This week’s wine tasting: February 22 - 28th

Summoning spring

2008 Château de la Tuilerie, Southern Rhône, France $16.50

The racy Rhône Valley has a myriad of unctuous wines, with perfume, spice and definite character. This blend of Grenache Blanc and Viognier from Costieres de Nimes, fits the profile perfectly. This voluptuous wine has aromas of exotic fruits and flowers that envelope your senses like a silk robe. Chantal Comtes crafts her wines with patience, letting the natural characteristics of the wine come out. She understands the metaphysical aspect of wine and with dedication and talent she has won over 500 awards in only twenty years.

Pair this with exotic dishes such as a Vietnamese mango and grilled shrimp dish or blue crab and roasted pineapple, for something simpler try a grilled Munster cheese sandwich with a side of honey bbq chips.

2006 Movia, Brda Slovenia $29.00

Ribolla Gialla, a robust thick skinned yellow grape dating back to 1289, is a true wine of the terroir. Though political allegiances have changed multiple times over the millennia, the passion for wine in the area has never ceased. Ales Kristancic, with three centuries of family tradition behind him has customized his winemaking style by integrating modern equipment with biodynamic techniques and ancient wisdom. He leaves the wine on its lees (yeasts) for up to two years in Slovenian oak and uses atmospheric pressure to filter the wines preserving the natural flavors and vitality of the wine, making them age worthy and absolutely delicious. This wine is an absolute treat for oenophiles looking for obscure international varietals.

Pair this with anything from the sea, such as giant clams or seaweed salad.

2006 Anton Iby, Mittelburgenland, Austria $15.00

Blaufränkisch is an excellent alternative to Pinot Noir with its light body and sassy spice. It has a thicker skin than Pinot Noir allowing it to withstand the harsh Austrian winters, yet maintains a seductive elegance. The Iby family, one of the premier blaufränkisch producers in Austria, were the first growers to establish a winery in Burgenland in 1983. Their focus is on power, elegance and aging potential in their wine. To accomplish this they perform rigorous quantitative restrictions and ferment much of their table wine in stainless steel.

It is the perfect accompaniment to any barbeque or game dish such as duck or venison.

Salute!

Tanya

At the Vestry Wines tasting bar Feb 15th - 21st

This week at the tasting bar we are featuring a trio of blends, each of them a shining example outstanding quality for under $20.

NV Castellroig Brut Cava, Spain $15.00

From the heart of the Cataluña, we present a true treasure, Cava; the Spanish answer to Champagne. As with Champagne, the Cava is blended from three grapes; Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo (Cha-rel-lo). Macabeo produces elegant floral notes to allure your nose, Parellada bursts with green apple and citrus, Xarel-lo pulls it all together with its creamy body and subtle vegetal notes resulting in a fantastically easy going bubbly.
The Castellroig family since 1760, has established themselves by building a strong union of oenologists who have a strong dedication to family and farm. To ensure the best quality all fruit is hand picked, carefully transported, then cooled in a cellar and separately fermented. After being aged for 18months it is finally released to the public and not a moment too soon.
This Cava is delicious and can be enjoyed with a variety of foods such as spicy Pad Thai, sushi, mollusks or any tapas dish.

2007 Yves Cheron “Les Dentelles” Côtes Du Rhône, France $13.50

The Côtes du Rhône, literally The Hills of the Rhône, is a warm region in the Eastern part of France. CDR wines tend to be unctuous, not this one. Crafted by Burgundian Yves Cheron, Les Dentelles has an undemanding elegance. Vinified of Grenache and Syrah, this wine is unfined with a portion of Syrah aged in neutral oak to add complexity.
This light wine skips on your palate with notes of fresh thyme and rosemary and Mediterranean aromas of black olive and sun baked tomatoes.
Serve this wine with a Pasta Puttanesca, dill havarti or any dish with fresh herbs.

2005 Vestini Campagnano “Kajanero” Terre Del Volturno, Italy $17.50

What do you get when you mix two lawyers? Sounds like the beginning to a bad joke, in this case there is nothing to joke about. This wine is phenomenal! It all started with two lawyers, who had an interest in oenogastronomy. Fascinated with the unique Pallagrello vine found in Caseta, which produces both black and white grapes, they embarked on their wine making journey, reviving Pallagrello from near extinction. Over the decades their wines have evolved, and today we get a delicious full body wine which is made of a blend of Pallagrello, Aglianico, Casavecchia; all indigenous varieties grown on the Caiazzo hills in Campania.
Enjoy this hearty wine with tomato rich dishes such as Lasagna Bolognese or a hearty stew.

Tanya.