In Vino Veritas
Grade release can bring about a wide range of emotions depending on the combination of one’s personality and the stage they are at in law school. As evidenced in the reviews below, this may include anxiety, the urge to leave the country, or general indifference. This month’s In Vino Veritas special highlights several wines that pair well with the array of emotions that our reviewers felt during the January grade release. We hope these reviews help direct you toward a wine that perfectly matches your feelings!
Jared Barkman (2L)
Keenan & Zoë – 2021 Direct Press Field Blend
Legacy Liquor Store (Vancouver) | $37.38
When grades are released, good or bad, my first piece of advice is to book a flight—anywhere will do. There’s no escapism quite like literally escaping, after all. But when this proves impracticable, my second piece of advice is to buy a bottle of wine that transports you away from the mid-winter, suboptimal-transcript blues. Keenan & Zoë’s Direct Press Field Blend should surely do the trick. A unique blend of 60 percent pinot noir, 30 percent chardonnay, and 10 percent pinot gris, it’s like drinking a glass of summer. The pinot gris softens the wine, removing some of the bitterness associated with skin-contact blends, and the pinot noir infuses delicious notes of red fruit that seem incongruent with the light orange liquid sloshing around your glass.
Carefully harvested and hand-bottled in the Okanagan, Keenan and Zoë are crafting some of the most outstanding biodynamic wines in the country; you can rest assured there are no chemicals added and no goodness removed. The only problem is that the wines are released in incredibly small batches, so finding a bottle in Ontario may prove elusive. I suppose you’ll need to book that flight after all…
Tom Russell (3L)
Undurraga – 2018 “Terroir Hunter” Cauquenes Cabernet Sauvignon
LCBO | $25.95
My favourite activity this past month has been waking up early, pouring myself a nice glass of wine, and refreshing ACORN non-stop until the sun sets at 5pm. There’s no denying that the beginning of the winter semester is a terrible time for many of us, so I’m reviewing one of my favourite wines to relax.
The T.H. Cauquenes is a dry, bold cabernet sauvignon from Chile with hints of oak, blackberry, and vanilla. This wine is delicious, with an excellent finish and mild tannins that linger for a bit. I recommend pairing this with beef, lamb, or a savoury mushroom dish. This is a great value wine priced at $26 at the LCBO. I highly recommend this as a cost-efficient option for a dinner date or celebration with friends.
Sawyer Peloso (3L)
Trius – 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
LCBO and The Wine Shop | $17.95
Grade release in 3L brings about a completely different set of emotions than in 1L. In first year, grade release was an extremely anxiety-inducing experience. Regardless of the results, I knew I needed to treat myself to a high-quality bougie wine. Fast forward to third year, and everything has changed. I am fresh off an exchange semester and I am still that person who constantly brings up how great it was—wait, have I told you about Amsterdam yet? At present, no set of grades will remedy the existential pain of no longer being on exchange and travelling every other week. Nor will any grade bring me back all the money I spent on exchange.
To match this feeling of indifference towards my grades and genuine concern for the state of my bank account, I tried to find a low-priced, inoffensive wine that was just good enough. Trius’ cabernet sauvignon is a medium-bodied red wine from Niagara, in stock at the Wine Shop and LCBO. It fits this description exactly. It was okay! There were hints of blackberry and vanilla on the palate and nose that were somewhat interesting. The finish was also pretty smooth. I probably wouldn’t bring it to a dinner party, but I would find it perfectly okay to drink on a Thursday night as I go through my exchange photos for the hundredth time.
Angela Gu (4L JD/MBA)
Strewn Two Vines – 2019 Riesling Gewürztraminer
LCBO | $13.95
Grades? What grades? I have been floating about, feeling detached from reality since coming back from exchange. I won’t be too obnoxious and rave about the delicious Alsatian gewürztraminer I had when I took the train to France for a day trip, the sole purpose of which was to eat and drink. But I do miss the abundance of cheap and cheerful wines in Europe. This Ontario riesling and gewürztraminer blend will suffice. It has a honeyed floral nose, and it’s fruity and fun. There’s a nice acidity to induce a little pucker, and a light riesling minerality. This bottle should bring some joy.
