Santa Margherita 2008 Lison Pramaggiore Cabernet Franc

I like a good Cabernet Franc and took a chance on this one mainly because it was in the bin end sale at the wine store. Light to medium body, with a long finish. Definitely some potential. Decent black fruit but probably needs another 5 years in your cellar to develop some more complexity. Available at the LCBO. Recommendation: Buy at the sale price.

Reggie's - Hunter St, East City

I've listened to all the locals raving about Reggie's and decided to check it out. Let me start by saying it's clean, young and friendly and with lots of choices, even some unusual toppings/specialty burgers to spice up your dining experience. Reggie's makes everything to order, so you know it should be fresh and hot. An interesting (quaint) idea is that you fill in an order card that also serves as your menu - selecting the entree, toppings, drink, side-orders, etc.

I ordered the Reggie Burger and a small fry side-order. The fries were quite good. Handcut and normal sized but with the taste and colour of fries you would normally expect with fish&chips. The bun was a standard sesame seed bun, toasted quite nicely. The burger was not overcooked, and it had decent flavour, but sadly it was quite dry. Also regrettably the toppings were scrimpy at best. All in all a disappointment for the price.

Reggie's Burger - $4.50
Small fries - $2.50

I will probably go back to Reggie's but not soon. I hope by that time they have done something to their burger recipe to eliminate the dryness.

Joke of the Day (2)

Women are like apples on trees.

1. The best ones are at the top of the tree. The apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they’re amazing. They just have to wait for the right person to come along, the one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.
2. Men don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt.
3. Men sometimes take the apples from the ground that aren’t as good, but easy.

Joke of the Day

Men are like good wine. They start out as grapes and women stomp on them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

Saturday Morning Wine Ramblings

For me a wine review should be simple and give me the answer to some basic questions:
1. Do I like this wine?
2. Is this wine affordable for ME?
3. Where can I get it?

4. Is this a "hidden gem" or a waste of money?

I love wine and try to answer these questions but realize in some cases the answers presented here are answered by omission - or missed. Sorry about that. I have probably been drinking. ;-)

A lot of wine "critics" have advanced palates and like to drone on and on about "elusive hints of x" (insert obscure SE Asian herb for x) and the like, but I like to think that I have a normal palate and that the majority of us have similar tastes.

I rarely sample wines at a winery. Standing at a tasting bar trying to take notes seems a bit elitist and contrary to the impression I want to make. Typically I purchase 2 bottles to sample off premises and dont write the review until I have finished the first bottle and tasted and sometimes well into sampling the second.

I try to be fair to the winery with the recommendation. After all they have put their blood sweat and tears into their product and are competing with thousands of other wineries. I try to meet the winemaker whenever I can, just to feel the love for the product. I have met introverts and extroverts, farmers and bankers, but I can state that 99.99% of the time they are as passionate about their latest crop/product as they were the day the started their first.

Landrace 2006 Shiraz Mataro

Wonderful blend of Shiraz and Mataro (Mourvedre). Excellent fruit. Full-bodied. Some complexity. Wonderful medium finish. Some heat. Available at LCBO. Recommendation: Buy

Joke of the Day

Q. Why do ducks have webbed feet?

A. To stamp out fires.

Q. Why do elephants have flat feet?

A. To stamp out burning ducks

Jacob's Creek 2008 Shiraz Cabernet

A nice fruity "supermarket" blend perfect for pairing with a rich tomato sauce. Nothing terribly complex and it tastes virtually the same a day later. Surprisingly long finish. Low priced. Available at LCBO. Recommendation: Buy

Carmela Estates 2002 Dry Riesling

Admittedly past its prime, this wine has a beautiful golden colour, but is so heavily oaked it loses all its crispness. Not available in LCBO. Recommendation: Pass

Chateau Puyfromage 2006 Bordeaux

Medium bodied and "ok" but nothing to write home about. Dull fruit and a quick finish. Available at LCBO. Recommendation: meh

Chateau Preuillac 2005 Medoc

A decent blend of 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Some fruit, but a very long finish of leather. Available at LCBO. Recommendation: OK

Katnook 2005 Merlot

Nice and fruity. Medium bodied. Long finish. Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: Buy

Peller 2008 Private Reserve Pinot Gris

Absolutely lovely Pinot Gris. Beautiful colour. Well balanced. Nice citrus with some tropical notes. Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: Buy

Alvento 2004 Elige

A rather pedestrian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It starts poorly, with harsh tannins that never mellows out. After waiting several hours, the wine never opened up. Not very complex. Ok fruit. Mediocre finish. Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: Pass

Henry of Pelham 2002 Speck Family Reserve Chardonnay

A decent Chardonnay if a little over-oaked. Decent fruit, but not particularly well balanced. Decent finish. Beautiful colour. Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: Okay

La Vieille Ferme 2006 Cotes du Ventoux

A lovely blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourdevre and Cinsault. Very nice fruit with a spice/floral/earthy component. Nice long finish. Available at LCBO. Recommendation: Buy

Tawse 2006 Pinot Noir

A very nice light Pinot with some nice complexities. Some earthiness, with nicely balanced fruit. Excellent long finish. Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: Buy

Sonsierra 2002 Reserva Rioja

A decent if somewhat unmemorable Rioja. Medium bodied. Old world style. Not particularly revealing on the nose. Quite a long finish. Not available at LCBO. Recommendation: OK for a change.

Joke of the Day

A pirate walked into a bar with a steering wheel on his crotch.

The Bartender asked him if it hurt.

The Pirate replied, "Arrr it's drivin me nuts!"

Carmela Estates 2001 Hubbs Creek

Upon opening this white blend, you will be struck by the complete absence of nose. Upon pouring you will be struck by the absolutely beautiful full amber colour but again, virtually nothing on the nose. Then comes the first sip, and the first gag. Terrible. The best that can said for it is that it tastes like peat. In fact if it were room temperature, one might mistake it for a watered down Scotch whiskey that somehow retained its colour. No fruit at all and a complete disappointment. I had come to not expect too much from this winery over the years but I never thought they would produce a complete dumper. Carmela has recently been sold and hopefully the new owner will make an effort to make Hubbs Creek a distant memory. If he has any of this in his library, he ought to dump it and destroy the labels. Frankly the bottle deposit is worth more than the contents. Not Available at LCBO. Recommendation: Dump it ... and if someone gives it to you as a gift, examine that friendship very closely.