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Showing posts from March, 2017

Urban Uco: A very good and high Malbec

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Urban Uco Malbec 2015  Bodegas y Vinedos O. Fournier  Uco Valley – Mendoza – Argentina  SAQ Price: $ 18,70 The international Malbec day is fast approaching and, to get myself into this topic, I decided this Friday to bring you an interesting proposal to discover! This Malbec comes from the prestigious winery O. Fournier located in the Uco Valley, where the vineyards are planted at 1100 meters high. I was surprised by its character so intense and so pleasant with seductive notes of evolution. A Malbec wine with strong body and personality. In the nose, it is easy to perceive black fruits and plum in compote, notes of caramel, leather and marmalade. In the mouth, it continues to offer those sweet and fruity notes. With round and soft tannins, it is a succulent wine, flavoury, with a very unctuous and pleasant final.  Ideal for drinking now. A good food pairing: pork ribs in BBQ sauce. The sweetness of the sauce and the marmalade fruitiness of the wine will marry to perfecti

Constellation Brands 2017 tasting: when some wines are a first person storytelling...

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By Marina La Forgia Every year, the prestigious Canadian agency Constellation Brands - Marques Constellation organizes a professional event to showcase the latest innovations, boost its already popular labels and discover the icon wines of its portfolio. It was the first time I had the opportunity to participate in this event, which undoubtedly I have to highlight its impeccable organization and the variety of wines available for tasting. But above all, I was impressed by the quality of the exclusive master class offered by 4 indisputable referents of the industry: Bruce Nicholson, Inniskillin Niagara State's chief enologist, Beppe d'Andrea, senior brand ambassador for Ruffino, Mark de Vere, brand ambassador for Robert Mondavi and Joel Peterson, founder of Ravenswood winery, oenologist and "godfather" of the Zinfandel. Eugene Mlynczyk, the director of the agency's high-end level wines portfolio, was in charge of the animation. During the master class, a

A "tribute" to the Sauvignon Blanc ...

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Caliterra Tribute Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Viña Caliterra DO Leyda Valley SAQ Price: $ 15.55 I have already said it on many occasions: the Sauvignon Blanc grape has in Chile one of its best terroirs in the world. It is always a delight for me to taste the available wines of this variety, as it is one of my favorite white ones thanks to its great display of intense and particular aromas and for its so refreshing character and acidity. For those enophiles who enjoy this variety as much as I do, I invite you to discover the Caliterra Tributo, a wine that surprises for its versatility, but also for its originality. The typical citrus notes are present, along with other more floral mixed with aromas of dry grass. It is in the mouth where I found it very attractive, the Caliterra Tributo Sauvignon Blanc has a mineral texture and a refreshing character that make it a young white wine, but with body and structure able to perfectly matcht with creamy and unctuous dishes. I allowed myself to ma

LAB: a super regional wine from Lisbon

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LAB 2015 Vinho regional de Lisboa Casa Santos Lima Portugal SAQ Price: $9.20 Well, well ... attention, attention, I bring to the ring box of wines of less than 10 dollars a new and fabulous exponent difficult to beat! From the internationally recognized Casa Santos Lima wine cellar, LAB is a Lisbon regional wine produced with the main red grape varieties of the area: Castelao, Syrah, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional. Lisbon is one of the most productive, polyvalent and heterogeneous wine areas of Portugal. Its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean brings what is necessary for the vines to magnifically grow thanks to the climate and soils and so to produce generous and high quality wines in all dimensions. Don't restrict yourself with the prejudice of its price, I invite you with absolute conviction to discover this red wine of great body and personality. In the nose, intense aromas of plum jam and chocolate predominate. In the mouth it is ample, unctuous and round, very

Ataliva: a Malbec in its pure essence

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Ataliva Malbec 2016 Bodega Benegas – Mendoza Available IP (licenced): $ 18,70 Represented by PV Wine & Spirits A very good wine, great personality and style. Made from Malbec grapes from the Uco Valley, the Ataliva from Bodega Benegas offers in nose intense aromas of leather, spices and violets. In the mouth it maintains the character and the body that makes it generous, with quite present tannins, lots of fruit and a unctuous and very long finish. It has an oak aging of only three months, which has contributed with all the necessary to turn it into a wine with a lot of body and structure. Beyond its irreverence and seduction of youth, I dare say that it will be even more delicious and pleasant in about two or three years, when it reaches full maturity. Ideal for supplying ourselves with a box and discovering its evolution, one bottle at a time, very quietly ... On this occasion, it was an excellent companion for a delicious stew of meat and vegetables. A wine with thi

Passo Blanco: an original bivarietal to discover

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Masi Tupungato Passo Blanco 2016 Masi Agricola Winery Valle de Uco - Mendoza SAQ Price: $ 13.55 From the fabulous and unique Uco Valley, in Mendoza, comes this bivarietal that combines the essence of a particular and prestigious winery that mixes Italian knowhow with Argentinean soil. The Masi Agricola Passo Blanco is a blend of two delicious grapes: Pinot Grigio and Torrontés, both organic bio culture. An attractive and original wine with a young and fresh character. In nose the floral perfume which is very characteristic of the torrontés grape is intermingled with some citric notes of the Pinot Grigio forming a very nice bouquet. In the mouth, it is a light wine and very easy to drink, well balanced and with a dry fruity finish. A simple and elegant wine to enjoy mostly in appetizer, or to match with light dishes like green salads or soft creamy cheeses. A good bio at this price is an opportunity not to miss. To discover and to adopt ... the Passo Blanco is like a refreshing and

Caliterra Reserva: big blend, small price

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Caliterra Reserva Carmenere – Cabernet Sauvignon DO Valle de Colchagua Chili SAQ Price: $11,55 It is not easy to recognize the precious pearls among so many variety of entry level wines. But I have decided to find them as a great challenge for myself, so I am currently fully immersed in this exercise. Fortunately I have been able to discover this Chilean wine from the Colchagua valley of great personality, at an amazing affordable price ($ 11.55). As we know, the Québec market has proliferated in the segment of "entry level" wines. With a range of unexpected price reductions, coupons, special discounts and new labels launchings, it is becoming more difficult to choose or to know which wine is good, which wine is not. The Caliterra Reserva Carmenere-Cabernet Sauvignon appears timidly on the shelves among so many offers available, but as soon as you taste it I can assure that it is a wine that shines with such a big splendor. I was pleasantly surprised ...it stand