Joke of the Day

At 85 years of age, Wally married Anne, a gorgeous 25 year old. Since her new husband is so old, Anne decides that after their wedding she and Wally should have separate bedrooms, because she is concerned that her new but aged husband may over exert himself if they spend the entire night together.

After the wedding festivities Anne prepares herself for bed and the expected 'knock' on the door. Sure enough the knock comes, the door opens and there is Wally, her 85 year old groom, ready for action. They unite as one. All goes well, Wally takes leave of his bride, and she prepares to go to sleep.

After a few minutes, Anne hears another knock on her bedroom door, and it's Wally. Again he is ready for more 'action.' Somewhat surprised, Anne consents for more coupling. When the newlyweds are done, Wally kisses his bride, bids her a fond goodnight and leaves.

She is set to go to sleep again, but, aha you guessed it..... Wally is back again, rapping on the door, and is as fresh as a 25-year-old, ready for more 'action.' And, once again they enjoy each other.

But as Wally gets set to leave again, his young bride says to him, "I am thoroughly impressed that at your age you can perform so well and so often. I have been with guys less than a third of your age who were only good once. You are truly a great lover, Wally.'"

Wally, somewhat embarrassed, turns to Anne and says: ....... "You mean I've been here already?"

Organized Crime 2006 The Download (Red Blend)

Another blend from this newish small winery, but this one is a miss. 60% Merlot and 40% Cab Franc. Nice hint of fruit but it tastes like someone literally watered it down. Not available at the LCBO Recommendation: Pass it by

Wild Soul Winery, Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia.

Stanthorpe, in the Granite Belt, is the the wine and apple region of Queensland, Australia. Located about 3 hours southwest of Brisbane, Stanthorpe is home to over 50 wineries, apple orchards, music festivals and beautiful autumn scenery... far from the palm trees of Brisbane. I stumbled upon Wild Soul around 2002 and fell in love with the wines. They only produce a Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and a Merlot. I have had the 2003, 04, 05 Cab Sav and the Merlot and can heartily say that since I bought them by the case, I must have liked them. They can't be bought in wine shops, only at the vineyard.... worth every mile of the trip. The winery started as a chili farm but the owners found out that it was so expensive to ship chili interstate, with all the state fees and precautions one had to make to keep the shipments free from bugs and bacteria, that they turned it into a winery. The Merlot is one of the smoothest I've ever tasted and never left me feeling like I had too much. But I can say that of most any wine! It's slightly fruity flavour gave it a distinct taste on the palette and the oak overtones were just right, not too overwhelming. The Cab Sav was heartier as it should be. The oak a bit more pronounced but didn't take away from the flavour of the prime rib. If you have a friend going to Brisbane, Australia, make sure they bring you back a bottle or three!

http://www.wildsoul.netfirms.com/wildsoul.netfirms.com/Welcome.html
http://www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.au/accom_result1/wild-soul/

Oak Heights 2007 Pinot Noir

A wine with some good promise. Quite drinkable now, but will do well with another couple of years under its belt. Good fruit. Pairs nicely with leg o' lamb (as if it wouldn't.) Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: Buy a couple of bottles and lay them down for 5 or 6 years.

Peller 2007 Private Reserve Gamay Noir

A very nice Gamay. Lots of fruit. Good balance, great colour. A nice wine to have with Pork. Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: A nice wine to have in your cellar. Don't be afraid to buy a couple.

Vineland Estates 2004 St Urban Riesling

Very nice crisp Riesling from a winery known for its German style whites. Excellent with fish, but I didnt find it drank as well without a food pairing. Vinelands seems to be able to turn out these decent Rieslings and Gewurtztraminers at will. If you can't find the '04 don't worry about it. There is bound to be a more recent vintage that will do the trick. Not available at the LCBO. Recommendation: Make sure you have a couple of these Vineland Rieslings in your cellar

Peller 2002 Private Reserve Chardonnay

An excellent chardonnay and one that you would want in your cellar. Pairs well but also drinks well on its own. Better than average. Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: If you find it, buy a couple.

Legends 2006 Reserve Malbec

I have to admit I was shocked to see a Malbec in a Canadian winery. Imagine my surprise when I sampled it and found it to be quite decent! I admit it is not world class, but it has a nice balance and great fruit.Not available in LCBO. Recommendation: Buy a half case. Its a nice wine to have on hand when company comes over.

Unity 2001 Chardonnay

A really decent wine, well worth the premium. Nice colour, good balance. Something you could give as a Christmas present to that friend you forgot on the list. Not available at the LCBO. Recommendation: pick up a couple of bottles if you can find it.

Oak Heights 2006 Cabernet Franc

A newish winery well off the beaten path in an area not known for wine production. This Cab is a decent red. A nice weight, decent mouth feel and some good fruit. I drank it with some cheese and fruit and it paired quite nicely. It would likely do well with salmon too. Not available at the LCBO. Recommendation: Buy a couple of bottles.

Featherstone 2003 Canadian Oak Chardonnay

A new wine from a new winery. Although this wine is drinkable, it is nothing special. Not available in LCBO. Recommendation: Go ahead and buy it for an emergency. Don't be afraid of it but dont expect too much.

Harbour Estates 2004 Baco Noir

Nice little winery out of the way in the Niagara Benchs. Very friendly people, but thats the nicest thing I can say. The wine starts off nice and fruity but finishes with the distinct taste of tobacco. - no, not smoke, more like drinking an ashtray. This is definitely something you want to avoid. Not available at the LCBO. Recommendation: If you see this wine, don't make eye contact and run away in the opposite direction.

Beringer 2006 Clear Lake Zinfandel

One of the well known and respected names in California wines. The Zin is very nice and fruity without being jammy, but doesnt have the heat that we all like in the better Zins. Excellent for sipping while sitting in front of the fire (but then again what wine isnt?) Not available at the LCBO. Recommendation: A nice wine to have in your cellar. Buy it

Grange 2003 Trumpours Mill Gamay

At the outset I should admit I am not a great fan of The Grange. I find their wines lacking and have to force myself to buy their wines to lay down. Seriously they are/were almost undrinkable in the year of bottling. I mean I have heard of bottle shock, but really! Anyway, I digress. The Gamay is drinkable after a few years, but isnt good enough to want to buy to lay down and wait for the privilege. This particular wine is not very good, but is not quite a dumper. Not at the LCBO (thank goodness) Recommendation: Pass it by

Mountain Road 2001 Chardonnay

Another of those cool "finds" you get driving down backroads in Niagara. The chardonnay was relatively inexpensive for an Ontario wine even with all the taxes . A nice chardonnay at the price and stood up well to the years in the cellar. This winery also sold cheeses. I havent been back in quite a while, but its on my list for my next Niagara visit. If you find it in the LCBO check your calendar and yes, that is the Twilight Zone music playing in the background. Recommendation: If you find it, go ahead and buy it.

Tawse 2002 Chardonnay

A really nice Chardonnay from a relatively new "gravity feed" winery in Niagara. I visited the week after they opened their wine boutique and took a chance on the Chardonnay. I guess I was either smart or lucky. The winery specializes in whites and has done quite well at the competitions. This wine is not available at the LCBO, but you might be able to get them to part with a bottle or two from their library if you visit them. Recommendation: Buy it if you find it.

Reviewed wines availability at LCBO

Per an email request, I will do my best to include a note whether the wine is currently available at the LCBO.

Joke of the Day

Two great white sharks, swimming in the ocean, spied survivors of a sunken ship. "Follow me, son." the father shark said to the son shark and they swam to the mass of people.

"First we swim around them a few times with just the tip of our fins showing." And they did.

"Well done, son! Now we swim around them a few more times with all of our fins showing." And they did.

"Now we eat everybody." And they did.

When they were both gorged, the son asked, "Dad, why didn't we just eat them all at first? Why did we swim around and around them?

His wise father replied, "Because they taste better without the shit inside!"

Rosewood 2007 Pinot Noir

Old World style Pinot Noir. Very drinkable. You can taste barnyard, but a little light on the fruit. Finishes quickly. Would probably nicely accompany a hearty beef dinner with root vegetables. Open this wine and let it breathe. You wont be disappointed. VERY reasonably priced. A nice find.

Changed tracks

Uh oh, switched to "Love On The Rocks"

An Emo day?

Oddly today seems to be a day to hum Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man" over and over. Is there Emo in the air? I will research this and get back to you.

Norman Hardy 2007 County Pinot Noir

Norman Hardy is one of the new breed of winemaker settling in PEC. He works his land and is involved with every aspect of his winery. His Pinot Noir is destined to be one of the best in Canada. The 2007 is of course quite young and very immature, but has decent potential. This is one of those wines that you may want to pay the extra couple of bucks and lay it down for a few years (5-10.) It would not be one you want to drink with dinner tonight. Recommendation: Buy a couple of bottles and lay them down.

Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery 2007 Pinot Noir

Review from Debbie Levy: "Decided it wasn't good enough for salad dressing. Considered window washer, and decided my windows deserved better. Dump." 'Nuff said.

Lacey Estates 2008 Baco Noir

A new family run winery in PEC produces some interesting new wines. Please note the emphasis should be on the "NEW". It will take a few years for them to produce some quality, but for now don't be afraid to pick up some of their Baco Noir. Drinkable, but nothing to take home to introduce to your Mother.

Biale 2007 Black Chicken Zinfandel

Biale makes a many varietals but if you are a Zin lover, you must try the Black Chicken at least once in your life. Black Chicken is my all-time favourite Zinfandel and this vintage does not disappoint. Even this young, it opens up quite quickly. Make sure you visit their website and read the story about the winery history and where the "Black Chicken" name came from. Black Chicken is rationed so its not easy to find. In Canada you will likely have to find a wine agent to get it for you. Once you have it, try to cellar it for 5-10 years if you can. With that much time to develop, it will be awesome. Recommendation: Buy it. You can thank me later.

Organized Crime 2006 Pipe Down (Red Blend)

Organized Crime is a fairly new smaller winery in Niagara. (Ask them to tell you the story about the name.) The "Pipe Down" is a Petit Verdot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon blend. It is drinkable now, but probably needs another couple of years to develop. Its a good start for the winery, as long as they dont bet the farm on this formula. Drinkable but not something you want to give the Boss at Christmas.

Saturday night at the movies

After playing with metadata for a couple of hours, I switched my attention to watching an old movie. Out of respect for Barbara Billingsly who died Saturday, I settled on Airplane! Funny movie. Highly recommended if you havent seen it.

Keeping an eye out for some excellent reviewers

I hope at some point Michael Pinkus, Shari Darling and Tony Aspler will drop by and say hi. :-)

Bringing things up to date

I have just realized that I have 2 years of wine reviews that will never be made up, but I do have 20 or 30 from relatively recent tastings that I can try to post over the next couple of weeks. If you would like to post wine reviews, please let me know and I will set up admin status for you.
Cheers

The Grange 2004 Trumpour's Mill Gamay Noir

The Gamay is drinkable but barely. I would recommend it for sipping while adding to braising liquids. Definitely something that needs a food accompaniment.

Saturday morning

Today ia a new day. I watched "Pillow Talk" last night and poured a mundane Gamay to go with it. Good movie, bad wine.

Enbridge (the gas company) still hasnt shown up to install the natural gas, so I am still without heat. Its 62°F in my bedroom.

I will take the dogs for their big morning run in an hour or so.

Best movie competition

I have determined Operation Petticoat and The Princess Bride are in direct competition as "best.movie.ever". Father Goose gets an honourable mention

missed wine postings

I had given up on blogging for quite a while but have decided to jump back in. Over the next little while, I will make a series of short posts on some of the recent wines I have sampled. Instead of long descriptive reviews, I will make short comments and recommend or not. Let the sipping begin!

An assortment of ramblings

Friday once again and its time to renew prescriptions for me and for my dogs.

Watched a great movie last night. "Operation Petticoat" with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis is one of my all-time favourites.

I noted that Verizon has announced iPad/MIFI bundles available later this month. Hell finally froze over.

----- Joke of the Day -----

A newfie, who had just moved to BC walked into a bar and ordered three mugs of draught beer. He sat in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finished them, he came back to the bar and ordered three more. The bartender approached and told the newfie, "You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time."

The newfie replied, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Alberta, the other is in Manitoba. When we all left our home in Nfld , we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself."

The bartender admitted that this was a nice custom, and left it there.

The newfie became a regular in the bar, and always drank the same way. He ordered three mugs and drank them in turn. One day, he came in and only ordered two mugs. All the regulars took notice and fell silent. When he came back to the bar for the second round, the bartender said softly, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss."

The newfie looked quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawned in his eyes and he laughed. "Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explained, "It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking. ... Hasn't affected my brothers though."