Qotd: Michele Tete Beaujolais – I had never had a beaujolais before, but I always thought they were cheap wines. That wine has made me want to try more!

QOTD: Gran Feudo dry Rosé from Chivite winery in Navarra, Spain. Really interesting category of wines to have with poultry on fine Provence herbs. It certainly changed my opinions about rosé wines.

QOTD: I’ve been enjoying Cotes de Castilion wines lately.

I’m trying to get more of an angle on German wine – so the answer to your question is going to be a recent Reisling. Am also pretty turned on by some Minervois I tried recently – seem to remember it was always a bit dodgy… or was I just buying the cheap stuff. I really agree that the South of France has upped its game of late. Just a shame that there is also a distinct trend to imitate the super fruity Australian style when really they can do much better. One love.

An episode or two back you had a self-proclaimed Thunder Show, but THIS really comes closer to what the show’s all about. While the wines may not have been winners, the commentary was creative and well-put, and you brought something new to the table, along with sound observations.

Still looking, still expanding, I’m relatively new to wine and have not yet been shocked by anything. Looking forward to it though.

Ouch babe…the canuck vinos flamed out, eh?

QOTD: I’ve recently had two different bottles of dry rose that have completely changed my mind about that category: 2006 Turkey Flat (blend of Grenache, Syrah , Cab Sauv and others from Aussie) and a 2005 Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Scalabrone. As a result, I’ll be popping plenty of pink this spring/summer.

The ’97 Lopez de Heredia rose I had over the weekend changed my whole perspective on what a rose could be, most of my perspective on what a Rioja could be, and probably a few other perspectives beyond that. Wild stuff.

QOTD: Rocky Gully Riesling, which I know you’ve tried on the show. And also the Hanenhof Viognier. It showed me that Australia can make restrained wines with good acidity/fruit and not be over the top.

QOTD: Thinking of recent wines, I haven’t paid much attention to Nero D’Avola, but decided to give the Terre Del Nero D’Avola a try yesterday and I was quite pleasantly surprised. It finishes out with a sort of tomato and sweet basil component that I think would make it killer with pizza.

Interesting show, I have definitely never seen Gary trash wines like that. Glad you kept it honest but the dumping of the bottles was a bit too much for me. I mean, someone (probably more than one person actually) invested a lot of time and a lot of themselves into all that wine. Also, if they were so shocking to you, because of their awkwardness/absurdity or whatever, wouldn’t they be an excellent tasting opportunity for your staff? I’m just saying…

QOTD: Most of my Chardonnay experience has been California, but I recently had a Chardonnay from Handley Cellars of Anderson Valley, and a Meursault from Pierre Andre that made me really rethink my Chard attitudes.

QOTD: L’ardenza cottanera 2001. Never had a mondeuse wine before. especially from Sicily. 77 pts Wine Spectator. Blew my mind. up yours WS.

Couple or three Canucky points, Gary:

1) A Canadian Number Eleven is reserved for Mark Messier, and

2) Mothballs and rotten oranges? That’s just Ontario!

3) When it comes to critiquing Canadian wines, Ora-gone-onions make good “organ” players…

QOTD â?? MANY moons ago, on tasting the first German wine on a holiday tour of the Moselle, a heavenly riesling, and realizing that this grape juice could be seriously good stuff. And addicting, in a good sort of way.

Couple or three Canucky points, Gary:

1) A Canadian Number Eleven is reserved for Mark Messier, and

2) Mothballs and rotten oranges? That’s just Ontario!

3) When it comes to critiquing Canadian wines, Ora-gone-onions make good “organ” players…

QOTD â?? MANY moons ago, on tasting the first German wine on a holiday tour of the Moselle, a heavenly riesling, and realizing that this grape juice could be seriously good stuff. And addicting, in a good sort of way.

As a die hard Canuck (that’s Canadian for those who aren’t down with the lingo) the show was disappointing. As Gary said, there are much better wines from the Niagara region in Ontario. I’d be very interesting in knowing his opinion on some specific, higher quality wines.

QOTD: My house wine (not by choice) is Jackson Triggs Merlot. Since we drink it every day, I started to think I hated Merlot (it had little to do with Sideways). I tried the 2005 Christian Moueix Merlot, and realized that it might be the Triggs, not the varietal.

Great Show!!!

QOTD: On Saturday night I was able to taste a bunch of wines from the Becca Valley (sp?) in Lebanon. I was most surprised by the Chateau Musar, because Ive had wines from around there before from Kefraya and have mildly enjoyed them but the Musar just blew me away. It was extremely old world, both on the nose and palate.

–RH

Great Show!!!

QOTD: On Saturday night I was able to taste a bunch of wines from the Becca Valley (sp?) in Lebanon. I was most surprised by the Chateau Musar, because Ive had wines from around there before from Kefraya and have mildly enjoyed them but the Musar just blew me away. It was extremely old world, both on the nose and palate.

–RH

Thanks, Stefan, that might lead to a similar epiphany for me. A while ago at a social function, I bought a pricey glass of J-T Merlot, and loved it â?? complex and delicious. Not long after, bought home a bottle of J-T Proprietor’s Reserve Merlot, and was quite disappointed. It wasn’t ‘bad’, but certainly _meh_. So now I see there’s a Jâ??T Grand Reserve at $10 more, so I’m guessing that was the wine I bought by the glass. I guess my next taste-off will feature the two ‘classes’.

ha! Fun stuff! Next time just pour’em out on the table so they’ll REALLY have something to talk about. 😉

QOTD: Some recent South African wines have opened my eyes to this new up and coming region. Great Show!!

QOTD: Some recent South African wines have opened my eyes to this new up and coming region. Great Show!!

Gary,

Thanks for pushing winemakers here in Ontario to do better. Shiraz here is probably not going to work. For instance. They should know better. Sure it gets hot here, but not like the Okanagan, which is essentially a desert, just like Cali.

On the other hand, if you had tried some of the reserve level wines from Lake Erie north shore (vs the Pelee – yup, that’s Pee-lee Island wines you chose) especially the Cab-Francs (Colio CEV) you might have had a whole different story. We don’t have a lot of good $10-15 wines (yet?). We have quite a few really good wines one price bracket up.

QOTD? Sticking with the home team, Le Clos Jordannes from Niagara blew me away this past easter weekend. JV between Vincor/Jackson Triggs (now owned by Constellation) and Boiset.

PS trip to Pelee island is fun. The wines are what they are (the Gewurz HAS had some good years). Better yet, visit Niagara and Brock University http://www.brocku.ca/ and http://www.brocku.ca/ccovi/ (Lecture: Sparkling wine and Generation Y). Great area to visit.

Gary,

Thanks for pushing winemakers here in Ontario to do better. Shiraz here is probably not going to work. For instance. They should know better. Sure it gets hot here, but not like the Okanagan, which is essentially a desert, just like Cali.

On the other hand, if you had tried some of the reserve level wines from Lake Erie north shore (vs the Pelee – yup, that’s Pee-lee Island wines you chose) especially the Cab-Francs (Colio CEV) you might have had a whole different story. We don’t have a lot of good $10-15 wines (yet?). We have quite a few really good wines one price bracket up.

QOTD? Sticking with the home team, Le Clos Jordannes from Niagara blew me away this past easter weekend. JV between Vincor/Jackson Triggs (now owned by Constellation) and Boiset.

PS trip to Pelee island is fun. The wines are what they are (the Gewurz HAS had some good years). Better yet, visit Niagara and Brock University http://www.brocku.ca/ and http://www.brocku.ca/ccovi/ (Lecture: Sparkling wine and Generation Y). Great area to visit.

Good idea Moselman.

Perhaps I could bring the grand reserve to the table next time and one up my old man. Maybe I could shame him into expanding his palate and going for something better.

A 2005 Cedarman Zin from Turley completely changed my mind about Cali Zins