Luigi Bosca Malbec

Luigi Bosca Malbec 2009 $17.95. This wine is under the Vintages Essentials at the LCBO. I had previously tried the Luigi Bosca ‘Finca La Linda’ Malbec 2010 about a month ago and thought it was excellent. This malbec is a step above and it didn’t disappoint. The scent was mild oak, the taste was super smooth and full of fruit. Nice long finish. It was hard to notice the 14.1% alcohol as this did not taste like a high alcohol wine. This was the best malbec I have tasted to date. JC93

Calem 10 Year Tawny Port

Calem 10 Year Old Tawny $23.95. I had not heard of Calem before reading good reviews on Wine Align. I picked up the 10 year tawny and was impressed. The colour is amber with a touch of red (depending on how the light hits it). The smell is sweet with a hint of fruit. The taste is nice and smooth, one of the smoothest ports I’ve had. I didn’t notice the alcohol as much in this as others. JC92

Mission Hill Reserve Merlot

Mission Hill Reserve Merlot 2008 $25.95. I had never tried a wine from B.C. winery Mission Hill, but I had heard good things. I ordered this bottle at a nice restaurant that our friends had taken my wife and I to for our wedding gift. The wine was well balanced with full fruit flavours on the nose mixed with subtle oak. The taste was very nice, with a long smooth finish. An excellent wine overall, that everyone in the group seemed to enjoy. JC91

Making Wine

One thing I’ve wanted to try for a while now is making my own wine. Rather than getting grapes or grape juice and doing everything myself, I decided to let professionals take care of the process. I found a Groupon deal to make 30 bottles of wine for $69 and decided to try it out.

The first part of the process lasted less than five minutes. It involved me pouring in a small amount of yeast into a container with my pre-selected South African cabernet sauvignon grape juice. In 6-10 weeks, I will go back and bottle the finished product. I will let you know how the end result turns out.

Cesari Mara Ripasso

Cesari Mara Ripasso 2010. I ordered this wine at an Italian restaurant. It had a nice aroma to it, oaky/earthy mixed with some fruit scents. The taste was very dry and not a long finish. I probably would have been just as happy, if not happier with the cheaper Farnese Sangiovese on the menu. JC85

Whitehaven Pinot Noir

Whitehaven Pinot Noir 2010 $22.65. I tried a sample of this New Zealand pinot at the LCBO. It is currently $2 off. This is so far my favourite pinot. I’m not sure if it’s due to the region, but it didn’t have the dirt taste that I’ve associated pinots with in the past. It had a nice juicy taste and a fruitful scent. I may have to explore pinot from New Zealand in more detail. JC87

Luigi Bosca 'Finca La Linda' Malbec

Luigi Bosca ‘Finca La Linda’ Malbec 2010. The Spanish phrase in the title of this wine means the pretty farm. There are a couple of malbecs from Luigi Bosca at the LCBO, and a couple of ‘Finca La Linda’ wines but not this particular one. It was $38.95 at the restaurant. Right off, this wine had a really nice scent. It was a deep smell of fruit blended with oak and vanilla. I can often tell if I’ll like a wine by the scent. This was no exception. The wine was full-bodied, flavourful of fruit and a nice finish. I really enjoyed it, and the others I was dinning with seemed to as well. JC91

2 Nice Wines for under $10

Farnese Casale Vecchio Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2010 $9.90. This wine is a great value. It has a nice fruity scent and juicy yet clean and dry taste. It would be interesting to try this wine against its slightly cheaper sibling: Farnese Montepulciano D’Abruzzo $7.45. I’m not sure if I would be able to tell the difference or not, as they are both very nice tasting wines for a very decent price. I will have to try that experiment someday. JC88

Woodbridge White Zinfandel 2008 $9.95. This is a nice mellow wine, floral on the nose, and easy drinking. I recommend this for relaxing on the patio with a book or having with light appetisers. JC88

Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. This was a wine that I received as a gift in December 2010 and had been aging gracefully in my wine fridge since then. It is a big bold California Cab, made by large winemaker Kendall-Jackson. It’s not actually sold at the LCBO, but it retails for about $45 in the U.S. The weather is getting nicer, so I decided to pair this wine up with a steak off the bbq, baked potato and asparagus. I let the wine decant for an hour beforehand. It poured a very dark red, almost black. There was subtle oak and black cherry on the nose. The taste was a nice juicy full-bodied wine with a lot of fruit on the pallet and a smooth finish. In my mind it tasted how a nice Cali Cab should taste. JC90

Boutari Agiorgitiko

Boutari Agiorgitiko 2008 $11.95. I had this wine last night at a Greek restaurant ($30 for the bottle). I haven’t had good luck with Greek wine in the past, and this was no exception. The wine was fairly light in colour had a hint of vinegar on the pallet. Although not a terrible wine, it wasn’t something that I’d want to drink again.  JC83

Sandeman Ruby Port & Santa Carolina Cab/Merlot

Sandeman Ruby Port $14.95. I received this port for my birthday and decided to give it a try. It didn’t have much of a scent. The taste was fairly medicinal. It tasted like I was drinking cough syrup. JC83

Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2010 $7.95. This wine received decent reviews and the price is right, so I decided to buy it. It was a nice fruit smell on the nose. The wine had a nice smooth taste with subtle cherry and oak. It’s not a complex wine, but it’s a nice to-the-point table wine. JC86

Hungaria Sauvignon Blanc

Hungaria Sauvignon Blanc $9.95. I decided to try this white because it’s from a country that I don’t have a lot of wine drinking experience from: Hungary. It’s made by the same winery that makes a nice $12 sparkling wine. The wine has a nice floral scent, however tasted more like a chardonnay than a sauv blanc due to the sweetness and the density of the wine. Another thing, I didn’t notice this until I started writing this review, but there isn’t a vintage year on the bottle. JC83