Who wants to go to Bordeaux after work?

I do! There is a new event series starting up in Toronto called "Bordeaux After Work Party".  This series is hosted by the iYellow Wine Club and the Bordeaux Wine Council.  Funny, as I'm writing this, I just saw a commercial on TV about which beverage is better to have a dinner party.  In the shot they had someone fumbling to open a Bordeaux wine bottle and another person making some sort of mixed drink using a tomato based beverage (I won't say the name). I think they were really trying to sell the tomato-based beverage as the ideal candidate for a party. I've never seen anyone have as much trouble as this actor opening a wine bottle.  Personally,  I would prefer to have wine at my dinner party - especially a nice wine from the Bordeaux region.

There will be five events throughout the summer in Toronto, each at a different trendy location. During these events, five wines from every region of Bordeaux will be featured. The first glass will be free and anything else after that will be available for a reasonable price. These events will offer you the opportunity to learn more about the Bordeaux region and the many different wine styles associated with with it.

These two sites are very informative and interactive. They have maps, videos and food pairing suggestions: www.enjoybordeaux.com and www.bordeaux.com

I personally have been to the old port City of Bordeaux. Sadly, I didn't make it to the wine regions while I was in the area. I was passing through on my way to a wedding. Having explored many of the other wine regions of France, Bordeaux still remains a key area that I must visit!

Here is a map of the various wine regions of Bordeaux. It may seem complicated at first but the more you learn about this area, the less daunting it will be. I highly recommend learning about Bordeaux by tasting your way through it. :)

www.terroir-france.com

If you're not familiar with Bordeaux wines, then here are some key facts to get you started:

• Bordeaux produces a wide range of wines from red, dry white, sweet, semi-sweet, sparkling and rose
• Wines from Bordeaux are labeled by region and not by grape variety 
• In general, Bordeaux wines are blends. This means that you'll rarely see a wine from Bordeaux made from one grape variety. The main winemaking feature of the Bordeaux region is the creation of a balanced wine made from the blending of the various grape varieties
• The major red grape varieties which are in general, blended, are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (sometimes Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere are used)
• The major white grape varieties are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon
• Some wine lingo:
• "Left Bank" (refers to the area left of the Garonne river) - wines are usually Cabernet Sauvignon dominant in the blend
• "Right Bank" (refers to the area right of the Dordogne river) - wines are usually Merlot dominant in the blend 
• Sparkling wine from Bordeaux is Cremant de Bordeaux
• Delicious sweet wines come from Sauternes, Loupiac and Barsac
• Key feature of sweet wines coming from areas such as Sauternes is "noble rot" which gives the wine a unique flavour. Don't worry, it's a good thing and it's delicious
• Looking for a dry white? Try something from the region of Graves, Pessac-Leognan or Entre-Deux-Mers
• A good introduction to the entire region as a whole would be to find a wine labeled as Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur. These wines can be made from grapes from anywhere in Bordeaux  
• A wine from Bordeaux doesn't have to be expensive to be enjoyable. There is something for every price point

As you taste wines from Bordeaux, make note of the region that it's from. Whether it's a general Bordeaux Superieur, Pomerol, Margaux or one of the many others, each region offers it's own unique stamp to its wine.

www.smith-haut-lafitte.com

How to read a Bordeaux wine label interactive tutorial:
www.snooth.com/articles/commentary/how-to-read-a-bordeaux-label

The following dates for the Toronto "Bordeaux After Work Party" events are as follows: July 19, September 13 and October 25.

For more information about up-coming wine events in Toronto:

www.iyellowwineclub.com

Also check out Bordeaux Wine on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/bordeauxwine

The main thing to take away from this post is that you can find a wine from Bordeaux for any occasion and to pair with any type of food. The options are endless! C'est magnifique.

My Birthday with Beringer

Laurie Hook and myself

I recently celebrated my birthday and what better way than to spend it tasting Beringer wines with the head winemaker herself! Happy birthday to me!  Hosted by Wine Align, the event was located at the trendy Yorkville restaurant Sassafraz. The event was featuring wine with tapas-style food. Ok, tapas it was not. It was like a five-course dinner! The food was delicious and there was a lot of it. Good thing my dress was stretchy.

Love the place setting

The chief winemaker for Beringer is Laurie Hook. She made the tasting very casual and really gave us a sense of Napa throughout the ages. She's a real history buff so she described what the Napa Valley looked like millions of years ago geologically speaking and what makes it so unique. She discussed everything from the growing of the grapes to the wine making methods at Beringer. After the tutored tasting, she made sure to go to every table to talk to people. She was super. No attitude and very approachable. :)

Fancy Shmancy!

Wines Tasted:

2009 Nappy Valley Chardonnay
2008 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay

2009 Napa Valley Pinot Noir

2008 Napa Valley Merlot

2008 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

A surprise on the menu: 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon

Some examples of what treats were on the menu:

* Spice rubbed lamb chops with olive jus

* Buffalo mozzarella and aged asiago ravioli, tomato basil broth and chiffonade of Swiss chard

* Seared beef tenderloin with shallot confit pommes royale, sauteed shitake and asparagus fricasse, lobster butter

Lobster butter?! I love these two on their own...and now, combined! 

Delicious Food...yum

It was such a great way to spend my birthday. At the end of the tasting, Executive chef, Bradley Macdonald, came upstairs to see how we liked the food. Of course, we all clapped. The food was delicious. We asked him how he liked the wine. When he said that he wasn't allowed to try any on the job, we made sure that the situation was rectified. He joined us for a glass. What really topped off the night was the celebrity sighting downstairs in the restaurant: Collin Ferrel, Bruce Willis, Jessica Biel and Ethan Hawk sitting at a table. They were in Toronto filming Total Recall. I heard that the Beringer winemaker, Laurie, gave the table  signed bottles of wine. 

Beringer Website:
www.beringer.com

I strongly urge you to join Wine Align. It's an online community where you can get tasting notes on what's in the LCBO and read both reviews of professional critics and regular people.
www.winealign.com