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RodPhillips 107 days ago
[OTTAWA, CANADA] Much of the wine news recently has been about trends in sales during hard economic times. The main story seems to be that when finances get tight, most people continue to drink, but they drink more cheaply. There's a report in the Globe & Mail (one of Canada's national newspapers) today that, in Alberta, sales of premium vodka have slumped, while sales of low-end vodka are up. And that in parts of British Columbua, bar sales are down, while store liquor sales are up. In other words, people are making do with lower-end drinks, and choosing to drink at home for less, rather than pay the mark-up in bars. In Ontario, where I'm based, the pattern seems to be the same. Wine sales appear to be fairly steady, but the less expensive wines are doing better than the others. Much of the evidence is anecdotal, although the sales figures I've seen certainly bear out the pattern. It was interesting, then, to have lunch with a wine rep and a friend yesterday and to ...
RodPhillips 113 days ago
[OTTAWA, CANADA] Twice, last night, life imitated my wine blog. I went out to dinner at Absinthe, a bistro in Ottawa I hadn't eaten at for some time, but I've been hearing quite good things about. I took a friend I haven't seen for a while. Earlier in the day, I'd posted a blog on sparkling shiraz and its similarity to kir royal, a combination of creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) and sparkling wine. It's common enough in France but--in my experience, anyway--not often drunk in Canada. Yet, as soon as our server asked if we would like a cocktail or a glass of wine, my friend responded in a heartbeat, "I'd like a kir royal." I thought she was joking and had just read yesterday's blog, but it turned out she didn't even know I was blogging. (Always great for the ego to hear that sort of thing!) For the record, she assured me they make a mean kir royal at Absinthe (you can overdo or underdo the creme de cassis, but they got it right). I had a glass of ...
RodPhillips 113 days ago
[OTTAWA, CANADA] I was treated to a revelation the other day. I was entertaining a friend who, I know well, is addicted to kir royal--a refreshing long drink made by mixing a small amount of creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) with sparkling wine. ("Addicted" is perhaps too strong a word, perhaps not. She once had a craving and ordered one at a French cafe at 11:30 am. She now swears it was noon. I attribute this to simple denial or to the effects of RKS--Repetitive Kir Syndrome.) Kir is a popular summer drink and aperitif in France, and it's the sparkling version of kir (without the "royal"), which is creme de cassis and still white wine. Ideally, you use a white made from the aligote variety in kir, but any fairly crisp and not too intensely-flavoured white will do. An unoaked chardonnay works fine, but a heavily oaked chardonnay would be a bad idea. Anyway, I was about to suggest a kir royal or a glass of rose to my friend the other day, when I ...
RodPhillips 115 days ago
[OTTAWA, CANADA] Today I met Howard Duncan, Export Manager for Australia's Peter Lehmann wines, for a tasting of some new wines and vintages. Peter Lehmann (PL from now in on this post) has long been one of my favourite brands, and I wish they were more popular. They hold their own, but they could do better. It's true that, in terms of price, they sit above the popular price points, but they deliver excellent quality and value across the board. The first wine we tasted was PL 'Clancy's Legendary' Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc 2008. This is a blend of 51% semillon from the Barossa Valley and 49% Sauvignon Blanc from Adelaide Hills. It reflects well on both varieties. Howard's take is that the semillon is crisp and lean, while the sauvignon is flamboyant. Put them into play together, and the result is a white with lovely fruit and acidity. It's simpy drinkable, on its own or with food. Great stuff. 2008 is the first vintage of this blend, and I wondered how it could be ...
RodPhillips 117 days ago
[OTTAWA, CANADA] I've been reading through some wine reviews in a few magazines today--not for pleasure, I assure you--and I've noticed that very few refer to the colour of the wine. Am I mistaken in thinking that, not so long ago, colour was something that everyone noted, along with aromas and flavour?Then again, the notion of 'length' (the length of time the flavours stayed in your mouth after you'd swallowed or spat the wine) seems to have disappeared from reviews, too. But let's focus on colour. Has it disappeared from reviews because it's just not that important? Let's assume that wine reviews are not just the jottings of self-indulgent and self-important wine writers who want the world to know what they've tasted. Let's assume, instead, that the reviews are designed to point readers toward wines they might like--to help sell wine, in other words. I think we can safely assume that's why wineries and wine agencies and the like send me samples of wine; they hope I'll review ...
