Pick of the week
Kevin Hewitt MasDonis 003 crosariol26st1 1212969600
Mas Donis Barrica 2005 ($17.95, product No. 0705863). A blend of 85-per-cent grenache and 15-per-cent syrah, showing chewy dark berries, toasty oak, spice and food-friendly acidity.
I've learned bizarre truth about wine criticism over the past four weeks. How do you provoke a flood of snippy reader e-mail? Not by actually writing something provocative. By not writing at all.
Sincere apologies to those of you who missed my twice-weekly columns. I hope it will be of some consolation that I was not off barrel tasting in Pauillac or basking in grape pomace for an investigative assignment on wine-country spas. I was off with an illness.
And sorry that I didn't, as some of you helpfully suggested, spend my weekends stockpiling work to run while away. I am considering forwarding that tip to the hospital so doctors, too, will remember to keep extended hours on weekends before they take any time off. It's going to be great for health and productivity.
Okay, I'm edgy. You might be, too, if you'd not had a glass of wine in a month. But, for what it's worth, I feel my palate is better off, mainly because I've come to appreciate beer in a whole new light. Yes, I was able to partake of modest quantities of the beverage made from H. vulgare, which for obvious reasons beer lovers prefer to call barley. In fact, as I heeded environmentalist David Suzuki's advice to power down the air conditioner and save the world from greenhouse death, I began to crave beer over wine. I even started to wonder, cynically, if Suzuki had shrewdly bought stock in Molson-Coors.
Aside from taking advantage of a limited-time discount on Carling Lager, an excellent low-priced brand, I stuck with premium craft brews to quench my un-air-conditioned thirst. One that did the trick nicely was Red Leaf Smooth Red Lager from Great Lakes Brewery in Toronto ($11.50 for a 6-pack (341 ml) at LCBO or Great Lakes Brewery).
Unusual for its chestnut colour, it is considerable darker than most lagers. It's also more substantial, with a medium body and faintly sweet, dried-fruit, molasses-like character. It had me hankering for ribs with barbecue sauce.
Another offbeat gem that kept me cool while I spared the local generating station from generating untold megawatts was Beau's All Natural Lug Tread Lagered Ale from an organic brewer in Vankleek Hill, Ont. ($7.45 for a 750-millilitre ceramic bottle at LCBO or Beau's Brewery). This strange brew with a German pedigree - top-fermented like an ale yet cold-aged like a lager - is medium-bodied, dry and has a nice balance of malt and hop flavours. Depending on your preference, it can evoke breakfast cereal, Scotch whisky or a face-first dive into a haystack.
And one craft brew I've had many times before but began to appreciate anew is J.R. Brickman Pilsner from Brick Brewing in Waterloo, Ont. ($1.95 per 473 ml can at LCBO or Brick Brewing). Light-bodied, very crisp and dry, it shows a lively effervescence and delicate flavour reminiscent of clean, gentle Irish whiskey. It goes down easy yet, unlike some of those mega-brand pilsners, actually has lots of flavour.
I did, however, taste, and spit, wine during my hiatus. What follows, with apologies for tardiness, are some belated highlights of recent releases.
A standout from last week's release at Vintages stores in Ontario is Mas Donis Barrica 2005 ($17.95, product No. 0705863). From the Montsant district near Spain's ultra-trendy Priorat region, it's a blend of 85-per-cent grenache and 15-per-cent syrah, showing chewy dark berries, toasty oak, spice and food-friendly acidity. The 2004 vintage should be available in British Columbia.
For excellent value, consider Echeverria Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 from Chile ($13.95, No. 0059378). There's a nice fusion here of luscious, fruit-forward berries and oak and mushroom-like earthiness you'd expect from a European red. The finish is juicy and spicy.
In a more crowd-pleasing, super-ripe style is Tapestry Merlot 2005 from Australia ($26.95, No. 0064063), showing blackberry, stewed plum and violet. A nice choice for burgers or anything slathered with barbecue sauce.
Among whites, one of the better values to hit Vintages shelves in recent weeks has got to be Navarro Correas Coleccion Privada Chardonnay 2006 ($13.95, No. 0064477). Medium full-bodied, round and buttery, it balances out with fresh apple and pear notes and crisp acidity.
Also very good for the money is Château des Charmes Methode Tradition Brut ($22.95, No. 0207944), a commendable champagne-style bubbly from Niagara that delivers a creamy texture and notes of yeast and butter over fresh apple and a fine mousse.
And just released in British Columbia is the terrific Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2007 ($20 direct from the winery, http://www.bovwine.ca or toll-free at 1-877-498-0620). From last year's superb harvest comes this deftly balanced white, medium-bodied with hints of apple, pear and mineral and a faintly smoky, gun-metal note. Subtle and complex. If you can't buy it retail, look for it in good restaurants around the country.
