Four wines for your weekend drinking pleasure this week some bottles Ive enjoyed over the last month that Ive been meaning to share. Lets dive right in!
Its a shame we dont see more Tasmanian wines in our market. Australias cool-climate island does some darn good Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, and youll find both grapes excelling in this cheery, food-friendly sparkler. Fresh sourdough on the nose leads to green apple, pink grapefruit and mandarin orange, making it a handy pairing for seafood, pâté, or even just a big bowl of popcorn. Feel free to grate some parmesan cheese on that popcorn if youre feeling fancy; the wine will tackle it well.
When I first got into wine, I was a big fan of Mer Soleils Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay ($34.99) which is the richer, fruit-forward big brother to this guy. As Ive expanded my horizons, I find myself gravitating to wines that use a lot less oak which gives the fruit more of an opportunity to express itself honestly. This unoaked version is bright and clean, with citrus, Granny Smith apple and some very distinct minerality shining through while maintaining Mer Soleils trademark fruit-forward richness. While some may see the ceramic bottle as a marketing gimmick, it does a great job of keeping the wine chilled while it sits on your table.
Pinot Gris rarely excites me, but in the right hands it can really shine. Okanagan Falls Blue Mountain Winery is one of our best, and with their 2011 outing theyve made a wine that truly dazzles. Nice and fleshy, its got some good weight to make it food-friendly with bigger, bold-flavoured dishes since its jam-packed with peaches, nectarines, apricots and a little zip of lemon curd. Make sure youre drinking it out of bigger wine glasses because there are plenty of lovely aromatics thatll be unleashed as you swirl it around.
Some of the grapes in this Okanagan port-style wine were in barrel for more than 15 years, which gives a good dose of charisma and makes the dark berry fruit nice and plushy. Its fortified with neutral grape spirit to 17.5% alcohol, which will warm up even the rainiest of nights. Stewed plums mingle with toffee, butterscotch and a little spiced orange. Ive had some local Port-type wines that have been outright vile, so I proceeded with much caution on this one. Very impressed that it wasnt too hot (alcohol-wise), the fruit wasnt stemmy and, most of all its not ridiculously sweet. Enjoy it with sharp cheeses or dark chocolate.
Ill be writing about the Vancouver International Wine Festival at KurtisKolt.com or you can follow me @KurtisKolt on Twitter.
