deVine Thoughts

Our online feature this week is the 2019 Aberdeen Wine Company Angus the Bull Cabernet Sauvignon (Central Victoria, Australia) – $18.99 (regularly $22.99).

Just in time for Taurus season, the very appropriate Angus the Bull fits the bill nicely. Taurus is a fixed earth sign, symbolized by the Bull – they are charming, artistic, sensual, and charismatic which describes our Wine of the Week perfectly.

The philosophy behind this Australian Cabernet Sauvignon was to create the perfect pairing for beef. They succeeded! Deep ruby colour, with aromas and flavours of chocolate, cedar, black plum, dried floral and herbal notes. Medium full and smooth, with a long finish, this is made for grilled steak and roasted potatoes. Hand selecting premium parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from multi-vineyards allows the producer to deliver their signature style.

2019 Aberdeen Wine Company Angus the Bull Cabernet Sauvignon (Central Victoria, Australia) – $18.99 (regularly $22.99)

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Author: Dirk Chan

Given the world-wide continued delays in shipping, we are offering once again the Canella Family Sparkling Advent Calender – $199.99 from Empson Canada for Christmas 2023 now. Purchase yours before the deadline date of April 28th to ensure you have it for the Xmas season.

The Canella winery was founded in 1947 after World War II by Luciano Canella. His parents owned a small, family-style restaurant in San Donà di Piave in Venice. Having to survive the difficult wartime after his Dad’s passing, Luciano began to search the surrounding areas for the best wines to match his mother’s cuisine when he thought about creating his own wine. He put this idea into action and set up a state-of-the-art winery specializing in Prosecco.

Since then, the Canellas have become Prosecco pioneers and through hard work, the brand and family of Canella demonstrate what can be achieved in the Conegliano appellation and have become almost synonymous with Prosecco itself.

This festive Advent Calendar collection on pre-sale contains 24 bottles of 200ml sparkling wines from the Canella family including their five different Proseccos and their families premium Brut Rosé. All will be laid out at random within the box with a pop open tab for each day leading up to Christmas. Cases are shipped in a plain protective outer carton.

Contents (4x each of the following 6 wines in 200ml format and twist cap enclosures):

1) Prosecco Superiore Brut DOCG – 100% Glera. Canella Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene Brut “Millesimato” DOCG is light straw yellow with fine perlage, the nose is fruity and crisp with mellow floral flavors. Rich on the palate with silky-smooth texture.

2) Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry DOCG – 100% Glera. Canella Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene Extra Dry “Millesimato” DOCG is brilliant straw yellow. The nose has fruity aromas of peach, apple, pear and citrus fruit. The palate gracefully balances zingy acidity and a subtle hint of sweetness, richness, and silky-smooth texture.

3) Processo Brut DOC – 100% Glera. Canella Prosecco Brut DOC is straw yellow with lively perlage, the bouquet is fresh, fruity and aromatic. On the palate, it characteristically combines softness and freshness thanks to perfectly balanced acidity and sugar.

4) Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore Brut Millesimato DOCG – 100% Glera. Canella Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene Brut “Millesimato” DOCG is light straw yellow with fine perlage, the nose is fruity and crisp with mellow floral flavors. Rich on the palate with silky-smooth texture. This wine represents Canella’s top-level Prosecco, a modern and international version of Canella Prosecco.

5) Lido Prosecco Rosé Brut DOC – 85% Glera grape and 15% Pinot Noir. Canella Prosecco Rosé “Lido” DOC is a lovely shade of pink with fine and persistent perlage, the nose features fruity notes of cherry, wild berries and delicate flowers. On the palate, it is fresh, vivacious and pleasingly dry, with excellent persistence.

6) Canella Rosé Brut Marinotti – 100% Pinot Nero. Canella Pinot Noir Brut Rosé is a delightful, brilliant pink color with lively perlage, fragrant, fruity bouquet and a fresh, flavorful palate with gobs of character.

View large postcard here..

2023 Canella Sparkling Advent Calendar (Veneto, Italy) – $199.99

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Author: Dirk Chan

We’re showcasing the Syrah or Shiraz grape this week. Both terminology refer to the same genetic grape – generallly speaking Syrah represents the old-worldstyle – leaner and more terroir driven (aka Northern Rhone), while Shiraz is more fruit forward, new-world in style (aka Australian Barossa Valley). Genetic profiling In 1998 established that the variety’s parents are in fact the obscure Mondeuse blanche and Dureza grapes, believed to be local to the Rhône-Alpes region of France. Some studies also show that, with great probability, Pinot Noir is the great-grandparent of Syrah/Shiraz, and both Viognier and Mondeuse Noire seem to be closely related to Syrah, too – the lines are pretty blurry.

Syrah/Shiraz can produce wines of great elegance that can age beautifully. Some of its distinct characteristics are intense black fruit aromas lined by a savory tapenade-like edge, medium to high tannins and black/white pepper spice. (Syrah/Shiraz is one of the varieties shown to contain more of a compound called rotundone, responsible for peppery aromas in wine.

Unlike other varieties, Syrah demonstrates a strict relationship between how severely it is pruned (i.e. yield) and how good the eventual wine is. On the other hand. some argue that is not so expressive of terroir.

Northern Rhône where it makes the muscular, deep-coloured, age-worthy, savoury and peppery wines of Hermitage. In Côte-Rôtie it makes more perfumed, slightly floral and refined wines, namely when co-fermented with a small percentage of the white Rhone grape Viognier, which gives the wine a special aromatic lift. Crozes-Hermitage, St Joseph and Cornas are other appellations worth looking at, offering earlier drinking and better-value examples.

Syrah has had an extraordinary surge in popularity throughout southern France and it now is the country’s third most planted red wine. It can be found through the southern Rhône, notably in Châteauneuf-du-Pape country, and has been firmly adopted in the Languedoc-Roussillon.

Cuttings of Syrah/ Shiraz, then known as Scyras, were likely taken to Australia from Montepellier by the so-called father of Australian viticulture. It was enthusiastically planted in California in the 1990s by the so-called Rhône Rangers, a group of winemakers determined to demonstrate that it may be even better suited to California than Cabernet Sauvignon. A vibrant community of Californian winemakers are consistently making very vibrant, refined Syrahs. Other countries like Canada and South Africa also produce some nice ones.

Not to be confused with is the Petite Sirah (with an i, not a y) grape, which is the name given to what has been shown to be a common California field blend that makes robust, tannic, spicy and earthy wines.

Enjoy!

Pictured left to right:

2018 MontGras Antu Ninquen Syrah (Colchagua Valley, Chile) – $21.49

2019 Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia) – $33.49

2019 Rust en Vrede Estate Vineyards Syrah (Stellenbosch, South Africa) – $47.99

2015 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia) – $104.99

2018 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle (Rhone Valley, France) – $409.99

Others worthy of your consideration:

2020 Cusumano Syrah (Sicily, Italy) – $21.49

2020 Maxime Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Equis Equinoxe (Rhone Valley, France) – $29.99

2020 Clos du Soleil Winemaker’s Series Syrah (BC, Canada) – $41.99

2019 Stephane Vedeau J. Boutin Saint-Joseph Parcelle de Jean (Rhone Valley, France) – $54.99

2019 Valdemar Estates Syrah (Washington – Walla Walla, United States) – $89.99

2017 Ferraton Pere & Fils Cote Rotie Lieu Dit Montmain (Rhone Valley, France) – $109.99

2016 Yalumba Octavius Old Vine Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia) – $189.99

2004 Penfolds Grange (South Australia, Australia) – 1.5L – $2249.99

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Our online feature this week is the 2020 Bollini Pinot Grigio Rosato Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) – $17.49 (regularly $21.49).

The story of Bollini began in 1979, when Neil and Maria Empson – who pioneered Italy’s quality wine exports a decade earlier – created their own label from their prime Alpine foothills locations of Friuli and Trentino. Their purpose was to showcase their terroir highlighting their excellence and consistency of international varieties in the cool northeastern region of Italy, all the while maintaining reasonable price points.

This week’s offer is their pink colored Pinot Grigio Rosato, a very in vogue thing these days to have a little bit of pink color in whites. Pinot Grigio grapes are de-stemmed and left to macerate for 72 hours in order to extract the typical light rosé colour from the skins resulting in a pale rosé colour, fruity and floral on the nose, with hints of pear and acacia blossoms. Dry and delicate on the palate, well balanced, with a pleasant fresh note. 2020 has been a very important year for Bollini wines as they achieved the Vegan Certification. This is great as an aperitif, this wine fits well with grilled fish, white meats and light dishes.

2020 Bollini Pinot Grigio Rosato Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) – $17.49 (regularly $21.49)

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Author: Dirk Chan

Our online feature this week is the NV Château de la Greffiere Cremant de Bourgogne Brut – $24.99 (regularly $32.99).

The Château de la Greffière estate is located near the town of Mâcon in southern Burgundy. The origins of the estate date back to 1585. The wine cellar was built in 1789 and the castle of the estate was built in 1830. The current owners, the Greuzard Family is in its 4th generation of farming the land and making great valued Burgundies. They work in a traditional way to express their terroirs, reaching for the best balance between the soil, the plant and the human being. This balance is achieved through observation and deep knowledge of their craft.

The Cremant Brut is made from 100% Chardonnay, from vineyards averaging 30 years of age. With a lovely white gold color and a nose of citrus fruit, florals and white blossoms. The palate has fine fruit, freshness, elegance and a very nice effervescence. This is a steal of a deal for quality Methode Traditionnelle Brut.

NV Château de la Greffiere Cremant de Bourgogne Brut (Burgundy – Maconnais, France) – $24.99 (regularly $32.99)

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Author: Dirk Chan