Bacchus
A while back I went to the Canadian Wine Tasting at Whole Foods Venice and it did not disappoint. I hate to brag, but I think my Whole Foods is the coolest Whole Foods of all time- we have a wine tasting bar IN THE STORE. (It’s pretty sassy.)
I went with my dear friend and fellow wino Katie and she was kind enough to document the occasion:
(The only thing better than a wine tasting is a wine tasting with cheese!)
(Whole Foods has a great enomatic selection as well)
The tasting was held by Wes Kollar from Decant Wine Events, who was both knowledgeable and fun (you’ll see why later in the post…)
First up was the Konzelmann Estate 2007 Pinot Blanc. The Konzelmann Estate moved from Germany and set up shop on the Niagara Peninsula in 1984, so though the wine region is fairly new, their process of producing quality wines is not. As far as this Pinot Blanc is concerned, it’s light and semi-dry (which is something I didn’t think I’d like, but really, really did) with tasting notes of green apple, pear, straw, zesty citrus (a little tangerine, a little grapefruit, and a little lime.) It’s smooth with a nice acidity and is tart with slight residual sugar, which all leads to a well-balanced, easy-drinking white. This wine is sold for $11.99, which is a great value for this quality white.
(photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journal)
Next was the 2007 Chateau des Charmes Aligote. Aligote is a Rhone varietal, which Wes referred to as “The Poor Man’s Chardonnay.” Being a less than huge fan of Chardonnay- I don’t exactly jump for joy when I hear “Chardonnay” and nothing gets me less excited than hearing “Poor” and “Chardonnay” in the same sentence, but I was open. Fortunately, there was no oak present, which was a lovely surprise… just soft, smooth butter. If butter is your thing but oakiness is not, go ahead and give this one a try- $15.99/bottle:
The third wine was also from Chateau des Charmes- a 2006 Viognier. Katie and I were both big fans of this one. It was incredibly floral and aromatic, with notes of orange blossom, honeysuckle, lemon zest, and green pear. It was mouth-filling, smooth, and had low acidity, with a slight effervescence and a big aftertaste. There was also some residual sugar, which I’m not usually a huge fan of, but these Canadian wines were shaking up my wine habits! It’s $24.99, which is probably a little more than I’m willing to pay for it, but if Viognier is your thing and you’re willing to pay 25 bucks for it- I’m not going to stop you!
The last, but DEFINITELY not least wine we got to taste was the 2006 Konzelmann Estate Ice Wine. OH MY GOD I tasted it and my eyes rolled into the back of my head- I almost fell out of my chair. Dessert wines don’t usually do it for me, but this one is what Wes referred to as “LPR,” or “Liquid Panty Remover.” And I have to say he’s quite right. Other terms thrown out to describe this wine included “Nectar of the Gods,” “Liquid Gold,” and my personal favorite from Katie, “An orgasm in your mouth.” Yup. This was sex in a bottle, alright. I composed myself only long enough to write down one descriptor word: honey. This dessert wine was just like honey. Too bad it costs a little more than honey- 42 bucks to be exact. But hey, as far as Ice Wines go, this is actually a bargain. The reason Ice Wines are so expensive is because it is a difficult, dangerous endeavor and there are strict, painstaking rules as to what constitutes an ice wine made in the traditional manner- according to the Wine Bible, “all ice wine must be made by allowing the grapes to freeze naturally on the vine, picking them by hand one frozen grape at a time, then gently pressing them to yield tiny amounts of superconcentrated juice.” I know it’s a splurge, but if you can manage, this ice wine won’t disappoint. Try it with a small piece of really good bleu cheese (which is how we did it… ’twas amazing.)
This was such a wonderful tasting- $15 got me a cheese plate and 4 generous pours of Canadian wine that I normally would never have been exposed to. I am proud to be a newly minted fan of Canadian wine! Give it a try, winos! Also, the wine bar at Whole Foods Venice has several tastings every month as well as a great selection of wines in their enomatic system every day- definitely worth checking out.
