Quench February/March 2016

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welcome home

QUENCH MAGAZINE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 THE CRADLE × 22 IS THE COUNTRY OF GEORGIA TRULY THE MOTHERLAND OF WINE? BY LISA HOEKSTRA FOUR OF A KIND × 24 VISITING THE LESS KNOWN REGIONS OF THE RHÔNE. BY EVAN SAVIOLIDIS SO FAMILIAR × 27 NAVIGATING THE ROUGH TERRAIN OF SPAIN’S RIBERA DEL DUERO BY MICHAEL PINKUS NEW HAVANA × 30 REDISCOVERING THE GOODIES OF CUBA.

BY TOD STEWART

24 34

SNACK TO THE FUTURE × 34 TIRED OF RAMEN? THREE LESS COMMON, YET EQUALLY DELICIOUS, ASIAN DISHES WE PREDICT WILL BE THE NEXT BIG THING. BY SILVANA LAU ALL THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL × 38 CANADIAN WINEMAKERS CREATE SOMETHING THAT IS, WELL, BEAUTIFULLY AND WONDROUSLY WEIRD. BY RICK VANSICKLE DON’T HAVE YOUR CAKE × 42 YOU MAY BE TIRED OF ALL THOSE CAKES. THESE THREE RECIPES PUSH THE ENVELOPE, MAKING DESSERT MORE THAN JUST A POUND CAKE AFFAIR. RÉCOLTANT MANIPULANTS × 46 REDEFINING GROWER CHAMPAGNES.

BY ROGER TORRIERO

DEPARTMENTS A MONKEY KIND OF YEAR × 48 CELEBRATING CHINESE NEW YEAR IN STYLE.

BY NANCY JOHNSON CARVING OUT ITS PLACE × 50 WITHOUT CHALK, THERE WOULD BE NO CHAMPAGNE. BY SARAH PARNIAK NOTED × 51 EXPERTLY-TASTED BUYING GUIDE FOR WINES, BEERS, CIDERS AND SPIRITS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

IT’S A MUST INDEED × 64 WHETHER YOU ARE A NOVICE OR AN EXPERIENCED WINE PROFESSIONAL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WINE BOOKS THAT CAN ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. BY GURVINDER BHATIA A TRIP FOR WINELOVERS × 66 IF YOU LOVE WINE AND YOU WANT TO VISIT MONTREAL, TAKE MY ADVICE AND GO IN NOVEMBER. BY TONY ASPLER

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 3

@quench_mag Follow, like and connect with us online.

Really enjoyed your entertaining and informative article on the Island Malts, in the December 2015 issue. Brought back happy memories of travels and embibbing in Scotland. Humor always makes an article that much better.

Matthew Garrey, email Saw your note about Q School in the App Store in the December issue and thought I’d check it out. The “Things for New Year’s Eve” issue gave me some great ideas for my New Year’s party. I’m looking forward to trying out a few of the recipes (easily consulting the app on my iPad) and reading more issues in the future.

Isabel Davies, email

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join us in the conversation

Enjoyed reading Bhatia’s article “The Judgment of BC”. Syrah is, and I suspect always will be, my favourite varietal. I used the results of the international tasting as a checklist of sorts to taste my way through during December. It was an experience, to say the least! I was pleasantly surprised by the BC Syrahs — it’s a wonder, when you think about how young Canada still is as a winemaking country. Keep giving the great reviews and award lists … I need some new wines to try.

Ruben Sinclair, Manitoba

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WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WALKED INTO A GROCERY STORE AND REALLY LOOKED AROUND. I MEAN TRULY LOOKED AROUND. Not

just trying to spot the items on your list, but absorbing everything around you. I’ll hazard a guess that it was a long time ago, if ever.

The larger grocery stores have become a playground.

They are making tasty prêt-à-manger dishes you can

4 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

easily reheat. The cornucopia of ethnic produce abounds. I’ve never before seen so many mixes and spices from as far afield as Spain, Thailand and India. I walk in, spread out my arms and take it all in on a weekly basis.

So what happens after the store manager politely nudges me out of the way of rushing customers? Well, I rush myself. I run up and down aisles, hunting and pecking for all that I need. If my kids are with me, it’s 10 times worse.

Let’s not forget that the grocery store is the centre of the culinary universe for most of us. If we don’t lift our heads, we’ll miss stacks upon stacks of new items being added each week. Deep colours and uplifting aromas. It’s the type of thing that brings a smile to my face.

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consulting business and planting the first of the four vineyards that make up Boas Quintas.

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CONTRIBUTORS Sean Wood is a regular contributor and the east cost taster for Quench. He travels extensively to report on developments in wine regions throughout the world. A founding member of the Association of Sommeliers of the Atlantic Provinces, he frequently serves as a wine judge for various competitions. Visit his new site: www.woodonwine.com.

Food editor Nancy Johnson logged 30 years in the music industry before segueing into writing about food, wine and life. She never turns down a glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Or any other wine for that matter.

Wine editor Gurvinder Bhatia left a career practising law to pursue his passion for wine and food. He is also the wine columnist for the Edmonton Journal and Global TV Edmonton.

www.quench.me Editor-in-chief

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Tony Aspler, Peter Rockwell, Tom de Larzac, Christine Sismondo, Katia Jean Paul

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À LA CARTE Q SCHOOL × 10 IF THE SAME OLD DOUGHNUTS DON’T FLOAT YOUR BOAT, TRY ONE OF THESE DEEP-FRIED TREATS FROM FAR AFIELD. GOOD FOOD BY NANCY JOHNSON × 13 SHOW THEM YOUR LOVE WITH A ROAST. UMAMI BY KATIA JEAN PAUL × 14 WELCOME TO BEARING OLSON’S KEENAWAII’S KITCHEN. THE PROFILE BY TOD STEWART × 17 THE VOLUME IN RESTAURANTS HAS GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL. IT STOPS HERE. FEED BY TOM DE LARZAC × 18 MY SON HELPED ME MAKE A CHICKEN POT PIE. I’VE NEVER BEEN PROUDER OF HIM. LAZY MIXOLOGIST

BY CHRISTINE SISMONDO × 19 A PINCH OF SALT CAN MAKE A COCKTAIL POP. MUST TRY × 20 MAKING HUNGARIAN DESSERT DUMPLINGS. BON VIVANT BY PETER ROCKWELL × 21 WHAT ARE BRETTANOMYCES?

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 9

Q SCHOOL

DEEP-FRIED

If the same old doughnuts don’t float your boat, try one of these deep-fried treats from far afield.

FÁNK (HUNGARY)

LIHAPIIRAKKA (FINLAND)

A sweet doughnut made from the usual ingredients with one addition: rum. Yes, rum. The final result is an extremely light pastry delicious with powdered sugar and lekvár, a thick Hungarian jam.

The dough is similar to your average doughnut, but instead of jam, it has a minced meat and rice filling. There are three variations: möttönen, a large version; vety, with ham and egg; and atomi, with either ham or egg (not both).

KNIEKÜCHLE (GERMANY)

MEKITSAS (BULGARIA)

Aka “knee fritters.” Legend says bakers stretched the dough over their knees to read love letters while they worked. A bit like a ringed doughnut with a webbed middle, the knieküchle is served with powdered sugar and, in Austria, apricot marmalade.

Made with yogurt; after the dough has risen, it’s torn into small pieces, spread into circles and fried in fat. Served with jam, white cheese, honey, yogurt or powdered with icing sugar, they’re enjoyed at breakfast.

KOEKSISTER (SOUTH AFRICA)

OLIEBOLLEN (NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM)

Koeksisters are made by plaiting two rolls of dough together, deep-frying it and dipping it in cold sugar syrup.

Koe’sisters, a slight variation made primarily in Cape Malay, contains cinnamon, aniseed, cardamom and ginger, and is rolled in dried coconut.

A traditional New Year’s Eve dish in the Netherlands and Belgium, these little spheres include raisins, sultanas, currants, apple slices or candied fruit. “Oliebollen” (Dutch) translates to “oil sphere” and “smoutebollen” (Belgian) means “lard balls”; the former is fried in vegetable oil while the latter is fried in animal fat.

KUIH KERIA (MALAYSIA)

PICARONES (PERU)

These little delights are sold at street vendors in Malaysia and eaten for breakfast or tea. What makes it unique is the sweet potato base and lack of yeast. The dough is formed into rings that are fried and dipped in sugar syrup or rolled in granulated sugar. Yum!

This recipe developed when Peruvians replaced the more expensive ingredients in buñuelos with squash or sweet potato. The dough is formed and fried, covered with chancaca (solidified molasses) and served with anticuchos.

SEL ROTI (NEPAL) This sweet, ring-shaped, rice-based doughnut is made during the Hindu festival Tihar. Its ingredients include rice flour, milk, water, sugar, butter, cardamom, cloves and bananas. It’s poured in a ring over homemade shortening or oil and cooked until light brown on both sides.

10 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

VADA (INDIA) The underlying trait of the many vada variations is a light, fluffy centre encased in a crispy deep-fried skin. Made with black gram (lentils) or Bengal gram (chickpeas), cumin seeds, onion, curry leaves, salt, chilies, black pepper grains or ginger. Vada is most commonly seen on breakfast tables or at Hindu festivals adorning the neck of Hanuman. ×

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GOOD FOOD BY NANCY JOHNSON

ROAST BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH CABERNET SAUVIGNON SAUCE

This is an elegant main dish that serves 4 to 6, depending on guests’ appetites. Leftover beef can be thinly sliced and served cold on sourdough or Italian bread with a horseradish cream — to make cream, mix prepared horseradish to taste with sour cream.

1 center-cut beef tenderloin roast, room temperature

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 tbsp cold butter

5 large shallots, thinly sliced 3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 cup beef broth Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1. Preheat oven to 450˚F. 2. Rub roast with 1 tbsp olive oil and transfer to

The most special day of the year VALENTINE’S DAY IS A DAY OF SPECIALS. Special

gifts. Special flowers. Special moments. For me, it’s a way to show my family how much I love them by making this special beef tenderloin roast. It’s even better if I can get the roast at the supermarket on special.

Although beef tenderloin can be pricey, buy the whole beef tenderloin and you’ll get a roast beef dinner plus benefits — a whole, trimmed beef tenderloin should yield a 3- to 3 1/2-pound centre-cut roast, plus a couple thick filet mignons for you and a friend, and either beef tips or ground meat or both, depending on the tenderloin’s size.

× Search through our huge library of recipes on quench.me/recipes/

roasting pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Roast, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 30 to 40 minutes. If a richly browned crust is desired, roast can be removed from oven and seared in a skillet on medium-high heat in hot butter and olive oil until golden brown on all sides. Wrap roast in foil and let rest for 15 minutes. This step allows the juices to redistribute throughout the roast.

4. Make the Cabernet Sauvignon sauce: In large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter and remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened and golden, about 10 minutes. Add Cabernet Sauvignon and thyme sprig.

5. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth and boil until sauce is reduced to 1 cup, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Remove thyme sprig.

Cut remaining 2 tbsp butter into small cubes. Whisk in butter, a cube at a time, to melt.

6. Unwrap roast and stir any accumulated juices into Cabernet Sauvignon sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Slice meat and serve with sauce.

MATCH: A Cabernet Sauvignon or a Médoc would work well here. × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 13

UMAMI BY KATIA JEAN PAUL

Haalaga taaw …

“THAT’S HAIDA FOR ‘COME EAT’,” ROBERTA OLSON TELLS ME OVER THE PHONE FROM HER WATERFRONT HOME IN SKIDEGATE, BRITISH COLUMBIA. For more than

20 years, she has extended this invitation to locals as well as tourists, travelling foodies and dignitaries passing through the placid island of Haida Gwaii, home of the Haida nation — hosting as many as 30 hungry patrons at a time in her home with the help of her children and grandchildren. Bearing Olson’s Haida name, Keenawaii’s Kitchen has acquired a stellar reputation for its traditional cuisine, unique atmosphere and breathtaking ocean view, flanked by original Haida art adorning the walls.

Though the self-taught native chef says she never once envisioned that her living room would one day become a culinary hallmark people from all over the word would flock to.

“Tour operators came to ask me if I’d be interested in feeding tourists some local food because everyone kind of knows I like cooking,” remembers Olson. “My home turned into a private dining room. I had to move all my furniture out and move tables and chairs in.

“It was mostly word of mouth to start. My first few years were quite quiet and just people that I knew. And as time went on, with the [Internet], it just evolved from there. It’s still my ordinary house, just with a bunch of tables and chairs that I set up as need be.”

14 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

These chairs have seated everyone, from famed activist David Suzuki to Crown Princess Masako of Japan, around a generous multi-course Haida feast. Following, “Creator for the food, and for you, I thank you,” a traditional prayer — and traditional Haida songs, if any of the young people serving feel so inclined — Olson likes to whet the appetite with all manner of dried foods; think k’aaw (dried herring roe on kelp), sguu (dried seaweed) and gilgii (dried salmon).

The main course includes spring salmon, halibut soup, ling cod and venison with wild cranberries, among other delicacies. For dessert: homemade rhubarb-berry pie with wild nettle, mint or rosehip tea. All locally sourced and handpicked by Olson, a food gatherer like her parents before her. The wild fish and game on offer may differ depending on the season, but no matter the time of year, it’s never long before complete strangers commingle like old friends around Olson’s dinner table.

“Food lifts the spirit,” says Olson, something she first witnessed during the 1985 Lyell Island blockade, where Haida, including elders, stood before a logging road in protest of logging practices, and called for environmental sustainability and Aboriginal rights.

“I went down in the wilderness to cook for everybody that was fighting, blockading and stopping logging. It was stressful.

Elders were getting arrested, and everybody, held off. And people were in tears. So I’d hurry to the little cookhouse we had and start making fry bread, anything. And that was the start of me realizing I had the gift to make people happy with food.”

In addition to happy patrons in Haida Gwaii, Olson has introduced traditional Haida cuisine to epicures farther afield, at panel discussions and fundraisers at the James Beard Foundation and the American Museum of National History in New York City, among other locales, garnering even more devotees in the process.

Though she admits she never measures anything, Olson would love to eventually write a cookbook. When the time comes, she has decided, fittingly, that much like her and in the spirit of Keenawaii’s Kitchen, she’ll simply advise home cooks to eschew the rules and “go by taste.” ×

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THE PROFILE BY TOD STEWART

TURN IT DOWN

Me: (shouting) “Let’s get out of here.”

Friend: (sitting directly in front of me, straining) “What?”

Me: (pointing to the door; shouting louder) “Out. Of. Here!”

Friend: (looking towards door, shrugging, shouting back) “Who is?”

Me: (shaking head; pointing at myself, then friend, then making a two-fingered walking gesture, then pointing again at the door; practically screaming) “Out!” Friend: (shrugging, pulls out smart phone, responds via text message) “What are you trying to say?”

Me: (returning text message) “Can we get out of here before I go deaf?”

It’s a fictitious scenario ... sort of. While I’ve yet to resort to texting a friend in order to breach the cacophony experienced in some restaurants lately, I can actually envision the day it happens.

What the hell is going on? What ever happened to the old “romantic dinner?” Or if not romantic, at least personable. You know, where you could actually engage in level-voiced conversation over some decent grub and a few glasses? More and more these days I find myself leaving restaurants with a combination of laryngitis and tinnitus.

Admittedly, the situation is worse in newer (or refurbished) eateries for a variety of reasons. The trend towards minimalist design means that traditional sound-sucking things like booths, carpeting, curtains and even tablecloths are being nixed. Open kitchens, high ceilings, sound-reflective chrome/steel/glass furniture and, increasingly, rock music (or even DJs), are helping to blur the line between fine dining and clubbing. In fact, some restos have deliberately combined elements of both types of venues. If you’re one who thinks a “gastro-pub” is a bit of a joke, you’ll no doubt be equally jazzed by these new “gastro-clubs.” If anything, they give new meaning to the term “high volume restaurant.”

Defenders of establishments that serve red meat with a side order of white noise often cite the age of the diner as the reason for racket complaints. Sure, as people age their ability to hear sounds in the upper register starts to fade. The result is that sound in general becomes unbalanced, both emphasizing the bottom end and making hearing speech harder. Background hubbub and low bass frequencies become much more apparent — and annoying — to older folk. Anyone (of any age) who’s been treated to the somnolent lulling of a car stereo’s 300-watt subwoofer at 2 am will have experienced the sanity-stripping quality of omnidirectional thudding. Apparently, there’s an evolutionary reason why low-frequency noise tends to be so distressing: Primitive man’s gravest fears were often heralded by bass notes like a lion’s roar, an erupting volcano or electronic dance music.

The other “positive” linked to negative pressure waves has to do with “energy.” Some restaurateurs prefer to up the volume to bring more “energy” to the establishment. Really?

Do we really want “energy” while trying to wind down over dinner? I mean, how much “energy” do we need to eat things that are, for the most part, already dead? It’s not like we have to chase and catch a prepared meal.

In any case, it’s unlikely that the trend towards high-decibel dining will be muted anytime soon. So what’s one who doesn’t want to come home from dinner feeling like they just came back from the third row of an AC/DC concert to do?

Well, putting in a call to the restaurant would be a good start.

Ask them what the level of “energy” is like and choose accordingly.

You could also check out the establishment’s website photo gallery.

Look at the layout and décor to see how minimalist (loud) it looks.

Try going out on any night but Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Once in the restaurant, look for seats in nooks, alcoves or booths.

Avoid sitting near the bar area or kitchen, if possible. Stay away from large groups and, if music is the issue, don’t be shy about telling the manager to crank it down. If all else fails, leave. Or text. × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 17

FEED BY TOM DE LARZAC

CHICKEN POT PIE

Proud papa I may not remember the first time I ever made this dish, but I will always remember this specific moment. That was the time my son helped me make it. He seemed interested in the whole process, and I couldn’t have been prouder.

At three years old, he’s interested in being in the kitchen — whether it be helping crack eggs, making his own pancakes (admittedly the “just add water” kind), or sprinkling salt where necessary. This time, though, he helped throughout.

He helped me peel the veggies, chop the carrots (or at least watched with intent) and helped add all the other ingredients.

Then the fun began: we made homemade biscuits together. He got to play with flour, get his hands dirty and for once, did not get in trouble for making a mess. He even got to make random shapes with some of the biscuits. Placing the biscuits on top of the pies was fun for him as well, a game of hide-and-seek with his food. When served, it created a presentation piece that everyone was excited to dive into.

It was a sight any parent would be proud of, and having my son interested in food — real food — and from a young age is something that will hopefully carry through till he becomes a parent.

I think that teaching kids where their food comes from, what real food looks and smells like, and how it should taste is truly important. Showing them that food is not always processed, that there are seasonal vegetables and fruit, will hopefully make them more conscious of what they eat, and ultimately healthier as they grow up.

18 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

2 tbsp oil 2 large carrots, diced 2 onions, diced 2 celery stalks 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups chicken stock 1 lb chicken thighs (each cut into 4 pieces) Salt and pepper, to taste 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch

1 can sweet peas, drained and rinsed

1 frozen puff pastry, thawed, cut slightly larger than bowl

1 tbsp thyme 1. Pre-heat medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add oil, carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes.

2. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add chicken and thyme. Turn down to medium heat when stock returns to a boil.

Cook for 1 hour.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste (approximately 1 tbsp each).

4. Mix corn starch with equal amount of cold water for slurry. Add slurry to pot and stir to thicken. Add peas. Cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Preheat oven as specified in puff pastry directions.

6. Divide chicken mixture into oven-proof bowls and fill to within 1/2 inch of top.

7. Cover each bowl with puff pastry and press gently around rim. Pierce the puff pastry in the middle to allow steam to escape. Place in oven and bake as directed or until golden brown. (Caution: mixture will be very hot.)

MATCH: Something light is in order.

A slightly oaked Chardonnay or a Sancerre is ideal. ×

LAZY MIXOLOGIST BY CHRISTINE SISMONDO

IN A PINCH

PEOPLE OFTEN SAY THAT COCKTAIL BITTERS ARE “THE SALT AND PEPPER OF THE COCKTAIL WORLD.” Al-

though now bordering on cliché, it’s a nice shorthand introduction to the way they are used. But if we use bitters in place of salt in the modern cocktail world, where does that leave actual salt?

Well, take a gander at the mise en place at the average cocktail bar and you’ll see that there’s plenty of room for bitters these days — but none for poor salt. And that’s a real problem, since, even though it’s left off the ingredient list in a lot of recipes, salt is an important component of cocktail culture. Those that are at the top of their game will tell you that salt is, in fact, a veritable secret weapon. Why? Because salt can be used to beat down bitter and dial up the sweet. It brightens up and enhances depth of flavour. It can transform a sour from flat to fabulous.

It’s not just sours, either. Nick Kennedy, owner of Toronto’s Civil Liberties, argues that the vast majority of cocktails are hoisted up a notch with a pinch of salt.

“I was inspired to use salt more regularly after I read Neurogastronomy and Liquid Intelligence,” explains Kennedy, recalling the work of Gordon M Shepherd and Dave Arnold, respectively. “There are two main theories to explain why salt makes things taste better. First, there’s water activity, which salt reduces, letting you taste the flavour more intensely. The second is that, for bitter drinks, it blocks out bitter, leaving more room to taste the other aromatics.”

Kennedy is one of many bartenders driven by a fascination with the science of flavour perception, an obsession he comes

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by honestly, given his educational background — studying neuroscience at the undergraduate level. But as much as he loves the theory, he’s happiest when performing hands-on and as such, on quiet nights, Kennedy’s bar is often transformed into a makeshift lab. His nightly experiments have helped him develop some guidelines for the use of salt; he uses it to enhance the flavour of three different types of drinks — namely, dessert drinks, sours and seriously bitter drinks that could use a slightly less sharp edge.

“I love to play around with it in straight shots of bitter amaro digestivo and aperitivo shots,” he says. “When you add a little salt, you can really taste the orange in Campari and the herbal complexity of Fernet, not just the bitter.”

Kennedy recommends testing salt’s effects in a Bitter Giuseppe, a drink invented at Cure, an award-winning cocktail bar in New Orleans that has managed to make its way to Toronto, where it’s a hit with the cocktail community. Try it both ways and see what a difference salt makes.

BITTER GIUSEPPE

2 oz Cynar 1 oz sweet vermouth 2 small dashes of salt

Combine ingredients in rocks glass over ice. Add 10 drops lemon juice and stir. Garnish with lemon twist. × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 19

MUST TRY

SWEET, SWEET DUMPLINGS

Almost every region in the world has some sort of a dumpling (see page 34).

Ususally meat, sometimes vegetables, stuffed in a dough. But rarely do we see a dumpling for dessert. So we went looking for a sweet representation of these wrapped delights and we found it in Hungary, of all places.

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COTTAGE CHEESE DUMPLINGS 3 1/2 cups cottage cheese 2/3 cups flour Salt

4 eggs (separated) 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

4 tbsp butter 1. Push the cottage cheese through a sieve to help soften it. Add salt, flour and egg yolks. Mix all the ingredients together. Fold in beaten egg whites.

Allow the mixture to rest for an hour.

2. Put water in a large saucepan to boil (about 12 dumplings should be able to fit). Add a pinch of salt. Wet your hands and start to form one dumpling that’s about 4 to 5 cm in diameter. Set the rest of the dough aside.

3. Cook the single dumpling in boiling water until it comes to the surface (about 10 to 15 minutes). If the dumpling starts to fall apart or is too soft then add a little bit more flour to your dough; if it becomes too hard, add some more cottage cheese.

4. Keep testing till you get a the right consistency (like a pound cake).

Once you are ready, form the rest of the dumplings and cook them. Place the dumplings into a metal colander to help drain them.

5. When you are done melt the butter and lightly brown the breadcrumbs.

When you are ready to serve, add to the top of the dumplings.

MATCH: You can open that bottle of Tokaji you’ve been covetting or a simple southern hemisphere late harvest will do. ×

BON VIVANT BY PETER ROCKWELL

What are Brettanomyces?

While it may be a mouthful, it’s actually your nose that knows brettanomyces — more commonly referred to by the seemingly innocuous nickname brett. If you’ve ever stuck your snoot into a wine glass and breathed in an aroma that reminded you of walking into a Montreal deli, you’ve experienced brett. Same goes if you’ve ever noticed the medicinal smell of an adhesive bandage and the funk of a barnyard, wet leather or cheese — all are typical aromatic characteristics that can reveal themselves in brett-influenced juice.

Brettanomyces is a yeast with three distinctive components that determine which stink gets stunk. It most commonly affects red wines, but not exclusively, and is typically introduced to a winery by insects, through the use of infected barrels or by hiding on the grapes themselves.

Though many wine fans see brett as a negative, there’s an equal amount (including yours truly) that find some of its attributes (especially its leathery and more organically prominent expressions) appealing. In fact, many winemakers (arguably in a bit of brett denial) insist their eclectic aromas come from their individual terroir rather than from brettanomyces.

ILLUSTRATION: MATT DALEY/SHINYPLIERS.COM

Should I double-decant my wine?

Unless you’ve got a gaggle of freshly minted super-premium red wines burning a hole in your cellar that you want to serve with the flare of a Parisian sommelier, it’s something you’ll probably never have to do.

Plain old decanting is performed for a couple of reasons: (A) it allows you to add some age to a younger wine by exposing every drop of its volume to air which will start massaging out its aggressive tendencies, and (B) it lets you weed out any sediment that might have built up in a wine that’s been around for a while, or saw little to no filtration during conception.

Some argue that decanting robs a wine of a portion of its personality, insistent that no wine should be drunk before its time and any chunky monkeys at that bottom of a bottle can easily be left behind through proper pouring.

Winemakers in Italy’s Piedmont region agree. Last time I was there, my dinner partners

× Ask your questions at bonvivant@quench.me

at a swanky local resto looked at me like I was trying to open a screwcap with a corkscrew when I asked if they were going to decant the musclebound Barolos we were about to wrap our palates around. “Do you see any decanters around here?,” one particularly snooty member of my group asked me.

Now that we agree on what decanting is, why do it twice?

Well, it’s really all about the presentation. No matter how fancy a decanter you might have, it will never garner the same level of oohs and ahhs from your drink mates like a wine poured from its original receptacle. (Not to mention that transferring liquid from a decanter takes a steady hand, and possibly a full roll of paper towel, to perform cleanly).

With your juice aerating in the decanter, grab a funnel and pour some water into the empty bottle. Give the bottle a good shake and a swirl to make sure any guck inside has been cleaned up, then dump out the water. Now pour a splash of wine into the bottle and roll that around to “season” its insides. Trash that, and refill the bottle from the decanter.

Your wine has now been double-decanted. Any sediment is gone, the wine has been exposed to the elements two times and your friends can now drink in the beauty (and by that I mean pedigree) of the label as you serve. ×

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 21

THE CRADLE

by Lisa Hoekstra

I have a place on my “must visit” list that many people don’t even know exists. It’s beautiful, (or so I’m told) surrounded by mountains and filled with smiling, happy people that will embrace you as a friend as soon as you leave the plane. This place is called Georgia … And no, I’m not referring to the Georgia found among our neighbours to the south. The Georgia that I want to visit is the country, and I found out about it from a man on a train.

He was my seat partner during a recent trip from Montreal to Toronto. This man, whose name I unfortunately forget, shared stories of his travels around the world (and then some). Of all the places he told me about, it was his story of visiting Georgia that stuck with me. He described this small country in the South Caucasus, squashed between Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Black Sea, as beautiful without comparison; the people there will accept you as family but if you betray them, will consider you an enemy until the end of days; the churches are really, really, really old and the wine is fantastic.

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Being the naturally curious person I am, I started to research. Turns out to have been voted one of the top 10 most interesting wine regions to visit according to the Lonely Planet book Wine Trails (specifically Kakheti, Georgia, if you’re interested). This buzz is partly due to the fact that Georgia is among the oldest wine producing regions in the world. They are very proud of this fact and, in 2012, the EU registered the slogan “Cradle of Wine” as exclusive for Georgia’s use. This slogan is everywhere on their bottles. According to the website Hvino, a news site founded in 2010 to help spread the world

on Georgian wine, the registered community trade mark (CTM) was an official trademark of the British company “Cradle of Wine Limited” up until their registration expired on January 26, 2010.

“Cradle of Wine has been used … since grape pips dating back to 6,000 BC were found during an archaeological mission in Georgia,” says Georgie Apkhazava, Marketing Manager of the Georgian Wine Association, an association founded in 2010 by wine producers to give them a voice on national and international markets.

These grape pips form the basis of Georgia’s claim to be the oldest wine making

country in the world. Archaeological evidence — silver, gold and bronze artifacts dating back to the third and second millennia BC found in Georgia have pictures and imprints of vines, grape clusters, leaves and other winemaking symbols — supports the theory that winemaking has been a part of their culture for centuries.

Michael Cecire, contributor to Hvino, writes in his article, The Wonders of the World’s Oldest Wine: “According to recent archaeological evidence, proto-Georgian inhabitants cultivated grapes and made wine as far back as 6,000 BC … Just as striking, many of the same methods that early Georgians used to make their wine — such as using wax-lined earthenware vessels known as qvevri buried in the ground — are traditions that continue even today.

Qvevri winemaking is not only historically interesting (UNESCO recognized it in its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2013), but is increasingly dealing shocks to oenophiles for the complexity and varied tones of its wines.”

This ancient winemaking tradition is the reason the European Union decided to reserve the slogan “Cradle of Wine” for wines made in this small country. But their claim to the title of the world’s oldest is not without contention. Georgia’s somewhat more well-known neighbours, Armenia, Turkey and even Azerbaijan, all believe that they are the oldest winemaking region in the world.

The argument has been made that the slogan could apply to wine made in any of these countries. But Georgia is adamant that they’re the oldest. In 2014, Georgia’s National Wine Agency hired NASA and several other labs to prove Georgia’s motherland-of-wine status. While I can’t find any record of those results (perhaps the tests are still being conducted), it is safe to say that even if Georgia isn’t THE oldest winemaking region in the world, they are definitely among the oldest, with 8,000 years of wine producing history.

With such a long history, it’s no surprise that wine is a huge aspect of modern Georgian culture. “Georgia’s wine is not only the national drink of choice, but a symbol of Georgian identity and civilizational continuity,” writes Cecire.

“Almost every family, it seems, grows grapes and makes their own wine.” According to Cecire, the capital city Tbilisi is covered in vines, from balconies to

storefronts to garage doors. The roots of winemaking go deep here and winemaking is an integral part of their lifestyle.

But it’s been a challenge to expand into the international market.

“In Georgia, there are about 150 registered wineries,” says Apkhazava. “50 of them very active.” Most of the exported bottles are produced by small estates and monasteries. It’s been said that for every bottle of wine produced for export, there is a homemade cask served only to friends and family. While winemakers have been

continued to use their new relationships to expand their market.

However, having the slogan “Cradle of Wine” hasn’t seemed to have helped increase the popularity or notoriety of Georgian wine. Since adopting it in 2012, Georgia is still among the lower echelon of wine-producing countries by volume.

“I have not noticed any results [from the slogan],” says Inge Olson, Senior Associate at Hvino News. “I think the reason is, there was no wide marketing campaign or even PR activity to accompany [the new

In 2014, Georgia’s National Wine Agency hired NASA and several other labs to prove Georgia’s motherland-of-wine status. producing wine for what seems like forever, they have been highly influenced by their neighbour to the north. During Soviet rule, Georgian wines were very popular, preferred over wines from Moldavia and Crimea. In 1985, production covered 316,000 acres of vineyards. Enter Mikhail Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign; this Soviet statesman carried out this partial prohibition that raised the prices of vodka, wine and beer, and restricted sales to specific times during the day. Anyone caught disobeying was prosecuted.

This prohibition severely reduced the export of Georgian wine and resulted in the culling of many old vineyards. The prohibition ended in 1987, but the damage was already done. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Georgia regained its independence (something they’ve gained and lost over and over again since the dawn of time). Their relationship with Russia is a rocky one, filled with conflicts of a political and territorial nature. This tension led to a ban on Georgian wines in Russia in 2006, forcing Georgia to expand their exports to other countries, like Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and China. From 2006 until the ban was lifted in 2013, Georgia’s sales held on and they

slogan]. Even the mass media, besides our Hvino News, did not cover that event.”

According to an article published on Hvino in June 2015, Georgia exported over 28 million bottles to 42 countries in the first 10 months of 2015, the majority of them to Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, China and Poland. “We know that even in the top wine-producing countries such as Australia, Argentina and even France, Georgian wine is becoming available and gaining popularity,” says Olson.

The US has discovered Georgian wine, importing over 200K bottles during that time — with the import numbers on the rise. Canada is still unknown territory and doesn’t seem to be a major market for them. “Canada is interesting but not a primary market; just a few bottles are sold there,” says Apkhazava. “No big activities are planned in this market.”

For now, we are just going to have to settle for the two or three bottles offered across the country through the liquor stores. Perhaps getting more Georgian wine requires a little push on our part — if we ask for it, will it come? Maybe I’ll just save up and visit this beautiful country myself. I promise I’ll bring back a bottle or two to share! × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 23

FOUR OF A KIND

by Evan Saviolidis

As I sit in the Frankfurt Air Canada lounge, after my week-long multi-appellation Rhône visit, I look for the one word that best describes the wines. It finally hits me as I begin to board the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380 — renowned for high passenger counts and low operational costs. Value!

20 years ago, as a newbie oenophile, I gravitated to the wines of the Rhône Valley, especially Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Southern Rhône and Hermitage in the North, since they provided incredible bang for the buck. Unfortunately, that price bubble has burst. Luckily, there are other appellations that have really upped their game. Four are mentioned below, two each from the Septentrional and Méridionale, where I had the pleasure of sampling over 400 wines.

VENTOUX

Northeast of Avignon lies the rising star of Ventoux, which derives its name from the famed mountain that acts as a canvas.

A great deal of investment has occurred here in the past two decades as a younger generation of winemaker, with limited financial resources, has set up shop due to the affordability of the land. This has translated to a whole slew of under 20-dollar wines with lots of personality.

Here you will find a trio of colours, but it is the red renditions, made from a combination of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, that shine both in terms of quantity and quality. During the day, the southern Provençal heat and sunshine push the ripeness, while the cool breezes in the evening from Mount Ventoux ensure freshness. Tying it all together is the powerful wind, known as the Mistral, which dries out the vineyards when inclement weather hits.

VACQUEYRAS

Many consider Vacqueyras part of the qualitative triumvirate of the Southern Rhône, alongside Châteauneuf and Gigondas.

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That said, there is no need to break the bank as most wines hover around the magical 25-dollar price point. Like its neighbour, Ventoux, it is red production (95 percent) that dominates here, with Grenache composing at least 50 percent of the blends, alongside Syrah and Mourvèdre. There are three main styles of wine produced and this all relates to location. From the “Plateau des Garrigues” comes the powerful, tannic and spicy wines; the sandy hillsides produce aromatic and fruity reds; and sandstone produces the smoothest versions.

ST-JOSEPH

The history of viticulture in St-Joseph started circa 600 BC, via the Greeks, and continued to expand under Roman tutelage. Being that the Rhône River was the primary communication and trade route between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, it was only natural for settlements to be established along its banks. Enamoured by the steep slopes, the Romans took to the hills, planting the vine and supporting them with retaining walls made of stone, known as challeys.

Caroline Frey, winemaker at Paul Jaboulet Aîné

CORNAS

Some might say that I might be off-centre, grouping Cornas with the previously mentioned appellations as prices usually start at $45 a bottle. However, when compared to the pricing of the two titans of the North, Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, the powerful, dark, spicy, liquorice-tinged wines of Cornas are relative bargains.

The best will age for two decades. Always 100 percent Syrah, this is the first appellation in the Northern Rhône to harvest due to its granite-based southern slopes that create an alcove, pushing back cold northern wind while capturing Mediterranean heat.

One must also understand that production costs and weather tend to favour the South over the North. The steep slopes of the latter require that all viticulture is done by hand, which is difficult in the area’s precocious climate. In the South, where the majority of wines are vinified (95 percent of the entire Rhône), things tend to be easier due to the Mediterranean heat and partial mechanization.

RED 92 DOMAINE DURAND CORNAS EMPREINTES 2012 ($46.95) This 100% Syrah offers depth and complexity. Smoke, cassis, rosemary, cured meat, iron, violets and liquorice are all present on the nose. The same is found on the palate as well as a cocoa/ pepper element that carries the finale. Medium body. Drink now until 2022.

This prosperity lasted until the collapse of the Empire. It is at this point that St-Jo (the local nickname), as well as the rest of the Rhône, fell into a dark period. Post Romans, undoubtedly, wine was still being produced by the locals.

Today, it is a 50 km long strip, running north to south on the left bank of the Rhône. The majority of the 2,500 acres of vines are planted on the steep south/southeastern granite slopes, which provides maximum sun exposure, retains and reflects heat back into the vineyards, offers excellent drainage, and protects against northern and western winds. All these factors assist in the ripening of the Syrah grape.

The white varietals, Marsanne and Rousanne, are also planted and by law, can be blended with Syrah to a maximum of 10 percent. It is a practice that is generally eschewed, since most producers chose to make a small percentage of white wine instead.

For every one bottle of white, ten-fold is produced in a darker shade. Of the two, Marsanne is the most cultivated due to its ease of ripening. Rousanne is more of a precocious creature, but when treated with respect, it produces elegant wines with wonderful aromatics. 35 dollars usually earns you a solid bottle of St-Jo!

91 CHÂTEAU PESQUIÉ VENTOUX LES TERRASSES 2014 ($17.95) Pesquié, the undeniable star of the Ventoux, continues to churn out impressive wines at all price points. The 2014 Les Terrasses possesses a black/purple colour and doles out violets, crème de cassis, kirsch, oregano, anise, olive and graphite. Full bodied and concentrated, the plummy tannins will ensure a decade of aging.

For the price, make sure to pick up a few bottles for the cellar.

91 CAVE DE TAIN CORNAS ARÈNES SAUVAGES 2010 ($51) Quality is the mantra for this co-op, which is one of France’s finest. The 2010 Arènes exudes a perfume of plum, cassis, chocolate-covered coffee bean, cinnamon and violets. Elegant and long, the firm tannins will ensure a decade of life ahead.

91 DOMAINE COURBIS CORNAS LES EYGATS 2013 ($60) Linear, ripe and flavourful, pepper, plum, blackberry, cherry, earth and anise are all present in this full-bodied Syrah. Fresh acid and solid tannins will ensure great cellaring potential.

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88 DOMAINE DES AMOURIERS VACQUEYRAS SIGNATURE 2012 ($24.95)

Winemakers Igor Chudzikiewicz and Patrick Gras from Domaine des Amouriers

90 ARNOUX ET FILS VACQUEYRAS SEIGNEUR DE LAURIS 1717 2011 ($25) Made from over 50-year-old vines, this 15%, fruit driven, polished wine was aged in new wood. Full bodied, it reveals plum, spice, vanilla, cherry, cocoa perfume. Elegant, the palate is ripe with excellent length. Drink until 2022.

90 DOMAINE DURAND SAINT-JOSEPH LES COTEAUX 2012 ($35.50) A great expression of Syrah. The cassis, plum, spice, vanilla, hickory and rosemary on the nose replay on the palate. Great length and suave tannins round everything out. Drink now or hold until 2020.

89 MARRENON ORCA VENTOUX VIELLES VIGNES 2014 (N/A) This 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah combines power and grace.

Cassis, plum, kirsch, garrigue and anise are all in play. Full bodied, concentrated and excellent length. Drink until 2020.

89 LES VINS DE VIENNE SAINT-JOSEPH L’ARZELLE 2012 ($37.50) A delicate St-Jo with cassis, raspberry, tobacco, herbs and cocoa on the nose. Medium bodied with a long pepper-dowsed finale.

88 DOMAINE DE FONDRÈCHE VENTOUX 2014 ($18.75) A blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre will appeal to those who like funky wines. It displays leathery/animal qualities that meet up with cassis, cherry, toast and tobacco. Not for everyone, but a solid bottle of juice for the old barbecue.

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Cherry, plum, vanilla, rose, spice, truffle and coffee are all built on an ample frame with powerful tannins. Very good length and in need of some braised lamb or medium-rare steak to round everything out.

88 CAVE DE TAIN SAINT-JOSEPH ESPRIT DE GRANIT 2013 ($34.50) Mid-weight, cassis, cherry, violets, cracked pepper, anise and graphite on the nose meet up with raspberry and vanilla on the palate. Very good length, fresh acid and supple tannins round out the experience.

87 VIDAL-FLEURY VACQUEYRAS 2013 ($24.95) This gulp-able and appealing red is ready to drink and offers up plum, cherry, spice, herbs and earth. Very good length with a peppery aftertaste. Pair with grilled fennel sausage.

WHITE 89 DOMAINE COURBIS SAINT JOSEPH 2014 ($35) This white is a blend of 97% Marsanne and 3% Roussanne. It exudes banana, peach, sweet apple, vanilla, honey, spice and cream.

Rich on the palate, there is moderate acidity and a soft finale. A real charmer.

88 PAUL JABOULET AÎNÉ SAINT-JOSEPH LE GRAND POMPÉE 2014 ($35) Made from 100% Marsanne, this wine was partially aged in new oak. Crisp, green apple, citrus, honey, quince and hints of vanilla carry long. Ready to drink with seared scallops or pickerel.

ROSÉ 86 OGIER ROSE VENTOUX 2014 ($12.95) An undeniable value in the realm of rosé wines. Dry with fresh strawberry, raspberry and cherry flavours. Medium length and spicy finish. Drink with charcuterie. ×

SO FAMILIAR

by Michael Pinkus

WHEN IT COMES TO THE WORLD OF WINES, SPAIN IS RIOJA AND RIOJA IS SPAIN … AT LEAST IT USED TO BE THAT WAY. Today Spain has as many different sub-regions as Califor-

nia (well maybe not that many), and more keep getting “found” all the time. According to foodswinesfromspaincanada.com, the official website of Spanish wines in Canada, there are currently 69 Denominations of Origin (DO) regions growing and making wine in the country, some you may have heard of and some so new not even the people making wine there knew it was a region.

For years, I have predicted Spain as the next big thing, but as each year passed, I figured my crystal ball was broken (or maybe it was the consumer). But with all these great new regions, new wines and winemaking minds coming out from Spain it is only a matter of time before the country goes boom on the world wine stage … let’s take a brief look at some of these “new” and exciting regions and the wines they’re producing.

In what is referred to as North Central Spain lies the Ribera del Duero; if this region sounds vaguely familiar, River of Duero, you would be correct; this is the river that starts in Spain at the tip of Sistema Ibérico and meanders some 460 miles ending in the Atlantic Ocean at Oporto, Portugal, where it is called the Douro River, which cuts through the famed Douro Valley where Port is made. But while Portuguese wine production along the river dates back to the third and fourth centuries, in Spain it’s much more recent.

The first winery, Vega Sicilia (so famous that my spellcheck okayed the words right away), entered the scene in 1864 and remained alone in the region for over 100 years. Pesquera, the second winery, appeared in 1972, which explains why they had to wait until 1982 to receive their DO status. Plantings are over 90

Miros de Ribera in Ribera del Duero

percent Tempranillo (known locally as Tinto Fino) and it’s said that the “drastic diurnal shift” in temperature is what gives these wines their personality — it isn’t surprising to see a 50˚F spread between daytime and nighttime temperatures.

A couple of my favourite DO’s to see on a bottle are Calatayud and Carinena, which are part of the larger Ebro River Valley. Here Grenache (Garnacha) rules the roost and what was once a region of mass quantity has turned to one of quality — bottles were five to six dollars, and today they are double, or even more. But these rich, succulent wines remain great value for consumers looking to buy wine that not only shows great character but intriguing power still wrapped in the velvet glove of sweet ripe fruit.

Penedes is a region all sparkling wine lovers should get to know. Why? ‘Cause 90 percent of all Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) is made there. It’s home to Codorniu, the famous Spanish sparkling house, and it’s where grapes like Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada — Spain’s version of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier — call home. But it’s also the home of the world-famous FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 27

01 Juan José Balbás; 02 Convento San Francisco’s César Pitarch Rodríguez; 03 Vineyards at Juan Gil in Jumilla

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Torres winery, whose claim to fame, besides making great wines, happened in the mid-1960s when they were one of the first wineries in the world to install stainless steel tanks for the making of fresh and fruity white wines. Tempranillo is the main grape, but international varieties are also grown here in sufficient quantity.

Staying in Spain’s Mediterranean Coast area we find Jumilla. Here (unlike other parts of Spain) Tempranillo is not the beall and end-all of winemaking; instead Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre) is in charge of the vineyards (70,000 acres planted) and because of the sandy soils, much of it is still on its own rootstock (ungrafted). However, in 1989 phylloxera did rear its ugly head and suddenly these beautiful old vines began showing signs of the louse’s suckering ways, and the region had started a grafting program for any new plantings. The problem is, Monastrell has not always been American rootstock friendly — though in the past few years they are making some progress in identifying the right ones. Whether Monastrell will be lost to Jumilla is still a wait-and-see proposition, but for now stock up on as many old vine Monastrell wines as you can, while you still can.

VALDEMAR FINCAS VALDEMAR ROBLE 2012, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($19.95) Two things stand out here: spiced cherry and oak tones, but neither seems to get in the way of the other.

BRECA OLD VINES GARNACHA 2012, CALATAYUD ($19.95) Sweet cherry and blackberry with vanilla undertones, plus elements of smoke; this is one silky wine.

BODEGAS VALDEMAR FINCAS VALDEMAR CRIANZA 2012, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($27) A Tempranillo-based wine aged 12 months in oak; aromas of chocolate and white pepper; palate shows the delicacy of black cherry and blackberry, along with a short finish punctuated with vanilla and chocolate — quite smooth.

CONVENTO SAN FRANCISCO CRIANZA 2009, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($19.95) Ripe black fruit with anise, plum and black cherry.

CORONA DE ARAGON ANAYON GARNACHA 2012, CARINENA ($30.95) Mocha, black cherry and pepper; this is a real full and robust wine full of lovely flavours and aromas.

CORONA DE ARAGON ANAYON CARINENA 2012, CARINENA ($32) Aromas are heavy on the red berries, while the palate is cherry, chocolate, cassis and blackberry.

TORRES MAS LA PLANA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010, PENEDES ($59) Herbal, cassis, blackberry with a smoky and spicy finish — there’s also a real mocha/chocolate core that’s very inviting.

BALBAS RESERVA 2005, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($20.95)

MIROS DE RIBERA CRIANZA 2009, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($21.95) Seductive dark fruit, pencil shavings, cinnamon, plum and wood smoke.

BODEGAS ALCENO SELECCION CRIANZA 2012, JUMILLA ($21) 75% Monastrell with Tempranillo and Syrah aged 8 months in oak; easy drinking with red fruit, cocoa and white pepper.

BODEGAS ALCENO MONASTRELL DULCE 2010, JUMILLA ($32/375 ML) A sweet yet pretty dessert wine, wild fermented to 16% with violet, cherry, sweet blackberry and spice.

Mellow and smooth with lots of blackberry and spice; really dig the juiciness of this wine.

ALCENO PREMIUM 50 BARRICAS SYRAH 2012, JUMILLA ($13.95)

ALCONTE CRIANZA 2010, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($28)

A vibrant Syrah from a place you don’t expect, and it’s a good value too.

It would be easy to write this wine off as simplistic with its mocha, cherry, smoky and plumy notes, but it is exactly what your palate is going to love.

TORRES CELESTE CRIANZA 2011, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($20.95)

VIZCARRA SENDA DEL ORO ROBLE 2012, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($18.95)

Torres doesn’t limit itself to just one area, here’s a Ribera red blend that’s well spiced with blueberry, black cherry and a touch of pencil lead.

Some wines defy description, while others just leap out at you; here dark fruit with mocha, vanilla and liquorice deliver the goods.

FINCA VILLACRECES PRUNO 2012, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($21.95)

CHAPILLON SIENDRA 2011, CALATAYUD ($14.95) Ripe and fruity with a lovely juiciness of raspberry and plum … you can practically feel the juice dripping down your chin.

The mocha aromas/flavours seem to be quite prevalent in the Ribera region, and it’s the same here: mocha, cigar box, spiced cherry and good acidity.

JUAN GIL MONASTRELL 2012, JUMILLA ($23.95)

TINTO PESQUERA RESERVA 2010, RIBERA DEL DUERO ($44.95)

Red and black fruit with supple plum, black cherry, and a juicy core of yummy flavours and hints of liquorice.

Pesquera seems to bring a Rioja-style to the Ribera: nice plum, gentle spice, oxidized red fruit; pretty and elegant. × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 29

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HAVAN 30 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

The Latin quartet pumped a sultry groove. Rum-based cocktails were sipped, slurped or chugged depending on the constitution of the imbiber (and the outcome desired). Food — plate after plate of Cuban-inspired epicurean delights, all served “family style” — hit the tables, wave after wave, in a deluge of visual and aromatic glory.

NEW

by Tod Stewart

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PICKEREL (TO ADD A NATIVE TWIST) CEVICHE, tostones

with vaca frita, garbanzos, chorizo and herbed crema, fall-apart slow-cooked oxtail in a rich red wine reduction, citrus-laced roast pork, classic traditional moros, roasted whole snapper, fufú de plátano. The air pulsated. Diners ate, drank, laughed, swung, swayed and toasted. Just another celebration of the fine, simple things life has to offer on a warm night in Old Havana.

Except we weren’t in Old Havana, and outside it wasn’t exactly balmy. We’re talking late October, in the rather buttoned-down Hogtown. Which explains why there was nary a Cuban stick sparked up. Famous for its legendary cigars and rum (both of which we’ll get to), Cuba’s cuisine is also starting to appear on the gastronomic radar screen.

The funky Cold Tea bar, located in — more or less — an alleyway in the equally funky Kensington Market district of Toronto, had been converted into a two-night pop-up aimed at serving a Cuban-inspired, multi-course feast. While “Cuban cuisine” may not be quite as delineated as Cajun or Mexican cuisine (or any other cuisine we might attempt to delineate given the infinite regional variances one encounters), it tends to be a sort of amalgam of Spanish, African, Caribbean and Native American fare (though, interestingly, Italian food is hugely popular in Cuba).

Chef Eileen Andrade, of Miami’s Finka Table & Tap, was flown up to combine her Cuban culinary knowledge with the skills of local chef Matty Matheson of Toronto’s Parts & Labour. As noted in the opening paragraph, the merger turned out rather well.

The whole shindig was dubbed the Bacardí Paladar. In Cuba, paladars denote home-based restaurants that offer a diversion from the more ubiquitous state-run operations. Bacardí, distiller of the eponymous — and world-famous — line of rums, adopted the paladar concept to introduce a new expression, the Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron, and relaunch an older brand, the Gran Reserva Ocho Años, to the media and public. Andrade and Matheson dished out the eats, while Bacardí provided the rum that served as the base for the cocktails accompanying each course.

Though no longer producing or selling its rum in Cuba (the family’s assets were seized without compensation during the Cuban Revolution), Bacardi’s roots are unquestionably Cuban, and the rum it makes today is very much Cuban in spirit, if not technically a Cuban spirit. In fact, the proprietary yeast developed early on in Cuba by company founder Facundo Bacardí Massó is the same strain used today and represents the heart of the fermentation stage of production.

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BACARDÍ MAESTRO DE RON GRAND RESERVA ($30) Filtered through coconut husk charcoal, this is one of those rare white rums that is fine all on its own. Delicate notes of citrus fruit, vanilla, marzipan and a mild whiff of smoky coconut. Very smooth and elegant with flavours suggesting vanilla, almond, apple and citrus, it finishes long and clean with a hint of pepper.

BACARDÍ OCHO AÑOS GRAND RESERVA ($32) A great buy for a blend of rums between eight and 16 years old. Fruitcake, toffee, marmalade, dried plum and a touch of nutmeg. Some spicy oak on the palate, along with dried citrus, sultana, caramel and a kiss of sweet oak. Polished, mid-weight and fairly complex. Though not Cuban, it has a distinctly Cuban profile; not overly heavy or overpowering, but poised and multifaceted, with a silky/creamy mouthfeel. For well over 100 years, this was the exclusive blend of the Bacardí family.

HAVANA CLUB AÑEJO 3 AÑOS ($27) Pretty complex, with some banana, vanilla, nougat, flower blossom, traces of fresh herbs and just a bare hint of oak mingling together on the nose.

Quite full, it shows hints of tropical fruit, cocoa, toasted hazelnut and caramel. Very well balanced with crisp, lemon-tinged end notes. Will add an extra layer of interest to a cocktail, but can easily be enjoyed on its own.

HAVANA CLUB AÑEJO 7 AÑOS ($33) Classic Cuban rum — elegant and refined; distinctive and engaging. Caramel, marmalade, tobacco, sweet leather and a delicate smokiness mambo together nicely (and invitingly) on the nose, with no one note overpowering the others. Great neat with your favourite Cuban cigar, but also lends complexity and class to a classic Cuba Libre.

HAVANA CLUB SELECCIÓN DE MAESTROS ($60) Bottled at 45 percent ABV and composed of rums selected by the master roneros from Havana Club’s choicest aged stock, and finished in specially selected casks, this award-winning amber rum offers up a subtle yet nuanced nose of toasted spice (think nutmeg, cinnamon, clove), with dashes of tangerine peel, toffee, vanilla bean and fresh tobacco.

Smooth and polished in the mouth, it sports a touch of wood, tobacco leaf and citrus, with a lingering spiciness as it drifts off.

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Originally a Spanish wine merchant, Massó immigrated to Cuba and began producing rum in 1862 with the aim of elevating a then rather pedestrian firewater into something more palatable and refined. To say he succeeded would be a rather monumental understatement. Today, Bacardí Limited is a global spirits giant, with over 200 brands in its portfolio and close to 30 production facilities around the world.

So if rum is the spirit of Cuba and Bacardí is distilling Cuban rum in spirit, who is actually producing Cuban rum in Cuba?

There are quite a few brands. However, production levels are such that they aren’t typically seen outside of the country. The one that we do see frequently is Cuba’s largest: Havana Club.

“Havana Club is the biggest brand of Cuban rum, which is why it’s able to be exported worldwide, and it is the third largest selling rum in the world, even without the US market,” confirms Donnie Wheeler, Brand Ambassador for Havana Club.

Wheeler points out that Havana Club is authentically Cuban. “It’s made by Cubans, in Cuba; it’s aged in Cuba, and bottled and drunk there.” He notes that the unique climate, the local sugarcane, proximity to the sea and distillation method all combine to give Cuban rum its unique character. Unlike numerous other styles that are often blends of fairly assertive pot still rum with more delicate ones taken from column stills, Cuban rums are strictly the products of column stills. Generally speaking, this gives the rums a gentle, elegant profile with a decidedly dry edge. Like the majority, Havana Club uses molasses rather than cane juice as its base.

Where things get particularly interesting in the production process is with the aging of Havana Club rum. Barrels used to age island rum are typically of the ex-bourbon type, in other words, American. In other words, not available to Cuban distillers. Yet Havana Club uses American barrels. More or less.

“The Havana Club brand is a 50/50 partnership between the Cuban government and Pernod-Ricard [the French distilling giant],” Wheeler reveals. “Pernod-Ricard is also partnered with Irish Distillers, the makers of, among others, Jameson whiskey.

So a lot of our barrels are ex-Jameson barrels, which were originally ex-bourbon barrels. So before they retire in Cuba, the barrels have held both American whiskey and Irish whiskey. You’ll see barrels in our cellar marked Jim Beam or Jack Daniels. That’s where they began their journey.”

While on the subject, rum, as a category, is still pretty “wild west” when it comes to aging regimes (as well as ingredients and production techniques). There are no real hard and fast rules (though this may be changing), so distilleries set their own standards. When it comes to age statements, Wheeler says Havana Club follows the United Kingdom liquor laws, meaning the age on the bottle represents the youngest spirit in the blend.

“Rum is due for a resurgence,” Wheeler concludes, and Havana Club has been waiting patiently for the US embargo on exports to lift so it can tap into the market that consumes 60 percent of the world’s rum.

Canada, of course, has never taken issue with Cuba or Cuban products. Like rum. And cigars.

IF FRANCE HAS HISTORICALLY been synonymous (rightly or wrongly) with the world’s finest wine, Cuba has always been regarded (mostly rightly) as the producer of the finest cigars to be found anywhere. Julian Zadorozny is a certified Curso Master, the highest certification granted by the Habanos Academy — essentially the cigar equivalent of a Master of Wine. He was trained in Cuba in all aspects of the cigar trade and today works as an assistant manager at the Toronto branch of La Casa del Habano in Toronto’s swish Yorkville district. His response, when asked what makes Cuban stogies so unique and complex, even has certain “vinous” overtones.

“The terroir. Iron rich soil and [Cuba’s] consistent hot climate make the region, specifically Pinar del Río province, the best in the world,” he explains. “Specified regions, zones and districts of Cuba have a small amount of first-class fields or plantations that grow the best Cuban Black Tobacco. These regions are under the country’s Protected Denomination of Origin, which means only the best tobacco comes out of here. So, the four factors are: the soil, the climate, the varieties of Cuban black tobacco seed and the experience of the tobacco growers and cigar rollers.”

To take the wine analogy a step further, Zadorozny’s description of Cuban tobacco runs fairly close to a typical description of varietal attributes, and regional regulations governing planting.

“Cuban Black Tobacco is the seed base of many varieties of cigar tobacco in Cuba,” he notes. “In 1907 there was a development of a tobacco called Habanensis. Then, after extensive investigating, a research station was developed in San Juan y Martínez, a municipality and town, in 1937, where different varieties of tobacco were explored. The Tobacco Research Institute has four experimental stations that control the seed that farmers can grow.”

In fact, one of the things that make Cuban cigars unique is that all the tobacco used is of Cuban origin, meaning all Cuban cigars are classified as puro (pure). While a few other cigar-producing countries manufacture puros, most other cigars utilize a blend of tobaccos from a variety of outside sources, particularly for the wrapper tobacco (which, along with the binder and filler make up the three distinct types of tobacco that go into a cigar).

THE SWEET/SPICY SMOKE from our H. Upmann Half Co-

ronas perfumes the air as Trae Zammit and I discuss the state of Cuban cigars today. As owner of Toronto’s The Smokin’ Ci-

gar, he has, by his own calculation, visited Cuba some 30 times since his first tour in 1997. If Cuban examples represent the top end of the cigar spectrum, where should those interested in exploring the category start?

Zammit says that if you want to really understand what Cuban cigars are all about, you have to do yourself a favour and try a “benchmark.” “The Montecristo No. 4, I would say, is a kind of standardized Cuban, and things go up and down from that point in terms of strength and flavour,” Zammit explains. “From there you can explore different shapes and different brands. Romeo y Julieta tend to be a bit milder. Partagas are a bit stronger. And maybe something in between is a Ramón Allones, which is a great cigar. I try and encourage people to pick up two — or, better, three — different brands so they can see the difference.”

Of course, as with wine, tasting “benchmark Cuban cigars” isn’t exactly an inexpensive prospect. The Montecristo No. 4, Zammit suggests, will probably set you back about $25. And it’s by no means a huge cigar, measuring just over 14 centimetres.

This, however, is a relative bargain when you consider some top-end Cubans can get into the several-hundred-dollar per stick range ... or more.

“Look, cigars aren’t cheap ... they’re not supposed to be,” Zammit admits. “Cigars are a luxury product, and they’re priced accordingly. I’m not saying price doesn’t matter, but try not to let price be your only guide.”

Of course, in Canada and some other markets, tax is a major contributor to the final cost of a cigar. Cuban manufacturers know this, and, as Zammit notes, they’ve been adapting to this reality by producing cigars in smaller, less conventional sizes.

“There are also time constraints to keep in mind,” he says, alluding to the fact that, these days, some of us simply don’t have the time to smoke our way through a Churchill-sized number.

Why not just smoke part of the cigar then finish it later? Zammit doesn’t advise this. With wine, once a bottle is opened is should be consumed; and once a cigar is lit, it should be smoked.

In any case, a cigar is about relaxation. Slowing down, savouring and enjoying one with another who is equally attuned to its pleasure. After a fine Cuban-inspired meal, and with a snifter of aged rum in hand, a Cuban cigar is still one of the most civilized ways to bring some warmth into the cold, dark depths of a Canadian winter. × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 33

SNACK TO THE FUTURE

by Silvana Lau

“RAMEN IS DEAD” David Chang (January 2015)

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Wait, what? Dead? How could it be? A very bold declaration from the owner of New York City restaurant Momofuku; the guy who started the noodle soup phenomenon in North America. In his publication Lucky Peach, Chang states that what once was “hip” is now “dead.” Ramen, he argues, has gone so mainstream that it has lost its innovative edge.

Dead or not, ramen’s popularity continues to simmer throughout our country. You can find a bowl of the rich and creamy pork bone broth, tonkotsu ramen, everywhere from Vancouver to Vaughan.

Canadians are slurping bowlfuls of the Japanese snack food staple and touting (along with tweeting and Instagramming) it as their favourite food ever … at least for right now. Just like shoulder pads and other fashion trends are a thing of the past, food trends come and go too (I’m talking to you, Kale!).

In a market oversaturated with pad thai, banh-mi, pork belly and all the latest and greatest (not to mention tastiest) nibbles, it is no longer hip to serve up the usual suspects. Trendsetters around the country are searching for the newest Asian food obsessions. Chefs are pushing the envelope and introducing diners to new dishes, from unusual cuts of meat to international dishes prepared traditionally.

It’s time to inject new Asian flavours into your taste buds. With ramen being dead, and garlicky kimchi being 2014’s sleeper sensation, it’s time to hunt down new palate pleasers. However, before doing that, I want you to stop obsessing over goji berries, Sriracha and anything served in between a pillowy steamed bao. While you are at it, wipe away those tears because there is no need to mourn over the death of ramen and its ilk. Canada is a melting pot that has plenty of global offerings that we are just starting to discover.

Here are three less common, yet equally delicious, Asian dishes that I predict will be the next big food trends.

MOMO

Who doesn’t love dumplings? If you are anything like me, whether they’re gyozas, pierogies or potstickers, these little nuggets of deliciousness are the perfect comfort food on a cold winter night, or any night for that matter. Tibetan momos are no different.

These crescent-shaped dumplings are ubiquitous in Tibet, Nepal and the Himalayan regions of Northern India. The variations are endless; they can be steamed (the most popular), fried and cooked in soup and be veggie or meat. Yes, you read that right.

Meat. To some, meat eating doesn’t correspond with Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and ethics. To others, it’s just fine. Heck, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, is a meat eater.

“Geographically, Tibet is in a cold high altitude region. We are nomads and live in tents, that’s why we need to eat meat to stay warm. It is essential to survival,” explains Garab D. Lama, owner of the bustling eatery Tibet Kitchen in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood (aka “Little Tibet”). “Our main sources of protein are sheep and yak, or mountainous cattle. Due to religious beliefs, we don’t kill small animals like chickens, because they can only feed small crowds.”

I’d recommend trying the steamed sha momos, or the beef dumplings (seasoned with garlic, onion, ginger, soy sauce, Szechuan peppercorn and Chinese celery). I figure they’d be the closest thing to the yak-filled momos that a family would be making together at home in Tibet. Garab also notes that “momos are excellent for your social life. There is a communal asFEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 35

Though it originated in Osaka (known for its cheap and cheerful eats), okonomiyaki has become a popular snack in cafes and from street carts throughout Japan.

pect to them. Every member of the household would be involved in making momos.

Dedicating hours to making these dumplings gives us a chance to pause, catch up and just connect with each other.”

Every Tibetan family has a different momo recipe with various techniques on how to make them the juiciest, or how to keep the dough to the desired delicate thinness. The perfect momo has a shell that is delicate, yet firm enough to hold in all juices.

Speaking of juices, there’s a specific routine for making sure you don’t end up covered in the stuff when eating a momo.

That is to say: Step 1: Nibble the corner off one end of the dumpling. Step 2: Suck in the all the wonderful juices but leave just a little bit of the dumpling nectar to make the rest of the filling extra succulent. Step 3: Spoon the homemade tomato, sesame and Szechuan pepper sauce inside the dumpling. Step 4: Pop the whole momo into your mouth. Step 5: Swallow. Savour and repeat. If you follow these steps carefully, 36 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

the delectably clever combination of meat and dough will envelope your taste buds to a warm and comforting Zen-like moment of enlightenment. Om.

ADOBO CHICKEN

While Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese restaurants are a dime a dozen around the country, Filipino dining establishments are a bit harder to come by. In 2012, TV chef and personality Andrew Zimmern proclaimed Filipino food to be the “the next big thing.”

So why hasn’t the cuisine taken off yet?

Daniel Cancino, the head chef of Lamesa Filipino Kitchen in downtown Toronto, is trying to ensure it does. He explains that many people don’t know what Filipino food is. According to Lamesa’s website, the best way to describe Filipino food is to “imagine a native Malay cook with a Chinese roommate being taught by a Spanish Chef with a love affair for everything American, and you will begin to understand what Filipino food is all about.”

With a description like that, how could you not want to experience one of the most unique flavour profiles out there?

Maybe it’s because Filipino dishes haven’t expanded much beyond their no-frills, suburban, steam-table cafeteria-style eateries that almost solely serve Filipino audiences. Whatever.

The sweet, salty and sour tang of Filipino fare is finally moving to the forefront, thanks to young chefs like Cancino. In addition to cooking a clever mash-up of traditional cuisine, Cancino has been putting a fresh twist on the nation’s signature dish: Chicken adobo, the “unofficial” national dish of the Philippines.

Adobo comes from the Spanish word abodar or “to marinate.” Before there were any fridges in the Philippines, locals would preserve their proteins by marinating them in a briny mixture of vinegar and salt. Adobo is not limited to chicken. Pork, beef, fish and squid can also be marinated in rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, garlic and black peppercorns.

Poaching thighs in the marinade first allows the flavours to seep into the flesh liberally, as the adobo is left to sit for hours before the meat is seared to seal in the deliciousness.

Following the motto, “If once is good, twice is better,” Cancino’s twice-cooked chicken adobo has a more intense and satisfying flavour than most others. Poaching thighs in the marinade first allows the flavours to seep into the flesh liberally, as the adobo is left to sit for hours before the meat is seared to seal in the deliciousness. The result is a juicy chicken that has the perfect balance of sweet, sour and salty. The meat stays moist and tender from the marinade, while the soy and vinegar flavours are heightened during the searing process.

Served alongside a perfectly poached egg and a bowl of garlic fried rice, Cancino’s twice-cooked chicken is ridiculously satisfying (especially when eaten Filipino style ... with only a spoon). It’s cooking like this that will ensure Filipino food will soon be more widely discovered.

OKONOMIYAKI

Pancakes dotted with butter and drenched in syrup are fine and dandy. But, pancakes filled with ribbons of cabbage, morsels of shrimp, noodles and whatever else is on hand are amazing! Japan’s soul food, okonomiyaki, is described in many ways as a Japanese pizza or pancake, all valid descriptors ... to an extent.

This pancake doesn’t have the same sweetness or fluffiness as its American cousin. Okonomiyaki is prepared using flour and grated nagaimo (a type of yam) mixture that is cooked on a griddle. Similar to a pizza, the ingredients you want depend largely on your preferences. In fact, okonomiyaki literally means “grill as you like.” (see Maverick Chef Kazuo Akutsu’s version on page 39 of the October 2015 issue.)

In most versions of okonomiyaki, shredded cabbage and batter are the main ingredients. From there, it’s anyone’s game. Some prefer a slew of fillings (shrimp, enoki mushrooms, green onions, beansprouts, corn, bacon, oysters, kimchi and even ramen noodles — the options are endless) with the batter merely binding the ingredients together. Others use fewer ingredients to achieve a soft, custardy interior. There are no hard and fast rules for the fillings. Hence, no two okonomiyakis are alike. You can let your creativity shine and be adventurous!

Though it originated in Osaka (known for its cheap and cheerful eats), okonomiyaki has become a popular snack in cafes and from street carts throughout Japan. During a recent trip to Osaka, I noticed many streetside food stands selling these delicious pancakes exclusively. I wanted the full “grill as

you like” experience and opted to go to an okonomiyaki-ya restaurant to cook my own flapjacks on a tabletop griddle.

Two spatulas (a large one for turning, a small one for patting), along with the batter and the requested ingredients were brought to my griddle station. Mix, pour, sizzle, squish and flip. Sounds easy, right?

Well, not so much! The consistency of the batter and all the add-on ingredients made it challenging to know when to pat and flip the pancake. By the way, don’t forget that you should be using the LARGE spatula to turn, if you don’t want your okonomiyaki to fall or break apart on the flip. Here’s a tip: Less is more! The smaller the size of the pancake, the easier you will be able to flip it and prevent breakage.

How do you know if you have succeeded in the art of okonomiyaki making? If you cut into the pancake and liquid oozes out, you have failed ... miserably. To avoid disaster, you can go to a restaurant where they cook the okonomiyaki for you, but where’s the fun in that? Here’s a trick: keep the griddle at a moderate temperature and put a lid over the pancake to maintain equal cooking on the sides, top and middle. Keep on flipping and patting until your masterpiece is cooked.

The finished flapjack is then generously doused with okonomi sauce (think ketchup and Worcestershire sauce combined) and creamy Japanese kewpie mayonnaise (tastes like Miracle Whip). A final addition of powdered aonori, or dried seaweed, and shavings of bonito flakes (dried fermented tuna) laces the pancake with umami notes.

Salty, squishy and satisfying, the okonomiyaki is incredibly complex in both flavour and texture. The sweet, tangy, creaminess of the sauces with the crispy golden brown edges of the pancake offers an astonishingly addictive combination. Best washed down with an Asahi beer. Kanpai!

Once upon a time, food was only an energy source or an afterthought. Today, food is a fashion statement. The rise of Instagram has got people obsessively photographing meals more than designer outfits. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get in on this season’s must-eats! × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 37

ALL THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL

by Rick VanSickle

Oh, baby, baby, it’s a wild world It’s hard to get by just upon a smile as sung by Cat Stevens Oh, it’s wild, all right. For a growing number of Canadian winemakers, wild is the new cash cow as they venture further and further beyond the tried and true methods of making wine to create something that is, well, beautifully and wondrously weird.

And wine geeks are lapping it up.

Only a scant few years ago, being a wine baron was such a predictable vocation. Grow Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the right places in Niagara and boom, you’re in business. Add Syrah and Pinot Gris to that list in the Okanagan and boom, you have a well-rounded portfolio. In Prince Edward County, it’s Pinot and Chard, that’s all you really need, right?

Hang on, not so fast.

There is a primordial shift occurring across the wine regions of this nation that cannot be ignored. No longer, as Cat Stevens sang, can you get by just upon a smile.

You need some boom-boom, more intriguing arrows in the quiver, if you want to capture the taste buds of an ever-growing geeked-out segment of wine lover, weaned on the Brett-infused, hopped up and psychedelic world of craft beer, who crave something new and completely off-the-wall different. They don’t want smiles. They want giggles. They want to be blown away, weirded out, with whatever kind of funk you can throw at them.

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A surprising number of winemakers are only too happy to oblige.

“We’re trying to provoke a conversation,” Hinterland Wine Company’s Jonas Newman tells me as we sip fresh crushed Gamay straight from the tank at his winery in Prince Edward County.

Jonas, winemaker and co-founder of Hinterland, acknowledges that finding an identity in a crowded market is the first priority for a young industry. He and his wife, Vicky Samaras, chose sparkling wine — from traditional bubbles, to charmat, to the ancient method (that pre-dates Champagne) of ancestral — to establish their identity. “But there will always be room for the kink,” Newman says, “as long as we are honest about it.”

That “kink” for Newman comes in the form of his Hinterland Ancestral, a vintage-dated sparkling Gamay with a cultlike following that clears the shelves nearly as quickly as the winery makes it.

Named for the original method of making sparkling wine, the ruby-hued Ancestral is produced using similar techniques first employed by the monks of Saint-Hillaire abbey in 1531 and is the tradition most famously implemented in Jura mountain region of Bugey-Cerdon in eastern France. The carbon dioxide is

FRANÇOIS MORISSETTE

captured during primary fermentation, which produces a lightly spritzed, sweeter sparkling wine that’s lower in alcohol.

Bella Wines’ Jay Drysdale, on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley, wild ferments his organically grown, single-vineyard Gamay Ancestral and uses no sulphur. It is essentially an early-pick Gamay with sparkle; an austere, pure, fresh, tangy and intense wine that is as true an expression of the vineyard as you can get.

While sparkling wines in Canada are evolving and being reinvented by winemakers, from low to zero dosage wines (no added sugar), to extended lees aging, to pétillant-naturel (pét-nat), to luxurious and decadent bubbly Icewines made from Vidal or Riesling or even “ice cuvées” crafted with a shot of Icewine added to the sparkling wine, there’s a far greater shift occurring in the edgier wineries, which find breaking from tradition (or returning to simpler times, depending on how you look at it) a more attractive and/or adventurous path to take.

Back in Niagara, Southbrook winemaker Ann Sperling is presiding over a carboy of a roiling, gurgling mass of organically- and biodynamically-grown Vidal grapes that are happily fermenting naturally in the warmth of a late fall day.

This is Sperling’s second vintage of “orange” wine, a 100% natural (nothing added, including sulphur) white wine that gets its glowing amber colour from skin contact during fermentation. “For our first batch, we wanted to gauge response,” she says.

Sommeliers in Toronto were only too eager to jump on board and curious consumers quickly followed suit.

“When you’re talking ‘no additives’ a segment of people gets excited. They are looking for something pure,” Sperling says.

Only 150 cases of the Southbrook Orange Wine were produced in 2014; that has quadrupled for the 2015 vintage.

“It’s like today’s music,” she says. “With better and better ways to reach niche consumers.”

In BC’s Okanagan Valley, one winery has taken the term “niche” mainstream.

The Okanagan Crush Pad, which includes the Haywire, Narrative and Samantha brands (among others), has transformed its entire portfolio into one of the most progressive in the country.

OWNED BY STEVE LORNIE AND CHRISTINE COLETTA,

with winemaking duties falling to Matt Dumayne, OCP has matured into one of the most exciting, self-contained wineries in BC, dedicated to natural, organic and pure wines using minimalist intervention in both the vineyard and winery. What has been remarkable is the determination to turn the OCP brands 100 percent organic while using natural methods to craft the wines.

“It has been an amazing amount of work,” says Coletta. “We were like parents of newborns: over-anxious, overbearing and hovering.

Perhaps we are a little more relaxed about the process now and have built up confidence in our conversion process and the outcome.”

As of the 2015 vintage, oak barrels have been fully replaced by concrete tanks and amphorae for fermentation and aging.

Sulphur dioxide is also used sparingly, if at all, and no additional additives including nutrients, tartaric, tannins and enzymes are used in the winemaking process. All the wines at OCP are wild fermented using only native (wild) yeast that is naturally occurring on grape skins.

That all adds up to a stunning portfolio from stem to stern of some of the most unique wines being made in Canada right now, not the least of which are two naturally-made “orange” style wines, a red and a white called Free Form, with no sulphur at all and no filtering.

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Take a Walk on the Wild Side Five wines that are like nothing you’ve tasted before.

94 INNISKILLIN SPARKLING VIDAL 2014, NIAGARA ($80/375 ML) The nose is a gorgeous mélange of orange marmalade, honeycomb, peach and mango. It has a vigorous mousse on the palate to go with sweet, compoted fruits, fresh and delicate notes of pineapple, tangerine and peach, and a luxurious texture that’s accentuated by the tiny bubbles that tickle the palate through the finish. A rich, exotic treat that is well worth the high price.

92 ROAD 13 VRM 2013, OKANAGAN ($29) The blend is 72% Viognier, 25% Roussanne and a splash of Marsanne with fermentation and aging in older (neutral) oak barrels. Love the nose of poached pear, apricot, soft vanilla, spice and minerality. It is defined by its texture on the palate with round, fleshy fruit and a broad range of pear, exotic tropical fruits and subtle spice notes. Delicious stuff.

92 HAYWIRE FREE FORM RED 2014, OKANAGAN ($55) The Red Free Form is another natural wine made with no intervention in the cellar. It’s fermented with wild yeast in amphora where it aged on the skins for 8 months. No sulphur was added. It has a pure and attractive nose of extracted cherry, raspberry and blackcurrants. It is a beautiful wine on the palate with a rich broth of red fruits, crushed currants, raspberry, bramble and lovely silky tannins.

91 PEARL MORISSETTE CUVÉE MON UNIQUE GAMAY 2013, NIAGARA ($29) This is wild-yeast fermented in open wood fermenters and is made with zero added sulphur. It shows savoury cherry, boysenberry, blueberry and bramble fruit on the nose. It’s so fresh and alive on the palate with a range of purple fruits and cherries in a juicy, yet vibrant, style.

90 NARRATIVE ANCIENT METHOD 2013, OKANAGAN ($40) This pétillant-naturel (pét-nat) style of sparkling wine was bottled during fermentation without filtering, fining and stabilizing to show the more delicate and interesting characters unique to the 2013 vintage. It is made with 100% Chardonnay and each bottle will display different nuances depending on when it is opened. The nose shows lemony biscuit, racy grapefruit and cream. It has a gentle mousse followed by a vibrant core of citrus, melba toast and vanilla cream.

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Hinterland Wine Company’s Jonas Newman

Every bottle in the OCP stable has a story to tell, from concrete or amphora aged to natural, organic and wild fermentation.

There’s even an “ancient method” sparkling wine made under the Narrative label that is produced using the pétillant-naturel (pét-nat) method that’s bottled during fermentation without filtering, fining and stabilizing to show the more delicate and interesting characters unique to the vintage.

Oh, baby, it’s a wild world, all right, and it’s getting wilder.

To wit: Road 13 Vineyards in the Okanagan Valley pulled out staples such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to make room for more Rhône plantings. The future is being reflected in the new VRM 2013, a Rhône blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne, the 2014 Marsanne and 2013 Syrah Mourvèdre. Other BC wineries, Stag’s Hollow and Pentage for example, have also placed an emphasis on Rhône varietals.

In Niagara, where weather limits the varieties that can be grown, a long list of wineries has added appassimento- (drying of grapes) style wines to their portfolios. Foreign Affair, Rennie Vineyards, Big Head, Reif, Colaneri and Pillitteri all use some method of drying grapes to add complexity and concentration to many of their reds (and even a few whites).

Then there are the “fringe” varieties: Albariño (Stag’s Hollow loves this Spanish grape so much they have sent Sauvignon Blanc to the junk pile and are replacing it with this), Sémillon (a beau-

Okanagan Crush Pad’s winemaker Matt Dumayne

tiful wine on its own or blended with Sauvignon Blanc … it suffered greatly in Niagara from two bad winters but finds consistent success in BC), Gruner Veltliner (Culmina makes a fabulous wine out of this Austrian staple), and a whole whack of experimental and established plantings including (but not limited to): Malbec, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Tannat, Tempranillo, Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara … the list is endless and ever growing.

More profound, perhaps, and more controversial, for sure, is the stylistic approach being pursued by some modern winemakers trying to etch their names not only on the Canadian wine-scape but also on a global scale.

TAKE RENEGADE WINEMAKER FRANÇOIS MORISSETTE, FOR EXAMPLE. Shunned by many of his own peers

in Niagara, who argue he doesn’t support the local wine industry, but loved by many outside his own region for the unique approach he takes at the Pearl Morissette Winery in Jordan, Morissette, he doesn’t have time to deal with all the drama surrounding his style of winemaking.

The truth is he doesn’t really care what his critics think; no, not one bit.

He’s been a pain in the ass for VQA, viewed as a snake oil salesman by many veteran Niagara winemakers and an outspoken cheerleader for the style of wines he wants to make.

Niagara, for Morissette, is just a place in the world to make his wines. In his mind, his wines have no borders and he’s just as thrilled to sell a couple of cases to some obscure wine shop in Germany as he is getting listings at the LCBO and SAQ, perhaps more so.

He loves the fact that his wines are sought out almost exclusively by geeks, collectors and somms, either here or in far-flung places where his wines are, shall we say, more appreciated.

I have had more people tell me they dislike his wines than I have heard from fans. Which, to him, is totally cool; he doesn’t make wine for the masses, only to a niche audience that appreciates the nuances and the pure, minimal-interventionist, low sulphur and reductive style of winemaking he employs. It’s not for everyone.

“I’m not making wine for Ontario, I’m making wine for the world,” he goes on to say.

Morissette is an island onto himself. A lone wolf with some crazy ideas that manifest themselves in the wines that he makes.

You either dig them, or you don’t. And a lot don’t.

It is texture that defines his wines, texture achieved through oxidative winemaking, the catalyst for skepticism over his wines.

Morissette is an experimental winemaker, pushing wild ferments to the limit, while stretching the boundaries of what VQA deems acceptable and teasing consumers’ palates. “From Day One, we have not introduced anything to the wines but a little bit of sulphur,” he says. So, most of his wines are exposed to oxygen, very little filtration and fining (if any) takes place and sulphur is used only if he thinks a wine needs it. His ferments take place naturally in large neutral oak foudres, concrete eggs and increasingly in clay amphorae.

In his words, “you can have some VA (volatile acidity), you can have some brett (brettanomyces) but it can’t take over, it can’t be a justification for being lazy.”

His wines garner a lot of attention, which rankles traditionalists in Niagara to no end. “Being different is what our industry needs. We need the troublemakers, the misfits, the crazy ones,” a Niagara winery industry person, who remains anonymous here, told me.

“But there always seems to be drama around each one of their wines. It’s not a good or bad thing, just an observance. There’s always a story and a drama around their stuff.

“Oddly enough they have become an iconic winery here in a very short time. And this drama is how it’s been done. But this happens everywhere. Marcel Deiss? Joly? Piuze? Bourdy. Wine would be so boring without it. So, I welcome it, our region now has relevance because of them but at the end of the day it’s drama.”

Only time will tell if all this drama will succeed at the box office, but as long as there are those willing to go along for the ride, the script will continue to be written. × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 41

DON’T HAVE YOUR CAKE You may be tired of all those cakes.

These three recipes push the envelope, making dessert more than just a pound cake affair.

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TOMATO SPICE MUFFINS FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 43

SPICED SHORTBREAD

Shortbread isn’t just for Xmas. This wintery version has a nice spicy bite that works well with the buttery cookie.

2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp ground star anise 1/4 cup raw sugar 1 chilled log butter shortbread cookie dough (see below)

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. 2. In a small bowl, combine ginger,

cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, and sugar.

3. Cut the shortbread dough (see recipe below) into 1/2-inch cookies (there should be about 20). Dip one side into the spice mixture and arrange the rounds about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined or nonstick cookie sheet.

4. Bake until golden brown, for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cookies and cool on a wire rack.

BUTTER SHORTBREAD COOKIE DOUGH 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/3 cups sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

3 egg yolks

2 tbsp vanilla extract 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1. Use a mixer to combine butter, sugar, salt and whip on medium speed until blended, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the egg yolks, one by one, mixing until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract. Scrape the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well combined.

3. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the flour till completely incorporated. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on parchment paper.

4. Form the dough into 4 logs — about 10 inches long and 1 1/4 inches in diameter; wrap and chill in the refrigerator. Can be stored in the freezer for several months.

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TOMATO SPICE MUFFINS

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN These muffins have the perfect balance of healthy and tasty. For the complete vegetarian experience, substitute the 2 eggs with 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and the 1/2 cup of butter with 1/2 cup of apple sauce.

4 cups all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp pepper

2 eggs 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 cups seeded tomatoes, quartered

1 cup raisins 1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F 2. In large bowl, combine the first nine

ingredients and set aside.

3. In a food processor, combine the eggs, butter, vanilla and tomatoes. Pulse until tomatoes are finely chopped.

4. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Slowly fold in the raisins.

5. Fill paper-lined muffin cups till they are 3/4 full.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

BLUEBERRY GALETTES CRUST

1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp buttermilk, cold

FILLING

500 1/3

2

1/4

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g fresh blueberries cup sugar tbsp cornstarch tsp fresh ground nutmeg Zest of 1 lemon egg, beaten for egg wash Raw sugar, for sprinkling

FOR THE PIE CRUST: 1. In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and toss to coat the butter. Dump contents of the bowl onto a well-floured surface.

2. Flour your rolling pin, roll the mixture together, flattening the butter into the flour.

3. Use a bench scraper to bring the mixture back together again as needed. When the butter is in long sheets and evenly distributed throughout the flour, return the mixture to the bowl and create a well in the center.

4. Add the buttermilk into the well and use your fingers or a wooden spoon to combine. Add more buttermilk — a tbsp at a time — if necessary, but the mixture should be a little on the dry side.

5. Place the dough back onto a floured surface and divide into 6. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for one hour.

Overnight is better.

FOR THE GALETTES: 1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. 2. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the blueberries and toss to coat.

3. Roll each disk of pie dough into an 8 to 10 inch circle. Add about 1 to 2 tbsp of blueberry mixture into the center of each disk; fold the dough up and over the filling.

4. Brush the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with the raw sugar.

5. Place the galettes on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake until crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the sheet pans halfway through.

6. Store galettes in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. ×

BLUEBERRY GALETTES

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 45

RÉCOLTANT MANIPULANTS

by Roger Torriero

CHAMPAGNE IS INDEED A HOUSEHOLD WORD, EVEN IF THE REAL MCCOY IS RARELY FOUND IN THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD. In fact, Champagne is so well known that many

use the word in a generic sense to refer to all sparkling wine.

Even those that know the difference between Asti and Champagne will generally be familiar with only a dozen or so iconic brands from big producers.

Less known is a group of smaller production bottlings known as Grower Champagnes, or, by their official term, Récoltant Manipulant. These can deliver some of the best quality, most exciting and value-driven Champagnes in this premium sparkling wine category. Sadly, for most wine drinkers, this group of producers is not even on their radar.

What are Grower Champagnes you may ask, and what am I missing? In short, they are made in small quantities by producers who grow their own grapes and make sparkling wine exclusively from their own vineyards. They represent the “third tier” in the gradually narrowing scope of Champagne styles.

Any sparkling wine marked as Champagne has to come from the demarcated area in northern France. Legally, Champagne is a single appellation that produces (almost) exclusively sparkling wine. However, in reality, the region is both large and diverse in terms of growing area, structure and production.

The Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the region’s official trade organization, is (not surprisingly) a reputable source of information. According to the CIVC, the region spans over 33,700 hectares. In 2014, the Champagne appellation harvested enough grapes to produce over 337 million bottles!

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Given its relatively large size, it is easy to see why the single appellation status does not do it justice. In truth, it’s not a single wine region, but rather a series of sub-regions, different villages and even different vineyard plots, which together can result in a myriad of styles. However, and generally speaking, there are three categories producers ship to market: Champagne Houses, also known as Maisons or officially as the Négociant Manipulants (NM); Cooperatives as Récoltant-Coopérateurs or Coopératives de Manipulation (RC or CM), depending on how the co-op is structured; and Grower Champagnes, aka Récoltant Manipulants (RM).

Officially, the CIVC states that the region boasts about 15,800 growers who own roughly 90 percent of the vineyards. These growers work the vines and harvest their own grapes. What they do with these grapes is up to them. Most choose to sell their fruit to Champagne houses and co-ops — but some use the grapes for their own wine; hence Grower Champagne.

The CIVC also reports there are about 300 Négociant Manipulants of varying sizes in the region that own the remaining 10 percent of the vineyards. These houses usually buy grapes to supplement their own yields. The larger, more famous houses are often referred to as Grandes Marques. These are the familiar Champagne brands that you are most likely to encounter on our shelves (Bollinger, Moët & Chandon, Mumm, Perrier Jouet, Veuve Clicquot etc.).

Yet when it comes to overall sales in big export markets, the numbers are reversed. The Grandes Marques and larger Négociant Manipulants make up almost 90 percent of the Champagne global exports sales, while the co-ops and Récoltant Manipulants combined account for only 10 percent.

The NM brands trade on their reputation, dependability and consistency in style. Their strength is that the consumer knows what to expect in terms of price for their bottle of bubbly. The large houses have the resources to buy and blend many different constituents to create a consistently good sparkler.

Narrowing the scope, a co-operative Champagne producer is exactly what it sounds like. Typically, it is a group of grape growers from an area that band together to form a production co-op.

The Nicolas Feuillatte label is probably Champagne’s largest cooperative and one that you are most likely to see.

This brings us to the the Récoltant Manipulants; the “grower/producers.” They own (usually small) parcels of vineyards in very specific sites within the Champagne region. Many aficionados consider this to be the most exciting and best value category of all the Champagnes in the region.

To find out a more about the latter category, I interviewed Champagne expert and specialist Carl Edmund Sherman. This Swedish-American has lived in France for over 10 years — most of that time in Champagne. Today he spends his time working on education, local tourism and most importantly, helping Champagne growers and domains export their products.

As one of the few non-native independent professionals living and working in Champagne, he is a great resource. In his own words, “this allows me the luxury of having both one foot in the daily workings of the Champagne business, as well as an ‘outside view,’ for an overall global perspective.”

WHEN I ASKED SHERMAN HOW HE DEFINES A GROWER CHAMPAGNE, he stated: “What is understood to be a Grow-

er Champagne [producer] is a person who [makes the] wines on their own premises, with the grapes coming from their own vines. It basically means that the individual is wholly responsible for all of the viticulture and viniculture work, as well as ensuring, for quality purposes, that the grapes used to [craft] their wines are only from their own vines. This offers a genuine traceability from vine to wine for the consumer.”

I pressed Sherman for more, asking for a further breakdown of the categories and of the CIVC’s numbers. Sherman explains: “Of the 15,800 winegrowers, there are fewer than 5,000 who [craft] their own wine. Breaking the 5,000 number down, just over half of these are Récoltant-Coopérateurs.”

Sherman continues: “Of the less than half of the 5,000 Récoltants, those remaining are true Récoltants Manipulants; the only Growers who ensure total control and traceability from vine to wine of their final product. So these are the true Grower Champagnes.”

So how does one identify a Grower Champagne? By law, every bottle of Champagne must indicate on the label the category of producer. The source of the bubbly is designated by a two-letter code that denotes the production source.

There are eight versions of these letter codes and they are usually followed by a series of numbers that correspond to the producer’s name and address. For the purposes of this article, we need only concern ourselves with two codes. Sherman explains: “Récoltant-Manipulant is denoted [by the letters] RM. This code can be found on the front and back labels of the champagne bottle.”

Of course, the bad news is that these two letters are usually quite small and difficult to locate. They are usually found in miniscule print on the bottom of the label.

Given the consistency, dependability and general availability of the Grandes Marques brands, I asked Sherman what’s in it for the consumer if they decide to spend the extra legwork seeking out a relatively unknown — and untried — Grower Champagne.

“Some of the best, lesser-known secrets of Champagne are from growers, who express more than just a consistent style year in and out … any drinker should enjoy a diverse selection of Champagnes, including many from the multitude of different growers.”

According to Sherman, Grower Champagnes offer better value for money, not to mention an authentic expression of a particular growing area and season. The Récoltant-Manipulant is more likely to express personal winemaking philosophies and techniques based on a variety of different villages and individual plots.

What Sherman finds most exciting about Grower Champagnes is their focus on differences in terroir as well as the conditions for any given year. Says Carl, “Consistent high quality remains a clear objective for the Grower, but creating the same taste year in and year out is less important.”

Sherman concedes that the powerful Grand Marques brands have historically been quite useful for opening untapped markets and attracting new consumers to Champagne. The Grower Champagnes, on the other hand, are more likely to excel in more mature Champagne markets, such as the UK, Canada and the US. Indeed, there has been a steady, albeit slow, growing interest in these markets. Names like Champagne Cuperly, Champagne Tristan, Champagne Soutiran and Champagne Veuve J. Lanaud are but a few of the Grower Champagnes making inroads.

Sherman notes that part of the attraction, is that the drinker is more likely to have an emotional connection to a smallscale grower than to a large brand. “I find that there is a direct correlation between liking the Champagnes from Growers and the Growers themselves. Some of my favourite Champagnes are made by Growers who I genuinely like the most as people. I am fortunate in that I can even call some of them friends.”

Grower Champagnes also satisfy the growing trend towards small scale, “craft,” artisanal beverages. You could almost compare the interest in Grower Champagne to Micro-brews. (And perhaps the Grand Marques can be likened to larger international breweries?)

Sherman has another, somewhat more esoteric, reason for seeking these bottles out. “Those who choose the path of becoming a Grower struggle nearly every day in the various aspects of their work.” He draws a parallel between the Growers’ struggle to make a living and to the grapes that must struggle to survive and ultimately make wine. Stressed grapes yield better wines. Maybe stressed producers do, too!

High quality, vintage variations, expressiveness of terroir and the “field to bottle” nature of Grower Champagnes make them well worth the effort to seek out. So the next time you want value or a new experience in terms of diversity in style and flavour in Champagne, it might be worth dragging out a magnifying glass and searching for those all-important letters: RM. × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 47

BOUQUET GARNI BY NANCY JOHNSON

A MONKEY KIND OF YEAR As a gal who doesn’t like to miss a party or a feeding, I am getting ready to celebrate the Year of the Monkey. All over the world, celebrations will begin on February 8 for the Chinese New Year. Themes of good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity are symbolized throughout the 16-day festival that ends at the Lantern Festival, celebrated under the first full moon of the New Year.

New Year’s Eve Dinner, or Reunion Dinner, is the most important meal of the year, a time when Chinese families come together to celebrate.

Whole fish and chicken, greens, spring rolls, dumplings, long noodles, sweet rice cakes, tangerines and oranges are consumed at the dinner for their symbolic meaning.

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× Search through a wide range of wine-friendly recipes on quench.me/recipes/

ASIAN STEAMED COD

SERVES 4 The Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for surplus. Whole fish is traditionally served at New Year’s Eve dinner for the promise of abundance in the new year. Here, fish fillets sub for whole fish in an easy-to-prepare steamed dish.

3

3

1

4

2

tbsp soy sauce tbsp rice vinegar tbsp grated fresh ginger cod fillets Salt and pepper, to taste scallions, sliced

1. In a large skillet, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar and ginger. Add cod. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until cod is cooked through. Garnish with scallions.

MATCH: I always like Gewürztraminer with Asian food.

BAKED SPRING ROLLS

MAKES ABOUT 10 TO 12 Traditionally enjoyed during the Spring Festival (hence the name), spring rolls resemble bars of gold, symbolizing wealth in the New Year. Add mushrooms, bean sprouts and minced ginger to the filling if you’d like. Stir-fry with the cabbage mixture.

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lb ground pork tbsp canola oil, divided tbsp chicken stock tbsp oyster sauce tsp sugar cup cabbage, finely shredded carrot, shredded scallions, thinly sliced tsp sesame oil tbsp cornstarch tbsp water spring roll wrappers tsp vegetable oil Purchased sweet-and-sour sauce

1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. 2. In a skillet or wok, cook pork in 1 tbsp oil over medium heat

until browned. Remove from heat and drain.

3. In a small bowl, combine chicken stock, oyster sauce and sugar. Set aside.

4. Wipe out skillet and add remaining oil. Stir-fry cabbage, carrot and scallions until softened. Push vegetables to the sides of the skillet; add reserved sauce to the middle of skillet and bring to a boil. Add the pork and mix through. Drizzle with sesame oil.

5. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water.

6. To wrap, lay spring roll wrapper in a diamond shape. Place 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture in the center of each wrapper.

Coat all edges with the cornstarch mixture. Roll up wrapper and tuck in edges. Seal edges with the cornstarch mixture.

7. Arrange spring rolls in a single layer on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Brush spring rolls with vegetable oil. Bake 25 minutes or until hot and golden, turning once after 15 minutes. Serve with sweet-and-sour sauce.

MATCH: Serve with sparkling white wine.

CHINESE NOODLE SOUP

SERVES 4 TO 6 A long life is wished for those who eat noodles or long leafy greens on New Year’s Eve.

8 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

4 cups leafy greens, such as baby bok choy or spinach Salt and pepper, to taste 1/2 lb Chinese egg noodles, cooked according to package directions Minced cilantro, for garnish 1. In a large saucepot, bring the broth to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to medium.

2. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, greens, salt and pepper. Cook until greens wilt.

3. Divide the noodles among 4 to 6 bowls. Ladle soup over noodles. Garnish with cilantro.

MATCH: A dry Riesling would work.

CHICKEN VELVET

SERVES 4 Traditionally a whole chicken is served on New Year’s Eve to denote prosperity, wholeness and joy in the New Year. Roast a whole chicken for your Chinese New Year’s celebration and serve this easy-to-prepare dish on a busy weekday.

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dried shiitake mushrooms chicken fillets, cut into strips cup soy sauce cup cornstarch tbsp sugar cups chicken broth cups cooked jasmine rice

1. In a small bowl, soak mushrooms in enough water to cover for 30 minutes. Scoop mushrooms from water with a slotted spoon, drain and pat dry.

2. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mushroom water, pouring water through a sieve to remove any grit. Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, chop mushrooms.

3. Place chicken in a large skillet. Pour soy sauce over chicken, tossing to coat. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with sugar and sprinkle on chicken, tossing to coat.

4. Add mushrooms, reserved 1/2 cup mushroom water, and broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

MATCH: Try a buttery Chardonnay. × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 49

NEXT STOP BY SARAH PARNIAK

CARVING OUT ITS PLACE

Without chalk, there would be no Champagne. The next time you scribble some nonsense on a blackboard, stop and think about that for a second.

The tiny region in northeast France eponymous with the world’s most famous sparkling wine wouldn’t be quite so influential without its limestone subsoils, which grace the wines with a distinctive mineral zing and dazzling acidity.

But far before Champagne was ever a twinkle in Dom Perignon’s glass or a spark in the enterprising mind of the Widow Clicquot, let alone a multibillion-dollar industry, its land was part of the Gallo-Roman empire. Roman Gauls were the first to cultivate vineyards in the area around the 5th century, but their main focus was hidden far below what are now endless fields of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

They carved out chalk mines connected by a labyrinthine network of tunnels beneath Reims, some dating back to the 1st century, from which they extracted hunks of limestone for roads and cities, cosmetics and fertilizer.

These ancient quarries, called crayères from the French word for chalk, now serve as precious wine warrens for a handful of les Grandes Maisons like Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, Charles Heidsieck, Pommery and Ruinart, debatably Champagne’s oldest established house and the first to use the ancient subterranean network for aging in 1768. The chalk pits are also a large part of what won the hillsides, houses and cellars of Champagne a UNESCO World Heritage Site classification in July 2015.

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Underground cellaring systems are essential to the méthode champenoise, the secondary bottle fermentation that lends the wines of Champagne their prized texture; the crayères are special not only for their historical significance and racks upon racks of jaw-droppingly old Champagne, but for their ideal storage conditions.

As you descend in a careful spiral into the crayères, some of which sprawl almost 40 metres below the surface, the temperature drops sharply and you’re glad you had the foresight to bring a jacket and scarf. This is the kind of cold that makes the tip of your nose turn pink; the kind that creeps into your core and threatens to stay until two glasses of Champagne work their magic.

Temperatures down here are naturally cool and consistently so, hovering around 10°C. The humidity is high enough to make your teeth chatter. It’s quiet, incredibly still and only your emotions flutter, overwhelmed. This far down, the nests of slumbering Champagne are sheltered from the vibrations of the outside world.

As you wind through endless chambers stacked with chalk-dusted bottles and peek into dark crevices stuffed with even more, you settle on a single sentiment: awe. When you emerge into daylight a little while later, you’re struck with an uncontrollable giddiness. You can’t stop smiling — and no, it’s not just the Champagne. ×

NOTED 89 REDSTONE WINERY CABERNET FRANC ICEWINE 2010, NIAGARA ($25.95/200 ML)

Ready to drink, this rock-solid Cab Franc Icewine pumps out strawberry, redcurrant, cassis, dried cherries and red flowers. Splendid length, soft texture and low acid make for a perfect pairing with a flourless chocolate cake. (ES)

92 CIPES BLANC DE FRANC 2011, OKANAGAN ($35)

92 TUA TUA BAY PINOT GRIS 2014, MARLBOROUGH, NEW ZEALAND ($20)

Sometimes a year too warm to make Icewine can have truly positive results. This rosé sparkler, made with 100% Cabernet Franc, sports an elegant and structured style with forward fruit and restrained sweetness. Red fruit and raisin on the nose followed by blueberry and raspberry notes toned with a crisp, dry finish. (TP)

Clear pale gold. Sweet, fruity nose of apple blossom and lemon. Full-bodied, surprisingly dry given the nose, with apple and tangerine flavours. A classy Pinot Gris; should accompany food.

Drink up. (RL)*

92 NARRATIVE FORTIFIED SMALL BATCH, OKANAGAN ($45)

91 GRAHAM’S QUINTA DOS MALVEDOS VINTAGE PORT 2004, PORTUGAL ($29.95/375 ML)

With the cold nights now upon us, there is nothing quite as satisfying and cathartic as a glass of Port in front of a roaring fireplace. Black as night, this single Quinta (farm/vineyard) Vintage Port is concentrated with masses of cassis, plum, kirsch, violets, mint and dark cocoa. It will evolve nicely over the next 15 years. Superb value! (ES)

This fortified wine is made with a combination of Merlot and Syrah that was fermented in concrete and fortified with grape spirits distilled onsite and aged for 2 years in neutral oak. The nose shows rich blueberry and kirsch with smoky/ spicy/fortified notes and added cassis and pepper. It’s thick with mouthwatering currants, raspberry and blueberry with a creamy and silky texture. It finishes with a touch of chocolate/mocha. (RV)

GARRISON BREWING THREE FIELDS HARVEST WET HOPPED STRONG ALE, NOVA SCOTIA ($6.95/650 ML)

Fresh or “wet” hops were picked from 3 different farms and added to the kettle within 24 hours. The green hops add liveliness, immediacy and unique aromatic freshness. The resulting bright floral and herbal scents greatly enhance and add balance to the malty, nutty richness of the brew. (SW)

× Find a collection of tasting notes for wine, beer and spirits at quench.me/notes/

FORTY CREEK DOUBLE BARREL RESERVE CANADIAN WHISKY, ONTARIO ($59.95)

Rye, barley and corn whiskies for this premium blend are aged in their own individual barrels and subsequently married together in seasoned Kentucky bourbon barrels. This one shows characteristic rye whisky notes with additional, subtle complexity. Citrus, vanilla and nutty aromas, together with caramel and gentle spirity scents, lead into very smooth, mellow flavours, notably lightly sweet vanilla cream and pralines shifting to oaky dryness and warming spirit on the finish. (SW)

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 51

Each wine is judged on its own merits, in its respective category. Our scores are based on the wine's quality as well as price point. Readers should assess these, and all wines, using the same criteria. Carefully study the commentaries to get an idea of whether the wine might appeal to your taste. The prices listed are suggested retail prices and may vary from province to province. Since a large number of these wines can be purchased across Canada, check with your local liquor board or private wine store for availability.

Our tasters are Tony Aspler, Gurvinder Bhatia, Tod Stewart, Evan Saviolidis, Rick VanSickle, Ron Liteplo, Harry Hertscheg, Sean Wood, Gilles Bois, Sarah Parniak, Crystal Luxmore, Tim Pawsey, Silvana Lau and Jonathan Smithe.

QUENCH USES THE 100-POINT SCALE 95-100 = Exceptional 90-94 = Excellent 85-89 = Very good

SPARKLING 92 GARDET BRUT BLANC DE BLANCS NV, CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE ($36.50)

Pale yellow with abundant bubbles. Medium-intensity nose of pear, guava, orange and yeast. Rich and fruity with almost Californian ripeness in the mouth, tasting of ripe apple and lemon. Very slightly sweet but with a green almond bitterness on the long finish. Good value. (RL)*

92 HINTERLAND BLANC DE BLANC 2011, PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY ($39) This is made from 100% Chardonnay aged in 5-year-old oak barrels with zero dosage.

It’s so fresh and perky on the nose with lemon, biscuit, apricot, lime, grapefruit and creamy pear with leesy-vanilla-mineral accents. It’s nicely aged but still bright and cheerful on the palate with citrus, brioche and pear flavours to go with a creamy, textured mouthfeel. (RV)

92 HINTERLAND LES ETOILES 2012, PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY ($39)

The 2012 version of Les Etoiles, made in the traditional method, is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir.

The nose shows grapefruit, pear, brioche, toast and smoky-flinty notes. It’s racy on the palate with a healthy, persistent stream of bubbles that accent flavours of fresh grapefruit, pear, citrus and that vein of flinty minerality. (RV) 52 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

80-84 = Good 75-79 = Acceptable 70 & under = Below average *Available through wine clubs

92 CHARLES GARDET MILLÉSIME BRUT 2004, CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE ($47.33)

Medium-deep yellow, young-looking for its age, with oodles of fine bubbles. Robust nose of pears, ripe McIntosh apples, pastry dough and a bit of pineapple. Full-bodied, clearly mature but still fresh; has the balance and strength of a ballerina, with citrus and peach flavours. Ready to drink, but worth keeping for a while too. (RL)*

91 GRAY MONK ODYSSEY WHITE BRUT 2013, OKANAGAN ($22)

Lively sparkler delivers a very solid mousse with apple and nutty aromas before a creamy mouthfeel, with apple, citrus and stone-fruit notes before a zesty end. Well crafted Riesling and Pinot Blanc blend won a coveted Platinum medal at the 2015 Okanagan Wine Festival Awards. (TP)

90 HAYWIRE THE BUB 2013, OKANAGAN ($30)

It pours with a generous mousse and shows aromas of baked bread, brioche, green apple, lemon and grapefruit. It’s toasty yet fresh on the palate with apple, a touch of ginger and pie crust, and round with citrus accents. (RV)

90 CIPES BLANC DE BLANC 2010, OKANAGAN ($35)

100% Chardonnay sports chalky and apple notes on the nose with fine bubbles and good mousse, and a creamy, mouth-filling palate of orchard fruits and a streak of citrus with a crisp end. Tuck it away for a few years and it willl reward with even more creaminess, says winemaker Eric von Krosigk. (TP)

88 BOTTER CASA DI MALIA PROSECCO DOC, ITALY ($16.79)

Floral, apple and lightly honeyed scents give way to off-dry apple flavours delivered in an appetizingly creamy texture with gentle fizz, lively acidity and a dry mineral note on the finish. (SW)

88 DIBON CAVA BRUT RESERVE NV, PENEDÈS, SPAIN ($18) Elegant and round with rich, mouth-filling bubbles, lovely soft texture, flavours of apple, almond and citrus; bright and fresh with great balance and soft acidity on the lifted finish. A tremendous-value sparkling wine that is versatile enough to serve with a range of hors d’oeuvres and snacks, to enjoy on its own or to toast any occasion. (GB)

88 TSELEPOS AMALIA BRUT ROSÉ NV, ARCADIA PGI, GREECE ($25)

Yiannis Tselepos, famous for his white Amalia Brut (made from the aromatic Moschofilero varietal) is now producing a companion rosé bubbly made from the local Agiorgitiko grape. Strawberry, cherry, red flowers, dried earth and herb flavours are all in play. A fine mousse, fresh acid and great length make for a perfect pairing with smoked salmon and charcuterie. (ES)

88 FLAT ROCK CELLARS RIDDLED SPARKLING 2009, NIAGARA PENINSULA ($29.95)

A blend of 92% Chardonnay “with a touch of Pinot Noir”. Pale straw in colour with a nose of baked bread, lemon and apple.

Medium-bodied, crisply dry; green apple and lemon flavours with an intriguing touch of bitterness on the finish. (TA)

WHITE ARGENTINA 90 KAIKEN CHARDONNAY 2013, MENDOZA ($20)

Pale straw colour offering a spicy oak, mineral, apple and anise bouquet. Rich mouthfeel, full body and well-integrated oak with an intriguing bitterness on the finish. (TA)

AUSTRALIA 87 FAT’N SKINNY WINEMAKER’S BLEND 2014, MCLAREN VALE ($13) Clear pale yellow. Medium-intensity but complex nose of lime, lemon and flowers.

Full-bodied with a smooth mouthfeel and a long finish. Interesting flavours of peaches, apples and citrus, with zesty lemony acidity from the Vermentino grapes. Drink up. (RL)*

87 RYMILL THE YEARLING SAUVIGNON BLANC 2014, COONAWARRA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ($14.99)

Offers lively Sauvignon varietal character with grassy green herb, fresh green fruit, mineral and well-balanced acidity. (SW)

CANADA 92 BLUE MOUNTAIN PINOT BLANC 2014, OKANAGAN ($18)

Apple and pear on the nose, with a beautifully integrated fresh-fruit palate and deft use of French oak that delivers creaminess and structure in truly elegant harmony. A poignant reminder that prior to the mad rush to Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc was BC’s most widely planted white. (TP)

92 HAYWIRE SWITCHBACK ORGANIC VINEYARD WILD FERMENT 2014, OKANAGAN ($30)

The wine is made with 100% certified organic Pinot Gris. The nose is unbelievable with apricot, peach compote, subtle raspberry, thyme and fragrant cranberry and apple. It has noticeable tannins on the palate and feels like a red wine with cran-cherry, pomegranate, peach, wonderful texture and a subtle earthy feel through the finish. (RV)

91 GRAY MONK EHRENFELSER 2014, OKANAGAN ($18)

90 CEDARCREEK GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2014, OKANAGAN ($15.59)

91 TANTALUS RIESLING 2014, OKANAGAN ($20)

90 INTERSECTION RIESLING 2014, OKANAGAN ($18.90)

Honey, orange and stone fruit upfront precede a more off-dry but clean palate of tropical fruits, peach and apricot. From estate-grown old vines that date from the ‘70s Becker project. Think firm cheeses or lightly spiced Asian or Indian fare. (TP)

An aromatic burst of just-sliced green apple and freshly-zested lime. Live-wire acidity and tangy flavours of pink grapefruit, guava, peach and that ever-present lime and green apple. Well-balanced honey notes on the light-footed, off-dry finish.

Fish tacos are the ticket. (HH)

91 TINHORN CREEK 2 BENCH WHITE 2014, OKANAGAN ($24)

Intense peach and tropical notes on the nose precede a layered and complex palate of citrus and stone fruit that’s rounded and viscous, but also sleek and persistent, with a zesty citrus end. Pairs nicely with sautéed scallops or grilled chicken. (TP)

91 COYOTE’S RUN RARE VINTAGE CHARDONNAY 2014, FOUR MILE CREEK ($24.95)

Medium- to full-bodied, it is ripe with peach, cream, baked apple, pineapple, spice and lilac on the nose. On the palate, cream, vanilla, banana and minerals add dimension. Long finish, fresh acid and superb length make for a brilliant pairing with lobster or poultry. (ES)

91 ROAD 13 OLD VINES CHENIN BLANC 2014, OKANAGAN ($27)

This Chenin was wild-fermented and aged briefly for 5 months in oak. It has integrated aromas of apple, pear, melon, soft citrus, honey and spice. It is highly concentrated on the palate with pear, wild honey, apple crumble, flinty minerality and fine oak spices. (RV)

91 TANTALUS OLD VINES RIESLING 2012, OKANAGAN ($31)

Focused white flowers, Mandarin orange and lime aromas, punctuated by intoxicating petrol notes. Vibrant citrus flavour.

Soaring acidity induces salivation, while lingering minerality dries the palate. Sternly textured, so cellar over the next decade to develop nuance and complexity. (HH)

Good varietal character here: light straw colour; spicy, lychee and rose petal bouquet; medium-bodied, off-dry, Turkish delight flavours of cardamom, lychee and rosewater; unctuous on the palate with an orange note on the finish. (TA)

Lifted floral and mineral hints upfront before a firm citrus and green apple-toned palate and lingering dry finish.

Estate-grown adjacent to Golden Mile Bench and hand-picked. (TP)

90 SERENDIPITY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2014, OKANAGAN ($20)

Gooseberry, melon and floral notes on the nose before a lively and juicy lemon-lime and orchard-fruit palate before a refreshing finish. Match with pasta and cream sauce or lighter seafood. (TP)

90 SINGLETREE SIEGERREBE 2014, FRASER VALLEY ($22)

Upfront floral notes with orchard fruit announce a generous palate and mouthfeel with a good balance of fruit and acidity, emphasized by green apple and stone fruit before a solid finish. (TP)

89 BACKYARD VINEYARD GEWÜRZTRAMINER, FRASER VALLEY ($18) Floral, gentle rose-petal nose, followed by quite a lush palate with tropical and lychee notes, good mouthfeel and lingering finish.

A good match with dishes such as mildly spiced squash or pumpkin soup. (TP)

89 PALATINE HILLS SAUVIGNON BLANC NEUFELD VINEYARD 2014, NIAGARA LAKESHORE ($18)

Partially barrel-fermented, this Sauvignon Blanc gushes gooseberry, passion fruit, tomato vine, fruit salad, herbs and vanilla on the nose. On the palate, peach, citrus and honey chime in. Long finish with vibrant acidity and a touch of sweetness makes for a superb pairing with crab cakes or pasta primavera topped with feta cheese. (ES)

89 ANGELS GATE MOUNTAINVIEW CHARDONNAY 2010, ONTARIO ($20) The 2010 vintage won a gold medal at last year’s Ontario Wine Awards for winemaker Philip Dowell. The wine is very

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 53

NOTED Burgundian in style with a spicy peach nose and forest-floor notes. Ripe and full on the palate, it has beautifully integrated oak with a long, lingering finish. (TA)

89 ROAD 13 VRM 2013, SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY ($29)

Predominantly Viognier (73%), balanced

by Roussanne (25%), with a smidgen of Marsanne (2%). Warm ferment and lees stirring lends richness and complexity.

Spice-laden from intense nose to rich palate to vanilla finish. Orange peel, baked pear and apricot also resonate. Consider cheese fondue or soufflé. (HH)

89 REDSTONE RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2011, BEAMSVILLE BENCH ($38.95)

Fermented via natural yeasts and spent 12 months maturing in partially new French oak. Enticing aromas of peach, toast, honey, anise, pineapple and golden apple are all present. Fresh acid, a lush mid-palate and great finale round everything out. Now until 2019. (ES)

88 PALATINE HILLS RIESLING 2014, NIAGARA LAKESHORE ($13)

If you are a Riesling lover, you should run to pick up this steal of a deal. Peach, lime, honey, bergamot, grapefruit and white flowers inundate the senses. Off-dry with tangy acidity and great length. (ES)

88 ROAD 13 MARSANNE 2014, SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY ($24)

Harvested from Blind Creek Vineyard in Cawston. Fermented and aged in old neutral barrels. Savoury-toned throughout with fresh herbs, wild honey and chunks of cantaloupe, ripe pear and white grapefruit. Dry, round mid-palate with lingering citrus peel and a salty-tang finish. Bring on the cheese board. (HH)

87 MARYNISSEN ESTATES PINOT GRIS KASPER VINEYARD 2014, NIAGARA LAKESHORE ($17)

12 hours of skin contact and partial barrel fermentation has created a bouquet of peach, red apple, honey, banana, cream and spice. Pineapple and yeasty flavours combine with the fresh acidity and fine length. (ES) 54 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

FRANCE 96 LOUIS LATOUR CHEVALIER-MONTRACHET 2012, GRAND CRU BURGUNDY ($446)

Pale yellow. Opulent nose, very ripe with discreet tropical fruit notes and a floral touch hovering over buttery caramel. Ample and caressing, the vivid acidity is matched by the dense texture for a filling mid-palate that makes you stop and meditate. The generous oak is completely absorbed by the richness of the fruity extract. So complex and complete. The never-ending finish is carried by the classy acidity more than by the oak. Quite unforgettable. (GBQc)

taste, in a typical dry Alsatian style; very enjoyable right now. Starting with the 2015 vintage, the label of Alsace wines will mention the amount of residual sugar, a welcome move. (GBQc)

89 MARC BRÉDIF VOUVRAY 2014, LOIRE VALLEY ($21.15)

Very pale. Typical Chenin Blanc nose: rich notes of quince and other yellow fruits with discreet wet wool and limestone. Equally rich in the mouth; fine acidity, ripe fruity taste, thick texture in the well-balanced mid-palate and a pleasant finish. Excellent now, it can age 8 to 10 more years. (GBQc)

93 LOUIS LATOUR BÂTARDMONTRACHET 2010, GRAND CRU BURGUNDY ($327)

89 DOMAINE ALBERT MANN PINOT GRIS CUVÉE ALBERT 2012, ALSACE ($28)

92 CAVE VINICOLE DE HUNAWIHR RIESLING 2012, AOC ALSACE ($15)

89 DOMAINE BELLE TERRES BLANCHES 2013, CROZES-HERMITAGE, RHÔNE VALLEY ($28.25)

Very pale. Complex nose; ripe, almost candied tropical fruits with rich buttery notes and a touch of menthol-like freshness. So elegant and delicate on the palate, yet structured, fatty and ripe, with a mile-long finish. Simply superb. (GBQc)

Clear pale yellow. Compelling nose of ripe apple, lime and petrol. Light-bodied with high acidity over Granny Smith apple flavours and a long finish. Drink up. (RL)*

91 DOMAINE VACHERON SANCERRE 2014, LOIRE VALLEY ($35.25)

Very pale. Intense, elegant nose of citrus and herbaceous notes with a mineral accent of flint. Energized by acidity, the sharp, fresh flavours are mouthwatering all the way to the lengthy finish. Ready to drink, but it will hold 3 to 5 years. (GBQc)

90 LOUIS LATOUR MARSANNAY BLANC 2012, BURGUNDY ($27)

Pale yellow. Fresh nose of pear and apricot, no trace of oak. Seductive on the palate, well balanced, nice fruity taste and a round finish to wrap things up. Ready to drink. (GBQc)

89 DOMAINE FERNAND ENGEL RIESLING RÉSERVE 2013, ALSACE ($17) Pale golden yellow. Delicate nose, floral, with grapefruit and a hint of petrol. Light

Pale yellow with grey reflections. Candied fruits dominate the nose with a good deal of minerality. Somewhat thick and fatty texture with residual sugar that compensates the bitterness in the mid-palate, leading to a round finish. (GBQc)

Pale yellow. Grapefruit, white peach with a hint of wet wool over a sharp, fine mineral/chalky note. Equally pleasant on the palate: fatty, round texture with a moderately fruity taste.

Balanced acidity throughout and a tender finish. Ready to drink. (GBQc)

89 LOUIS JADOT 2013, CHABLIS AC ($34.49)

Fresh yet mellow green apple on the nose with clean dry apple in the mouth showing good depth of flavour backed by crisp acidity, mineral, good weight and overall balance. (SW)

87 BRUMONT GROS MANSENG/ SAUVIGNON 2011, CÔTES DE GASCOGNE IGP ($14.99)

Scents of ripe yellow pear with citrus and floral overtones persist on the palate together with green apple, stony mineral and gentle but refreshing acidity.

Full-flavoured but unpretentious wine for everyday drinking. (SW)

87 AUGEY BORDEAUX WHITE 2014, BORDEAUX, FRANCE ($15)

Unabashedly appetizing, tasty, affordable and very quaffable (11.5% alc.). This blend of Sauvignon Blanc (75%) and Sémillon (25%) delivers on many fronts. Fresh apple, crisp citrus and spicy gooseberry.

Open now with goat cheese or salads. (HH)

87 DOMAINE DES HUARDS ROMO 2010, COUR-CHEVERNY, LOIRE VALLEY ($20.30)

The nose is slightly herbaceous with pear and citrus notes, and a hint of beeswax.

Attack is sharp with some bitterness in the mid-palate. The fat texture turns thinner near the somewhat short finish. From a lesser producer, the wine could be uninteresting, which explains why the grape is losing ground among growers. (GBQc)

GERMANY 91 BISCHÖFLICHE WEINGÜTER TRIER SCHARZHOFBERGER SPÄTLESE RIESLING 2012, MOSEL ($31)

From the prized Scharzhofberger comes this hugely floral Riesling with honey, lime, apricot, peach, green apple and minerals acting as backup. The crisp acidity is balanced by the sweetness giving the impression of an off-dry wine. Chill well, pour, sit back and relax. (ES)

90 BISCHÖFLICHE WEINGÜTER TRIER DOM RIESLING 2013, MOSEL ($17.95)

Long aftertaste with great acidity. Halibut in beurre blanc sauce or a pork roast would be sublime with this wine. (ES)

91 TSELEPOS SANTORINI 2014, GREECE ($40)

Full-bodied and concentrated, this wine’s power is held in check by brisk acidity.

Salty minerals, white peach, lime and honey abound in this dry wine. Long finish.

Great now but better in 3 to 4 years. (ES)

88 BOUTARI MOSCHOFILERO 2014, MANTINIA, GREECE ($13)

The Moschofilero grape is sourced from Peloponnese vineyards at 650-foot altitude. Delightfully fragrant, deliciously refreshing and highly quaffable at 11% alcohol. Effusive floral and spice aromas. Crisp citrus and melon flavours on a light-bodied palate. Tasty with Greek salad, fish tacos or on-its-own. (HH)

87 THALIA WHITE 2014, CRETE ($10)

Great bang for the buck from Greece’s southernmost island! This 50/50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and indigenous Vilana is delicate yet flavourful with apple, melon, peach, white flower and nougat aromas.

On the palate, crisp acidity, fine length and minerality complete the package. Drink with hors d’oeuvres such as fried shrimp/ kalamari or mild cheeses. (ES)

87 BOUTARI MOSCHOFILERO 2014, MANTINIA ($20)

This is old-style German Riesling before the Trocken fad. Very pale in colour, it offers a bouquet of lime and honey with a floral grace note. Medium-bodied, off-dry, well-balanced citrus and honey flavours, and good length. (TA)

Crisp, refreshing, aromatic and richly textured with floral notes, mouth-filling flavours of citrus, melon and stone fruit.

Savoury and minerally with a touch of spice, bright acidity and a rich, long, juicy finish. A great match with seafood, pork or chicken souvlaki and saganaki (fried cheese). (GB)

GREECE

ITALY

91 BIBLIA CHORA OVILOS 2013, MACEDONIA ($30.75)

90 TENUTAE LAGEDER GAUN 2013, SUDTIROL ALTO ADIGE ($25.40)

Greece’s answer to a great Pessac-Léognan! Full-bodied, this oaked blend of 50% Sémillon and 50% Assyrtiko doles out honey, wax, lanolin, peach, herbs, vanilla, spice and huge minerals.

Very pale. Wines sold under the Tenutae Lageder label are from vineyards owned

by Aloïs Lageder and follow biodynamic practices. This Chardonnay has a discreet mineral nose with citrus and white fruit

(pear-like) notes; a floral touch develops in the glass. Lively attack, round and full mid-palate with a fatty texture and a lengthy flavourful finish. Lageder’s wines carry a sense of purity and authenticity that deserve respect. Enjoy this one with sea fish or poultry dishes. (GBQc)

87 FABIANO PINOT GRIGIO 2013, VENETO ($18)

Open, easy-drinking and fresh, this excellent value offers apple, mineral and citrus flavours, crisp with good acidity and a clean finish. Pinot Grigio, in general, deservedly gets a bad rap because of the abundance of insipid offerings on the market, but when it’s made well, it is a lovely, drinkable and food-versatile wine. (GB)

NEW ZEALAND 89 SAINT CLAIR FAMILY ESTATE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2014, MARLBOROUGH ($19.99)

Characteristic Kiwi aromatic grassy herbal and green-fruit intensity with a distinct asparagus note. Rounder flavours than the nose suggests, with asparagus, passion fruit and a hint of gooseberry supported by bracing acidity, grippy mineral and lingering green fruit on the finish. (SW)

PORTUGAL 88 QUINTA DA MURTA WHITE 2013, BUCELAS ($14.95)

If you’re looking for something different from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, try this wine. Made from the Arinto grapes, it has a nose that reminded me of an aged Hunter Valley Sémillon — slightly oily with an apple purée note. The flavour is dry, lemony and resiny with a long finish. (TA)

SOUTH AFRICA 90 BOSCHENDAL 1685 CHARDONNAY 2013, WESTERN CAPE ($15)

This is the best-value Chardonnay under $15 I’ve tasted in a long time. Light lemon in colour, it has a Burgundian-style nose of forest floor and apples. Rich, dry and FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 55

NOTED mouth-filling, the flavour is all mango and green pineapple with well-integrated oak and a long lemony finish. (TA)

88 KWV SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013, WINE OF ORIGIN WESTERN CAPE ($13) Lively aromatic Sauvignon profile with generous green gooseberry and passion fruit flavours, grassy herbal and mineral notes with lively, appetizing acidity.

Excellent value. (SW)

86 WARWICK PROFESSOR BLACK SAUVIGNON BLANC 2014, STELLENBOSCH ($14.83) Clear, pale yellow. Medium-intensity nose with gooseberry, grapefruit, elderflower and honey. The palate provides flavours of green apple, citrus and more gooseberry. Drink up. (RL)*

86 KWV CATHEDRAL CELLARS CHARDONNAY 2013, WESTERN CAPE ($15.95)

Pale lemon colour with an earthy, apple nose; dry, intense lemony acidity and bruised-apple flavours on the finish. (TA)

UNITED STATES 91 TALBOTT KALI HART CHARDONNAY 2013, MONTEREY COUNTY ($27.95)

Golden apple, pineapple, mango, peaches-and-cream corn, butter and vanilla flatter. Ripe, it is rich on the palate with fine acidity giving a lift on the long, spicetinged finale. (ES)

91 ROBERT MONDAVI RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2012, CARNEROS ($45) Peach, golden apple, pineapple, smoke, honey and mineral are all present. It is balanced, concentrated and possesses terrific length. Drink until 2019. (ES)

90 BERINGER CHARDONNAY 2013, NAPA ($22.95) Apple, peach, pear, vanilla and cream corn are all present in this mediumbodied Chardonnay. Lengthy, it is not heavy, thanks to the fresh acidity that tidies everything up. Very versatile with food. (ES)

56 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

ROSÉ

RED

90 BLUE GROUSE QUILL ROSÉ 2014, VANCOUVER ISLAND ($17)

ARGENTINA

Red fruits on the nose precede a well-balanced palate of raspberry and rhubarb with some earthy undertones and a crisp, clean finish. Made entirely with 100% Island Gamay Noir. (TP)

88 CLOS DU SOLEIL ROSÉ 2014, SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY, BC ($19.90) 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, showing deep onion-skin colour with strawberry and a hint of raspberry on the nose and cranberry/raspberry flavours in the mouth.

Good acidity, mineral and a judicious touch of residual sugar make for flexible pairing with both savoury and lightly sweet dishes. (SW)

88 LIGHTFOOT & WOLFVILLE ROSÉ 2014, NOVA SCOTIA ($20)

Pale onion-skin colour with delicate red berry and dry savoury overtones on the nose as well as red cherry and berry flavours on the smoothly textured palate.

Lively acidity, a touch of mineral and a hint of sweetness round out the finish.

Made in an understated French style to be drunk with food. (SW)

87 EMILIANA ADOBE ROSÉ RESERVA 2015, RAPEL VALLEY, CHILE ($15) Bright and fresh with aromas and flavours of cherry, strawberry, currants and citrus; silky, elegant and balanced with a firm underlying structure and vibrant, dry, but fruit-driven finish. We all need to drink more rosé; this wine is versatile enough to pair with just about anything and very pleasing to drink on its own. (GB)

87 GUIGAL CÔTES DU RHÔNE ROSÉ 2013, RHÔNE VALLEY, FRANCE ($23)

Bright and lively with aromas and flavours of strawberry, cherry, citrus and hints of spice and tea with a juicy mid-palate and fresh, lifted finish. Has the ability to pair with everything from fresh seafood to earthy vegetarian dishes, and meats from chicken to lamb to slightly spicy dishes and Asian cuisine. (GB)

93 VERSADO RESERVA 2011, ($60)

This wine is made from low-yield, small-berry Malbec that’s hand-picked, hand-sorted, berry-selected and spends 24 months in French oak after wild fermentation in concrete vats. Such a gorgeous and complex wine with super-concentrated blackberries, plums, currants, loam, hints of cherry, toasted vanilla oak spice and leather. Complex and bold, yes, but finessed on the palate and bursting with dark fruits and made more interesting with earthy/loamy and spicy overtures through a long finish. (RV)

93 ALTOS LAS HORMIGAS MALBEC VISTA FLORES 2011, MENDOZA ($72)

Beautiful floral nose; layered, concentrated and elegant with depth and character showing bright penetrating flavours of blackberry, cherry, currant, liquorice and plum with full yet polished tannins, lively acidity and an incredible long, mineral-laden finish. A distinct step up from the plethora of one-dimensional Malbecs flooding the market. Producer and vineyard site do matter. The wine will definitely evolve and develop in the cellar for 5 to 8 years. (GB)

92 KAIKEN ULTRA MALBEC 2013, MENDOZA ($19.95)

Dense purple in colour with a rich nose of cassis and vanilla oak; full-bodied, elegant, fruity with flavours of black cherries, mulberries and tobacco leaf carried on fresh acidity; well-integrated oak and ripe tannins. And it has great mouthfeel. (TA)

91 VERSADO MALBEC 2013, MENDOZA ($26)

It has a beautiful nose of rich blackcurrants, plums, raspberry, blueberry, kirsch and smoky/spicy notes. It’s a full-bodied Malbec on the palate with layers of dark fruits, sweet oak spices and touches of integrated herbs, liquorice and savoury notes through a long finish that’s supported by fine tannins, structure and bright acidity. (RV)

90 CALLEJÓN DEL CRIMEN GRAN RESERVA MALBEC 2008, MENDOZA ($22.95)

No signs of age here. Dense purple in colour with a toasty, cedary nose of black fruits. Full-bodied, richly extracted sweet black cherry flavour. Great balance. (TA)

89 CLOS DE LOS SIETE 2012, MENDOZA ($21.95)

A blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot. Dense ruby colour; cedar, vanilla oak, blackberry and chocolate on the nose with a peppery pencil-lead note; full-bodied, dry, savoury, black fruit flavours with powdery tannins. The Syrah comes singing through even at 9%. Lively acidic finish. (TA)

89 ALTOS LAS HORMIGAS BONARDA COLONIA LAS LIEBRES 2013, MENDOZA ($22)

Fresh and lively with bright, exuberant fruity flavours of raspberry, redcurrant and cherry with spice, juicy tannins, earthy minerality and lively acidity on the lifted finish. So pleasurable to drink and a tremendously versatile food wine. Time for all who think Argentina is just about the “M” word to get over it, expand their horizons and start discovering the multitude of other great wines being produced in this country, where diversity is underappreciated and the variety of grapes such as Bonarda are not recognized to the extent they should be. (GB)

88 FINCA FLICHMAN MISTERIO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014, MENDOZA ($8.85)

Deep ruby-red colour with a savoury nose of blackcurrant, toasted herbs, iodine and black pepper. Medium-bodied, dry and soft on the palate with blackcurrant and plum flavours. Good value.

88 BODEGAS LUIGI BOSCA FINCA LA LINDA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013, MENDOZA ($16.99) Aged in French and American oak, this one arrays blackberry, blackcurrant, cinnamon and clove on the nose.

Blackcurrant flavour leads on the palate with secondary notes of blackberry and blueberry. Well-balanced, harmonious tannins and acidity round out the very clean, dry finish. (SW)

AUSTRALIA 97 BERTON VINEYARD RESERVE SHIRAZ 2012, BAROSSA ($21.83)

Deep plum red. Nose has good Australian Shiraz typicity: jammy cherry and strawberry flavours accented with fresh black pepper. This tooth-stainer packs a ton of black cherry and other dark berry fruit, saved from fruit-bomb boredom by fairly high offsetting acidity. Will get even better for several years. (RL)*

92 GMH MERITAGE 2012, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ($13.92)

Clear deep plum red. Light, claret-like nose of raspberry, cassis and cedar. Plenty of blackberry fruit with herbal, stemmy overtones and soft tannins. Drink over the next couple of years. Good value. (RL)*

92 PERTARINGA UNDERSTUDY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013, MCLAREN VALE ($25.67)

Clear deep garnet. The Petit Verdot in the blend comes through on the nose of violets, herbs and cassis — also a bit of black liquorice in the background. Lots of dark berry-fruit but kept interesting by high acidity and some soft tannins. Needs another year or 2. (RL)*

92 ELDERTON ODE TO LORRAINE CABERNET SAUVIGNON/SHIRAZ/MERLOT 2012, BAROSSA VALLEY ($40)

Dense ruby in colour, this interesting blend offers a nose of blackcurrant and plum jam but it’s not at all overpowering on the palate; in fact, it’s amazingly elegant for the amount of extract, kept so by the fresh spine of acidity and tightrope balance. (TA)

90 3 RINGS SHIRAZ 2013, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ($18.95)

For lovers of bold Barossa Shiraz, here’s another winner from Down Under. Pour a glass and you see its dense purple colour.

Immediately smoky, creamy blackberry and plum aromas captivate the nose. Full-bodied and fleshy, the richly extracted sweet fruit fills the mouth but is contained by a solid structure of acidity and tannins. It’s a wine for carnivores of all stripes. (TA)

89 CAPE BARREN NATIVE GOOSE GRENACHE/SHIRAZ/MOURVÈDRE 2012, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ($19.95)

Deep ruby colour with a nose of blackberry, raspberry and a hint of oak. The wine is dry, full-bodied, fresh and fruity with a lively spine of acidity and good length. (TA)

CANADA 93 BURROWING OWL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, OKANAGAN ($35)

Bright forward notes of red and black berries, hints of tea and spices followed by layers of cassis and plum, with mineral hints, balanced tannins, fresh acidity and broad mouthfeel that drives to a lengthy, slightly peppery end. (TP)

93 BLACK HILLS SYRAH 2013, OKANAGAN ($37)

Brimming with black and blue fruit, mulberry and smoky notes, the plush palate is layered and juicy with textbook pepper, well-integrated tannins, carefully managed oak, suppleness and good length. (TP)

92 HOWLING BLUFF SUMMA QUIES PINOT NOIR 2012, NARAMATA ($35) Lifted cherry and berry notes, followed by lively cherry and strawberry on a plush and rounded palate with earthy undertones, restrained oak and well-integrated tannins. (TP)

92 THE ICONIC ROAD 13 FIFTH ELEMENT 2011, OKANAGAN ($49)

The nose shows blackberry, loam, currants, cedar and an array of oak-derived spice notes. It’s big and rich on the palate with cassis, blackberry, dark chocolate, leather and spice. Fine tannic structure and length through the finish. Cellar 5+ years. (RV)

92 SUMMERHILL ROBERT BATEMAN GRASSLANDS ORGANIC MERLOT 2010, OKANAGAN ($68)

Aromas of blue fruit, spices and vanilla precede a palate of lush blueberry and mulberry notes with hints of violets with spicy undertones, intense but well-defined fruit and acidity, with hints of lingering pepper notes in the close.

Certified organic. (TP) FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 57

NOTED 91 TINHORN CREEK CABERNET FRANC 2013, OKANAGAN ($22)

Lifted black fruit upfront, followed by plush and plummy layers of raspberry and cherry wrapped in silky tannins, fresh acidity and an elegant structure on a palate that promises to develop and further integrate. (TP)

91 JOIE FARM PINOT NOIR 2013, OKANAGAN ($24)

Offers lifted red and black berry notes before a very balanced palate, underpinned by silky tannins, with cherry and earthy notes, and just the right streak of acidity.

Think grilled salmon. (TP)

91 LEANING POST MERLOT 2012, NIAGARA ($42)

No shrinking violet here; a full-on Merlot that spent 20 months in oak barrels. It’s still tight, but reveals black cherry, cassis and bramble with gorgeous oak spices on the nose. It’s thick and appropriately structured with a red fruit broth that adds cassis, earth and spice. It has ripe tannins and plenty of length through the finish.

Cellar 5 to 10 years. (RV)

91 CLOS DU SOLEIL SIGNATURE 2012, VQA SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY ($45) Focused intensity with blackcurrant, mixed green herbs and notes of cinnamon and clove on the nose. Rounded, attractively ripe dark fruit on the palate is evident despite rather closed. Youthful tannic character. Like a similarly well-constructed Bordeaux, it needs another 5 to 7 years aging. (SW)

90 ROCKWAY VINEYARDS SMALL LOT BLOCK 11-140 CABERNET FRANC 2012, TWENTY MILE BENCH, ONTARIO ($24.95)

This shows just how good a grape Cab Franc is for Niagara. Dense purple colour with a spicy nose of vanilla oak, blackberries and currants. Medium- to full-bodied, well balanced and firmly structured with cocoa powder-like tannins. (TA)

90 ROAD 13 SEVENTY-FOUR K 2012, BRITISH COLUMBIA VQA ($25) Harvested from 74 km of Okanagan/ Similkameen vines of Merlot (72%), Syrah

58 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

(19%) and dribbles of Viognier, Malbec, Cab Franc and Gamay. Fragrant scents of blackcurrant, mint and chocolate. Beautifully-balanced trio of acidity, tannins and richness. Dark fruits turn to warmed spices on finish. Bring on the bison burger. (HH)

90 CLOS DU SOLEIL CAPELLA 2013, VQA SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY ($27.90)

Aged on the lees in French oak, this Sauvignon/Sémillon blend is modelled in the Bordeaux style. It reveals subtle, slightly shy yellow fruit with citrus and floral notes, and good amplitude on the palate, backed by lively acidity and mineral. Lees contact and discreet oak add texture and complexity. (SW)

90 INNISKILLIN MONTAGUE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2012, FOUR MILE CREEK, ONTARIO ($29.95)

An impressive Pinot from a mature Niagara vineyard. Deep ruby colour with a nose of cherries and violets backed by oak spice.

Medium-bodied, dry, well-balanced, firmly structured with supple tannins. (TA)

89 BLUE GROUSE QUILL RED BLEND 2013, BC ($19)

This blend of Marechal Foch, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from both Vancouver Island and the Okanagan delivers surprising depth and finesse. Red and black fruit upfront with cassis and vanilla on the palate, supported by well-managed oak. Let it sit in a big glass and you’ll be surprised. (TP)

89 JOIEFARM GAMAY 2013, OKANAGAN ($24)

This has a bright, joyous nose of black cherry, plums, savoury herbs, raspberry and bramble. There is interesting depth to this Gamay with cherry, yes, but also some spicy/peppery notes and structural tannins. (RV)

89 MARYNISSEN ESTATES GAMAY NOIR MARYNISSEN VINEYARD 2013, FOUR MILE CREEK ($30) A great surprise from a cool vintage.

Clocking in with a natural alcohol of 14.5%, this Gamay resembles a Cru Beaujolais with its plum, boysenberry,

raspberry, strawberry and pepper personality. Suave tannins, fresh acid and a long aftertaste complete the package. Charcuterie was made for this wine. (ES)

89 COYOTE’S RUN RARE VINTAGE CABERNET/SYRAH 2012, FOUR MILE CREEK ($32.95)

From one of Ontario’s best red wine vintages ever comes this singular blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Syrah.

Dark coloured; the complex nose of cassis, vanilla, herbs, smoke, black cherry, black olive and violets carry over to the palate where the tannins add support.

Long finish. Drink now to 2021. (ES)

89 JACKSON-TRIGGS SUNROCK VINEYARD ILLUMINA 2012, OKANAGAN ($35)

A highly aromatic blend of Zinfandel and Shiraz that shows mulled plums, blackberry, roasted coffee bean and a range of spices on the nose. It has firm tannic structure, dark fruits, mocha, arabica coffee, tar and spice. This is a dark and flavourful wine that can cellar for 5 years or more. (RV)

89 ROAD 13 SYRAH/MOURVEDRE 2013, OKANAGAN ($35)

Dominant Syrah (85%), judicious Mourvedre (12%) and a splash of Grenache (3%). Complex violets, blackberry and charcuterie aromas. Concentrated blueberry, black plum and sage flavours.

Juicy acidity balance taut tannins.

Smoked bacon lingers on the peppery finish. Pairs well with lamb tangine. (HH)

89 MARYNISSEN ESTATES PLATINUM SERIES SYRAH 2013, FOUR MILE CREEK ($35)

An impressive Syrah that was harvested at a paltry 1 ton per acre. Smoke, plum, dark cherry, raspberry, cassis, black pepper, vanilla and oregano on the nose meet up with purple flowers and graphite on the taste buds. Soft texture with a vibrant personality and long finale. (ES)

88 RIVER STONE MERLOT 2012, OKANAGAN ($20)

Fragrant violets, black fruits and spice on the nose. Softly-textured cherry and

plum flavours, backed by plush tannins.

Sage-toned finish. Food friendly with all manner of protein. (HH)

88 REDSTONE WINERY MERLOT REDSTONE VINEYARD 2011, LINCOLN LAKESHORE ($39.95)

Plum, smoke, chocolate chip cookie dough, raspberry, vanilla, dried earth and carnations are all present in the soft and alluring Merlot. Mid-weight with great length; suave tannins make for immediate accessibility. (ES)

87 REIF RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, NIAGARA RIVER ($25.95)

Dense purple colour with a high-toned nose of cedar, plums and a floral grace note. Medium-bodied, dry, less opulent on the nose than the palate suggests. (TA)

86 COYOTE’S RUN FIVE MILE RED 2014, NIAGARA ($15.95)

This crowd pleaser is a blend of 55% Cabernet (both), 36% Merlot and the remainder Pinot Noir and Syrah. Mid-weight, it has an intense perfume of raspberry, blackberry, cassis, herbs, vanilla, spice and smoke. The palate is soft with fresh acid and medium length. (ES)

CHILE 90 CONCHA Y TORO MARQUES DE CASA CONCHA SYRAH 2012, MAIPO VALLEY ($19.95)

Chilean Syrah has improved so much over the last 5 years. This example is dense purple-black in colour, which speaks to the level of ripeness and the extraction. The spicy, herbal nose of savoury black fruits is nicely contrasted with the sweet blackcurrant and plum flavours carried on lively acidity.

Good value. (TA)

88 BODEGAS VOLCANES DE CHILE SUMMIT RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON/SYRAH 2014, RAPEL VALLEY ($10.90)

Fragrant and appealing aromas of blackberries, ripe plums and grilled meats, layered with hints of savoury herbs, eucalyp-

tus and spice. Ripe dark fruit flavours and smoky undertones are shaped by vibrant, fresh acidity. A touch of minty herbs and cedar lingers in the finish. This wine delivers exceptional value and tastes like something around the $20+ mark. Dare I say this is the best-value red on the shelves today? Stock up! (SL)

FRANCE 92 VIEUX CHÂTEAU LANDON 2010, MÉDOC ($21.95)

You won’t find a better red Bordeaux at this price! This is old-style claret — dense purple in colour with a cedary, blackcurrant nose lifted with a floral note. It’s medium-bodied, dry and elegant — and great value. (TA)

92 CHÂTEAU CANTENAC 2010, ST-ÉMILION GRAND CRU AC ($39.79)

Elegant Merlot-led bouquet reveals red and dark fruit with a dusting of cinnamon and the merest whiff of oak.

Rounded, mouth-filling dark plum, blackcurrant and a trace of liquorice come encased in velvety tannins with some youthful harshness still apparent.

Very good value from this increasingly respected vintage. (SW)

92 DOMAINE ERIC & JOËL DURAND EMPREINTES CORNAS 2012, RHÔNE VALLEY ($46.95) This 100% Syrah offers depth and complexity. Smoke, cassis, rosemary, cured meat, iron, violets and liquorice are all present on the nose. The same reciprocates on the palate as well as a cocoa/ pepper elements that carry the finale.

Medium body. Now until 2022. (ES)

92 CHÂTEAU CORTON-GRANCEY 2012, CORTON GRAND CRU, BURGUNDY ($130)

Medium ruby. Shy nose; only delicate red fruit notes emerge from the glass. More expressive in the mouth, it is elegant, juicy; the fine tannins are soft and caress the palate. Perfectly balanced, even harmonious, it is the promise of a better future, so wait 5 to 6 years or more. (GBQc)

91 CHÂTEAU PESQUIÉ LES TERRASSES 2014, VENTOUX ($17.95)

Pesquié, the undeniable star of the Ventoux, continues to churn out impressive wines at all price points. The 2014 Les Terrasses possesses a black/ purple colour and doles out violets, crème de cassis, kirsch, oregano, anise, olive and graphite. Full-bodied and concentrated; the plummy tannins will ensure a decade of aging. For the price, make sure to pick up a few bottles for the cellar. (ES)

91 FAMILLE PERRIN PEYRE BLANCHE CAIRRANE CÔTES DU RHÔNE VILLAGE 2012, RHÔNE ($24)

This single-vineyard blend grabs your attention with its floral-fruity Grenache, spicy Syrah and fleshy Mourvedre.

Fragrant violets, ripe dark berries, judicious spice and silky tannins impress.

Finishes with expressive garrigue and liquorice tones, with hints of bacon. A lovely glass to ponder. (HH)

91 CHÂTEAU BERNADOTTE 2005, HAUT-MÉDOC ($32.95) This 10-year-old claret is showing no signs of aging: its colour is dense purple; the bouquet is redolent with blackcurrants, cedar and vanilla oak spice. Medium-bodied, it’s elegant and beautifully crafted. (TA)

91 CHÂTEAU DE BRAUDE 2010, HAUT-MÉDOC ($33.95)

This Cru Bourgeois, from the great 2010 vintage, is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. It is a textbook example with its cassis, black olive, tobacco, mint and medicinal qualities. Pick your cut of steak to enjoy with this wine. Drink until 2022. (ES)

90 CHÂTEAU FLEUR LA MOTHE 2009, MÉDOC ($24.95)

This is a stunning value from an ultra-warm vintage in Bordeaux. Made in a modern style; there is a prodigious nose of blackberry, cassis, smoke, tobacco, black olive and anise. Suave and silky on the palate, it is ready to drink now until 2020. (ES) FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 59

NOTED 90 CHÂTEAU RAHOUL GRAVES ROUGE 2010, BORDEAUX ($24.95)

An enticing blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot: deep ruby colour. Cedar, blackcurrant and blueberry nose with well integrated oak; full-bodied, rich on the palate with a velvety mouthfeel. Dry with sweet fruit and a mineral note. (TA)

89 LOUIS LATOUR MARSANNAY 2012, BURGUNDY ($30)

Pale ruby. Inviting nose of red fruits, spices, fine oak notes. Firm on the palate but the tannins are finely grained and the fruit is generous. Compact, firm finish.

Will improve another 3 to 4 years. (GBQc)

88 CHÂTEAU HAUCHAT FRONSAC 2011, BORDEAUX ($16)

For a baby Bordeaux, this is well priced. It’s tight on the nose with a medium body and shows savoury blackberries, ripe red fruits, subtle spices and vanilla. It’s round and soft on the palate with red fruits, anise, tar, spice and a perky, vibrant finish. (RV)

88 DOMAINE DU CROS LO SANG DEL PAÏS 2014, MARCILLAC, SOUTHWEST ($16)

Ripe red berry fruits (raspberry, cherry) and fresh red meat. Medium- to full-bodied, smooth tannins, velvety texture, fresh fruity taste. Made from Fer Servadou, the wine is balanced with emphasis on the fruit. Ready to enjoy. (GBQc)

88 J-C ET I MARÉCHAL GRAVEL 2013, BURGUNDY ($29.30)

Light ruby-red. Earthy nose with spices, red berries (raspberry) and fruit stones.

Spicy taste, medium-bodied with a dense fruity core and somewhat dry tannins in the clean finish. Drink within 2 years with red meat casserole or stew. (GBQc)

87 DOMAINE DE L’IDYLLE CLOS IDYLLE 2013, SAVOIE ($19.25)

Purplish. Made from Mondeuse, a variety found only in Savoie, the wine has an attractive fruity nose of strawberry and raspberry, along with a little spice and gentle oak. Light- to medium-bodied, the fresh acidity and supple tannic backbone lift the finish. Drink soon. (GBQc) 60 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

87 JEAN-MAURICE RAFFAULT CHINON 2013, LOIRE ($19.50)

Cabernet Franc struggled to achieve full ripeness in the relatively cool 2013 vintage. Wild raspberry, mint and cracked pepper meanders throughout from fragrant nose to medium-bodied palate to dry finish. Juicy acidity balances the firm tannins. Pairs well with roast chicken. (HH)

86 AUGEY BORDEAUX RED 2014, BORDEAUX, FRANCE ($15)

Eminently savoury, fruity, spicy and quaffable (12% alc.). This balanced blend of Merlot (75%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) offers good value. Classic blackcurrant, plum and dried herbs. Poised to please the “red wine” crowd. (HH)

ITALY 93 POGGIO VERRANO DROMOS MAREMMA 2005, TUSCANY IGT ($40)

This Super Tuscan blend of Cab Sauv, Alicante, Sangiovese and Cab Franc is fully mature and ready to drink yet will continue to evolve. It shows a rich nose of blackcurrants, kirsch, dark mature plums, mineral notes and integrated wood spices.

It is super concentrated and thick on the palate with dark fruits, black liquorice, melting tannins and rich, savoury spices delivered on a long, echoing finish. (RV)

92 MARCHESI DI FRESCOBALDI CASTELGIOCONDO 2010, BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG ($50)

Refined, powerful wine with elegant floral scents suggestive of violets together with dark cherry and plum. Still very youthful on the palate, though generous, fine cherry-fruit is apparent and tannins are beginning to show velvety texture.

Approachable now with food but deserves several more years in the cellar. (SW)

91 GIACOMO MORI CHIANTI 2012, TUSCANY ($20)

A bargain Italian with a personable nose of savoury red fruits, herbs, spice, nutmeg, earth and raspberry bush. It’s vibrant but nicely mature on the palate with plush tannins, lovely savoury spices and integrated red and dark berries. (RV)

90 FONTANAFREDDA SERRALUNGA D’ALBA 2010, BAROLO DOCG ($44.99)

Crimson in the glass with developed red fruit, scents of violets, subtle spice and a trace of pepper. Succulent dark berry-fruit kicks in on the palate, supported by firm dry tannic structure and brisk, youthful acidity. Clearly needs more time, but should evolve well over the next 3 to 7 years. (SW)

89 RUFFINO MODUS 2011, TUSCANY IGT ($29.99)

Deep, dark colour mirrors intense dark fruit character, with subtle oakiness and elegant spice on the nose.

Richly flavoured plum, dark berry and chocolate on the palate. A big wine with some earthiness and still youthful, astringent tannins that could benefit from further aging. (SW)

89 VIGNETO SANTA PIA LA BRACCESCA 2008, VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO RISERVA DOCG ($33.29)

Complex, firmly structured wine showing developed dark fruit with a deft touch of oak encased in firm dry tannic grip with good weight and overall balance. Give it another 2 to 3 years in the cellar. (SW)

88 UMANI RONCHI PODERE 2014, MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO DOC ($14.50)

Characteristic bitter cherry and green-scented herb with generous dark cherry flavour, an appetizing touch of sourness, food-friendly acidity and moderate tannic grip. (SW)

88 FATTORIA DI PIAZZANO CHIANTI PIAZZANO 2013, TUSCANY ($14.95)

A very affordable Chianti. Deep ruby-purple colour; cherry, cedar and vanilla oak nose with a floral top note; medium-bodied, dry, cherry flavour. Well-structured and good value. (TA)

87 BOIRA SANGIOVESE 2013, MARCHE IGT ORGANIC ($14.99)

Oak matured. Spicy dark plum, cherry and a whiff of minty green herb yield-

ing to lightly bitter cherry flavour, firm tannins, a splash of milk chocolate and spicy herbal notes. Well-balanced wine to pair with tomato-based pastas, pizza and grilled red meats. (SW)

87 CANALETTO 2013, MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO DOC ($14.99)

Perfumed dark cherry with a whiff of spice and lightly earthy overtones give way to generously rounded dark cherry and black plum flavours supported by velvety tannins and food-friendly acidity, finishing very dry. (SW)

NEW ZEALAND 86 TUA TUA BAY RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2013, CENTRAL OTAGO ($27.17)

is given additional structure by fairly prominent alcohol. Long finish. Will keep another couple of years. (RL)*

89 KWV CATHEDRAL CELLARS PETIT VERDOT 2013, COASTAL REGION ($15.95)

KWV is a large South African co-operative that produces a portfolio of good-value wines under the Cathedral Cellars label. This wine is dense purple in colour offering a spicy blackberry nose with a smoky note; richly extracted and dry, flavours of blackberry and violets fill the mouth and linger to a tannic lift on the finish. (TA)

87 KWV CATHEDRAL CELLARS SHIRAZ 2013, WESTERN CAPE ($15.95)

Clear pale garnet. Reserved nose of good Pinot Noir typicity, raspberries and violets. Appealing raspberry fruit with prominent acidity accented by spice from oak maturation. Drink up. (RL)*

Deep ruby colour; smoky, blackberry and black cherry with oak spice and a note of leather. Medium-bodied, dry with exuberant acidity, pencil lead and black fruit flavours with a tannic note on the finish. (TA)

PORTUGAL

85 JABARI CAPE RED 2012, WESTERN CAPE ($15.50)

87 LUIS PATO BAGA-TOURIGA NACIONAL 2011, BEIRA ATLÂNTICO ($20)

Lively and medium-bodied with concentrated plum and berry flavours, mineral and leather notes, grippy tannins and fresh on the juicy finish. A great match with lamb, but fresh enough to pair with seafood stew. Luis Pato is commonly considered to be the country’s strongest advocate for the Baga grape that, in addition to making delicious red wines, is used to produce tasty red sparkling wines with a high cool factor. (GB)

Clear, medium-deep garnet. Medium-intensity nose of cassis with green herbal overtones. Medium-bodied with flavours of redcurrant and cassis. Tannins still prominent; will improve for another year or 2. (RL)*

SPAIN 89 TORRES ALTOS IBÉRICOS CRIANZA 2012, RIOJA DOC ($20.29)

SOUTH AFRICA

Stylish, well-made wine that leads off with a whiff of vanilla together with raspberry and redcurrant scents. Similar fine red fruit signatures carry through in the mouth, backed by evolving velvety tannins and well-balanced acidity. (SW)

91 MYBURGH & MILNER SHIRAZ 2013, STELLENBOSCH ($15.17)

87 EL PETIT BONHOMME 2013, JUMILLA ($17)

Clear deep garnet. Medium-intensity nose of sour cherries, a little black pepper and lots of oak. On the palate, there are flavours of strawberry jam, spice and chocolate from the oak maturation. It

Deep and dark with rich aromas of red and black fruit, and spice. Loads of plum, cherry and wild berry flavours with soft tannins, silky texture and a long, lifted finish. A blend of Monastrell,

Garnacha and Syrah from transplanted Canadian Nathalie Bonhomme, who has spent the better part of the past 20 years living in Spain and immersed in Spanish wine culture. (GB)

UNITED STATES 93 JUSTIN ISOSCELES 2012, PASO ROBLES ($117.95)

The 2012 vintage of this icon wine from Paso Robles is a 15.5% monster that throws masses of dark fruit at you in the form of blackberry, plum, cherry and blueberry. Additionally, there are mocha, caper, mint, balsamic, vanilla and cola qualities that add dimension. Thick, almost syrupy on the palate with sublime length and enough tannins to cellar for a decade, if so desired. That said, it is in fine drinking form right now, as it just keeps on giving. (ES)

92 FERRARI-CARANO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, ALEXANDER VALLEY, SONOMA ($50.95)

Dense purple colour with a concentrated nose of blackcurrant, cedar and vanilla oak; full-bodied and opulent with ripe blackcurrant flavours. Rich and satisfying. Drinking beautifully now, but will last a decade. (TA)

91 RODNEY STRONG RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, ALEXANDER VALLEY ($59.95)

This 15% Cabernet Sauvignon is ripe, lush and velvety. It offers wall-to-wall dark raspberry, blackberry, plum, cassis and chocolate flavours. It is quite flattering right now, but it has the stuffing to go another 5 to 6 years. (ES)

91 MONTES AURELIO’S SELECTION NAPA ANGEL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009, NAPA ($69.95)

Aurelio Montes makes wine in Chile, Argentina (Kaiken) and Napa, and this one shows that a great winemaker can work anywhere. Dense ruby in colour with a rich nose of cassis and cedar, this beauty is richly extracted with flavours all the more complex because of the earthy minerality and herbal notes. (TA) FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 61

90 KENWOOD JACK LONDON VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, SONOMA MOUNTAIN ($40) Shows rich black cherry, concentrated blackberries and integrated herbs and spices on the nose. It’s bold and tasty on the palate with a core of cherry, currants and blackberries all bolstered by lovely spice and supple tannins.

Good-value Cali. (RV)

90 RUTHERFORD RANCH RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, NAPA ($53.95) An explosive nose of dark plum, cassis, mint, balsamic, liquorice and vanilla are all present in this wine that shows a combination of ripeness and elegance.

Long finish and ready to drink now over the next 7 years. (ES)

89 COLUMBIA CREST GRAND ESTATES MERLOT 2012, COLUMBIA VALLEY ($17.95)

Great value here. Deep ruby colour with a nose of black cherries, chocolate and vanilla oak. Full-bodied, dry and firmly structured — an easy-drinking wine. (TA)

87 BRAZIN OLD VINE ZINFANDEL 2012, LODI ($19.95)

Here is a straight up, no-holds-barred, fruit-driven Zin with a telltale personality of red and black jam, raisin and spice.

It is ripe but not clumsy, and will fare well with braised and barbecued foods.

Drink now. (ES)

DESSERT 92 MESSIAS COLHEITA PORT 2005, PORTUGAL ($24.95)

A Colheita is a single Vintage Tawny Port, which by law must age a minimum of 7 years in wood before being released to the marketplace. This wine over-delivers for the price, especially considering it is a full-sized bottle. The brick red colour leads to a combination of prunes, dried raspberry, dried flowers, spice and hazelnut. Smooth and well balanced with a long aftertaste. (ES)

92 CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES VIDAL ICEWINE 2014, NIAGARA ($26/200 ML)

90 COYOTE’S RUN RARE VINTAGE LATE HARVEST PINOT GRIS, FOUR MILE CREEK, ONTARIO ($24.95)

Made in the style of an Alsatian Vendanges Tardives, this Pinot Gris is medium-sweet with 50 g/l of residual sugar.

That said, the concentration and lowish acidity combine with the sweetness to give the impression of something that is sweeter. Full-bodied; there is enormous peach, honey, cream spice, red apple and cream. Drink with a foie gras appetizer or Munster (or other washed-rind cheeses) after a meal. (ES)

BEER SPINDRIFT BREWING CO COASTAL LAGER, NOVA SCOTIA ($3.60/473 ML)

Light amber in the glass with aromatic green hops and nutty malt character.

Dried fruit and malty flavours are quickly supplanted by pronounced hoppy bitterness that persists through the long finish. (SW)

Lots of power and flavour here. Dense ruby in colour with a blackcurrant and cedar bouquet. Full-bodied, earthy, mouth-filling with a mocha chocolate flavour. (TA)

A nose of peach compote, honey, tangerine and citrus. It’s thick, unctuous and luxurious on the palate with velvety texture that shows off the ripe peach, honeycomb and apricot flavours. A very well made Icewine with a whopping 280 g/l of residual sugar that finds balance from the bright acidity. (RV)

GOOSE ISLAND INDIA PALE ALE, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES ($3.60/341 ML)

88 MURPHY-GOODE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, CALIFORNIA ($19.95)

92 MARYNISSEN ESTATES VIDAL ICEWINE 2013, NIAGARA ($40/375 ML)

SPIRITS

89 DON SEBASTIANI & SONS B SIDE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013, NAPA ($34.95)

An open and approachable Cali Cab with plum, dark cherry, mint, cocoa and hints of animal. A touch sweet; there is very good length, and it is drinking well now. (ES)

88 J-LOHR SEVEN OAKS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012, PASO ROBLES ($29.98)

Mellow ripe dark berry, vanilla spiciness and green herbal scents lead into rounded ripe blackberry and blackcurrant flavours, lightly firm tannins and well-balanced acidity with a dollop of milk chocolate on the finish. (SW) 62 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

Hugely extracted, this sticky exudes intense peach, honeycomb, orange marmalade, vanilla, sponge toffee and spice.

Excellent length and well suited to blue cheeses or custard-based desserts. (ES)

91 MARYNISSEN ESTATES CABERNET FRANC ICEWINE 2013, NIAGARA ($55/375 ML)

This Icewine busts out a perfume of strawberry, raspberry, guava, cassis, vanilla and herbs. On the tongue, it is pure essence of berry with a succulent aftertaste. Chocolate fondue all the way. (ES)

This well-balanced American IPA shows aromatic citrus, herbal hoppy scents and initial fruity malt on the palate finishing with pronounced hoppy bitterness. (SW)

FORTRESS RUM, CAPE BRETON, NOVA SCOTIA ($39.99)

Matured in oak barrels at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.

Deep gold/amber in the glass with a powerful, spirity nose showing dried citrus peel, rich cinnamon spiciness, banana, coconut and distinct oak. Rich sweet flavours are balanced by dry, charred-oak character with a touch of fiery warmth on the long finish. A fine rum to contemplate over a warm fire after dinner. (SW)

CHIC CHOC SPICED RUM, QUEBEC ($33.75)

Yes, there is a story behind Chic Choc.

And yes, it involves forbidden romance, heroic feats, fearsome beasts, rum and, well, spices. The Nordic spices that make their way into this Quebec distillate include peppery green alder, pine forest spikenard, whiterod berries, lovage root, sweet gale seeds and wild angelica (the latter of which I may have dated at some point, possibly in a dream). The upshot is a “serious” spiced rum. Rather than being overly sweet and in-your-face, this number shows complexity and restraint. The spices are subtle and mingle nicely with the treacle and vanilla of the rum. In fact, on the nose, it comes off as a spicy, rather than a spiced, rum. In the mouth, there is definitely a sweet edge, but at 42.1% ABV, it’s not syrupy gloop. Nutmeg, clove, a hint of chili pepper, vanilla bean, tobacco leaf and a hard-to-define herbal note. Dare we call it “serious spice?” (TS)

FORTY CREEK 2014 EVOLUTION 8TH LIMITED EDITION CANADIAN WHISKY, ONTARIO ($69.99)

Most whiskies in this extraordinary blend are 12 years old. Initially aged in white oak for 3 years, the whiskies are re-distilled in a copper-pot still, then blended in French oak wine barrels and aged for a further 9 years. Mellow tropical fruit, banana, vanilla, cinnamon and pencil-box oak on the nose give way to fine, richly flavoured dried citrus peel and banana with a light touch of sweetness in the mouth. Finishes very dry with sensations of warming spirit and charred oak. (SW)

FORTY CREEK 2015 THREE GRAIN HARMONY 9TH LIMITED RELEASE CANADIAN WHISKY, ONTARIO ($69.99)

The rye, barley and corn whiskies for this release date back to the inception of the Forty Creek Distillery and are used for the very first time in this blend. This very complex whisky unfolds rich dried fruit on the nose, together with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and subtle overtones of smoky, spirity oak. Opulent, lightly sweet flavours of dried fruit, nuts and creamy vanilla evolve into dry charred oak and

smooth warming spirit on the elegantly integrated finish. This and the Forty Creek Evolution are the finest Canadian whiskies I have ever tasted. (SW)

BOWMORE AGED 12 YEARS ISLAY SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY, SCOTLAND ($59.95)

Established in 1779, Bowmore was, and is, the first distillery on the Islay. Its expressions are always anchored on balance.

Rather than just a block of smoking peat up the nose, this number comes up as fruitier, with candied lemon and a trace of clover honey enveloping the more traditional brine, iodine and sea-wash notes that distinguish Islay malts. A distinct sweetness, with honey, heather and a subtle lash of salt water. Currently enjoying with a slightly peaty pipe tobacco. Great match. (TS)

AUCHENTOSHAN AMERICAN OAK SINGLE MALT SCOTCH, SCOTLAND ($54.80)

Sadly, Lowland malts are becoming a somewhat scarce commodity. A real shame, since distilleries like Rosebank and Littlemill really offered a distinctly different single malt experience. At least we still have Auchentoshan (which seems to be playing down the Lowland heritage.

C’mon, guys, carry the torch!). Lowland malts differentiate themselves with a triple distillation, similar to Irish drams.

This number is aged in American first-fill bourbon casks. The nose features lemon wood polish, cut grass, vanilla and mild nutmeg. Slightly viscous, with a crisp, herbal/honey edge that finishes clean and slightly lemony. A nice break for those who are peat-absorbed. It offers a great intro to single malts for the newbie. (TS)

CROWN ROYAL NORTHERN HARVEST RYE, MANITOBA ($33)

Recently rated the 2016 World Whisky of the Year by Jim Murray in his annual Whisky Bible. This will no doubt stir the hornet’s nest a bit. I mean, a $30 Canadian number concocted by a commercial distillery? Best in the world? But holy crap, will this put Canada back on the distilling map! There was basically just blood on the shelves when I went to buy my (couple) bottles. It comes in the

same dorky bottle that we used as kids to pinch from our parent’s liquor cabs (no purple bag though, rats!). The nose is distinctly fruity, with hints of candy apple, fruitcake, baking spice (cinnamon, to be exact), vanilla, tangerine and fennel.

Crisp, spicy, snappy and pure. A really nice dram. At the price, it’s a knockout.

World’s best? Well, you decide! (TS)

HINE RARE VSOP FINE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC, FRANCE ($94.5)

Hine (IMHO) is one of the best of the “big” Cognac producers, and this Rare VSOP epitomizes the house style: elegant and classy. Dried apricot, vanilla, baking spice and aged oak on the nose. A very refined palate; mid-weight with spicy/floral nuances, it deftly balances a fruity top note with a peppery/spicy edge. (TS)

QUARTZ VODKA, QUEBEC ($40)

This ultra-clean premium vodka recently walked away as the winner of the 2015 Global Vodka Masters Competition in London, England. Made with water exclusively sourced from an esker, a subterranean water reserve formed by the receding of an 8,000-year-old glacier in northern Quebec, it’s distilled 5 times and freeze-filtered. The result is a vodka that’s almost ethereal. Delicate and very subtle on the nose with a hint of grain, it boasts a silky texture and just a bare trace of mineral and vanilla. Very pure stuff for the vodka purist. (TS)

WÓDKA ZOŁĄDKOWA GORZKA, POLAND ($25)

Though labeled as a “vodka” and bottled at 40% ABV, this pale amber spirit comes off more as a traditional herbal/fruit liqueur.

The vodka base is infused with herbs, spices and dried fruits, and barrel-matured.

The results hint at cardamom, ginger, white pepper, plum, vanilla and caramel.

Viscous and fairly sweet, yet packing enough heat so as not to come off as cloying, it’s spicy and warm on the palate with a hint of wild herbs and honey. Try chilled neat, or mix with equal part apple juice in a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a cinnamon stick for an apple mimosa (created by Toronto-based mixologist Ger Cullen). (TS) FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 × QUENCH.ME × 63

DAVINE BY GURVINDER BHATIA

IT’S A MUST INDEED

Whether you are a novice or an experienced wine professional, there are a number of wine books on the market that can enhance your knowledge and act as great reference tools. Here are a few to add to your library:

THE WINE BIBLE (2ND EDITION)

BY KAREN MACNEIL

The first edition of The Wine Bible found its way beyond the industry and into the hands of the consumer and, seemingly, more consumers than any wine book previous to its release. It helped bring wine to a larger audience and demystify it for many who might otherwise hesitate to delve beyond critics’ wine reviews.

MacNeil’s writing style is accessible and lacks pretense, but is not dumbed down. The 2nd edition expands on the first with additional information, coverage and anecdotes. She helps give wine its context of place by describing the cuisine and people of the various wine regions along with historical anecdotes (e.g. the purpose of the punt; the quirky law banning flying saucers in Châteauneuf 64 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

du Pape; etc.), recommended producers, and tips on service and enhancing your enjoyment of wine.

It is particularly great to see coverage of Canada’s wine industry expanded in this new edition (I would love to see it, and it needs to be, expanded even further in future editions).

If you are or know someone who is getting into wine and can only have one all-purpose reference book on your shelf, this is a great choice.

WINE GRAPES

BY JANCIS ROBINSON, JULIA HARDING & JOSÉ VOUILLAMOZ

Time to get your wine geek on with this comprehensive coverage of close to 1,400 grape varieties used to make wine.

Robinson, a Master of Wine and perhaps the best known wine writer on the planet, et al. cover taste profiles, regions of production, synonyms, behaviour in the vineyard, ampelography and genetic relationships of grapes.

Under each grape is a brief characterization, colour of berry, principal synonyms (including incorrect ones), origins and parentage, viticultural characteristics, where it’s grown and what it tastes like.

This book should be ready-at-hand for every wine shop, wine bar, restaurant and anyone who really has an interest in learning about wine at a higher level.

Wine starts in the vineyard, and having an in-depth knowledge of the grapes used for its production is imperative.

In addition to being a useful reference tool, the appearance of the book

itself is quite academic and reminds me of some of my university biological science textbooks. Something to sit down and read cover to cover? For the wine enthusiast, maybe not. For the true wine geek, absolutely!

NATIVE WINE GRAPES OF ITALY

BY IAN D’AGATA

If Italian wine is your thing, then Native Wine Grapes of Italy goes well beyond Robinson’s Wine Grapes. D’Agata, the scientific director for VinItaly and contributor to Decanter and Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, may be the world’s leading authority on Italian wine, and this book covers aspects of Italy’s regionality, cultural, historical, scientific and genetic context with respect to the hundreds of the country’s native grapes that have been identified.

D’Agata’s encyclopedic knowledge is astounding, but his ability to convey his knowledge is what makes this book so readable (particularly for the Italian wine geek). It’s as if you can hear d’Agata speaking, storytelling and (for those that know him) laughing at his own jokes.

Definitely not for the faint of heart, Native Wine Grapes of Italy goes into more depth and detail than most people (whether consumer or trade) would ever venture. It clarifies and corrects much of the inconsistencies and erroneous information that has been taught about Italian wine. It covers groups and families of grapes, speaks of biotypes and phenotypes, genetic crosses and the major (and minor) native grapes grown in each of Italy’s 20 wine-producing regions.

It is fitting that this book is the required “textbook” for VinItaly International Academy’s Italian Wine Expert and Ambassador certification course.

If you have a serious interest in Italian wine, or if you are in the wine industry (whether you deal directly with Italian wines or not), this book must find its way to the corner of your desk (for easy reference as opposed to collecting dust on your bookshelf ).

HUNGRY FOR WINE: SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH THE LENS OF A WINE GLASS

BY CATHY HUYGHE

Let’s cut to the chase. Quite simply, I love this book. I’ve always believed and said that wine gets its context from the people, place, culture and history of its home. Huyghe, wine columnist for Forbes.com and Food52, humanizes wine and puts it in a context that anyone can appreciate whether a wine drinker or not. The book is divided into 12 short stories. Each is focused around a single bottle, and each is written in Huyghe’s approachable style, drawing us in and allowing us to experience, as her travel companion, the passion, politics, joys and struggles of the people and places in the stories she shares. With her, we literally and figuratively “see the world through a glass of wine.”

Huyghe’s stories are varied, from expressions of regret for never having an occasion “special” enough to open that special bottle to those who have abandoned their corporate white-collar existence and focused their lives around wine and their community; from the financial, political and cultural struggles of producing wine in countries such as Greece, South Africa and Turkey to producing wine in the face of war because “people must continue with the work of their lives,” and to the migrant vineyard workers who are away from their homes for months in order to support their families and simply put food on the table.

These stories make us realize that wine is so much more than just what’s in the glass. They also help us to appreciate so much more what is in the glass. We can and should revel in the enjoyment of a glass of wine because of what it represents.

And we should all live by Huyghe’s Hungry for Wine Manifesto. Whether you are a wine lover or not, and regardless of whether wine plays a significant role in your life, Hungry for Wine is a must read, because it’s about something we all should be able to relate to … people. ×

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AFTER TASTE BY TONY ASPLER

A TRIP FOR WINELOVERS

IF YOU LOVE WINE AND YOU WANT TO VISIT MONTREAL, TAKE MY ADVICE AND GO IN NOVEMBER. November

is the most wine-soaked month in the calendar there. Several years ago, the SAQ took a look at all the major wine events that happened in the city over the year and decided to concentrate them in the month of November. Playing off “Happy Christmas,” they called it “Joyeux Novembre.”

Kicking off the month is a three-day event called Passion Vin, which is centred at the Hotel Bonaventure. The event celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2016. Then there’s a tasting at Bonsecours Market of the association of private wine importers, whose unwieldy acronym is RASPIPAV. (Some 16,000 wines are privately imported into Quebec as opposed to the 8,000 skus offered by the SAQ.) The next offering is the two-day, themed La Grande Dégustation de Montréal in Place Bonaventure that features more than 200 winemakers, distillers and brewers from around the world (this past year’s theme was Spain, Grenache and global bubblies).

Then comes La Grande Tablée, a one-night dinner at the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth Hotel with menus created by Quebec’s top chefs. Some 700 gourmets attend. And finally, at the end of the month, there’s a three-day celebration of the wines and cheese of Quebec at Bonsecours Market.

But the most intriguing event is Passion Vin. Martin Gauthier, president of the organization for the past four years, told me that wineries that accept the invitation to attend must provide 36 bottles from six vintages. Plus they are expected to donate bottles for the live and silent auctions that takes place during the Grand Banquet on the final night — and supply wine for this dinner.

I attended Passion Vin this past November. Just to get you salivating, here’s a lineup of the tastings, all conducted by the owners and professionally served by a group of some 30 somme66 × @QUENCH_MAG × FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016

liers who volunteered their time: six vintages of Louis Roederer Cristal Brut (2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2000 and 1999) followed by a four-course lunch at which five wines from Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf du Pape were served — their 2014 white and four vintages of the red (2012, 2011, 2008 and 2009).

In the afternoon was a tasting of six vintages of Col d’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino (2001, 2004, 1997, 1990, 1977 and 1968).

Then six vintages of Vieux Château Certan (2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2005, 1998).

The next morning, a tasting of six wines from Jean-Claude Boisset, introduced by winemaker Grégory Patriat: Beaune Les Vignes Franches 2012, Puligny-Montrachet 2011, Corton Charlemagne 2011 and three vintages of Clos de la Roche (2011, 2012 and 2008). This was followed by a lunch tasting of five wines from the Piemonte producer Ceretto — an Arneis 2014, a Barolo 2010, Barolo Bricco Rocche 2008, Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo 2005, and Barolo Bricco Rocche Brunante 1999.

After lunch, a tasting of Château Troplong Mondot 2011 (the second wine), and Château Troplong Mondot vintages 2006, 2004, 1998 and 2010.

Before the Grand Banquet that evening there was a Roederer Champagne reception followed by a five-course meal that book-ended a live auction. During the bidding, the winery owners who had donated the bottles would leap up on stage to outdo each other by adding visits, meals and overnight stays to their lots.

The combined live and silent auctions on that night raised $1,041,907. These proceeds will go to the construction of an integrated cancer centre at Montreal’s Maisonneuve-Rosemount Hospital. The Quebec government has said that if the wine enthusiasts of Montreal raise $12 million they would match the amount to finance the construction of the centre.

All it takes is wine to open people’s hearts and wallets. × ILLUSTRATION: FRANCESCO GALLÉ, WWW.FRANCESCOGALLE.COM

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