Monthly Archives: July 2012

Jul31

Canellino Prosecco

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Canellino Prosecco

Summer finally hit us with a bang, and the Canellino Prosecco was there to cool us off.

Bright straw-yellow in color, with perlage on the larger side. Dominant aromas of apricot, and a clean, crisp finish. The Canellino is less sugary than many Proseccos, which was a pleasant surprise on a hot day and with seafood, and makes it great sipping around your summer meals.

WineChateau says that… “This extremely versatile wine can be served as an aperitif, with traditional desserts like pastries and fruit tarts to antipasti and appetizers, or simply by itself after dinner.”, but we went in a different direction with the pairing, and it performed very well with Scallops w/ roasted tomatoes and cannellini beans from a Jamie Oliver recipe in The Naked Chef Takes Off.

Jul27

One man’s Assmannshausen is another man’s ink

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One man’s Assmannshausen is another man’s ink

The Drinks Business has this great article on some liquor-themed tattoos. You’ve got your run of the mill Captain Morgans and Bacardi bats, but there’s some fun wine tats sprinkled in there from a magnificent Petrus to the already mentioned Assmanshausen, which is positioned, well, appropriately.

If you have a wine-themed tattoo, give us a shout back. Or just link it up here!

 

 

Jul24

BYOB in B.C.

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BYOB in B.C.

It’s the 21st century and even the powers that be hanging on to prohibition era liquor laws in BC are realizing this little gem of an idea that it might be good to change with the times. But they have been poked and prodded to do so for a long time now. Just google or search Twitter for freemygrapes about all that.

Among some recent changes, people in the province of British Columbia can at long last bring a bottle of wine to a restaurant. The guessing game is now on how restaurants will react, i.e., what price point corkage fees will be set at. There will surely be those restaurants who will set it high enough to make a point of saying ‘don’t byob’ just as some restaurants hike the price of kids’ meals past ten dollars to say ‘leave the tikes at home’.  But there’s also news of establishments who are keeping it low, and  even having exemptions on certain nights, etc. But all in all, it’s a step forward in a country where wine laws are traditional archaic and monopolies reign supreme in certain corners of the kingdom.

For more details on the change in law, hop on over to this article in the Vancouver Sun.

Now if they would just budge on some ridiculous winemaking laws and allow for some more ingenuity on that front. But more on that rant later :)

Jul10

2010 Don Rodolfo Malbec

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2010 Don Rodolfo Malbec

The 2010 Don Rodolfo Malbec hails from Argentina’s Cafayate Valley where the vines grow at almost 6,000 feet. This is a region that is graced with more than 300 sunny days a year and with a wide temperature swing between day and night. This, combined with irrigation of the region’s rivers, snow runoff from the mountains and underground water layers, make up a unique micro-climate well suited for growing grapes.Torrontes and Malbec are the dominant grapes in the Cafayate Valley.

The Don Rodolfo Malbec is hand-harvested from 100% Malbec grapes from 20 years old vines, with annual production of a whopping 14,000 cases. The Malbec spends 8 months in stainless steel and 2 months in the bottle before being shipped off for distant shores.

The wine has a nice, deep concentrated color. On the nose, there are blackberries, black cherries, a subtle, savory fattiness, and smoky vanilla. A very sweet nose, almost jammy but a shade lighter. On the palate, it is surprisingly light with nice acidity and smooth tannins, with flavors of blackberries, plums, and sandalwood. Most certainly a wine to drink now.

We paired the Don Rodolfo with barbecued steak with a Chimichurri sauce from Trader Joe’s, and potatoes drizzled with Argentinian Olive Oil infused with Oregano from Williams & Sonoma. This proved to be amazing pairing as the spicy steak and Malbec played fantastically off each other. The Don Rodolfo is most definitely a wine that goes well with meat off the grill, more so than being a casual sipper. Put it together with South American flavor, and your sensations are in for a smooth ride.

Special thanks  go out to WineChateau.com for working with us on the tasting of the 2010 Don Rodolfo Malbec, which is currently available at on their site for a steal at $8.97.