Wine Recap: November 2019

Its the November Wine Recap! November saw us having a week off from work on a little staycation and we managed to pick up some nice wines and then chilled out a lot just watching movies and relaxing a little so this time has a few more wines that we were able to try! Let’s check it out!

Domaine Le Grand Saint-Charles Duo de Frontenac 2017

Producer: Domaine Le Grand Saint-Charles
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Location: Quebec, Canada
Taste Tag: N/A

Le Grand Saint-Charles is a winery that I want to get behind so much because of its creative wine combinations. This one mixes two Frontenacs together: Frontenac Gris and Frontenac. We’re not exactly a huge fan of either of these wines but we do always like to try new mixes to hopefully have one that surprises us. This one actually was pretty alright compared to the other white wine varieties that we’ve tried from Le Grand Saint-Charles. Its not quite as acidic or extra-dry. This one was rather delicate and light. It still was leaning onto the semi-dry taste palette but there was also a well-enough balance to make it enjoyable.

Inniskillin Late Autumn Riesling 2016

Producer: Inniskillin Wines Inc.
Alcohol Content: 12%
Location: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada
Taste Tag: Fruity and Sweet

Inniksillin is a winery that is pretty well-known. They have some fantastic ice ciders and my husband has been wanting to try out the wines, so here we are giving the Late Autumn Riesling a try. As expected, the safe area of Riesling didn’t disappoint at all. It was a pleasant one and rather rich in flavor because of the Late Autumn element that actually gives it a more reserve sort of status. This one is definitely in the fruity and sweet taste tag and one that is very easy to like a lot.

Le Grand Ballon Val de Loire Chardonnay

Producer: Sarl Joel Delaunay
Alcohol Content: 12%
Location: Centre-Ouest, France
Taste Tag: Delicate and Light

From my memory, this is the second time that we’ve tried a wine from Val de Loire. French wines have so many territories and each have their distinctive elements and taste that its truly hard to remember all of it. I did remember the last one that we tried from Val de Loire was more on the dry side and that applies to Le Grand Ballon’s Chardonnay as well. Its more of  semi-dry taste with has a bit of light-bodied elements and fruity elements as well. The dryness does hit harder on the first sip but it does have a refreshing taste down the throat.

Slow Press Chardonnay Monterey County

Producer: The Wine Group
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Location: Monterey, California, United States
Taste Tag: Aromatic and Mellow

I’m not going to lie that my initial draw to Slow Press was its classy bottle label and the color choice. It had this oaked and aged wine sort of look to it plus it had the aromatic and mellow taste tag which always has this surprisingly sophisticated taste to it. Slow Press is actually quite good. It is a little dry but it has a nice finish, just like most of the wines in this taste tag category. Its why we always go back to it as its not exactly a fruity and fun deal but one that is a little more elevated and has more depth in its taste.

Growers Honeycrisp Apple

Producer: Arterra Wines Canada Inc.
Alcohol Content: 5%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Sweet & Fruity

Ontario ciders are rather different from Quebec ciders. I’ve tried a good few Ontario ciders to this point and I’ve become quite picky on what stands out for me. A lot of them actually are very similar probably because of the apples they choose. What makes Growers Cider different is that it uses Honeycrisp Apples and it adds this tartness to their cider that actually balances really well with the apple sweetness. Its a rather unique cider taste and has quite a delightful experience.

That’s it for this November Wine Recap!
Some really neat discoveries this time around!

Wine Recap – September 2019

Welcome to the next Wine Recap! This time its all wines to share! Summer passing does seem to make a different to our alcohol consumption. Summer is more of the light fruity drinks where as some places start having a work reason to be around.

Dr. Loosen Bros  Riesling 2018

Producer: Weingut Dr. Loosen
Alcohol Content: 8.5%
Location: Mosel, Germany
Taste Tag: Fruity & Sweet

Dr. Loosen Bros Riesling is nice and freshing white wine. We’re usually pretty happy with Rieslings and the this one fit the taste tag pretty well. It was smooth and not too acidic or dry. It had the fruity element pretty good and went down pretty well also. Very enjoyable!

Wayne Gretzky Estates No.99 Riesling 2018 VQA

Producer: No.99 Wayne Gretzky Estates
Alcohol Content: 11%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Off-dry & Fruity

We’ve bought the Wayne Gretzky Estates wine before these wine recaps started. I can’t remember if it was the Riesling but it might have been because the memory of it was positive enough that I still remembered it when I saw this one on the store shelf. I can’t remember what year that one was but this second time trying it out, 2018 is a lot drier than what I remembered and while it still had those fruity notes, it did lean on the more acidic bit. Its borderline acceptable for our preferences in white wines.

Coeur Vagabond

Producer: Terre Siciliane IGT
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Location: Italy
Taste Tag: N/A

Call it a cheaper and more accessible wine if you must as this is sold in convenience stores and such. Coeur Vagabond is surprisingly good. Its not fantastic but it actually has a pretty nice balance in the taste. It still angles on the more dry and acidic type of taste but its quite smooth at the back of the throat.

Francis Coppola Diamond Chardonnay 2017

Producer: Francis Ford Coppola
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Location: Monterey, California, USA
Taste Tag: Aromatic & Mellow

The new taste tag category we are trying out lately is ‘Aromatic & Mellow’ as we’ve had some nice wins. As Movies and Tea Podcast (which I co-host, if you are new here or just didn’t know) has been looking at Sofia Coppola’s works as this season’s focus, I wanted to get into the mood and try out something in the same family. My husband had tried the Francis Coppola red wine before and loved it so we decided to give the white wine a whirl and definitely a win here.

Les Vents d’Ange Cuvée Catherine 2018

Producer: Vignoble Les Vents D’Ange
Alcohol Content: 13%
Location: Quebec, Canada
Taste Tag: Fruity and Sweet

For personal friends, they may know why this wine stood out for me. Either way, this one was an earlier purchase that we hadn’t gotten around to trying out. It also is the only wine from Quebec. While I can’t vouch for this being really in the fruity and sweet area as it does angle in the off-dry area a little more, it does taste rather smooth. Its those really subtle wines that actually really settle in as its had time to breath.

That’s it for this Wine Recap!
Its definitely an international mix this time around!

Have you tried any new wines lately? Any you’d like to recommend?

Wine Recap – August 2019

Welcome to the next wine recap! A month sure flies by as we look at what we’ve tried out in August. We had a little trip away and we also were at the tail end of festival coverage so it was not too much about drinking a ton as work needed to be done.

Petalo Il Vino Dell Amore Moscato

Producer: Bottega SPA
Alcohol Content: 6.5%
Location: Veneto, Italy
Taste Tag: Fruity and sweet

I was first introduced to this wine at one of my friend’s gathering. Its a wine that is fairly popular during Valentine’s however, nowadays, its a lot more accessible, which is great because while it has a rather romantic name, its also a very good sparkling wine. Its both light, fruity and sweet. I do have to say that this one tasted a little different from the first time I had it before.

Domaine St-Jacques Riesling 2017

Producer: Domaine St-Jacques
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Location: Quebec, Canada
Taste Tag: N/A

Domaine St-Jacques is a dry wine. Maybe in the semi-dry area so it had a lot of acidity in its taste as well. We’re not a huge fan of this variety of wine to say the least. Its exactly fit in our palate. Sadly not what we had expected of a Riesling.

Laura Secord S’Mores/Salted Caramel Liqueur

Producer: Laura Secord
Alcohol Content: 5.4%

All kinds of companies want to diversify their products a little and Laura Secord was obviously no different as they had a cocktail edition which included two flavors: S’mores and salted caramel. Both of which we first saw at the grocery stores. In theory, it sure does seem like a great concept except, in our opinion, these two drinks are not great. Salted Caramel tastes a bit like a cough syrup and I’m exactly sure how to describe the S’Mores one because they sure didn’t taste like these two flavors.

Reif Estate Riesling VQA 2017

Producer: Reif Winery
Alcohol Content: 12%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Light and Crisp

Reif Winery Estates’ Riesling is in the extra dry category and it sure lives up to the name. Its probably one of the most acidic ones that we’ve had. It does have a nice smoothness to it after taking a few more sips but its definitely a lot drier than would suit ourselves. However, if you do like some extra-dry wines, this one might be a pretty decent choice.

Thornbury Village Craft Apple Cider

Producer: Thornbury Village Cidery
Alcohol Content: 5.3%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Medium-Sweet & Crisp

While I can’t say that Thornbury Village Apple Cider is a whole lot different from other ciders, this one still is pretty good. Its not overly sweet and still has that nice apple cider taste. There’s also a special taste to it that I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Overall, the first one which was a revisit and the last one was definitely more in my palate in terms of apple ciders and wines. A lot of dry wines in this time’s selection which probably would appeal to some of you.

That’s it for this wine recap!
Have you tried any new wines/alcoholic beverages?

Wine Recap – March 2019

The next Wine Recap is here! This time is very light on actual wine and more on ciders and malt drinks and such. Anyways, let’s check it out!

Crazy Uncle Hard Root Beer

Producer: 361 Degrees Inc.
Alcohol Content: 5%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Bold & Classic

Completely based on a few sips of this as I shared it with my husband and he absolutely loved it. It tastes exactly like root beer and actually the alcohol doesn’t taste too strong either. The blend works really well together. We got this one at LCBO and we’re hoping to find it again next time and get a case of it or something (the husband’s request).

Flying Canoe Hard Cider

Producer: Flying Canoe/Revolution Investments
Alcohol Content: 5%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Dry & Fruity

We’ve been trying out some new ciders here and there and found this one at LCBO also. I can’t say that I’m particularly fond of this one. It actually had a very dry nature to it and it didn’t blend too well with the fruity apple for myself. Its not quite as gentle as I’d like it to be. Of course, if you like the drier apple cider blends, this one should do it for it.

Jacob’s Creek Moscato (Can Format)

Producer: Jacob Creek Wines
Alcohol Content: 7.6%
Location: Australia
Taste Tag: Off-Dry & Fruity

Its actually pretty nice to see these canned formats of bottled wine. There usually is a difference in taste but we’re a huge fan of Jacob’s Creek Moscato (see the original wine one here). Not only moscato harder to find, its sometimes so much easier to open a can and not have to worry about finding someone to share a bottle or not. With that said, the canned format does taste a little different, perhaps a little drier BUT it still has that sweetness that I like about it. Its still one of my favorite canned white wines so far.

Joiy Sparkling Riesling

Producer: Archer Mcrae Beverages Ltd
Alcohol Content: 10%
Location: New Zealand
Taste Tag: Light & Fruity

Another random pick at LCBO went ot JoiY and this one is the sparkling riesling which I normally would be all happy to try but I don’t know if there is something wrong with me or the packaging or whatnot but the taste of this was really chemical. I actually didn’t want to finish it because it tasted at times like I was drinking plastic which isn’t very fun because I was just thinking about how toxic it was. Maybe its just this batch and how it was stored, which could be a possibility but I’m going to stay away from trying it out again for my own health’s sake. Who knows, maybe its the blend itself that tastes like that and I’m just not a fan.

Zola Moscato Rosé

Alcohol Content: N/A

Picked up this one at a local IGA. As mentioned before, I love moscato in general and haven’t tried moscato rosé. Its something that I’ve been seeing around a little more recently so maybe I’ll add that to what I will give a try to later on. This one is actually pretty good. There is a nice balance of sweetness in this one. Its a little drier than moscato (the few that I’ve tried, not Zola) however, its not a strong taste and is fairly light and fruity.

That’s it for March’s Wine Recap!
Some really great finds this time! 🙂

Wine Recap – February 2019

With colds plaguing me yet again this month, I took it a little easier on the whole drinking front so that it was mostly for relaxation when I needed it and not coughing my lungs out or sniffling away. However, let me just say in advance that the three choices here were all quite decent wins.

Let’s check it out!

Bulles de Nuit Mimosa

Producer: Bulles de Nuit
Alcohol Content: 6.9%
Location: Montreal, Canada

After trying the other three varieties: Original, Rose and Pinot Grigio, Mimosa was the last one to try out. I don’t usually drink a lot of mimosas. Perhaps only one or two times before. Its a nice light drink and its usually fruity in my memory. The mimosa for Bulles de Nuit tasted a bit like spiked Crush. Its not a bad thing but I still think the other three products are much more to my taste.

Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling 2017

Producer: Ste Michelle Wine Estates
Alcohol Content: 12%
Location: Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
Taste Tag: Fruity and Sweet

A huge thanks to John Rieber for recommending this wine to me in the last wine recap.

Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling is quite accurate in their category. Being a big fan of riesling usually, this wine is fruity and sweet. There’s a lot to love about it from the way it tastes to the undertones. Its very smooth. There’s a bit of acidity but its balanced really well. I’d say the last riesling I had that had a similar texture and taste would be Kung Fu Girl. I’m not sure if I’ve ever talked about that one in any of the recaps.

Peter Lehmann Layers

Producer: Peter Lehmann Wines
Alcohol Content: 11.5%
Location: Australia
Taste Tag: Delicate and Light

I found this wine while browsing the sales on the SAQ site. Its unique because it has 4 varieties in one wine and three of them, I like quite a lot and one I haven’t tried any before so have no opinion on it. Its hard to find moscato in general but the few that I’ve really loved have been from Australia. With that said, this one gave me quite a bit of hope and I’m glad to say that this is one of those spontaneous purposes that turned out to be a pleasant experience. This one worked on many levels. Its a nice blend and a unique experience. If you haven’t tried it before, its worth giving it a chance.

That’s it for this wine recap!
I have to say that the two white wines are pretty good.

What have you been drinking?

Wine Recap – October 2018

Time for last month’s wine recap! We are back to our healthy selves, well, physically, I’d say so. We’ve had stuff to celebrate last month and stuff to grieve over. So, different times to relax while drinking some wine and other varieties.

Rose Nodo Bobal Garnacha Spain Wine 2017

Alcohol Content: 12%
Location: Spain

Nodo is a wine that I picked up randomly at the supermarket. I still am in search for a Rosé wine that can beat the two that I currently like. However, if there’s anything that I’ve come to learn is that Spanish wines are fairly dry and this one was extremely on that end. If you prefer something dry, this one definitely will be up your alley. Unfortunately, for myself, it wasn’t as enjoyable.

J.P. Chenet Ice – Sparkling Wine

Producer: Grands Chais de France
Alcohol Content: 10.5%
Location: France
Taste Tag: Fruity and Sweet

JP Chenet is the wine that my sister in law brought over for our Thanksgiving dinner. Its light and fruity and sweet. Very beautiful and delicious. It is one that definitely is a crowd pleaser. It finds a nice balance between being very smooth but also feeling like there is a decent amount of layers in the drink itself. The star of October for us has to go to this wine for sure.

Millebois Original

Producer: Millebois
Alcohol Content: 4.8%
Location: Quebec, Canada
Taste Tag: Light and Dry

I can’t say I agree with taste tags all the time but this one nails it. Millebois is a company that we discovered when we went to Sherbrooke to the Public Market there. You can see the haul HERE. Millebois is one that makes maple syrup based alcoholic beverages. Light it is and also dry it also is. I can’t say that I loved it but its tolerable on the dry scale, something like a semi-dry sort of feelings. I think the harder part for this drink and is more of an acquired taste is the maple syrup based portion. I’m not sure that I’m a fan but then I’ve never been a particular fan of maple syrup based alcohol.

Milton Cidre de FeuProducer: Cidrerie Milton
Alcohol Content: 10%
Location: Quebec, Canada
Taste Tag: Sweet

We’re a big fan of ice cider in our home. However, if you haven’t had fire cider, well, you are missing out. Its our favorite thing ever. We’ve never had this Cidrerie Milton version though. This one is pretty good. It had all the elements of a fire cider that we love and has more layers. It tastes a lot like drinking apple juice which also makes it a silent attack for those who drink this quickly.

Willm Riesling Réserve 2017

Producer: Alsace Willm
Alcohol content: 12%
Location: Alsace, France
Taste Tag: Fruity and Vibrant

I’m usually a big fan of Riesling. They usually find a nice balance of texture and not being too dry. Willm Riesling is definitely more on the dry side of things. Its one that took a little bit of an acquired taste. Its also the first time (in my memory) that we’ve chosen a Fruity and Vibrant taste tag (and what are the chances that the wine below also is). Dry it may be, but if you like dry wines, this one does goes down really nice. There’s still a good texture to it.

Yalumba The Y Series Viognier

Producer: Yalumba Wines
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Location: South Eastern Australia
Taste Tag: Fruity and Vibrant

Australian wines are something of a hit and miss for us. We’ve had some lovely ones like Jacob’s Creek who never fails to deliver. But Moscato is a different variety so can’t be compared to something like this one. Yalumba Y Series Viognier is a really dry wine. I mean, just a whiff of it and you know it. I can’t say its a bad wine though because there is a nice texture. Its just more than we usually like to handle from the dryness. However, I would recommend it for those who like dry wines. Saying all that, I was doing a little bit of research on what else they offer and they have some other variety that I wonder if the SAQ here holds to try like the Riesling and their organic wines as well.

It seems like there was a lot of dry wine varieties in October.
However, we did have a few enjoyable wines that worked for our preferences. 

Have you discovered any wines (or cocktails/liquors, etc) lately?

Wine Recap – June 2018

Another month is past and its been a fairly light month, mostly filled with ciders and less wine. Perhaps its the busy time or just the fact that I like cans of cool fruity drinks when the summer kicks in.

Okanagan Apple Cider

Producer: Mike’s Beverage Company
Alcohol Content: 5%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Medium-Sweet & Fruity

Fruity is absolutely when describing Okanagan Apple Cider. The reason being it tastes exactly like apple juice. The normal apple juice like Rougemont brand or something along those lines. It tastes really fun and honestly, the 5% is completely not apparent. It surprised me just how much it was like drinking a juice but then, drinking this too much might be dangerous.

Pelee Island Lighthouse Riesling VQA

Producer: Pelee Island Vineyard
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Light & Crisp

Lighthouse was pretty good. Its kind of average on the scale of like and dislike. I remember it having a fairly balanced taste with lighter notes. It was more dry than sour for one but its the type of gentleness that I usually first like about Riesling. However, it lacked some depth to the notes.

Shiny Apple Cider

Producer: Stonechurch Vineyards
Alcohol Content: 7%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Medium-Sweet & Fruity

Shiny Apple Cider was a pretty good choice also. Its a little bit more on the tart side but it has a smooth balance to it. I worked for myself quite well. Actually, it might be one of the apple ciders that I prefer the most that feels like drinking an alcoholic drink but also getting the fruity kick to it but not too sweet either which I like in an apple cider.

Sandbanks Riesling VQA

Producer: Sandbanks Estate Winery
Alcohol Content: 11.8%
Location: Ontario, Canada
Taste Tag: Aromatic & Flavorful

I have a feeling that I’m starting to grasp the aromatic taste tags quite well now. We’ve tried a few and these always have some depth to it. The first taste of Sandbanks was a little tart but when you swallow it, it actually tastes pretty smooth. With that said, the second sip of it was better than the first.

Somersby Red Rhubarb Cider

Producer: Carlsberg Breweries
Alcohol Content: 4.5%
Location: Denmark
Taste Tag: Sweet & Aromatic

For those of you who have frequented here the last few years will know that I love rhubarb so when the intriguing idea of red rhubarb cider popped up in front of me, I was really excited to try it out. Rightfully so, because out of all kinds of cider that I’ve had, Red Rhubarb is amazing. Literally, I think about going back to Ontario and finding an LCBO to pick up some more. Its so delicious. It had the perfect kick of alcohol but never kills the fantastic mild taste to create this lovely balance. Honestly, we drank this on a lovely sunny day by the pool and it was just the perfect choice. Consider this my new favorite.

That it for the past month of Wine Recap!
There were some new faves added in which is quite rare.

Have you tried any new wines or any to recommend?

New Segment: Wine Recap – January & February 2018

Welcome to a new segment! I’m trying to up the food and drinks content here, which is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. So here we are – a (hopefully) monthly wine recap. My husband and I love to get new wines and try it out so it feels like a waste to not share it with everyone as well. Wine doesn’t just stop there, if we happen to try out some new drinks like cocktails or beers or liqueurs, then I’ll share it as well.

With that said, we are not professional or anything so its just really how we felt about it as we learn to appreciate wines and log what we’ve tried. There probably won’t be any fancy terms and we won’t know enough to talk a lot of depth about it. If you are looking for something much more professional than myself, you should definitely check out Wine Wankers.

Being a big fan of lighter wines, I’ve always been a fan of Riesling and Moscato varieties and with that said, completely coincidentally, this one has a lot of moscato wines.

 

Banrock Station Moscato 2016

Producer: BRL Hardy
Alcohol Content: 6%
Location: South Australia
Taste Tag: Fruity and Sweet

Banrock Station was my pick for this time. My husband had never tasted a Moscato before. When we first cracked open the bottle, the scent was actual quite dry and soury. However, once we aired it out a little and took our first sip, it actually tasted very light and sweet. Its one of the smoothest Moscato wines that I’ve tasted.

Hardy’s Stamp Riesling Gewurztraminer 2016

Producer: BRL Hardy
Alcohol Content: 11.5%
Location: South Australia
Taste tag: Fruity and Sweet

Next up is coincidentally from the same producer, which we didn’t know until now, as I was doing the research on it. I’m a big fan of Riesling wines. They usually are quite good and has that perfect balance of not being too dry and just sweet enough with a lovely texture. I can’t say that Hardy’s Stamp is my favorite wine. Its pretty good. Its a little drier than I would expect and the initial taste definitely tastes less appealing than after a few sips.

Jacob’s Creek Moscato 2017

Producer: Premium Wine Brands
Alcohol content: 7.5%
Location: South Australia
Taste Tag: Fruity and Sweet

We’ve heard about Jacob’s Creek a lot but never actually had tasted any of the wines. Seeing a Moscato on a random trip to the SAQ sparked the interest to pick it up. Its not quite as sweet as Banrock Station however, Jacob’s Creek Moscato is absolutely a lovely wine as well. Its very delicate and light. In many ways, it actually tastes lighter in alcohol than Banrock Station, which it isn’t as this one has 1.5% more alcohol content.

Castella del Poggio Moscato d’Asti 2016

Producer: Castello del Poggio
Alcohol content: 5%
Location: Italy
Taste Tag: Fruity and Sweet

You may recognize this wine from our Battle of Ingredients 2018 Chinese New Year Edition. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can find it here.

One of our friends is the wine provider for the evening. For the evening, he brought a wine that his father in law (I think) introduced to him recently. Its an Italian wine originated from Asti and is also a Moscato. With that said, this one is neck to neck with Banrock Station’s taste. In fact, to taste two spectacular Moscatos over the course of the month  has been wonderful. This one is sweet and light and even our friend who doesn’t drink much wine enjoyed it a lot as well.

That wraps up the first log or wine recap (whatever you want to call it).
Its nice and simple. Honestly, I would have just rated it out of thumbs up or down but I like to ramble and write. 
With that said, I’m still working on the structure of these recaps. 
If you have any wines to suggest, feel free to. Do note that I can’t drink red wines (allergies).