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Getting
the Bull from Santa
It doesn't have to be expensive to be great!
©
Michael Vaughan 2006
National Post
Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday,
December 23, 2006
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So here I am, just a few days before Christmas, trying to get my drinks order thru to Santa. The wait on the line almost rivals Air Canada's. Mrs. Claus picks up the phone. "Is Santa there?" I ask. "Yes, but he's too busy to take the call" replies Mrs. Claus. "Look, its Mickey the wine guy from the National Post; he told me to call if I wanted something special" I blurt out. I get this odd chilly feeling that the Santa bank account is running low as Mrs. Claus asks "does it cost over $10?"
Suddenly
my vision of dancing bottles of 1995 Chateau Margaux was dashed. And after
a moment's hesitation, I answer, "of course not - all I want for
Christmas is a tasty bottle of red that goes with everything."
Knowing that Mrs. Claus' Spanish isn't too great (one of the elves
translates for her), I say "a bottle of Torres 2004 blood of the
bull!" "Oh you mean Sangre
de Toro (CSPC 6585), it's one of our
favourites too, but doesn't it cost more than $10?"
I am always impressed at her amazing ability to remember CSPC numbers and prices. There is no question, she is always right - it usually is $10.95, but thanks to the producer, there is a limited time $1 discount until December 31st reducing the price to just $9.95.
I am asked: "So which vintage do you want, 2004 or 2005?" I get the feeling that I have been subpoenaed to be an expert witness at a wine trial. As I have only tasted the absolutely delicious 2004, I say that I will call back, hang up and rush down to the LCBO to buy a bottle of each at $9.95 for a comparative blind tasting. It all proves that it's a challenging life being a professional wine taster.
Entering
the Queen's Quay store, I finally find the appropriate display from Spain.
And yes, Mrs. Claus was right, there are two vintages of Sangre de Toro on
the shelves - 2004 with a little plastic black bull with white horns
attached by a red and yellow ribbon to the capsule; and the 2005 with no
bull at all.
I buy a bottle of each. I find that the 2004, according to the code etched on the glass on the lower part of the bottle was filled at 9:29 am on September 14, 2006 (coded L6257), whereas the 2005 filled 9:31 am on September 26, 2006 (L6269).
Is there a difference? Yes. As the younger wine, the 2005 is a bit brighter with more purple notes. On the palate, the 2005 also seems a bit lighter and shows a tad more crisp cherry fruit. The 2004 has more complexity and a bit more mouthfeel with ripe plum and warm red cherry flavours followed up by a harmonious finish.
Qualitatively, they are similar and both are terrific value. They also show great versatility and marry well with almost everything - from turkey to ribs! My favourite, however, is still the 2004. Hopefully, Santa will get me the one with the bull.
Of course, I am not a newcomer to this wine. Decades ago, I drank copious quantities of Sangre de Toro for a buck a bottle in the swinging Mediterranean resort town of Sitges, close to the Penedes region where the Torres winery is located. Now that may seem cheap, but 30 years ago this brand sold for $2.95 at the LCBO. Checking the LCBO price book 10 years later (1986), I discovered that it sold for $6.15 - more than double the 1976 price. Today, 20 years later, it's a bargain at only $9.95.
It was Miguel Torres Sr. who in 1954 was exploring his Catalunya region and decided to produce this blend from indigenous vineyards containing robust Carinena (aka Carignan) grapes along with fruity Garnacha Tinta (aka Grenache, Spain's most widely planted red). Today this 65% Garnacha-35% Carinena blend is fermented in stainless steel and then aged for 8 months in French and American oak. It typifies the terrific values that are coming out of Spain.
Of
course, not everything Spanish has been so successful. Sherry, for
instance, has been in a slump. In 1976 there were at least a 17 genuine
Spanish Sherries on the LCBO General List, including 7 creams costing up
to $7.85 a bottle. Today, 30 years later, a great cream Sherry will only
set you back a mere $11.05. I recently was searching for a bottle of Osborne
Premium Santa Maria Cream Sherry (31120) at the
Queens Quay store, but couldn't find any Sherry signage. There, lost in
the back of the store, I found the last two remaining LCBO cream Sherry
listings.
The medium-amber coloured Santa Maria, which also has the image of a
golden bull on the capsule, is a seductively sweet elixir with warm,
honeyed, caramel-raisin-plum flavours (120 grams of residual sugar/l). The
perfect after-dinner sipper, I discovered that it also hits the spot with
a wide variety of dishes, including, believe-it-or-not, turkey (try adding
it to the gravy). Sadly, for many decades the Sherry name has been
bastardized by Canadian and non-Spanish offshore producers whose cheap
knock-offs has tarnished Sherry's image. In 1976 there were 51
"Canadian Sherries" available at the LCBO (to see the relevant
pages from the LCBO October 12, 1976 Price Book click
here). Today, a search under "Sherry" reveals
23 general list items, of which only one-third are Spanish. May I suggest
that you make Santa happy, pour him a glass of Santa Maria (the real
thing) with some cookies on Christmas Eve.
Finally, National Post readers can see my feature from the current issue of Spanish magazine Gourmetour (click here to see), along with the December issue of Vintage Assessments by using the npreader password (click here to see).
Pick of the Week
Want
icewine flavours on a budget? Deep golden yellow colour, the current
non-vintage-dated Magnotta
Iced Apple (regular $15.85 for 375 ml - now on sale
for $13.85 until December 31st) is only available at the seven Magnotta
stores across Ontario (click
here to see store locations). It has a deep golden yellow colour and creamy,
sweet but refreshing, deliciously caramelized, concentrated, spicy, apple
cider flavours. I actually prefer it to some of Ontario's underachieving
icewines that sell for more than twice the price! Aged for over two years
prior to bottling, this 2001 vintage was made from MacIntosh and Golden
Delicious apples, all Canadian-grown at Cedar Ridge Farms along the north
shore of Lake Erie. It has 190 grams of residual sugar (19%), which is
comparable to icewine, and has just the right amount of refreshing
acidity. Terrific taste - great value.
2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006
Tasting Note Database
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tasting note database from December 31, 2000 to October 2006, covers every
Vintages release product for the past 72 months. There are more than
14,000 notes in the database data. Just enter the name of the product,
supplier name or CSPC number. Or you can search by type of wine, country
of origin, even wine agent! Nothing could be easier. Also you can get information on the agent by clicking on the
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To
use our Tasting
Notes Database: click
here
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Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada
2006
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Contact Michael Vaughan at
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