Viva Argentina

Last week was a busy week in the Toronto wine world! I attended the iYellow Argentine BBQ at 99 Sudbury. I love this venue. I was wondering how the night would go considering it was one of the hottest days of the year! The venue looked amazing for the night.  The djs were spinning some funky beats...perfect to get this party started.

This was my hangout

This was table 11. The wines were being poured by Lifford Wine Agency. I just stood by this table all night long, like a wine groupie. They had two of my favourite wines of the show: Humberto Canale  Black River Torrentes (white wine) and Humberto Canale Estate Malbec (red wine) . Too bad these two wines are by consignment only. I would love to get my hands on that Torrentes. It was spectacular. You have to purchase a case (12 bottles). It's very tempting though because it's only $11.99 a bottle. Great price for this gem!

My favourite of the event
Black River Torrentes 2010

.The place was packed with people and we all had a common bond - the record breaking heatwave plaguing Toronto that day and our love of Argentinian wine. The food was delicious. There were meat and veggie kabobs, empanadas and sliders.

Asado is a term used both for a range of barbecue techniques and the social event of having or attending a barbecue in Argentina.

mmm meat!

My picks of the night:

Humberto Canale Estate Malbec 2010 $14.99

Humberto Canale Black River Torrentes 2010 $11.99

Luigi Bosca Reserva Malbec 2008 $17.95

Don Cristobal 1492 Chardonnay 2011 $12.95

Kaiken Ultra Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 $19.95

Malbec is the signature grape variety of Argentina but not the only!

They made it look so easy

Ole!

There was a tango performance by dancers directly from Argentina. Very sexy! I tried Tango once in my living room. Didn't work out so well. I have to say that the iYellow Wine Club events are getting bigger and better.

I really want to go to Argentina. It looks like such a beautiful country with a rich culture, beautiful scenery and of course, delicious wine.The first vines were planted in Argentina about 400 years ago. Today the industry is thriving as the country has many diverse geographical regions and modern wine making methods. All this mixed with rich heritage and passion, no wonder the popularity of Argentinian wine continues to grow. The thing I like about Argentinian wine is the value. You get enjoyable wine at a great price point.




Wines of Argentina on Vimeo.

Vintage One Wines

Did you know that Toronto has a city winery? In the picture on the right is Alejandra De Miguel (in the white dress).  She is the chief winemaker at Vintage One Wines. She, herself, is from Argentina and was a guest speaker at the event. She is gorgeous! I had no idea such a place existed in Toronto. They source the grapes and create wine right in Toronto. What an idea! I'm going to check them out.

"Vintage One is a city winery designed to bring the spirit of wine country to your doorstep. Visit our winery and it will feel like you’ve escaped to wine country. Surrounded by oak barrels and stainless steel fermenting tanks, the vast winery is unlike anything else in the city. It is a perfect setting for any festive occasion.

Become a winemaker. Join our family and experience how a city winery can add richness to your urban life." - www.vintageonewines.com

www.vintageonewines.com
www.facebook.com/vintageonewines





Vintage One Wines on Vimeo.

For more information about Argentinian wine:

www.winesofargentina.org

www.facebook.com/winesofargentina

Check out the iYellow website for future events:

www.iyellowwineclub.com

Bordeaux After Work @ Maraben

Let's get the party started

Me behind the decks

Tuesday night I attended the second edition of the Bordeaux After Work Party series. This time, the event was held at Marben, located in the trendy King and Spadina. It was a fantastic evening. The venue was packed with eager wine lovers and the music, of course, was amazing...not only because I was the dj!

www.marbenrestaurant.com

iYellow team

What a great way to spend an otherwise drab Tuesday night. I just love summer patio weather. Marben has delicious food and friendly staff. The place has a really great vibe.  I have to say that this event was bigger than the first! Lots of eager Bordeaux wine drinkers came out. I definitely heard a lot of French spoken which made me feel like I was in La France, even if for just a moment...

Wines for tasting

There were four wines of the menu. Two reds and two whites. The way the event worked was that your first glass was free and any other glasses were $9. Not too bad considering the pours were 5 oz.

The menu

What I like about this event series is that they're introducing the general public to good value wines from Bordeaux. There's a misconception that Bordeaux wine is too expensive, but that's not true. You can find some lovely wine for every budget.

Marben entrance

I was eager to continue my tasting of the 2009 vintage. So far, I'm impressed. Out of the four wines featured, I preferred:


White
Chateau Fayau Blanc 2009
This was a nice Sauvignon Blanc blended with Semillion.  Sauvignon Blanc showed through on both the nose and palate. Great minerality. I liked this one a lot!

Red
Chateau Courteillac 2009 
Smooth and easy to drink.  Light tannin and vanilla with some red fruit. This was a general crowd pleaser. This wine would be great for a BBQ or a party.

I'm enjoying Bordeaux After Work. It's a great way to kick back and relax after a hard day at work. We're having great patio weather this summer. It's a wonderful way to spend time with friends while discovering the diverse wines that Bordeaux has to offer. Next Bordeaux After Work Party is September 20th so keep posted to find out the location.



www.enjoybordeaux.com
www.iyellowwineclub.com/blog/bordeaux-after-work-party

To make sure you get invited to each of these events, become a fan of Bordeaux Wines on Facebook here

Twitter Hashtag:
#bordeauxafterwork

Bordeaux Party @ Origin

Let's discover

Last month I went to the Bordeaux After Work Party at Origin Restaurant, downtown Toronto. Today, is the second installment of this series and will be located at Marben Restaurant.

www.enjoybordeaux.com

www.iyellowwineclub.com/blog/bordeaux-after-work-party 

Yummy cheese!

The Bordeaux After Work Party is a series of small after work gatherings at different locations in an effort to explore the diverse wines of the Bordeaux region. Good wine, good food - totally what I need after a hard day at the office!

La Sélection

The tasting bar out on the Origin patio. At these events, your first glass is free and any other glasses are sold at a decent price. Thank goodness I came a bit hungry. There were some delicious appetizers and cheese plates being served.

Origin patio

A view from inside Origin

The event was a full house! I snapped these pictures before the event opened. Origin is located in the St. Lawrence Market area. What a great way to spend a summer evening.

www.origintoronto.com

Wine selection

The fine selection of Bordeaux wines. Two reds, two whites and a rose. I was loving the whites as they were two very different styles. The Chateau Bonnet was a dry, crisp wine with lots of citrus notes and lively acidity. This white is from the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. The other white (I have to admit, was my favourite of the night) comes from the Graves region. It was Chateau Boyrein 2009. It's $16.95 a bottle at the LCBO. There was slight oak and great minerality. This was my view on Wine Align for this wine:

"I was at a "Bordeaux After Work" tasting event tonight at Origin in Toronto and this was one of the wines on the menu. I liked it! A great patio wine from Bordeaux. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion and Muscadelle, it's a fine sipper. Good minerality, acidity and flavour. For the price, I think it will be a crowd pleaser."

Let's learn!

I love the literature on Bordeaux wine and region. This booklet gives you all the information you need to know. I'm such a nerd. I carry this around with me now for some extra reading.

My glass

 The great thing about Bordeaux wine is that you can find something for every occasion. You can find every kind of style and price. Bordeaux wine is basically what you want it to be! There are some fantastic wines for not much money. There are also sparkling wines coming from the region as well.

I can't wait for the next event tonight! There will be four new wines to discover. See you at Marben Restaurant. www.marbenrestaurant.com

Cool Chardonnay

ABC. Not only are these the first three letters in the English alphabet, these three letters also signify  a horrible acronym meaning "Anything but chardonnay". It's time to rid the wine world of this "ABC" attitude and change it to mean "All about chardonnay". Wait, wouldn't that be AAC?

Why has chardonnay gotten such a bad rap? Well, I think it's because the market has been saturated with so much bad chardonnay that it's given the grape a bad name. Lots of overly oaked, flabby wine has deceived the public that this is the only style of wine that this grape can make. Totally not true! I myself am a HUGE lover of chardonnay.   Like our friendly grape - Riesling, Chardonnay can really show off it's "terroir" - that is, it's sense of place...where it comes from....it's expression of the land. It's such a versatile grape that can be made into many different styles.

"It’s time for the re-birth of Cool…"  - www.coolchardonnay.org

"Not all chardonnay is created equal. Add in a bit of cool – cool by altitude, by latitude, by marine influence or by climatic conditions – and you have an entirely different experience. Chardonnay vines that are grown in cool climates and encouraged to allow asense of place to shine through can produce a wine that is balanced, refreshing, complex and elegant. And when done right…cool climate chardonnay can be a magical wine. " -  www.coolchardonnay.org

The weekend of July 22-24, Niagara wine country is having a Cool Climate Chardonnay celebration and we're all invited! For three days, many of the wineries are going to have various events from parties, lunches to tastings. Sunday July 24, in Toronto, LCBO Vintages will be hosting a large tasting at Roy Thompson Hall. For three hours you can walk around and taste cool climate chardonnays from all over the world.  It's expensive at $95 per ticket, but it should be a great tasting. See my "hint" at the end of this post to get cheaper tickets.

"Thirty Ontario wineries started the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Association – a not-for-profit group devoted to reinstating the dignity of chardonnay. The i4c is a “coming together” of the finest examples of cool climate chardonnay in the world – a casual but in-depth weekend celebration of wine, food and learning, with an eye to reinvigorating a seriously cool wine." -  www.coolchardonnay.org

If you want to go to the tasting at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, visit this site to purchase cheaper tickets:
www.coolchardonnay.org/content/blend-your-own-chardonnay-celebration

Grape Growers of Ontario

The Grape Growers of Ontario association is launching a campaign to introduce the grape growers to us, the consumer. The passion and dedication of these growers is helping fuel our growing wine industry. It's important to know who they are and what they do. We should be proud of our wines and the people behind them. When I tell people from other countries that Canada makes wine, their eyes open wide and they ask "Really? Canada makes wine?".  I eagerly respond, "We do and it's delicious!".

Yes our winters here in Ontario are harsh but what makes successful wine production possible is the proximity of the vineyards to large bodies of water - the great lakes. The wine growing areas of Ontario are near Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The lake acts as a temperature regulator.

This is Debra Marshall. Her and her husband, Thomas, grow Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir grapes on 10 acres of land in Prince Edward County. They own and run Robert Thomas Estate Vineyards and Winery Inc. in Cherry Valley, Ontario. The farm has been in Debra's family for four generations. In the video she says that her favourite wine to drink is pinot noir. That's one of mine too. I love her quote: "I figured if I planted what I loved to drink myself, I would take very good care of it".

Thomas and Debra Marshall, grape growers

Prince Edward County  ("The County"), is Ontario's newest wine growing region. It was officially established as a wine appellation in 2007. Only 2.5 hours from Toronto, it's a beautiful picturesque, rustic destination.  If you've been to the Niagara wine region, The County is quite different. The region is the most northerly wine growing area in Ontario. The wines show the minerality from all that limestone in the soil.  I highly recommend visiting and of course, sampling the wines.  Prince Edward County specializes in cool climate grape growing. Common varietals are chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet franc.

Grape Growers of Ontario:
www.grapegrowersofontario.com

"Like" The Grape Growers of Ontario on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Grapegrowersofontario

Prince Edward County Wine Region, including information about the wineries:
www.thecountywines.com

For more information about the Prince Edward County Appellation:
www.vqaontario.ca/Appellations/PrinceEdwardCounty

A great site about the Ontario wine regions:
www.winecountryontario.ca

Do I pick bad wines?!

http://www.corksandcaftans.com
I just love this pic.

I was at the tasting bar at Summerhill last week (aka. my hangout) and a young man walked in wanting to try some wines that were available for sampling. He was looking for some whites. I offered up my opinion in what whites I enjoyed. I was really excited about two that I urged him to try. One was a Vouvray and the other was a Pinot Gris from Alsace. I was convinced that he would love them as well! Why wouldn't he right? It turns out that he hated the Pinot Gris that I suggested and was "undecided" about the Vouvray. I think  his exact words were "I need to think about that one". Gasp! How could I have absolutely loved these wines and this person not! Well, I decided not to beat myself over it. This is the nature of wine. Every person is different. Doesn't make one's taste any better or worse. Of course, the more you try different wines, the more you get a sense of what you may or may not like and what styles of wine you prefer. Have you ever bought a wine based on high score given by a wine critic, only to take it home and hate it? I have. This is what makes wine so versatile. There is a wine for every discerning taste. I've heard people say "I hate Chardonnay" or "Do you like red or white wine". I find these statements quite funny because it's like saying "I hate comedies" or "Do you like creme brule or chocolate mouse".  How can you choose? There are great examples grape varieties and blends and wine styles from every region on the planet. You can't blacklist an entire variety or limit yourself to just one colour of wine.  Maybe you don't like overly oaked Chardonnay...maybe you prefer a Chablis. It's the same grape just made in a different style. It took me a few moments to get over this one guy not liking my wine picks. I was redeemed when lots of other people loved those sames wines. Whew! :)
I don't know how critics do it!