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Fall Wine Fairs
From Sonoma to Spain

© Michael Vaughan 2004
National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday, October
2, 2004

LIVE WINE LINK
www.winefind.ca

(CLICK ON THE NAME -
All listings are automatically linked to the LCBO database)
If there is a product that interests you, just click on the name below and you will instantaneously connected with the LCBO database. The product will appear in blue and all you have to do is click on the name again and then the next screen will provide details along with the store search. Just click on store search. The number of bottles in each store is updated nightly. You should call the store first to see if stock still remains (each store phone number is listed).

Fall is the most hectic of times for wine lovers. This week sees two major wine events come to town and neither should be missed. On Monday, October 4, “A Sonoma Wine Affair” rolls into the Royal Ontario Museum with 34 wineries pouring 111 wines (to see the detailed list click here). With California prices falling and quality on the rise due to a succession of fine vintages, this is bound to be one of the best Sonoma tastings on record.

Better yet, you will be able to assess a number of upcoming untasted Vintages October releases for yourself, such as Wattle Creek  2003 Viognier (598201 - $36.95) and Murphy Goode 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon (995142 - $32.95). In addition, if you are not certain if my recently recommended Arrowood 2002 Chardonnay (Vintages 270694) is really worth $39.95, you can try it here! Vintages still has a sizable inventory if you decide to buy. Also check out the usually tasty Hartford 2002 Pinot Noir and Hartford 2002 Chardonnay (at $37.95 and $31.95 direct from agent). It would also be worth trying all nine Sonoma Pinot Noir and four Syrah, which are on the hot list.

There are two components to this event. Part one takes place in the afternoon and is strictly trade-only. The second in the evening is for the general public. As there is no general admission at the door, consider this as my invitation to National Post readers to join me at the evening event. Tickets are $55 (only $50 for wine club members) can be ordered at www.calwine.ca - just download the order form, fax it and the tickets will be at the door. Otherwise, leave a message for Leanne Feener at 1800-558-2675.

Next Wednesday, the annual Spanish wine fair entitled “Spain: Old Vines, New Wines” sprouts up at the University of Toronto’s Hart House from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. This must-attend event features a huge contingent of wines, many of which will never see the light of day at the LCBO. There will be more than 80 wineries represented pouring over 220 products (to see the detailed list click here). Tickets are $45 for guests or $40 for wine club members. For reservations contact Sue Curtis (The Arthritis Society) at 416-979-3353 ext. 380 or email scurtis@on.arthritis.ca.

With so many wines and wineries, it is impossible to say where one should begin. The game plan should be to scrutinize the wine list and pick out those individual wines you want to try. Wineries are presented by agents. At the Torion agency table, for instance, eight new recent vintage entries from the esteemed Rioja Bodegas Muga (priced from $15.95 to $51) will be available for tasting. Sherry fans will be able to taste seven Gonzalez Byass sherries, including all four specialty reserve Sherries being released in Vintages later this month ($24.95 per 375 ml bottle).

If you need to brush up on your Spanish wines, the recently-released, updated edition of John Radford’s The New Spain: A Complete Guide to Contemporary Spanish Wine (ISBN: 1840009284) can be ordered on the Chapters-Indigo website at only $32.50 (vs $50 in the Indigo Bay-Bloor store or $60 at the Cookbook store). It is a useful acquisition and offers numerous recommendations as to the best bodega wines (although without being vintage specific or providing any tasting notes guidance).

A bit less expensive, much more compact and easier to use is another Mitchell Beazley wine guide by Jan Read entitled Wines of Spain (ISBN 1840007109) at $21.95. One shortcoming is that despite being published in Februray 2003, the detailed vintage notes only go to 2000. It is too bad that my favourite work on the subject The Wine Atlas of Spain and Traveller’s Guide to the Vineyards (ISBN 10987654321) by Hebrecht Duijker has not been updated since 1992. It is a terrific resevoir of still useful information with a multitude of great maps, photographs and opinions.

Moving on to this month’s Vintages best buy wasn’t easy. I struggled through a record-setting 290 new October releases or at least those that were presented. After three days of solid tasting, I finally came up with a winner: an under-$20, big, juicy red from the Midi region of France. Domaine Magellan 2000 Les Collines (695965) at $19.95 may only have the Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue designation, but as far as I am concerned you will not find a tastier value.


Bruno Lafon at Domaine Magellan

Originating exclusively in Bruno Lafon’s 42 hectares of vineyards, this amazing blend of low-yielding 25-year-old Merlot (45%) and 15-year-old Syrah (30%) and Grenache (25%) will please the most discerning palate. If his name seems familiar, you should know that he is the younger brother of Dominique of Domaine des Comtes Lafon fame in Meursault. In 1998 he decided to settle in the south of France and spent six months searching for a great terroir.

In early 1999, Bruno and his sister-in-law Sylvie Legros finally found the ideal property. It was originally developed decades earlier by pioneer vineyardist Paul Granier in the small village of Magalas. His untimely demise just over 20 years ago meant that the estate languished - everything except the vineyards. Bruno and Sylvie resurrected the estate and the results have been hailed by many wine authorities.

The grapes for Les Collines come from come from a specific 20 hc. vineyard called “Pech Redon” meaning round hill. The carefully handpicked grapes are destemmed and then fermented in temperature-controlled concrete tanks. The must is inoculated with a Champagne yeast because it doesn’t impart extra flavours and does not stop fermenting at high alcohol levels. The must is macerated with the skins for 20 days before pressing. After malolactic fermentation, maturation takes place for 10 months in large wooden vats with 30% of the Merlot (about 15% of the total blend) aged in small oak barrels.

How tasty is it? Well this deep purple red coloured elixir has an intense, complex, spicy, smoky, sun dried tomato nose with juicy black cherry notes. It is solid and yet very harmonious on the palate with tangy, juicy, black cherry flavours and a lingering, slightly smoky finish. While only 1,500 cases were produced, Vintages managed to snag 52 of them. When I checked earlier this week there were 16 cases of this “In-Store Discovery” at three Toronto stores. The agent tells me that the actual release date is today, but with a Vintages ISD who knows? Call first; it should be great with your Thanksgiving turkey.

2001-2002-2003-2004 Tasting Note Database
Our tasting note database from December 31, 2000 to August 2004, covers every Vintages release product for the past 43 months. There are more than 7,000 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 agent’s name, as well as current LCBO store inventory by clicking on "Check LCBO Availability", which will automatically tell you the number of bottles at LCBO as of last night.

To use our winefind.ca Tasting Notes Database: click here

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** For All Visitors **
Vintages October 2004 Release

To see the complete list of upcoming
287 products click here (sorted by date of release). It includes the number of cases, which wines were presented by the LCBO, our agent ID for every product,
as well as, the
58
In Store D
iscoveries” for October.
You can also see it sorted by agent
click here  

Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada 2004
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
 (electronic or other wise) and or quotation.
Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net