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| The sun still smiles on our terrace, despite the snow... |
Hmmm - it's been a while.
In September, I went 'back to school' and starting taking classes in Spanish at the local college. I have been so focussed on study, that I have unfortunately been neglecting my wine blogging. Rest assured, however, that I have been drinking my fair share of wine!
As Christmas rapidly approaches, and wallets and purses are emptied of money in the pursuit of the perfect present, I thought I'd share two value priced wines that are very tasty and could even accompany your Christmas turkey. There's a red from Portugal and a white from France.
The white is a wine from the the Languedoc region of France. There aren't very many wines that I drink from this particular region as this is also known as the 'wine lake' of France. There are a lot of low acid, high alcohol wines that don't have a lot of character., There are, however, some appellations that make good or even great wine, but they are few and far between.
One of the wines that I tried when taking my WSET 3 was a Picpoul wine - and I really enjoyed it. The wine is made with the Picpoul grape and is distinctively different then other white wine grapes.
The wine that I bought was an Ormarine 2018 Les Pins de Camille Picpoul de Pinet. Picpoul de Pinet is the AOC for this wine and is only made form the Picpoul Blanc grape. At the BC Liquor Store it is currently $16 ($2 off) until the end of the year.
This wine had aromas and flavours of lemon, grapefruit, apple, pear, honey and a minerality - think wet stone - that makes me think of a Chablis. It was fairly dry with medium body, medium plus acidity, and very little oak. This is a crisp, refreshing wine and would be fine on a summer's day, while you sat in the patio. However, it is also very nice with poultry (I've had it with chicken twice in the last couple of weeks) so I think it would be a standout with a turkey dinner. It is agreeable enough that it would go with all of the dishes being served. I would rate this as Very Good.
The red is a wine from the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. My wife and I are headed there in the spring so I took the opportunity to try this one. How I selected it did not call on my expertise, however; I was at the liquor store and the cashier indicated this wine as it was on sale and there was a display at the front. I asked what grapes were in it and she said that she didn't know but that it was from Portugal. Sold!
The wine is a 2018 Segredos de São Miguel Vinho Tinto made by Herdade de São Miguel (can't find a web site) and is ridiculously priced $3 off at the BC Liquor Store for just $12 until the end of December. Amazing! The name means Secret of São Miguel and this is one that you want in on!
This is a blend of four grapes - Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Touriga Nacional, and Trincadeira - as well as some other grapes. It is a bolder wine with aromas and tastes of blueberry, blackberry, plum as well as some red fruit such as strawberry. There's also some definite leathery, earthy flavours that make this a very enjoyable wine to drink. This wine has medium minus tannins, is mostly dry, and has medium acidity. It actually stood up well to chicken and would be a good red wine pairing with turkey. It would also be a good accompaniment to steak, lamb or duck. I would also rate this wine as Very Good.
There you have it - two super value wines that are good to drink on their own or pair with turkey.
Happy holidays and a big cheers - or, "¡Salud!" as we say in Spanish!
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