In Vino Veritas
In recent years, “dry January” has been in Vogue as a floundering attempt to pay penance for the hedonism of the holiday period, or a resoluteness that when we say “never again” following the inevitable NYE hangover, we truly mean it this time. However, in a month of endless lockdowns and mind-numbing Zoom classes, surely your January will be dry enough without relinquishing one of life’s greatest pleasures just to assuage a pervasive guilt complex. Besides, it’s a little oxymoronic to try to become a better person while also trying to become a lawyer, don’t you think? For those seeking some form of gratuitous self-flagellation, might I suggest Veganuary instead? That way you can at least enhance your Beyond Nuggets and wash down the disappointing taste of sustainability with some of our top vinous picks of the season: a selection of bold wines to keep you warm on a cold night.
I share my review of a love affair with a feisty French Gamay, while Tom moves us from the Loire Valley down to Rioja in appraising a bold, savoury Tempranillo. In keeping with the theme of drinking in the tastes of Europe in lieu of taking in its sights, Alexa introduces us to a unique white port from the Douro Valley, while Sawyer indulges in Italian escapism in reviewing a complex red wine from the hills of Verona. Quinn reminds us that when looking for a wine to weather the cold Canadian winter, perhaps we’re best off looking in our own backyard, highlighting a wonderful Niagara winery.
In school, love, and red wine, one must remember that fortune favours the bold, so press forward knowing that brighter (and warmer) days are coming! We hope you enjoy our recommendations for this month.
Jared Barkman (1L)
$44, Grape Witches
I first tried La Pause on an impromptu trip to Montreal last November, around the time that I should have been taking a term paper deadline far more seriously. I recalled the bottle as being a complete showstopper, an evocative Gamay that turns the dullest night into a celebration. But, in recognition that my recollection may have been influenced by the parade of preceding bottles (and the sales pitch of Joe Beef’s smooth-talking sommelier), I was determined to give it another go—and what better way to ensure honest contemplation than drinking during a freezing, locked-down, dreadfully sober January in Toronto.
To my pleasant surprise, La Pause was just as sexy the second time around, the kind of bottle that makes you want to shower for the first time in a week and get all dressed up as if you were trying to convince the wine that you’re worthy of drinking it rather than the other way around. Laurent Saillard’s 40-year-old Loire Valley vines are grown on clay and limestone soil, creating a punchier Gamay than you might be used to. Jammy red fruit notes dominate (strawberry, raspberry) and its soft tannins allow for rapid consumption if one is not cautious, but it still has a few earthy notes that allow for greater pondering than your typical easy-drinking Gamay. This is more of a “jealous lover” wine than a one-night stand, and if your liquor cabinet is ever endowed with the honour of storing a bottle, I can guarantee that you’ll find yourself hiding it from your bourgeois friends who will undoubtedly be keen on once again drinking your stash dry post-lockdown.
Tom Russell (2L)
Faustino I Gran Reserva Tempranillo Blend
$31.95 at the LCBO
If you’re anything like me, January is a time to realise you don’t have the strength of character required to follow through on any of the lifestyle changes you promised you’d begin in the new year. So why not keep yourself warm and push away this unpleasant reality with a wonderful Tempranillo blend from La Rioja, Spain!
The Tempranillo grape is native to Spain and obtains its name from the fact that it ripens much earlier than other Spanish red grapes. The origin of Tempranillo cultivation on the Iberian Peninsula is thought to have begun around the time of the Phoenician settlements in the southern provinces. Tempranillo is known to have a very neutral profile, so is often blended with other varieties from the region.
My wine review for this month is for the Faustino I Gran Reserva 2009 Tempranillo Blend. This is an extra dry wine with a sugar content of 2 g/L and an alcohol content of 12.8 percent. It has a deep ruby colour and aromas of vanilla and tobacco. I noted hints of cherry and chocolate with tobacco. This wine is best paired with red meat, mushrooms, and cheese.
Alexa Cheung (3L)
$17.45 at the LCBO
Okay, white wines don’t exactly scream warm and cosy, but I guarantee that a few glasses of this 20 percent ABV fortified wine will definitely warm you up.
This is my first time trying a white port. Ports are Portuguese wines made in the Douro Valley of North Portugal, and the wines are fortified with brandy to stop the fermentation process. I generally associate ports with sickly sweet, cloying reds that I can only tolerate two sips of at a time, but this wine was a pleasant surprise. With a sugar content of 106 g/L, it was definitely very sweet, but it did not taste too heavy on the tongue. The wine is a gorgeous honey golden colour, and it had rich floral notes of honey and pear.
In the summer months, I imagine this would make an excellent cocktail with some grapefruit juice, fresh mint leaves, and sparkling water. In the meantime, I am happy sipping it along with a delicious smoked salmon pasta.
Quinn Hartwig (1L)
$21.80 at Big Head Wines
At the beginning of the pandemic, my family and I were looking for a way to order wine to our home. We turned to Big Head, my favourite Niagara winery, and fell in love with their great wines and super convenient delivery process. We continue to order from them regularly ever since. To understand what makes their wines in general—and this blend in particular—so special, a bit needs to be said about their techniques. Appassimento is a term native to Northeastern Italy meaning “passionate”, which describes wine made from grapes laid on mats or hung to dry for several months. During this time, the grapes lose a third of their water content, leaving them ‘raisinated’ and packed with sugar. These grapes are used to produce uniquely complex, aromatic, and intense red wines which are often aged and priced considerably. Ripasso is another type of wine made from “re-passing” the discarded, processed Appassimento grapes with fresh wine to create a more accessible, fruity, easy-drinking product.
In true pioneering fashion, the good folks at Big Head Wines in Niagara employ these “old world” techniques to bring a big-bodied, flavourful richness to Canadian red wine that is utterly unique and so often lacking in our cool climate. This 2018 Big Red is a bordeaux-style blend with 20 percent Appassimento-style grapes and 30 percent Ripasso-style wine. The resulting blend is delightfully big-bodied and dry, with pleasant tannins and a lasting finish. It smells of ripe fruit and sour candy with notes of sweet red fruit, vanilla butter, spice, caramel, and, as my dad is fond of saying, hints of Welch’s grape juice. It goes well with rich umami flavours like burgers, steak, mushroom pasta, or French onion soup.
Sawyer Peloso (2L)
Tommasi Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2018
$24.95 at LCBO
These days, January is a time to pretend that I am anywhere other than in Ontario. Italy is one country in which I envision myself spending a lot of time—my great-grandparents are from Italy. Recently, I explored what it would take to get Italian citizenship. It turns out having distant relatives makes the process somewhat easier. Unrealistic Italian citizenship dreams aside, in January I explored some Italian red wines to enjoy indoors on a cold, winter night.
The Valpolicella region in Italy produces some fantastic wines. This specific Tommasi wine also uses the well-known Ripasso method, which adds grape skins from Amarone wine back to Valpolicella, giving it more alcohol content and flavour.
Overall, I was very pleased with my experience. It had a dark ruby colour, with intense aromas consisting of red fruit and oak. Taste-wise, I noted hints of cherry, pepper, and prunes. It was very smooth, medium-bodied, low in tannins, and had an excellent lingering aftertaste. I would recommend it to both experienced and inexperienced red wine drinkers. It has a complex, interesting taste while not being too overwhelming, bold, or tannic.
