Where to purchase gluten-free baking and gluten-free food products, plus how to preserve flavour and nutrients when eating gluten-free.
Celebrate May's long weekend by paying tribute to Queen Victoria and her legacies.
Anthony Gismondi is a globetrotting wine writer who is the editor-in-chief of Calgary-based Wine Access magazine.
In the summer, there is something about eating and drinking outdoors that is hard to resist. Wines that offer instant gratification are always welcomed and, at this time of the year it is fresh, aromatic flavours that we reach for. Both red and white wines fit the bill, as long as their structure is just a little leaner than all the rich, tannic bottles we washed winter away with.
All you need do is add sunshine, a patio and some small, light bites of food to complete the picture.
We begin our summer selections in France where the Grassa family, famous for their Armagnac offerings, has garnered more than a little success making this wine. Expect an exuberant, fresh ripe passion fruit nose with bits of lemons, limes and a hint of asparagus on the palate. The acidity is mild, making it easy sipping. A versatile oyster or clam wine, you can also serve it with chicken curries and sushi. Think patio parties.
This is a go-to barbecue red from Puente Alto, Chile you can sip solo. Concha y Toro makes a number of value-priced wines, but the “Marques” range is always a step up. Look for a round, warm, supple red with glossy textures and light tannins. The palate is awash in cassis jam, chocolate and saddle leather flavours flecked with bay leaf and vanilla notes. Steaks and lamb chops love this wine.
I’ve always been a fan of this Chardonnay made with fruit from three California coastal counties. It has an attractive spicy, melon, floral, butter nose, with bits of mango and lychee. The palate is juicy, with more melon, honey, lychee and vanilla flavours with a creamy finish. It’s a bright, tropical-style chardonnay that offers fine intensity and balance. Perfect for lobster.
If Australia is going to return to its glory, it might be in the glass. Despite its gimmicky name it hits all the marks with its round, full palate and ample blueberry, plum jam, floral, ginger, peppery, licorice root flavours. There’s good fruit and balance here, with a touch of sweetness in the finish that can stand up to spicy foods.
If you don’t spend a lot of money on wine, then the only white you should drink all summer is this white from Chile’s Leyda Valley. I enjoyed this wine last year, but the 2010 is better. The nose is so fresh and inviting, with grapefruit, lemon and light lees notes. The palate is juicy and round, with ripe guava, melon and light smoky jalapeno flavours and fine intensity for the price. It’s another excellent effort from Santa Carolina, delivering a modern, important, single-appellation wine at great value.
The monastrell grape is a big part of the Spanish wine story, including the tale of this fine bottle from Yecla, Spain. Winemaker Daniel Castaño has a special touch with monastrell, coaxing a softness and richness from its peppery, meaty, black cherry, savoury, licorice flavours. Any summer party will be more interesting if you serve this warm, fresh, solid red. Hamburgers, grilled chicken and flank steak would all work well with the Hécula.
This classic is on autopilot after almost 40 years, with winemaker Rick Sayre allowing the cool Pacific Ocean to govern its style: namely, New Age Sonoma. Cool nights and warm afternoons produce a vibrant chardonnay that is now a 40/60 blend of barrel and stainless steel-fermented fruit grown in the Russian River, Alexander Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations. Look for a bright, citrus nose with hazelnuts and baked apple and peachy fruit flavours in the finish. Halibut with a fruit salsa would be a delicious complement to this wine.
This wine is made with fruit from some of the highest-altitude vineyards in the world. Its blend, malbec, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and tannat, offers a rich palate of sweet, dark cherry fruit and white pepper, with flecks of mineral and spice. The finish is long fresh and spicy, with silky textures that do not quit. Farmed biodynamically, Amalaya (the name means waiting for a miracle) is a winner. Grilled meats and hard cheeses are a fine match. It’s especially well-suited to supping before the weekly 6/49 draw; you know, when you are waiting for a miracle.
You can’t go through summer without riesling, especially this elegant, racy, fresh and juicy one from Germany’s Mosel Valley. Dr. L comes off steep slopes covered in slate which defines its style. The 2009 is a touch drier than previous years, but that only adds to its drinkability, not to mention its crunchy ripe red apple fruit flavours. There’s enough sweetness to tame spicy dishes, but with enough citrus to clean up after itself on the palate. Sushi is a good start. Very reasonably priced.
Ruffino Il Ducale 2007 ($17)
If you need a spaghetti red or pizza wine in your summer mix, make it Ruffino Il Ducale from Tuscany. Il Ducale’s 60/20/20 mix of sangiovese, merlot and syrah defines the modern rock over clay Ruffino estate vineyards. Look for a dry, supple palate, with dark chocolate, leather, roasted meats and blackberry fruit all perfectly balanced. Try this with beef kebobs or a beef hot pot.
Winemaker John Simes continues to fine-tune his lineup of chardonnays and this is his latest project. So fresh and juicy with grapefruit, honey, vanilla, baked green apple, light lees and nectarine flavours, it finishes crisp with fine fruit and vibrancy. It’s a mini-clone of the Perpetua at a great price.
The fruit behind this wine the comes from four departments in the Rhône: Drôme, Vaucluse, Gard and Ardèche. The palate is supple, the acidity well-managed and the flavours a delicious mix of black cherry, plum, orange, pepper, dried herbs and dark chocolate flavours. Many insiders rate the 2009 Rhône harvest as better than the excellent 2007, but we will leave that judgment up to you.
Comments