Drinking wine with Friends/Family

Enjoying a new bottle of wine with friends and/or family over a nice meal is often a pleasant experience. However, the one problem I find is that it is usually hard to get a good sense of a wine's characteristics when I am with others. When I'm engaged in conversation I don't want to look rude and pull out a pad and pen and start writing notes on the wine I'm drinking. I recently tried a couple of different wines at a family gathering that I don't even remember. Perhaps they weren't worth mentioning if there was nothing memorable about them, although I still would have like to mention which ones they were.

Two other wines I've recently had with companions are described below. There is not a whole lot of detail because, again, it was hard to fully concentrate on the wine when I'm listening and talking to others.

Two Oceans Cab-Merlot $9.95. This South African wine has black cherry scents and a fairly strong oaky taste mixed with fruit. This was a decent wine, but didn’t blow my socks off. JC84

Malivoire White 2008 $12.95. This is a nice, easy drinking white. However it is not a light white, such as a sauvignon blanc. It is made from mostly chardonnay, with some Riesling and gewürztraminer as well. I found this wine too sweet for my liking. White wine drinkers may enjoy this. JC83

A Trip to the Summerhill LCBO

After a long week of work, I decided to treat myself and go to the Summerhill LCBO and pick up a couple of bottles, namely Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere 2010 and BV Coastal Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. While there, I got a couple of free samples as well as a couple of paid samples at the tasting bar. The first free sample was Crown Royal Black (CRB).

I’ve never done a liquor review on this blog before, and I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it, but I wanted to comment on CRB. Both it and regular Crown are currently $2 off the normal price. What surprised me was that CBB is regularly $34.45 vs $28.45 for Crown, a $6 difference! There’s only $3 between Jim Beam white and black. I found CRB to be smoother and a little sweeter than Crown and taste more like bourbon. CRB is matured in charred oak barrels instead of white oak for Crown.

My second free sample was from South Africa: Oatley Tic Tok Cabernet Sauvignon $15.95 (on sale for $13.95). It was a nice wine, but didn’t wow me. Tastes of red cherry. JC85

 

The Tasting Bar

The nice thing about the tasting bars at certain LCBO locations is that I can try out wines (limit of 2) that may be priced well above what my budget would allow for.

Domaine Du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau Chateauneuf-Du-Pape 2008 $72.95. This wine, besides the long name, was a release from the Oct. 15 LCBO vintages. This is the first C-D-P that I have tried, as bottles are priced at $30 and up.  This wine had very nice fruit scents and favours. It was smooth, slightly sweet, light and delicious. An excellent wine that left me wanting more. JC92

Taylor Fladgate 20 Year old Tawny Port $67.95. Taylor Fladgate knows how to make good port. I have had the 20 year once before, but before I started writing about what I drink. This port is superb, with a golden-red hue and caramel scent. The taste is caramel and sweet. Unlike younger ports I have had, it goes down well. Truly enjoyable. JC95

Dan Aykroyd Sauvignon Blanc

Dan Aykroyd Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $12.95. I had bought this wine a few months ago and hadn’t gotten around to drinking it. I had it with shrimp and fettuccini alfredo, and really enjoyed this wine. There was a nice balance of being not too sweet, but also not bitter. It was a light wine that went well with my food and also on its own afterward. JC89

Sampling Two Reds

I was back at my second favourite LCBO this afternoon (Avenue and Lawrence). There is a tasting bar that offers some of the new vintage releases, however unlike the Summerhill LCBO, the bar is not constantly staffed and you have to flag down an employee to pour your samples. After debating (not seriously) whether to try a sample of the famous Opus One (selling for $340/bottle), I decided that $15 for a small sample was not in the budget for today. Instead I tried a couple of samples for $0.75 each.

Apothic Red 2009 $15.95. This California red is a blend of zinfandel, merlot and syrah. It has a somewhat sweet taste to it. Hints of red cherry. It would be a nice wine with an appetiser. JC84

Koyle Royale Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 $19.95. To me this tasted more like a Cab Sauv from California than from Chile, where it is actually from. This wine has a lot of nice fruit flavours with a hint of vanilla and oak. My favourite Chilean Cab Sauv to date. JC87