Vinifico! The Original Vancouver Wine Blog

With the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival nearing, we are seeing more wines from the feature nations (Argentina and New Zealand) arriving. This is a trend that meshes nicely with under $30 challenge with some good value Malbecs and blends arriving. (From what I’ve seen however there is a decided void in any Argentine whites arriving thus far).

Oddly enough, the first wine of this series I tried was this Pinot Noir. I am recognizing that my quest for a value Pinot under $20 is a bit of a Willy Loman pipe dream, but this one is a surprise in the right direction.

Hailing from Patagonia in Southern Argentina, this wine is a full and balanced offering that is really enjoyable. The nose has some nice spice – cloves and peppercorns with green pepper hints and some plum. On the palate is where the surprise really came home. A bright balance of nice tart cranberry balanced well by some plum and a bit of orange zest toward the back had me wanting more. The finish had some nice floral hints with some veggie/rhubarb and some cracked pepper. Nicely balanced and a decent length for the money.   All in all, you’ve got a tasty sip with this one.

Given the price and flavor value, it reminded me of the Casa Viva Pinot we had a few years ago during our WSET course that stood up against a Domaine Drouhin that was four times the price. Palate shift and experience might change that now, but that said, this is still darn tasty.

This is nice effort that for $17.99 I will definitely try again. Perhaps also to give a second go around to confirm, but also because I found it to pair really well with mushroom risotto.

I like surprises.

$17.99 at LDB stores here in BC.

Holy value alert! Along with a 2005 Di Majo Norante Contado Aglianico (review coming soon) I had a week ago, this is the best red wine value I’ve come across since I started the under-$30 challenge a while back.

This wine from Minervois, in the heart of France’s Languedoc region, is  just plain tasty. It’s a blend of Syrah (40%), Grenache (40%) and Mourvèdre (20%).

A sniff gives up some vanilla from the oak along with ripe red cherry and black pepper. A big ‘ol sip of this medium-coloured red shows juicy ripe blackberry, red cherry and plum fruit, licorice, black pepper and a nice minerality on the medium finish. It just feels good and rich in the mouth, unlike many reds in this price range.

It’s a heckuva’ value, folks. It may not blow you away, but I’m thinking it will make you raise your eyebrows and go, “Mmmm.” Not many red wines under $20 will do that these days.

$17.99 at LDB stores here in BC.

Paolo Scavino is known as a producer of great Piemontese single vineyard Barolos. What we don’t often see over on this side of the pond are the other, more everyday wines he produces such as this Vino da Tavola. The reason for the generic name is that it’s a blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto and  Cabernet Sauvignon. I’m not 100% sure of the percentages of each, but it all adds up to a pretty tasty bottle of the juice.

It’s deep ruby-red in colour and its nose gives up dark cherry, mocha, violets and earth. The flavours? Well, I got black cherry,  black pepper and a rustic earthiness. That leads out to a medium-length finish showing ripe dark fruit with smooth tannins. Nice stuff.

All in all, it’s not the best $35 bottle of wine I’ve had recently, but I did really enjoy it (enough that I bought a second bottle to have sometime soon).

$35 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars.

Back in the 90’s, I was a fan of the band Tool, so I took a bit of an interest when I heard that Tool’s singer, Maynard James Kennan had started a winery in, of all places, Arizona.  It’s called Caduceus and they produce some pretty interesting (and well-reviewed) wines.

I haven’t had the chance to try any of their wines, but I notice that a movie about the winery/winemaker/journey, “Blood Into Wine” is playing at Vancouver’s Rio Theatre for a week from Friday, March 12th to Thursday, the 18th. Show-times are posted on their site. I’ll be checking it out.

If you don’t live in Vancouver, the movie’s site has a few screenings listed there.

Here’s the YouTube trailer:

Yesterday, I headed over to the offices of D3 Security Management Systems to sit down with Clinton Kabler and taste a couple of wines. First up is this delicious Sauvignon Blanc.

$29 at Marquis Wine Cellars.

(maybe even 4.5 – buy a bottle and decide for yourself)

I’m going to detour from the under-$30 wine challenge for a day. I had this wine a couple of weekends ago and I liked it so much that I had to get it on the site. It comes from the France’s Saint-Joseph Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the northern Rhône and like many wines from that area is comprised of 100% Syrah.

Holy crap. I haven’t enjoyed a wine in this price range so much in so long. The nose is INTENSE – with bacon, cracked black pepper, blackberry, herbs and dust. It smells so GOOD. Look at me using the caps. This wine calls for it.

The flavours? It’s jam-packed with concentrated, yet polished blackberry, plum, meaty-like-bacon mineral and herbs. Yowza. It builds in the mouth unlike many wines I’ve had recently. This is the full-meal deal. It’s the wine equivalent of a beret-wearing macho man walking up to an Aussie (Shiraz) and knocking him out. It’s much better than any Shiraz I’ve had in a long time. So much better.

This is a kick-ass bottle of wine – especially for $50. If you can find it, grab a couple. Hell, grab a few. You’ll be glad you did.

$50 at Marquis Wine Cellars.

With the 2010 Winter Olympics coming to town (starting next week), I though I’d mention a few of my favourite places in Vancouver to grab a drink. I’m not going to bother breaking it down by neighbourhood; there are others already doing that. Instead, I’m just going to list out the wine bars and restaurants that get my drinking dollars on a regular basis. Let’s get down to it:

Uva Wine Bar
This is pretty close to where I live, so I like to head over there when I just want to get out of the apartment and have a glass of wine. Sommelier and manager (?) Sebastien Le Goff does a great job of choosing wines – mostly Italian and well-priced – and the food menu is great for nibbles and mains, which are available from the neighbouring Cibo Trattoria’s menu.

900 Seymour Street in the Moda Hotel Vancouver – (604) 632-9560

Salt Tasting Room
To me, this was the first wine bar to hit a badly needed sweet spot in this city – great wines by the glass/bottle paired with well-chosen charcuterie. As they say on their site, “Salt is a tasting room specializing in artisinal cheese, small-batch cured meats, and a dynamic array of wines, beers and Sherries.” It’s definitely worth the quick jaunt down the still-sketchy Blood Alley and is next-door to the soon-to-open (early March) Judas Goat Taberna, which is also owned by Gastown über-entrepreneur Sean Heather (who also owns the Irish Heather – next up in my list).

45 Blood Alley, Vancouver – (604) 633-1912

The Irish Heather GastroPub
There’s something that draws me to this place. When I lived in the Gastown area, this was my go-to bar in which to grab a pint (or 4). They’ve since moved across the street, but still pour Vancouver’s finest pint of Guinness and have improved both their menu and wine list. With Shebeen Whiskey House, Vancouver’s largest selection of Single Malt, Bourbon, Rye, Scotch and Irish Whiskies, through the back, this is a great place to spend your evening.

210 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC – (604) 688-9779

Pourhouse Restaurant
This hotly anticipated restaurant and bar opened back in September (I think) and hasn’t missed a beat since. The location on Gastown’s tourist strip should guarantee they’ll have a lineup out the door into March. Don’t let that keep you away though. Co-owner Jay Jones and his posse of talented mixologists turn out some of Vancouver’s finest cocktails along with a decent wine list and a few great beers on tap. Chris Irving dishes a solid food lineup from his kitchen as well. I look forward to my visits there. So should you.

162 Water Street, Vancouver – (604) 568-7022

Au Petit Chavignol
This wine bar/charcuterie/restaurant is owned by local cheese Gods, Les Amis du Fromage (super-ugly web site alert) and their influence shows on the menu. The wine list has a bit of a Riesling bent, but that’s a good thing. They also have a rotating selection of wines from around the globe. If you like wine and cheese, make sure to check it out. It’s fantastic.

843 East Hastings Street, Vancouver – (604) 255-4218

The Alibi Room
This is without a doubt my favourite spot in town to grab a pint of beer. It’s another place at which I was a regular while I was living in Gastown… until both the food and service started to suck. Fortunately, in 2006 new owners Raya Audet and Nigel Springthorpe took over and rejuvenated the place with the bar focusing on well-made craft beers, most of which are on tap. The have rotating cask-aged ales from various brewers on tap that are a real treat for anyone who loves a good brew. The menu has also seen a makeover and shows much improvement over past efforts. I had a buffalo meat “Sloppy Joe” there last week that was really tasty.

157 Alexander Street (at Main Street), Vancouver – (604) 623-3383

The Diamond
This is another room where the focus is on the cocktails, rather than the glass of wine or beer – though they have those as well. Mark Brand (who also co-owns Boneta), ex-Chambar bar manager Josh Pape, and Sophie Taverner head the staff. A small novel-sized book of cocktail choices shows their love of mixology and the small, but tasty food menu is headed up by the delicious Handmade Pork Gyoza, Peking Duck & Chicken Sub and daily specials. The room is a knockout too.

#6 Powell Street (the corner of Powell & Carrall in Gastown)

Well, there’s a brief list of the places I would personally recommend. Others I have been meaning to try that may have made the list if I’d had the time are the just-opened corner suite bistro de luxe on Thurlow Street, Mis Trucos on Davie Street and the relatively new beer mecca, St. Augustine’s Restaurant and Lounge over on Commercial.

What are your faves in Vancouver? Let me know in the comments below.

the corner suite

Just a quick shout to tell you folks that tickets for all public events for the annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival go on sale tomorrow, February 2, 2010 at 9:30am.

Pretty much everything sells out each year, so make sure you head over to their site and plan your week. I’ll see you there.

After Taste BC 2010, I was determined to try to taste more of my home province’s wine over the next while. While there, we tasted a few wines in the under-$30 range that I figured needed a closer look. So, yesterday on my way home I dropped by Taylorwood Wines in Yaletown and grabbed this one, Tantalus’ 2007 Old Vines Riesling and the 2008 8th Generation Dry Riesling. They’re next in the series, but for now, let’s get down to this wine.

It’s worth noting that according to Tantalus’ web site, the 2008 growing season saw Tantalus Vineyards transition to organic vineyard practices. As a result, you can feel better about what you’re drinking from them and how they’re making their wines.

The nose was a zesty mix of lime, honey and stone, with a touch of petrol. A sip gave a burst of zingy lime, peach and a medium-long finish of stone and a bit of that petrol I mentioned. This is a heckuva’ Riesling for BC. I’m not sure I would have guessed that it was from here if I had tasted it blind. That’s not a bad thing.

If you’re a Riesling fan and are looking to try more of what BC has to offer, you really should give this wine a try. It’s delicious.

$22.90 at Taylorwood Wines.