megsjargon

This article was originally written for The Unreserved.com

Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco. I left mine in Healdsburg, humming.

Sonoma County is one of the great wonders of the California wine world, with a land and climate of incredible diversity, fantastic vineyards, beautiful architecture and winemakers who are crafting amazing wines. Some would argue this is where fine wine of California all began.

Resting just west of the (more famous) Napa County, Sonoma County is made up several AVA valleys (the American version of France’s AOC designation) with the terroir distinctive in the wines that are produced. The town of Healdsburg is perfectly nestled in the heart of it all.

Healdsburg is authentic with a welcomed touch of yuppie; It’s the real deal with sophistication and taste. Before you even touch down in this part of California wine country pack your layers, even in the dead heat of the summer. This is the region with that glorious foggy chill most mornings – from sunrise until noon hour – so you’ll need a sweater, or two!

I’ve been to Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley a number of times and what makes Healdsburg and the surrounding valleys in Sonoma County so rewarding is not only the wines but the approachability of the people. Your first order of business when you arrive in this charmingly quiet town is to find The Wine Shop and talk to Pedro.

Let it be known: Pedro is a walking Healdsburg encyclopedia. Born and raised in Healdsburg, riding bikes in the dirt and earth that has become the grape-growing soils, this man will point you in the right direction. Have a winery map, a pen and a palette – sit at the tasting bar and sip on some local specialties while you plot your attack. He is also an avid biker and loves the long, winding (read: challenging) rides that are dreamy to him, but get in the way of wine tasting for someone like me. Know what you want; he’ll hook you up.

To wine taste by bike or by car? Well, I did both, and to be honest, if you really love biking and you don’t mind cutting into some valuable wine tasting time, go for the bike. Plus there’s a little more leeway in the spitting vs. swallowing throughout the course of your day. There are a few bike shops in town that are very well equipped to handle the wine tasting biker novice or expert. You’ll be happy with Wine Country Bikes.

I’m all for the romance of “…biking along rolling country hills with vineyards on all sides, valley vistas and aromatics filling the air…”, however, there’s a limit. We rented bikes one of the days to tackle the Westside Road heading south through the Russian River Valley. There is no bike lane, the drop off of crumbling asphalt feels like a near-death experience with every roaring car that blasts by and the number of wineries you can visit is cut in half because you’ve spent your day hoofing it and sweating up several “rolling” hills. When I do this valley again, I will not bike the wine route. Even Pedro agrees. (If you are looking for an amazing bike ride, wine tasting aside, talk to Pedro and the guys at the bike shops. The Coleman Valley Road from Occidental out to the coast is supposed to be one of the most spectacular bike rides you will ever do.)

Onto The Wines!

We made it to a fraction of what these valleys have to offer; two days is not nearly enough time. Every tasting room we entered was a fabulous experience. The main ingredient for this was the people. We tasted amazing wines, some of the architecture was stunning, but the connection with the people and their generosity with their time is why we bought more wine and why I will remember my time spent there. A friendly, knowledgeable, easy-going staff goes a long way – and ultimately sells wine. (For etiquette and considerations like making appointments ahead of time and budgeting, Bill Eyer has written a helpful article on great tasting room tips.)

My Russian River Valley Hit List:

Twomey – Outstanding building and tasting room. Brought to you by the family of Silver Oak Cellars, we were lucky to taste the 01 Merlot thanks to our gracious host Ann. Relatively new Aussie winemaker Ben Cane doing nice things with Sauvy B., Pinot Noir and Merlot.
C. Donatiello – Relatively new, the wines, the building and the grounds are all beautiful – well worth the visit. Alyssa and Vanessa in the tasting room were tremendously helpful and kind with their time – a lot of friendly faces and big smiles from everyone who works here.
Rochioli – A well-established winery, working these vineyards for decades, making fantastic wines: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and their single-vineyard Pinot Noirs are rated as some of the best in the world (by none other than Robert Parker).
Hop Kiln – The building is definitely worth a look. Head inside if you have time on the clock. (I did not, so no notes here on the wines unfortunately, but they’ve been around since the 70’s and are known for the “Big Red”.)
Arista – A perfect place to park it. This winery has an interesting building architecturally speaking, but it’s the Japanese gardens with trickling waterfalls and vineyard vistas that makes this a picnic stop on the tour. Grab a chilled Gewürztraminer and get into that sandwich you’ve packed from Oakville Grocery in town (see ‘lunch’ below). You’re likely to get a visit from a curious and friendly chocolate lab too.
LynMar Estate – This was my favourite if I had to pick just one (and I’ll expand in more detail in another article sloely on this winery which I’ll link to once it is posted). This place is out of a book. The Chardonnay and Pinots are fabulous, the people are brilliant, the gardens – oh the gardens! – are unbelievable. You could easily spend a few hours at Lynmar, and you should. Plan for lunch here, or wander the fresh vegetable and herb gardens after your tasting. If you’re in town on a Friday evening, check in with them for their outdoor “Pinot and Pizza” nights, offered once a month: pizza dinner outside from a woodstove oven at picnic tables, set in a wooded clearing between vineyards, steps from the tasting room.

There are so many more – I would have liked to have made it to Thomas George Estate (beautiful new caves), Merry Edwards, as well as arrange ahead of time for a tasting at William Seylem.

My Dry Creek Valley Hit List:

Bella Vineyards – My kind of place: tucked away at the end of a narrow, winding country road, vines sloping upward to the sky above you, opera soaring out of the winery and happy, full-of-knowledge tasting room managers found deep in the dimly lit caves – awesome Zins, Petite Verdot and rosé. You can also book a private vineyard trip and taste limited releases among the vines with a 360-degree view of the valley – Book it!
Zichichi – Wow, another favourite. This experience was pretty supreme. Barrel tasting with the winemaker himself, Mikael Gulyash and his assistant Mike. Their 70-year old vine Zin was the choice for dinner that night at a local restaurant (see ‘dinner’ below). Ask for the barrel tasting!
Mauritson – Simon and Mandy were so gracious. We squeaked into the tasting room at the 11^th hour and they still spent 45 minutes with us after closing. This was special. We chatted about the history, the terroir, the soils, the winemaking and of course picked up a few wines to enjoy later. Plus Mandy made our dinner reservation for us on the phone while we sipped – now that’s service!

As well, definitely head to Preston, a must-see organic farm, Michel-Schlumberger, Unti, Papapietro Perry Winery and Nalle. Some of these tasting rooms require appointments.

Dining in Healdsburg

For breakfast, Costeaux French Bakery – great coffee, awesome bread, excellent full breakfasts, homemade granola, a perfect morning atmosphere (sit at the high top bar tables along the back wall with the morning papers splayed out in front of you), the best bathroom wallpaper I’ve ever seen (which I am planning for my next home), and you can’t go wrong with a freshly baked pain au chocolat.

Lunch: There is no other place but the Oakville Grocery Co. – they make the best sandwiches to enjoy either on their sun-drenched patio or take-away for your winery picnic lunch later in the day. It’s exactly the kind of specialty shop you wish for on your hometown street corner. Plus you can taste and buy wine (of course) and there are plenty of local selections.

Dinner: We decided this is where we were going to go big. Healdsburg is home to a few of California’s top restaurants. Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen was phenomenal. Here’s a teaser: four kinds of fresh baked bread offered throughout the meal, chilled leek potato soup, pork tenderloin fennel encrusted with swiss chard, duck confit and caramelized onions with black truffle jus, chocolate bread pudding and Guinness ice cream with chocolate Grenache cake. Outstanding. Small tip: bring in your own wines from any local winery and there’s no corkage fee.

The ultimate dining experience and where I had my most memorable meal to date was at Cyrus. Our chef’s tasting menu was superb, the service was impeccable, the atmosphere was the ideal blend of intimate fine dining and a lively, casual buzz. I will never forget it: fois gras torchon with rhubarb, butter poached lobster with marjoram spring onions, hoisin glazed short rib, lamb loin roulade, black truffle risotto, tiramisu, espresso gelato, a cheese cart to melt over – salivating yet? It was stunning. And the wines to pair. You can save on the wine cost and bring in your own. You can also sit in the outer bar and order a la carte, but that would be missing the entire dining experience, wouldn’t it?

Where to stay? There are ample places to choose from for where to lay your head. If you want to spend your money on wine and fine dining, there are a few cheaper options that are well known and liked, some in town and others just a 10-minute walk from the town centre. To have the ultimate experience, stay right in town, steps from everything, and book in at Hotel Healdsburg. One word: SPA.

Ah, Healdsburg. We shall meet again…

[To live my few days in photos and to get a visual sense of all that was written above, here is my Flickr set of the Healdsburg trip.]

This is cross-posted from the original article on The Unreserved.com.

If you live in a cool climate like I do, at long last: ‘tis the season for rosé. Morning dog walks are warm and fragrant, the afternoon sun heats your skin and backyard barbequing is well underway. It’s time for a little pink juice on that sun-drenched patio.

If this is any indication: a few weeks ago I was pouring for Loire winemaker Bernard Chereau – Chereau Carré, one of the top domaines of the Nantais, at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival and out of the flight of five spectacular wines (four of which were his well known and liked Muscadet wines), the ladies all flocked to the one rosé – in droves. And it’s not reflective of that whole “pink-is-for-girls” thing. The ladies definitely get it: rosé rocks and pink is still in. It’s summer in a glass. Who better to look to than the French? Rosé wine sales surpassed white wine sales in France, circa 2007.

Before getting to my short list of the wines you need to pick up and enjoy this summer, what makes a rosé a rosé? The wine gets its colour from the amount of time the red grape skins are left in contact with the juice after the grapes have been crushed. It’s up to the discretion of the winemaker as to the style of wine and the length of time this contact occurs, which helps determine the colour of rosé wine – anything from pale orange, to copper, to pink salmon, to almost red and purple. Getting a little more technical, rosé is also made as a by-product of red wine fermentation when the pink juice is removed at an early stage and fermented separately, known as saignée. Rosé wines are made with just about any red grape variety, the most common being Grenache and Cinsaut.

There still seems to be a massive misconception that rosé wines are sweet (think the once-popular Cali White Zin “blush wine”, off-dry to sweet). But the most enjoyed, and historically like the original rosé wines produced in the Loire Valley, are in fact bone dry – and bright, fresh and delicious!

To kick this list off, I did a little ‘homework’ myself and tasted a fine selection of rosés of various styles. I think you’ll find a few here that fit your taste buds as well as your budget. While we can enjoy rosé at any given time of the year, I think we can all agree that it’s the hot sun and outdoor dining that somehow make these wines taste that much better. It’s scandalous to make a list of a mere five rosés – there are plenty more, but these are here to get you started and inspired to enjoy some summer sipping.

1. Domaine des Huards, Cheverny, Val do Loire 2009
   $19.00 @ Marquis Wines
   This wine has everything you’d expect and want in an easy patio-sipper on a sunny afternoon, as the cliché goes. It’s light, refreshing, crisp, and acid to please with a healthy blast of citrus and subtle raspberry. Have it on its own or knock back a few grilled clams with a squeeze of lemon.
2. Provenquiere Rose “Cuvee P” 2008
   $15.00 @ Marquis Wines
   Enter this classic southern French rosé filled with citrus, red berries, sweet spice and floral aroma. Enjoy this easy-drinker with a citrus summer salad, a soft-rind mild brie or, as the region would dictate, bouillabaisse.
3. Frias Family Vineyards Rosé, Napa
   $30.00 @ Kitsilano Wine Cellar
   This wine is two things: really fun to drink and definitely an acquired taste. I say this because it’s almost sherry-like, but don’t let that dissuade you if you’re not a sherry fan. It’s a blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, with characteristics that are quite complex and well balanced. I wouldn’t call it “refreshing” as the label touts, as it’s a little hot on the alcohol, but it has a good dose of fruit – black cherry and watermelon predominantly – with some earthy sweet spice and a kick of a pleasant tartness at the end. It demands to be eaten with an olive tapenade, bruscetta or oily fish.
4. Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel AOC 2008
   $40.00 @ Liberty Wine Merchants
   Perhaps one of the more popular rosé wine appellations of the world, and one of the finest, is Tavel in the south of the Rhone Valley in France, where all wines made here must be rosé. This is truly a beautiful wine: dry, crisp acidity, rich and spicy;  a bold blend of Grenache and Cinsaut. It’s a little pricey, but definitely worth it – a mouth-melter.
5. Vina Tondonia, Vinos Fino de Rioja, Lopez de Heredia 1993
   $42.00 @ Kitsilano Wine Cellar
   This is going out on a bit of a limb, and it’s more expensive than your average “patio-sipper” rosé, however, if you want to try something totally radical, this is it. For starters, there is nothing pink about it – it’s a beautiful, rich orange. The style is slightly oxidized with nutty caramel, a little oak, some minerality and a touch of zesty orange. You simply must taste this wine.

I’m always looking for the next best rosé, so let’s hear your picks.

Thanks to John at Marquis Wines and Kirk at Kitsilano Wine Cellar for your help and recommendations.

This is cross-posted from the original article on The Unreserved.com.

The past week in Vancouver saw both California and Naramata winemakers on a brief stop to present and promote their latest stars. It’s tough to make your way around a jam-packed hotel ballroom and get to know all that’s there, alas, I managed to narrow in on a few wines definitely worth mentioning. Tough days, indeed, tasting all these wines…

First up, the 30th Annual Canadian Tour of the California Wine Fair, put on by the California Wines in Canada association. This is a great event to hit each time it swings through town, usually each spring and again in the fall. You get to taste some stunning wines, a lot of which are not yet available in BC and some of which are on the very pricey side, so it’s great to be able to indulge while meeting some of the wines’ masterful makers.

The best tactic in my opinion at such an event is to have a tactic. There is no hope you can taste everything. I am heading down to the Russian River area in northern Sonoma County in May so I tried to zone in on a few wineries I could follow up with a visit.

If I listed and described all the wines I tasted or the winemakers or agents I met and enjoyed some time with, we’d be here all day, plus there is no way any one person can retain a wine overload list in a blog post, so here’s just one from Cali to put to memory:

Alexander Valley Vineyards:
Before getting to the wines, lovely people. Just lovely. I had a great time tasting and learning about some of the wines and the winemaking with John Wetzel, one of the family partners of the Wetzel Family Estate. What a difference it makes when you can taste the wines with one of the key players of the business. I’m very much looking forward to making a visit to their tasting room down south, which is nicely situated in the heart of the their winery, and getting into those infamous caves!
Known For: Sin Zinfandel. Check out their clever marketing on the “Wicked Weekend: 3-Pack of Zins” – Temptation, Sin and Redemption: crowd-pleasing zins.
Must Try: Gewurz! This is a grape not typically grown in this region but these guys have a beautiful crisp and spicy Gewurztraminer, sourcing the grapes from the Mendocino’s Potter Valley. The fruit is there, the spice, florals and minerality – a well balanced wine. They nailed it.

Vancouver was the first stop on this month-long tour as it makes its way across the country, ending in St. John’s and Halifax in mid May. Check out the full schedule and details on the calwine site.

And onto BC and the Naramata Bench…

Being from Vancouver, I am more and more familiar with the wines (and the faces!) of the infamous Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley, BC’s interior wine region. There have been some awesome wines that have come out of this region: Tantalus Riesling being one of my top favourites; Poplar Grove’s Pinot Gris is a big crowd-pleaser as well. It was doable to try everything in the room, but I have a small list of favourites that I’d recommend you get your hands on.

Winner of the Day: Van Westen Vineyards 2008 Viognier

Pretty stunning. This wine has the fruit right there to match the acidity and the viscosity is what you would expect from a viognier. There were only 120 cases produced, so good luck finding it, but keep an eye on this producer for this varietal. They knock it out of the park.

And better yet, I heard you can sit around their kitchen table and taste it with them when you pay them a visit – now that is personal treatment!

Also Enjoyed:
Township 7 Rosé – one of the few who succeeded in producing a typical southern French style rosé. You could polish this one off in one sitting quite easily on a hot summer day.
Therapy Vineyards 2009 Freudian Sip Proprietary blend ($19) – again, suited for patio time. The same could be said for their 2008 Pink Freud ($20). Chill these two crisp wines, sit back and soak in the sun!

I guess those last few picks means it’s that time of year again… next post: rosé all the way!

Cross-posted from the original article on TheUnreserved.com.

Well, who does, really? I certainly go for the surf, sand and sun, but on my recent trip to this island paradise, me being me, I had to suss out the wine scenario…

There are two things you are not going to get when visiting Maui: wineries and good-valued wine.

I didn’t expect to find any vineyards, given the soil is a giant lava rock in the middle of the Pacific, sitting on top of the equator. It’s no surprise grapes don’t grow here. Or so I thought. There is actually one winery in Maui and it’s surprisingly very well advertised and promoted, front and centre in the grocery stores and plastered across most tourism brochures. The hard sell.

Ulupalakua Ranch is coined as “Maui’s Winery” – notice the singular. “Step right up and get your crisp, well-balanced pineapple wine!”. That’s their “Maui Blanc” (the top-seller). They also have “Maui Splash”: pineapple and passion fruit, they sell a red wine, “smooth and creamy”, a sparkling pineapple (of course) and a sparkling dry rose. Last but not least, they produce “Framboise de Maui”, a raspberry specialty wine with 20% alcohol, ready to poor over ice cream. This one is interesting as it is totally organic: no chemical additives, stabilizers, fining agents, or sulfites. Bless them. “A” for effort, and though I didn’t make it to the winery, I bet it’s a cool slab of ancient rock on the side of a volcano.

The wine experience I was anxious for was the vast and excellent selection of well-priced, good-valued wine at the grocery store. In Vancouver, we are forced to purchase at the wine shops or liquor stores. What a treat it is to go to the States and stroll the grocery aisles for milk and eggs while also filling your bin with booze!

On our first day we hit the local Safeway to stock up on supplies for the week’s menu and headed straight to the FOUR aisles of alcohol, mostly wine. I couldn’t wait to fill my cart with inexpensive excellent wines. Boy, was I disappointed.

Firstly, any wine worth drinking was nowhere near economically priced. If anything, the wines were way over priced. Ah, right, an island. I’m on an island. I had not considered the cost of importing food and wine to this remote location. Or maybe this was another case of the Maui “stickin’ it to the tourist” fees which we gradually learned about over the course of our stay.

Secondly, the selection was so disappointing. Quite literally there was an entire wall of Kendall-Jackson. About ¾ of the whole wine section was Californian. That’s not a complaint, there’s plenty to love, but given the locale, you can imagine the markups. Aussie wines made up about 80% of the remaining ¼ of the overall selection, with enough Yellow Tail to set you straight for a year, and there was a measly 3 shelves dedicated to  every other wine region: some decent French, zero Riesling to be found, and Argentinean Malbecs mixed in with the Chilean. Rough go. Redeeming feature: the sake section was out of this world!

The laugh-out-loud wine moment was the very large display of “Matthew Fox Vineyards” wine. Being in Hawaii with the whole “Lost” tv thing, this was funny. Turns out it’s not the same guy, is it? My research (if you can call it that) tells me it’s some priest in California, but nobody really knows. Either way, reds and whites for 3 bucks? Sold! I had to try it. The shiraz knocked me in the side of the face but it was pretty drinkable. Perfect for a Hawaiian beach grilled-meat dinner. Let it also be known: there are some fantastic restaurants with some amazing wine lists. Search ‘top restaurants Maui’ for user reviews.

We did enjoy plenty of French Rosé, had our fair share of classic Kiwi Sauvy B.’s and some easy drinkin’ Cali Cabs – all with glorious food as we filled our boots with fresh fish every day and local fruits and veg from the Farmer’s market just steps from our abode. Given the wine circumstance and the fact that it was pleasantly sweltering hot, there was more gin, ceasars and good ol’ 6-packs of Bud consumed!

My top tip for travelers and wine drinkers heading to Maui: don’t rent a Jeep for a week (a classic rip-off, but that’s another post for some other blog). Save your money and spend it on over-priced, marked-up fantastic wines at the grocery store. Or, just drink Bud.

This is cross-posted from the original article on The Unreserved.com.

Okay, what is it about sweet wines having such a bad rep? Every general Joe-schmo out there to whom I offer, suggest, recommend a luscious lovely always, and I mean always says, “No thanks. I don’t like sweet wines.”. Really? Are you sure, or are you basing that on the one cheap asti plonk you tried 15 years ago? It’s kind of like the “I don’t drink white wine” syndrome that is purely on the crappy, low-budg, heavy, oaky Chardonnays we all had to choke down at most weddings. It has to stop.

If you’re not drinking sweet wines, you are missing a big party in your mouth.

I recently took a few wine courses and tasted more than 30 wines at one go or over the course of a few hours – every kind of wine across the board. Reds, whites, cheap, expensive, sparkling, fortified, sweet… you name it, we tried it. It’s easy to swirl, swish, taste and spit when you’re on a mission. With a lot of wines to get through when you’re learning about this stuff, you want to spit and be sober at the end to know what end is up or down, for the most part. It’s the sweet wines that sneak by you, or rather, by your mouth. The “whoops, had to let that one slip down” wines – the mouth feel and taste on these guys are just so damn good you can’t spit them out.

So what is a sweet wine? Well, a few things. Firstly, a sweet wine is commonly referred to as dessert wine, simply because it’s nicely matched with, you guessed it, dessert. Sweet with sweet – a classic pairing. Rather than be confusing or getting to indepth, I will refer to all wines with any level of sweetness as plain ol’ sweet wine: fortified, distilled, an aperitif or with dessert.

I am hoping that laying out sweet wines in a bit of a mish-mash list might help to inspire you to hunt down and try some of these suggestions, starting with some fortified. Port is a perfect place to begin.

Port and Sherry are perhaps the better known fortified wines. Wines can also be made as dry and semi-dry, but my point here is to direct you to the excellence of the sweet ones. These can be strong and maybe even an acquired taste, but like all grape varietals and wines, you can always find one you like.

PORT:
Port is typically sweet, can only be called Port if it is produced in Portugal (in the Duoro Valley in the north) and is made by adding a neutral spirit such as Brandy to the fermentation process. Other countries make fortified wines in the port style but cannot be called port. You’re not going to find a specific varietal on a bottle of port; they are made as a blend. Try These:

• Noval Quinta do Noval Late Bottled Vintage
• 10 Year Old Tawny, Graham’s or
• Taylor Fladgate Tawny 20 Year

SHERRY:
Like port, sherry can only be called sherry if it comes from a specific region. This time it’s Spain, and like port it’s fortified with Brandy during fermentation. To most it can be an acquired taste, but it’s so fine if you can get there. For the sweet ones, look for Oloroso on the label. It’s one of those things you just need to try it to believe it:

• Lustao Pedro Ximénez
• Sacromonte Oloroso

MADEIRA:
Very similar to port, this is a fortified wine but specifically made in the Madeira Islands, off the coast of Portugal. The sweet ones are sometimes labeled with the grape malmsey and doce, which means sweet. Next time, rather than a bottle of port, give Madeira a shot.

ICE WINE:
Frozen grapes on the vine typically only happens in cold climate countries, Canada and Germany being the most famous for their ice wines. The grapes used are often Riesling, Vidal and Cabernet Franc. Some stellar Made In Canada picks:

• Peller Estates Ice Wines
• Inniskillin Vidal

SPARKLING SWEETS:
A little sweet bubbly never goes astray. Your cheap and fresh recommendation is Moscato d’Asti. Try Cava dulce from Spain and of course there’s much to choose from in the Champagne aisle. Look for “Doux” on the label for the sweetest you can find.

LATE-HARVEST:
Saving the best until last. I love late harvest anything: Luscious and mouth-watering. Late harvest simply means the grapes were left on the vine longer than a typical harvest in the hopes of developing Nobel Rot, or “Botrytis Cinerea”. Yes, a thing called Nobel Rot is a very good thing when it comes to these grapes and wines. Some of my favourites and must-tries:

• Sauternes – from the Sauterne wine region in France (made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes). Hunt down a Chateau d’Yquem.
• Tokaji from Hungary, a National Pride. Try Oremus Tokaji Aszu 3 Puttonyos
• Late Harvest Riesling – Winery Schloss Johannisberg is a good place to start.
• Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc – look for the affordable Errazuriz Late Harvest
• German Wines – check for Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese on the label

Best pairings for these luscious wines are some of the best foods that by no coincidence also melt in your mouth: cheese (stilton for ports, soft cheese for ice wines), rich chocolate, nutty desserts with sherry works well, or match up sweet or fruity desserts and definitely foie gras (with it all) – YUM!

So I wrote a children’s book. Actually, co-wrote. My step-mother-in-law and I put our heads together over some wine (shocker) on a wine-filled Napa weekend last year and came up with a plan to write a book based on our dogs. Evil, the affectionate name for my step-mother-in-law (my husband coined it, Evil loves it. It’s a name that is quite the contrary to her true self. Her name is actually Sara), knows a guy who knows a girl who happens to be an unbelievable illustrator Erin Wainscott.

So we got to mapping out this book on our dogs. We love our dogs, but why would anyone else? I guess that’s a question anyone who writes a book around themselves or their lives must ask. Who cares? This didn’t matter to us getting started – it was the process, not the end result, we were excited about. If we printed two copies for our own bookshelves and that was it, so be it. We decided to bring back the animals-have-an-owner aka Christopher Robbins style, get these dogs up to no good, have their confident and carefree female Irish red head 10-year old owner Sam (Sara And Megan) teach the dogs (and the kids out there!) good values and life lessons. Basic, yes. But kids’ books are pretty basic.

Seven months later and after a lot of story-boarding, research, many edits, ample phone calls, several in-person meetings (she lives in San Francisco and I in Vancouver), lots of wine, an enormous amount of back-and-forth on the illustrations, more edits, advisory phone calls, publisher calls, and then some, we have a book.

And it’s beautiful!

We used a service called Blurb – it’s an easy way to print and self publish – and we’ve started cracking on more books in the series. This stuff becomes addictive. The market is incredibly saturated with a TON of competition. It’s not the goal to become a rich kid’s writer – does that even exist outside of JK and Dr. Suess? But this project was a blast. The site and being able to purchase the book (and dare I say the series) is coming down the pipes in 2010. Then we’ll start knocking on some publishers doors…

And this is a look at the real Capo and Jasper.

I love the Wine Spectator. There are a ton of places online and off to source great wine recommendations and tips and industry content, but this mag trumps them all. I have been an online news reader for years and can’t get enough of the iPhone app store, but I am a romantic for the tangible item. I still get my Saturday morning National paper, Bon Apetit magazine, I “borrow” Dwell and The Economist from my husband’s office and more recently, ahhhhhhhh, Wine Spectator.

The size of the mag makes you feel special just holding it. Not your standard at about 9″x13″, the weight is just right and the texture is not too stiff and glossy nor paper thin. I love a magazine that can capture the essence of an issue with simple graphics on the cover. The photography is passable and sometimes lacks imagination (The Economist is supreme on this) but the simple headline entices you to jump right in.

From editor’s picks to the latest news in the biz to the Buyer’s Guide it’s packed with at least an hour or 2 of fabulous info.

And when you’ve gone cover to cover, it’s an excellent resource to hang on to.

Check out the Wine Spectator online and for viewing on your mobile as well.

This is cross-posted from the original article on TheUnreserved.com.

Given the recent blasting of snow on the east coast of Canada and the US, along with some rainy, foggy days of winter in the west, it’s definitely a time to shake off the cold, lock the doors, light the fire and crack into some seriously delicious wines with steaming hot comfort food.

Shorter days with the sun setting at 5pm in most parts of Canada is reason enough for dinner to be relatively quick and easy, but this does not mean the food has to be blazé. And it certainly is no excuse for not balancing your palate with the right wine. Think of it as a reward for your hard day and an escape from the ugliness happening outside. It really does enrich the food experience when you’ve got the right wine to match. And it goes both ways – wine tastes that much better with the right food. (Disclaimer: I believe wine and food pairing truly is a subjective and personal thing, but generally speaking, wine pops with the right foods, and vice-versa.) It seems a lot of people don’t pay particular attention to food and wine pairing. Maybe it’s a mix of not being properly equipped with the knowledge, a general misunderstanding and plain ol’ laziness after a long day of work. Time to add a few suggestions into the weekly menu rotation and to start to think about balancing meals with wine pairings.

A heaping bowl of pasta is pretty easy for most to whip up after a few hours of shoveling snow. A very easy and basic fresh tomato, basil and parmesan recipe goes a long way when you pair it with the classic match: Chianti. There are a lot out there to choose from, but here’s one that will definitely please: Castello di Bossi, Chianti Classico ($35).

Nothing says comfort food like a big pot of stew. Provided you’ve gone with beef, bring out a big gun like a Shiraz, a Zin or a Cab but try this: Cote-du-Rhone Domaine de la Veille Julienne ($30). There’s a savory in the wine that brings out the salt in the dish – that whole melting thing happens.

Homemade soup is always an easy bet. Make it when you have the time and stick it in the freezer for those nights when all you really want is to polish off a whole bottle. Whether it’s roasted pepper, leek and potato, or hearty vegetable, piping hot winter soups would be fantastic with this 80-year-old Grenache vines wine Capcanes Vall del Calas ($25)

How about a little roast chicken dinner? A Sunday meal on a Wednesday sounds good. Pop a few herbs, onion and garlic in the chicken and the roaster, cover the chicken in butter and huck in a pile of veg. The oven does the rest. A beautiful red with soft tannins to pair with this dish is the Vietti Tre Vigne Barbera d’Alba ($45). Keeping with the softer tannins, try a Merlot or a fruity Beaujolais. Whites that work are dry Rieslings, Alsatian Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Some would consider making a traditional cassoulet without duck confit is sacrilege, but a vegetarian cassoulet dish can be as tasty. I’m not a veggie, I love my meat, but either way you definitely have to enjoy it with a French wine. A Burgundy or Rhone Valley works. The classic for this dish is a Gigondas – a well-balanced, full body red from Southern Rhone.

Ordering something spicy for take-out? Forget about the reds. People who love their red wine have a hard time getting around this one, but it makes such a difference if you head straight for a Gewürztraminer with spicy food. Gewurtz actually means ‘spice’ in German, so there is something to the madness. Choose a wine that is refreshing with crisp acidity and also look for wines leaning toward off-dry. You need a wine that can cut through the heat and the spice of the dishes. My personal favourites includes German and Alsace Rieslings. There are several levels of sweetness in these wines. Lucky for you: to find the one that suits your taste, you get to try them all. Bubbly and rose are great choices for spice as well.

I for one have definitely said no to cooking some nights and gone with a straight-up chocolate and cheese dinner. It’s incredibly liberating, not to mention satisfying. Taste-test the various dark chocolate options in your grocery and pop into your local cheese shop for some Stilton for good measure. You are sure to melt your mouth with this “side dish” of Port: Kopke Colheita 1997 Tawny – it’s a little pricey at $60 but worth every luscious sip.

This is hard to do – creating a list of dishes with one wine choice for each. There are so many great wines to try. This is a barely-touching-the-surface starter list. Let me know what you’ve paired and tried. I’m always up for getting through some tough home work assignments.

This is cross-posted from the original article on TheUnreserved.com

Finding your way through dusty aisles, stacked shelves and a blur of labels to choose that perfect bottle with the ideal price tag has to be one of the more challenging shopping experiences. Ah yes, navigating the wine shop. Picking a wine can be intimidating and daunting. It’s right up there with painting on new jeans or having a study of the “fit” of a potential bikini in the clothing store change rooms.

And even if you know a little bit about wine and have been in the same wine shop a hundred times, we’ve all wandered the aisles aimlessly trying to find a sign of inspiration.

Shopping for wine is supposed to be a fun event, not an overwhelming one. There are a few things to do and consider in conquering this wine store conundrum. First things first: find your people. Take some time to visit all of the wine stores near your work and home. It will be evident which ones you prefer just based on the vibe. Once you get to know these stores, and the wine, chances are you’ll go with the location that has the best selection and valued wines for you. And like any kind of store, you’ll return to the place you want to give your business to because of how it makes you feel.

Quick Checklist

Before heading out to buy wine, ask yourself a few questions:

• What’s the wine for: easy drinking or paired with a meal?
• What’s on the menu?
• Is the wine for yourself, a generic gift or are you buying for a wine aficionado?
• And most importantly, what is your budget?

If you know the answers to these questions, you’re ahead of the game before crossing the doorstep.

“Can I Help You?”

We spend so much of our days on the phone and emailing – communicating online and on mobiles has taken over 24-7. So when we walk into any store, a lot of the time we just want to be left to our own devices. However in a wine shop, you most definitely should speak with the people that work there. Typically they are extremely helpful, they have a wide range of knowledge and chances are they love wine more most (they are working in a wine shop after all). Ask for help. Tell them how much you want to spend and for what or whom the wine is intended. They will point you in the right direction and a lot of the time will introduce you to a wine you have yet to try.

My Region, My Country

Most wine stores are organized by country and region, with some form of signage. Occasionally you will wander into a store that has chosen to display their wines in another fashion – run! Well have a look around to see if the organized creative chaos suits your style, but generally speaking it’s much easier to scan for wine when it’s organized by country, which most stores are. Wines are often shelved based on price as well with the higher price points at eye level. Pay attention to those small labels on some wines called “shelf talkers” – they give you the Coles’ Notes on the wine; things like what’s in the wine, what it best pairs with, a rating and discount information. Every store varies but once you find the store you enjoy, you’ll get to know what’s what soon enough.

You’ll likely find both red and white under most countries. Know what you like or don’t like. Reading and understanding wine labels from every wine region of the world takes time and effort (and drinking!). Again, talk to a staff member. If you need a ready-to-drink chilled white or sparkling, there are normally a few gems to choose from in the cooler section. Some specialty stores have a “staff’s picks” section – definitely check this out. It often means good wine at great value. And if you really want to spend the bucks, well there’s always a few Barolos behind lock and key!

What Was The Name Of That Wine…?

How many times have you stumbled around a wine store hunting for that label you know you will recognize when you see it? When you find a good wine, record it. Get a Moleskine and carry it with you everywhere, or file it away on paper or in a cabinet. Whatever your preference, start to take notes. Better still, install a handy application on your smart phone. This way, you’ll have your favourite go-to wines right at your fingertips. I use an iPhone and I like to snap the labels of the wines I like (or don’t like) wherever I am – this makes it really easy when shopping for wine. There is a great iPhone app called Wine Snob where you can record the image of the label and the details of a wine and your own tasting note in less than a minute. The Wine Guide is an app of reviews and ratings from Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s editors – literally a wine expert in your hands. I also use an iPhone app for tracking and storing wine (which is a another topic) called Cor.kz powered by CellarTracker – easy and excellent.

So don’t let being surrounded by hundreds of bottles of wines get you down. The real trick to feeling comfortable and confident in a wine store is quite simple: buy and drink more wine!

Update: Great tip from Madeline re a new Moleskine wine journal – it’s about time! Get it via Amazon here.

Warning: When tasting delectable wines in a Mercedes-Benz showroom, spit as much as humanly possible. At the end of the night, you’re walking out with at least a case of wine… oh, and look: it comes in the truck of a shiny new S65 AMG Sedan. How did that happen? (Oddly, I now know what a S65 AMG Sedan is.)

Select Wines has it going on. As a pre-holiday tasting event, the Canada-wide agency held a customer appreciation night this week in Vancouver at the Mercedes Benz dealership in Kits. Oo-la-la. Smart move. What else gets you in the mood to pick up a case or 2 other than flashy hot-rods, a shiny black grand piano crankin’ out not-sick-of-them-yet Christmas tunes and several stations of big reds, crisp whites and happy bubbly to keep the room buzzing for hours? This was a great event. Small, casual and nicely orchestrated by the fine people of Select who kept those glasses full…

They had a selection of about 15 wines in total. We were greeted at the door with a little bubbly to kick it off – their Piper-Heidieck Brut Reserve ($55.98 | #462432) – excellent start to the evening. After we wandered through the dangerously available for spontaneous radical purchasing autos, we hit the whites and enjoyed a classic Riesling, 07 from Hugel, Alsace ($24.99 | #365486), the Wither Hills straight-down-the-middle classic Kiwi Sauvy B. ($18.99 | #493619 ), and the seemingly more trendy wine of 2009: a 07 Grüner Veltliner from Austria’s Salomon Undhof ($26.99 | #843045) – nuts and honey, fantastic mouth-feel.

Moving into the reds, there were 10 on hand and we of course tasted a healthy portion of each one. Here were a few of my big-body fav’s:

• 06 Sicilian Merlot Collezione di Famiglia. Full body, chocolatey, balanced, smooth, smooth, smooth. Nice to discover from the south of Italy. Great for any heavy sauce or meaty Christmas dish ($19.99 | #760223)
• 05 Barbaresco Ricossa – Great value for this big-bodied, complex guy ($21.99 | #929406)
• 07 Firesteed Pinot Noir – One of the better valued new world Pinots under $25, thanks to those Oregon winemakers who know a thing or two on old world Pinot style ($22.99 | #361782)
• 06 Shiraz Viognier from Yering Station in Oz – this was my favourite of the night. A great find. It’s got a pleasantly unsuspecting mouth feel and an intensity from different directions, giving way for varying flavours. A must try. ($26.99 | #699785)

Thankfully, plenty of wine and hours later, we didn’t end up with a car. We did however end up with a Christmas mixed case of great wines. Thanks to everyone at Select, especially Risha, and to the Mercedes crew for a very memorable night.