The Nouveau Issue
Me, at my most contemplative, choosing wine for the table at a dinner with friends in Croatia.
Featuring wines that are all brand-new and the glouiest of glou-glou, dearest subscribers, I am thrilled to present, The Nouveau Issue!
Glou-glou is French for glug-glug and in its more literal sense was meant to describe wines deemed less suitable for long-term aging; wines one should drink now and in quantity. They were often unoaked, with low alcohol, and moderate in tannin and acid rendering them more 'chuggable', if you will. Many glou-glous were made by carbonic maceration - a process of fermentation largely associated with Beaujolais Nouveau which gives a wine distinct fresh fruit aromas. Today, the term is more often used to describe wines that bring 'great joy' to the drinker. And 'drunk now' and in quantity not because they aren't age-worthy but because of a desire to drink the good stuff - now - for the sheer pleasure doing so brings.
In today's lineup of such wines, I've got an eye-catching Chard from British Columbia, a bee-utiful red from Beamsville Bench, an early holiday-season-gift-wine reco, and an after-dinner sipper that's sure to make you shiver!
Drinking the 2016 Sperling Vineyards Vision Series Chardonnay is a multi-sensorial experience that starts with the label. Just look at it, would ya? Gorgeous! When I first reached out to winemaker Ann Sperling one of my very first questions was if we were going to get this wine in Ontario. Sperling Vineyards is an Okanagan Valley winery.
This label was designed by Ann's daughter. Appropriately, the Vision Series symbolizes looking to the future and the next generation's contribution to the success of the vineyard. And it's not simply eye-catching, the raised ink and spot varnish technique gives the beautiful eyes a multiplicity of textures. It's great fun to run your finger across the label and feel the slick gloss of the irises and the almost wiry texture of the lashes. This wine is a work of art both inside and out.
The wine itself is a radiant pale gold that beams from the glass. Notes of lemon rind, meringue, Barlett pear, and green apple float forward on the nose and are met with very well integrated toasted oak on the palate which unfolds into delicate flavours of biscuit and hazelnut skins. This is an elegant, subtle wine. Like a pretty girl or handsome fella, its aroma just makes you wanna cozy up and get a little closer to it.
This wine is available in LCBO stores as of today so go get your hands on your very own bottle. Distribution is limited to a few stores in Toronto and Ottawa. That said, you can use the ship-to-store option online to have a bottle sent to a location that best suits you.
Pairing suggestions: Oyster mushroom and parmesan risotto, simple roast chicken with roasted potatoes and heirloom carrots, Cabot’s Clothbound Cheddar.
Bottled just weeks ago, the 2017 Night Moves Gamay Noir from Rosewood Winery and Meadery features notes of dark plum, raspberry, sage and bay leaf. You'll find warm notes of baking spice and wood smoke. There's also a peppery note to this wine, not quite black pepper but rather, something akin to the peppery flavour arugula carries.
This wine is silky smooth and wonderfully refined. The grapes used in this wine were hand harvested and sorted at night, hence the name, Night Moves. The finished wine is unfiltered and was aged 11 months in French oak barriques before bottling. This wine is from Creek Shores, a sub-appellation of Beamsville Bench.
A roasted cherry tomato Caprese salad or tomato and gouda galette would work beautifully with this wine. Wild mushroom and barley salad with parmesan and fresh herbs would work equally well.
This showstopper is still pre-release. I'll be notifying my Instagram followers when it's available in stores.
This wine was made for those who love big, bold, Cab Sauv. From Washington State's Columbia Valley wine region this 2015 Gordon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a heavy-hitter with powerful notes of black currant, blackberry, dark chocolate, and cedar right out of the gate.
There's nothing subtle about this full-bodied beauty but it doesn't lack finesse. Its tannins are moderate and its oak is well balanced. It doesn't hit you over the head but rather, it firmly guides you through fields of tobacco flower and raspberry bushes until you finally land on soft leather with cigar box lingering in the air.
This wine is also available at the LCBO as of today.
The producer recommends pairing this puppy with filet mignon with a bleu cheese and herb compound butter. I certainly wouldn't say no to that.
Although we're still about a month out from my official Holiday Issue, I will say, this would make an excellent gift wine. It's spot-on with flavours and aromas any Cabernet lover will recognize with the added novelty of not being your typical California variety. And, at about $30 it would work well for many a secret Santa or host/hostess gift.
This frosty looking little number is the 2016 Stratus Red Icewine. Like many Stratus wines, this too is an unassuming complex blend of several grape varieties - 40% Petit Verdot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc.
This wine is lusciously sweet and full-bodied with intense aromas and flavours of wild strawberry, candy apple, and Jolly Rancher. At just over 12% alcohol it packs more punch than the average icewine.
Sip as a dessert unto itself or pour over vanilla Haagen-Dazs!
This wine is also available in stores as of today.
