It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday… a day for us to officially thank Mom, although I think we should do that every day. God knows we put them through enough growing up. Regular readers of this blog knows that my Mom loves a good Chardonnay. But I’m going to take a moment to highlight some of my favorite picks for Mother’s Day, and hopefully include something for everyone.
If you need help and live in the Halifax area, head on down to the brand new Port by NSLC store and see this lady, Rayell Swan. This is one lady who knows what she’s talking about. And no matter what your budget, she will find something delicious in that price range.
Here are two great Chardonnay wines on both ends of the price spectrum. The Dreaming Tree Chardonnay from California is a fantastic wine at a fantastic price. Dave Matthews and Sean McKenzie are doing things right with recycleable corks, lighter weight bottles to cut down on shipping costs and recycled labels. Plus, the wine they are putting in the bottles is top notch. The tropical fruit notes and oak aging makes for a food friendly California Chardonnay. Next to it is my favorite Canadian Chardonnay, from Le Clos Jordanne in Ontario. They make a couple of different Chardonnay wines, like the Claystone Terrace. This is a clean, lean and fresh tasting Chardonnay with mineral fruits and good acidity. The Le Grand Clos Chardonnay is a little richer with a weightier mouthfeel. The latter is one of my favorite Chardonnay wines and perfect for Mother’s Day.
It was Mother’s Day exactly one year ago that my oldest sister tried the first wine that she fell in love with. And it’s a local favorite. The Nova 7 from Benjamin Bridge here in Nova Scotia, in my opinion, reflects the terroir of our Canadian province, and is great for the local cuisine. Seafood for Mother’s day? This is your wine. I love this wine and I think it’s a beautiful expression of our province.
I’m cooking for 4 different Mom’s on Sunday, along with my sister’s two boys. Her 2 sons and her husband are meat guys! So I’m firing up the grill and serving burgers, chicken skewers and a maple balsamic chicken thigh. If you’re serving red meat, here’s a spectacular new wine that I tried recently. The Tellus Syrah from Italian vineyard Falesco. At $22, pick up a bottle or two. One of the first things you will notice is the black pepper, or at least I did. It’s a combination of spice and fruit, in a well structured Syrah, but the black pepper is very noticeable, and I loved it. This is a great pairing with any grilled meat.
And my wine of the week is….
If you’re looking for a treat wine for Mom, look no further than the 2009 Dalmau Rioja from Spain. I had the privilege of trying this beautiful wine this past week. A combination of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and some Graciano. Now I had to do some research on the Graciano grape, not having a lot of experience with this particular grape. What I found out was this grape is primarily grown in the Rioja region of spain and is characterized by its deep red color and the ability to age well. I loved this full-bodied wine and it would be spectacular with red meat, or wild game. It’s fruit forward with toasty flavors of blackberry and blueberry notes. It’s rich with great structure, but also incredibly smooth and the lingering finish really made the wine for me. At $65, treat your mom.
To all the Mother’s out there, especially my Mom, thank you so much. You amaze the rest of us. And to everyone with a Mom, buy her a bottle of wine, you’re probably the reason she drinks.
Till next week, Cheers
Darlene
Wine-It’s Just My Opinion 