Most days in the life of a newspaper wine critic are, I'm sure you'll agree, enviable. Taste dozens of wines in the morning (making sure to spit out the bad ones); think of pretentious adjectives to scribble in your notebook; take an afternoon nap; brush your teeth in preparation for dinner with, say, the Marchese Frescobaldi or Baroness de Rothschild; then pack for barrel-tasting tour of the Côte d'Or.
Well, it's not quite like that. Not every day. Still, I suspect most of you would not have wanted to be me one morning eight days ago. The mission: taste all 77 alternatively packaged wines available in Ontario.
As you may know, the LCBO has admirably moved ahead of the curve on the environmental issue, encouraging suppliers to switch to light-weight, non-glass containers such as Tetra Paks, Tetra Prismas (the more rounded, six-sided cartons), polyethylene bottles and aluminum cans.
The objective is to cut down on landfill clutter and, more importantly, shipping weight. Every kilo on a truck or cargo ship is another big, gratuitous puff of carbon dioxide, which collects in the atmosphere, exacerbating the greenhouse effect and global-warming crisis. And yes, Tetra Paks and plastic bottles are all recyclable, contrary to misinformation spread by the frightened glass industry.
At 77 selections, the press tasting at the LCBO lab was likely the biggest "green wine" face-off ever assembled anywhere. Not that we critics rated the wines as a group or collectively declared a winner. But my general verdict, and I dare say that of the half-dozen esteemed experts in the room with me, wasn't overly flattering. Rarely have I been so thirsty for a good glass of wine as after that tasting.
Why so mediocre? That's a loaded question to be putting to wine producers and importers. Few, if any, will concede there's a quality problem with Tetra Pak wines. But I have theories.
One has to do with economics, specifically what accountants call return on investment. To justify the expense of launching a wine in an alternative package, which requires a separate bottling line, the product run has to be substantial. That entails a mass-produced wine. And while some inexpensive, big-production wines are great, most are not because the vines tend to be factory farmed, poorly tended and forced into producing more fruit at the expense of flavour concentration.
Another theory has to do with optics, and for this we can blame ourselves. Producers know most wine consumers love bottles and corks and that we simply expect poorer quality out of cardboard, so they oblige us by meeting our expectations.
And still another reason you won't see great wine in Tetra Paks any time soon has to do with technology. Unlike glass, the plastic liners inside the cartons eventually degrade and expose the wine to air. Experts generally recommend drinking up Tetra Pak wines -- not to mention bag-in-box wines and even plastic-bottled soda pop -- within about nine months. So, don't expect to find cellar-worthy wines in plastic-lined containers.
But here's my upbeat ending: A few selections did stand out for their above-average quality, and there were two exceptional offerings from Australian producer Wolf Blass which, incidentally, are being rolled out next month to British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and to Alberta in May. Packaged in innovative, 750-millilitre polyethylene bottles, the containers are so shiny and polished that one could confuse them with glass were it not for the more compact shape and lighter weight.
Wolf Blass Bilyara Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($16.95, product No. 008136) has the kind of complexity you'd expect from a premium wine in a hefty bottle. Classically Blass in its velvety richness, it's brimming with cassis, cedar, chocolate and vanilla, and finishing dry, with some spice and well-integrated tannins. Worthy of a good sirloin steak. Also excellent is the white Wolf Blass Bilyara Reserve Chardonnay 2005 ($14.95, No. 008128), medium full-bodied, round and creamy, showing notes of peach, mango and vanilla and deftly balanced with crisp acidity. Good for rich fish dishes such as salmon or lobster, as well as chicken.
Another clear winner was Kumala Sauvignon Blanc 2006 ($12.15/1 litre, No. 016147), a white from South Africa made by Vincor Canada. It had all the classic elements of a fine Cape sauvignon, with plump grapefruit and gooseberry notes balanced by hints of herbs and crisp acidity. Nice for lighter fish dishes such as grilled trout or shrimp.
Also better than average among the whites, to my mind, were Soluna Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie 2005 ($13.05, No. 614412), a crisp Italian in a 1-litre Tetra Prisma, and Baldivis Estate Chardonnay 2005 from Palandri ($13.95, product No. 669051), a nicely balanced medium-bodied offering from Australia packaged in a 750-millilitre Cheer Pack pouch.
The reds, generally, did not perform as well as the whites. My favourite, besides the Wolf Blass cabernet above, was Baldivis Estate Shiraz 2003 ($13.95, No. 669077), also in a Cheer Pak, showing rich berry fruit and a spicy, black-pepper finish. This is a ripe-yet-crisp red that might even stand up to Asian-fusion food.
To help distance my memory from the Great Tetra Tasting of 2007, let me bring our attention to a few bottle-packaged standouts released in recent weeks that I had no room for in earlier columns.
From last week's Vintages release in Ontario, there's the splurge-worthy Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($73.95, No. 346270). Shafer's reds aren't cheap, but this California winery competes admirably with trophy reds costing several hundred dollars. This, their standard-issue cab, is very complex, layered with cassis, cola, cigar box, espresso and spice. Ideal for steak.
Also from last week's release, there's Ferrari-Carano Merlot 2003 ($39.94, No. 325597). Pure, juicy blackberry-cherry flavours are kicked up by big spice and firm acidity in this ready-to-drink, full-bodied red from California. The oak is nicely restrained, though the 14.5-per-cent alcohol does exert some noticeable warmth on the finish. You might want to try it with medium-rare beef, pork or duck.
Much more affordable is Batasiolo Langhe Rosso 2005 ($15.95, No. 981019), a medium full-bodied red from Italy blended from the Piedmont region's three classic grapes, dolcetto, barbera and nebbiolo. Juicy and brimming with cherry-like fruit and hints of licorice and leather. Good for red-sauce pizzas or pastas.
Among whites, check out Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from New Zealand ($20.95, No. 020727). Warning: It's racy and rather grassy, but I love the complexity and the stone-mineral character more reminiscent of sauvignon blancs from France's Loire Valley. It's like a flinty Sancerre with the volume cranked up to 11. Serve it with salads, broiled or grilled fish, goat cheese, or all by itself as an aperitif.
More affordable but very good for light fish dishes is Tenuta Bonzara Vigna Antica Pignoletto Classico 2005 ($16.95, No. 013409), a tart-edged white from northern Italy that exhibits an almost "nervous" mineral-acid tension, as the French might say.
And another excellent white from a Vintages release earlier this month in Ontario is Dopff & Irion Gewurztraminer La Cuvée René Dopff 2004 ($25.95, No. 021352). This is attractively priced for a Grand Cru from Alsace, full-bodied and brimming with textbook gewürztraminer flavours of lychee and roses and a fleshy, weighty texture. Perfect as an apéritif or with Asian food.
Pick of the week
Wolf Blass Bilyara Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($16.95, product No. 008136) is brimming with cassis, cedar, chocolate and vanilla. It finishes dry, with some spice and well-integrated tannins.
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