Saturday, January 12th: For Deborah’s major birthday, we booked a table at Pearl Morissette. Before leaving by Uber to the restaurant we shared a half bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
The marker at the entrance to Pearl Morissette
Montenegro Amaro
Amaro is Italian for bitter and it’s a category of Italian herbal liqueurs customarily consumed after dinner as a digestif. I came across one at Vintages over the holidays which is absolutely delicious: Montenegro Amaro. Coppery-orange in colour, it offers an intense bouquet of rose petals, orange and sweet herbs. Medium-bodied, sweet and spicy, it explodes on the palate with flavours of cardamom, orange peel, cinnamon, clove and rosewater. Notes of honey and caramel carry the flavours to a long finish. It costs $27.80 a bottle at Vintages outlets and may just convert you to the Italian way of life. That’s Montenegro Amaro from Emilia-Romagna in Italy. For Post City Magazine, I’m Tony Aspler, 680 NEWS. (Vintages #601484, $27.80) (92)
Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
The 2018 vintage of Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best Sauvignons from New Zealand I’ve had in years. Pale straw in colour, it has an enticing nose of ripe passion fruit and gooseberry. Medium-bodied and crisply dry, these flavours are augmented by notes of nectarine and sweet grass. It costs $18.95 on the LCBO’s general product list. A wine worth chasing down. Serve it with oyster or goat’s cheese. That’s Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2018 vintage from New Zealand. For Post City Magazine, I’m Tony Aspler, 680 NEWS. ($18.95, LCBO #489112) (92)
Vollereau Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Here’s a well-priced champagne to lift your spirits if you’ve got the post-holiday blues. Vollereau Blanc de Blancs Champagne Brut – 100% Chardonnay grapes – is very pale in colour with an earthy, minerally, toasty, lemon peel nose. It’s frothy on the palate, medium-bodied, dry, with apple skin, lemon and green apple flavours. It costs $49.95 a bottle at Vintages outlets – which is relatively inexpensive for Champagne these days. It makes a great aperitif or serve it with fish dishes. That’s Vollereau Blanc de Blancs Champagne Brut from – where else but the Champagne region. For Post City Magazines, I’m Tony Aspler, 680 NEWS. ($49.95, Vintages #629469) (90)
Les Tannes en Occitanie Merlot 2017
Here’s a fruity Merlot from the Languedoc that’s a limited time offer of $2 off until Sunday: It’s Les Tannes en Occitanie Merlot 2017. For this weekend it’s $10.95 before going back to its original $12.95 price. Deep purple-ruby colour with a spicy, cedary nose of plum and blackberry, it’s medium to full-bodied with richly extracted flavours of blackberry and blueberry with lively acidity and ripe tannins. Serve it with red meat dishes. That’s Les Tannes en Occitanie Merlot 2017 from the Pays d’Oc at the LCBO. For Post City Magazines, I’m Tony Aspler, 680 NEWS. ($10.95 until January 6, then $12.95. LCBO #582783) (89)
Jonty’s Ducks Pekin Red 2014
This past September I recommend a white wine from South Africa called Jonty’s Ducks Pekin White. Well, its sister red is now available in Vintages. Jonty’s Ducks Pekin Red 2014 is a tasty blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Dense purple in colour, it has a smoky, tarry, spicy, blackberry nose; full-bodied, firmly structured and mouth-filling, it’s a well-balanced wine with savoury black plum flavours and an inky finish. It costs $16.95 at Vintages and can stand up to a hearty beef stew. That’s Jonty’s Ducks Pekin Red 2014 from South Africa. For Post City Magazine, I’m Tony Aspler, 680 NEWS. ($16.95, Vintages #383547)
Pelee Island Pinot Noir 2017
If you shot your wine budget over Christmas here’s a bargain Pinot Noir from Ontario for you to match with turkey pot pie. Pelee Island Pinot Noir 2017 has a limited time offer of $12.95 a bottle until January 6th. Solid ruby in colour, it has a nose of candied raspberry with a touch of the forest floor. It’s light to medium-bodied with juicy raspberry and cherry flavours carried on lively acidity. That’s Pelee Island Pinot Noir 2017 from Southwest Ontario on the LCBO’s general product list. For Post City Magazine, I’m Tony Aspler, 680 NEWS. And may I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year. ($12.95 until Jan. 6, then $14.95; LCBO #135939)
Thursday, December 6th: My old friend Anthony von Mandl (we met in Roederer’s cellars in Reims in 1976) invited us to stay for a long weekend in his guest cottage on Lake Okanagan, below Mission Hill Family Winery. It would give me a chance to see the new Martin’s Lane Winery and to taste through five of the wineries his company owns (he had just purchased Road 13). Continue reading
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