Monthly Archives: February 2020

 

Today is Saturday February 29th.  I have to say, I think Google won today’s leap year meme.  I don’t know what I was thinking last Saturday when I sat down with my cup of coffee and decided to name my wine blog ‘Leaping Into Some Great Wines’, thinking I had to write that blog last Saturday.  I literally woke up this morning and thought ‘I wrote my Leap Year Wine Blog a week too early’.  So today I’m calling my wine blog My Leap Year Wine Blog.  Let’s say Happy Birthday and Congratulations to all those leap year babies that are finally allowed to drink wine.  You’re only 84!

I always try to feature a white wine in my weekly wine blogs, I have a lot of friends that drink white wine.  My next question would be have you had Albarino lately?

I bought this to a winetasting in December and the white wine drinkers really enjoyed it.  Albarino is a grape that’s grown mostly in Spain and Portugal, however, because of its growing popularity Chile, Uruguay and the United States is also growing Albarino.  It’s very aromatic in the glass, with gorgeous aromas of lemon, apple and citrus.  If you like Pinot Gris white wine, you will love Albarino.  This Garzon Albarino comes in around the $25 mark here in Eastern Canada.

I laughed when I saw this meme, I am really good at drinking wine LOL

My wine of the week this week is a Bordeaux red that’s a great value…

when I tasted this wine last night for the first time, I said to my friend Joanne from the NSLC, “That’s a big wine for the price point”.  A Bordeaux red wine is always a blend and this is a delicious blend of 70% Merlot, and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.  I bought another bottle because I think I’m going to have a steak tonight, and this is a great steak wine.  As you can see, I have the 2016 vintage, which is very tasty now, however you can store it and drink it in years to come.  Full-bodied, fruit forward with some woody and spicy notes.  Hard to believe this wine is only $18.99 a bottle.  A very tasty Bordeaux for under $20.

Have a great weekend

Darlene

 

Hello February 29th, the day we get to celebrate once every four years and this year it falls on a Saturday.  How nice that we have an extra day to drink a glass of wine.

I had to share this meme because it reminds me of my kitty cat Gabriel LOL

This past Tuesday was also National Drink Wine Day.  For some of us in Canada and the U.S., it was a holiday Monday, so Tuesday was a very ‘Monday-like’ day.  It was a great day for National Drink Wine Day.

I loved seeing the social media posts celebrating National Drink Wine Day for two reasons.  I mean, first of all, most days are ‘drink wine day’ in my opinion.  But I really enjoyed reading about people’s favorite varietals and why they loved that particular wine.  February 18th was all about the sharing our love for wine.

Even the celebrities joined in on the celebrations.  Kerry Washington, who played wine-loving Olivia Pope on Scandal, shared this gif.

Let’s start this wine blog by breaking a common wine myth!

One of the most common wine myths that “Wine Enthusiast” managing editor Lauren Buzzeo  helped dispel in honor of National Drink Wine Day is the broad generalization when people say, “I don’t like Chardonnay.”  In her words,

“The grape is so versatile and easily influenced by both terroir and winemaker influence, that final wines from around the world run a huge spectrum,” she explained. “If you think you don’t like Chardonnay, instead pinpoint what about Chardonnay you don’t like, because I’m pretty sure there’s a counterpoint to that bad experience you had and it might be amazingly delicious.”

Many people I meet tell me they don’t like Chardonnay because of the ‘oakiness’.  Here are 2 fine Chardonnay wines where oak will not get in the way.

The first is a local Nova Scotia wine from Blomidon and wine-maker Simon Rafuse.  This is a wine I had the pleasure of trying 3 years ago when Simon was teaching one of the courses for my Sommelier training.  This is a perfect example of a Chardonnay where the fruit and winemaking gets to shine and oak doesn’t get in the way.  You should really give this a try if you are a white wine drinker who wants to broaden their wine palates.

The second wine hails from Joel Gott in California, and again the fruit shines.  You’ll taste melon, pineapple, and citrus, but you won’t taste oak.  I’ve written about Joel Gott wines before because I am such a huge fan of their Pinot Noir.

And now for my wine of the week…. 

I have had the Don David Mel back in the past but last night was my first time trying the Cabernet Sauvignon. This made my wine of the week because it’s rare when you get a 91-point rated for $15.99, and that’s what this wine is selling for right now.  A wine is not a good value, no matter how much you pay for it, unless it’s delicious, and this wine is delicious.  The smoky notes of this rich Cabernet Sauvignon makes it a great wine for a barbeque fare and any hearty meat dish you might be serving up on this leap year.

Enjoy your extra day of the year, and feel free to leave a comment about which one you’re enjoying this leap year!

Cheers

Darlene

 

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and everyone was on Facebook professing their love for their significant other.  I was almost tempted to post a picture with a bottle of wine LOL!  As an unattached single lady in her 50’s, I was singing karaoke with friends and drinking wine!  We had a fabulous night.  I can’t sing to save my life but the audience was cheering and roaring ‘bon bon bon’ during a rowdy version of  Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’.  I hope everyone reading this had a fabulous Valentine’s Day.   Now let’s talk about our true love…. wine!

Too all my white wine loving friends, this weekend I encourage you to leave your comfort zone and try this wine.

You like Sauvignon Blanc, right?  That is what Sancerre is, Sauvignon Blanc.  Sancerre is a region in the famed Loire Valley in France, and the region grows about 20% Pinot Noir, but this region is famous for Sauvignon Blanc.  Sancerre is often compared with its neighbour, Pouilly-Fume, also a region known for Sauvignon Blanc.  The wine professionals agree its hard to tell the difference but people growing the wine will tell you Sancerre has more body and the Pouilly-Fume is more perfumed.  I have tried them both and I think they are wonderful examples of Sauvignon Blanc.  This wine is a perfect pairing with any appetizer dish or any dish in which you want to cut through spice or grease.

I always tell people I’m saving corks for a Pinterest project.

This Ghost Pines Cabernet Sauvignon is actually 92% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot, Petite Syrah, & Cabernet Franc, which probably explains why this wine had so many great layers of flavour.  Sadly, we can’t get this wine in Nova Scotia or Newfounfland anymore, but you can score a bottle in other provinces across Canada including neighbouring New Brunswick.  And because this wine hails from Napa Valley California, I’m guessing any of my American friends won’t have trouble finding this wine.
And now for my wine of the week……

I recently got re-introduced to this wine, and had to share it with you as my wine of the week.  Do you know why?  This is a fabulous Syrah wine and I still can’t believe it’s priced under $20 a bottle at just $18.99.  Here in Halifax we had a low of -14° C last night come up with a windchill of -21C.  In a word this is cold!  As I’m sitting here on a Saturday morning writing this wine blog, I am contemplating what comfort food dish am I going to cook up for supper.  And there is no better wine to have with your comfort food dish then this Syrah, with notes of black pepper and spice.

On a bright note, it is a long weekend and you know what long weekends mean? More wine!

Till next weekend, have a great week

Cheers, Darlene

Welcome to February, where freezing rain and snow storms make us all thankful it’s the shortest month of the year.  I’m here with some advice for my friends…. Keep calm and drink the wine.  This morning as I sit here and write my one blog, it is -15° outside.  So, stay cosy my friends and let me introduce you to some great wine.

Sometimes people think that with your favourite hearty comfort food you should have a hearty red wine.  I’m here to tell you there are some hearty full-bodied white wines out there that go deliciously with your favourite comfort foods.  Take this Trio white, a combination blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanc. This is a hearty wine because it’s 96% Chardonnay, 2% Pinot Grigio, and 2% Pinot Blanc, so that big Chardonnay really dominates this wine.  Hailing from Chile and made by the biggest winery in Chile, Concha Y Toro, Winemaker Max Weinlaub offers a fruity Chardonnay with hints of acidity.  You’ll love the price at just $16 a bottle.

Speaking of hearty, one of my favourite steak wines is the Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  In 1868, Jacob Beringer left Germany and settled in California, the rest is history!  Mark Beringer, great great grandson of Jacob Beringer made this  spectacular wine.  Mark was born in the heart of Napa Valley,  wine has been a part of his entire life, so it comes as no surprise to me he makes a great one.  It’s about $38 a bottle here in Nova Scotia, worth every penny, and I encourage you to try this wine with your next meal of beef, whether it’s a steak or stew.

And now for my wine of the week……

I’m pretty confident I’ve written about this wine before, but it’s been a couple of years and I wanted to remind you of a favourite.  Zinfandel is one of the heartiest grapes around because it has a very thick skin.  This is 7 Deadly Zins, appropriately named because it contains Zinfandel grapes from seven different vineyards in California.  This is one of the easiest wines to drink, and a great wine to share with friends, I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like this wine.

Have a great weekend and a wonderful week.

Darlene

Is it just me or did January seem really long?  I swear its the only month of the year that feels like 3 months.  But it’s over now, and we say ‘Hello February’ starting today.  Here on the East Coast of Canada, we had some snow and we had some bitterly cold temperatures.  At least in February, the days are getting longer!

Last week we talked about some hearty winter wines, and here’s one from my friend Anthony.  Here’s a picture of Anthony and myself, taken a few years back!

Anthony is a producer at the radio station I work at and we share a love of wine.  I asked him yesterday to share a new favorite.  Here’s one of the wines he’s loved lately.

Here’s what Anthony had to say about this wine.  “It’s deliciously smooth with ripe fruit and oak.  A bit of spice. “

Personally, I love Italian wine and this particular wine is from the Campania region of Italy, where Naples is the capital.  Anthony has wonderful taste in wine, so if you’re up for a treat, try this wine.  It sells here for about $52 a bottle.

Italy is home to some great whites as well, and I’ve written about different Pinot Grigio wines.  But there’s more to Italian white wine than just Pinot Grigio.   Trebbiano for example.  Trebbiano is a grape that makes a wonderful white wine.

The Antinori Family is one of the biggest winemaking families in Italy, and played a huge role in the making of the ‘Super Tuscan’ wine movement of the 70’s.  It is the 10th largest family owned company in the world.  They can date making wine back to the 1300’s.  This Antinori Villa Bianco is a wonderful expression of Tuscan white wine and in my opinion, is a great value at $18.99 a bottle.

And now for my wine of the week…

For this weeks wine of the week we had to the Mendoza region of Argentina.  This is the wine I bought to Happy Hour last night.  A great Malbec-based blend, from Lebanese winemaker Karim Mussi Saffi.   It’s a great wine for under $20!

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene