and invigorating with citrus and lychee fruit flavours. Grapes are sourced from Naramata, Oliver and the Black Sage Bench and hand-sorted and pressed by Rob and Mark.
1. Identify theFrenchgrape variety/varietals? a) Syrah b) Malvasia c) Chablis d) Roditis 2. What is theideal drinking temperaturefor whitewine? a) 2– 5degrees Celsius b) 5– 7degrees Celsius c) 7– 13degrees Celsius d) 13– 16degrees Celsius
morequickly beforeyou pour it intoindividual glasses. b) Glasses specially designed toquickentheoxidizing process. c) Stemwarethat allows gas exchange—ideal for oxidizingredwines ina fractionof thetime. d) Glass stemwarethat eliminates theneedfor swishingandswirling.
3. Whichoneof thefollowing is not part of theABCs of great Italians: a) Amarone b) Barbarella c) Brunello d) Chianti
7. Arobust Cabernet Sauvignon wouldmakeanideal accompaniment for pan-seared halibut withsweet root vegetables likeparsnipand sweet potato. a) True b) False
4. Thefollowingwine(s) hail fromTuscany: a) Bivongi b) Gigondas c) Montecarlo d) Chianti
8. Whichwine(s) is often referredtoas theKingof Wines? a) Merlot b) Barolo c) Sangiovese d) Syrah
5. Why shouldoneavoid servingwineinantiquecrystal glasses? a) They makeit hardto accurately judgethe colour of thewine. b) Antiquecrystal is made withleadsoyoucouldget poisoned! c) They aremost likely your family heirlooms and deservetherespect due tomuseumpieces. d) Antiquecrystal glasses areinferior totoday’s blown-glass models. 6. What is “breathable stemware”? a) Awinedecanter that helps your wineoxidize
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9. Odours andvapours canalter thetasteof winelayingflat in sealed-glass bottles during cellaringandshouldbe avoided. a) True b) False 10. Howcanroséwinebe made? a) Weget roséfromthe crushingof dark-skinned grapes, followedby limitedcontact between skins andjuice. b) Roséis a by-product of thered-winemaking process; thepink juice
I will personally send wine to the first three 100%-correct respondents drawn from the entire collection of respondents received before the end of March. Send your answers to feedback@inprintpublications.com (the winner and answers will be published in the next issue). Hint: There is often more than one right answer (so circle one, two, three or all of them!). is removedat anearly stageof theredwine’s fermentation. c) Theproductionof rosé wineis moresimilar to cider creationthantored or whitewineproduction. Grapes arecrushedand then“racked” inlayers for fermentation. The intensity of thecolour of pink canbecontrolled basedonlengthof timetheracks remain compressed. d) Blendredwinewith whitewine, andenjoy the pink product! 11. Whichelements shouldyou pay attentiontoduringyour initial impressionof a wine? a) Polyphenol levels, sugar b) Viscosity c) Alcohol content, tannin levels, acidity d) Residual salts 12. NameCanada’s toptwo winemakingdistricts. a) SaltspringIsland, BC b) Niagara Peninsula, ON c) Okanagan, BC d) Cypress Valley, SK 13. Whichof thefollowing materials areusedtraditionally tomakewinebarrels? a) Americanpine b) Frenchoak c) Aluminum d) Stainless steel 14. After France, whichcountry is theworld’s topproducer of wine? a) UnitedStates b) Spain c) TheNetherlands d) Italy
15. Whichcountry has experiencedthemost pronouncedwinerevolutionin thelast 20years? a) Turkey b) Chad c) Israel d) Iran 16. Inwinecircles, theOkanagan Valleyisalsoknownas: a) Eden b) BC’sOther Bud c) TheNapaof theNorth d) TheWildWest 17. Circletheflavoursoften foundinafull-bodiedredfrom Bordeaux? a) Berryandcoffee b) Leather andchocolate c) Peach d) Mint 18. Whichof thefollowingare trueof theBordeauxregion? a) Themajorityof wine producedinBordeauxis red. b) Bordeauxwhitewinesare predominantlymadefrom Rieslinggrapes. c) MedocandSauternesare twoof Bordeaux’smain districts. d) Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot andCabernet Sauvignonareimportant toaBordeauxblend. 19. Ullagereferstothespace betweenthecorkbottomand thelevel of wine. a) True b) False 20. Name4stepsinwinetasting. 1. ______________ 2. ______________ 3. ______________ 4. ______________
Just For Canadian Doctors SPRING 2012
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