Old World vs New World wines - again- and some Christmas wine suggestions

This is one of those things that I have realized - or maybe, it's better to say - had an epiphany about. I know I've blogged about it before but it is such an important thing that I have realized that I am going to go on about it once again.

I have slowly grown to notice this, and thanks to taking my WSET course as well as tasting wine thoughtfully - one might even say, mindfully.

What is it? There is a big difference between Old World and New World wines and one way to look at it is this:

In the Old World - and here, I'm talking largely of France and Italy, although this may apply to other European countries - wine has grown up as an accompaniment to food. When you look at a fine French wine - say, a Chablis - the next thing that you do is figure out what you are going to pair it with - say, a whitefish or some shellfish with a cream sauce. These wines are really meant to be imbibed with the food of the area that they are close to. A bottle of Chianti? Try it with some Spaghetti Bolognese. A bottle of Bordeaux? Try a grilled steak or some lamb. Nebbiolo? How about a Piedmont fondue with truffles?

These are wines that cry out for a food pairing.

Just last month I had a Bordeaux from Paulliac that tasted ok at first sip but needed something. It turned out that it needed a big, juicy sirloin steak to make it sing.

New world wines, on the other hand, are, for the most part, just fine to drink on their own. It's easy to just sip away before dinner until the darn thing is gone and dinner isn't even on the table! This happens far too often at our house and with friends. On occasion, I bring a bottle of wine to a party, after asking what is being served, because it will go well with the food. Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10, it will be gone or mostly gone by the time the first course hits the table.

Now, just because many New World wines are good on their own, it doesn't mean that they aren't good with food. Many of them make fantastic pairings. On occasion, though, the wines just don't sing like one from the Old World.

Here are some wine suggestions as Christmas approaches (but good anytime):

First is one that I've had before - but probably a couple of months before I started this blog. It was a (New World) 2014 Terrunyo Block 17 Carmenere from Chile - and I bought it for my (now) son-in-law because it was written up as the best Carmenere in Chile. At the time, I shuddered to pay $38 for a bottle of wine - now I don't shudder so much if I know it is going to be a special wine. When we bought this particular wine I actually purchased three bottles, one to give, one to drink, and one to hold on. Last night, we had the one to hold on.

It was a wonderful wine - even better than the first bottle. It was a super dark rich, purple wine with wonderful black and red fruit flavours and some tannins. It had some nice oak and was a wine that really seemed to stand up with a strong intensity of flavours. We had prepared pork chops baked in the oven over a potato and tomato gratin but, unfortunately, by the time dinner was on the table, guess what?

Next up is a tasty Tuesday night wine. Yes, it is good to drink fancy wines such as the Carmenere but the reality is that most of us can't afford to drink a $40 bottle every night.  This one I chose because somebody gave it 89 points (although there's a large contingent of experts who are not particularly please with the point system - for an excellent view on this issue, check out this article by Jancis Robinson) and it was an Old World Cotes du Rhone. It is a Pere Anselme La Fiole from the Cotes de Rhone - the producer is actually from Chateauneuf de Pape. Although my Vivino app thinks it' is an actual CNP blend, it is actually a $17 bottle that tastes pretty good - specially for a Tuesday night. Nothing too intense or complex and definitely goes better with some food.

The third wine was recommended to me by a pretty reliable source at one of my favourite liquor stores. It was a New World Argentinian Fuego Blanco Cabernet Franc Malbec that I was pretty excited about. I love Cab Franc and was intrigued about the addition of the Malbec. Unfortunately, I found this wine to be rather dull or thin - not awful but not worth the $35 I paid for it. I was defintely disappointed and would not consider purchasing it again - wth or without food. I was surprised that it was rated pretty highly in the  Vivino app (and that someone on the bottle had given it 93 points) but my advice is - stay away from this one.

Finally, a fantastic (Old World) port! For the 325th anniversary of the company, Taylor Fladgate has come out with a tawny port that is a mix of 10, 20, 30 and 40 year old tawny ports. It is incredible! It has complex tastes and is not overly sweet so you can really enjoy sitting back and sipping. It also comes in a commemorative bottle which reflects the design of the original port bottle when the company started (my wife loves the bottle and won't let me throw it out). At $48 a bottle, it's a bit of a splurge but is actually a great price for tawny port. I swear I can taste elements from each decade as I savour this wonder. If you have a port drinker on your Christmas list, I recommend that you check your local liquor store stock and buy what you can. There's a reason why there's four bottles in the photo!

Mega Tasting at Road 13 - Okanagan Spring Wine Festival Part 2

After we left Hester Creek, our several bottles of wine clinking in the cardboard case, we loaded up the car, piled in, and headed for Road 13. This is a winery I have been to before and have enjoyed many different bottles of their wine over the years. One of our good friends really loved the wine and, in fact, had it at their daughter's wedding a few years ago.

My brother-in-law is a member of Road 13's wine club and needed his spring case picked up so we were more than happy to do so. We entered the wine shop and explained our purpose for being there. We also mentioned that we would like a wine tasting. When faced with either the $5 each wine tasting or the $15 each wine tasting, we chose the former - but then my brilliant daughter piped up, "I am in the industry!"

Like a skeleton key, this opened up the tasting door. Since we were picking up a wine club member's wine and since Cait was in the industry, we were able to have a complimentary Premium tasting for three in the Lounge.

First, the whites.

We started off with a Champagne style Chenin Blanc. We were all very impressed by the clean taste and the appealing flavours of this bubbly - in fact, my wife insisted we buy a magnum. Next was the Chardonnay which was good but a bit too oaky for my tastes. Then we tried the Honest John White ($18)  which was a winner - a great BBQ wine! We ended up with a bottle of that one. Next, the 2014 Stemwinder ($18) which was a mix of Chardonnay, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. It was also another good BBQ wine. There was also their Rosé ($18), which has always been one of my favourites with its off dry taste and patio friendly flavours. This is mostly Merlot with Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and some other grapes in smaller amounts.

Finally, the Roussanne ($29). This is a grape that is not often seen by itself. My daughter went crazy for this one but I wasn't as impressed. It wasn't awful but just wasn't my cup of tea - or glass of wine.

Onto the reds.

First was Honest John's Red ($20). I've always liked this one a lot - and now I like it more! It was just as approachable as before but has some extra richness thanks to more reliance on Gamay Noir, giving it a Beaujolais feel. Really nice change. Then was the 2014 Seventy-Four K ($25) which was also a very drinkable, enjoyable blend of reds. The 2013 Jackpot Petit Verdot ($75) was a very nice wine with good complexity but I didn't really want to spend the price for it. 

Under the new Similkameen Collective label, there were three very nice wines which all could use some ageing. I was tempted by all of them including the 2013 Consensus (Meritage blend at $60), the 2013 GSM (GSM = Grenache, Syrah, and Merlot - very tempted at $50), and the 2014 Syrah/Viognier ($45). These are all Rhône type wines and apparently foreshadow a shift in how Road 13 is going to do its premium blends. However, the one the I absolutely fell for was 2012 Fifth Element ($49). This is, apparently again, one of the last of these Bordeaux style wines as the winery shifts away from this style. I think it's too bad as it is a rich, complex, long finishing wine that I am looking forward to cracking open in the near future (I bought two bottles).

I was really impressed by the Premium tasting - it might have even been worth the $15 if we'd had to pay it! We basically tried every single wine that they still had available! It was a great tasting. At the start, we were given the tasting by Mick, the winemaker, something that I doubt would happen in the summer, and then we were switched over to a personable young guy who was working towards his law degree. Both were very knowledgable and did a great job of informing us about the wines. A fantastic time!

Even though that was enough - the day was not over yet! Our last stop of the day was dinner and a tour at Mission Hill!