Had any bonarda lately? Didn't think so. I suspect those who answered yes are either reading online from Buenos Aires or just back from a South American vacation.
Bonarda is reputed to be Argentina's second-most-planted red grape, though you wouldn't have guessed from a scan of the South American section at your liquor store.
What I should say, actually, is that Argentines believe bonarda is their No. 2 red grape, second to malbec.
There are two caveats here. Statistical rigour is not a strong suit of the Argentine wine industry. Worse, bonarda itself is plagued by an identity crisis.
Most of what passes for bonarda in Argentina may actually be charbono, a California grape possibly related to Italy's dolcetto, and completely unrelated to the California resident formerly known as Cher Bono. That's what some of the brainiac DNA scientists at wine schools think, though nobody seems to know for sure.
What we do know is that authentic bonarda - officially "bonarda piemontese" - originates from the Piedmont region of northern Italy, where once it grew like kudzu but now is all but extinct on account of its tendency to yield small bunches and an uneconomically low tonnage of fruit per hectare.
It all may sound a little slapstick, akin to the story of carmenere in neighbouring Chile, which for decades everybody thought was merlot and labelled as such.
Me? I don't find it absurd at all. Frankly, I'm surprised this kind of confusion doesn't happen all the time, given there are literally thousands of wine-grape varieties and not much obvious difference between most of them.
Heck, I have trouble telling a Toyota Yaris from a Honda Fit in a Hertz parking lot.
One thing I can say with conviction is that Argentine "bonarda" (whatever it is) occasionally deserves a bow. Some producers are crafting truly interesting wines out of the grape. And it's a killer pizza-and-nachos wine.
Not to everyone's taste, bonarda tends to be light-bodied, fruity and intended for easy quaffing, not unlike the aforementioned dolcetto or gamay, the red grape of Beaujolais in France.
What's great about the Argentine stuff, though, is value. The grape can be as harmonious as a more-than-$20 Beaujolais from Morgon or Fleurie when it is grown and vinified with care.
A great example is Finca el Retiro Bonarda 2004 ($12.95, product No. 0640896), released today in Ontario through Vintages stores. Medium full-bodied, it shows excellent concentration, hinting at flavours of cherry and herbs and just a smidgeon of Dubble Bubble.
It may not cut it as a gift for Father's Day, but it could make a fine partner for burgers should you be planning to honour him with an informal barbecue. I think of it as a smiling, happy wine.
The next-best value of today's Vintages release, to my mind, is Walden Côtes du Roussillon Villages 2006 ($16.95, No. 0070334). I was as much taken aback by the wine's name as by its excellent value. It's a French brand paying homage to, of all things these days, an American cultural icon, Henry David Thoreau, the seminal environmentalist and author of Walden.
You'll recall that Thoreau retreated into the woods around Walden Pond in Massachusetts in the mid-19th century as an experiment in self-sustenance.
I wish I had had a bottle of this wine with me one happy afternoon 15 years ago while making the pilgrimage to the site of Thoreau's long-gone cabin.
Instead, I probably had something more spiritually and geographically appropriate at the time, like local Poland Spring mineral water or Welch's Grape Juice from the nearby town of Concord, though I can't fully recall.
This French wine is a flattering tribute, remarkably complex for the price, fresh and modern, with notes of blackberry, plum and black pepper, also notes of earth, herbs, licorice and, believe it or not, motor oil. You could do worse than to pair it with anything involving beans, which, if memory serves, was Thoreau's main source of calories at Walden.
If that's not a precious enough gift for father's day, consider some of the following choices from today's Ontario release.
One of the best Cognac values I've seen in a long time comes in the form of Francois Voyer Cognac ($49.95 for 700 millilitres, No. 66761). Made entirely of fruit from the top-class Grande Champagne zone of the Cognac region of France, this brandy shows big, pronounced scents of dried fruit, tobacco and wood spice.
On the palate, it's luscious and round, with big fruit tones, a hint of violet and a long, harmonious finish. What a great change of pace from some of those big, often overpriced, brands we all know well. Grab it while you can; there aren't many bottles in the system.
Atalon Merlot 2003 ($39.95, No. 0901025). This is an excellent red that deserves higher praise than the score of 88 it received in an influential U.S. wine newsletter. Juicy and luscious, it's what California merlot lovers clamour for, rich plum and blackberry fruit, mocha, subtle savoury notes of underbrush and tobacco.
Maybe it's just that I think its relatively controlled alcohol (13.7 per cent) and firm acidity are assets rather than liabilities.
Another nice effort from California, and worthy of gift-giving, is Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($54.95, No. 0606509). Remarkably juicy for a Napa cab, with mouth-watering acidity lifting its concentrated core of cherry, chocolate, vanilla and coffee. Lots of oak here, but it's in harmony with the ripe fruit.
Great for immediate consumption or at least six years of cellaring.
If your father's a white-wine fan, here's a great buy in serious California chardonnay: Mossback Chardonnay 2006 ($21.95, No. 0066688). It hails from the Russian River Valley, source of many of America's best chardonnays and pinot noirs. Medium-bodied, it's more restrained than you might expect for a Californian, laced with pear, herbs and subtle minerality. Not many California chardonnays call to mind the steely whites of Chablis in France, but this does.
And a final Father's Day suggestion: I have raved in the past about Canadian craft distiller John Hall of Forty Creek in Grimsby, Ont., who makes one of the finest under-$25 whiskies you'll find. He's just produced a premium, numbered-bottle version called Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve, costing $59.95. It gets added flavour from a second aging period in bourbon barrels. It's available direct from the distillery (http://www.fortycreekwhisky.com) and those who order before June 15 can choose any number from 3 to 10,200 (the total bottle production), assuming it's not already taken. Your father's birth year, perhaps? I haven't tasted the whisky yet; it's being released Sept. 15.
Pick of the week
Finca el Retiro Bonarda 2004 ($12.95, product No. 0640896) Medium full-bodied, it shows excellent concentration, hinting at flavours of cherry and herbs and just a smidgeon of Dubble Bubble.
bcrosariol@globeandmail.com
