Tuesday, October 17th: Deborah and I drove to Buffalo Airport to take a JetBlue flight to JFK New York. The purpose of the two-day trip is to have dinner with our cousin Paul and to attend the 20th anniversary dinner of Grapes for Humanity Global to be held at a private apartment on East 57th Street. Continue reading
What’s going on? Couldn’t whip up much enthusiasm this week as am heart-sick over what is happening to Israel (on top of what is happening in the Ukraine).
But I am off to New York City tomorrow for a Grapes for Humanity fund-raising event, so I hope to be distracted from the news.
Wines tasted with dinner this week:
Silk & Spice Spice Road (Portugal, $15.95, LCBO #34465)
A blend of Alicante Bouschet, Shiraz, and Touriga Nacional. Dense purple in colour; spicy, cedary, mulberry bouquet; full-bodied, ripe black fruit flavours with a residual mocha sweetness on the finish. Great value. (89)
OTU Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (New Zealand, Vintages #17548, $28.95)
Bright, pale straw in colour; grassy, green pea and gooseberry nose; medium-bodied, crisply dry, with a rich, beautifully balanced flavour of gooseberries and passionfruit. (91)
Also served with dinner this week:
Malivoire Bisous Rosé (Non-Vintage) (Pinot Noir, Beamsville Bench; winery only, $34.95)
Pale rose gold in colour; active mousse of tiny bubbles. A bouquet of wild strawberries and red apple; medium-bodied, dry, fresh and lively on the palate with a strawberry and red plum flavour, rounded with oak. (90)
Malivoire Gamay “Concrete” 2022 (Beamsville Bench, winery only, near-future release, $28–$30)
Fermented in concrete tanks then aged seven months in 12-year-old, 300-litre barrels. Purple-ruby in colour; spicy, peppery, cherry nose with vanilla oak notes; medium-bodied, dry, savoury, sour cherry flavour with a peppery note, carried on fresh acidity. (91) Continue reading
The Foreign Affair white wines
The Foreign Affair Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (Niagara Peninsula)
Very pale in colour, almost water white; grassy, green plum bouquet with a green pepper note; light to medium-bodied, crisply dry, lemon, lanolin and green plum flavours. Drink now. (89)
The Foreign Affair Winery Viognier 2022 (Lincoln Lakeshore)
Pale straw colour; honeysuckle and white peach on the nose; medium-bodied, dry, aromatic, white peach and lemon flavours. Long fresh finish of lemony acidity. A well-balanced wine. Drink now and through 2024. (90)
The Foreign Affair Winery Sussreserve Riesling 2022 (Vinemount Ridge)
Pale straw colour; grapefruit zest nose with a light floral note; light-bodied, just off-dry with a honeyed grapefruit flavour, finishing on a note of lime and apple. Good length. Drink now or 2024/5. Will develop more complexity with age. (89) Continue reading
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