Category Archives: Terroir

Laughing at their Spelling

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But loving their attitude.  Laughing Stock Vineyards is back with another 100% Okangan grown wine.  

A play on imbibe & embezzle, IMBZZL. Big. Bold. Full and quite unique..Lots of Citrus (peachy). Heaven forbid I say it, but pristine.

Syrah dominant, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes go into the tank and a juice stabulation technique from Gascony (and now much in vogue in Provence) leaves the juice on lees for 17 days prior to cool fermentation.Nice and full (13.9%). 1st night was with mussels.  Second night an omelette

IMBZZL – RUSE ROSE

$17.99 regularly $19.99

13.9% Alcohol

UPC: 00063657043189

Epic

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Epic – in size, stature, and content for all of its 856 pages

Scarf Lady doesn’t do anything halfway.

You’ll put it down and pick it up a hundred time – each time in awe of the life-filled, life-affirming history of the city at the crossroads of East and West.  It’s all about how intricate and sometimes improbably Istanbul’s history is and has been.

Bettany focuses on everbody: emperors, sultans, slaves, refugees.She gives emphasis to the roles women played in the city over time…The result is a more complete presentation of the city’s history.

A tale of three cities – Istanbul –  Bettany Hughes

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0306825842

Elevating Burger night

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On the rocky soil between Valréas and Vinsobres, where Grenache (75%) meets Syrah (25%), emerges this cuvée infused with a full-on Rhone identity.  The 9 to 12 months of élevage in concrete produces a wine first revealing accents of fruit , then making way for mild spices. The finale is supple, heady and persistent.

Father and son produce wines with a lovely expression of the rhythms of Valreas terroir.

It boasts big fruit, balanced by hints of orange zest and clove. It’s full-bodied, intense and concentrated, with supple tannins and a long, slightly warming finish.

A Very polished Cotes du Rhone Villages.

We heavied up on the rosemary for the burger spicing but kept in the subtleness of a little tarragon.

COTES-DU-RHONE VILLAGES VALREAS – MAS DE SAINTE CROIX TENDRE

$18.99 regularly $20.99

14.5% Alcohol

UPC: 03760236590290

They bicycle to work

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The workers at Cono Sur are as organic as the grapes.

the wine is very fresh, well balanced and quite complex.  Focuses one on how friendly it is.

It was a TreeHouse Greek Night: Spinach, Pies olives, 2 kinds of Feta, along with a Tabouli Salad. Lovely, small tomatoes from the Lower Mainland.

Would be just as refreshing by itself on the deck.

We’ve never been disappointed with any wine from Cono Sur.

CHARDONNAY – CONO SUR ORGANIC 2020

$13.99 regularly $15.99

13.7% alcohol

UPC: 00089419429039

Well Done Ladies!

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The Women of Wine in Umbria – The Lungarotti Family live the land, nurture the terroir, and produce lovely wines.

They are solid – like the wine.  Heady, chocolatey aromas. Full bodied and intense. Fresh acidity, well balanced with a slight mineral finish.

To put it simply – a really lovely wine that is VERY food friendly. it went extremely well with grilled lamb chops.

Rubesco” is derived from the Latin verb “rubescere,” to blush, and has a joyous significance. 


ROSSO DI TORGIANO – LUNGAROTTI RUBESCO 2018

23.97 regularly $25.99

14% alcohol

UPC: 08016044010501 

2nd Wrong made it right

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There are daze when the brain isn’t connected.  Took a bottle from the rack, saw the first part, Pinot, and immediately plunked it in the fridge. A couple of hours later was looking for something and realized the second word was Noir, not Gris.  Outta the fridge and on the counter, beside the thawing bone in skin on chicken thighs..

Now what?  Honey garlic glaze, that’s what to go with a slightly chilled red.

Should have been all wrong with the vino, but the reconnected tastebuds enjoyed both.

A couple of surprises along the way.  Anticipation that a Rothschild wine would be this inexpensive was one, but it IS an entry level offering.  Very cherry flavours on the palate that sauntered into medium tannins.  A much smoother transition than expected.   Lots of flavours from a diverse terroir.

This one needs to do it’s deep breathing exercises to be enjoyed, so open the bottle at least an hour and a half before quaffing. 

Baron Philippe de Rothschild Pinot Noir

12.5% Alcohol

Patented Bubbles

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Veuve du Vernay was first made in the 1960s by Robert Charmat, the son of scientist, Eugene Charmat who patented the Charmat Method of producing sparkling wines. Robert Charmat employed this method of trapping the carbonation from secondary fermentation to make his own sparkling wine full of fresh aromas and flavors. Robert named his wines for a widow in Vernay who helped his father during his early winemaking days. Veuve in French means widow. 

Although the cuvee is typically created from wines of a single vintage, Vernay is not vintage dated in order to allow the winemaker the flexibility of including wines from other vintages for balance and consistency. Veuve du Vernay is typically Blanc de Blanc, a white wine made exclusively from white grapes, and it is a Brut (dry) sparkling wine, but it is not austere – rather it suggests the characteristics of the fine varieties from which it is made. Many discriminating consumers of champagne have embraced Veuve du Vernay as their favourite French sparkling wine.

The goal is to achieve a harmonious freshness and complexity, making every table festive!  Works for us.

And here endith the lesson.  Onward to the suck-em-up.

It’s fresh and easy drinking.  Dry Palate.  Almost velvety bubbles.  We had pistachio-encrusted sole fillets and Mediterranean style salada as an accompaniment.

VEUVE DU VERNAY – BRUT

$14.99 regularly $16.99

11.5% Alcohol

UPC: 03058080097547