Macquariedale Organic Wines - Chardonnay

Producer: Macquariedale Organic Wines
Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: Hunter Valley, Australia
Vintage: 2007
Price: ~ $20

Normally I'm leery about anything that purports that their "certified organic" because regulation of such terms is pretty loose (at least in Canada). When Macquariedale says that their wines are "Certified Organic" they actually mean their wines are "Biodynamic" which is a specific type of organic and is a trademarked term by a private organization named Demeter. It's not publicly regulated but they are one of the three predominant organic certifiers in the world and fairly reputable.

I was quite surprised by this wine. Perhaps it's the organic process but the bouquet smelled of apples, minerals and sweet fruit and reminded me of a few New Zealand wines that I had the pleasure of tasting. On the palate the apple notes carried forward with a tangy hint of citrus, pear and a had a crisp complex finish. Would definitely look into more organic wines and see how they differ from traditional wines (of course, I'm sure you'll be paying more).

J

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Rapsani - Reserve

Producer: Tsantali
Name: Rapsani Reserve
Varietal: Xinomavro (34%), Krassato (33%) and Stavroto (33%)
Region: Rapsani, Greece
Vintage: 2006
Price: ~ $20

What could make the dreary daily trudge of work tolerable? Wine of course! And what better way to taste it than at work. The Rapsani Reserve from Tsantali is a great value blend that gradually opens up. The bouquet carries notes of dark plums, ripe berries and forward spices. On the palate the pepper spices strike first giving way to dark cherries with a hint of smokey leather. It has a rounded well balanced velvety finish. As the tasting carried on the wine gradually began to open up and smoothen out most notably on the initial hit of spice. Nice and mellow.

Greek wines don't always get the consideration that they deserve. The Rapsani Reserve is definitely one worth consideration, by itself or paired with some really unique spicy game dishes.

J

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Santa Margherita - Pinot Grigio

Producer: Santa Margherita
Varietal: Pinot Grigio
Region: Alto Adige, Italy
Vintage: 2009
Price: ~ $20

The Pinot Grigio from Santa Margherita has a light golden like like nectar and is quite clear. The bouquet comes off as citrus and melon with perhaps a hint of honey. It's a smooth easy drinking wine that quickly finishes after notes of citrus, stone, rain and a little white pepper. It's really light body might turn away some who are used to drinking something with more substance but the flavours are there and well balanced if you take the time to look.

J

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Red Rooster - Pinot Gris

Producer: Red Rooster

Varietal: Pinot Gris

Region: Okanagan Valley, Canada

Vintage: 2008

Price: ~ $17

This pinot gris of the Okanagan Valley has a lemon yellow colour with a crisp clarity. It has a floral bouquet with hints of apple, peach and fresh rain. On the palate the wine is fresh and tangy with flavours of apple, peach, pear and melon. A quick finish that doesn't linger, the pinot gris is a great choice for a hot summer day. Not a bad little wine but for the life of me I can't remember how I came to taste it. Spoils from a get together no doubt...

Nursery? Check. Car seat? Check. Stroller? Check. Awesome wooden rocking chair custom built in Ontario? Booyah! www.offyourrocker.ca. The website isn't that great but the chairs are excellent and well built.

Coming up on 40 weeks! Tic toc tic toc...

J

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Deerfield Ranch Winery - Super T-Rex

Producer: Deerfield Ranch Winery

Name: Super T-Rex

Varietals: Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dolcetto

Region: California North Coast, United States

Vintage: 2002

Price: ~ $30

Light burgundy in colour with a hazy clarity, this Sangiovese blend brings a bouquet of dark ripe berries with soft notes of oak, rhubarb and licorice. On the palate it tastes of spice, dark berries with a hint of chocolate, dates and figs. It's a well structured full bodied wine with velvety soft tannins and a long silky finish. An excellent wine and should be given a taste.

I was at a dinner party last night and a friend asked me what do the "legs" in wine mean. I tried telling her that they mean nothing but wasn't convincing enough—I blame this on the buzz I was quickly developing. Earlier today I consulted the Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil and scanned and emailed her what it said about wine legs. I included that scan with this entry to settle this wine leg business once and for all...

J

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Firefinch - Ripe Red

Producer: Firefinch
Name: Ripe Red
Region: Robertson Valley, South Africa
Vintage: 2006
Price: $23

Since the world cup is on I thought it would be appropriate to try a wine from South Africa! The last wine I had from that area was from Blouberg and it wasn't as good as I was hoping, much like the performance of England especially against Algeria. What the hell was that?! Gerrard was the only one who came out to play!

The bouquet was clean and fresh. It had aromas of dark berries, oak, vanilla with an easy spice that complimented nicely. The palate carried forward spice with notes of blackberry, cherry, dates and finished with an Oakes dryness. It was structured relatively well with round tannins that didn't linger too long. Overall a decent tasting from South Africa. However keep in mind you can get better reds at a cheaper price but if you want to stay with the World Cup spirit, this Ripe Red is decent.

J

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Castiglioni - Chianti

Producer: Marchesi de' Frescobaldi
Name: Castiglioni Chianti
Region: Chianti, Italy
Vintage: 2007
Price: ~ $18

The bouquet is full of dark berries, raspberries, black cherries and spice. On the palate flavours of licorice and forward spice present themselves first but as tasting progresses you can start to pick out some dark chocolate. The chianti ends with a dry and medium finish.

I've missed you red wine. Beer just wasn't doing it for me. It's time to come back home...

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