You can't always tell when a great dinner party is in the offing, but sometimes there are reliable signs. Like when your host calls up earlier in the day to solicit advice on what wine to serve with foie gras. Or when she calls to ask whether you have any allergies to caviar or white truffles.
Another promising sign, in my experience, is when the evening kicks off with an aperitif of German riesling.
Familiarity with riesling, especially underappreciated German riesling, is a hallmark of culinary urbanity. You have to be passionate about the finer things in life to bother learning how to decode confounding German wine labels (unless, of course, you grew up in the Mosel or Rhine valleys). And it takes a sophisticated palate to grasp that German riesling is an ideal opening act for a multicourse meal, tickling the taste buds with its sweet-tart balance and uncommon fusion of low alcohol with immense complexity. There's no federal law against starting a long dinner with a big Aussie shiraz, but it's kind of like starting with bangers and mash: There's nowhere to go from there except cheese or dessert.
Today's Vintages release at Ontario liquor stores features a good example of what I'm talking about. It's not dirt cheap, but it's a good value for what's in the bottle. And, now, here comes that confounding German label: Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Kabinett QmP 2002 ($19.95, product No. 940809). Make no mistake, this consistently good white is off-dry, so you're going to perceive sugar. But there's plenty of lively lime-like acidity to give it lift and a clean finish. Although weighing in at a mere 8.5-per-cent alcohol, it oozes with flavours of ripe peach, canned apricot and pine. What I especially like about this wine is its suggestion of slate and minerals and even, vaguely, petroleum (a classic German riesling note). Serve it cold, on its own or as a starter with light hors d'oeuvre.
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I wish I could recommend a British Columbia riesling I tasted recently called Wild Goose Riesling 2005, which was just as impressive as the Reichsgraf. Unfortunately it was produced in tiny quantities and is already sold out at the winery store in the Okanagan Valley.
Also almost sold out is a very nice Niagara riesling made in an exceedingly small quantity (about 160 cases) as a fledgling project by Charles Baker, a riesling missionary and director of marketing and sales for Stratus, a new Ontario winery. The wine is simply called Charles Baker Riesling 2005 ($35, call 905-468-1806, extension 235, to put your name down for some of next year's supply). It's the first wine in what Baker hopes will be a series of small-production artisanal rieslings that will show off the distinct characters of various Niagara vineyards. The price may seem steep for an Ontario white, but Baker says it cost him $38 a bottle to make, $3 more than he's charging, in part because he pruned back vines to yield an impressively low 1.6 tonnes of fruit an acre for maximum flavour concentration. Like I said, he's a riesling missionary. Wisely, his business plan calls for a profit in future years.
Turning to other wines in today's Ontario release, I would strongly recommend the delicious and elegant William Fèvre Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons 2004 ($32.95, No. 700369). This is a buxom chardonnay, bigger than the average Chablis, medium-bodied and fleshy, with notes of pineapple, grapefruit and spice and zippy acidity. It's perfect for shrimp in garlic butter, sautéed scallops or broiled or even roast chicken.
Among reds, Patrice Rion Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2004 ($22.95, No. 650630; $18.95 at J. Webb Wine Merchant in Calgary) is a nicely made basic Burgundy that comes at a very attractive (by Burgundy standards) price. This is a decidedly light-bodied pinot noir, but it shows fairly concentrated berry fruit flavour, as well as hints of beet and sweet pipe tobacco. And check out the freshness-enhancing screw cap, which a few modern-minded Burgundian producers have begun using on their entry-level, early drinking wines.
Also in a light-bodied vein but nicely priced is Babich Pinot Noir 2004 ($19.95, No. 000216). This extremely delicate New Zealand pinot offers up notes of cherry, beet and watermelon, and zippy spice on the finish. This is nice red for fish. Try it with salmon or even white, flaky varieties.
One Italian red new to Ontario's Vintages shelves and very much worth checking out is Umberto Cesari MOMA Rubicone 2004 ($17.95, No. 005405). An unusual blend of 80-per-cent sangiovese and equal parts cabernet sauvignon and merlot from the Emilia-Romagna region (better known for Parmesan cheese than wine), it's rich and ripe, suggesting cherry jam, prunes, chocolate, vanilla and mild spice, with a round, luscious texture and good, firm acidity on the finish. It should be nice with pork, duck or hard cheeses.
The name, if you're wondering, does refer to art but not to the Museum of Modern Art. MOMA stands for My Own MAsterpiece; the wine will feature a rotating series of paintings on the label. The current one is by Bologna-born Giorgio Morandi.
If you like buxom Aussie reds and aren't afraid of high prices, you're in luck with two fat, crowd-pleasing wines beloved by American wine critics. The big standout is the collectible Barossa Valley Estate E&E Black Pepper Shiraz 2002 ($99.95, No. 731620). So heavy and tar-like is this wine you almost wonder whether it's made from grapes at all. I'm exaggerating, of course, but you really have to love resiny, shoe-polish-like flavours as much as I do to go for this age-worthy monster, which also shows notes of blackberry, coffee grounds, licorice and spice. It's a good candidate for 10 to 15 years in the cellar.
More approachable and classically Australian is Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2002 ($52.95, No. 701821) from the Coonawarra region, packed with cassis, mint, cherry-liqueur, spice and cigar-like flavours. It's accessible now, but will probably open up further in five to seven years.
Pick of the week
Umberto Cesari MOMA Rubicone 2004 ($17.95, No. 005405). An unusual blend of 80-per-cent sangiovese and equal parts cabernet sauvignon and merlot is rich and ripe, suggesting cherry jam, prunes, chocolate, vanilla and mild spice, with a round, luscious texture.
