Cruising With Wine

My wife and I recently returned from a vacation in the Caribbean. We took a cruise with her parents and sister for a week (my first cruise). We booked our cruise through Royal Caribbean. The cruise began in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While on the cruise, we stopped at the following countries:

St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands)

Castries (St. Lucia)

Pointe-Pitre (Guadeloupe)

St. John’s (Antigua)

St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands)

Before we departed for our trip, I began to do some research about Royal Caribbean’s wine service/wine list. Through browsing countless websites I was able to find out that Royal Caribbean just added a new rule that allows patrons to bring two bottles of wine per Stateroom on board. In total I planed to bring six bottles in total, as my in-laws and sister-in-law would declare the other four bottles. I brought the following wines onboard:

Corte Riva Cab Franc 2006

Painted Rock Red Icon 2009

G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe 2007

Tarras The Canyon Pinot Noir 2008

Chanson Pere et Fils Savigny-les-Beaune Hauts Marconnets 1er

Maison Roche de Bellene Gevrey Chambertin VV 2009

* All wines showed well.

I was very happy that I could bring wine on board for dinner while on vacation. The Royal Caribbean wine list was not horrible. Actually their prices were very reasonable and less expensive than what restaurants would charge for wine. By bringing wine with me, I was able to save some money and drink wines that I knew I would enjoy!

The cruise was very enjoyable, but I did run into a few issues/problems regarding my wine and the service provided. My first problem occurred when my luggage arrived to my room. When I opened my luggage and took out my wine travel box (Styrofoam inserts that hold six bottles) I was surprise to find only two bottles in the box and a note. The note stated that Royal Caribbean was holding onto my other four bottles because I was only allowed to bring two bottles per Stateroom. My wine would thus be held hostage for the duration of the cruise. I found this to be very frustrating, especially since they damaged my wine box in the process of confiscating the four bottles of wine. Thankfully, Guest Relations were able to understand my explanation and by the end of the night I had the remaining four bottles returned to my room. A good way to end my first day!

My second problem/issue came while attending dinner on the first night. When we arrived to our table I saw their wine glasses. They reminded me of the wine glasses that you would find at an older Italian restaurant. I do not want to sound like a snob, but this is an issue that a lot of wine enthusiast run into while dinning at restaurants. I am a strong advocate that small glasses dampen the experience and overall enjoyment of the wine. I do understand why they use these glasses, as they are very durable and not as expensive as a Riedel or Schott Zwiesel. For the duration of the trip I was able to live with this minor issue. Another problem that I ran into regarding glassware was the main dinning room lack of decanters. I was able to get a decanter for our first night, but the next night the waiter told me that all their decanters were being used. To give you a better explanation, this cruise ship has a main dinning room as well as separate restaurants on board. These restaurants are not included in your trip package and cost an extra $25 to $35 per person. I guess the main dinning room guests are not as important as the ones who are paying on top of their trip package. Oh well….

The next problem that I ran into was that the temperature of the wine that we were having for dinner was a bit too high for my liking. Whites should be served at 8-11 degrees Celsius, while red should be served at 16-18 degrees Celsius. The warmth of the Caribbean was heating up my wine! To solve this problem I would order an ice bucket (with ice) to our room and chill the reds. I did this an hour before dinner. This seemed to solve the problem. By the time our main course was served, our wine was at an ideal temperature. I did chill the lone white Burgundy for a longer time while in our room and also put it on ice while sitting down to dinner. It was a very enjoyable Chardonnay.

With all of these problems occurring, there was one positive outcome. During the six nights that I brought wine to dinner, I was only charged for corkage ($25) once! I am not sure why I was able to get away with this. Maybe our waiters forgot to charge me. All I know is that I saved a total of $125 and I am not complaining!

Overall I had a great time while on this trip. I got to experience what life is like on a cruise ship, meet a lot of great people, and visit some really nice countries. If given the opportunity again I would jump at the chance to go on another cruise. I would also not hesitate to bring wine with me!

M. Chapoutier Brings Elegance to Aussie Shiraz

The country of Australia is known for a lot of things throughout the world. When thinking of the "Land Down Under" you may think of Kangaroos, Koalas, cool Aussie accents, and BIG Shiraz's! Over the past decade, Australian Shiraz has been known for its big candy fruit and high alcohol levels. This style of wine began to gain popularity with the Yellow Tail crazes, which then led many more producers trying to emulate that big style and to push the envelope further. This type of Shiraz has came under a lot of scrutiny, as people feel that Australia should focus on making more elegant Shiraz, similar to the Northern Rhone. Thankfully, Australian wine producers are starting to create great wines that emulate the Syrah from the Northern Rhone, yet obtains it's own identity in the process.

This style of elegant Australian Shiraz's usually comes from producers who have a French winemaking background. A prime example of this is the great Michel Chapoutier. Since the 1980's, Michel has been a driving force in quality and introduced biodynamic to his families winery. In 1997, Michel expanded into Australia and began to partner with local producers and a American wine importer (Terlato). He also bought land in the Victorian Pyrenees under his own label, Domaine Tournon. Here are my thoughts on his Shay's Flat label:

M. Chapoutier Shiraz Domaine Tournon Shay's Flat  Vineyard 2010

This is not your typical Aussie Shiraz! This wine was extremely dark in colour, as the cork end was pitch black! When I opened the bottle the aromas reminded me more of a Northern Rhone St. Joseph than your typical Barossa Shiraz. This wine gave aromas of black fruit (blueberries and blackberries), cinnamon spice and gamey notes. On the palate this wine had great structure and balance. Flavours of dark fruit and white pepper were dominate on the palate. This wine had great length. I really appreciate a wine that evolves throughout the night, as this wine did. This wine has a more "modern style" which gives you a sense of place. A great value at $30, but sadly a majority of the bottles are gone in Ontario. Luckily I have a few in the cellar. A solid and enjoyable Australian Shiraz! 92 Points 

Lailey Vineyards Big Pinot Tasting






Lailey Vineyard Big Pinot Tasting 2013
(From Left to Right: 2010 Pinots, 2011 Pinots, and 2012 Pinots)

   

This would be my second time attending this sit down Pinot tasting. The last tasting I attended we compared Lailey's 2009 Pinot Noirs to their 2010's. This years format was a bit different, as their 2011 Pinots were not up to their liking. To fix this they blended three vineyards into one and called it 3.7 (3 Vineyards and 7 barrels). Lailey Vineyard winemaker Derek Barnett came up with a great wine line-up for this tasting. We started with two of their 2011 Chardonnays and then moved onto their Pinots. Over the course of the tasting, Derek discussed many different topics. From the issue of colour (or lack their of in Lailey Pinot's) to the challenges that each vintage gave during the growing season. The wines were paired with delicious food pairings by Chef Ryan Crawford. Here is the wine breakdown by flight.

Flight 1: Chardonnay

Lailey Vineyard 2011 Chardonnay Brickyard: $30

- Golden straw in colour. Aromas of citrus fruit, apple, and minerality. Citrus fruit on the palate with great mouth feel. I really enjoy this form of chardonnay, not too much oak. It ended with great acidity and a touch of apple spice. Great length. 91 Points

Lailey Vineyard 2011 Chardonnay Canadian Oak: $25

- Golden straw in colour. Aromas of coconut, tropical citrus fruit and a bit buttery. Very interesting to see the effect Canadian Oak has on chardonnay. This wine had a heavier mouth feel and continued with tropical fruit. A bit of spice on the end with low acidity. Length seemed to flatten out and fade. Surprisingly this was the favourite of the group, but not for me. 87 Points

Flight 2: 2010 Pinot Noir
Lailey Vineyard 2010 Pinot Noir Canadian Oak: Sold Out
- This is my second time tasting Lailey's 2010 Pinots. Pale ruby colour. Aromas of sour cherries, spice, and cedar. On the palate the sour cherries continued with strong acidity with decent length. I felt that the 2010's were one dimensional, as their were fruit in your mouth with little complexity. This may be due to the warm vintage. Enjoyable, but nothing to make you stop and think. 87 Points

Lailey Vineyard 2010 Pinot Noir Brickyard: $35

- Pale ruby in colour. This 2010 had a little less sour cherry on the nose and was accompanied by strawberries and minerality. The red fruit continued on the palate, along with spice. A very light and fresh wine. A winner with the group. It still had the big fruit, but was a bit more interesting on the finish. 88 Points

Flight 3: 2011 Pinot Noir

Lailey Vineyard 2011 Pinot Noir Niagara Peninsula: $25

- The fruit for this wine is sourced from different vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula. This is their entry level Pinot Noir. There were only two Pinot Noir labels made in 2011, the Niagara Peninsula and the 3.7. Pale ruby in colour. Aromas of cherries, cedar box, and spice. Good red fruit and acidity on the palate. A bit more complex due to the cooler growing season. 89 Points

Lailey Vineyard 2011 Pinot Noir 3.7: $25

- Like I stated before at the beginning. The 3.7 label was created because Derek felt that blending three of their vineyards would be the best path to take in 2011. This was very creative problem solving on Derek's behalf, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable wine. Pale ruby in colour. More appealing nose of light red fruit and minerality. It had a good creamy mouth feel and great acidity. I bought a bottle for the cellar to see where it will go. The better 2011 of the two Pinots. 90 Points

Flight 4: 2012 Pinot Noir

* Here is a quick rundown of the 2012 growing season. Derek stated that it was the easiest growing season he has ever had. The weather was near perfect throughout the year and made some wines that I am looking forward to trying again in the fall. My scores for these two wines may change as they unfold.

Lailey Vineyard 2012 Pinot Noir Wismer (Lot 48)

- The Colour in these wines were the complete opposite of the 2010's & 2011's, as both 2012 were dark ruby in colour. Aromas of cedar, sweet red fruit. Great red fruit on the palate and outrageous drying tannins and strong acidity. A more delicate wine between the two. I have never tasted a Pinot Noir like this in Niagara. It will be very interesting to see where this wine ends up. A favourite of my wife and I. 92 Points now......

Lailey Vineyard 2012 Pinot Noir Old Vines

- Dark ruby in colour. It had a similar nose of cedar and red fruit, but was a bit lighter on the nose. On the palate the red fruit was very faint. The fruit was being overthrown by the huge, bully tannins. Nice acidity to back up those muscular tannins. This wine made my mouth feel like it just went ten rounds with Mike Tyson, a very strong pinot. Very unique to Niagara. I am very eager to see how these two turn out. 91 Points now.....



Lailey Vineyard 2009 Brickyard Pinot Noir


(Surprise) Flight 5: 2009 Pinot Noir

Lailey Vineyard 2009 Brickyard Pinot Noir: $35

- Since Derek started talking about colour in their Pinots, he decided to open a bottle of their 2009 Brickyard Pinot Noir, a real treat! 2009 was a wonderful year for pinot noir in Niagara and a favourite vintage to look for when shopping or out at a restaurant. These wines are drinking well right now and could live on for another three to four years. This wine was wonderful. It's colour was a lovely meadium ruby. It had a complex nose of strawberry, cranberry, cedar box, and minerality. The red fruit continued in the mouth. This Pinot had great mouth feel and was long lasting. A wine that you would want to savour slowly to take in it's beauty. 93 Points

Bravo to Lailey and their team.

Gamay: The Most Underappreciated Red Grape

Ask yourself this... When was the last time you had a wine made from the Gamay grape? If you cannot remember the last time or if you do not even know what regions produce Gamay, your not alone. I tend to think that in the grand scheme of red wine hierarchy, Gamay would be at the bottom. Looking up, Gamay would be seeing the likes of King Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, and its close neighbour and distant relative Pinot Noir, among others. My goal is to open a few eyes and maybe your heart to the Gamay grape. It will surprise you, as it has surprised myself with it's depth, flavours, and it's great ability to be paired with an assortment of food!

Gamay is grown in many locations around the world. It can be found in Ontario, Oregon, Switzerland, but the most well know region for Gamay is the Beaujolais region in France (Just south of Burgundy). Beaujolais is considered the "Mecca" of Gamay. You can find some stellar wines from this region at your local wine shop or liquor store. These wines will not say Gamay on the bottle, but will be labeled either as Beaujolais (Meaning the grapes can be blended from many different sites), Beaujolais Village (Coming from one of the 39 villages), or with the region that it comes from (The Cru). When shopping for Beaujolais look for a Cru Beaujolais, as these will offer the best complexity, flavour and overall bang for your buck ($15-$25)!

                                              The 10 Cru Beaujolais Sites (Listed from lightest body to fullest)

1. Brouilly

2. Regnie                        ** Can be aged up to 3 years

3. Chiroubles

4. Cote de Brouilly

5. Fleurie                       ** Can be aged up to 4 years and could use a year of bottle age

6. Saint Amour

7. Chenas

8. Julienas                     ** Can be aged up to 10 years. Serious Cru Beaujolais!

9. Morgon

10. Moulin-a-Vent

Sadly, not a lot of people know of Cru Beaujolais. When they think of Beaujolais they only know of Beaujolais Nouveau, a wine that is picked, crush, bottled and ready to be sold in stores on the 3rd week of November of that year. This form of Beaujolais is a great business plan, as it gets the product from the farm to the store quickly and creates cash flow. These wines are normally full of fruit and lack complexity. Overall, Beaujolais Nouveau has given Gamay a bad reputation in the wine world. 

More often then not, I am overwhelmingly surprised when I open a bottle of Cru Beaujolais or a Gamay Noir. These wines have great fruit, acidity & tannin structure, and a lasting finish. They can be paired with light and heavy dishes and are a staple for Thanksgiving dinners. So next time your in a wine store, pick up a Cru Beaujolais and experience Gamay at it's finest.

Like I said earlier, Gamay is grown in many different regions around the world. The Niagara region is one that is starting to produce quality Gamay Noir. This past weekend I visited two wineries who produce Gamay Noir, Tawse and 13th Street Winery. They were both extremely refreshing and gave me great enjoyment. Here are my notes on 13th Street's Gamay Noir Sandstone Old Vines 2009 that I had with roasted chicken.

13th Street Gamy Noir Sandstone Old Vines 2009

Great light ruby colour. If you have pinot glasses (big bowl wine glasses) do yourself a favour and use them with Gamay!

Aromas: Very complex nose of rose petals, strawberries, sour cherries, and minerality (sand no less). An evolving nose, changing over time.

Palate: A mix of red fruit, strawberries, raspberries. This wine had bright/strong acidity that was very enjoyable and went really well with the chicken. Later on I began to pick up a milk chocholate on the back end of this Gamay. A very enjoyable wine! 91 Points

Ruffino Modus 2006 & 2008

This past Family Day was spent at my parents house. My sister, wife, and I came down to visit and to have dinner with them. For this dinner I felt that it would be interesting to compare some wines and educate my family.The two wines that we had were the 2006 & 2008 Ruffino Modus (I had the 2006 while my dad had the newer released 2008). In this tasting I was looking to show my family the difference between the two wines (vintage to vintage) and how much a wine can change from being older.

Ruffino is mostly know for their Chianti production (Ducale line). Modus is their Super Tuscan blend (IGT), which is very similar to the blends made in Bordeaux, except in Italy they tend to use Sangiovese in the blend. Modus consist of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot. Sadly this mini vertical (if two wines can be called that?) tasting did not include the highly regarded 2007 Modus (Wine Spectator 96 points). Both wines were decanted before dinner for 2 hours and enjoyed over a dinner of Beef Tenderlion, Yorkshire Pudding, Corn, and Mash Potatoes. It is always a good meal at my parents house!

Wine Tasting Notes

* A very unique difference between the two wines was that the 2008 was lighter in colour than the 2006.

Modus 2006

Aromas of sour cherries and tobacco leaf and a sense of earthiness. On that palate, cherries and other red fruit, minimal spice. Good length and great balance of acidity and tannins. This wine is in a good place right now for drinking. 89 points

Modus 2008

Aromas of sour cherries, cedar box, and it had a bit of a barney funk that blew off during dinner. On the palate, strong bright fruit, cherries, and vanilla. This wine was a lot more powerful and still in an adolescence phase. This wine could use a few more years to mellow out. 87 points

I was very glad at how well this experiment went. It was clear to everyone at the table that the 2006 was more enjoyable due to its softer tannins. Both of these wines went well with the beef and could also do well with any red sauce Italian dishes.

Sadly, the star of the night was neither the 2006 or the 2008 Modus. My dad opened a 2007 Fattoria Le Puppille Morellino Scansano Riserva Poggio Valente the night before and still had some left (no notes taken). This wine was awesome! I was loving the aromas coming off of this wine, as I think I had my nose stuck in the glass for well over a minute. Great wine, and even better knowing that I have one in my cellar! Thanks dad! 

Do I enjoy Aged wine

This past weekend I was able to answer a question that has been on my mind for a few months. Do I like wine with age? I felt it would be a good idea to source a bottle so I could find out if I would enjoy wine with age. My main reason for doing this was to educate myself and also I did not want to go through the trouble of aging my wine if I did not like the taste of it aged.

It was very hard to find a bottle of wine at the LCBO that was of an older vintage, as they mostly sell new vintages in their stores. Luckily they had an offering of older Lynch Bages and their sister chateau, Les Ormes de Pez. Not wanting to break the bank I was able to pick up a bottle of Chateau Les Ormes de Pez 1996 (St. Estephe) for $58. A bottle of Lynch Bages of the same vintage would have cost $349. A tad bit expensive for this experiment.

The bottle was bought back in May and was stored in my cellar until I could find a time to enjoy it. Just recently my wife and I completed our kitchen renovation, so I felt this was a good time to use it to celebrate!

In preparation of this experiment, I stood the bottle upright (Instead of its usually resting place, which is on its side). I stood the bottle up 48 hours in advance so that the sediment could make its way down to the bottom of the bottle. This makes decanting a lot easier as you do not want to drink the bitter sediment that develops in wine over time.

Before I decanted the wine, I tried a small amount first to insure that the wine was good and not flawed. Thankfully, we were blessed with a good bottle, as it gave out a beautiful aroma of cedar box, dark fruit, minerality and earth. The rest of the wine was slowly decanted and left to breath for an hour, while I prepared dinner.

***** Just a little side note on what happens to wine as it ages. As wine gets older it goes through many changes.

- Colour: Older wines will take on more of a garnet colour (orange rim) and almost look brown.

- Aroma: Earthy notes develop (mushroom, tea, floral, etc)

- Palate: Tannins soften

The wine was consumed during dinner and afterwards. It was interesting to see the wine change as time past (aroma and taste). Both my wife and I enjoyed the experience and I scored the wine an 89. It didn’t wow me but it was still very good!

Overall this experiment was a success. I am looking forward to seeing how the wines in my cellar will develop into.

Bordeaux blend battle

One thing that I enjoy more than drinking wine is sharing it and educating others about wine. This weekend my family (Mom, Dad, City Sis, and my wife) went into Toronto to see the play War Horse. Great play! My wife and I then hosted my family at our house. We had flank steak with potatoes and roasted vegetables, but enough of the menu, lets get on with the set up for this battle.

Being from Ontario, Canada, I am always looking to see how Niagara wines will match up with other wines out there. To an extent, I believe that Canada can produce some great wine that can rival the world. While there is a lot of terrible Canadian wine being produced out there, there is also some fantastic wines if you know where to look. By living only an hour away from a majority of Niagara wineries, I am beginning to know where to look.

One winery that I really enjoy is Alvento Winery in Vineland, Ontario. This winery produces exceptional Bordeaux blends (Both right and left bank), a Nebbiolo, and a Vionier. This night we compared their Right bank Bordeaux blend (Sondra 2006) against Chateau Petris 2008 St.Emilion. (Not to get mistake with right bank super star winery Petrus!!) Both wines were very similar in their blend, here is the run down.
- Alvento Sondra 2006 (90% Merlot & 10% Cab Franc)
- Chateau Petris 2008 (80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cab Franc)

Colour
They were very similar in colour. The Bordeaux was a bit deeper (purple), while the Sondra was a darker brick red. I would imagine that the two years of difference could affect the colour as well as then use of Cabernet Sauignon in the Petris.

Aroma
They both had that vanilla and dark fruit smell that Merlot is known for. The Alvento also had a cedar/tobacco aroma. The aromas in both wines were dominated by Merlot.

Taste
Both wines came out of the gate with black fruits (plum, black berries etc). The Alvento came out to be more acidic (Either due to the cooler climate or a poor vintage). The Patris had more of a backbone due to the cabernet. It was strong, powerful, yet lasting on the finish. Both of these wines had the smooth merlot taste to them. In the end it came down to what your wine preference is.

And the winner is......

Chateau Petris 2008
- Not by much though, the Sondra put up a good fight. My mother preferred the Sondra because she is not a fan of tannic wines. Overall everyone else gave the nod to the St. Emilion wine, but all were very impressed with how the Sondra showed.

Overall this was a great learning experience which was enjoyed by all. Looking forward to trying comparisons!

Matt