Anthony Gismondi: Get the fall started with some workhorse red wines
Credit to Author: agismondi| Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2019 18:00:15 +0000
The Labour Day long weekend is here, and traditionally we enjoy sharing some of our favourite ‘workhorse’ reds to kick off the unofficial start to the fall season. Because it’s so difficult to find value for money in the British Columbia wine market, import or local, our search mandate includes the critical caveat that the wine is widely accessible to readers across the province.
Not all that long ago, government stores bought products based on quality and price. Under the new wholesale system — their term not mine — each store manager is responsible for making his or her store a profit centre above and beyond operating costs. That is in addition to the massive profit already taken via the hefty markup applied in Victoria.
The program has changed the nature of all in-store listings. People, place, quality and value are no longer relevant factors in getting a wine listed. Agents are pitching buyers wines with the ability to generate the highest rate of return. Think large-production commercial labels worth two or three dollars at source selling for $20 to $30 at retail. It also explains the wild fluctuations in shelf prices from month to month, because the margins are so fat retailers can drop their prices and still turn a healthy profit.
The problem for wine lovers is you are getting less and less for your money. Your only real defence is to be aware of what it is you are buying, and the key is its origin. If you can trace the wine back to a real producer, from a region or sub-region at least, you have a starting point to measure what kind of value your favourite wine is offering. Caveat emptor as they say.
As we head into the last long weekend of summer before the fall we have come up with eight workhorse reds under $20 that we like. Don’t forget the original price includes another full 15 per cent (PST and GST) at the cash register, so be sure your budget allows for that as well. Prices will vary widely from month to month so strike while you can.
In France, the Rhone and the Languedoc down south are your best bets for value. Some sort of Syrah/Grenache blend with bits of carignan or cinsault is typical. Wines we love are:
• Domaine Guisset 2016, Roussillon, France, $19.99. All concrete tank aged, this Syrah and Grenache are both vast and sensuous.
• M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut Rouge, Côtes du Roussillon, France, $14.99. A wine that simply over-delivers every year.
• Paul Mas Estate Single Vineyard Collection Malbec Gardemiel Vineyard 2015, Coteaux du Languedoc, France. $13.99. A single vineyard Malbec grown in the foothills of the Pyrenees in Languedoc, 200 km from Cahors, the historical birthplace of Malbec.
Spain is equally endowed with some are excellent picks:
• Masroig Sola Fred Montsant 2017, $19.99. A Carignan/Grenache, this is a wine drinker’s wine that can pump up any weeknight dinner or step in and punch above its weight on the weekend.
• Mas Donis Negre 2016, Montsant, Catalunya (Catalonia Cataluña), Spain, $17.99. A Tempranillo, Garnacha, Merlot, Syrah and Samsó (Carignan) blend. It’s a powerful, spicy, red wine with dimension — a perfect fall red for mushrooms lamb or beef dishes.
Portugal is a haven for value at the moment, you need only embrace the language and the names to enjoy some super bargains:
• Vale do Bomfim Douro Tinta 2014, Douro Valley, Portugal, $16.99. Charming yet serious, this is an ideal drink-now red for the fall.
• Pedra Cancela Dão Selecção do Enólogo 2016, Portugal, $17.99. Don’t let the Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro and Touriga Nacional blend scare you off. It’s all about the peppery, savoury, floral, raspberry/black cherry fruit.
• Quinta do Crasto, Douro Tinto 2015, Portugal, $19.99. A classic Douro red first documented in 1615. Crasto presents as vibrant stony, mineral black plum flavoured red with streaks of cassis and tobacco that beckon fall to arrive.
You have your list, its time to go hunting before the prices go up this fall.
CedarCreek Pinot Gris 2018, British Columbia, Canada
$18.99 I 88/100
UPC: 78913023095
The 2018 is a 50/50 blend from Cedar Creek’s Southern Okanagan vineyards and the Home Block vineyard in East Kelowna overlooking Okanagan Lake. After whole-bunch pressing, 10 per cent was fermented in barrel (including some new), imparting big spice, pear butter and toast to the anise imbued palate. Full and round, padded with lees and ripe yellow apple on a moderately oily palate, lifted with fresh acidity — a much more serious lens for the estate Pinot Gris than the last vintage, and a welcome shift.
Tantalus Bear Chardonnay 2018, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
$19.30 I 90/100
UPC: 626990332046
A new label for Tantalus. It replaces the Juveniles Chardonnay, whose vines are gaining age after seven years in the ground. The ‘Bear’ tag is a nod to the nickname of owner Eric Savics’ eldest son. The fruit is natively fermented and aged in a mix of stainless and older French barrels. The result is a lovely mix of crystalline lemon, verbena, polished stone, pineapple rind, green apple, guava and a thin cushion of fine lees and a scent of smoky flint. The balance is impeccable, and the acidity pitch-perfect. Smart, tidy, and ready-to-drink — try this with fresh cracked crab. Available at private wine shops or the winery direct.
M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut Rouge, Côtes du Roussillon, Roussillon, South of France, France
$14.99 I 89/100
UPC: 03391181381437
If you had to drink this wine for the rest of your life, it would not be so bad. It’s bio-dynamically grown Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault fruit that sells for a giveaway price: earth-friendly, it hails from Roussillon in the south of France. The attack is fresh and peppery laced with licorice, black raspberries and bits of chocolate all in a highly-polished elegant style, back up the truck for one of the rare bargains left in government stores.
Vistalba Corte C 2017, Vistalba District, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
$14.47 I 91/100
UPC: 7798121940031
Vistalba turns out a series of blends or “corte” with Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Bonarda. The wine is fermented in concrete, blended and aged in French oak barrels. The nose is aromatic, stony, mineral with notes of violets and red fruits. The style continues to evolve down the elegance road. The textures are supple and the palate awash in vibrant plummy blackcurrant fruit with a chalky, long, exquisite finish. Mid-week it’s Bolognese ready; on the weekend go with a T-Bone steak and chimichurri sauce.
Taylor Fladgate Fine White Port N/V, Douro Valley, Portugal
$17.99 I 88/100
UPC: 5013626111239
White Port is sorely undervalued in North America but not because it doesn’t taste delicious. Taylor’s ‘Fine White’ is a mix of varieties you can’t pronounce and likely never heard of that are aged solo for some 36 months in oak vats. Taylor’s pioneered dry white aperitif port in 1934 under the “Chip Dry” label, but the ‘Fine White” is a much sweeter version. Expect a fresh attack with floral, anise, caramel and vanilla flecks. You can enjoy this neat in a tumbler or on warm days in a wine glass served over ice with a slice of lemon. The latter is a welcomed pre-dinner treat. Try something different.
Papas con choco from Andalusia by José Pizarro.
Papas con choco is one of the oldest recipes known to be from Seville, Spain, according to Chef José Pizarro, author of Andalusia: Recipes from Seville and Beyond. This peasant dish combines two of the cheapest and most common ingredients in the region, potatoes and cuttlefish, in the most noble way.
2 lb. (900 g) cuttlefish, cleaned and sliced into 1 ¼-inch (3-cm) lengths
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for frying
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
1 tsp. (5 mL) sweet smoked Pimentón de la Vera
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of rosemary
14 oz. (400 mL) tin chopped tomatoes
Pinch of saffron
8 cups (2 L) fish, chicken or vegetable stock
2 lb. (900 g) charlotte or other waxy potatoes
Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Season the cuttlefish. Pour a little olive oil into a heavy-based, lidded saucepan or lidded casserole dish over high heat and fry the cuttlefish strips and tentacles for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add a little more oil to the saucepan and turn the heat down to medium. Fry the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the smoked Pimentón, herbs, chopped tomatoes and saffron, and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour half of the stock into the saucepan, add the cuttlefish and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, until the fish is tender, adding a little more stock or boiled water if it’s looking dry.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and, using a small knife, break each one into 1¼-inch (3-cm) pieces so they have rough edges. Add the potatoes to the saucepan with the remaining stock and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with plenty of parsley and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
A tasty, spicy dish that will work with lighter reds or full-flavoured whites without too much oak.
Batasiolo Barbera d’Alba 2016, Piedmont, Italy $17
Fresh prominent acidity followed by dry, round tannins and subdued sweet and sour red cherry should make easy work of this full-flavoured dish.
Crowsnest Family Reserve Stahltank Chardonnay 2018, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia $17 to $20
A sweet summer orchard brings apricots, orange blossoms, red apple and tangerine that will brighten up this fish and potato dish.