Tony Aspler, the Wine Guy

Sparkling wine tasting

Monday, September 21st: A Wine Writers Circle tasting this morning of 89 sparkling wines. In the afternoon I wrote my 680 NEWS wine reviews. For dinner, lightly curried chicken with a bottle of Hillebrand Showcase Clean Slate Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (very Bordeaux in style – grassy, green plum nose with well integrated oak; medium-bodied, passionfruit, lemon and smoke flavours. A seamless wine (91)).

Tuesday, September 22nd: Wrote a column for Grapevine magazine on sparkling wine. Dinner at Donatella with German Berra, the winemaker from Finca Flichman in Argentina. He told me that Flichman introduced Syrah to Argentina in the 1920s. During the meal we tasted the following wines:

• Finca Flichman Misterio Malbec 2014 ($8.95): deep ruby colour; savoury-herbal nose with a touch of oak and a floral top note; medium-bodied, dry and savoury with good acidity. Good value. (87+)
• Finca Flichman Misterio Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 ($8.95): deep ruby colour; savoury nose with evident oak; medium-bodied, dry, ripe blackcurrant and plum flavours; soft on the palate. Good value. (88)
• Finca Flichman Espesiones Reserve Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 ($15.95): deep ruby colour; floral, black fruit nose with herbal notes and vanilla oak; full-bodied, richly extracted sweet fruit tinged with toasted herbs and a dark chocolate note. Good mouth feel and good value. (89)
• Finca Flichman Paisaje de Barrancas 2013 (Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon – $17.95): dense purple colour; spicy blackberry, cigar leaf nose with a floral note and a thread of minerality; rich and full on the palate, full-bodied, beautifully balanced with a fruity sweetness. (90)
• Finca Flichman Paisaje de Tupungato 2013 (Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot – $17.95): dense purple colour; cedar, pencil lead, spicy black fruits on the nose with a floral grace note; lean and sinewy, firmly structured with lively acidity and an apple peel note on the finish. (89)
• Finca Flichman Dedicado 2012 (Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah – $29.95): dense purple colour; vanilla oak, cocoa, blackberry and blackcurrant nose; lovely mouth-feel, full-bodied, sweet and succulent, lively acidity and a firm finish. A seamless wine. (92)

Finca Flichman Dedicato 2012

Wednesday, September 23rd: After recoding my 680 NEWS wine reviews I went to Cibo to lunch with Antonio Zaccheo Jr. from Carpineto. In a private room our table of wine writers shared a glass of Farnito Chardonnay Brut, an easy-drinking sparkler with an off-dry apple flavour (88).

• Carpineto Dogajolo Toscana Bianco 2014 (Chardonnay, Grechetto and Sauvignon Blanc – $15.95): straw colour; fruity, grassy, aromatic nose; apple flavour, soft on the palate with lively acidity and a chalky finish. (88)
• Carpineto Dogajolo Toscana Rosso 2014 (Sangiovese with 30% Cabernet and other varieties – $16.05): ruby colour; fruity, cherry and vanilla oak nose; medium-bodied, dry, easy drinking with a firm structure and a tannic finish. A versatile food wine. (88+)
• Carpineto Chianti Cassico 2013 ($19.95): ruby colour; vanilla oak, tobacco, cherry nose with a floral note; medium-bodied, dry, cherry flavour with ripe tannins and good acidity. A well-structured wine. (89)
• Carpineto Chianti Cassico Riserva 2010 (Sangiovese with 20% Canaiolo – $29.95): deep ruby colour; a nose of red cherries, tobacco and vanilla oak; lovely mouth-feel, firmly structured, dry, cherry flavour with ripe taninns and a note of forest floor on the finish. A seamless wine. (90–92).
• Carpineto Chianti Cassico Riserva 1995 (~$80): rich and full in the mouth with cherry and tobacco flavours, mouth-filling and beautifully balanced, A pleasure to drink. (92)
• Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2010 ($29.95): deep ruby colour; earthy, black cherry, mushroom and vanilla on the nose; dry and fruity, firmly structured but tight. Needs time. (89–91)
• Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 1988 (~$150): mature ruby colour; a nose of tobacco, cedar, cherries and truffles; dry, elegant, beautifully balanced; silky mouth-feel and firmly structured. Still youthful. (92)
• Carpineto Brunello di Montalcino 2010 ($59.95): deep ruby colour; chocolate, vanilla oak and tobacco nose; flavours of fresh blackcurrants and black cherries; firmly structured, elegant and beautifully balanced, lovely mouth-feel. Drinking well now but will last another decade. (92–94)

Antonio Zaccheo Jr.

With the lunch we tasted the following wines:

• Carpineto Farnito Chardonnay 2014 ($25): straw yellow colour; spicy, floral, apple nose; dry, full-bodied, nicely oaked and well balanced. (89)
• Carpineto Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon 2010: ruby colour; spicy blackcurrant and vanilla oak nose; dry, medium-bodied and well-structured. (88+)
• Carpineto Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon 2000: dense ruby-purple colour; tobacco, cigar box, blackcurrant nose with vanilla oak and a floral top note; sweet blackcurrant fruit with an iodine note, great balance. Reminiscent of Château Montrose. (93)
• Carpineto Farnito Vinsanto del Chianti 1996 (500 mL bottle): deep amber colour; a nose of molasses and prunes with a touch of oak; off-dry, flavours of dried fig and nuts. Great balance and great length. (94).

Carpineto Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Thursday, September 24th: Wrote my Post City column on Beaujolais and spent the rest of day inputting Vintages release tasting notes. Tasted a couple of wines:

• San Raffaele Monte Tabor Organic Pinot Grigio 2014 (Veneto, $13.95): straw coloured with a nose of citrus and peach pit; medium-bodied, crisply dry with white peach and lime flavours. Good value. (89)
• Dominio de Tares Cepas Viejas Mencia 2011 (Bierzo, $29.95): deep ruby-purple colour; spicy, earthy blackberry nose; full-bodied, well-extracted fruit with a chunky mouth feel. (89).

At 5:30 pm down to a tasting of Virginian wines and then on to the theatre to see Motown. Great show.

Friday, September 25th: A Vintages release tasting. 146 wines. On the way home I stopped into New York Fries for a bag of French fries. Perfect after a big tasting. For dinner, lamb chops with Beronia Tempranillo 2012 (Rioja): deep ruby colour with a minerally, cedar, cherry and blackcurrant nose; medium-bodied, dry, blackcurrant and strawberry flavours with mellow tannins and balancing acidity. (88+)

Saturday, September 26th: Today, the annual Ontario Wine Awards’ sponsors’ tour to Niagara. We stopped at Two Sisters winery and Domaine Queylus.

View from my Ottawa hotel room

Monday, September 14th: Decided I would update Windows 7 to Windows 10 since they were offering it free.

Tuesday, September 15th: Disaster! Tried to upload Windows 10 overnight and awoke this morning to the dreaded black screen. Luckily my cellphone had my diary and contacts. Have arranged for it to be picked up tonight and sent to computer hospital but it means I’ll be without it for two days. So… have borrowed Deborah’s laptop to take down some tasting notes.

• Strewn Cottage Block Sauvignon Blanc Riesling (Ontario – $12.95): sweet grass, minerally nose; medium-bodied, off-dry, grapefruit and peach flavours; good length, touch of bitterness on the finish. (86+)
• Strewn Chardonnay Barrel Aged 2013 (Ontario – $13.95): deep straw colour; apple nose with a cidery note backed by oak; full in the mouth, spicy oak and apple puree flavours. (87)
• Strewn Two Vines Riesling Gewurztraminer 2013 (Ontario – $11.95): yellow straw colour; lychee, grapefruit nose; off-dry, perfumed, rose petal, grapefruit and lychee flavours, surprisingly elegant and seamless with good length. (89)
• Strewn Gewurztraminer 2014 (Ontario – $12.95): light straw with a green tint; rose petal and lychee nose; perfumed and aromatic, medium-bodied, dry with rose water and lychee flavours. Good varietal character, great mouth feel and great value. (89)
• Napa Cellars Chardonnay 2013 (Napa Valley – $23.95): straw colour; apple, oak showing some barnyard notes; full-bodied, richly extracted, apple, pineapple and caramel flavours. Old style Napa Chardonnay. (89+)
• Strewn Cottage Block Merlot 2013 (Ontario – $14.95): light ruby colour with a tawny rim; spicy blueberry with a whiff of oak; medium-bodied, dry, redcurrant and blueberry flavours with a floral note on the back taste; fresh acidity and enough tannins to give structure. (87)
• Strewn Rogue’s Lot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2012 (Ontario – $14.95): ruby colour with a brick-red rim; cedar, blackcurrant with geranium leaf note; dry, medium-bodied, lively acidity with a red plum flavour. (86)
• Strewn Two Vines Cabernet-Merlot 2013 (Ontario – $12.95): ruby with a tawny rim; cedar, vanilla oak, dried leaves on the nose; strawberry compote flavour, sweetish fruit, good acidity with a firm finish. (86+)
• Château Pey La Tour 2010 (Bordeaux Superieur – $19.95): dense purple-ruby colour; blackcurrant and coffee bean nose with a cedary note; medium-bodied, well-extracted blackcurrant and plum flavours with lively acidity and mellow tannins. (88)
• Frescobaldi Campo Al Sassi Rosso di Montalcino 2013 (Tuscany – $21.95): deep ruby colour; minty, cherry nose; medium-bodied, dry, sour cherry flavour with a fine spine of acidity and a rustic cherry pit finish. (88)
• KWV Cathedral Cellars Petit Verdot 2013 (South Africa – $15.95): dense purple colour; spicy blackberry with a smoky note; richly extracted, dry, blackberry and violets flavours with a tannic lift on the finish. (88)
• San Pedro 1865 Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (Chile – $19.95): smoky, blackcurrant with toasty oak notes on the nose; full-bodied, sweet blackcurrant, chunky mouth-feel, sweet juicy fruit with balancing acidity and a hint of oak. (89)

Dinner at L’Avenue with Julian, Malcolm and Jane. We all brought wine. Malcolm, Larmandier Bernier Blanc de blancs Champagne and Château Canon La Gaffalière 1995; Julian, Domaines Lupier La Dama Old Vine Garnacha 2010; and I, Raymond Lafon Sauternes 1998 in a half bottle. I ordered scallop and confit pork belly, fried sage, preserved apple, house BBQ sauce and, as a main, liver and onions. With the Sauternes, blue cheese cheesecake.

Wednesday, September 16th: A day without my computer. Felt like someone had cut off my arm. Managed to scrounge some time on Deborah’s laptop to send emails and write my Wines of the Week column. Then got down to more tasting:

• Attems Pinot Grigio 2014 (Venezia Giulia – $19.95): pale straw with a lime tint; minerally, peach pit bouquet; medium-bodied, crisply dry, white peach and lemon flavours with an intriguing touch of bitterness on the finish. (89)
• Blue Mountain Pinot Gris 2014 (Okanagan Valley – $20.90): pale straw colour; lifted nose of white peach and pear skin with a mineral note; medium- for full-bodied, dry, white peach, pear and citrus flavours. Lots of attack in the flavour but well balanced. Nothing wishy-washy about this Pinot Gris. (90)
• Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc 2013 (Okanagan Valley): ruby with a tawny rim; earthy, red berry nose; medium-bodied, dry, cherry and dark chocolate flavours with a firm tannic finish. (88)
• Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc Oldfield Series 2012 (Okanagan Valley): deep ruby colour; cedar, vanilla oak, red and blackcurrants on the nose; medium-bodied, dry, elegant red berry flavours with a note of violets; well-structured with a fine spine of acidity. A seamless wine. (91)
• Tinhorn Creek Merlot Oldfield Series 2012 (Okanagan Valley): red plum and vanilla oak nose with a floral grace note; medium-bodied, dry, a polished wine, well balanced with red fruit flavours carried on lively acidity to a firm tannic finish. (89)
• Tinhorn Creek 2 Bench Red Oldfield Series 2012 (Okanagan Valley): deep ruby colour; a nose of cedar, blackcurrant with dark chocolate notes; medium-bodied, dry, blackcurrant flavour backed by vanilla oak with a toasty note; firm finish after a sustained acid-carried fruit. (89)
• Blue Mountain Gamay Noir 2014 (Okanagan Valley): solid ruby colour; peppery cherry bouquet with a light floral note; dry, light-bodied, elegant and textured, black cherry flavour. Well structured. To my palate the best Gamay made in Canada. (91)
• Hester Creek Syrah-Viognier 2013 (Okanagan Valley – $24.95): dense purple-ruby colour; smoky, charred oak and vanilla nose with a floral top note; full-bodied, dry, smoked meat flavour with a savoury, peppery, herbal finish. Good length. (89+)
• Hester Creek The Judge 2012 (Okanagan Valley – $45): Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. Deep ruby colour; a nose of cedar, cigar box, coffee bean and blackcurrant; dry, medium-bodied, savoury currant flavours; firmly structured but not without a certain smoky elegance. (90)
• Maverick Pinot Gris 2014 (Okanagan Valley): straw colour; aromatic, peach with a floral note on the nose; full-bodied, richly extracted peach flavour, full in the mouth. (90)
• Kitma Biblia Chora Areti Assyrtico 2013 (Greece): straw colour; minerally, citrus nose; medium-bodied, crisply dry and lemony with a mineral thread. (88).

Thursday, September 17th: Met with Luc Bouchard and Jason Woodman to discuss which wines we would be serving in the seminar at the Gourmet Wine & Food Show. Packed for Ottawa. I leave in the morning from Billy Bishop airport to judge in the Ottawa Wine Challenge. Dinner at The Fifth with Michael and Rosie. Michael brought along a bottle of Brochet Hervieux HBH Cuvee Speciale Brut Champagne 1997 and Château Léoville-Barton 1970 and I brought Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne 2005 and Ridge Zinfandel 1992. We finished with Michael’s Château Doisy-Védrine Sauternes 2003. A great dinner from J-P Challet.

Friday, September, 18th: A Vintages release tasting and then directly to the island airport for the flight to Ottawa. Dinner at Erlings (225 Strathcona) with the judges. Excellent meal and the wines kept coming.

Saturday, September 19th: Staying at the Westin Hotel. My room on the 22nd floor overlooks the Rideau Canal, the Parliament buildings and the National Arts Centre. A great view marred by a huge crane above the Convention Centre. There are four panels tasting some 75 wines today. Our panel of sommeliers Alison Hussey and Evan Keaschuk tasted 7 white blends, 4 unoaked Chardonnays, 11 Cabernet Sauvignons, 7 oaked Chardonnays, 8 Sauvignon Blancs, 7 sparkling wines, 10 red blends, 10 Pinot Noirs and a further 10 red blends. Then we tasted the gold medal wines to determine the best of show in white and red. Following the competition, Rod Phillips, Zoltan Szabo and I participated in a round-table discussion for members of the National Capital Sommelier Guild on what judges look for in wine competitions. We tasted three whites and three reds double-blind. Then the judges went to dinner at the Ottawa Streat Gourmet Warehouse. (The chef runs a food truck.) Again, much wine taken.

Sunday, September 20th: Flew home to Toronto.

View of Verona from Corte San Mattia

Sunday, September 6th: Last night I caught a 10:25 pm flight for Rome and then a flight to Verona. I’m here for a bloggers’ tour in Valpolicella. There are five of us involved – Jane from Ottawa, Alexander from Hong Kong, Maxime from Beijing and Jung from Korea.

I was met at Verona airport by Federica from the Valpolicella Consortio, who arranged the tour and will be travelling with us. She dropped me at the hotel where we will spend five nights. It’s a delightful agritourismo called Fioravante set in a vineyard in San Pietro in Cariano with its own swimming pool. Dinner in Castelrotto di Negrarine. An English couple had a well-behaved Wheaten terrier named Lucy with them as they dined outside. Made me homesick for Pinot.

The menu: pasta e fagioli with Amarone, risotto with porcini, carpaccio of duck, pork. A dessert of millefoglie with Monteveronese cheese. The wines: Corte Sant’Alba Ca’ Fiui Valpolicella 2014, Secondo Marco Valpolicella Classico 2013, Cecilia Beretta Terre di Cariano Valpolicella Classico 2012, I Sartori Valpolicella Superiore 2011, Scriani Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore 2013, Villa Bella Fracastoro Amarone Riserva 2006. If this is indicative of the meals we will be having I shall have to go on a serious diet on my return.

Duck carpaccio at Relais Castrum

Secundo Marco Valpolicella 2013

Monday, September 7th: Woke at 4:30 am and that was it for the night. By 8:45 we are on the road to our first winery: ARMANI (Località Ceradello – 37020 Dolcè). The Armani family have been grape growers in Trentino since 1607 – 16 generations. They own six wineries in three provinces, as well as making Prosecco. Outside the winery is a small vineyard that is resurrecting 12 local varieties that were on their way to extinction. After a cellar tour, the tasting:

• Albino Armani Corvina 2013: deep ruby colour; cherry nose with a mineral thread; dry, medium-bodied, fruity cherry character and fresh. (87+)
• Albino Armani Valpolicella Superiore “Egle” 2012: ruby colour; earthy cherry pit nose and strawberry notes on the nose; dry, fruity and fresh with lively acidity. (88)
• Albino Armani Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2012: deep ruby colour; raisiny, dried cherries with sweet tobacco and oak notes; richly extracted, dry, beautifully balanced with a lovely mouth-feel. Nicely structured with a tannic lift on the finish. (89)
• Albino Armani Amarone della Valpolicella 2010: ruby colour; tobacco and cedar with dried cherries on the nose; richly extracted, full-bodied, nicely balanced with good length and a warm alcoholic finish. (90)
• Albino Armani Cuslanus Amarone Classico 2010: deep ruby colour; cedar, cherry nose with an oak note and a lovely floral grace note; mouth-filling, full-bodied, cherry, plum and raisin flavours with well integrated tannins. Still youthful. (91)
• Albino Armani Recioto della Valpolicella 2012: deep ruby with a purple tint; sweet plum and prune bouquet; full-bodied, dried cherries and kirsch flavours. Firm finish. (88+)

Rondinella grapes

Next stop, SANTA SOFIA (Via Cà Dede, 61 – 37029 San Pietro In Cariano). I had visited this property on my last visit to Valpolicella. After the cellar tour by the owner, Giancarlo Begnoni, we drove up to Trattoria Caprini in Torbe for “a light lunch” as described in the program: lasagnette pasta with ragu sauce, beef cheek in a spicy sauce with polenta and bitter greens, followed by grana Padano and Vezzena cheese.

• Santa Sofia Monte Gradella Valpolicella 2011: deep ruby colour; spicy, black cherry and rose petal nose with vanilla oak notes; medium-bodied, dry, elegant.

Next stop: LE RAGOSE (Località le Ragose – 37024 Arbizzano). Paolo Galli farms 18 hectares. His father planted Cabernet Sauvignon 35 years ago at an elevation of 350 meters. Paolo took us through the vineyards before the tasting:

• Le Ragose Valpolicella Classico 2014: deep ruby colour; spicy, white pepper, cherry nose; lively acidity, grassy note and sour cherry with a firm finish. Somewhat Beaujolais-like. (87)
• Le Ragose Valpolicella “Sassine” Ripasso 2010: ruby with a violet note; rose petal, cherry nose; dry, medium-bodied with blackcurrant and cherry flavours, fresh and lively on the palate; drier and more savoury than usual Ripassos. (90)
• Le Ragose Amarone Caloetto 2006: dense purple-ruby colour; savoury, plum and black cherry aromas; surprisingly dry and savoury with spice and lively acidity. (89+)
• Le Ragose Cabernet Sauvignon 2010: deep ruby colour; blackcurrant, cedar nose; dry, fruity, elegant, medium to full-bodied and firmly structured with well-extracted fruit. Ripe tannins. (89)

Paolo Galli of Le Ragose

Next stop at 4:30 pm, CASA VINICOLA SARTORI (Via Casette, 2 – 37024 Negrar). Sartori is one of the oldest and biggest wineries in Valpolicella, exporting 80% of their wines. They are housed in a 17th-century villa. The chapel on the property dates back to the 15th century. They own 2,300 hectares of vineyards and have access to a further 2700 hectares with the acquisition of a co-op.

• Sartori Regolo Valpolicella Ripasso 2012: deep ruby colour; spicy, peppery, black cherry nose; sweet cherry, soft on the palate with lively acidity. Easy drinking. (87+)
• I Saltari Valpolicella Superiore 2011: leather, iodine note, sour cherry, medium-bodied, fresh and firmly structured – blackcurrant and sour cherry flavours. (90)
• Sartori Valpolicella Classico 2010 (5% Cabernet Sauvignon): ruby colour with a mature rim; savoury, cedar, red berry nose; with a wisp of oak; firm and fleshy with lively acidity and evident but supple tannins. (89)
• Sartori Corte Bra Amarone 2008: dense ruby-black colour; smoky, black licorice, black cherry and pencil lead nose; full-bodied, rich , spicy, peppery, dry, herbal and savoury plum flavours; chunky mouth feel. (90+)
• I Saltari Amarone 2008: dense ruby-black in colour; creamy, black cherry nose with cinnamon and cedar notes; ripe fruit, full-bodied but belies its 15.5% alcohol. Fleshy and firm with fresh, balancing acidity and good length. (92)

8:00 pm: Dinner at RISTORANTE LA DIVINA (via Conca d’Oro, 1, 37015 San Giorgio di Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella). The menu:

Tuesday, September 8th: 9:00 am to SCRIANI, Via Ponte Scrivan, 7 – 37022 Fumane. A 3-hectare vineyard here. Very impressive wines.

• Scriani Valpolicella Classico 2014 (Corvina 60%,Corvinone 20%, Rondinella 10%, Molinara 7%, Oseleta 3%): bright ruby colour; peppery, spicy, cherry and blackcurrant nose with a floral top note; dry, medium-bodied, well-balanced with lively acidity, a note of basil, redcurrant and sour cherry flavours and a warm alcoholic finish. (90)
• Scriani Valpolicella Superiore 2013 (Corvina 60%, Corvinone 20%, Rondinella 10%, Croatina 7%, Oseleta 3%): bright ruby colour; evident oak, cherry with a floral note on the nose; dry, fresh, cherry flavour; firm with lively acidity, fruity and well-structured. (89+)
• Scriani Valpolicella Classico Superiore “Ripasso” 2013 (Corvina 60%,Corvinone 20%, Rondinella 10%, Molinara 7%, Oseleta 3%): deep ruby colour; leather, raisiny, cherry with a cedar note; well extracted blackcurrant flavour, dry, full-bodied with racy acidity; good length. (91)
• Scriani Valpolicella Classico Superiore “Ripasso” 2007: mature ruby colour; developing a barnyard note with spicy, savoury, leather, cherry nose with a floral top note; lovely mouth-feel, sweet cherry flavour, firm structure; a muscular wine with evident but supple tannins. (92)
• Scriani Carpanè Corvina Veronese 2010: deep ruby colour; a nose of cedar, cherry, blackcurrant with a grassy note; rich, spicy medium to full-bodied, elegant and firmly structured with a vanilla oak note. (91)
• Scriani Amarone Classico 2010 (16% alcohol Corvino, 25% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella): deep ruby colour; intense blackcurrant, tobacco and vanilla oak nose; richly extracted, sweet fruit, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, Finishes firmly and carries its alcohol well. (92+)
• Scriani Amarone Classico Riserva 2010 (16% alcohol Corvino, 25% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella): deep ruby colour; spicy, animal note on the nose; richly extracted, sweet plum and prune flavours, chunky mouth-feel. Evident tannins. Needs time. (91–93?)
• Scriani Recioto della Valpolicella 2011 (Corvina 60%, Corvinone 20%, Rondinella 10%, Molinara 10%): deep ruby colour; rich, raisiny, blackcurrant nose; sweet and porty, blackcurrant flavour with a firm finish. (89)

The Cottini family, Azienda Agricola Scriani

11:00 am: TENUTE SALVATERRA, Via Cengia, 8 – 37029 Loc. Cengia S. Pietro in Cariano. Five hectares on the estate with 300 acres spread around Valpolicella as well as producing Pinot Grigio and Prosecco. Great density of planting here, 9600 vines per hectare. Here we had a lunch tasting:

• SalvaTerre Valpolicella Classico 2013: ruby colour; cherry and cherry pit nose with a light floral note; fresh, dry and light with a savoury sour cherry flavour. (87)
• SalvaTerre Valpolicella Classico Ripasso 2012: deep ruby colour; floral, cherry nose with an vanilla oak note; dry cherry compote flavour, firmly structured. (88+)
• SalvaTerre Lazzarone 2010 (60% Corvina, 10% Corvinone, 25% Rondinella, 5% other local varieties): dense ruby colour; cherry kirsch nose with earthy and floral notes; dry and savoury with lively acidity. (89)
• SalvaTerre Amarone Classico 2008 (65% Corvina, 10% Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 5% other local varieties): deep ruby colour; spicy, oak, tar and black cherry nose with a note of dried rose petals; rich and full on the palate – dry, beautifully balanced; powerful yet elegant. (91)
• SalvaTerre Amarone Classico Rieserva Cave de Prun 2004: ruby colour holding nicely; cinnamon, cherry, lightly floral with a suggestion of oak; dry, beautifully balanced, integrated and seamless. A majestic wine. (93)

Tenute Salvaterra

Cellar at Tenute Salvaterra

2:30 pm BOSCAINI CARLO, Via Sengia, 37015. This quote from the website: “Our winery covers an area of 14 hectares overlooking the famous village of St. Giorgio Ingannapoltron, known around the world for its marvelous ancient church, cloister, and archeological excavation. In the beginning, the late Carlo Boscaini (who lived to the venerable age of 102 drinking wine in modest quantity but high quality) produced wine with great passion from leased land.”

• Boscaini Carlo Valpolicella Classico Ca’ Bussin 2013: mature ruby colour; minerally, dusty, cherry nose; dry, lean, sinewy, very Burgundian in style; elegant, well-structured, sour cherry flavour with ripe tannins. (88+)
• Boscaini Carlo Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2012: deep ruby colour; dusty terroir-driven, blackcurrant with a spicy note on the nose; ripe, coffee bean and blackcurrant flavours; good length. (89+)
• Boscaini Carlo Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2011: dusty, spicy, oaky, with a light floral note; sweet cherry flavour with coffee bean and raisin notes. Sustains well on the palate; good acidity finishing dry. (90)
• Boscaini Carlo Amarone Classico “San Giorgio” 2011: deep ruby colour; dark chocolate and plum nose with a thread of minerality; sweet, porty with chocolate and cherry flavours. Big and round in the mouth. (89)
• Boscaini Carlo Recioto della Valpolicella La Sengia 2013: dense ruby-purple; kirsch and bitter chocolate nose; sweet cherry flavour, fruity but firm with an engaging bitter finish. (89).

Boscaini Carlo

4:30 pm SECONDO MARCO, Via Campolongo, 9 – 37022 Fumane. A beautifully appointed winery with a contemporary look. All his wine labels are made from fabric. Winemaker Marco Speri took us into the cellar for a barrel tasting, showing us Amarones from 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 before a formal tasting upstairs. High quality across the portfolio.

• Secondo Marco Valpolicella Classico 2014: light ruby colour; cedar, cherry nose; medium-bodied, dry, lean, sinewy, lively acidity with a firm finish. (88+)
• Secondo Marco Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2012: ruby with a mature rim; vanilla oak, cherry nose and a hint of violets; rich and dry with a sour cherry flavour; well balanced with mouth-freshening acidity. Firm finish. Needs time. (90–92)
• Secondo Marco Amarone Classico 2009: deep ruby colour; cedar, cherry and cherry pit nose; richly extracted, cherry with finely ground tannins; beautifully balanced with cocoa powder tannins. A seamless wine. A keeper. Hold five years at least. (93–94)
• Secondo Marco Amarone Classico 2010: deep ruby colour; cedar, vanilla, spicy, black cherry and pencil lead nose; richly extracted, cherry, blackcurrant and black plum flavours with a strong acidic spine and a lovely note of violets in the back taste. Firm tannic finish. Needs 8–10 years. (92–94)
• Secondo Marco Amarone Classico 2012 (barrel sample): deep ruby colour; vanilla oak, grassy note, fruit masked by oak at the moment but a light floral note coming through on the nose; dry, lean, tight locked in flavours. But already showing its elegance. Reminds me of a Pinot Noir. Needs time. (91–93)
• Secondo Marco Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2012: dense ruby colour; Christmas cake nose with kirsch notes; sweet cherry flavour beautifully balanced with acidity and a structured finish. Great length. (91)

Secondo Marco Amarone 2008

Marco Speri of Secondo Marco

6:30 pm VILLABELLA, 37010 Cavaion Veronese, Cordevigo. From the website: “In 2002, the wine and olive estate with Villa Cordevigo on its land, was acquired by the Delibori and Cristoforetti families. After ambitious restoration over a number of years, the nature and soul of the Villa were preserved while turning it into a superb country hotel with a wealth of art and history.”

• Villabella Bardolino Chiaretto Classico 2014: pale salmon colour; minerally, yellow cherry nose, citrus with a floral note; crisply dry, light-bodied Meyer lemon flavour, fresh and lively on the palate. (88+)
• Villa Cordevigo Bardolino Chiaretto Classico Biologico 2014: deep salmon colour; earthy, strawberry nose; strawberry flavour, full in the mouth with some weight. (88)
• Vigna Morlongo Bardolino Classico Anniversario 2013: deep ruby colour; peppery, plum nose; dry, medium-bodied, plum flavour. (88)
• I Roccoli Valpolicella Classico 2013: deep ruby colour; cherry nose with an earthy note; firmly structured with lively acidity and a firm structure. (88+)
• Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore 2013: dense purple-ruby; raisiny, peppery, cherry nose; mouth-filling cherry and coffee bean flavours; firm and rich. (89+)
• Villa Cordevigo Rosso Veronese IGT 2008 (Corvina and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot – dried grapes): dense purple-ruby colour; cedar, cigar leaf and plum bouquet; dry, full-bodied, ripe black fruit flavours with dark chocolate notes; firm structure, youthful with soft tannins. Needs time. (89+)
• Villabella Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2008: dense purple-ruby colour; spicy, cedar, tobacco, black cherry and blackcurrant nose with violets and vanilla oak notes; rich and full on the palate with dark chocolate and cherry flavours. Round on the palate and still youthful. (92)

Oseleta ristorante at Villabella

We dined in Villa Cordevigo’s restaurant, Oseleta. Chef Giuseppe D’Aquino has one star. We started with marinated porcini mushrooms, followed by Fassone beef, red onion sorbet, pistachio sauce, crispy raspberry; cappelletti filled with veal, pearà cream, Cordevigo red wine sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese form; cheek of Fassone beef, Oseleta sauce, parsnip, sour cherries and chocolate. Two desserts.

Wednesday, September 9th: 9:00 am VILLA MONTELEONE, Via Monteleone, 12, Sant’Ambrogio di Vallpolcella. A traditional house started by an American neurosurgeon from Chicago whose wife now runs the operation. They cultivate 6 hectares, averaging 35,000 bottles.

• Villa Monteleone Valpolicella Classico Campo Santa Lena 2014: deep ruby colour; cherry with light floral note; light-bodied, fruity and dry, sour cherry flavour with driving acidity. Beaujolais style. Easy drinking. (87)
• Villa Monteleone Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Campo San Vito 2011: deep ruby colour; oaky, pencil lead, black cherry bouquet; rich and full in the mouth, initially sweet black cherry and then dies out on the finish to a warm alcoholic finish. Firm structure. (87+)
• Villa Monteleone Amarone della Vapolicella Classico 2009: deep ruby with a tawny rim; creamy, chocolate, prune bouquet with a touch of undergrowth; concentrated, full-bodied, sweet black cherry and plum flavours, well balanced, firm finish. Old style Amarone. (89+)
• Raimondi Palsun Recioto della Valpolicella 2011: deep ruby colour; spicy, iodine, kirsch, cherry bouquet; sweet and rich with balancing acidity, finishing savoury, dark chocolate with a tannic lift on the finish. (89)

11:00 am CORRADO BENEDETTI, Via Croce dello Schioppo, 1 – 37020 Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo. This amazing shop sells a variety of salumi and local cheeses as well as wine. Their website boasts, “The gastronomic range available is unimaginable and rather difficult to describe in writing: salami, soppresse, lards, cured meats, cuts of meat chosen for cooking at home or grilling with friends. And there’s more: fresh or mature cheeses, ‘pure’ or flavoured with local herbs, fruits and wines. But let’s not forget the fresh fruit jams, the wonderful preserves and pickles made from fresh vegetables, the creative jellies made with local wines such as Amarone and spicy mostarde for magnifying the taste of any cheese.” And they’re not exaggerating! We tasted a variety of their products washed down with the following wines: Zyme Vapolicella Classico Superiore 2011, Corte Sant’Alda Campi Magri Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2012, Albino Armani Valpolicella Ripasso 2012.

Cheese aging at Corrado Benedetti

2:30 pm PASQUA, Via Belvedere, 135 – 37131 Verona. The four Pasqua brothers founded the winery in 1925. I was please to run into Carlo Pasqua whom met first some thirty years ago.

• Famiglia Pasqua Bianco Passione e Sentimento Romeo & Juliet 2014 (100% Garganega – dried for one month): golden colour; dried peach and citrus nose with a mineral note; rich and full on the palate, round and fruity, peach and apricot with a touch of sweetness tamed by citrus acidity. (88+)
• Cecilia Beretta – Mizzole Valpolicella Superiore 2013 (60% Corvina, 25% Corvione, 10% Rondinella, 5% Croatina): deep ruby colour; cherry, coffee bean nose with vanilla oak note; medium-bodied, sour cherry carried on lively acidity. (88+)
• Pasqua Black Label Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2013 (60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Corvinone, 10% Negrara): deep ruby colour; cherry with an oak note on the nose; well-structured medium to full-bodied, black cherry and raisin flavour, lively acidity. (88)
• Famiglia Pasqua Rosso Passione e Sentimento Romeo & Juliet 2013 (Merlot 40%, Corvinp 30%, 30% Croatina): deep ruby colour; tobacco and cherry bouquet; medium to ful-bodied, perfumed, rose petal and cherry flavour; soft on the palate, easy drinking. (89)
• Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Villa Borghetti 2011: deep ruby colour; oaky earthy, black cherry bouquet; good mouth-feel with a touch of residual sweetness; chocolate on the finish; firm structure. (89)
• Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella 2011 (60% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta. 5% Corvinone): deep ruby colour; earthy, cedar, rose petal, licorice and vanilla oak bouquet; full-bodied, some sweetness in mid-palate; firmly structured and well balanced. Needs time. (90–91)
• Cecilia Beretta Terre di Carano Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2009 (60% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Croatina, 5% Oseleta. 5% Corvinone): deep ruby colour; cigar box, cinnamon, pencil lead and cherry nose; full-bodied, sweet fruit, firmly structured, quite forward and juicy with a warm alcoholic finish. (90)
• Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2006 – 90th Anniversary edition (60% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta, 5% Corvinone): deep ruby colour; spicy, vanilla, cherry nose with licorice and violet notes; sweet cherry flavour with balancing acidity. Firm structure, the tannins are a little green; needs aging. (89–91)
• Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella 2003 (65% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 10% Croatina, 5% Oseleta): dense ruby-black in colour; roasted, dried cherry nose with notes of plum, prune, dried rose petals and coffee beans; tannic finish. The question is, will it ever come around – 2003 was a very hot year. (88–?)

Pasqua wine labelled with graffiti from Juliet’s house in Verona

4:30 pm LATIUM Via Fienile, 2 – 37030 Mezzane di Sotto. Seven petals of the flower on the label represent the seven family members involved in the company. Used to sell grapes to the cooperative and started their own winery in 2002. 60% Valpolicella wines and 40% Soave. Latius is the old Roman name of Illasi, a nearby village. 43 hectares, 140,000 bottles production of high quality wines.

• Latium Campo Le Calle 2014 (100% Garganega, dried for two months): bright straw colour; grassy, green plum nose; richly extracted apricot and green plum flavours; full in the mouth, beautifully balanced with great length. Lively acidity. (92)
• Latium Valpolicella 2014 (80% Corvina, Rondinella and other varieties 20%): bright ruby colour; blackcurrant, cedar nose with a rose petal nose; fresh and lively on the palate, sour cherry flavour with fresh acidity. Supple tannins on the finish give the wine structure. (89)
• Latium Campo dei Ciliegi Valpolicella Ripasso 2012 (Corvina and Corvinone 70%, Rondinella 20%, Oseleta and Croatina 10%): deep ruby colour; cedar, blackcurrant nose with a rose petal note; richly extracted, cherry flavour with beautifully integrated oak and fresh acidity. (92)
• Latium Campo Prognài Valpolicella Superiore 2012 (Corvina and Corvinone 70%, Rondinella 20%, other varieties 10%): ruby colour; cedar, rose, cherry, vanilla oak nose; medium-bodied, dry, elegant, seamless with a firm tannic structure. A lovely wine. (92)
• Latium Campo Leòn Amarone della Valpolicella 2010 (70% Corvina, Rondinella 20%, Oseleta and Croatina 10%): deep ruby colour; cedar, tobacco leaf, vanilla oak with rose petal notes; rich and full-bodied, concentrated, sweet fruit that finishes dry. (91)
• Latium Sette Dame Passito dei Veneto 2011 (100% Garganega, dried for six months): old gold colour; honey, macadamia nut nose with a light oak note; honeyed, barley sugar with balancing acidity. Rich and full-bodied, peach and honey flavours with a nutty finish. (92)
• Latium Amarone Due Mori Riserva 2008: deep ruby colour; prune and dates, spicy, dried rose petal nose; lots of extract, full-bodied, sweet and porty with serious tannins. Good acidity and well structured. A wine to lay down. (92–94?)
• Latium Septem Viri Recioto della Valpolicella 2009 (Corvina 70%, Rondinella 20%, Croatina 5%, Oseleta 5%): deep ruby, colour; sweet cherry with balancing acidity and an earthy, tannic finish. Warm alcoholic sensation on the final taste. (89+)

8:00 pm Dinner at LOCANDA 800, Moron, 46 – 37024 Negrar. The menu:

Thursday, September 10th: 9:00 am ZYMÈ, Via Cà del Pipa, 1 – 37029 S. Pietro In Cariano. This is a spectacularly contemporary winey, carved out of a 15th century sandstone quarry. Celestino Gaspari worked with Giuseppe Quintarelli from 1986 to 1997 and it really shows in the wines. He came across a Rondinella vine that had produced bunches of both black and white grapes. He managed to isolate the gene that produces the white bunches and cultivated a vine that produces white Rondinella.

• Zyme Il Bianco From Black to White 2014 (60% white Rondinella with 40% aromatic varieties): light straw colour; rose petal and white peach nose with a mineral note; fresh, crab apple and peach flavour. Well-structured with mouth-freshening acidity great length. (91)
• Zyme Valpolicella Rêverie 2014 (Corvina 40%, Corvinone 30%, Rondinella 25%, Oseleta 5%): deep ruby colour; raspberry and cherry nose; dry, elegant, lean, sour cherry with a terroir character; clean and well balanced, very Pinot Noir-ish. (90)
• Zyme Valpolicella “Val” Classico Superiore 2011 (Corvina 40%, Corvinone 30%, Rondinella 25%, Oseleta 5% – given Ripasso treatment but not declared on the label): mature ruby colour; again very Pinot Noir; violets, cherries and tobacco on the nose with well integrated oak; elegant, beautifully balanced, lovely mouth-feel, firmly structured with clean lines and good length. (91)
• Zyme Oseleta 2009 (two vines to make one bottle of wine!): dense ruby colour; tobacco, cedar, floral, cherry bouquet; rich mouth-feel, textured, sour cherry and plum flavours with a strong thread of acidity and evident tannins. (90)
• Zyme Amarone Classico della Valpolicella 2007 (Corvina 40%, Corvinone 30%, Rondinella 15%, Oseleta 10%, Croatina 5%): mature, deep ruby colour; tobacco, vanilla oak and cherries on the nose; a seamless wine, beautifully structured, velvety mouth feel with ripe tannins. (94)
• Zyme Amarone Classico della Valpolicella La Mattonara 2003 (Corvina 40%, Corvinone 30%, Rondinella 15%, Oseleta 10%, Croatina 5%): deep ruby colour; intense, spicy, vanilla, rose petal, cherry and tobacco bouquet; Beautifully integrated oak, full-bodied, elegant with chewy tannins. A majestic wine. (96)

Zymè’s modern winery

Zymè’s cellar carved out of a sandstone quarry

Zymè’s great 2003 Amarone – my top-scoring wine of the tour

11:00 am GIOVANNI EDERLE – CORTE SAN MATTIA Via Santa Giuliana, 2a, 37128 Verona. The winery takes its name from the local church. A beautiful estate high on the hills overlooking Verona. A working farm and agritourismo with a restaurant and 35 rooms. Giovanni Ederle drove us around the property in a reconditioned American army jeep to show us the vineyards, fig trees, olive orchard and kitchen garden that supplies the resaurant. All his whites are made with a blend of Garganega 60% and Chardonnay 40%. All the reds are Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella.

• San Mattia Barbagianni Spumante Brut (Charmat): straw colour; apple nose with citrus notes; dry, lemony, apple flavour with a mineral finish; light-bodied, fresh and easy drinking. Long lemony finish. (89)
• San Mattia Bianco 2014: golden straw colour; apple and white peach with a light floral note; dry, medium-bodied, apple and pear flavours with a note of ginger. (87+)
• San Mattia Donna Francesca 2012: old cold colour; oaky, slightly oxidized, baked apple and nut bouquet; full-bodied, peach and caramel flavours with a salty note on the finish. (89+)
• San Mattia Rosso 2013: a light ruby colour; earthy, cherry pit nose; dry, sour cherry with a bitter finish; fresh and fruity. A delicate cherry flavour on the finish. (88)
• San Mattia Rubro del Forte 2012: ruby colour; lightly oxidized, dried cherry nose; full-bodied, leather, dried cherries and bitter chocolate note. (88)
• San Mattia Amarone della Valpolicella 2012 (5% Croatina – grapes dried 4 months): ruby colour with a tawny hue; evolved nose of dried cherries, chocolate and vanilla oak; full-bodied, sweet and savoury umami flavour of dried cherries and prunes, velvety mouth-feel with a tannic lift on the finish. Needs time (89–91)

We lunch outdoors on carrot flan on a bed of Monte Veronese cheese sauce and risotto with aromatic herbs.

2:30 pm MASSIMAGO, Via Giare, 21, 37030 Mezzane di Sotto. Camilla Rosso Chauvenet comes from a family of lawyers but she chose to become a winemaker. Wise decision. The wine is set high in the Mezzane hills – 28 hectares of vineyards, olive trees and woods. No-one who works here is over 35 and Camilla’s artistic sensibility is evident not only in the wines but in the winery’s promotional material.

Camilla Rosso Chauvenet of Massimago

• Massimago Rosae Saignee 2013 (Saignee of Valpolicella): salmon coloured; minerally, yellow cherry nose;medium-bodied, crisply dry, sour cherry flavour. Bracing pink grapefruit acidity. (87+)

Matteo, the oenologist, gave us berries to taste to show if the grapes are reading for harvest.

• Massimago Valpolicella 2014 (Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella): light, bright ruby colour; redcurrant, white pepper with a mineral note; medium-bodied, dry, green herbal notes. (87)
• Massimago Profasio Valpolicello 2012 (Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella): ruby colour with a violet note; cedar, cherry with a suggestion of vanilla oak on the nose; medium-bodied, dry, elegant, peppery cherry flavour with a cherry pit finish. (89+)
• Massimago Amarone Della Valpolicella 2011: ruby colour; vanilla, dried rose petal, tobacco and cherry nose; rich and full on the palate, soft on the palate and carries its 16.5% alcohol. Sweet black cherry and kirsch flavour with balancing acidity. (90)

4:30 pm CORTE SANT’ALDA, Via Capovilla, 28, 37030 Località Fioi, Mezzane di Sotto. We arrived at this biodynamic winery high in the hills as they were beginning the crush. Marinella Camerani is a very engaging host who welcomed us even though the staff was crazy busy receiving and crushing grapes Garganega and Trebbiano for their Soave.

• Corte Sant’Alda Agathe 2014 (made in a 500-litre amphora from 100% Molinara): very pale ruby colour; cranberry, redcurrant and dry watermelon flavours, medium-bodied and dry with some bitterness on the finish. (87)
• Corte Sant’Alda Valpolicella Ca’ Fiui 2014: deep ruby-purple colour; rustic, cherry and plum bouquet; well extracted sour cherry flavour with lively acidity and a salty note; cherry pit finish. (88)
• Corte Sant’Alda Valpolicella Ripasso Campi Magri 2012: deep ruby-purple colour; cedar, rose petal, cherry bouquet; spicy, richly extracted cherry flavour with balancing acidity and a touch of bitterness on the finish. Firm structure with ripe tannins. (89+)
• Corte Sant’Alda Amarone 2010: deep ruby colour; warm, cedar, plum and cherry nose with a herbal note; full-bodied, sweet and raisiny with a fine spine of acidity and a firm tannic finish. Nicely balanced. (89–91)
• Corte Sant’Alda Recioto della Valpolicella 2011: deep ruby colour; cherry kirsch with an earthy note; full-bodied, sweet cherry and dark chocolate flavours; fine mouth-feel, nicely balanced with acidity. (90)

Corte Sant’Alda’s rose made in an amphora

Our final (farewell) dinner was at ENOTECA DELLA VALPOLICELLA, Via Osan di Sopra, 45 – 37022 Fumane. A great wine store in the basement. The menu:

Pasta with truffles

Chocolate dessert at Enoteca Della Valpolicella

Friday, September 11th: Flying home today. A great trip to Valpolicella and a new respect for Amarone.

J-C Roy’s painting hung in our living room

Monday, August 31st: Wrote my monthly Quench “Aftertaste” column about tomato wine. For dinner with steak stir-fry, Black Hills Nota Bene 2012 from the southern Okanagan (49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc – deep ruby colour with a nose of tobacco, cedar, vanilla oak, cherry and currants with a floral note; full-bodied, dry, savoury with black fruits and licorice flavours. (92))

Tuesday, September 1st: Hung the painting we purchased in Baie-Saint-Paul in the living-room. It looks stunning. Wrote an email to the artist Jean-Claude Roy telling him about the amazing coincidence of finding one of his works on the wall of J-F Bergeron’s house in Stoneham, whom we were staying with on our trip to the Charlevoix Flavour Trail. Wrote my 680 NEWS wine reviews.

Wednesday, September 2nd: Recorded the 680 NEWS wine reviews at the Rogers building on Bloor and Church. Went to the bank to transfer funds to HALO’s head office in New York. Grapes for Humanity has donated $30,315 US to help clear a minefield in the West Bank. Shocked to see it was $40,549 in Canadian funds. Had to regain my composure by tasting the following wines:

• Lindeman’s Bin 65Chardonnay 2014 (Southeastern Australia – $10.95): pale straw colour; minerally, apple and citrus nose; dry, apple, citrus and green pineapple flavours. (Good value) (86+)
• Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône 2013 (Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette – $12.95): straw colour; peach pit and citrus nose; dry, medium to full-bodied, white peach and lemon flavours with a touch of browning apple on the finish. Good value. (86+)
• Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series 2 Bench White 2014 (30% Semillon, 25% Chardonnay, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Viognier, 10% Muscat – $19.99): pale straw colour; minerally nose of pear with an aromatic note; dry, pear and citrus with a touch of spice. (88)
• Ravine Vineyard Chardonnay 2013 (Niagara Peninsula – $30): pale straw colour; minerally, smoky, undergrowth nose; dry, full-bodied, Burgundian style; richly extracted full in the mouth, beautifully balanced with good length. (90)
• Chateau des Charmes Gamay Noir “Droit” 2012 (St. David’s Bench, Niagara – $16.95): ruby colour; earthy, cherry and plum bouquet; richly extracted, sweet fruit, firmly structured with a black cherry flavour and a peppery note. (89)
• Ara Pathway Pinot Noir 2013 (Marlborough, New Zealand – $16.95): ruby colour with a brick rim; cherry pit nose with a touch of oak; dry, cranberry and cherry flavours, soft mouth-feel with lively acidity. (87+)
• King Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir 2013 (Oregon – $24.95): ruby colour; candied raspberry nose with a tobacco leaf note; well extracted, cherry flavour, good texture. Moderate length. (88+)
• Seven Falls Cellars Merlot Wahluke Slope 2012 (Washington): deep ruby colour; cedary, blueberry nose with evident oak; full-bodied, ripe plum and vanilla oak flavours; chunky mouth-feel, sweetish but finishes dry. (88+)
• Sagelands Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (20% Merlot; Columbia Valley, Washington – $18.95): deep ruby colour; earthy, spicy cherry nose with an oak note; dry, mouth-filling cherry and currant flavours; full-bodied and round on the palate with supple tannins. (88)
• Canoe Ridge Vineyard The Expedition Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 7% Syrah; Horse Heaven Hills, Washington – $24.95) deep ruby colour; cedary, blackcurrant nose with a light floral note; medium to full-bodied, sweet fruit with ripe tannins; lovely mouth-feel with a coffee bean note on the finish. (90)
• Pendulum Red 2011 (68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 4% Syrah, 3% Tempranillo; Columbia Valley, Washington): deep ruby colour; cedar, milk chocolate, cherry bouquet; dry, full-bodied, firmly structured with ripe tannins. (89)

Thursday, September 3rd: A Winetohome tasting at Doug Towers’s house with David Lawrason.

Friday, September 4th: A Vintages release tasting for September 19th. One hundred and forty-five wines. Shared the duty with Zoltan Szabo. Came home to watch the Jays get thrashed by the Orioles (which always puts me in a bad mood). Began packing for Verona for a wine bloggers’ conference on Valpolicella and Amarone. I leave tomorrow night.

Thursday, August 27th: Up early to catch a 9:30 am flight from the island airport to Quebec City. Rented a Mazda 5 and drove to the hotel that Jean-François Bergeron reserved for us in Saint Foy – Le Quartier. Had lunch next door in the St. Hubert BBQ and then drove into the old city.

Rene Levesque’s house in Quebec City

Walked around, mainly in the rain, and saw the house where René Lévesque lived. Then stopped in at a shopping mall in St. Foy. Met Jean-François for a drink and he recommended we have dinner at Bistro Boulay (1110 Rue Saint-Jean, in the old city). We eventually found the restaurant in a cobbled street full of restaurants and funky shops. The executive chef, Arnaud Marchand, is 24 years old with an impressive CV. He grows all the herbs he uses in the kitchen on the roof of the restaurant. Deborah ordered Arctic char carpaccio, boreal marinade with elderberry vinegar and organic canola oil, cattail hearts, milkweed pods, herb emulsion. I ordered scallop marinated in organic blackcurrant balsamic vinegar served with corn. With these dishes we had a glass of Domaine Coulon Viognier 2013. Deborah had Angus beef hanger steak, boreal compound butter, pont neuf fries, mixed vegetables and cooking jus and I, the “bistro’s blood pudding duo: my father and Marcel’s cabbage and leek blood sausage, the traditional black pudding with boreal spices, potato purée and roasted apples.” We had a glass of Château de Puy 2010 with the main course. The restaurant comped us dessert – a slice of sea buckthorn berries (grown on the roof) and meringue pie, pine forest spikenard crème anglaise with a glass of Domaine la Branche Vin d’Érable Liquoreux from Montérégie, Québec. A memorable meal.

Friday, August 28th: Up at 7 am to drive from St. Foy to Baie-Saint-Paul. Just before Ste. Anne de Beaupré we passed a bee museum. Our first visit along the Charlevoix Flavour Trail – though we got horribly lost thanks to the GPS – was to Domaine de la Vallé de Bras – the world’s only producer of tomato wine. Pascal Miche and his wife Lucie have been producing wine by fermenting tomatoes for five years using a secret recipe from Pascal’s Belgian great-grandfather. His name was Omer and the brand is Omerto in homage to him. They make four different products from three varieties of organically-grown tomatoes – Dry, Sweet, Semi-Dry aged in acacia wood, and a sweet version aged in cherry and chestnut casks.

The world’s first tomato wines

They have 4,000 tomato plants in their “vineyard” and they produce in toto 15,000 litres. The tomatoes are harvested in mid-August to the mid-September at 25–26 Brix and have to be chaptalized to get the “wine” up to 16% alcohol. The fermentation takes five months. It’s very much a hands-on operation with five people involved in the harvesting, crushing, fermenting, filtering, bottling and labelling of the bottles. They now export to Hong Kong, Japan and the US.

Deborah and I tasted through the range and we were very surprised by the quality. The dry “wine” tasted like sake with no suggestion of tomato flavour. The sweet version has a nose of orange blossom, honey, melon and lychee. The acacia-aged version has a malt whisky character and the chestnut/cherry-aged wine smells of rose petals and cherries. Pascal says that his wines – which are vintage-dated – can last for 20 years!

Auberge Chez Truchon

We bought a half bottle of each product and then drove on to La Malbaie, about 45 minutes north, to have lunch at Auberge Chez Truchon. Chef/owner Dominique Truchon prepared a special lunch for us, beginning with duck from La Ferme Basque in torchon style, crème brûlée of grande glace cider, duck heart confit, dried breast, bun and vinegar from Balconville. With this dish, a glass of Bodegas Lacus Inédito 3/3 from Rioja. The main dish: Grilled gigot d’agneau de Charlevoix with a sauce of dried tomatoes and basil, French fries cooked in duck fat and summer vegetables. For dessert, molten chocolate cake, black cherries, Amaretto ice cream, almond crumble. Another great meal.

Gigot d’agneau and fries in duck fat

Drove back to Baie-Saint-Paul to check into our hotel, Le Germain Charlevoix. The hotel is extraordinary – set on the site of an old farm formerly owned by Les Petites Franciscaines de Marie (the farm complex burned down in 2007 with only one small building remaining. There’s a model in the hotel’s courtyard showing what the farm looked like in its heyday (if you’ll forgive the pun). It was the largest wooden barn in Quebec.

Germain Hotel Charlevoix (formerly La Ferme)

Model of La Ferme before the fire

The only way I can describe the architecture of the hotel is as “industrial-pastoral.” The out-buildings are named La Bergerie, Le Moulin and Basse-Cour (the building in which we are staying). The hotel has won numerous international awards, including the best designed hotel in the world in 2013. All the rooms are farm-themed and the furniture, linens, towels, lighting and appurtenances were either made locally in the province or by Canadian manufacturers.

Baie-Saint-Paul

In the afternoon we walked around Baie-Saint-Paul, visiting a great art gallery. In the evening we dined at the hotel’s restaurant, Les Labours. We sat at the bar overlooking the rectangular kitchen, watching Chef Sylvain Derivieux and his staff preparing dinner. Sylvain chose our menu: blood pudding with a horseradish foam and a glass of Domaine L’Ange Gardien Rosé 2014; veal sweetbreads with a cream of corn sauce; Arctic char with almonds and edamame beans, with a glass of Thomas Batadière L’Esprit Libre Chenin Blanc 2013; roast lamb, smashed potatoes with wild garlic, beets and broccoli, with a glass of Château Mirebeau 2010; dessert – chocolate with a mousse of passionfruit, raspberry with almond-flavoured ice cream.

Les Labour’s sweetbreads in a cream of corn sauce

Saturday, August 29th: Went for a coffee and croissant at a local coffee house and then were given a tour of the hotel by Ann Pepin, who told us the history and showed us a couple of rooms. Then we drove to the ferry at Isle-aux-Coudres to take the 20-minute trip to the island (free!). We drove around, stopping at Boulangerie Bouchard (established 1945) to buy lunch – tourtière turnover and a smoked salmon wrap (as well as a blueberry pie for our hosts tomorrow). Then on to Cidrerie Vergers Pedneault, where we sampled various ciders and fruit wines. Purchased at bottle of Le Pedneault Ecume de Mer. Final stop before taking the ferry back to the mainland: Les Moulins de l’Isle-aux-Coudres. This museum houses a fully functional watermill (1825) and windmill (1836), as well as a miller’s residence. The mill stones still grind wheat and buckwheat here.

Cidreie on Isle-aux-Coudres

Back in Baie-Saint-Paul we visited the Art Symposium in the local hockey rink. Twelve artists were invited to work on an art project for a month and interact with the public as they did so. We were very taken by an artist from Halifax whose hobby is creating wooden models of every merchant ship that he records passing through the St. Lawrence. His focus for the Symposium was ships that passed Baie-Saint-Paul. Then we revisited Gallerie d’Art Yvon Desgagné, where we bought a small oil painting we fell in love with – by Jean-Claude Roy, a French artist who painted Newfoundland landscapes.

The J.C. Roy painting we bought

Dined at Mouton Noir, a bistro at 43 rue Saint-Ann in Baie-Saint-Paul that backs on to the Gouffre River. Chef Thierry Ferré comes from Brittany. Deborah ordered rouleaux of duck and escargot salad followed by scallop, shrimp and salmon with lobster sauce, and I chose the squid and peach salad, followed by a pork dish that was like pot au feu with a pastry shell. The sommelier recommended a bottle of Domaine Labet Pinot Noir 2013 from Corsica. Too full to order dessert.

My pork pot-au-feu pie at Mouton Noir

Sunday, August 30th: On Sunday mornings there’s a market in the Germain Hotel Charlevoix courtyard with stalls selling fruit and vegetables, honey, soaps, handicrafts and jewellery with musicians playing on the lawn. Took to the Flavour Trail this morning after breakfasting in the hotel.

First stop: La Ferme Basque, a producer of foie gras using the traditional Basque method of gavage. Isabelle Mihura and her partner Jacques Etcheberrigaray keep 4500 ducks – Mulards for foie gras and Muscovy ducks for meat. Apparently, only males are force-fed for foie gras. The females are kept for their eggs.

Isabelle Mihura and her duck products

Ducks at La Ferme Basque

Next stop Centre de l’Émeu, where Raymonde Tremblay keeps a flock of over 400 emus from which she produces emu oil, soaps and assorted butchered and prepared meats. Emu chicks grow to six feet in a year and are ready to breed when their necks turn blue (male and female, no kidding!). They can run at 70 kilometres an hour but can’t walk backwards. Raymonde sells jars of her own recipe spaghetti sauce made with emu meat as well as emu cassoulet.

Emu at Centre de l’Émeu

Raymonde Tremblay and friend

Next stop, Maison d’Affinage Maurice Dufour, an award-winning cheese producer. We sampled six different cheeses, Le Migneron, Le Ciel de Charlevoix, Le Secret de Maurice, La Tomme d’Elles, Tomme de Brebis de Charlevoix and Le Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix. They also make a white, red and rosé wine. We got to sample the white called Le Charlevoyou 2014. A bit foxy.

Award-winning cheese

Next stop, Boulangerie La Rémy, an early 19th-century watermill where local organic wheat is milled into flour for its onsite bakery. Lunched outdoors at Laiterie Charlevoix Economuseum, finishing up with their delicious cheesecake ice cream.

Laiterie Charlevoix

Checked out of the hotel to drive to Stoneham, where we spent the night with our friends Jean-François and Hélène Bergeron. A wine-filled dinner with their family members, starting with Jacob’s Creek Moscato 2014 as we sat outside looking at the lake. Then Paul Buisse Crémant de Loire with smoked salmon. Barbecued steak, potatoes and Greek Salad with Paolo Conterno Barolo “Riva del Bric” 2009 and Clos de las Siete 2009. With the assorted Quebec cheeses I brought out a bottle of the tomato wine I’d purchased at Omerto – Omerto Moelleux Aperitif Tomato Wine.