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A great Austrian buy from back to front
Wine labels demystified
Front labels sell,
but more often than not it is the often-neglected back label that intrigues me.
Not only can it be a wonderful source of information, but also there is great
potential for real entertainment value. I remember one eastern European red, for
instance, proudly proclaiming that it was made from the “finest grape.” I
imagined one gargantuan perfect grape being rolled into the winery and hoisted
on the press. Naturally, I have
always wondered if “truth in labeling” applies to the stuff wineries stick
on the back of their bottles. Certain detailed labels jump to mind. The
well-known Spanish house of Torres, for instance, seems to have always had
extensive descriptions of the where, what and how each wine was made. Back labels became
fashionable in the late 1970’s. In California, Ridge and Bonny Doon were key
back label players, while who can forget Myron Redford’s lengthy dissertations
from Oregon’s Amity Vineyards. It always made me wonder whether there were
special “contre-etiquette” inspectors scurrying from winery to winery
ensuring every word was factual. All of this came to mind while working my way through the preview tasting for today’s Vintages release of some 74 items. The catalyst was a bottle of Austrian white, which captured my heart. The front label, however, is enough to strike terror into any prospective purchaser. Beneath the big blazing capitals of Freie Weingärtner Wachau (the cooperative producer) comes Terrassen Thal Wachau (the vineyard in the tiny Wachau region along the upper reaches of the Danube River valley); then in smaller caps Gruner Veltliner (the grape); finally followed by Smaragd 2000 (this designation meaning emerald is the highest quality level the grapes can achieve). As they say, it ain’t easy – pass the aspirin.
Freie Weingärtner
2000 Terrassen Thal Wachau Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Put this all
together and you have a mouthful that may frighten off the most well-intentioned
prospective buyer. And that’s a shame because at only $13.55 this terrific,
crisp, dry, medium bodied, unoaked white is complete with slightly honeyed,
lemony, dried apricot flavours and a lingering schisty finish. Fortunately, the
back label comes to the rescue and demystifies the entire front label; meaning
you don’t have to be an expert after all! Given the searing summer heat,
don’t miss this refreshing ABC (anything but chardonnay) effort that will tame
the tastiest of BBQ shrimps. To discover more about Austrian wines, pick up a copy of Philipp Blom The Wines of Austria ($24.99) which is published by Faber & Faber, 2000. Another idea would be contact the Consulate General of Austria (Birgitta Samavarchian) at 416-967-3348 ext. 18 where a wealth of material on Austrian wines is available.
Not to be ignored,
Chardonnay diehards also have a great buy in an unusually tasty effort from
Spain. Bodegas
Nekeas 1999 ‘Cuvée Allier’ Chardonnay
at only $12.45 is not a wine to be tampered with. It hails from the northeastern
Navarra region and has a rather forward-looking deep yellow colour. The nose and
palate are quite intense with lots of toasty, ripe, peachy-pear flavours. It has
a lingering, slightly smoky finish and is definitely at its peak meaning that it
should be consumed in the near future with white meats and poultry.
Moving on to reds, my
favourite of the release is Viña
Mont Gras 2000 Carmenere Reserva
because of its great accessibility
and decent $14.90 price. The Carmenere grape,
which back in the 18th century was once one of the key varieties in
Bordeaux, was only discovered in Chile in 1991 where it seems to have blossomed.
I have tasted a number of other efforts that are quite greenish and lacking in
character - but not this one. Born in Chile’s Colchagua Valley, it has a
lovely nose - slightly smoky, lush plums, black cherries and cedar. On the
palate it rich and mouth filling with rather juicy, ripe,
cherry-cassis-grapefruit flavours accompanied by smoky, sandalwood notes on the
lingering finish. While it is perfect for drinking today, it should hold for
next 6-12 months. Viña
Mont Gras 2000 Carmenere Reserva If you enjoy a good
Saint-Émilion, don’t miss Château
Les Cabannes 1999 at $24.70.
It has the typical leathery, red licorice notes on the nose and a well
integrated, rounded taste focusing on ripe plum, olive and cherry.
Unfortunately, the Vintages
Catalogue incorrectly identifies it as a “Grand Cru” and compounds the confusion by referring to the
sublime 1999, which I highly recommended to National
Post readers last year (a steal at $26.00). In fact, Les
Cabannes produces two wines, a regular Saint-Émilion and a Grand Cru
(commanding a well deserved 20% price premium).
It is interesting to
note that Chateau Les Cabannes is owned and operated by ex-Torontonian Peter
Kjellberg who was the first Canadian to graduate from the prestigious
Faculty of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux in 1989. After apprenticing at
Château Haut-Brion, he moved to Château du Pavillon and then bought this
property in 1997 where he seems to have worked wonders. And speaking about
Toronto, Donald Ziraldo’s Inniskillin 1998 Meritage Reserve
at only $16.95 represents fine
drinking value, especially as some $3.00 has been shaved off its retail price.
The nose is quite complex, slightly smoky and cedary with baked red pepper and
chocolate-mocha notes. On the palate it is medium bodied, dry and firm with
baked plum and dusty chocolate flavours accompanying some lingering reedy notes
on the finish. I think it would work well with a charbroiled steak.
timeouttoronto.ca The upcoming Vintages August 3rd
Release Planning Ahead
Vintages will
be presenting a tasting from the Autumn 2002 Classics
on Monday, September 9th from
6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Toronto’s Le Royal Méridien King Edward. All featured
wines will be available for ordering at on-site. Tickets are $95.00 per person
call (416) 365-5767 or toll-free 1-800-266-4764. The list of wines to be tasted
will be posted on the website as soon as it becomes available.
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Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada
2004 |
Sticking to bright,
unoaked whites, the best buy is undoubtedly 
From Italy there is
a butterscotch-tinged Trentino effort that is worth a gander - 
It would be a
serious error to think that this 1999 should achieve the same 90 point score
(erroneously referred to by Vintages), a score that actually belonged to the
1998 Grand Cru. If I had to put a score on this newly-released 1999 it would be 87.5,
which is
still pretty good! As for the 1998 Grand Cru, my score was 92 points! In any
given year, the extract, intensity of flavour and length will differ. The
reasons are simple. The Merlot vines used in the Grand Cru are older (25 vs. 15 years)
and all the Grand Cru goes into new wood vs. only 50% for the regular cru. 
Last but not least
is a truly great eau-de-vie, which is worthy of a detour
Fiesta Buckhorn