Henkell Trocken Sekt

About four or five times a year I wonder out loud to anyone in earshot, "Why do we only drink champagne to celebrate something? Why can't we have it as an everyday house wine?" But do I ever do anything about it? No. At least, not until now. The Henkell was the only cold wine I could find in the house, and none of the reds had screwtops, so I quietly popped the cork (kids just went to bed) and had some sparkling wine for no reason.

To be honest this has been a favorite of mine for a long time, pretty much since I started drinking wine. I'm sure a lot of it is the association with hundreds of memories experienced while holding a glass of Henkell Trocken. Hey, it was a fine day today so let's celebrate. Somebody famous, a writer but I can't remember who, once said he has a glass of champagne every morning to start the day, just because he can.

In case you didn't know: "champagne" refers to sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France only. Apparently everything else is properly called "sparkling wine" or some local variation. Even sparkling wines from elsewhere in France can't be called champagne.

Henkell Trocken is amazingly consistent: I don't remember ever having a bottle that tasted different from what it tastes like now. Medium bubbles, dry but with a very little honey sweetness and a creamy finish. Nicely acidic, this can be sampled on its own or with any cheese, seafood or curry dish. Once in a while I get to try some more expensive champagnes, and while I do appreciate them I think I like good old Henkell as much as any of them.

89 points. Usually around $11-12 at Superstore.

Carmen Shiraz 2008

Not much background on this wine. I have no idea how it landed in our wine rack. I can't find an image of the label on the internet. The winery website doesn't even list it. So we're flying blind here. All I know is it's a shiraz from Maipo valley in Chile.

A little acidic right out of the bottle, but not too shabby. A very nice inky purple colour, with a fairly hot alcoholey nose. Now that it's been out to play for a few minutes the wine is rounding out a bit and mellowing nicely. I'm getting some plum and leather smells/tastes. The back label mentions blueberry, and I'll agree with that. Good structure if a bit astringent, this would probably match with sweet Italian sausage, or rich chocolate cake, or the usual suspects. If it's in the price range I think it is, this is not a bad value at all. A good, solid, balanced shiraz that's not too "big" but is quite drinkable with food or on its own.

88 points. Guessing this is about $12 somewhere.

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009

We've come to rely on these grapefruity New Zealand sauvignon blancs like Oyster Bay and Kim Crawford as our go-to whites when we want something tasty and not overly expensive. There are a few that are on the cheaper end like Stoneleigh that are noticeably a point or two below the bar - still very drinkable, but it feels like a compromise instead of a treat.

Monkey Bay might be the least expensive of the Oyster Bay middle tier. It is tart but balanced, having the signature taste of the kiwi Malborough region of grapefruit and gooseberry. But it's acidity is not overpowering, even after a couple of glasses without food (trust me). It would pair well with shellfish, pasta in white sauce, or dubliner cheese (a sharp old white cheddar flavour).

We now buy Barefoot pinot grigio as our cheap quaffable house wine, and Monkey Bay as our standby when we want something a little nicer. And it keeps us from tearing through our Okanagan stash we just hauled back last week. A very good wine at a very reasonable price.

89 points. $12 at Superstore.

Luigi Bosca Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Never tried this wine before, so I'm opening the bottle and writing as I drink. No vague recollections: these are my immediate reactions.

Nice ruby colour. Plum and a little lavender bouquet. A bit of an edge, maybe this needs to breathe/aerate a little to soften. Tastes jammy. But firm and not too tannic. This cab would be great with beef stroganoff or spaghetti and meatballs topped with chilis. Very drinkable.

Now that's it's been out of the bottle a few minutes I'm starting to taste the chocolate notes as advertised on the back label. Not bad at all, very versatile and a good value wine.

89 points. About $16 from Costco.

Trapiche Reserve Malbec 2008

A solid malbec, doesn't blow you out of the water but above average. A good jammy, astringent wine, not the blockbuster shiraz type but more than a merlot. I should have aerated this one to bring it all out. Lots of cherry, earthy plum and maybe some hints of leather and mineral. This would work with any red meat or tomato based dishes.

88 points. Probably in the $10-$12 range, so a strong value.

Doña Paula Shiraz Malbec 2008

I recall another Doña Paula I wrote about a while back which was tasty, and this one is even better. It is rich and has the usual big Shiraz berry and mouthfeel, and plum from the Malbec, a really successful blend. Some other tasters noted chocolate and white pepper (I agree with the first, not the second). This would be awesome with red meat, which is too bad because I had a leftover steak and baked potato with a Guinness before I decided to open this last night during the Canada-Russia hockey game. Like Team Canada, it's a winner: rich, deep, passionate, and attacks the crease relentlessly (OK, that last one stretched the metaphor a bit too far, but you know what I mean).

And for the price the value is outrageous. We'll probably start buying this by the case.

91 points. $13.29 at Costco.

Nugan Estate Riverina Durif 2007

The CROWN 2 winner. I felt like I needed a big red after the last one.

Durif is another term for Petit Syrah. Deep rich colour and a lemony plum bouquet. Actually, once I noticed the lemon it's quite obvious. Some leather and blackberry tastes as well, very interesting. To be honest, not as good as I remember it from cheap wine night, but still a class act. Probably would benefit from an hour in the decanter. I would proudly serve this with a bacon cheeseburger, or duck a l'orange if you want to go to the other end of the culinary scale.

89 points. $14 (as of CROWN 2).

Chateau de Cabriac Corbieres 2007

Some background: I came across the Wine Century Club, which is a website that will give you a certificate if you promise you have tried at least 100 different wine varietals ("the application is entirely on the honor system; should you lie, may the wrath of Bacchus curse your palate!"). Once you get past the first dozen or so, it gets a little obscure. So, we have a new mission.

This French wine is a combination of Syrah (got it), Grenache (got it), Mourvedre (uh, got it), and Carignan (need it!). So, check #42 off the wine century club list, and here we go. I get a dark berry and possibly flinty aroma, and the colour is a nice deep ruby. It's definitely not heavy or chewy, but there's just enough structure and body to keep it from feeling too thin. The acidity is just about right, but it seems to lack - well, flavour, I guess. I don't think this wine would stand up to any sort of rich food. I'm struggling to think what it might pair with (possibly seared ahi tuni?? what a stretch), and it's kind of plain to sip on its own, so I'm not sure where that leaves us. It's not a bad wine, just doesn't really seem to fit in. It's smooth and has some character, but ultimately is kind of unsatisfying.

I just poured another glass, this time with the aerator, and that helps a bit. Acceptable with the leftover popcorn chicken nuggets from tonight. Bump it up a point, but still, something is lacking, I wish it had some game. I'm trying not to blame the carignan.

87 points. About $14.

Santa Rita 120 Chardonnay 2008

Very nice, not great but no real weaknesses and quite drinkable. This is a slightly buttery, medium oaked chardonnay with a sort of musky melon and fruit (pear?) character. I find the acidity a little out of balance but not overpowering. I can see how the muskiness might turn some people off. It's not a subtle wine.

This would be perfect with shellfish. Use it to cook mussels mariniere with garlic, and serve it cold along side. It would probably go equally well with blue cheese, or even a coconut curry. Decent value, good to have in the bottom of the fridge.

86 points. $11.

C.R.O.W.N. 2

Cheap Wine Night has been rebranded as "Cheap Red or White Night", aka C.R.O.W.N. The second one was set for April 25th, which is ANZAC Day so the theme was Australia and New Zealand. Due to scheduling problems we had to change the date to April 18th, but kept the theme anyway. Couples were asked to bring two bottles with a maximum budget of $40 combined.

Without further ado, the results:

1 - Nugan Estate Durif Petit Syrah 2007 (Riverina, NSW) $14.00
2 - Thorn Clarke Shotfire Shiraz 2006 (Barossa Valley) $27.99
3 - Peter Lehmann Shiraz 2006 (Barossa Valley) $17.00
4 - Heartland Stickleback Red 2007 (South Australia) $15.70
5 - Main Divide Riesling 2007 (Waipara Valley, NZ) $25.95
6 - Nugan Estate Pinot Grigio 2008 (King Valley, Victoria) $13.99
7 - Hardys Riesling Gewurtztraminer 2008 (South Australia) $10.99
8 - Angove Nine Vines Shiraz Viognier 2007 (South Australia) $15.99
9 - Roy's Hill Merlot 2006 (Hawkes Bay, NZ) $20.95
10 - Bleasedale Potts' Catch Verdelho 2008 (Langhorne Creek, South Australia) $15.95
11 - Wolf Blass Eaglehawk Semillon Chardonnay 2007 (Barossa Valley) $13.79
12 - Tempus Two Wilde Chardonnay 2007 (Adelaide) $14.99

This time I ranked the results based on how each person rated a wine compared to their own rankings. In other words, for each person I took the score and assigned a ranking of 1 to the top score down to 12 for their lowest. This way it doesn't matter if somebody's scoring system is out of scale with others, as long as they are consistent within themselves. Interestingly, the #1 wine was only ranked #1 by one individual, but was the second choice of almost everyone else. Wines 2-5 had more first-place votes than the Nugan Durif.

Next time we'll probably do away with scores altogether, and just have people rank their own list 1-12. Also, I just noticed a slight calculation error: the Angove Shiraz Viognier should have been one spot higher. Well, I had tasted twelve wines prior to doing up the spreadsheet that night, so a little human error is to be expected. I suppose next time I could spit out the wine to stay sharp (OK, that's not going to happen).

The two Nugan Estates were a revelation: both were excellent and great value at 14 bucks each. The Shotfire was a close second, and Peter Lehmann was another fine wine for a decent price.

Cono Sur Merlot 2008

So: for a merlot this is fairly rich (maybe courtesy of the aerator - that's a whole other post), nice deep violet garnet colour, and an interesting, earthy nose. I get plum and blackberry, strong but not overwhelming, and maybe even a little citrus acidity. This is drinkable on its own and would be a good match for lasagna and crusty garlic bread on a chilly fall evening.

Cono Sur is turning into another Lindemans for me: pretty much anything with that name on the label is a great value, always an above-average wine and sometimes even outstanding.

87 points. Probably about 12 bucks.

Pascual Toso Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

This one wasn't on our list, but was recommended highly by the lady at Grapes and Grains where we ducked into between periods of the Oilers game. (We shouldn't have hurried back. Fire MacTavish.)

I think this wine really needs a little breathing time. Our first reaction was that it was a little too fruity, heavy on the plum or maybe some grape jelly. But after about half an hour out in the fresh air it seem to settle into a more mature, even powerful wine. Fantastic aroma - deep and rich. It's a pretty assertive cab sauv, not a superstar but an Ales Hemsky of a wine: very, very good. We drank some with chicken dinner tonight, but it would really click with red meats or pasta. Or some sharp Dubliner cheese.

We agreed on 88, but I got the last glass and it's turned into 89 points. $13.23 at Grapes and Grains.

Cono Sur Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

They seem to be quite proud of the bicycle thing at Cono Sur - it's the way their workers get to the vineyard, apparently. Ties in with the organic philosophy / marketing spin; I guess their vines are treated humanely and allowed to roam free across the valle central. Not like those bastards over at Concha y Toro, who must drive their gas-guzzlers into the vineyard to spray chemicals on grapes that are cruelly tied up for their entire life until brutally crushed to death. My conscience feels better already.

But apart from the political correctness, the wine is actually fantastic. It's mature and earthy but supple, with balanced tannins and great confident black berry and cherry flavours and a long, slightly peppery finish. We had this for dinner with pasta and a simple tomato sauce, and it didn't stand a chance. This would be great to taste on its own, and would be great with all kinds of meat and savory dishes.

I picked this up at the Wine Cellar, but I'm guessing you can find it for around ten bucks somewhere else. The merlot is rated highly. I'm definitely going to try more from Cono Sur. And I don't care whether the workers go home by bike or Hummer.

90 points (a bit of a reach, but I stand by it). $13.95 at the Wine Cellar.

M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône 2006

We bought this one because I was looking for the white version which was highly recommended by Wine Access magazine (89 points, under $20, available in Alberta - perfect). We haven't found that one yet, but since this was on the shelf we gave it a try.

The red Maison Chapoutier is a blend of grenache and syrah, and is not too full bodied, all of which is I think typical for a Côtes du Rhône. It is fairly acidic, too much for my taste which keeps me from giving it top marks, but not very tannic and it's a little meatier than most from the region (where, I just learned, they have been making wine for over 2000 years). I'm sure this would complement lamb or game dishes. Quite nice, and a pretty good value as well. We may have to bring this to a dinner tomorrow night hosted by a friend who (a) usually serves us roast lamb, and (b) almost exclusively drinks French wine. Definitely a step up from the cat on the egg.

86 points. $14.79 at Superstore.