Anniversary Wine

On Friday, June 5th, my parents celebrated their 57th wedding Anniversary and my sister and brother-in-law celebrated their 28th wedding Anniversary.

Lots of love, lots of tears and laughter, and lots of wine.  Do you have an Anniversary coming up soon?  Here are some great wines for you to celebrate the special day or to give as a gift to someone you know celebrating a special Anniversary.  Let’s start with some bubbly!

If you associate bubbly with a special occasion, but don’t want to fork over the money for champagne, you need to get acquainted with Prosecco from Italy.  This is a Prosecoo I had a few weeks ago at an Italian wine show I attended.  It is a beauty that won’t break the bank.  The name is a mouthful, Carpene Malvolti 1868 Extra Dry Prosecco Superiore.  It’s a mouthful on the palate too.  Playful and fun, I like dry Prosecco, and this one is extra dry.  It has those gorgeous pear flavors and hints of cider with mineral notes.  You will want to crack this one open any time you entertain and at around the $20 mark, you can make any event a special occasion with this Prosecco.  It’s also a great wine for appetizers.

Here’s a wine I picked up last weekend.  What a beautiful Chardonnay from Thomas Bachelder, the man who calls himself and his family “wine gypsies”.  Growing and making Chardonnay in Burgundy, Oregon and the Niagara region of Ontario, this particular beauty came from the Niagara region.  The hands and technique stay the same, the only thing that changes is the terroir.  I have had this wine several times, and its one of my favorite Chardonnay wines. Apples, peaches and toasty oak make for a delicious partner with roast chicken.

 

The wine on the left is the wine I had last night and it’s also my ‘new’ wine of the week, never having had it before.  The Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine is a Pinot Noir from the Burgundy region of France.  This vineyard is located at the site of an ancient monastery and University in Valmoissine 500 meters above sea level.  This guarantees sunshine during the days and cool nights.  This wine saw no oak, it was aged in stainless steel vats.  It’s a light-bodied wine with beautiful flavors of cherries and strawberries.  It had a really nice finish that stayed with you, and went perfectly with the stuffed pork I had last night.  However, if you like more body to your Pinot Noir, I would recommend the wine on the right.   One of my favorites, the Calera Pinot Noir, from winemaker Josh Jensen, does Pinot in the Burgundian style, but a little more meatier.  I find the Calera to be medium to full bodied with intense fruit forward flavors.  It spends about 11 months in French oak, and I have to be honest, I find it gives it that extra oomph of flavor.  Great texture and great balance.

Knowing my brother-in-law, he’s grilling a big steak for his Anniversary and enjoying a big bold red wine.  This is a new wine I’ve tried recently, the Red Rooster Reserve Meritage from right here in Canada.  Meritage is a name California and Canadian producers use in a Bordeaux style wine.  This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and has the big bold fruits, smoky and tobacco notes and a hint of wood, for a delicious wine done in a Bordeaux style.

A big Happy Anniversary greeting to my sister and my parents, and to any reader of my weekly wine blog.  Have a fabulous day and a fabulous glass of wine.

Till next week Cheers

Darlene