Promotion time

Everybody is looking for a good deal when it comes to wine. I used to look for the best wine under $10 but then after finding that I naturally wanted the best wine under $15 – because really, it probably is better than the best $10 wine.  So I looked for a promoted wine.

Sometimes wines get promoted to a more lofty status.  Here’s how it works in France – well at in the Rhône anyways.  The lowest class is Côtes-du-Rhône … then to Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages …and then the villages get to add their name to the label if they are really good … then the Rhone villages gets its own AOC status - “Rhône Cru”- that’s big time!  Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the biggest.

Some of favorite expensive wines are Rhône Cru – Vacqueyras runs $20, Gigondas $25, and Châteauneuf $40.  My new friend Vinsobres was promoted in 2006, runs  $15 and is a steal – a steal I say.

So find a newly promoted Rhône wine today – look for a Vinsobres or a Rasteau (promoted in 2010)  and get real value for your coin.

Spend a lot

This Christmas I think that a paradigm shift is overdue. Bottom line –  people need to recontextualize, literally think outside the box, and spend a lot of money ad nauseam this Christmas.

I recommend either a case of absurdly large bottles of Chianti for $99 or a normal sized bottle of Dom Perignon with the gift pack crystal stemware at $240 for everyone on your extended shopping list.

Alternately, a modestly priced French red wine would make a nice gift – there are 200 of this Côtes du Rhône  available in Guelph alone. After all, modest is the new extravagant.

 
LES CELETTES 2009                                VINTAGES 235010 | $ 13.95

Picking the perfect party wines

We attended the first Christmas party of the year – the hosts denied it was a Christmas party but really, it’s December for pity’s sake. It felt all Christmas-y to me.  I was very impressed with the wine selection.  Hosts C&J claimed to have just purchased whatever was on sale on the end aisles at the wine store. I have my suspicions that they knew exactly what they were doing. Either way, this is a good recipe for selecting party wines. Or you can buy inexpensive bottles with cute animals on the label – that might go over well too.

Start with bubbly - "Tiny bubbles in the wine" and all that - Prosecco from Italy is much cheaper than Champagne from France

Côtes du Rhône is the backbone of your selections - who can argue with French red?

A second Côtes du Rhône makes it look like you really know what you are doing

There are sure to be Italians at any party - don't risk offending them - have a "vino rustico" on hand

American Zinfandel is an intersting alternative to an all-European lineup- "He must know what he's doing serving Zinfandel at a party"

Battle Bernard – Let’s go Louis

Bring it on Louis Bernard – I challenge you to a throwdown.

I’ve got a Weinfrischhalter Geschenskset  and I’m not afraid to use it.  Truth be known I look forward to it. With my “WG” I can open two bottles and compare. I have a limited  taste memory and I’m hoping that this “training” will improve it.

 Louis Bernard makes both the Côtes du Rhône at $12.95 and the Réserve de Bonpas at $13.95. Both wines are the GSM blend – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre – and I decided to open them last night. So what do you get for a dollar more? A way cool label that looks like a $45 wine label and more dried herbs in the taste. The Réserve de Bonpas was also darker and more refined but the Côtes du Rhône had the earthiness that I like in a Rhône wine. I liked them both but my “WG” made comparing them more cost-effective.

Hooray that my Weinfrischhalter Geschenskset  saved both my bottles for another day and helped me in my taste training plan.

La Romaine Rhone – everyday red

LA ROMAINE COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES VENUS, Southern Rhone
LCBO 28779 |Price: $ 12.95

“When we read we begin with A-B-C, when we drink we begin with Cotes-Du-Rhone” - paraphrasing Julie Andrews.  My favorite wine writer, Billy Munnelly, starts his Wine Boot Camp with a Cotes du Rhone (but not this one).  He says that if you understand Cotes du Rhone then you understand most of the world’s red wines. I believe him (mostly because he has authored a book and I haven’t).
Description

Syrah and Grenache : Spice and Fruit.  Each grape in this wine adds its character that has made them favorites in Spain, Australia, and in North America.  Produced right in the same region as Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and Chateauneuf du Pape at a fraction of the price.  Pretend that you are drinking a $50 bottle and act a little snobby if you like. The French would love it if you did.

A Wine by any other name …

Personally I hate it when wines are marketed by using stupid names.  Maybe it’s a sign that my wine snob meter is going up – I don’t know, but here’s a couple that really bug me.

Cono Sur Wines.  I’m sure the Cono Sur Viognier (connoisseur, get it?) from Chile is delicious. Viognier really is one of my favorite white varietals.  However, I feel like I need to have this pun approved by my school’s English department before serving it – and from my experience they don’t easily approve puns. 

 I do think they would approve of a nice Viognier if properly named. Yalumba winery in Australia is known for making great new world Viognier.  They usually name them “Viognier”, “Hand-Picked Viognier”, or something like that and chances are your Vintages section will have one. 

Goats do Roam? Vintages carries several wines by this name. I know it sounds like “Cotes du Rhone” but please stop! I’m embarrassed for all the South African wine makers that had nothing to do with this.  This name is insulting to the French and to be fair, when have the French ever been known to insult anyone?

If you want a nice wine that rhymes with “Goats do Roam” then try Guigal Cotes du Rhone -LCBO 259721- or La Romaine Venus Cotes du Rhone Villages – LCBO 28779 -  at $12.95 it tastes like $30.

Fat Bastard Wines. As a PE teacher I have a very healthy BMI, I think I’m a nice guy, and yet Tony once bought me a Fat Bastard Shiraz for my birthday.The  Shiraz is great but that’s not the point.  “This Fat Bastard is dry with a tannic finish”, is not a conversation I want to have over wine.  It is however, one that Tony wants to have. 

I think there are many suitably named Shiraz at the LCBO.  Long Flat for one - LCBO 536763 – is a good name and is a great everyday wine. It was our house wine last year. 

For the record, Yellow Tail is not really a stupid name – it just started us on a bad trend of cute wines named after cute animals that taste like bubble gum (the wines taste like bubble gum not the kangaroos). I am hoping that Kangaroo Springs Shiraz is really from a winery near a healthy natural water source, but I have my suspicions.

Now having said that, if a wine tastes good then it’s worth buying and drinking.  Bonny Doon’s Cardinal Zin is one of my favorite American wines and my favorite Zinfandel. I guess I can overlook the name after all.