Monthly Archives: December 2017

Every time you open a news feed these days it’s the ‘Best of Lists’ and I’m no exception.  This is one of my favorite wine blogs of the year.  Looking back at all the wines I have written about, my favorites and picking my top picks from 2017.  I enjoyed some good wine in 2017, and I would like to share some of my favourites with you.  Let’s start with my favourite white wine of the year!

We are heading back to March of 2017 for this beautiful French Chardonnay.  Quite the name isn’t it?  Chateau Arrogant Frog  is Chardonnay at its finest.  Subtle nuances of oak  that allow the flavour of the fruit to shine through.   Another great attribute to this wine is that it comes in at about $20 a bottle.  Spectacular wine at a spectacular price.

 

One of the highlights for me in 2017 was finally becoming a Sommelier after 5 years. I’ve worked really hard for it, and it was the source of a great deal of satisfaction.

My favourite Rose wine of the year hails from Italy!

The Pipoli Basilicata Rosato is a gorgeous refreshing Rose wine that comes from the Basilicata region if Italy, which is the instep part of the boot.  Gorgeous citrus flavours with a crisp minerality and priced to please at about $19 a bottle.

I have made some great friends this year, and so blessed to call these fabulous ladies friends and family.  We have enjoyed some great wine together.  Getting together with them has been another highlight for me this past year.

My favourite dessert wine comes from Sauternes France.

The Chateau Coutec Sauternes  comes from the southwestern part of France and from one of the oldest wine producing vineyards in Sauternes.   Bordeaux wines are known for great ageing potential and that includes their sweet dessert wines.  I tried the 2000 vintage, and it was awesome.   This Vineyard dates back to the 1600’s,  so they have been making fantastic dessert wines for a long long time.   This is the perfect ending to the perfect meal.  Rich flavours of apricot and honey will compliment any special occasion.

Another highlight for me in 2017 was my trip to Italy

I loved Italy, the people, the food and especially the wine.  Which made it especially hard to pick my favourite red and a wine of the year.   One of the criteria that I use for my one of the weeks is great wine and also great value so this one was the clear winner for me.

I stayed on a vineyard site in Italy just outside of Montalchino called Carpazo, and while there we tried the full line up of their wines.   This is one that is now available in one of our local wine stores.  At $16 a bottle, it is probably one of the best values I have ever tasted, I still think it’s a mistake.  We would wake up each morning to beautiful fields of Sangiovese grapes, and those were the grapes used to make this wine.  Medium bodied with flavours of tart cherry and soft oak, I love this wine.   And because of the combination of great wine at an amazing price this is my wine of the year.

Thank you for all the support in 2017 and here’s to another wonderful year of discovering  some great wines together

Here’s to a healthy happy 2018

Darlene

 

 

Is it just me, or did this year fly by incredibly fast?  I was thinking this past week it’s soon time to do my favorite wines of 2017, which will be next week’s blog.  But this week it’s all things family, as I head home to Newfoundland later today to celebrate Christmas with the family.

Yes, there’s a wine for that!!  Large gatherings can be stressful for some, and I’m here to tell you wine always helps.   And although the weather outside can be frightful, here’s some delightful wines for you to try.

The Black Label Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon is one of my favorite steak wines.  This wine has great structure and hints of winter spice are almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face and warm your soul.  I love this wine with steak, but it’s also a great pairing with hearty beef stews, lamb or even your favorite shepherd’s pie.

South African wines continue to take me by surprise, and this Ernie Els (yes, the golfer) Big Easy Red is a fantastic wine.  And at $18 per bottle, let’s pick up more than one. The wine is mostly Shiraz, but also has some Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, Grenache and Mourvedre added in, so it is a very complex wine with lots of interesting layers.   A winner for sure.

A great tasting full-bodied Chardonnay comes in the form of this Chateau St. Jean from California.  It too has some winter spice notes, hints of vanilla and toasty apple flavors.  This is no wimpy white wine, with lots of bold flavors and a great finish.  A great wine to go with any chicken dish, and a nice compliment to cod and certain fish dishes.

And now for my wine of the week….

From the heart of the Entre-Deux-Mers region in Bordeaux, comes this magnificant value of a Bordeaux wine.  As you can see I enjoyed the 2014 vintage, so it’s still quite young for a Bordeaux, but very approachable, because it’s mostly Merlot.  This vineyard has been in the Fernandez family since 1956 and is now run by the grandson Jean.  This is a great wine at a tremendous value, only $20 a bottle, and I could shake myself for only buying one.  Try this Bordeaux, you’ll be glad you did.

Too all my readers, family and friends, have a wonderful Christmas season and I hope there is joy.

Till next week, when we countdown my favorite wines of 2017, Cheers

Darlene

Who’s with me?  The Christmas season is in full swing.  We even had our company Christmas party last night and look what I won.

I couldn’t have won a better present LOL  A gift card to our local Wine Store.  I’m looking forward to treating myself to a special bottle.  I’ve tried some new wines this past week, and thought I would share them with you.

Grenache is a grape many people have heard of,  but did you know it originated in Spain as Garnacha.  This Sangre de Toro is from the Penedes region, just South of Barcelina and is a great value.   Finding good wine under the $16 price point is great news this time of the year because the season can be costly.  Cherry notes with vanilla flavours from the oak, it’s a great wine for the winter stews we tend to cook to warm us up.

Nothing says Christmas like sparkling wines.  Sparkling lights and sparkling wine go hand in hand.  This Zonin Prosecco is a spectacular value that you can use to serve with an apertif at a Christmas party or even bring in the New Year.

And my wine of the week…..

It’s not often you see a South African wine as my wine of the week but this one definitely deserves the title.   This Plum Pudding Hill Syrah by Stellenzicht is a mouthful to say and a fabulous mouthful of wine.    It’s a bit of a Christmas treat at $35 a bottle but worth every penny .  Gorgeous flavours of baking spice and plums, this wine is my new favourite from South Africa.

I know it’s a busy time of the year for everybody getting ready for the upcoming big day .   Thank you for taking the time to read my blog

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene

 

I don’t know about you, but a lot of my weekend is going to be spent watching Christmas movies, they are everywhere.  And I have a confession to make, I love them.  And as I was enjoying one last night while also enjoying a glass of wine, it got me thinking, what a great way for people to de-stress during the busy month of December – sit back, enjoy a Christmas movie and a glass of wine.  You’ll thank me for it.

Who’s not going to watch the movie Elf at least once?  This is a very unique movie plot and its one of my favorites to watch each year.  My family loves this movie.

Here’s a great wine to go with that.  Gunsight Rock Cabernet Sauvignon from the Paso Robles region of California.  I absolutely love wine from the Paso Robles region.  They put out spectacular Cabernet Sauvignon.  And they are located south of San Francisco and to the best of my knowledge, they weren’t destroyed in the horrible fires northern California experienced recently,.  There were some fires, but the news stories that I found indicated they were contained.  Please correct me if I am wrong.  This wine is a perfect expression of Cabernet Sauvignon with earthy tannins and juicy fruit on the palate.  A great steak wine.

Although there are about 3 additional sequels to this movie, the original remains one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time.  This movie will ignite a smile into the heart of any family member… so what’s a wine that goes with everything?  Pinot Noir.

This is one of my favorites from the Burgundy region of France, and it’s on sale right now here in Nova Scotia.  The smooth tannins and bright cherry flavors make Pinot Noir one of the food friendliest wines on the planet.   And I have to admit I love the way the French do Pinot Noir  with very subtle useage of oak

If you’re going to be watching the Grinch this year, you’ll need something bright and cheery.  And when I think of bright and cheery in the wine aisle, I think Prosecco.

Here is a fantastic value from the Veneto region in Italy.  The Zonin Prosecco Special Cuvee is on sale right now here in Nova Scotia, and is still a good value at the regular price.  It’s regularly $18.99 a bottle but you can nab it now at $16.99 a bottle and not only does Prosecco make a fun and bubbly sparkling wine, it makes excellent holiday mimosas.  Add it to pink lemonade and add some cranberries and you have a wonderful festive drink.

And now it’s time for my wine of the week…

Anyone that knows me knows I love finding good value wines.  My idea of a good value is a great tasting wine at a great price.  The Pardon My French Fitou is just $17 a bottle but is very tasty.  It’s from the Languedoc region of France, known for its Chateauneuf du Pape, and is made from the same grape as Chateauneuf, Grenache.  I love the raspberry and spicy notes on this wine, and if you’re serving lamb anytime soon, this is your wine.

It’s December, the month of parties, socials and events.  And those events usually involve wine.  Here’s to apologizing to our liver in advance.

Have a great week

Darlene