One in a continuing series

One thing that differentiates The Terroirist from many other wine columns is in my use of ratings - put simply, I don't publish ratings when recommending wines. Part of this is simple mechanics; when I'm only recommending three bottles out of over four dozen, you can be sure that they're all going to be top-notch. Compare this to say, Robert Parker, who has the luxury of the editorial space to publish reviews of every wine he samples, and it's clear why he needs ratings more than I - without them, it wouldn't be as immediately clear which he preferred and which he panned.

The other reason, though, why I generally prefer to leave ratings out of my reviews is that I've found it can often have a delibrating effect on the rest of the reviews. From my experience (especially with devotees of the aformentioned Mr Parker), rating scores can quickly become the focus of the review, and make everything else come second to that. One need only see the pandemonium on a Saturday morning when the LCBO releases a wine that scores in the 95-100 point range to know that people can too easily become affixed to numbers.

One in a continuing series

They say that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a large fortune. If this is true, then from the rate PGA golfers are starting up wineries, they must be absolutely swimming in it. First Greg Norman opened the originally named Norman Estates winery, then Ernie Els created his own brand in South Africa. And now, our very own green-jacket-wearing Mike Weir has lent his name to a winery (Mike Weir Estate wines are currently being made out of the Creekside winery, but he's slated to have his own building completed by the 2007 vintage).

I've always been of two minds when it comes to 'vanity' wineries such as these; wine making is primarially a labour of love - the hours are long, the conditions are harsh, the money (unless you already have an empire) can be problematic, and you're at the mercy of the weather - and the idea that with enough tour winnings you can become an instant-winemaker seems wrong. On the other hand, I don't suspect that the Baroness de Rothschild is herself grubbing up vines or rolling barrels across the cellar.

Despite this, the wines that their teams - because lets face it, travelling around the world playing golf is not very condusive to taking an active role in winemaking - produce can range from the simple but drinkable, to the outstanding. While a famous owner should never be a reason to pick up a wine, it needn't always be a reason to avoid it either. Just fear for the day that 'Clos de Domi' hits the markets.

So what's drinking nicely this Saturday?

One in a continuing series
There are a lot of things, both good and bad, that can be said about the LCBO; the one thing though that I can say tonight, is 'jackpot!'. Trawling around the Summerhill branch of our liquor monopoly, I noticed a gentleman returning some very interesting bottles - bottles of 1990 white Burgundy.

While there are numerous valid criticisms of Crown controlled wine sales, their return policy - easy refunds of anything in saleable condition with receipt, and a virtually no-questions asked refund of any opened bottle that didn't live up to expectations - cannot be considered one of them. Even when working for a wine merchant in England - one with a fairly liberal return policy itself - we would only take back - with reciept - up to a third of one's purchase. And in the US? Forget it. When I asked, in Boston, what their policy on taking back corked bottles was, I was met with a bemused look and a laugh; when I was in New York, I was told that returning liquor bottles was verboten.

1990 was a great year throughout much of France. Most notably in Bordeaux and Burgundy, it was a vintage for the record books (probably the best in the former until 2000, and the best in the latter until 2002). In Burgundy, the great whites are just begining to hit their stride. As a wine ages, it matures and developes. Some flavours drop out, while other deeper and more complex flavours begin to shine through. Unsurprisingly though, much of this wine is drunk long before it becomes fully matured, and that which is still undrunk usually sits in private cellars waiting for its time - so finding a 16 year old bottle of white Burgundy for sale is a rare treasure indeed. Best of all, because of the bureaucratic nature of the LCBO, it re-sells returned bottles at the price they were bought for - regardless of inflation or rarity. In this case, the more expensive of the wines should have more than doubled in price, according to Wine-Searcher. So take a look next time you're at a LCBO - you never know what treasures you'll find.

And now the recommendations...

Most wine regions have a grape that defines them; and most grapes have a region that does likewise for them. The northern Rhone has the Syrah, Beaujolais the Gamay, Chablis has Chardonnay. On the other side of the equation, Nebbiolo is best regarded in Piedmonte (more specifically Barolo), Vidal in Ontario, and Zinfandel in California. For South Africa, it both defines and is defined by it's own native grape - Pinotage (at least for reds, for whites, Chenin Blanc holds the pride of place).

If any grape can be said to have been invented, rather than discovered, Pinotage is high up on that list. It was not found growing in a farmer's field somewhere, or (like Zinfandel) mislaid in transit and given a new name - it was created quite deliberately 81 years ago by taking some Pinot Noir vines and crossbreeding them with Cinsault vines (which were called 'Hermitage' at the time, thus the name 'Pinotage'). There are a great many other cross-breeds, some done in labs, others spontaneously in the fields, although Pinotage is certainly one of the better known varieties. The crossbreeding process should not be confused with hybridisation, which is taking two vines of different species and crossing them, as was done with Ontario's own Vidal.

The resulting Pinotage is a high quality grape that combines good earth flavours, typical of Pinot Noir, along with pungent, slightly sweet aroma, and a good sugar/acid balance.

And now this fortnight's recommendations.

One in a continuing series

Last week I wrote about Stelvin (screw-top) closures, and the new understanding about their utlity for keeping white wine fresh - especially with lighter varieties such as Pinto Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, a screw-top is able to keep them lively and unaltered by age. Its that last bit that's causing much of the latest controversy.

For many wines - those that are made to be drunk immediately - the screw-top question is a no brainer. Both whites and reds won't suffer at all from being bottled under a Stelvin closure if they're going to be drunk soon; add to this the real possibility of cork taint that can be avoided, and there's no reason to not use Stelvins to bottle early-drinking wine. Well other than image that is.

After a long hiatus, I'm out for espressos again - and bringing my camera to prove it. Today brought me to Cafe Diplomatico, in the heart of Little Italy.

The coffee suffered from the same problem I find in so many other bars around town - they put too much in it. Part of this is my fault - I forgot to ask for it to be very short - but I suspect a bit of it is also an attempt to provide some sort of 'value for money' to the general public who want more of a drink than a shot.

The espresso itself was good. A nice thick crema that stuck to the sides of the cup, and a rounded, sweet flavour, with none of the bitterness that could be experiences with old roasted beans. Were I to find a downside, the cups themselves were rather cold, which sucked the heat right out of the coffee.

Ahh well, live and learn.