Category Archives: Terroir

Summertime Summertime. Out on the Deck

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Animus Venho “Verde” refers to the fact these are young wines meant to be drunk early.  The wine is light, fresh, and delicious.

Get ready to be surprised.  And she was!  She, who doesn’t like bubbles, got by the slightly fizziness on the side of the glass very quickly.

This is a wine that is going to make you smile, even before you taste it.  Look closely at the label.  Great Artwork. The green ‘i’ in the name gives you a hint at what’s coming.

The grapes are pressed at low pressure, and then fermented with low temperature.   90% Louriero (one of the major grapes in the region) and 10% Arinto grapes.   The Faria family has been making wine in Vinho Verde for over 200 years. Beginning just a decade ago, growers like Vicente Faria decided to make their own, estate Vinho Verde and take control of the finished wine.

After all, Vicente is a 7th generation winemaker, so he has a long family history to his advantage. He also studied oenology in Bordeaux and Portugal to give him a broader slate on which to draw ideas and concepts. Up to five grapes can be used for Vinho Verde, but he only used the best two, resulting in a great wine. 

This is going to be great with salad and nibblies.

Vinho Verde Animus 2019

$11.99 regularly 13.99

10.5% alcohol

UPC: 05601815411514

Great Education

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It’s bold, medium soft, dry, and very smooth. There is a lot of complexity here. Supple and well balanced.


Some of the reviews think that this is still pretty young.  That may be the case, but I wasn’t about to stow it away in the dungeon for 10 years. I just may go back and grab one to put down.  I need to come back to this when I have a much more experienced palate to really understand and appreciate what’s going on with this wine.

We had it with dinner, but I suspect that it would be better appreciated if you are enjoying by itself with friends.

This is made predominantly from Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  Saint-Émilion wines tend to have a rich, mouth-drying tannic structure, but in this case we have small amounts of Carménère,  Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot balancing out the blend.

An under the radar Estate that should be snapped up before it gathers more attention and the price starts to rise.

Vieux Chateau des Combes 2015

$36.99

14.5% Alcohol

Damn Straight we liked it

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It’s a wine with a historic name “Teodosio”: this wine is named after a famous emperor; from a historic winery, Basilico.


The taste is not huge, but it certainly is big.  It’s balanced, smooth and has nice fruity notes.  Full Bodied with great tannins. Close, but not quite spicy on the palate.  

This is a very pleasant, presentable red at a good price that would go with any meal.


Basilisco is made entirely of the Aglianico grape.

AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE – BASILISCO TEODOSIO 2016

$19.99 regularly $21.99

13.5% Alcohol

UPC: 08027919112015

Night Moves

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Can you see what you’re picking – when the harvest is done at night to take advantage of the cool air to give a crisp freshness. The Cinsault and Syrah grapes make a delicious rose.  A great aperitif or accompaniment to seafood or fruit salads.

Maybe we should be playing a little Bob Seger “Night Moves”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFWQoXq4c

If you like Provence rose then you’ll love this. Don’t be fooled by the delicate pink colour as this is a delicate but robust wine that will go with almost everything.  We enjoyed ours with scallops (quick sear – s/p paprika one side, ground pistachio nuts on the other) and couscous and a grape/cucumber mixed green salad and it was delicious.  Brought back memories of cooking school with Anthony Sedlak and using a spoon with scallops.


Lovely flavours and dry on the palette. This is a great value Rose wine.


Languedoc Laurent Miguel 2019 Vendanges Nocturnes Classic

$12.49

12.5 % alcohol

Fast track to Popularity

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In a short period of time Mitolo has become recognized as one of the finest producers in McLaren Vale. They’ve done it because of individuality, and great quality.  There is an evident passion to produce the best possible.  Italian roots bring family traditions to good food and good drink.


The Jester Cab Sauv is bold, tending to tannic, dry and somewhat acidic but it grows on you with each sip. The flavours get more complex as you advance through the bottle.  We opened it about an hour and a half before dinner.  Next time I’ll open it at noon to let it breath more.

It would pair well with roasted lamb, but we settled for sirloins.  I’m also thinking this would go great with pasta.

Mitolo The Jester Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

$21.97 regularly $26.99

14.5 % Alcohol

Ribs or Pizza

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Calatayud is a DO wine region in the southwest of the Aragon, northern Spain – located about 90 km from the provincial capital, Zaragoza. This arid area of rolling hills is almost entirely encircled by the Sistema Ibérico, a vast system of ranges which separate it from all those areas of Spain sitting to the south and west of the mountains and massifs. Calatayud borders the Carinena DO to the east.


The flavours of this 93 pointer are rich and intense.  We like the 35% Tempranillo 65% Granache balance.


Dinner of slow baked short ribs didn’t quite come up to the usual standards of recipes from the Best of Bridge cookbooks.  Good, but not quite company worthy. Just a little lacklustre. Next time for this red, I think I’d do our House home made pizza.

Hint to the Goddess: What about some of the whites from this region?

CALATYUD GARNACHA TEMPRANILLO – SAN GREGORIO LOMA GORDA 2018

$16.99 regularly $19.99

15% Alcohol

UPC: 00626990326700

Named for the Trays

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Arele is the name of the local wooden trays, where the grapes are laid down and dried prior to being gently pressed.


A southern/south-west exposure for the 4th Generation hillside vineyards in the Valpolicella Classico area. The blend is Corvina, Rondinella, Oseleta, and Merlot grapes.

This is the first time that we’ve see Slavonian oak casks being used.

The color is intense, deep ruby red. The taste is full bodied, juicy, and spicy- leading to a long, refined finish.

Got a little lazy, used made up sausage mix into kefta.  Roasted Veggies.  I’m thinking about the deck – summer sausage and cheeses for the next bottle.

VENETO APPASSIMENTO – TOMMASI ARELE 2017

$23.49 regularly $25.99

13% Alcohol

UPC: 08004645317105

In the Pecking Order

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Côtes-du-Rhône Villages is a French Wine Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the southern Rhone wine region of France.

Red, white and rosé wine are all produced within the appellation. The quality is superior to the generic Cotes du Rhone AOC. but below more specific appellations such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC and Vacqueyras AOC. Côtes-du-Rhône Villages is the second largest appellation in the Rhône, only surpassed in size by Côtes-du-Rhône AOC.


In the red wines the Grenache grape must be present at not less than 50%, with 20% Syrah and/or Mourvèdre. A maximum of 20% of other authorized varieties is permitted. The rosés must contain a minimum of 50% Grenache with 20% of Syrah and/or Morvèdre and a maximum of 20% of other authorised varieties to comprise not more than 20% of white varieties. Used are Grenache, Clairette, Marsanne, Rousanne, Bouboulenc and Viognier.

The white wines are a blend of Grenache white, Clairette white, Marsanne white, Rousanne white, Bourboulenc white and Viognier. Other varieties are allowed to a maximum of 20%. The minimum required alcoholic strength is fixed at 12% for all three colours.

Spiteful Woman

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We all know Aphrodite. She’s the spiteful, mostly naked, love goddess who started the Trojan war and gads about on seashells.

If you’ve watched any of Bettany Hughes’ BBC series on Ancient Cultures in the Mediterranean you’d look forward to her latest book.


Venus and Aphrodite brings together ancient art, mythology, and archaeological revelations to tell the story of human desire.

From Mesopotamia to modern-day London, from Botticelli to Beyoncé, Hughes explains why this immortal goddess continues to entrance us today — and how we trivialize her power at our peril.


This isn’t Bettany’s best, but, still very enjoyable. Shorter, and lighter than her usual fare.  It doesn’t do justice to the goddess – but it is a good historical survey of the Goddess.


It’s a relatively quick read.  In the meantime, I’ll go back to watching her with her multi coloured Scarves on Knowledge Network.