2009 Flat Rock Chardonnay – VINTAGES 0286278 – $16.95 – I haven’t made any secret of the fact that I am not a fan of the descriptor “minerality”, however there really is no other word to describe this Chardonnay quite so well. Balanced with flavours of apple with a nice creamy mouth feel and a lingering finish. The finish is more than lingering a wine that can only be described as intense. A nice acidity makes this wine very food friendly looking to be paired with Chicken or Fish.
2011 Ravine Sand&Gravel Redcoat – LCBO 260406 – $17.95 – This is another great Red blend that has me excited. Ravine Vineyard is usually hiding in the vintages section and this bottle of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon finds itself in the front of your LCBO. At $17.95 this wine is a steal and sure to be a crowd pleaser! Very soft flavours of Cherry and Raspberry with subtle Spice and Dark Chocolate make this a very accessible wine. The balance to this wine opens this wine up to almost limitless food possibilities. I will go out on a limb and call this one of the most food friendly traditional Red blends I have ever had the chance to try.
Earlier this week I had a chance to speak with Xavier de Eizaguirre, Chairperson of Vinexpo about what is going on with the Canadian market when it comes to wine consumption. It was very interesting to learn that Canada is about to become the 5th largest consumer in the world with both domestic and foreign consumption increasing. So as a country we are a thirsty bunch. It is good news because it appears that wine consumption can be tied with confidence in the economy as countries where consumption is decreasing are found in Europe and among those hit with current economic woes.
Another thing I found particularly fascinating had to do with WHAT we are drinking. Not only are we just drinking more, but we are spending more on a bottle of wine. While it may be a little less fashionable to have that casual drink during lunch, it is becoming much more fashionable to save up for that special bottle of wine for any occasion (and it looks like Canadians have no shortages of occasions).
To hear my chat with Xavier please check out my podcast from this week!
