MASI CAMPOFIORIN 2007

This was a wedding gift from Andrew and Christina. It is a very dry red from the Verona region of Italy. The style of wine is called Ripasso which involves extra fermentation using semi-dried grapes. It takes on a very refined and rich flavour with hints of licorice and cedar.

Weingut Clemens Busch Vom Grauen Schiefer Riesling 2009

Bought in Munich, Germany while traveling on business. We had it with some pad thai and it paired perfectly. This wine is silky smooth and well balanced. I often find Riesling to be on the sour side but this wine went down very easily. Vom grauen schiefer translates into "of the grey slate" which speaks to the terroir where this wine is produced in the Mosel wine region.

CHANSON PERE & FILS BOURGOGNE 2007

Pixed this up at Brix in the South End. Looking for a nice sipping Pinot Noir, and this was recommended as a bottle you could take home and drink right away. It has a very nice ruby colour with hints of redish brown right at the very edges. The nose is a bit earthy, with a bit of apple spice that reminded me of autumn. This wine is very well balanced with strong tannins and a bit of a bite of alcohol, making me thing this wine could be aged a little longer.

Flock Mendocino Chardonnay 2008

Velvety smooth with a nice buttery finish. Well balanced with notes of maple and honey. A great bottle to Christen our new Riedel Vinum chardonnay glasses.

QUPÉ SYRAH CENTRAL COAST 2006

Qupé is a winery in Central California that specializes in Rhone style wines and Chardonnay. The Syrah Central Coast has a 2% touch of Grenache and is comprised of grapes from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. This inky, mellow wine has a jammy nose and coffee flavours with a peppery finish.

WILLM RIESLING 2008

I have always been intrigued by the long necked bottle and yellow label of wines from Alsace. They are some of the classic fragrant whites - Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Today I tried a Riesling from Willm. It has a very pronounced nose with notes of orange and pear. It shows flavours of Macintosh apples and lemon zest. Would go well with oysters.

WHITEHAVEN SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007

New Zealand wine has an excellent reputation world wide, and is especially know for pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. As of 2005, New Zealand was the 24th highest producer of wine, having bottled 120,000 metric tonnes. (Canada ranked 32nd with 50,400 tonnes, behind countries such as Japan, Mexico, and Moldova.) New Zealand's cool climate is similar to that of France's Bourgogne region, which is ideal for growing pinot. I wonder whether a New Zealand chardonnay would have the same minerality of Chablis...

But I digress. The 2007 Whitehaven sauvignon blanc shows celery, grapefruit, and fresh cut grass on the nose. The citrus is undeniable. On the palate, I detect lots of green fruit, such as kiwi fruit, key lime, granny smith apples. It has a mouth-watering acidity and a long finish. Though sauvignon blanc is not my most favourite wine I definitely look forward to enjoying a bottle of Whitehaven again.