Wine Barbarian

Do you have a Fetish? BC Liquor Stores have lots! 2010 Top 100 Wine Spectator choice The Watcher 2008 shiraz by Fetish Wines available

2012-01-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

2008 The Watcher shiraz by Fetish

BC Liquor Stores have a Fetish - in fact, they have 972 of them!

The Watcher - a 2008 shiraz produced by Fetish Wines was the Wine Spectator's #61 of its Top 100 Wines of 2010 and it is a blockbuster.

But even more impressive is that BC Liquor Stores have somehow managed to get 972 bottles of The Watcher into stores across the province over a full year after it first was released and got the Spectator's highly-coveted seal of approval! Kudos to the BCLS on that one.

Still better - it retails for $24.99 and this 91 point shiaz from Australia's famed Barossa Valley is worth every penny.

I had a bottle last night and it was huge - full of briary fruit and chewy goodness. The Spectator says "blackberry, black plum and white pepper flavours" and says drink now to 2018.

This is, like most Aussie shiraz wines, high alcohol - clocking in at 14.5% - but it isn't noticeably "hot" or port-like. [I just tasted

Lastly, if you haven't seen my earlier post that BC Liquor Stores also have widely available three excellent Top 100 wines of 2011 - the current Wine Spectator list - check that out. And you can see the full 2011 list for free at the Spectator.

Now go get a Fetish or two!

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Wine Barbarian returns with news of Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2011 available in British Columbia

2012-01-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

Only in British Columbia you say? Pity!

Quinta do Crasto - 93 points

Vincent Girardin - 92 points

Cloudy Bay - 92 points

First - I apologize. My best intentions to keep this blog more active have merely paved the road to more wine drinking research and less writing!

However, having not one but two blogs - my political Bill Tieleman website - makes life more complicated, since "news of the day" seems to take priority over "wine of the day", sometimes sadly.

Nonetheless, and without a new years resolution, I will do my best to be more wine current.

And to start - here are three truly excellent wines recognized by the Wine Spectator magazine as members of the Top 100 Wines of 2011 - and still available in BC Liquor Stores, as well as in other locations around the globe.

The Top 100 does not comprise the highest rated wines in the world - that would be prohibitively expensive for all but the 1% who occupy their wine cellars with first growth Bordeaux.

Rather, the Wine Spectator explains their criteria this way:

"More than 5,400 of these wines earned outstanding or classic ratings (90 points or higher on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale). We narrowed the list down based on four criteria: quality (represented by score); value (reflected by release price); availability (measured by cases made or imported); and what we call the “X-factor”–the excitement generated by a rising-star producer, a benchmark wine or a significant milestone for a wine region.

But no equation determines the final selections: These choices reflect our editors’ judgment and passion about the wines we tasted."

And so, the wines you can find in BC - there were a few others but I suspect more limited quantities quickly disappeared. I'm happy to say I've tried them all!

First, the 2008 Quinta do Crasto - Douro Reserva, Old Vines - 93 points, ranked #62 - a blockbuster wine from Portugal, one of the most overlooked and underrated wine producing countries in the world.

Too many still think it only produces Port when in fact there are fabulous red wines made there from grapes we don't know, let alone know how to produce.

Listed at US $46 it's actually cheaper in BC at $42.99 and there are over 1,000 bottles available according to the BC Liquor Stores website, which has location details at the link I'e just posted.

The Spectator says: "A solid core of savory spice and leaf notes provides a supple overlay to the flavors of dried berry and smoke. The deft finish lingers, with touches of cream and vanilla as well as plenty of cocoa powder notes. Very elegant and suave. Drink now through 2017."

I agree but think it will last much longer. I also found a good blackberry bouquet to it.

Second - 2009 Vincent Girardin - Moulin-à-Vent Domaine de La Tour du Bief Clos de la Tour - 92 points and ranked #54 - a mouthful to say and full of good taste!

This wine from the Moulin a Vent appellation in the Beaujolais region of France, and yes, named after a windmill in the region.

It retails for $29.99 at BC Liquor Stores but is in short supply - just 74 bottle left, most in Vancouver. US retail is a touch lower.

The Spectator says: "Lush fruit flavors of blackberry and blueberry mix with a core of spice and dried herb notes in this fresh and silky red, which has lightly chewy tannins, followed by lingering hints of dark chocolate and cardamom on the finish. Drink now through 2016."

I agree again with this description - but am inclined to leave it a bit longer to develop rather than drink it all now. But I admit I had to try 2 bottles before making that difficult decision!

Lastly, an old favourite that is perennially in the Top 100 - 2010 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - 92 points, ranked #29 - a big pow in your mouth New Zealand SB from the Marlborough region with layers of different tastes.

It retails for $31.50 in BC Liquor Stores and their website indicates a surprising 1131 bottles available. Slightly cheaper in the US.

The Spectator says: "Tangerine, mango and citrus flavors are pure and focused, smooth, round and wonderfully refreshing, with peach, Key lime pie, mineral and floral elements that really take off on the finish. Drink now."

Yes, it's a tropical fruit punch! If you've never had Cloudy Bay SB don't delay - it is simply delicious. I'm not sure how long it will keep but certainly a year's aging will do no harm, if you can leave it there.

So there you have it - my first but not last post of 2012 and three wines you don't want to miss.

Don't delay - these wines will disappear very, very soon - and all the sooner because I've let you in on the secret!

Cheers!

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Gewurztraminer - you can drink it even if you can't say it!

2011-09-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

I love gewurztraminer - but it intimidates some wine drinkers - from the hard to pronounce and spell name to the unusual style.

My advice? Try a bottle of the 2009 Pfaffenheim Gewurztraminer at your local BC Liquor Store - you will be glad you did.

Gewurztraminer - pronounced Guh-wurtz-tra-meener - is a wine grape grown first of all in the Alsace region of France and in Germany. But BC also has good gewurz - for short - from several Okanagan wineries, including Sumac Ridge, See Ya Later Ranch and more.

Pfaffenheim - pronounced Pfahf-n-hime - is a winery in Alsace that I particularly like - and the reason is in the bottle. This wine is fragrant, with spiciness and tropical fruit notes. Like most gewurz, this wine can stand up to spicy Thai, Chinese, Mexican or other foods with a chile kick.

There are 2800 bottles available all over BC at $19.99, so pick one up and let me know what you think.

Two 90 point wines under $20 in BC - both from Chile's Concha Y Toro

2011-08-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

You have to love Concha Y Toro wines - two 90 point wines - one Cabernet Sauvignon and one Chardonnay - both under $20!

And I do - one of my regular favourites - the 2008 Concha Y Toro Puente Alto Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon - has recently been joined by the 2009 Concha Y Toro Limari Valley Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay - Limari Valley - as a 90 pointer from the Wine Spectator magazine.

The Cabernet is huge - and a fantastic value wine year after year, a perennial 90 point winner. Blackberry, fig, raspberry, cherry, cocoa - everything you want in a cab and usually can't find for less that $40! I suspect it will age well but don't wait - it's drinking well right now and would be hard to put away in the cellar.

The Chardonnay is conversely lean and restrained - but delicious and what the Spectator calls "superfresh" with tangerine and apple notes. The winery alternatively suggests pear, fig and hazelnut. I'll take any of the above.

Both retail in BC Liquor Stores for $19.99 and are quite available - 826 bottles of Cabernet across the province and 548 bottles of Chardonnay around BC. Both are also available for $19.95 in Ontario Liquor Stores.

Their baby siblings are also worth trying for a lower dollar - Concha Y Toro Casillero del Diablo - cellar of the devil - Cabernet and Chardonnay - for just $13.99 each - a reliable wine but just don't compare the two levels.

Wine Barbarian is back at last - and with a Wine Spectator Top 100 wine available in BC for under $30!

2011-07-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

The Return of the Wine Barbarian!

Fellow wine lovers, winos and wine rookies, foodies, restaurant hounds, amateur cooks and more - I'm back!

Unfortunately this blog has been very neglected due to a series of reasons but.....I hope to make amends and more importantly, make this a useful blog for wine drinkers, restaurant goers and food fiends in BC and everywhere else.

You will find wine reviews and recommendations, restaurant reviews and travel reports - all of which happened here before but very infrequently.

I've turned over a new leaf - and it's a grape leaf!

Here's my first new post in quite a while - about one of my absolute favourite wines available in BC and other locations.

Vina Mayor Reserva 2004 is not just a great wine at a very reasonable price - $28.99 in BC - but it was also chosen as #38 in the Wine Spectator magazine's Top 100 Wines of 2010!

The Wine Spectator scored it 93 points out of 100 - and I heartily agree. They note it has: "black cherry, mineral, tobacco and tar notes. Offers an excellent balance of firm, well-integrated tannins and clean acidity" and suggest drinking it through 2016.

Vina Mayor is from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain, which I was fortunate enough to visit in 2007, and is one of the wineries of the Hijos de Antonio Barcelo group.

This is just a great tempranillo - more powerful and layered than the average Spanish bottle which you and I enjoy in the under $20 range. And I can attest to the fact that finding a Wine Spectator 93 point rated wine for under $50 to $100 is really, really difficult.

Now the good news - there are still 845 bottles available throughout the BC Liquor Stores network.

Better news for those of us in Metro Vancouver - the 39th and Cambie flagship store reports having 107 bottles left in stock.

The best thing to do before you race there though is to check through the BC Liquor Stores website through its "Search for Products" section in the upper right hand corner to see which stores have stock - and then CALL FIRST.

Unfortunately the website is often woefully out of date, so don't race to a faraway store only to find it all gone.

Fortunately the helpful staff are always willing to put some bottles aside for you for a day.

UPDATE - for my Ontario friends - the Vina Mayor Reserva 2004 is listed by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario [LCBO] at an even cheaper $25.95 BUT - I can't find any stores in Toronto with availability. Worth a call to LCBO HQ to see if they can bring some in from another store for you!

See you back here soon - I intend to post at least one item a week!

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Viva Espana! UPDATED Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival features Spain's fabulous wines - what to drink up!

2011-03-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Bill Tieleman - the Wine Barbarian - goes to the source of great Spanish wine - at Pesquera in Ribera del Duero in 2007

UPDATED! Hot picks from the Festival!

Okay - here's the skinny after my marathon session Thursday night - there are a lot of really great wines and a lot of really expensive wines - sometimes the same ones, not always.

In the interest of time for those attending Saturday night's tasting - here's the quick and dirty list of what not to miss based on my own research, in addition to predicted Spanish winners below in original post.

[And if you are looking for these in the Festival Guide - remember that for the first time they have separated the wines first by country and then alphabetically - using the term loosely.]

I use a 1 to 5 ***** rating system on the fly at the festival - more stars the better. And please remember with over 600 wines there - I only got to 63 of them! Try what looks good and be sure to not be rude and attempt to drink only the winery's best wine - give the others a tiny taste at least.

LASTLY - I will be writing about the great BC Liquor Store Rip-Off - on Thursday night within 5 minutes of entering the tasting and heading straight to the on-site store without sipping a single wine - I found at least 20 listed products with SOLD OUT signs on them!

How is that possible you ask? The afternoon Trade Show participants - importers in the wine business, restaurateurs, chefs, agents etc - come in early and are allowed to clean out the stuff they like - leaving none for the consumers who are supposed to get first crack.

And the BC Liquor Stores - a government operation - does not allow wineries to import enough stock to satisfy demand, even though they make a large fortune off this event's sales!

Watch The Wine Barbarian for more on this unfair issue - it has happened year after year and I'm sick of it. In the meantime, get into the store right away if you taste a great wine and complain to the staff - not their fault of course - that your picks aren't available. If we all kick up a big fuss it might just get fixed next year.

Spain
Bodegas Abanico - Los Colmillos 2008 $45 **** still tannic but great!

Bodegas Faustino - Autor Reserva 2001 $48 ****

Grupo Faustino - Portia Prima 2007 $32 **** - killer wine at this price!

Osborne - Montecillo Gran Reserva 2003 $36 **** - another great buy!

Caves Pares Balta - Gratavinum 2PIR 2007 $47 - **** - big blend.

Canada

Herder Winery - Twin Benches Chardonnay 2008 - $35 - **** - very smooth.

Meyer Family Vineyards - Pinot Noir McLean Creek Road Vineyard 2008 - $40 - **** - tasty stuff.

France

Champagne Deutz - Cuvee William 1999 - $174 - ****1/2 - best wine of the night - fabulous vintage champagne - wonderful they offer it here.

Italy

Badia a Coltibuono - Cultus Boni 2004 - $47 - **** - so good I bought some!

Rocca Delle Macie - Ser Gioveto 2005 - $45 - **** - also grabbed this great super Tuscan blended wine. Roccato 2005 - $50 **** - an all time favourite of mine - try it!

New Zealand

Man O'War Vineyard - Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2008 $29 - **** - great value!
Flagship Dreadnaught Syrah 2009 - $50 - ****

Mud House Wines - Central Otago PInot Noir Swan Reserve tier 2009 - $35 - **** - just great - a really big pinot typical of the power in that emerging region. Their regular 2009 for $23 is a good buy.

Sacred Hills Wines - Deerstalkers Syrah 2007 - $40 - **** - all their stuff is fabulous but also try the luscious Riflemans Chardonnay 2009 - $40 - ****

South Africa

Boekenhoutskloof - Syrah 2008 - $70 - ****

Graham Beck Wines - The Ridge Single Vineyard Syrah - $30 - **** - great value! Brut sparkling - $23 - ***1/2

United States

Miner Family Vineyards - Napa Valley Chardonnay 2009 - $40 - **** - great!

Ridge Vineyards - Santa Cruz Chardonnay 2008 - $55 - wonderful.

Apologies to the fine wineries I've not included in this quick round up - didn't taste a bad wine all night and I didn't get to some of the very best wineries in the world who are pouring tonight - I'll try to get to them all and once again update you on the wines you can find in BC public and private stores after the Festival ends. Here's my original posting with additional top Spanish picks:

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is featuring Spain's fabulous wines this year - in addition to the always great selection of wines from all around the world.

ORIGINAL POSTING FROM TUESDAY

And if you haven't got tickets to the three main events - the evening wine tastings Thursday March 31, Friday April 1 and Saturday April 2 - you are a bit late - tickets are sold out for Friday and Saturday and only a few remain for Thursday - the best night to go. [But check Craigslist and other sources for tickets - it's worth attending.]

There are many other great events - and many are also sold out - but for those attending the three big tastings, here are some key Spanish wineries you should not miss - and that may not be back in Vancouver again.

I will be there on Thursday night and will update this list with the latest info before I head back again on Saturday night for another round.

Remember - you can't possibly taste all the wines available even if you are there for all three nights - so choose wisely and taste moderately. It's the only way to get to as many as possible.

How many is that? My personal one-night record for tasting wines and making notes of some sort is 78 - I'm a professional so don't try this at home or at the Festival. And no, I don't spit!

Spain

Alvaro Palacios - with wines from Priorat - one of Spain's hottest wine regions - as well as traditional Rioja and up and coming Bierzo, this is one to target. The Les Terrasses has always been a 90+ point wine and the 2008 on tap will likely do the same. Senor Palacios will be in attendance too.

Bodegas Juan Gil - a regular fixture on the Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the Year, this Jumilla winery is producing award-winning wines. Their "monastrell 12 meses" - a 12-month oak aged monastrell - also known as mouvedre elsewhere - is a killer.

Bodegas Valdemar - a personal favourite, this excellent Rioja winery puts out the Conde de Valdemar line of reds - Crianza - always reliable value - Reserva - a great wine - and Gran Reserva - long aged and simply awesome after 25 months in French and American oak barrels. Their 2001 is amazingly good - and available years after other countries 2001s have long disappeared.

Vina Mayor- another Top 100 Wines winner, their 2004 is still available in BC for $29 - and it's a 93 point wine! Hard to underestimate how good this one is. I look forward to tasting their other offerings.

Bodegas Faustino - like excellent old wines? Don't miss this winery, which will be serving it's 1999 Gran Reserva and its 2005 Reserva

Bodegas Palacio - sharing space with Vina Mayor, don't miss their 2004 Glorioso Reserva - one of my perennial favourites, an 88 point wine and reasonably priced at $25. [It's baby brother Crianza at $18 is also a winner.]

Miguel Torres - one of the biggest wineries in the world, Torres produces value wines like Coronas and elite wines like Mas La Plana - a cabernet sauvignon that can take on Bordeaux, Napa Valley or anywhere else for top quality. Also on tap - Torres Celeste from Ribera del Duero - another wine I love.

Cava Pares Balta - from Penedes north of Barcelona, this organically-certified winery - since 2004 - produces tasty reds, whites and sparkling wines. Look for the Mas Elena - a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Interestingly the winemakers are two young women oenologists.

And that's just a taste of the fine Spanish wines available - not to mention those from around the world and here at home in BC.

See you at the Festival Thursday and Saturday night and check back here after Thursday for more info and wine picks!

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New Orleans dining & drinking among the stars - tres bon, mes amis!

2010-12-30T16:21:00.000-08:00

Nicholas Cage filming "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps" in the French Quarter - Shirley Ross photo

Kate Hudson and Gael Garcia Bernal filming "A Little Bit of Heaven" in the French Quarter - Bill Tieleman photo

Wine Barbarian Bill Tieleman with top rated Lousiana Bistro's Chef Mars

Acme Oyster House - fast food bi-valves

"Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans/
And miss it each night and day?"

- Louis Alter & Eddie Delange - recorded by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday

If you visit New Orleans to eat and drink, you are going to understand exactly what that song means!

New Orleans has some of the best restaurants and chefs imaginable in one of the most food and drink fixated cities you can find.

Throw in a big helping of movie stars, historic bars and friendly people and you'd be a fool not to head to New Orleans.

The highlight for my wife Shirley and I is easy - big easy if you insist - our two dinners at the Louisiana Bistro, home to Chef Mars and his "Feed Me" dining experience.

It's simple but scary for some diners - you simply say you want a 3-course, 4-course or 5-course meal and Chef Mars decides what you get! No substitutions, no negotiations - other than food allergies and - if you are polite - a "fear factor" warning.

And every table gets different food! This isn't a daily special type of deal - Chef Mars turns out unique offerings for each table every night - wow!

The food is remarkable and the price is very reasonable - $39/$49/$59. Louisiana Bistro is small and casual but incredible.

On our first visit we did the 3-course meal and first up were deep fried frog's legs in a lemon beurre blance sauce with red pepper jelly - simply excellent! Chef Mars explained between courses that due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf coast there is only one frog's leg supplier left in the U.S. - a fellow in Mississippi who drives his product into town.

The second course was equally excellent - spice-rubbed swordfish with blue crab meat in a caper, pepper meuniere sauce - called Lake Ponchartain style - accompanied by grits with cheddar cheese.

We were blown away by both course and wondered how Mars could match himself - he did with buffalo shortribs and BBQ sauce on garlic mashed potatoes.

The food was well matched by our choice of an old favourite - 2001 Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva for $56 a bottle - a 90 point Wine Spectator rating for this big oaky, smokey, cherry, blackberry and pepper Rioja.

For dessert we had Creole creamcheese ice cream with a balsamic reduction and strawberries - fabulous. And the expert service from Sam and other waiters was another treat.

"Feed Me may not be for you," Chef Mars remarked to another table after they saw our frog's legs and other dishes come out! But it was for us, because we came back for a 4-course meal our last night. More on that below after a few other restaurant reviews.

Another great restaurant is Les Foret, in the Central Business District, where chef James Corwell serves up New Orleans French cuisine in a stylish room.

We started with three amuse bouche - venison tea, rabbit rillette and lobster tartar - all very good indeed.

For an appetizer we shared grilled Hudson Valley foie gras - accompanied by a roasted beet, apple, Satsuma orange and walnut salad - fabulous!

Shirley had a rabbit trio for her main course - a roasted loin, a frenched rack and a braised leg with a pasta terrine with mustard and peeled grapes - all excellent, for $29

I went for the venison steak, which was crusted with shallots, pepper and lemon and accompanied by braised cabbage with caraway, sweet potato tempura and green peppercorn jus. Simply outstanding, at $29.

We shared a New Orleans classic King Cake with a Les Foret twist - served with buttered rum and pecan ice cream - very good but very sweet.

Our wine choice was once again Spanish - the very good 2006 Termes Numanthia at $48 - a Toro triumph that scored 93 points at the Wine Spectator and was full of plum, chocolate and tobacco and matched our choices well.

If we had eaten nowhere else there would be no complaints - but we had lots more success.

Shirley and I took a long $23 cab ride out to Patois, another well-reviewed restaurant out of the downtown area owned by chef Aaron Burgau.

We started with shrimp and chorizo and polenta with mascarpone cheese - and hot brioche - all very good.

My main was pheasant breast and leg confit in a spiced foie gras emulsion, served with cipolline onions, carrots and a sunchoke puree - it was excellent! Priced at $30.

Shirley chose the rabbit saltimbocca [Italian for "jumps in the mouth"] which had a great sage hit and came with grits and asparagus.

Her dessert was an unusual red pepper-praline ice cream - very spicy but great.

I had a Meyer lemon pousset with lavender shortbread and pistachios - also excellent.

The wine for the meal was a Guidobono Langhe Nebbiolo at $42 - smoky and full-bodied.

During the daytime we amused ourselves by touring the French Quarter and other districts - where we were twice able to turn paparazzi and take photos of movie stars Nicholas Cage, Kate Hudson and Gael Garcia Bernal - who were shooting on location in New Orleans.

Shirley had the good camera when we ran into Cage shooting "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps" - her best photo is above.

I was on my own when I spotted another film shoot a few days later - Hudson and Garcia rehearsing on Chartres Street for "A Little Bit of Heaven".

Amazingly, despite lots of security blocking onlookers a fair distance away, one of the film crew approached me and told me to stop taking photos!

It gave me a great opportunity - with a small crowd around me I told the security guy: "I'm a tourist - we take pictures. This is a free country - welcome to America!" and kept taking photos.

"The publicist will get upset," security guy responded before slinking off. Ha-ha - tell someone who cares. Several people thanked me for intervening with him - and had no idea I was a Canadian!

We also took New Orleans' most popular tourist outing - "History with a Twist" - a cocktail tour of the city that invented them.

Our guide - and author of the small book by the same name - was Joe Gendusa - a fabulous popular historian.

This is not a pub crawl though - instead you visit three or four historic bars in the French Quarter over a few hours - and the list changes daily.

We started at Tujagues - a bar and restaurant established in 1856 where the "Grasshopper" was first concocted. Next up was Muriel's on Jackson Square, where we sampled a Pimm's Cup and learned about the ghost who haunts this stylish restaurant and bar.

Then it was on to Tony Seville's Pirates Alley Cafe and Absinth House, a tiny bar where the green liquor flowed elegantly through a special device.

Lastly we hit Antoine's - the oldest restaurant in the U.S.A. - and it's Hermes Bar. Operating since 1840, Antoine's has several rooms to seat up to 700 patrons and has been visited by every U.S. president - Barack Obama is likely due to be there soon.

I had a Sazerac there - another New Orleans concoction featuring Peychaud's Bitters - something we had to import for ourselves, as it's hard to find outside Louisiana.

There are lots and lots of other great bars in the French Quarter - we explored quite a few, including the famous Monteleone Hotel where Truman Capote hung out for too long, the fabulous Bombay Club on Conti Street, where David Armstrong plays piano and interacts with guests and on the more modern side, Loa bar in the International House Hotel in the business district - which features very new cocktails like East Meets West - Canton Ginger Liquor and R1 Clearmont Kentucky rye - wow! And Orin Swift's 2007 The Prisoner by the glass - #47 on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list for 2009 and a 92 pointer!

All that drinking left us hungry, so it was time for another dinner - this time we went downscale.

Acme Oyster House usually has a big line up outside - and inside you find out why. A dozen oysters for $10.99 and lots of other inexpensive Creole food like shrimp etouffee - which was very good - and gumbo.

Only one dinner didn't quite live up to our high expectations - at Cochon on Tchoupitulous. Deep fried alligator with chile garlic aioli was very good, as were the pork cheeks with beets and watercress. But the Louisiana cochon with turnips, cabbage and cracklins [$22]and the rabbit with dumplings [$20] were merely good. We had a bottle of the unusual Scholium Project 2007 Gardens of Babylon petite syrah at $50, which was quite good.

We had many great lunches - including at August - one of John Besh's restaurants - were we enjoyed very good Gulf jumbo shrimp stew and also potato gnocchi with truffles, parmesan chees and blue crab; at the Commander's Palace - where they serve 25 cent martinis - yes, it's true - and an excellent turtle soup with sherry and wild white shrimp with grits; and the colourful Coop's Place on Decatur Street - where they serve excellent red beans with meat and good rabbit and smoked sausage jumbalaya and shrimp creole. As Zagat's guide put it: "Where the not-so-elite meet to eat."

Breakfast - or midnight snack time - means a trip to Cafe du Monde - The Original French Market Coffee Stand - for a sugar-coated beignet - a donut without the hole.

You also don't want to miss oysters at Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House right on the infamous Bourbon Street at about $1 per bi-valve and washed down with some sauvignon blanc or beer - or a great choice of bourbons!

But to finish off our great trip we had to return to the Louisiana Bistro one more time - and Chef Mars was at the top of his game again.

We did the "Feed Me" 4-course meal this time and started with crawfish beignets - yes, the French version of the donut - in a lemon beurre blance sauce with cayenne pepper glace. Simply outstanding! And one of Mars' personal favourites.

Next came a blue crab-stuffed mirliton [pronounced mah-lih-tone] - also known as chayote - a type of squash. It was in a Cajun meuniere sauce and was excellent.

The third course was roast quail stuffed with toasted pecan-pesto garlic rice - simply fabulous and inventive.

The last course - could it live up to the standard of the first three? Yes!

Local lamb loin was grilled with black pepper and served with bourbon mashed sweet potatoes and a smoked tomato and applewood smoked bacon sauce - totally killer and the best dish of all!

We somehow squeezed in another Creole creamcheese ice cream dessert and again chose the 2001 Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva to go with the meal.

And thus ended a rather decadent, liquid and filling trip to New Orleans - if you love food and drink, you want to be in NOLA - New Orleans, Louisiana.

Shirley Ross outside Cafe Du Monde

Postscript - we were in New Orleans in January 2010 - sorry for the delay in writing this up - and were thrilled when we got home to watch the New Orleans Saints win the Superbowl!

Their success was already evident all over town when we were there and it was a huge morale boost for a city still recovering from 2005's Hurricane Katrina. But do not hesitate to visit - the French Quarter remains intact and was not affected by the disaster, although sadly outer parts of the city have still not been fully restored.

Wine Barbarian has been barbaric in 2010!

2010-12-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry friends - this has been a bad year for the Wine Barbarian - much wine and food consumed but no posts since May!

I apologize for those who visit - though some of the items here are still of interest - and promise to try harder for a better vintage of posts in 2011.

Merry Winey Christmas to all!

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BC Liberal government to raise mark-up on wine, liquor to eliminate price break for consumers from lower HST!

2010-05-24T10:21:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the Harmonized Sales Tax - every bottle of wine in British Columbia should carry this label!

Did you know that the Harmonized Sales Tax would actually reduce the provincial tax on liquor - including wine - from 10% to 7%?

And did you know that the BC Liberal government will raise the provincial mark-up on liquor - including wine - to increase the price by that same 3% reduction in taxes?

That means that there will be no break for wine drinkers in BC - we are shafted yet again in a new way by the planned HST.

As I point out in a story in Saturday's Vancouver Sun by reporter Doug Ward, the government is telling consumers that businesses will reduce prices because of the benefits they will receive under the HST.

But when it comes to liquor prices, the government is doing exactly what consumers fear businesses will do - pocket the difference in lower taxes as profits.

The HST - a value added tax - will transfer $1.9 billion annually in taxes from businesses to consumers.

What it means is an additional 7% tax on a wide range of goods and services that were previously exempt from the provincial sales tax or PST.

That includes restaurant meals, haircuts, domestic airline tickets, consulting services, massage therapy and on and on.

You can see a longer list at the website of the group opposed to the HST - Fight HST - for details. Or check the incomplete list of goods and services the BC government posted 10 months after announcing the HST.

What might confuse some is that wine and liquor are taxed differently - the Vancouver Sun's excellent wine critic Anthony Gismondi has a very good explanation in his Saturday May 22 column.

The short version is that the current provincial 10% tax on liquor plus 5% GST will change to the HST as of July 1 - meaning the new tax would be the combined regular 7% provincial tax plus 5% GST for an HST of 12% - the same rate that would apply on all other goods and services.

The government would therefore lose 3% - unless it boosted the price through the "mark-up" it controls - the amount it increases before selling the wine to the public - and to private liquor stores.

The HST - it's enough to drive anyone to drink!

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The Wine Barbarian top picks for the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival 2010

2010-04-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

UPDATE - FRIDAY APRIL 23 - After attending last night's tasting

Wow! I have been Sauvignon Blanc-ed! There are are a lot of great New Zealand SBs at this year's festival - so many that I had to have a Chardonnay occasionally to get a break from the intensity of the grassy, tropical, gooseberry, cat's piss and other pow flavours of those big Sauvignon Blancs.

But what really blows me away from NZ are the Pinot Noirs! Central Otago is an amazing place for PNs - several winemakers told me it's because of the heat there.

If you are used to wimpy, overly sweet Pinot Noirs from California or delicate PNs from France - watch out! These Central Otago bad boys will kick open the door of your palate and party down your throat!

I spent an inordinate time in the New Zealand section - so much that I had to leave Argentina for Saturday night - sorry about that - and a little time in the rest of the international section.

Here are my best choices for wines not to be missed if you are going Friday or Saturday night, based on last night's tasting, plus below this, my original posting about which wineries I'd recommend based on past experience and tasting.

Remember - no one can taste all the wines there, so be judicious!

New Zealand

Astrolabe - great big Sauvignon Blanc and interesting Pinot Gris

Borthwick Vineyard - big smoky Pinot Noir [at table with Ata Rangi]

Chard Farm/Rabbit Ranch - powerful Central Otago Pinot for $25 - and available in BC at LDBs - one of my personal favourites. And at the same table find:

Gibbston Highgate Estate - another smokin' Central Otago PN called "SoulTaker" - intense and $36.

Crossroads - Talisman 2007 - Bordeaux blend beauty from Hawkes Bay

Elephant Hill - Viognier - I like Viognier and this one is both unusual being from NZ and very floral and intense. Good Pinot Noir and SB too!

Giesen Wine Estate - The Brothers Pinot Noir - $29 - and The Brothers Sauvignon Blanc - $25- are their flagships and the sail proudly. Both are big, strong wines from the Marlborough region. The basic wines are good decent values too.

Jackson Estate - Believe it or not, I was most impressed with their 2008 Chardonnay, called Shelter Belt at $27. But try the SBs and PNs too.

Kim Crawford - listed below but try especially their Small Parcel [SP] Sauvignon Blanc! At $27 it's just $5 more than the great regular SB but wow, what a difference. And their $15 Rose called Pansy - isn't one!

Ostler Vineyards - Caroline's Pinot Noir 2006 - another big PN from Waitaki Valley on the south island. And for a very different wine try the Pinot Gris white - with a 2.7 residual sugar content! Sweet!

Sacred Hill - Riflemans Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2007 - told you I was impressed with Kiwi chard - here's another great big one. Loads of tropical fruit and a $50 price.

UPDATE - Sacred Hill's pinot noirs were awesome - missed them on Thursday but tried on Saturday - sadly all their wines were sold out before the event even began - another complaint I have about the Festival - letting Trade Show attendees buy out wines just makes ordinary consumers furious.

Two Paddocks - Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008 - a wonderful, powerful Pinot - costing out at $42. The second, basic Pinot - Picnic - is not bad for $26 but pales in comparison. No sign of Sam Neill - the actor/owner - on Thursday.

UPDATE - very pleased to meet Sam Neill on Saturday night at the Festival - he was behind the table chatting amiably and as is often the case in Vancouver, people were respectful of his celebrity. I also have to say that on second tasting the Picnic was better than I felt on Thursday.

And at the same table:

Waitiri Creek 2007 Pinot Noir - also out of Central Otago - a massive wine and I'd hate to pick which is better at the table. NOTE - this wine is not listed in the Playhouse guide for some reason.

INTERNATIONAL WINES - other than New Zealand

Altesino - Italy - all four reds here are great but particularly the $60 Brunello di Montalcino 2004 - smooth and powerful - and the $65 Alte D'ALtesi "Super Tuscan" 2003 - equal parts Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - simply killer wine!

[Vina] Haras de Pirque - Chile - a new find for me and a wonderful one! The Haras Character Syrah for $30 is a great value and the massive $65 Albis 2004 is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Carmenere - absolutely tasty.

Hope Family Wines - US - this Paso Robles winery produces two of Canada's favourite wines - Liberty School Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. But be sure to try the $30 Candor Syrah and the $65 Treana Red - great wines!

Louis Latour - France - one of Burgundy's best with one of the world's greatest Chardonnay's - Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2006 - and for only $194!! One of the best wines in the room.

Merryvale Vineyards - US - Napa makes great Chardonnay too - try the Carneros 2007 - big, big, big but without the Burgundy price at $50.

Villa Rinaldi - Italy - Amarone! Big and sweet - the 2001 is a treat. Sadly at $124 a bottle it is a rare treat.

And there's much, much more at the Festival to taste but so little time and liver to go around!

Have fun - let me know what you like - or dislike - from this list or your own!

ORIGINAL POSTING

Let's face it - someone has to do the tough slogging of wine research - and that takes a real barbarian - a Wine Barbarian.

As you can see from this picture - it's nasty work. Here I am in Chateauneuf-du-Pape country refreshing my palate in the 30 degree heat with an excellent Rose from nearby Tavel.

It's that kind of devotion to duty that allows me to guide you through the difficult task of choosing which wines to taste at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.

And little did you know that Rose is the "global focus" of this year's festival - hence the reason for my trip to France!

But with 197 wineries partipating and two regional themes - with 41 wineries from New Zealand and 36 from Argentina - you gotta have a program to tell the players.

Here's my first blush - not Rose - look at what wineries you simply can't miss - even if you have to do it all in one tasting night!

I will add more info in the days ahead and after Thursday night's tasting - which surprisingly is still not sold out.

I should also note that the always excellent Tony Gismondi of the Vancouver Sun and more has already put out his Top 50 Wines of the Festival - an impressive guide to the event.

My list is neither as exhaustive or complete - but it may serve you well.

Catena Zapata - Argentina - top notch Malbecs

O. Fournier - Argentina - fascinatingly powerful Malbecs

Familia Zuccardi - Argentina - Italian heritage, Argentinian wines of distinction

Two Paddocks / Waitiri Creek Wines - New Zealand - if you see a fellow who looks like that guy from Jurassic Park and The Piano at the festival - it would indeed by actor Sam Neill of Two Paddocks - try the Central Otago Pinot Noir - a region that is blowing me away with powerful pinots.

Kim Crawford - New Zealand - simply the best value Sauvignon Blanc going - consistently a Wine Spectator Top 100 wine and less than $23, plus great Pinot Noir.

Staete Landt - New Zealand - German name but classic NZ wines - love their Pinot Noir.

Averill Creek Vineyard - Canada - from the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island - and harder to find than some of the Kiwi wineries - try the Pinot Noir

Osoyoos Larose - Canada - joint venture between fabled Bordeaux winery Gruaud LaRose and BC's VinCor - one of BC's best reds and a great second wine - Petales Osoyoos.

Poplar Grove Winery - If you haven't tried this Naramata winery's lineup you are in for a treat - very powerful reds - try their merlot.

M. Chapoutier - France - Excellent wines up and down the price list but try their Tavel Rose - at $25 it's not cheap but it will blow you away if you think Rose is Mateus or White Zinfandel.

Lanson Champagne - France - always great to start the tasting night with champagne - this is one of the best!

Perrin et Fils - France - owners of Chateau Beaucastel, one of Chateauneuf-du-Pape's finest wineries and makers of other great wines

Pfaffenheim / Dopff & Irion - France - some of Alsace's best wines come from these producers - my favourite place for Gewurztraminer.

Estates of Antinori - Italy - a great winery with a full range from everyday to never can afford - but can taste here!

Rocca Delle Macìe - Italy - under the Tuscan sun they grow great Chianti Classicos and super Tuscans - Sangiovese plus Cabernet Sauvignon and more.

Signorello Vineyards / Edge Wines - US - Napa Valley winery with BC connection - Ray Signorello Jr. spends a fair bit of time here when not making great wines down south.

Panther Creek - US - this Oregon winery makes killer Pinot Noirs and is hard to find here.

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates - US - a great Washington state winery with a full range of wines - love their Indian Wells vineyard wines.

So there's the first pressing - stay tuned here for more info as the wine gets poured on Thursday - and feel free to post any of your own tips on great wines at the Festival!

Vancouver International Playhouse Wine Festival starts this week!

2010-04-19T09:03:00.001-07:00

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival starts this week, with the major public tastings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and scores of other events all over town.

I will be attending the tastings on Thursday and Saturday and will endeavor to post what I think are the top picks of the wineries here as soon as possible, plus an update after Thursday's first round of the room.

The regional theme this year is New Zealand and Argentina - expect great sauvignon blancs and pinot noirs from the former and malbecs from the latter.

What wines we're drinking this week

2010-03-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Just in case you were wondering - no, the Wine Barbarian did not stop drinking wine over the past three months!

I regret that my polical blog, my work and family obligations sometimes mean updating the Wine Barbarian blog is delayed - this time for quite awhile.

But here are two great wines for you to try as small compensation for my absence.

First, on your right, the fabulous Monte Antico 2006 - ranked at Number 60 on the Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2009 - this blend of 85% sangiovese, 10% cabernet sauvignon and 5% merlot from Tuscany is rated 90 points.

But the real news is its amazingly low price for such great quality - it retails in BC Liquor Stores for just $16.99!! Get it fast - the Liquor Board says it has just over 1600 bottles in stock.

Plum, cherry and berry flavours coming from wine that spends a year in oak make this a crowd pleaser anywhere.

And on your left, another wonderful red wine - Bodegas Norton Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2006. The Wine Spectator scores it at 88 points and I'd say its even a bit better than that. Dark current, plum, fig, cocoa and mocha notes can all be found - or so they say - and it's definitely a concentrated but accessible wine - perfect for grilled meats or fowl.

The BC Liquor Stores current indicate just over 1000 bottles are available at $18.99 each. Try out Norton's other fine wines too - especially their 2006 Privada blend at $25.99 if you have an extra few dollars. It's rated 92 points by the Wine Spectator.

Cheers and hopefully more reviews - and our New Orleans restaurant reviews - very soon!

Drinking and eating and drinking and eating in New Orleans - coming soon!

2010-01-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

I'm on Wine Barbarian assignment in New Orleans, the culinary capital of the United States, eating and drinking and eating and drinking my way through some of this city's finest restaurants and bars.

And hear about our encounter with Nicholas Cage - filming a new movie on the streets of the French Quarter!

On the restaurant list: Les Forets, August, Patois, Cochon, Acme Oysters, Bourbon House, Coop's and more.

So stay tuned for a full report on mixed beverages and wine with rabbit, alligator, pork ears, crawfish, duck, venison, foie gras and way too many oysters here soon!

What wines we're drinking this week

2009-12-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

Here are a few excellent wines to imbibe from your local BC Liquor Store that will hopefully make up for the recent lack of communications at this wine blog.

Cono Sur is the Chilean winery that is a "connoisseur" for low-end wines appealing to most consumers.

But while they do a great job at value wines in the under $15 Canadian bracket, Cono Sur also makes some excellent mid-range wines.

One of there best efforts is on sale at the BC LDB - Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir 2007 - reduced from $24.99 to $19.99 at the moment of writing.

Rated 88 points by the Wine Spectator magazine, this is a full-blooded pinot, not some wimpy lightweight. It has lots of blackberry, cherry and raspberry fruit with a good finish.

There won't be many left soon - so snap some up!

My second choice isn't on sale but is a great deal anyway - the 2004 Pourpre de Grezette - a malbec from Cahors for $15.99.

We are more accustomed to great malbecs from Argentina but this one from France is superb. I was not aware of La Grezette but it turns out to have been purchased by Alain-Dominique Perrin in the 1980s. I believe this is the first time a wine from this winery has been sold in BC.

Tony Gismondi of the Vancouver Sun and other places, including his excellent webs ite, gives it an 86 point score - I'd put it a little higher than that - great extract and concentrated flavour - wow!

I suggest finding some now, before it disappears.

What wines we're drinking this week

2009-11-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

Run do not walk to find this excellent Sabor Real tempranillo from Bodegas Campinas - rated at 90 points by wine guru Robert Parker - and available for only $16.99 at BC Liquor stores.

This is a great big juicy wine - not like some softer tempranillos that are delicious but would get beat up by a pork chop, let alone a porterhouse steak.

This smoky, blackberry-rich wine is great with food or on its own.

Coming from Zamora in the relatively unknown Toro region, this is one of the best value wines I've tasted in ages.

Bye-Bye Burgundy - no more disappointing bottles - I'll buy-buy New World pinot noirs instead!

2009-11-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

Burgundy bottle fails again - what is wrong with this picture?

It happened again!

I opened a bottle of Burgundy nicely cellared for a few years, popped the cork and got ready for a great wine with a great meal - but I was only half right.

Has this happened to you?

The Burgundy - or Bourgogne - was completely lacking in bouquet, character or anything interesting at all.

But it was expensive! I really don't expect to pay $53 for a wine that fails to deliver the goods.

This one was the 2003 Domaine Doudet-Naudin Savigny Les Beaune Les Guettes 1er Cru. I tasted it at the Vancouver International Playhouse Wine Festival in 2006 and was so impressed a bought a bottle that night.

Now granted, I had been drinking - but given how many I taste in an evening, this one stood out enough that I purchased it.

Unfortunately, this bad Burgogne experience has been repeated several times in past years.

But no more. I am going to resist the siren call of Burgundy and stick to New World pinot noirs - which have not failed me yet.

I highly recommend pinot noir from the Santa Barbara region of California - especially Au Bon Climat, Foxen, Byron, Foley and others - and from New Zealand, especially from the Central Otago region.

I also very much enjoy several BC pinot noirs, including Blue Mountain, Cedar Creek, Quail's Gate and Nk 'Mip Cellars.

BC Liquor Stores and private stores have a good selection - and best of all - it's a lot cheaper than undependable Burgogne!

But if you've had a good pinor noir experience from Burgundy, please let me know - post your good news here - or bad news if you've had the same problems I have.

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A visit to Chateauneuf-du-Pape in southern France

2009-09-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

The great wines and food of Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Bill Tieleman with Laurence Feraud of Domaine du Pegau & my wife Shirley Ross

This August we were fortunate enough to visit Chateauneuf-du-Pape in southern France - home of great wines and fabulous food - after visiting family in Amsterdam and before travelling to Paris.

While there we were very pleased to visit some of the region's excellent wineries - including Domaine du Pegau and Chateau Mont Redon.

At Domaine du Pegau it was a great pleasure to meet Laurence Feraud, one of the world's best winemakers and yet truly a down to earth person who welcomes everyone equally to her winery.

Perhaps unlike most wineries, Domaine du Pegau exports 90% of its wines to 30 countries, including Canada. We sampled four great reds:

2005 Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Laurence - a supersmooth, fine and layered wine that has a finish which goes on and on. Not rated by the Wine Spectator but the regular 2005 bottling scored 94 points and this is even better!

2006 Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Reservee - a great wine which we also had later in the trip with dinner. The Wine Spectator rates it at 93 points, with ripe fig, currant, cocoa and chestnut notes - who can argue?

2007 Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Reservee - an awesome wine still in its infancy but much bigger than the 2006 - a true powerhouse that will last for years.

2007 Domaine du Pegau Cuvee da Capo - we had an absolutely fabulous barrel tasting sample! A huge wine that is only made in exceptional years. The last vintage in 2003 was rated at an amazing 99 points by the Wine Spectator and had a release price of $270 US. This vintage feels like it will match that rating easily - Wow!

"It will keep for 50 years," Laurence told us in English. "That was my idea after tasting great wines from the 1940s."

Interestingly, Domaine du Pegau does not use any new oak barrels in making its wines. "New oak would be too powerful for grenache," Laurence said. grenache makes up about 80% of the grapes in the Reservee, with smaller amounts of the other traditional Chateauneuf-du-Pape grapes, including mourvedre, syrah, cinsault and counoise.

And she had some good advice for other winemakers.

"The most important thing is to keep on style. I fee sorry for the young winemakers - they change too much and then they lose their clientele," Laurence said.

You can find Domaine du Pegau's fine wines in several wine stores in Vancouver, BC, including Kitsilano Wine Cellar on 4th Avenue and Broadway Wines on Broadway. Or contact Liquid Art Fine Wines, the winery's Canadian distributor, in Vancouver.

[If you wish to visit the winery it is essential to email in advance to set up an appointment.]

After our morning visit we had lunch in Chateauneuf-du-Pape at La Mere Germaine, a restaurant recommended highly by the Wine Spectator magazine that did not disappoint.

The Spectator noted that the vignerons of the region eat there and sure enough, when we visited the first time the Vieux Telegraphe staff were there also, our server told us.

I had the plat du jour - an appetizer and entre for 17 euros. My choice was a fabulous cold avocado soup with crawfish and red pepper to start, followed by a pork roast croute - covered in a pastry crust, with mushrooms and pine nuts in a cream sauce. Absolutely delicious also.

Given that it was about 33 degrees C outside I opted for a glass of Vieux Telegraphe white Chateauneuf-du-Pape at just 8 euros - before I knew the winemakers were in the restaurant. It's a stunning wine - huge and tropical. The 2007 was rated 89 points and this easily far exceeds that score.

On a second visit for lunch at La Mere Germaine I enjoyed a salad avec chevre chaud - goat cheese in crepe pockets quickly deep fried - excellent!

That was followed by a gigotin de canard with white beans, tomatoes, black olives and baby potatoes, accompanied by a glass of 2007 de Nalys white Chateauneuf-du-Pape for 8 euros - a fruity, minerally wine that went well with the duck. Wine tasting must make us hungrier than usual, as we also shared a great creme brulee for dessert.

That day we travelled to Chateau Mont-Redon, another well -known Chateauneuf-du-Pape winery just outside of the old town, and were fortunate to taste several vintages of their red.

1999 Chateau Mont-Redon - a very good wine, quite soft and fully mature. No Spectator rating.

2001 Chateau Mont-Redon - killer wine! It was very powerful yet fruity and accessible - we took a bottle home for dinner, where we cooked duck breast with pepper, green beans and pasta with provencal sauce - great match! The Spectator gave it 89 points but I rate it easily 92.

2003 Chateau Mont-Redon - not quite as impressive as the first two but still a fine wine. Spectator score was 87.

Mont-Redon is represented in Vancouver by wine agent Christopher Stewart and can be found in government and private liquor stores.

Mont-Redon exports 50% of its wines, unlinke Domaine du Pegau's 90%, and sells the other half in France. The "cepage" is 65% grenache, 15% syrah, 10% cinsault, 5% mourvedre and 5% counoise along with other more rare CNP varietals like muscardin and vaccarese. It produces 30,000 cases of red and a total of 800,000 bottles a year.

The vineyards of Mont-Redon are the most rocky and inhospitable-looking I've ever seen! As you can see in the photo at the top, huge "galets roules" - round rocks - cover the ground where the vines stick through.

This gives CNP the terroir that produces great wines but the stones also retain the intense summer heat, hastening grape ripening.

Despite the sweltering weather, our gracious host asked if we'd like to try some of their Vieux Marc - a distilled liquor made with grapes that is somewhat similar to armagnac but more fiery in my view. And in the air conditioned cool cellar, who could say no?

It was delicious - lots of character and intensity - perfect on a wintry Canadian evening.

Through the course of our trip we also tried many other Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines - either through the wineries tasting rooms, the excellent Vinadea - a wine store in the town which features a wide selection of the regional wines, or simply by purchasing them. Here are a few high points of our tastings:

2007 Domaine des Relagnes - "La Clef de St. Thomas" - every 2007 red we tasted was massive - this is no exception. The 2006 was rated 91 by the Spectator - this will score higher.

2007 Domaine de Beaurenard - very concentrated "fruit des bois" - intense and likely long-lived. The Spectator scores it 91 points, noting plum, fig and blackberry fruit. Lovely.

2007 La Bastide Secret Dominique - "Secrets de Pignan" - another killer CNP - 90% grenache and 10% mourvedre, this old vines wine is another fig/plum bomb! The regular, cheaper 2007 bottle from the winery scored 92 points - this will rank even higher.

Overall it was a fantastic trip. We stayed in a lovely small cottage with a pool in Roquemaure - just a few kilometres across the Rhone from Chateauneuf-du-Pape and about 20 kilometres outside Avignon, the historic city that used to be home to Catholic popes in the 14th and 15th centuries before the papacy returned to the Vatican in Rome.

And we did more than just drink and eat - we visited the amazing Pont du Gard ancient Roman aquaduct, the traditional town of Uzes and the "hottest city in France" - Orange, which is home to best preserved Roman theatre in the world - the astonishing Theatre Antique.

We can highly recommend a visit to anyone interested in great wine and food and a wealth of historic and cultural sites, as well as consistently hot weather.

What wines we're drinking this week

2009-07-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

Back trying to be more rigorous about posting my top wine picks instead of just savoring them and doing nothing!

An old friend of a wine I hadn't had in a little while was a welcome reminder of how good a bottle under $20 can really be.

Peter Lehmann makes some fabulous wines and is always good value for money but the 2005 Clancy's Barossa Red is truly an awesome bottle for $17.99!

A blend of 35% shiraz, 34% cabernet sauvignon, 26% merlot and 5% cabernet franc, this wine has consistently scored 89 points and more at the Wine Spectator in previous vintages - including four Top 100 Wines of the Year awards - and this should be no exception.

Loads of blackberry, plum, dark fruit and chocolate, with nicely balanced tannins makes for an imminently delicious wine!

* * * * *

The heat of the summer is one of the best reasons to drink cold wine - and when you get tired of the same old chardonnays and pale whites, go for the pink!

Another excellent rose available in BC is Domaine Houchart's Provence Rose, retailing for $17.

A beautiful salmon pink wine, it tastes of strawberries with some citrus nose as well.

Refreshing and it goes well with almost any food.

What wines we're drinking this week

2009-07-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

Wines we enjoyed this week - finally an update after a long delay - sorry about that!

We loved a great 2006 Cedar Creek Estate Select Chardonnay - for just under $20 - great classic California chardonnay tastes but from BC.

Lots of tropical fruit, butterscotch and buttery oak - you gotta like it and at a lower price than anything similar from south of the border.

* * * * *

If you haven't tried Old River Road - a great California organic winery - their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is killer. With a 76% cab sauv and 24% cab franc blend, this one has lots of dark fruit and the French oak aging to make it last.

It may be hard to find - it was a special listing for the Playhouse International Wine Festival, but try private stores or check the winery website.

* * * * *

If you have a bit of spare change, you can't go wrong with Rocca delle Macie's 2003 Toscana Roccato - a super Super Tuscan wine.

The Wine Spectator gives it a 90 point rating and if anything, I'd give it 92-93 points. A huge, layered wine with lots of blackberry, plum and chewy fruit, this wine is made for Italian food.

And that's exactly what we did - enjoyed it immensely at the marvelous La Buca restaurant in Kitsilano this week - watch for a review here of that fine food establishment soon.

* * * * *

Rose anyone? If you are thinking Mateus and the 1970s, I say get over it!

Today's excellent roses are dry, dry, dry and top quality wines.

This week I tried one of my favourites again - the Domaine Lafond Roc-Epine from the Tavel region of the Cotes du Rhone. It's not cheap - $24 in BC - but it's worth every penny.

Bone dry, beautiful strawberry colour and fabulous strawberry and raspberry flavours as well as a touch of spice. Will pair nicely with just about anything you want - from grilled meat to appetizers.

Top winery picks for Playhouse Wine Festival Saturday Night

2009-03-28T16:57:00.001-07:00

The Wine Barbarian outside Saturday night's wine festival

With over 183 different wineries from 15 unique countries providing over 1600 wines it is literally impossible to advise anyone attending tonight's Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival tasting which wines to try.

But I can give you a few recommendations based on my three visits to the tasting room so far!

I've had great wines from all over but here's a few wineries or tables with one or more wineries represented that you should not miss:

Long Shadows - From Walla, Walla Washington - big beautiful reds and a killer riesling - I bought some and don't even like rielsling that much!

Inland Trading - always some of the best Australian shiraz available - including from the fabulous Rolf Binder.

Majella Wines - Some of Coonawarra's nicest wines - cab, shiraz and sparkling.

Deutz - Champagne, including a vintage 1998 that will make you consider the second mortgage needed to buy a case - at $175 a bottle, one of the Festival's most expensive.

Catena - Viva Malbec! But also a great reserve cabernet sauvignon.

Magnanimus Wine Group - All organic wines from Mendocino, California - try especially the Old River Road cabernet.

Byron - If you saw Sideways - the movie - you know that Santa Barbara makes delicious pinot noir and chardonnay - great stuff here.

Working Horse Winery - Wines from this new BC organic winery from veteran Tilman Hainle can only be tried at Puddifoot's display and tasting from the fantastic Riedel glasses - the only glasses I use at home. Tilman was BC's first organic winemaker and his new pinot noir ice wine is unbelievable - and unbelievably rare!

Osoyoos Larose - This BC-French joint venture in the Okanagan is producing amazing Bordeaux-blend wines - not surprising when the French half is Gruaud Larose!

Olivier Leflaive Wines - Best chardonnay in the house -the $115 Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Champ Gain - formidable! Magnifique!

But there's so much more - I hope you have a chance to taste some of it, as the Festival is of course, sold out!

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Bill Tieleman speaks at Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival trade show on organic wines

2009-03-25T23:20:00.000-07:00

Facilitator Glenn Sigurdson & host Tony Gismondi

at Eco-Friendly Wine event

I was very pleased to be asked to speak at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival's trade show panel titled: "Eco-friendly Wine: Over-hyped, Over-priced? A Symposium on Green Wine Marketing" on Wednesday.

An international panel of experts discussed organic certification, biodynamic wine growing, new trends in ecologically better packaging and much more.

Tony Gismondi, the Vancouver Sun wine columnist and editor of Wine Access, hosted the event.

Among those on the panel were: Jean-Charles Boisset, President, Boisset Family Estate, France; Jose Asensio, Export Director, Familia Zuccardi Winery of Argentina; Tilman Hainle, Owner and Winemaker, Working Horse Winery, BC; Robert Hill Smith, Owner, Yalumba Winery - Australia; Barbara Philip, Master of Wine - Vancouver; Owsley Brown III, President, Magnanimus Wine Group - California and Anthony Nicalo of Farmstead Wines - a BC-based importer.

Watch for a full write up here soon.

But in the meantime, Vancouver writer Peter Mitham has a good account of the panel discussion for the California-based Wines and Vines magazine's website, including quoting yours truly. Wines and Vines is a trade publication for the wine and grape industry.

Fabulous Barnett Vineyards wine tasting

2009-03-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

Bill Tieleman and David Tate, winemaker - Barnett Vineyards

I was fortunate to attend a private wine tasting of fabulous white and red wines from Barnett Vineyards in Napa Valley's Spring Mount District and to meet winemaker David Tate, who is originally from BC.

The March 1 tasting showcased some of Barnett's premium red wines, including the exclusive 2006 Rattlesnake Hill cabernet sauvignon, which retails for US $120 and the 2006 Cyrus Ryan cabernet sauvignon, which sells for $90 US.

The Rattlesnake Hill is a beautiful, intense and tightly-wound wine from a small rocky knoll on Spring Mountain. It shows deep cassis, violet and chocolate backed by blackberry fruit.

The Cyrus Ryan is a sharp contrast, as it comes from the Napa Valley floor - not Spring Mountain - near the Silverado Trail. Much more open now than the Rattlesnake Hill, it shows black cherry, currant and raspberry on the nose.

Both beautiful wines and both will easily age for 10 years without a doubt.

David - who calls Nanaimo "home" - has a remarkable winemaking pedigree, especially for a young guy. He's was assistant winemaker at the legendary Ridge Vineyards for five years until joining Barnett in 2007.

Before that he worked in Australia with J&J Hahn, a premium winemaker in the Barossa Valley, and St. Hallett's. David also spent time in Provence, France at Domaine Richeaume.

While the premium wines show what can be done with great grapes in the hands of a talented winemaker, the other wines in the lineup are also very impressive.

The flagship Barnett wine, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District, has garnered a 91 point rating from the Wine Spectator and is a great wine.

It retails for Cdn $88 and is available in BC Liquor Stores and some private outlets.Barnett wines can also be special ordered through agents New World Wines, who helped bring David and his wines to Vancouver. Thanks to New World Wines' Peter and Elizabeth Crews, who attended the event.

Other wines tasted included a powerful 2007 Merlot from Spring Mountain District that showed intense black cherry and pomegranate fruit. It retails for $70.

An unusual approach to the 2007 Tina Marie Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley pays off. The wine was partly aged "sur lees" and the results are good - a black raspberry, cherry and violet nose. It retails for $60. Last year's vintage earned a 91 point rating from the Wine Spectator.

Barnett also produces a very big white, the 2007 Sangiacomo Vineyard Chardonnay from Sonoma-Carneros. It is a classic California chard with lots of fruit and honeysuckle, jasmine, spice and peach notes. It retails for Cdn $50 and was rated 90 points by the Wine Spectator.

BC Liquor Board puts lots of good wine on sale in February!

2009-02-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the sporadic nature of this blog - but I want everyone to know there are some great deals on wine at the BC Liquor Board in early February.

Take a look at your local store - lots of wine discounted by about 1/3 price - i.e. $15 wine for $10, $30 wine for $20.

It always pays to try and check out online for review but I've found some great buys.

Unfortunately it disappears quickly - restaurant owners and collectors are scooping stuff up but look for more obscure stores and you can still find excellent deals.

The Wine Barbarian - Wine Guide

2008-09-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

Looking for a good, reasonably priced wine for a week night dinner?

Or enjoying a special meal and want a special wine to match it?

Need to impress friends at dinner with your wine choice?

Buying a bottle of wine as a gift for someone important?

The Wine Barbarian Wine Guide is here to help you make that sometimes challenging decision without fear.

Let my years of wine tasting and ongoing intensive research assist you in picking the perfect wine for the occasion.

The wines listed below are a small sample of some of the thousands of great bottles available in British Columbia and elsewhere. And you can find more reviews of wines I've recently enjoyed - or endured! - on this blog.

But the Wine Guide is a quick and easy way to find the wine you need right away.

And I'm always pleased to hear from you - whether you agree completely with my wine picks, aren't so sure or can't believe I'd drink that swill! Let me know and I'll double check to be certain my Wine Guide is doing its job.

The Wine Barbarian - Wine Guide

Reds

Our Daily Red

These wines are for everyday consumption – and don’t tell me you are looking at this website if you don’t drink wine regularly! For god’s sake, it’s in the Bible.

Anyway, the wines in this section are affordable - sorry to say but $20 is the new $15 and $15 is the new $10 – and worth every penny of your hard-earned dollar.

They are also food friendly, whether you are ordering in pizza, BBQing up burgers or a steak or boiling up a plate of pasta. And in most cases, these wines are easily outperforming their more expensive shelf-mates at the wine store.

But don’t look here for the ubiquitous Yellow Tail or Little Penguin or other animal farm type offerings – they are fine for what they are but spend your money on something a little more original, more interesting and definitely more tasty!

Cheers!

Château Pesquié - Les Terrasses - France - Côtes du Ventoux 2005-06 - $16.99
One of the best red wines available in BC and at an extremely reasonable price, Chateau Pesquie’s 2005 received an incredible 92 points out of 100 rating from the dean of wine writers Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate. A blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah [shiraz] that shows dark berry fruit, licorice, pepper and spice, this is simply an awesome wine for the money – my first choice for an under $20 red.

Peter Lehmann - Weighbridge Shiraz – Australia – 2005-06 - $15.99

BC is awash with Australian shiraz [syrah] and many are excellent but this is a particularly good value and dependable product. Plum, spice and chocolate combine for a real meal deal.

Finca Flichman – Malbec – Argentina – 2006 - $9.99

It is nearly impossible to find a decent bottle of wine for less than $10 these days but the good folks at Flinca Flichman have done it. You are not getting – nor paying for – a classic Bordeaux at this price but you will find a wine with some fruit, a touch of smoke and spice.

Catena Zapata – Alamos - Malbec – Argentina - 2006 - $17.00

Malbec is a grape that is practically made for steak and this fairly priced Argentian gaucho is ready for the round up. Loads of dark plum fruit with mocha and spice – how can you go wrong? And with the Wine Spectator giving it a powerful 87 point score you know it’s not just my opinion.

Carmen – Cabernet Sauvignon – Chile – 2006 - $14.00

You can’t list red wines without a cabernet sauvignon, the king of varietal red grapes, and this Carmen offering is about as good as you can find for the price of $14. The 2005 vintage gained an impressive 87 point rating from the Wine Spectator and this year’s model should do equally well, with blackberry, cherry and cassis in an easy drinking style. Carmen is my favourite Chilean winery for decent priced bottles.

Undurraga – Pinot Noir Reserva – Chile – 2007 - $15.99

What kind of a wine guide doesn’t have a pinot noir? Not any I care to read. This Chilean pinot has velvety cherry fruit and pairs well with salmon – yes, red wine with fish – or lighter meats.

For those days when you’re tired of having your tongue beat up by Aussie shiraz and fat cabs, this is a pleasant change.

Hogue Cabernet-Merlot – Washington, USA – 2005 ??? - $14.99

One of the best values in red wines comes from just south of the border – where it isn’t a best value, it’s a steal at less than $10 – the Hogue cabernet-merlot blend. Even at Canadian prices this is a worthy bottle, with cherry-berry essence that is ready for whatever red meat or pasta you are cooking up.

Grape Expectations

Everyday wines are great but there are times when you just have to have something better – a wine that leaves you saying: “Damn! I wish I were rich! Then I’d drink this every day!” Or at least when you finish the bottle there’s a hint of a tear in your eye, because it was that good and there’s no more.
Whether it’s a special event with your loved ones, celebrating a big achievement or some good luck or having the boss over for dinner, these wines are guaranteed to impress you and your drinking partners – even if they don’t have a clue about good wine.
Enjoy them – you paid for it!

Mollydooker - The Boxer Shiraz – Australia – 2006 - $34.99

If you like them big, bold and bodacious, this premium product from instant success Mollydooker fills the bill. A huge shiraz with an equally massive alcohol content of 16% - yes, that’s right – The Boxer is indeed a knockout wine. Lots of ripe dark fruit, spice and a right hook to put you out of your misery.

Altos - Los Hormigas - Malbec Reserva 2006 - Mendoza - Argentina $32.97

This is a fantastic wine with intense flavours that just won't quit. It's like drinking a blackberry patch to me but the Altos winemakers say plum, marasca cherry and hints of spice. Who cares? It's absolutely delicious.

Incredible value for this price. Altos Los Hormigas is Spanish for "ant heights" and the winery has made the hard-working ant is good luck charm. The Wine Spectator gives this 92 points and a Highly Recommended special designation - so do I.

Wine Barbarian Bottles - Today's Tasting

2008-08-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday August 19, 2008

Louis Jadot - Rose de Marsannay 2006
Burgundy, France

Wine Barbarian Rating: 88 of 100 points

Price: $23.99 - BC Liquor Stores

Tasting Notes: If you still think rose means 1970s Mateus in a funny bottle, you are missing a world of wine pleasure. This very dry, sophisticated and extremely tasty rose is a perfect summer aperitif wine but has enough strength to match many summer meals on a hot night.

Think of a wine that both looks and tastes like wild strawberries - fresh, tart and delicious. Made from pinot noir - and the Jadot folks suggest it goes well with frogs legs!

* * * * *

Monday August 18, 2008

Edge Wines 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Barbarian Rating: 88 of 100 points

Price: $31.99 - BC Liquor Stores

Tasting Notes: A decent offering from Ray Signorello Junior of Signorello Vineyards - always a top producer - this is an effort to make an accessible, drink-now Cab at a lower cost.

It succeeds but for the price is pushing it's luck - our American neighbours will be shocked at the price because south of the border it retails for about $20.

It has good dark berry fruit, some but not heavy oak and nice finish.

We were desperate for a Napa Cab after seeing Bottle Shock, so this was satisfying but definitely not a Heitz or Caymus - fortunately, nor was the price.

Other Opinions: Tony Gismondi rates this a 90.

* * * * *

Sunday August 17, 2008

Goats Do Roam 2006 red blend

Fairview, South Africa

Wine Barbarian Rating: 84 of 100 points

Price: $14.99 - BC Liquor Stores

Tasting Notes: The Goats wines from South Africa are great value for money - and while the names are very funny, the wine is very good. This is the entry level wine and the parody is aimed at Cotes du Rhone wines from France. The blend isn't listed but expect to find syrah, grenache and mouvedre in a spicy and lighter style that is most drinkable.

If you like this offering, try their awesome Goat Rotie - yes, a take-off on France's famed Cote Rotie or their Goats Do Roam in Villages - a spoof on Cotes du Rhone Villages. The Goat Rotie is $23.79 at BC Liquor stores while the Villages is about $18 and is no longer carried by government stores but may be found at some private sellers.

Other Opinions: The Wine Spectator rates it 85.

Bottle Shock a great movie and a fantastic movie about winemaking!

2008-08-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Don't believe a single negative review - and there are more than a few of them out there - about the new movie Bottle Shock - because it is great!

Based on the true story of an historic tasting showdown between French and Napa Valley wines that took place in Paris in 1976 - with the upstart Californians winning the battle - this fictionalized film will appeal to wine lovers and those who just want a movie that tells a good story with humour, drama and interesting characters.

The price of the movie is worthwhile if simply to watch Alan Rickman's portrayal of British wine educator/merchant Steven Spurrier, a somewhat out of place Englishman in Paris who comes up with the idea of a contest between the snobby French wineries and the in-the-dirt, struggling young Californians.

Rickman is hilarious, but he also captures a wine snob learning that his horizons have been foolishly limited by focusing only on French wines.

The movie is solely about Chateau Montelena, which won the white wine top prize with its 1973 Chardonnay, beating out top crus from Burgundy in the blind tasting in what Time magazine called "Judgment of Paris."

An uptight father versus hippy son drama may be exaggerated for theatrical purposes but Bill Pullman as Montelena owner Jim Barrett and Chris Pine as prodigal son Bo Barrett - now Montelena's winemaker - is probably too close to home at times.

Throw in a love interest attractive blonde wine intern, a dedicated Mexican-American winemaker and a foppish American expatriate in Paris who urges Spurrier on in his quest, add a great soundtrack of Doobie Brothers, Foghat, Bad Company and other rockers of the 1970s and you have a vintage movie about wine.

There are quibbles of course - like only mentioning in the credits that the fabulous Stag's Leap Wine Cellars pulled off the equally impressive win in a red wine competition at the same time, or that regrettably Chateau Montelena hasn't exactly been a dominant winery in Napa Valley despite that early success.

But for all other than hard core winos these are insignificant points.

Bottle Shock - don't miss it!

Pair Bistro for an Earth Day meal of BC's best foods

2008-04-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Earth Day is a great occasion to celebrate the best foods British Columbia has to offer and one of the restaurants featuring BC bounty is Pair Bistro in Point Grey-Kitsilano.

So to enjoy Earth Day with local harvest - and to live up to my own 24 hours newspaper column - we walked over to Pair on Tuesday.

Pair has an exclusively BC wine list - something that would have been unthinkable maybe 10 years ago and almost undrinkable 20 years ago, with a few exceptions.

And it's a good list, with several wines by the glass - something every Vancouver restaurant should be doing but isn't.

My wife Shirley had a 2006 Van Westen viognier for $10.50, a very floral, fragrant wine from Naramata that I had not tasted before and was tempted to steal away.

I had a Blackwood Lane chardonnay for $9.50 from the Langley-based winery that sources grapes from the Okanagan but also has vines in the Fraser Valley. It's a tasty wine but may be a bit pricey for the value.

We started with Effingham Inlet oysters - an excellent, accessible choice that went well with both wines.

For my main I picked the special, Queen Charlotte Island tuna with julienned fennel and watercress. It was cooked perfectly and delicious.

I matched it well with a glass of 2006 Church & State sauvignon blanc for $10, recommended by proprietor Janis Hodgins, who was also one of our servers. [I really like owners who serve food - it keeps them in touch with customers and shows a commitment to their establishment. And I didn't know she was an owner till the end of our meal.]

Shirley had a favourite from the regular menu, Peace River bison ribs. It's a hearty meal that comes with cornbread and bbq sauce. She had a glass of Gary Oaks Fetish - a cabernet franc, merlot blend - for $11.

We had a side of assorted sauteed BC mushrooms to go with our meals - absolutely wonderful!

BC has an amazing assortment of foods available and Pair Bistro does an admirable job providing a huge number of choices for a small restaurant.

Lumiere versus West - Fall 2007 restaurant showdown

2008-04-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

Two of Vancouver's top award-winning restaurants - Lumiere and West - have both undergone major upheavals in the past year, with Iron Chef Rob Feenie being forced out of both ownership and top job at Lumiere while West's chef David Hawksworth has left that Granville Street icon to open a new restaurant in 2009.

But I was fortunate enough to eat at Lumiere after Feenie left in October 2007 and at West in December before Hawksworth departed to eventually open his own restaurant at the new Hotel Georgia.

Both meals were excellent and memorable but a clear winner emerged quickly - Lumiere.

Lumiere simply offered better food, superior service and a more enjoyable atmosphere than West.

This result is all the more impressive because is shows the departure of the admired but often disliked Feenie did not impact the quality of Lumiere's food.

Dale MacKay, the chef de cuisine at Lumiere who took over the reins from the oft-absent Feenie, deserves full credit for maintaining the restaurant's high standards that have won it acclaim around the world. MacKay is no slouch either, having been the sous chef at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants in New York and Tokyo and survived the Hell's Kitchen honcho.

And since then Lumiere's owners David and Manjy Sidoo have announced that international celebrity chef Daniel Boulud will be their new business partner and executive chef at Lumière, with MacKay staying on as the main man day-to-day in the kitchen.

The Sidoos, who allegedly squeezed part-owner Feenie out the door over a variety of issues after Feenie brought them in as partners a few years back when the restaurant was in financial crisis, have clearly shown they know what they are doing, despite some criticism from those in the food business.

Back to basics - dinner.

Lumiere

Lumiere is a definite splurge restaurant - unless you are a Hollywood star, Mercedes dealer, Howe Street hustler or independently wealthy.

But it is worth the big bucks, particularly for the special occasion like your wedding anniversary. That's why my wife Shirley and I decided it was time to revisit Lumiere after a long absence.

[In case you're wondering, our other fine dining favourites are the always great Bishop's and Le Crocodile.]

Lumiere understands it is offering a premium restaurant experience and treats you accordingly from arrival to departure.

Pleasantly dark without being so dim that you can't see your food, Lumiere's small room is well laid out with almost enough room between guests that you can avoid hearing how close they are to a film deal - almost.

We started with a glass of Codorniu pinot noir rose cava , a nice Spanish sparkling wine to go with the amuse bouche - a layered triangle of crepe with macadamia nut, 25-year old balsamic vinegar and foie gras.

Lumiere has three fixed prix menu choices - Vegetarian for $85, Chef's for $125 and Signature for $180.

We chose the Signature - noting that it would have been a good time to be a vegetarian - and were not disappointed.

Knowing both fish and meat would be on the menu, we ordered a half bottle of 2002 Domain Chandon chardonnay from Napa Valley, a very nice wine for $42.

First course was an ahi tuna carpaccio with dungeness crab salad, with frisee and a turnip sliver - yes, turnip. It was excellent, even the turnip.

Next came a white onion veloute with king oyster mushrooms and pearl onions, which was very good.

An unusual combination followed, Qualicum Bay scallops with quail eggs on a potato croquette, with brocollini tips and a warm truffle vinagrette. While it sounds odd, the matching worked wonderfully.

Then came another surprising dish, Queen Charlotte Islands halibut crusted with spicy chorizo sausage! This prompted a definite "wow" as the two very different tastes combined beautifully. Definitely something I would have never thought of but will try at home. We matched this with a 2006 Brumont Gros Manseng sauvignon blanc at $16 a glass.

I love duck but our next course was unfortunately the least impressive, duck breast with parsnip puree and brussel sprout leaves in a madeira sauce. It was competent but not exciting.

However, our wine choice was - Au Bon Climat's 2004 La Bauge Au Dessus pinot noir at $68 for a half bottle. Massively cherry, plummy, smooth and velvety, it is one of Jim Clendenen's best Santa Barbara pinots, coming from the Bien Nacido vineyard. [We love all of the ABC wines and Jim is one of the most interesting California winemakers in the business. If you haven't visited the Santa Barbara region yet despite it's "Sideways" movie fame, it is probably the best place to experience great wine without Napa's wine Disneyland effect.]

Any nervousness after the duck disappeared when the venison loin arrived in a port reduction with edaname beans in a yogurt sauce with grainy mustard and taragon. Excellent!

Not full yet? The portions are not large and service spaces them comfortably apart but you will not go home hungry.

So on to the cheese course, with munster, comte juraflore, manchego, livarot, benedictine, brie bonaparte and la sauvagine all on the plate.

Then came dessert, lots of dessert. A black mission fig carpaccio with concord grape sorbet to start, then lemongrass and mango pavlova with fresh fruit - very good indeed.

We matched dessert with a glass of 2000 DeBortoli Noble One [$20] which I've had and liked before but found just too sweet this time.

Next was a carmelized white chocolate namelaka - for lack of better description a wafer - with peach sorbet and poached peaches.

After that, hard to believe, came les migniardises - mini chocolates and candies - also delicious.

It was a memorable meal indeed, one of the best I've had in a restaurant anywhere. The fact that it was a short walk away in Kitsilano made it all the better.

West

We wouldn't ordinarily get to two high end restaurants a few months apart short of winning the lottery but our good friend Julie's 50th birthday required a special celebration in December.

The South Granville Street eatery has long been recognized as one of the city's best and Hawksworth one of our most talented chefs.

The room is pleasant but somewhat noisy and crowded, which takes away from the food experience.

Like Lumiere, West also offers tasting menus at $89 for Vegetarian, $98 for Spring and $129 for West. It would have been a more appropriate comparison had we chosen the top tasting menu but it didn't appeal to us that evening and so we went a la carte.

We started with a half litre of one of my favourite whites, a 2006 Chateau de Sancerre, that went well with the amuse bouche - an asparagus and truffle soup with a healthy green foam on top.

I chose a galantine of quail with quail eggs as my starter - the quail was cold while the eggs were deep fried, along with a foie gras parfait and chips. Enjoyable but the cold quail didn't work for me that well.

Shirley and Julie had kushi oysters on the half shell - can't go wrong there.

For my main I went for the bouillabaisse, a seafood stew packed with delicious B.C. shellfish and fish. It was decently done but not exceptional.

Shirley had a squab with roast vegetables and a porcini mushroom jus. Very good but not "wow."

Julie had crab and scallop ravioli with lemongrass, which was quite tasty.

Julie and I shared a half litre of 2002 La Chablisienne Premier Cru "Fourchaume" chablis for $57, a very nice wine. Shirley had a glass of 2004 Arrocal tempranillo from Ribera del Duero at $12 and later a 2003 Allegrini Palazzo Della Terre from the Veneto region of Italy for $15. Both good choices.

Service was pleasant and competent but not out of the ordinary for fine dining.

Desserts - ice cream, a lemony pavlova and a chocolate cake - were good but not noteworthy.

Overall I was disappointed, all the more so for having been very impressed with Lumiere's offerings six weeks earlier.

West is still an excellent restaurant and it will be interesting to see what noted new executive chef Warren Geraghty, who arrived from London's highly regarded L'Escargot in February, will do there.

But anyone who has written off Lumiere because of Rob Feenie's departure should think again - it is still a fabulous restaurant that is difficult, if not impossible, to beat.

Support ALS at February 16 winetasting fundraiser and dinner

2008-02-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

I urge you to support this good cause - and taste some excellent BC wines!

- Bill Tieleman

GRAPES FOR A GOOD CAUSE BENEFITING THE ALS SOCIETY OF BC
(RICHMOND WINE GALA BENEFITING THE ALS SOCIETY OF BC)

RICHMOND, January 28, 2008...The Vancouver Broadway Lions Club showcases
over 20 of B.C.’s top wineries with a Wine Gala fundraiser on Saturday, February
16th, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at the Executive Airport Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre,
7311 Westminster Highway in Richmond.

The event will benefit the ALS Society of BC.

Tickets are $88 per person, available by contacting Lions SheIla Keung at
604.803.6698 or Steven Li at 604.649.7930.

The Wine Gala, crafted for the wine enthusiast and connoisseur, begins with a wine tasting and silent auction followed by a reception, dinner and dancing to the music of Federico.

Funds raised by the event will help to provide direct support to patients, their families, and caregivers as well as patient services and research. The event will also help to increase public awareness and understanding of ALS.

ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a rapidly progressive neuromuscular degenerative disease. It can hit anyone, at any time, regardless of age, gender or ethnic origin. The ALS Society of BC provides equipment for mobility and communications, as well as emotional and practical support to patients and families.

Wines featured include:

WINE TASTING GALA 2008
February 16, 2008

FEATURING:

Arrowleaf Cellars Hillside Estate Winery
Black Hills Estate Winery Kettle Valley Winery
Burrowing Owl Estate Larch Hills Winery
Winery
Quails gate Estate Winery
Cedar Creek Estate Winery
Rollingdale Vineyardtones
Chateau des Charmes Winery
Deep Creek Wine Estate & Seven Stones Winery
Hainle Vineyards Estate
Winery Stone Boat Vineyards
Desert Hills Estate Winery Township 7 Vineyards &
Winery
Domaine de Chaberton
Twisted Tree Vineyard &
Elephant Island Orchard Winery
Winery
Winchester Cellars
Fairview Cellars Vineyard & Winery

Golden Beaver Winery Inc.

Gray Monk Vineyard & Winery

Herder Winery & Vineyard

Organic Wines - You Are What You Drink

2007-09-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Dirt on Organic Wines

By Bill Tieleman

From TheTyee.ca

Published: 2006-04-10 20:00:00

Are they vegetarian or vegan? And more fine distinctions.

"Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages." - Louis Pasteur 1822-1895

If we truly are what we eat, what about the wines we drink?

Wine can easily be elevated into a truly hedonistic pleasure, or "bottled poetry," as Robert Louis Stevenson once described California wines.

But it should never be forgotten that wine also simply comes from grapes; a food product grown in the dirt on a farm amongst the bugs and animals.

And what goes into that dirt and onto those grape leaves and into the fermenting vat before bottling all comes out again - in your stemware glass at dinner time.

Unfortunately, that wine all too often includes the residue of pesticides, herbicides and chemicals used by agri-business to grow fruit and vegetables all around the world.

Increasing health concerns expressed by consumers have led to a dramatic growth in the sales of organic produce. While organic food only accounts for one to two percent of worldwide sales, since the 1990s, the market has been growing by 20 percent annually.

That rapid growth is no exception when it comes to organic wines.

David Hopgood, a senior portfolio manager for wine at the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, says BC wine drinkers are increasingly lifting a glass of organic wine.

"In BC, it's a very healthy category. We're experiencing strong growth - it's up to $3 million a year and it's up 50 percent over the last year," Hopgood told The Tyee.

"It's not just a BC phenomenon - you see it all over. But trends start here in BC. Look at the success of Capers, Choices; Safeway keeps expanding its organic section," Hopgood said, referring to retails stores with significant organic food offerings.

But with that said, Hopgood points out that there are only 23 organic wine listings out of the LDB's roughly 2,500 available wines, plus a few organic beers, sakes and spirits.

Kevin McKinnon, manager of Marquis Wine Cellars in Vancouver, agrees that organic wines are growing, but also says they still face a marketing challenge because of a perception that they were not well made.

"For the longest time, people wouldn't use screw tops because it was perceived to be low quality wine. In the same way, organic wines were felt to be not of good quality," McKinnon said.

And McKinnon says that due to the poor reputation of wines labeled organic, producers of many high-end wines have deliberately avoided calling their wines organic.

"It's not perceived by the wineries to be a major marketing tool," he said, although that is changing as consumers discover that winemakers like Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley of France feature exceptional wines retailing for over $200 a bottle that are organically produced.

Wine agent Luisa Deziel of Winspeer International Group, a wine importer, agrees with McKinnon but thinks organic has increasing appeal to consumers.

"It used to be seen more like a gimmicky type of thing," she said. "But it seems to be more and more important. It's something more and more wineries and farmers are hopefully striving for."

Is Organic a dirty word?

But the term "organic," and when it can be legitimately used on a wine label, is as opinionated and complex a topic as the often airy and contradictory ways wine critics use to describe a fine wine.

Wander through your local LDB store and you will likely find an organic wine section, while many of BC's private wine stores like Vancouver's Broadway International Wines helpfully label their organic choices.

Here in BC, several local wineries produce organic wines. Hainle Vineyards plowed the organic field in the early 1990s along with Summerhill Estate Winery, while more recent arrival Lotusland has a range of whites and reds.

So what is truly an organic wine? And do organic wines taste better?

The answers to both questions are, regrettably, highly debatable.

To give you some idea how debatable, consider that France, the world's largest wine producing country, has not one, not two but three different organizations that provide organic wine certifications - Ecocert, Terre et Vie and Nature et Progrés.

Or that according to the US Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program, an organic wine has been defined as "a wine made from organically grown grapes and without any added sulfites."

That excludes almost every wine on liquor store shelves, not just in BC, but the whole world, because sulfites are added in minute quantities to preserve wines and let them gracefully age from mere months to decades.

So, you will see on the labels of American wines the words "wines made from organic grapes" (or organically grown grapes) because with this definition, they are allowed to contain up to 100 parts per million [ppm] of added sulfites.

Vegetarian, vegan and sulfite free?

Then there is the question of whether wines are vegetarian or vegan, in addition to organic?

Not to sour wine drinkers with those beliefs, but yikes! Winemakers regularly "fine" their wines to remove sediment and clarify the product. That means adding egg whites or a variety of other fining agents that include some which come from animal or fish origins.

Exactly one wine sold in British Columbia would appear to meet all of those qualifications - a' Notre Terre, a red wine produced by Organic Wine Works of California.

It carries the USDA Organic certification proudly on the front of its label, as well as a California Certified Organic Farmers logo. And as soon as you peel the plastic label off the neck, the cork top reads "no added sulfites".

This could be important for about one in 20 of The Tyee's readers, as sulfites can cause an allergic reaction in roughly five percent of the population.

And once again, there is no consensus. An informative note on the BC LDB's website states that "consumers frequently assume that organic wine is sulfite-free but this is not the case. Typically, a small amount of sulfite occurs naturally in wine as a by-product of fermentation.
But as to every other wine you might want to organically quaff, well, it's a question of degree.

Biodynamic farming trumps organic

There's also another confusing term used by some wineries to describe their growing technique - "biodynamic" - which is sort of like super organic, even though sulfites are still added.

Biodynamic is based on the research of Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner and sees the biodynamic farm as a closed, self-sustaining system.

As British wine author Jamie Goode puts it "biodynamics also sees the farm in the context of the wider pattern of lunar and cosmic rhythms. In this holistic view, the soil is seen not simply as a substrate for plant growth, but as an organism in its own right. The idea of using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides is thus an anathema to biodynamic practitioners."

One winery put it rather simply in an email interview with The Tyee.

Tom Pederson of Pares Balta, a family owned bodega since 1790 in Penedes near Barcelona in Spain was happy to explain their philosophy.

"Our approach to organic winemaking is fairly simple. Why? Because we do not use any kind of pesticides or herbicides, there are no chemicals in our vineyards. We were even organic winemakers before someone invented the concept and we are currently members of "Consell Catala de la Produció Agraria Ecològica (CCPAE)" (The Catalan Council of Ecological Agricultural Production)."

"Instead, we use sheep and goats to keep down the worst herb invasion, and at the same time, provide some natural fertiliser to the soil. We have approximately 800 sheep and goats that are circled through all of our vineyards after the harvest until the first wine stocks begins to sprout," Pederson wrote.

So, are sheep and goats integral to organic winemaking?

Probably not, but the LDB's David Hopgood understands how you might by now be wondering exactly what an organic wine really is.

"We're actually in the process of ironing out - to be more consistent - what's termed organic. We're trying to categorize what we accept as truth [when it comes to winemakers' claims to be producing organic wine]."

While this may be slightly confusing to the consumer, it is deadly serious in the wine industry. Legendary Santa Barbara winemaker Richard Sanford, whose winery and tasting room figures prominently in Sideways, the biggest wine movie ever, recently quit Sanford wines in a dispute with new owners over his preference for organic grape-growing methods.

Well, okay then - and I thought all this assignment would require is a corkscrew, a trip to the wine store and a little light elbow action!

But as Times of London wine writer Jane McQuitty humorously put it, when it comes to organic wines, it's clear as mud! "Despite two decades of research, I am very little clearer on what exactly constitutes an 'organic' wine," she wrote in September 2005.

Enough talk - let's have a drink!

Given The Tyee's vastly more limited resources than the Times, I am unable to invest 20 years into the topic, but thanks to a modest stipend from the editors, I can tell you a little.

More importantly to most readers, I can also tell you what tastes good, having spent all that stipend and more attempting to thoroughly research organic or near-organic wines available in British Columbia.

As previously mentioned, there are about 23 different organic wine listings at the BC LDB, plus several more available through private wine stores.

The quality ranges from excellent to barely drinkable. Here are a few standout wines to try and a couple that you may enjoy more than I did.

Reds

Pares Balta 2002 Mas Petit Cabernet Sauvignon-Garnacha $17.95 [product number or SKU 183004]

Excellent value, excellent taste. This Spanish red from Penedes is a flavourful and inexpensive way to try out an organic wine. The Wine Spectator gave it 85 points and said: "Plump yet supple, this easy-drinking red shows cherry, light herbal and tobacco leaf flavors, with lively acidity and just enough tannins for grip."

Bonterra 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon $21.99 [SKU 342428]

This big red from California's north coast is a real winner - full blackberry, cherry and chocolate flavours. Through a steak on the barbie - or whip up a nice vegetarian pasta.

Organic Wine Works 2004 A' Notre Terre $19.99 [SKU 86603]

This is apparently the only "no added sulfites" wine available in BC and is a little confusing. The label describes it as "Burgundian" in style, but it is not a pinot noir. Rather, it is an unlisted blend of red grape varietals. I would generously say it is fruity and fresh, but this does not taste like a $20 wine should, unfortunately, and is rather disappointing.

Chateau Pech-Latt Vieilles Vignes 1999 $24.99 [SKU 571083]

This French red from the Corbieres region is a letdown. While completely drinkable, this blend of carignan, grenache noir, cinsault and syrah lacks the distinguishing characteristics one expects from a $25 wine, particularly one with seven years in the bottle to age. Quelle dommage.
Chateau Pech-Latt Domaine De L'Olivette 2002 $15.99 [SKU #626242] Vin de Pays des Coteaux aux de Cabrerisse

Lower price, better taste - that's a Tyee pick for sure! This blend of merlot, syrah and grenache comes from the same producer and has more interesting flavours than its big, older brother. Perhaps its bottle variation or maybe the 1999 is just over the hill at seven years old.

Pares Balta 2002 Mas Elena Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Cabernet Franc $17.95 Private stores only.

Pares Balta does a good job with this classic red Bordeaux blend. I prefer their Cabernet Sauvigon only Mas Petit slightly more but both are good value and tasty organics. Another Tyee-recommended organic wine.

Chapoutier Le Bernardine Chateauneuf du Pape 1999 $45.60 [SKU #432385]

Now we're talking hedonistic! And at this price, we better be. Awesome big monster out of the Rhone Valley, spicy, layered, leathery and smoky. The Wine Spectator gave it 87 points, but they are wrong - 90 points at least. If you have the money to drink organic at its best, this is a winner.

Whites

Bonterra 2004 Chardonnay [SKU #342436] $19.99

From Mendocino County, this chardonnay is classically Californian. The Wine Spectator magazine gives it 86 points out of a possible 100 and says it is "a pure fruit bomb of Fuji apple and fresh lemons, with appealing flavors that deftly balance crisp and creamy." How can you go wrong? And they kindly made a whopping 72,000 cases of it. Bonterra also makes an organic viognier white wine worth trying.

Summerhill Estate Winery 2003 Pinot Blanc $16.95 [SKU128769]

The folks who also call themselves "Summerhill Pyramid Winery" are just a little odd, unless you think Pyramid aged wines are the only way to go. This is a tasty Pinot Blanc - a grape that is not as bold and overpowering as chardonnay but often more food-friendly. Try it with barbequed salmon.

Chapoutier 2004 La Ciboise $14.90 [SKU #511022] Coteaux du Tricastin Blanc

This classic white Rhone blend gives peachy fruit with mineral overtones. This wine is blend of 20% Bourboulenc, 20 percent Grenache blanc, 20 percent Clairette and 40 percent Marsanne this wine is delightfully crisp and fresh. A nose of citrus and blossom. The palate is fresh, delightfully mineral and has a long clean finish.

Lotusland 2002 Gewurztraminer Stone's Throw Vines $15.90 Private stores only

Lots of lychee, peach, floral and citrus flavours in this spicy wine. Perfect for killer Szechuan, Thai or Indian hot dishes, gewürztraminer [pronounced guh-wertz-tra-meener] can hold its own in any food fight!

Pares Balta 2004 Blanc des Pacs $16.95 Private stores only.

This Spanish blend of macabeo, xarel.lo and parellada grapes not found in North America is fruity, crisp, floral and refreshing. Perfect for summer sipping and seafood.